NOTICE TO GRADUATES: A DISK COPY OF YOUR PROJECT/THESIS IS REQUIRED

 

Beginning in AY 2002-03, graduating MSW students are required to submit a copy of their project/thesis in electronic/digital form along with the bound hard copy to their chair.  The purpose of this requirement is twofold.

 

First, DSWE will establish and maintain a digital/electronic read-only archive of projects and theses (including abstracts) completed by MSW graduates of the Department of Social Work Education (DSWE). This poses a minimal cost to students.  The ARCHIVE will be used to document student work for administrative and programmatic reviews conducted by DSWE, the University and our accrediting body, the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).  All projects/theses will be included in this archive.

 

Second, DSWE will establish and maintain a digital/electronic LIBRARY of master's students' projects/theses.  The purpose of the library is to fulfill the professional responsibility to contribute to the professional knowledge base.  Inclusion of a student’s work in this library is VOLUNTARY, therefore, with the student's written permission, a copy of the project/thesis will be included in this separate digital/electronic library for use in research and classroom activities conducted by DSWE faculty and by future MSW students as they prepare their projects/theses.  The library will be maintained on CD-ROM or similar media and on a secure internal department WEB site (e.g., Blackboard).  Access to the library will be limited to DSWE faculty and current enrolled students (undergraduate BA majors and MSW students).

 

PROCEDURES:

 

A.              DEPARTMENTAL DEGREE CLEARANCE PROCESS

 

At the time the student’s chair submits the degree clearance form, the student should include:

 

  1.  A printed copy of the abstract with committee members’ names
  2. Graduate Information form
  3. Graduate clearance form
  4. Authorization form signed by the student acknowledging requirement of a disk copy for the archive and outlining wishes re: inclusion in, and copying of the student’s project/thesis documents in the electronic library – see attached document

 

B.              BOUND COPIES OF THE PROJECT/THESIS

 

Students are required to provide a bound copy of the project/thesis to their chairs (Madden library gets a bound copy of theses); readers, and participating agencies generally receive copies of the document.  The specifics regarding additional copies are determined in consultation with the appropriate persons/agencies involved in the project/thesis.  Students should ask their chairs about the type of binding to use. NOTE: Projects may be printed on regular 20# white paper.  Theses must be printed on special paper.


 

C.              DISK COPY FORMAT & SUBMISSION

 

THE DISK COPY SHOULD BE TURNED IN (OR TRANSMITTED AS EMAIL ATTACHMENTS) TO THE STUDENT’S CHAIR NO LATER THAN THE DATE WHEN THE BOUND HARD COPY OF THE DOCUMENT IS SUBMITTED TO THE CHAIR.

 

1.     Please submit MS WORD files. You may submit a single file containing the entire document or separate the contents into a number of files if this is easier. The following file folder structure is a suggestion:

 

      Folder label:   Student (your) name, date of graduation, e.g., J. Smith, May 2004

            File:                Abstract, include title, date, your name, and names of chair/readers

File:                Document/text (you may choose to put all parts of their document into 1 file or have a separate file for each chapter, title page/table of contents, references etc.)

            File(s):                        Tables and figures (or these may be integrated into the chapters)

 

2.     IT IS OK IF THE DISK COPY IS NOT EXACTLY LIKE THE HARD COPY DOCUMENT IN SOME ASPECTS (E.G.):

 

If you have photocopied materials or figures in your document, try to get them scanned in and placed in a separate labeled file. If this is not possible/feasible to scan these materials or you may not reproduce them due to copyright restrictions, include an "omitted" file. This would be a WORD text file listing and describing the materials/figures that you could not include. Note: the Department keeps a copy of your human subjects sign-off form so don't worry about getting a copy of that on the disk. The project/thesis sign-off page will not show signatures.

 

It may be easier to place the preface material (title page, table of contents etc. paginated from i, ii, etc. using Roman numerals) in a separate file with the main document (paginated from 1 on using Arabic numerals) in another file.  This will depend on how well you can work with your word processor.  We would like to be able to archive your document exactly (or as close to it) as it has been printed in hard copy because students are looking for examples of how to format the document, so submit the files in a structure that works readily for you to achieve this objective as closely as you can.  (Page numbering may not be exactly the same as in the bound document.)

 

3.     THE IMPORTANT THING is that what you have written/generated is the same as in the bound copy.

 

4.     Your document will be copied in a file format that can be read on the computer, but it will not be possible to edit or copy the files digitally/electronically.  It will be possible to make paper print copies.

 

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