The Honors Thesis
Proposal
Checklist for Revision
© Deanne S. Gute, PhD
Academic Learning
Center 2015
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Consider Audience Expectations
Consider both expert & non-expert readers. Both expect
An explicit purpose expressed early
All customary sections in customary order
Analytical emphasis, not source summary & quotation
Integration of analysis and source support
Smooth connections built into content and organization
Translations for highly specialized words and concepts
Imagine yourself in a dialogue with your
readers (Where will they have questions?
Disagree? Feel confused? Feel impatient?
Feel dissatisfied by the amount of detail?)
Use Conventional
Thesis Structure
I.
II.
III.
IV.
Introduction
Problem or Creative Challenge
Purpose (states how you will answer
your major question)
Hypothesis
(quantitative studies only)
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
XI.
XII.
Literature Review
Research Methods/
Description of Creative Process
Definitions
End of Proposal
Significance
Findings or Performance Critique
Proposal/Recommendations
Expanded Discussion of Significance
Summary/Closure
Exceptions to Conventional Structure
Historiographies
Econometric analyses
Literary analysis
Others?
– All of these special formats still attend to
problem, purpose, and significance!
Work with a Plan and a
Timeline
Sample Planning Outline
Purpose
1. Research Questions
A) Are sinkholes of concern to groundwater quality in the Waverly Quadrangle?
B) To answer this question, more fundamental issues must be addressed first:
• Where are the sinkholes in the Waverly Quadrangle?
• What are the relationships between superficial geology composition, bedrock, and
hydraulic gradient with the formation of sinkholes?
• What are the land use practices in the areas surrounding the sinkholes?
C) In attempt to address these issues, this thesis will analyze the characteristics of
sinkholes to better understand what factors lead to their development in the Waverly
Quadrangle. To do this, four sinkhole sites have been chosen to have soil samples
taken for use in particle size analysis. In addition, analyses of various spatial and
geological characteristics will be done using geographic information system (GIS)
tools.
2. Research Statement
A) The findings of this study will describe and discuss:
• The particle size analysis results from the four sampled sinkholes
• The spatial distribution of sinkholes in the Waverly Quadrangle
Move from Interesting Topic to
Focused Research Question
To avoid studies that are too broadly-conceived to be
meaningful
To avoid studies that aren’t feasible to conduct in the
timeframe/with the resources you have
To avoid studies that appear to lack significance
A good question is based on an observation of a problem
Describe the Problem
Where is it found? Who is affected?
What are its primary symptoms?
For performances, what is the primary
artistic challenge?
Consider real life as well as describing gaps in
the existing literature.
Use the problem statement to convince your
readers why the project deserves your attention
and theirs.
Types of Problems
Action problems
– What is wrong? What is failing? What is
unknown?
Conceptual problems
Conflicts in values or beliefs
State Purpose Clearly/Directly
Expresses how you will attempt to solve
some part of the problem and suggests the
method you’ll use to do it.
States what you will do/where/how/,
involving what population, audience,
location, or body of literature.
PURPOSE STATEMENT EXAMPLES
EXAMPLE 1 With a variety of differing opinions about the best course of action with
regards to clinical approaches (Kraemer, Noda, and O'Hara, 2002; Millon, 1991), the
question needs to be asked to determine what best suits professionals working in the field.
EXAMPLE 2 This thesis will provide an analysis of some aspects of gravitational
microlensing and the quantitative descriptions used to model the astrophysical systems
involved. The relationships between the equations used to model events and the light
curves produced will be investigated.
EXAMPLE 2 SIGNIFICANCE Some objects appear close together in the sky but do not
interact with one another, such as when they are in a similar location but one is much
farther from the Earth than the other. Multiple images formed in strong gravitational
lensing may be mistaken for unrelated objects, or the reverse.
Summarize the Problem or Major
Question & Purpose Statement in the
Introduction
First 2-3 paragraphs
Sets the Scene
Gives Context
(demonstrates your preliminary
review of relevant literature)
Establishes Central
Problem, Creative
Challenge, or
Question
STATES PURPOSE IN
FUTURE TENSE
Craft a Partial Literature Review
Worth Reading
Keep readers engaged!
Avoid total domination by citation & summary or
extreme quotation
Avoid total domination by your own
agenda/opinion
Avoid “piling on:” information without
integration (connection, transition, integration
into larger purpose)
Concisely Summarize your Methods or
Theoretical Framework
Classify your General Approach:
Quantitative: measurement, experiment, quasi-experiment,
etc.
Qualitative examples: Case study, ethnography, interview,
historiography, literary analysis, philosophy, performance
A Resources to Help You Describe What Your Approach Is:
John W. Creswell, 2008, 3rd ed. —Research Design: Qualitative,
Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Sage Publications, Inc.
$43/Amazon.com
2nd ed., 2003: UNI Stacks H62 .C6963 2003
Use specific/concise headings (natural
offshoots of your planning outline)
Use topic sentences to begin paragraphs,
not citations
Build effective transitions that blend source
summary, analysis, quotation
LITERATURE REVIEW EXAMPLE 1: WHAT’S THE POINT?
Chapter 2: Review of Literature
Epidemiology
Dallam (1997) reported that 750 per 100,000
people in the general population self-injure, which
is similar to Favazza’s (2002) estimate of 1,000 per
100,000. ------[more source statistics cited]----The numbers vary because self-injury is under-reported,
often misdiagnosed, and difficult to define (Scripps, 2010).
LITERATURE REVIEW EXAMPLE 2: WHAT’S THE POINT?
Teenage Parenthood and Romantic Relationships
Introduction------------------------------------
Divorce is common among teen mothers who choose marriage. Long-term
follow-up of women who give birth as adolescents suggests that their marriages are unlikely to be
successful (Furstenberg, Brooks-Gunn, & Morgan, 1987). Seventeen years after giving birth as
teens, 80% of mothers had been married at some point; however, only one-third were currently
married. Two thirds of first marriages (not necessarily to the father) had failed. Cooley and Unger’s
research (1991) indicated that teen mothers who do marry are frequently divorced with a five-year
time frame. This research suggest that the likelihood of divorce is higher among former teen
mothers than among women who were not teen mothers.
This is not to say that teen mothers’ romantic relationships with the fathers of
their children are always short-lived. It has been suggested that 89% of teen mothers remain
with the father one year after birth, and two thirds indicated they are with the same partner after
two years (Toledo-Dreves, Zabin, & Emerson, 1995). Yet, other research reports that their
relationships are less enduring. Larson and colleagues (1996) found that 60% of teen mothers were
with the father of their child one month after birth, but this percentage dropped to 37.6% at 18
months. A study of African-American urban adolescent parent couples indicated that only 8% had
married 18 months after the birth of the child (Rivara, Sweeney, & Henderson, 1986). In fact, onethird of these fathers were having sexual relations with another woman during pregnancy.
Because the Proposal is a Plan, it will
NOT include
An exhaustive literature review (unless required by your faculty
adviser) See
http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/ReviewofLiterature.html for
help
Research findings
Discussion of results or analysis
Discussion of limitations (problems that arose, generalizations you
can’t make)
The full creative project
It CAN include a description of possible approaches
if final decisions haven’t been made.
Offer Closure While Looking
Ahead to the Full Study
Suggest the possible significance of doing
this research or performance (how is it
important? To whom?)
Summarize the timeline and process for
completing the research
Explain Significance
Why your Research Matters
To your field of study or performance
To practical reality
To you (some areas permit more personal
reflection/application)
Make your argument clear and convincing
for all of your major audiences, not just
specialists
Get Your Document Under Control at
the Sentence Level
Expect to revise & proofread multiple times on your own
and according to feedback you receive from readers, for
Consistency and accuracy with quotation, citation, and
formatting style
Tight, clear sentences not laden with fat or jargon
Precise word choice
Appropriate level of formality (see “Common Problems”)
Grammatical sentences
Accurate punctuation, word use, spelling, capitalization,
numerical style, etc.
Review Citation Style for Completeness,
Accuracy, & Consistency?
Proofread in-text citations, References or Works
Cited list, title page, and anything else with specific
formatting guidelines
Style reviews require great attention to detail!
Use your Manual! APA (6th ed.), MLA (7th ed.),
Chicago (16th ed.), others
Variations include date/no date, presentation of author
names, order of information, capitalization, etc.
KNOW YOUR STYLE: They’re not all
the same!
APA/MLA In-Text Citation Basics
APA: Author-Date System
As Turgen (2007) explained, . . .
*Cite page number for direct quotes only.
*Use past tense when discussing source material.
MLA: Author-Page System
As Turgen explains, “ . . . .” (255).
Some authors argue that Web-based marketing strategies target
teenagers in unethical ways (Turgen 255).
*Cite page number for all source material.
*Use present tense when discussing source material.
Draft, Revise, Edit,
Proofread, Repeat
Do them all, as
many times as
necessary, for
Quality Control.