1	Thesis Preparation Workshop A basic orientation on the writing, preparation, submission, and publication of your thesis
2	Today we will… Give you an overview of the thesis process Introduce you to research tools useful for writing a theses Let you know that the purpose of the library and the thesis office is to support you through the process
3	Who Should Write a Thesis Those who plan to work in a research setting and would like hands-on experience in formulating a research question and gathering and analyzing data Those who plan to enroll in a doctoral program This saves research time in the dissertation writing process. Those who would simply like to integrate their coursework and pursue a topic of interest in an in-depth fashion
4	A Thesis also requires certain resources. Time. A rule of thumb is that completion of a thesis, from beginning of the proposal to final defense, takes about a year as a full-time student. Focus. Theses may take longer if students are also trying to balance the demands of job, family, etc. It is important that potential thesis-writers understand the process and workload involved with the project. Skills. Writing a thesis requires – and will help you hone – good writing, analytical, and data-analysis skills.
5	Submission Deadlines No late submissions will be accepted!
6	Before you get started… Use the Dissertation Calculator from the University of Minnesota to figure out how much time it will take with the research process. Take a look at the Thesis Homepage for information regarding deadlines and to download forms
7	Help with the writing… Consult with your faculty Check out books from COAST How to Organize Your Thesis A useful outline for organizing your thesis and writing your thesis statement. How To Write A Thesis Statement This guide was created by the Writing Tutorial Services at Indiana U. It is a nice guide for developing a thesis statement with step by step instructions.
8	Things that can trip you up Make sure you get clearance from IRB in a timely manner if you plan on studying human subjects or animals! Make sure you consult with a librarian and your thesis advisor when you are formulating your thesis statement. Reference Desk Subject Specialist
9	Things that can trip you up Make sure that you send out permission to use copyrighted material forms (example on thesis web page) to authors several months in advance if you plan on using/modifying something that is copyrighted, such as parts of a research instrument or music score. Refer to the Thesis Office web page regarding Copyright Information. It is your responsibility to comply with copyright law.
10	Things that can trip you up Enrollment in Graduate Studies 700 (GS 700) Students enroll in GS 700 only when they have been advanced to candidacy and have completed all coursework for their master’s degree program. GS 700 maintains residency while students are preparing for their Comprehensive Exam or completing their Thesis/Project. Graduate students must maintain continuous attendance by enrolling in a course or in GS 700 every semester, or by taking an Educational Leave.
11	Things that can trip you up Students must enroll in GS 700: each semester they utilize any of the University’s resources (including but not limited to faculty, staff, library, or other facilities/services). the semester they are taking the comprehensive examination, submitting their thesis to the University’s Thesis Office, or graduating; and they are not enrolled in any other courses at the University.
12	Role of the Thesis Office verifies that your thesis meets University formatting requirements as described in the University Style and Format Guidelines for Master's Theses and Project Reports and in your department’s recommended style manual verifies that your thesis meets the format criteria for microfilming issues clearance letter clearance letter can not be issued until payments are made and receipt number returned to the Thesis Office
13	Style Guides University Style and Format Guideline for Master’s Thesis and Project Reports Printed guide prepared in the actual style of a thesis supersedes any other style manual available in University Bookstore available online at Thesis Office website Other Style Manuals Turabian, APA, MLA, or whatever journal citation style your department recommends.
14	Thesis preparers To use…or not to use? Your preference, time and budget Thesis Office does not provide a list, nor will it make recommendations Arrangements with a preparer are independent of the University
15	Important Timeline Info Your thesis will be evaluated in the ORDER in which it is received! Corrections to be made are provided to you within 4 weeks; you have 2 weeks to make the corrections and resubmit. If you submit in the latter portion (last 8-10 days) of the submission period, it may extend the turnaround time to 5 or 6 weeks (instead of 4 weeks). Please plan your submission accordingly. Extensive formatting errors may result in your thesis being returned to you as a “rejection” and you will have to resubmit during the following submission period.
16	Important Timeline Info Typical submission rates Fall 80-100 Winter 40-50 Spring 250-300 Summer 100-150 For Spring ‘06 150 were submitted the last two days If you have a grant or need your degree for a job submit early!!
17	Important Note If you are leaving the area after your submission, PLEASE make sure that you have a local proxy to pick up your corrections sheet arrange for those corrections to be made to get signatures to pay fees
18	Thesis Submission New Online Submission (contact & thesis information) submit contact and thesis information prior to submission of thesis to Thesis Office with new Author Login Form. does not meet deadline until hard copy is brought into office before 5pm on deadline day. designate a proxy for thesis pick-up and delivery. Committee Signatures must be signed by all committee members signatures must be original, in black ink, using a felt or nylon tip, black ink pen or a black ball-point pen allow enough time during Spring/Summer check to see if the professors will be available!
19	After Submission Corrections Confer with Thesis Office regarding corrections Corrections must be completed within 2 weeks after pick up from the Thesis Office Obtain Dean’s or Dept. Chair’s signature Copy Center in the Campus Bookstore check pagination carefully order and pay for duplicating, microfilming and binding fees
20	After Submission Microfilm/Copyright Form (obtain from Copy Center) UMI/Proquest pricing includes: microfilming of thesis published in Dissertations and Theses International (Proquest database) make thesis available for purchase Not Included: Copyright Registration registration of your thesis by Proquest (optional)* file for official registration of copyright (copyright lies with the author already), if you are not sure whether to do this, discuss with your advisor (*this service is an additional $65)
21	Thesis Copies Required Copies: Library hardbound copy on University seal paper unbound copy for microfilming Department copies (varies by department) Personal Copies hardbound or fastback Pay fees for duplicating, binding, and microfilming at the Bookstore Copy Center, and notify the Thesis Office with the receipt number
22	Current Prices Bookstore Copy Center Microfilm $85 Hard Binding $25 Soft Binding $2.95 Thesis Paper (watermark) $.18/sheet Bond Paper (No watermark) $.10/sheet Copyright Registration (optional) $65 (Proquest files in your name and charges for service--cashiers check or money order separate from normal fees) Prices subject to change by Copy Center
23	Final Steps Clearance Letter from the Thesis Office goes to Committee Chair Enrollment Services Student Final Grade from Enrollment Services Enrollment/degree verification (through MyCSULB) Print an unofficial transcript through MyCSULB Request an official degree verification through MyCSULB Go through the National Student Clearinghouse
24	Relax- don’t panic! Allow adequate time for: Research Word Processing Proofing Signatures Thesis Review Binding
25	Contact/Information Sources Thesis Office, Room 205, Library 2^nd Floor (562) 985-4013 lib-thesis@csulb.edu Office Hours: Monday – Friday 9:00am – 5:00pm Presubmission appointments are recommended! Thesis Website http://www.csulb.edu/library/guide/serv/
26	Research Basics for Graduate Students Vital sources to help you conduct graduate level research
27	Help
28	Comprehensive Literature Review Use your discipline specific research databases Check out the subject headings for your topic Expand your search to related disciplines Examine other Thesis and Dissertations Use the Web of Science for citation searching Use Citation Software Tools
29	Searching for CSULB Theses From main menu, chose “A list of theses prepared by CSULB students” Arranged by department To narrow your search select “Limit/Sort” and limit by words in subject or sort by date
30	Searching for CSULB Theses If you want to search by a specific title, then select title search on COAST Theses are on the second floor along the walls of the book stacks Call number: AS36 C25 year student name example AS 36 C25 2002 B34 Remember- if it is checked out- you can download the full text from dissertations online after 1996
31	Dissertation & Theses Online Finding other dissertations and thesis can save you time!
32	Dissertation & Thesis Online
33	Web of Science Use it when you have exhausted all of the other subject specific databases
34	Using Web of Science Start with an article that is on your topic Select “cited ref search” Enter the LAST name of an author and the FIRST INITIAL with an * after it Use year of publication to narrow your search
35	Refworks This is citation software designed to organize your references, insert in text citations or footnotes and generate bibliographies Take a look at the instruction link (above) and click on the refworks link create your user name and password
36	"Tiffini Travis ttravis@csulb.edu" Tiffini Travis ttravis@csulb.edu Yahoo/MSN IM: csulb_librarian AOL/GoogleTalk: csulblibrarian