Page 85 - DISSERTATION AND THESIS HANDBOOK 2017 -2020

find texts that are so grand you feel a little nervous. Take courage from the studies that
seem manageable and use the intellectually powerful studies as inspiration, not
intimidation.

You have gotten to this stage in your program through determination, developing
your skills, and working hard. The same attributes will take you through the thesis
process.

All master’s theses must meet several important standards. In order for your thesis
to be successful, it must:

• demonstrate your knowledge of prior scholarship relating to the thesis topic;
• reveal your ability to analyze, critique, interpret, and synthesize material into
hypotheses and/or research questions sufficient to form the basis of a thesis;
• reflect your use of appropriate research methodology that will result in well-
substantiated findings;
• present your findings in a manner appropriate for displaying qualitative and/or
quantitative data;
• include a coherent discussion of your findings and the meaning of the results; and
• reflect a mastery of grammar, punctuation, sentence and paragraph construction,
citations, and style consistent with published research in your academic
discipline.

Take Pride, Find Strength.
You are the author of the thesis, and therefore, are ultimately responsible for
ensuring that its production reflects the highest quality in content, style, grammatical
exactness, and documentation.

Although you should expect assistance from your committee chairperson and
committee members, you are held solely responsible for meeting the standards, citation
style, format, and overall quality expected of theses.

Your responsibilities include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following:
• identifying a research area you are interested in and limiting the aim and scope
of that era to a manageable project;
• formulating one or more specific research questions;
• demonstrating your familiarity with the most important literature and
theoretical background to your study;
• choosing a thesis topic that represents your own original research;
• completing the Institutional Review Board requirements if your study involves
human subjects;
• consulting regularly with your committee chairperson to review progress on
the development of chapters in the thesis;

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