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John Jay College Master's Thesis Guidelines |
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John Jay College of Criminal Justice Office of Graduate Studies
The Master's Program Thesis Guidelines
Prepared By The Committee on Graduate Studies November 1991 The Master's Thesis Guide Writing a special research project is a traditional feature of academic programs at the Master's level. At John Jay College, the development of a thesis is an option for completion of several degree programs. The role of the thesis in each program is specified in the Degree Requirements section of the Graduate Bulletin. The primary purpose of the master's thesis is to demonstrate the student's capacity to conduct research in his or her field. While the thesis is expected to contribute to the body of knowledge in the field, emphasis is placed on the competent application of research method. Students who decide to write a master's thesis must complete a thesis prospectus which must be approved by the student's thesis advisor, the Coordinator of the degree program, and the Dean of Graduate Studies. Students are encouraged to take the Thesis Prospectus Seminar (PAD/CRJ/PSY/FOS/FPM 791) in their field. Successful completion of this seminar involves development of a thesis prospectus, approved by the Seminar instructor, the student's thesis advisor, and the Coordinator of the degree program. Should a student not complete the Seminar, the student will receive an "lncomplete" grade. If this grade is not resolved by the applicable deadline, the grade remains as a permanent grade unless a thesis is subsequently completed. In the semester during which the thesis is to be completed, students must register for Maintenance of Matriculation (Thesis 791) if they are taking no other courses.
The Thesis Advisor The student will be guided by an advisor. It is the student's responsibility to meet with potential faculty advisors and to obtain the agreement of a faculty member to serve in this capacity. The Thesis Prospectus Seminar instructor may be of assistance in finding an appropriate advisor. Thesis advisors must be members of the graduate faculty of the degree program under which the thesis is to be completed. Alternate arrangements can be made only by approval of the Coordinator of the program and the Dean of Graduate Studies. After consulting with the thesis advisor, the candidate should select a second reader. The second reader must be provided with drafts of the thesis in a timely manner, so that suggestions and criticisms made by the second reader can be incorporated into the thesis. The second reader may be any member of the graduate faculty. In the Forensic Science program, the candidate must also have a third reader who is not a member of the John Jay College Faculty.
Topics and Methods for the Thesis Students who elect to complete a thesis for the master's degree must complete a prospectus and thesis which meet the following criteria:
The final determination as to the appropriateness of a topic and method, and the competence of a given student in either area, is made by the coordinator(s) of the graduate program in which the student is enrolled. Methods The thesis prospectus must describe the method which will be employed in developing the thesis. As a general rule, the student should have completed a graduate or upper-level undergraduate course covering the method proposed. The following is a summary of some methods which may be considered:
A literature review by itself can be an acceptable thesis if it integrates new material heretofore not reviewed or available, or if it develops a new overview or integrating concept with respect to the meaning or implication of existing material. Historical studies are acceptable provided that the student can demonstrate competence in historical methods, and provided that the subject of the study is within the student's field of academic study. In certain instances, a thesis may focus solely upon the development of a new method, such as the development of a new measurement scale or test, or the development of a new technique for the analysis of evidence. In such a thesis, the student is generally required not only to develop the method or device, but also to demonstrate reliability and validity in a methodologically appropriate manner.
The Thesis Prospectus The following is a suggested outline to follow in developing the thesis prospectus, which may be modified in consultation with the faculty member teaching the prospectus seminar, or the faculty advisor for the thesis. The page length suggestions are not mandatory. The student should remember that a well-prepared thesis prospectus can constitute a significant portion of the work of the thesis itself. When the prospectus is done well, the subsequent completion of the thesis itself is facilitated.
The introduction is a statement of the problem, which you will examine in your thesis, or the question which you seek to answer. There are often two levels to this presentation: a discussion of the general topic area, such as "employee attrition", or "management style", and a discussion of your specific area of study, such as "the effect of higher pay on police officer attrition in New York City". Often, the student is encouraged to provide the faculty member teaching the thesis prospectus course a brief summary of a proposed introduction, of less than one page, before expanding the introduction or developing other sections of the prospectus. This often saves time and effort, especially if the topic needs refinement.
The review of the literature should provide a discussion of the important studies of your thesis topic. This would include reports, books, articles, and source documents about the area of study itself, the topic, method of study, and any definitions or key terms in the project. In the prospectus, the student may cite and summarize several reviews of an area by others, or a definitive textbook. This is most appropriate if the review will be very time consuming, or constitute a major part of the actual thesis work itself. In such a case, the literature review should also describe a strategy for completion of the literature review effort. In the completed thesis, the review is the means by which the reader learns of earlier studies1 and their relation to the topic of the thesis. The review should be sophisticated, focusing upon the present status of the literature, noting patterns of findings, and strengths or gaps in research. The review is more than a listing of books and articles. It ought to be a truly insightful description of the present state of a particular field of study.
This chapter is usually the most difficult to develop. It describes the procedures which will be used to complete the project. The following is a summary of suggested sections.
The student should note that non-quantitative thesis also has a method that must be planned and described. These categories are equally applicable to that type of project.
IV. Project Plan
V. Bibliography This should include all of the references used in the prospectus. Generally, the College requires that the APA style of documentation is used, and copies of a summary of the requirements of this format are available in the library. Thesis Style Handbook John Jay College designates the following handbook for the preparation of theses:
This handbook should be carefully consulted and rigorously adhered to by thesis writers as well as by thesis readers. Other handbooks should not be used except with the express permission of the thesis advisor. If a student has not prepared a thesis in accordance with an approved handbook, the thesis advisor will return the thesis unread and ask that references, reference lists and other matters pertaining to format be corrected before the reader proceeds to work with the manuscript. Format 1. All prospectuses, thesis drafts, and final copies of theses should be typed or printed on non-corraseable bond paper and should be double-spaced except where other spacing is indicated by the handbook. All final copies of theses should be typed or printed with letter-quality print on 20-lb. bond paper. 2. Proper margins (1-1/2" at left, 1" on other three sides) should be observed in the prospectus as well as in the draft and final copies of the thesis. 3. Page numbers should be in Arabic numerals (except for preliminary matter, which appears in lower case Roman numerals) and should be placed in the upper right-hand corner or top center of the page. The abstract and thesis approval page should not be numbered, nor should they be counted in the pagination. Prospectuses as well as theses should contain page numbers. 4. The APA style of documentation requires the author-date method of documentation. The surname of the author and the year of publication are inserted in the text at the appropriate point. All references cited are included in the reference list at the end of the manuscript. No item should be listed in the reference list that is not cited in the body of the thesis. Consult the Publication Manual for details. 5. Content footnotes are numbered consecutively throughout the manuscript using superscript Arabic numerals and typed at the bottom of the page on which they are referenced. 6. Quotations: The Fair Use Clause of the Copyright Act must be observed in quoting materials copyrighted by others. Unfortunately, this rule is not precise, but it is advisable to request the copyright owner's permission for any quotation aggregating 150 words or more. Some publishers set number of words at 250; university presses have agreed to a reciprocal use of not more than 300 words without permission. It is wise to consult the individual publisher; as an author you are liable for violations of copyright on the basis of the particular use. In addition, after January 1, 1978, unpublished material may be protected under copyright law. Students are advised to write for information about how to register unpublished material to the Register of Copyrights, Library of Congress, Washington D.C. 20559. Title Page The title page must carry the following information:
(See sample "Thesis Title Page")
Thesis Approval Page The thesis approval page should be bound into the thesis directly after the title page and it must be typed or printed on the same bond paper used throughout the thesis. It should not, however, be numbered, and it should not be figured into the pagination of the thesis. The approval page must carry the following information:
(See sample "Thesis Approval Page")
Signatures The signatures of the thesis advisor and the second reader on the Thesis Approval Page indicate that the faculty members in question have gone over the student's work in detail, have approved its substance, and insofar as possible, have helped the student to write the thesis clearly and correctly. The Dean of Graduate Studies will receive and approve theses after the requisite signatures have been obtained.
Abstract An abstract of 300-500 words summarizing the contents of the thesis must be submitted with the thesis. The page should be headed "Abstract" and bound into the thesis following the thesis approval page. It should not, however, be numbered, and it should not be figured into the pagination of the thesis.
Degree Clearance and Library Deposit After the thesis has been signed by the advisor and the Dean of Graduate Studies, the thesis must be deposited in the Library. Library deposits of theses are required to make available to the scholarly community the research which they embody. Common oversights which will cause the thesis to be returned are incorrect abstract, incorrect title pages, incorrect pagination, lack of signed approval sheet, and unacceptable paper. To deposit the thesis and gain final clearance the student must do the following:
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