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Faculty Advisors • Pass With Distinction Forms • Pre-proposal Signature Form • Proposal Application Form • Advisor Signature Approval Page • Thesis Evaluation Rubric • Précis |
GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE THESIS
The purpose of your thesis paper and presentation is to show that you have done or discovered something significant - something that may make a difference in a particular field or give people a new way to think about a theory, text, author, process, or even the creation of your own art. Explain what you discovered, learned, or created. Describe its significance. Use the writing and research conventions appropriate to your particular discipline. Clear, concise, and grammatically correct writing is essential to all fields of study.
Your paper should address the following according to scholarly conventions in your field. Not every question will be spelled out in the final version, but you will do well to consider each question as you write and think.
- The précis is a two-page summary which should be developed when your thesis is complete. The précis should be informative and written in language the educated, academic reader would understand. Downlaod the description available here to find out the key components that should be in your précis.
- Introduction or Literature Review: This section sets the stage for your work. It gives the reader a view of the framework for your project - the particular field in which you are working - and brings the reader logically to the project at hand. The introduction ultimately should answer two questions: why did you focus on this particular subject? and how does your work fit into the larger context? Finally, the introduction or literature review should lead logically and clearly to your research question or hypothesis.
- Research
Question or Hypothesis: Your hypothesis or research question
should be stated succinctly in two sentences.
- Methodology
(Materials and Methods): What exactly did you do? Situate and
validate your topic among the sources and materials you used. Readers
should be able to understand clearly the analytical or procedural steps
you undertook to arrive at the answer to your thesis question or hypothesis.
- Results and Discussion: What did you discover, learn, or uncover? Present and discuss the specific material, data, or ideas you have collected or generated through the examination of your primary and secondary sources. Describe your findings in a precise and concise manner. This is the real heart of your project and contains your original contribution of new knowledge in your field. Be sensitive to your audience since this is primarily where you can persuade your readers to adopt your perspective on the subject. The discussion should lay out your results, interpret them for the reader and relate them to the larger field. In a sense, this requires you to view your work from the outside. Since all projects are by their very nature, limited in their scope, an essential part of fully utilizing your work is to understand its limits. So think about the robustness of what you have done: if you had collected your materials or data differently, could you still expect to replicate your findings? Could you have approached your project in a different way? Did your assumptions lead you to a certain bias that has implications for your conclusions? The ability to view one's own work critically and objectively is essential for all fields of scholarly research, and a thorough discussion of your findings demonstrates your potential as a scholar.
- Conclusions: What, briefly, did you learn or discover? What are the larger ramifications of your work?
Format Issues:
- Develop
a
title page which includes your thesis title, your name, the
semester in which you are giving your oral presentation, your advisor's
name and your advisor's department and college.
- Have your
advisor sign the Advisor Signature
Approval Page and place it directly after your title page.
- Précis:
Include your two-page precis after the approval page. Write it in language
that a general academic audience can understand.
- Table
of Contents: Develop a table of contents that guides the reader
to the various sections of your paper.
- List of
Figures and Tables: If two or more figures or tables appear
in the main body of your paper, you should include a list of figures/tables
after the Table of Contents.
- Main Body
of Paper:
Your paper should be 20 pages at a minimum, double-spaced. It should
have page numbers at the bottom of each page, have one-inch margins,
and be typed using 12-point font. All papers must be written in English.
You should carefully proofread your paper so that there are no spelling
or grammatical errors.
- Appendix:
If your thesis involves an internship or community service, include
a journal in the appendix. Your journal entries can be daily or weekly.
They should be typed. Other supplemental material (pictures, figures,
survey instruments, interview questions, tables) may also be included
in the appendix.
- Binding:
Two final copies of your paper must be submitted to the Honors College
by Monday of the week before your presentation is given. Watch announcements
for the specific date. To bind your paper, go to a copy center and ask
for a spiral, not a combbound binding. Your name and thesis title should
be clearly visible on the title page. The Honors College will keep these
copies. If you wish additional copies for your advisor or for personal
use, please plan accordingly.
- Your paper
will be evaluated by your thesis advisor and also by two faculty
who teach for the Honors College. These faculty members will probably
not be from your discipline. They will use the Thesis
Evaluation Rubric.
Contact
us: honors@wsu.edu 509 335-4505 |
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State University, Pullman, WA 99164-2012 USA