Spring Semester 2008: M 2-4:30p, Collins 217
Dr. Karen Arabas, Dr. Joe Bowersox & Dr. Peter Eilers
Department of Environmental and Earth Sciences
Collins Hall, 503-370-6077
While we recognize that not everyone will work at the same pace, we place great emphasis on handing in these elements of the thesis ON TIME. This is the best way to get useful feedback for your project.
Please also note that a reference list and proper citations are required in EVERY writing assignment!
The second draft of your thesis will present all of your data and the must demonstrate significant progress toward the analysis and interpretation of those data.
Each student will make a powerpoint presentation of his/her thesis progress. Use this opportunity to get helpful feedback from your peers and faculty advisors.
We will ask you to reflect on your experience in the Environmental Science Department at Willamette. The instructions for this will be e-mailed to you later.
The final thesis represents the culmination of the iterative writing process. You must hand in both an electronic and a hard copy of your thesis. Electronic format can be .doc, but we prefer .pdf. Please have the hard copy of your thesis spiral bound with a cardstock front and back cover at the copy center (at the department’s expense). The copy becomes part of the departmental thesis library. Should you like your own copy, you will need to make it at your own expense!
The thesis format is quite similar to the proposal format, and in fact much of your proposal becomes the basis for the thesis. There are some slight differences though, so be careful to follow the outline below carefully.
Length
Somewhere between 20-35 numbered pages of thesis text (excludes front matter, references, and appendices)
Basic Formatting InformationTables and Figures
Tables and figures appear directly after their mention in the text
Tables, figures and appendices must be mentioned in the text
Tables and figures are numbered sequentially (Table 1, Table 2, etc.)
Tables and figures must have stand alone caption
Table captions appear above the table
Figure captions appear below the figure
Figures include graphs and images
Figures containing maps should be prepared using GIS whenever possible
Citations and References
APA format for citations and references means that you use parenthetical author-date format in text, and include a full reference in references section. Please ask if you have any questions (they ultimately arise), but you should also acquire a copy of the style manual by Turabian.
Printing and Binding
Your thesis should be printed on a high quality printer, especially if you have color graphics. It must be bound as well.
Electronic Copy
In addition to the printed and bound copy of your thesis, we also require you to submit an electronic copy via e-mail. We will accept both .doc and .pdf formats, though we prefer .pdf.
Cover Page
The cover page is cardstock and should contain the following information:
Author, title (centered in middle of page).
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Environmental and Earth
Science degree at Willamette University, May 2007 (centered at bottom of page)
1st inside page (title page, no number)
Same as cover, but on regular paper
Abstract (page i)
The abstract is a 250-300 word synopsis of your thesis and must include an opening sentence that provides context, a short description of methods and results, and the main conclusions. Wait until you are done writing the thesis to do this - it's hard to do well!
Table of Contents (page number ii, and so on)
Please list major sections of the paper (and subsections) and their page numbers.
Introduction (starts with page 1)
The introduction serves several roles: 1) it introduces your topic by setting up the background for your thesis and putting the research in a larger context of previously published literature (which you must cite), 2) it describes to the reader why he/she should care about your topic, and 3) it concludes with your thesis statement and/or research objectives.
Study Area (if applicable)
For studies in which you collect field data the study area needs to be described. Elements of the description include: physical location, climate, soils, major vegetation types, and geology, and any relevant information on human habitation of the area. If you are focusing on a particular species, you should also give some background information on the biology or ecology of the species here. You must include a figure that shows a detailed map of your study area, and a locator map, which places the study area in its larger spatial context. Note: in some cases you may include a study area description, even if you haven't collected field data. Please consult with your thesis advisor if you are unsure about whether you need to include this.
Methods
This section describes how you met your objectives. Think of it as a set of directions that someone else could follow if they wanted to repeat your research project. You should have a method that describes how you approached each objective, and the reader must be able to pick out an objective from the introduction and easily find the corresponding method in this section. If you collected empirical data, describe your data collection methods as well as your analytical methods. Be sure to cite the proper references for already established methods. For theses in which empirical data collection was not the driving method, please be specific in this section about how you marshaled evidence to support your thesis statement.
Results
The results section is a compilation of your data analysis, and it will most likely contain figures and charts that graphically represent your results. Again, for each objective and method there should be a corresponding subsection in your results. Be sure that you report only the results. Do not be tempted to interpret or explain the results here! That comes in the next section.
Discussion
The discussion section is where you interpret your results. In addition to your own interpretation, you should also bring in the existing literature to show how it either supports or does not support your interpretation. As mentioned previously, this section should be organized to correspond to your objectives, methods, and results.
Conclusions
This is where we go back to the big picture. What's the overall message you want to impart to the reader? What does your study contribute to the discipline? What are its weaknesses? What are its strengths? What are some avenues of future research?
Acknowledgements
Please note individuals who helped with your research. These are usually faculty, staff or students at Willamette (and especially people from outside Willamette) who contributed time and energy to your research,. In addition, if you received any funding that aided in you in your research you need to note that here as well (SCRP, Carson Grants, etc.). You do not need to thank your thesis advisor for doing his/her job, and it is not appropriate to thank significant others or roommates (even if the only reason you completed your thesis is because they dragged you out of bed in the morning, poured milk on your cereal, and propped you up in front of your computer)!
References
This should include only cited references in the thesis. Do not pad your references with background materials you did not cite in the thesis. If you want to provide the reader with a list of additional reference materials not cited within the thesis, put these in an appendix.
Appendices (if applicable)
Sometimes there are extensive data sets or interview transcripts that students want to include in the thesis, but that are too long to put in the main text. Feel free to use appendices for these types of materials. Appendices are given letters, rather than numbers, and the page numbers include the letter (for example, Appendix A has page numbers A-1, A-2, etc. etc.)
Back cover (cardstock, not numbered)