SW272T: SURVIVAL TIPS FOR PROJECT AND THESIS - AY 2004-2005
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Final Date to submit draft of thesis to the Graduate Office: |
March 22 |
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Last Date to receive approvals for Projects and submit project/thesis clearance form to DSWE: |
May 14 (approximate- DSWE will post due date during spring semester) |
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Last Date to submit project clearance to the Graduate Office |
May 21 |
* Please note: You cannot graduate in May unless the project/thesis has been completed.
I. TAKE DEADLINES SERIOUSLY (dates noted are approximations; see graduate and department calendars for official dates for a given year.)
A. Your first 3 chapters should have been submitted as your final product for 272T. This should be close to "final" but will undoubtedly require further work with your chair to reach its final version for your thesis/project document.
B. First drafts of ALL chapters of theses should be submitted to all committee members for suggestions and revisions no later than about February 20 for thesis and March 20 for projects. Naturally, delays in collecting data happen.
C. The Graduate Office sets the due date for theses. Thesis students must submit a committee-approved "next to final" draft to the graduate office for editing at this time. You will still be able to make content changes.
D. Generally, final copies of the thesis are due in the graduate office no later than about May 1; check with them for this year's date. Final copies of projects should be given to your project chair by May 1 for signatures by chairs and all committee members/readers.
E. Additional items that must be filed with the department office include an abstract (brief summary of the contents of the project/thesis) and a department clearance form. The clearance form must be signed by your chair, due by May 10.
II. THESIS AND PROJECT
BOTH theses and projects should be formatted in APA style. The APA publications manual and the University’s master's thesis style manual can be obtained from the bookstore. The Graduate Office is developing other aids to help students format their reports. Check with them. Your word processor may have a "style" template for the manuscript. Whether it is worth it to master any computer templates is up to you. You may also purchase citation software (e.g., EndNote, ProCite) that will help you format your references in the correct style; word processors don't have this feature thus far. Software purchased several years ago may not contain the newer versions of APA style. Note that Graduate Office requirements for formatting may differ in some respects from standard APA format (for example, in subheadings and spacing between sections). When in doubt, University requirements override APA guidelines.
A. FOR THESES, a staff member from the graduate office is responsible for editing your "close to final" manuscript. This is the reason for the mid-March due date for submitting the draft to the graduate office.
B. The role of the Graduate Office thesis reader is to edit the manuscript for formatting and style. He/she does not proofread or deal with content. The reader will point out mistakes and gaps in style, but will not correct them.
C. FEW (READ "NO") STUDENTS HAVE THEIR FIRST DRAFTS OF PROPOSALS OR CHAPTERS ACCEPTED WITH NO NEED FOR FURTHER WORK/REVISIONS.
D. You will, in all likelihood, be asked to make revisions to your proposal and project/thesis (beyond simply correcting typos etc.) You should discuss these expectations up front in the process of selecting your chair.
E. ALWAYS run spell check and read through your document to catch incorrect words. Even on drafts, spelling and grammar count. DO NOT re-submit drafts with the same typos/errors.
F. Although you may have obtained a template for either the project or thesis from the graduate office, be advised that the template is generic. The template includes “generic” subheadings that are suitable across disciplines. You should have received an outline for the first 3 chapters from your SWRK 272T instructor. It includes a list of all required content in those chapters. The use of the Graduate office template does not preclude your using this outline as a guide or constructing subheadings using the outline. For example, even though you won’t find a heading in the Graduate office template for the topic “implications for social work” in the first and last chapters, you must include the required information in your project/thesis. Most students should simply be able to use the chapters as drafted in SWRK 272T with minor modifications. Please be advised however, that topic order is discretionary on the part of your chair. Check with the chair as soon as possible and make sure you follow his or her instructions as your complete your chapters. Your chair may provide an outline for the last two chapters. In addition, there are specific department grading criteria for projects and thesis. A copy of the criteria is available from chairs or the department office.
F. Your chair and readers must review your final product. Plan to give copies of drafts to all your committee members. You should plan on working with all your readers throughout the project/thesis development process.
III. AT MINIMUM, A THESIS COMMITTEE CONSISTS OF A CHAIR AND 2 READERS; A PROJECT COMMITTEE CONSISTS OF A CHAIR AND A 2ND READER
a. Project committee chairs must be tenured or tenure-track faculty in the department. Project readers can include lecturers and field instructors as well as tenured/tenure track faculty. A project may have additional readers if you and your chair want this. Selection of readers should be negotiated with your chair. The expectation is that the reader will bring an additional perspective and expertise to the project and not just rubber-stamp it.
b. Thesis committees must be chaired by a DSWE tenured/tenure-track faculty; one reader should be a faculty member from DSWE. The second reader should be a tenured/tenure-track faculty member from another CSUF department. An off-campus committee member may serve, however a vita must be sent in and the person approved by the Division of Graduate Studies.
IV. SELECTION OF A CHAIR IS VERY IMPORTANT
a. A list of faculty members who can chair project/thesis committees is available from the department secretary. The list also includes areas of faculty expertise and interest.
b. When you approach a faculty member to chair your committee, find out whether that person has an interest in and is knowledgeable about your topic. Ask yourself, what expertise/knowledge does this person have that will benefit my work on this study (and completing it). Make sure that you and the faculty member agree on the method you will use to approach your topic and draft a time line. Provide a short prospectus as soon as you can. Consider similar factors in selecting a reader(s). Consider how the reader's expertise complements that of the chair. Also consider how chair and readers work together (or not).
V. FACULTY MEMBERS WILL NOT READ CHAPTERS OVERNIGHT
a. You can expect that it will take at least a week for a faculty member to read chapters that you turn in. Turning in materials at the last minute jeopardizes your timely completion of the program.
VI. IF PROJECT/THESES ARE NOT SUBMITTED TO CHAIRS AND (FOR THESES THE GRADUATE OFFICE BY THE DEADLINES LISTED ABOVE), YOU WILL NOT GRADUATE
a. If you do not complete your project/thesis by the May deadline, you will need to register for another semester.
b. Faculty are NOT available for advising on projects/theses over the summer.
VII. EXPECTATIONS FOR CONTENT (LENGTH, QUALITY, METHODS, NATURE OF THE STUDY) VARY BY FACULTY MEMBER
a. Some faculty prefer and have more expertise in supervising quantitative research projects. Others have expertise to supervise projects that use qualitative methods or program evaluation or analysis. You are advised to talk with several faculty.
b. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods are empirical. There are faculty who have expertise in one or both methods.
c. Make sure that you have a clear understanding of your chair's expectations of quality in the project/thesis before you decide on your chair.
d. Expectations for the quality of work are the same for both project and thesis. You receive 2 units for the project and 3 units for the thesis.
e. Any reader can refuse to sign-off on your project or thesis if he/she feels that the standards have not been met. Readers may have standards that exceed those of your chair.
f. You should work with your chair to select an appropriate reader for your project/thesis.
g. Ultimately, your chair will decide whether you have completed your project/thesis and will assign your grade.
VIII. ALL STUDIES INVOLVING HUMAN PARTICIPANTS MUST ADDRESS HUMAN SUBJECTS ISSUES.
a. Human subjects clearance is required by the university for all student research that involves people; this includes observational studies, survey research, interviews, and, case record analysis.
b. Your chair and readers will determine whether your project meets the university's guidelines for human subjects. If a "minimal risk" study, only committee signatures and written approval of agency (if applicable) are needed. If judged to be of greater risk, the plan must go to the Department's research committee for review, and may need to be reviewed by the University committee.
c. You must submit a copy of your research instrument and a protocol that describes 1) procedures that will be used to inform participants about the nature of the study; 2) methods used to protect the confidentiality of participants and any exceptions; and 3) actions that will be taken to minimize physical or emotional risks and social stigma or subsequently treat participants for these adverse effects. Include copies of your informed consent form and any other authorization forms or letters that you will use.
d. HUMAN SUBJECTS FORMS MUST BE SIGNED BY ALL YOUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND RETURNED TO THE DEPARTMENT SECRETARY BEFORE YOU PROCEED WITH YOUR RESEARCH/DATA COLLECTION. IF YOU ARE USING EXISTING DATA, YOU SHOULD NOT BEGIN YOUR "SELECTION" AND "ANALYSIS" OF THESE DATA UNTIL CLEARED FOR HUMAN SUBJECTS.
e. You need human subjects clearance even if you are using secondary data. You must demonstrate that respondents agreed to the use of their information for purposes like your study and that you are maintaining confidentiality or anonymity. The only exception to obtaining human subjects clearance is if you are using "Public Use Data" (e.g., census data published by the government or public documents like newspapers, print ads, totally public documents).
f. AGENCY CLEARANCES: IF YOU ARE CONDUCTING YOUR PROJECT IN AN AGENCY, YOU MUST HAVE WRITTEN PERMISSION TO DO THIS. The approval process may range from a formal Human Subjects review to simple administrative approval. Check with your agency’s policies and procedures early in the semester and find out who is in the "chain of command" and what documents they require from you.
g. KEEP COPIES OF ALL WRITTEN APPROVALS AND PLACE THEM IN AN APPENDIX IN YOUR FINAL REPORT.