Completing a Thesis or Dissertation John F' Schmitt, Associate Dean The Graduate School Assistant to

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Completing a Thesis or DissertationJohn F.
Schmitt, Associate DeanThe Graduate School
Assistant to the Executive Vice President and
Provostwww.graduate.ua.edu
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Your Thesis/ Dissertation?
You?
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Our Topics Today

• First Things
• Once You Know the Problem/Question(s)
• General Tips
• Common Problems

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Research and Travel Fund(up to 300 per sem.)
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First Things
I Need A Topic!

• Interest Area
• Identify the Problem or Conflict
• Talk With Experts

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First Things

• Committee
• Thesis 3
• Dissertation 5
• Graduate Dean Appoints (form on Web)
• 1 outside member

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First Things

• Institutional Review Board for the Testing of
  Human Subjects (IRB)
• approval required even for survey research
• http//osp.ua.edu/IRB.html

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First ThingsHANDOUT and Exercise

• Steps to Completion
• Take 2 minutes to identify the dates to
• (1) Have the final defense meeting (3-4
  weeks before final day to to turn it in to the
  Grad School)
• (2) Have the proposal defense meeting

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The Manuscript

• Title A Study of (NOT!)
• Abstract (lt350 words results concls.)
• Table of Contents
• Intro. Review of the Literature
• Method
• Results
• Conclusions
• References

Format of Major Sections Varies Widely
by Discipline
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The Manuscript

• Sample preliminary pages
• Thesis
• http//www.graduate.ua.edu/thesis/thesis.pdf
• Dissertation
• http//www.graduate.ua.edu/thesis/dissertation.pdf
  

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General Tips
Begin Early
EXPECT TO PUBLISH
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Why Begin Early?

• Avg. Number of Graduate Degrees Completed at UA
  Each Year for theLast 3 Years
• 178 Doctoral
• 1,068 Masters

High Demand on Faculty for Committee Service
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General Tips
Proofreader?
Typist?
348-5921 http//graduate.ua.edu/thesis/typist.htm
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Common Problems

• See Student Guide to Preparing Theses
  Dissertations (Grad School Web site)
• 2 unbound copies
• Expecting Graduate School to proof
• Signaturesmissing or not original

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Common Problems

• Spell checkers
• Dew knot trussed yore spell chequertwo fined
  awl yore mistakes.
• MS Words spell checker will flag none of the
  above words

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Grammar Checkers

• Marketing are bad for brand big and small. You
  Know What I am Saying? It is no wondering that
  advertisings are bad for company in America,
  Chicago, and Germany.
• No problems would be underlined in green by MS
  Words grammar checker

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Common Problems

• Mismatch of Table of Contents and text of
  manuscript
• Typeface creativity multiple types script
  italics
• Type size (must be 12 pt.)
• Others in the Student Guide...
• If you avoid these problems...

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Your Goal
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Need Help?

• http//graduate.ua.edu/thesis
• deads_at_ua.edu
• jchamber_at_bama.edu
• 348-5921 The Graduate School

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Questions?