GETTING STARTED ON THE THESISAdviceforGraduateStudents

GraduateResourceCenterwww.calstatela.edu/graduatethesis

§Name§Department§Stage in thesis process

Introductions

IT ALL STARTS WITH A QUESTION.

Break It Down — The Thesis

StateQuestion

akaIdentifyProblem

StateAssumptions

DetermineSourcesandMethods

AnalyzeData

ConcludeorRecommend

Break It Down — The Project Report

Project"The Question"

Significance

Objectives Methodology

ConclusionorRecommendation

Let’s Get Started

PrepareIt

•Askquestions

Research&WriteIt

•Examinequestions

SubmitIt

•Finalizeanswers

PREPARE ITAskQuestions

§EstablishesCommittee§Duetoyourcollegebyendofsemesterpriortosubmission

Thismaychangeinfuture— checkwithyourcollegeaboutdeadlinesandupdates!

GS-12 Form

Checkwithyourdepartmentregardingprotocolandprocess.§Formingthecommittee§Submissionofprospectusorproposal§Formatofperformanceorexhibition§Defenseorpresentationofthesis/project

Whenindoubt,askyourdepartment!

Establish Department Protocol

§Areaofresearchexpertise§Methodologyexpertise§Styleofmentorship§Availability

ALSO:Networkwithalumsandpeersinyourfield!

Forming the Committee

§ Forspringsemestercompletion,ideallyapplytoIRB earlyinfall.

§ Checktoseeifyouneedtoapplytoanotherinstitution’sIRB.

§ SeeOfficeofResearch,Scholarships,andCreativeActivitywebsite:www.calstatela.edu/orad

Research with Human Subjects & IRB

§Accesstodata§ Publicdomainvs.Privatesource

§Makesurethere’senoughdatatoansweryourquestion!§ Litreview§ Prospectus

Data Analysis

§CulminatingProjectFund(GraduateStudies)§Seekoutgrantsandscholarships

§NationalandInternationalScholarshipandFellowshipPrograms(NISFeP)—Moodle

§Graduateassistantshipsinlabsorwithfacultytoaccessdatasets

§Workstudyonresearchteams

Funding Your Thesis

ü Oneyearisshort!Beconcise.ü Findoutalldeadlines(e.g.,department,university,etc.).üWorkbackwardsfromdeadlinestocreatetimeline.ü Scheduletimeforthesis,likeaclass.ü Seekoutbestpractices.Don’treinventthewheel!ü Aimtohavebulkofworkdonebybeginningoffinalsemester.

Creating a Timeline

RESEARCH & WRITE ITExamineQuestions

TALKTOYOURCOMMITTEE!!

First of all…

§Writingconsultants§Libraryreferenceliaisons§Stylemanual§GRCWorkshops§Peerwritinggroups

In addition to your committee

Noco-authorshipofthesisorprojectreport(perTitle5).§Citationmanager(e.g.,RefWorks)§Anti-plagiarismsoftware(e.g.,TurnItIn)§Libraryresearchconsultations§Libraryreferenceliaisons

Avoid Plagiarism

§Confirmcorrectsoftwarewithadvisor.§Tablesandfiguresshouldbecreatedinsamesoftwareastemplate.§UseonlyMSWordorLaTeX toformat.§Gettechhelpifyouneedit(e.g.,lynda.calstatela.edu)

TIP!DownloadMSOfficefree,getAdobeCreativeSuitecheap.

Software

§Seekfeedbackfromcommitteechairandmembers.§Considerallfeedback,evenifyoudon’tuseit.§Keepallfeedbackanddrafts.

Feedback

Takecareofyourself!§Getsleep.Stayhydrated.Eatwell.§Usehealthservices.§Takebreaks.Exercise.§Planahead!

Self Care

ü Incaseofemergency,contactyourcommitteeandGRC.üYoumustbeenrolledinordertofilethesis

• UNIV9000optionüBackupallthethings!üCompletethesisbeforeclassesexpireat7years.üRenewIRBbeforeitexpiresafter1year.

Plan for the Unexpected

SUBMIT ITFinalizeAnswers

§Deadlinesinfall,spring,andsummer§Workshopseveryterm§Electronicsubmission— onlinerepository§Yourstylemanualisyournewbestfriend!§Thesisreviewers(graduatestudentemployees)§Hireeditorifneeded.

Formatting and Submission

Contact UsAndrea GutierrezCoordinator, Graduate Resource CenterCALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LOS ANGELES5151 State University Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90032–8253

Phone323.343.3822

Emailaguti111@calstatela.edu

Webwww.calstatela.edu/graduatethesiswww.calstatela.edu/graduateresourcecenter