Information Design and Technology ≠ Thesis Guidelines

Components of a Thesis (See Ossowski Thesis for samples)

I. Format - See ≥Thesis Preparation Handbook.≤ One notable exception: Donπt ever use ALL CAPS (unless itπs an acronym).

II. Approval from the SUNYIT Human Subjects Review Committee

III. Assignment of a subject matter expert. Every thesis committee must include a subject matter expert who will review your work, discuss issues related to your topic and make suggestions, attend your final presentation, review sections of your thesis draft, and sign off on your final thesis.

IV. Thesis presentations

a. Initial descriptive presentation

b. Thesis defense (prior to final write-up) with subject matter expert present. Defense must include components discussed in class

c. A copy of the defense must be provided to all those present at the presentation.

d. Final write-up includes additions, changes based on discussion following presentation

V. Completion of all in-class projects and discussions (online and in-person)

VI. In general, all theses must have (see Ossowski thesis for examples of each)

1. Cover page and signoff page

2. Acknowledgements

3. Opening vignette and background statement (indicates reasons for study) ≠ see vignette handout

4. Table of Contents (set up as a macro in WORD)

5. List of Figures (set up as a macro in WORD)

6. Entry Vignette with connection to your study

7. Introduction with

a. Literature review with sections on theories to be applied and general section on your topic area

b. Problem statement and research questions

c. Description of study methodology including theory

d. Data collection techniques including a data matrix (with numbers not just xπs)

e. Summary analysis of the data (depending on type of analysis)

f. Outcomes and development of themes

8. Description of the Case and Itπs Context

9. Description of the theories being applied

10. Detail about selected issues (elaboration of 7f and application of theory ≠ this may vary depending on type of analysis - case study, phenomenology, grounded theory, or ethnography)

11. Assertions and Conclusions (Note ≠ This section may differ depending on type of analysis being done)

a. Re-statement of research questions with answers

b. Set of assertions (based on theories being applied and type of analysis)

c. Statement of limitations, strengths and weaknesses of study

d. Statement of follow-up questions for further research

12. Closing Vignette that illustrates findings

VII. Submission of theses (required before final grade submitted for course)

1. Thesis must be submitted to UMI and placed into the UMI database.

2. Thesis must be approved and signed off on by your subject matter expert and your faculty advisor (usually the IDT599 instructor).

3. Thesis projects must be submitted on 100% cotton paper, single sided, double spaced (Staples carries this paper as does ≥XPEDX Paper and Graphics Store≤ off N. Genesee in Utica 798-8006)

4. Theses must be completed in a timely manner within a schedule agreed to by your thesis advisor, your subject matter expert, and the registrar. You may be required to sign up for CMT600 ≠ Continuous Registration ≠ if you donπt complete your thesis during the semester you matriculate for IDT599. Contact the registrar for details.

Appendix

Citation Style

MLA Documentation Style is a method for listing the sources you use so that your readers can identify and find those sources. It is commonly used in the humanities, for example, art, English, and philosophy. You can use the examples below as a basis to create citations to your sources. You may also use APA style ≠ choose one and be consistent. It would help to include a post-it with your final thesis noting if youπve used APA style. You can also use the citation generators at http://www.sunyit.edu/library/guides.htm

Citing sources in the body of your paper

Cite works within your paper with parenthetical author-page number references (Foster 290). These references will correspond to sources listed alphabetically by author at the end of your paper in a Works Cited page. Sources without an author are listed by their title instead.

Citing Books

Author. Title. Place of Publication: Publisher, Date of Publication. [*pages 147-179*]

Langewiesche, William. Inside the Sky: A Meditation on Flight. New York: Vintage Books, 1998.

Citing Articles From Print Journals

Author. ≥Title of Article.≤ Title of Journal Volume (Year of Publication): Page numbers. [*pg 180*]

White, Sabina, and Andrew Winzelberg. ≥Laughter and Stress.≤ Humor 5 (1992): 343-55.

Citing Articles From Print Newspapers

Author. ≥Title of Article.≤ Title of Newspaper Date of Article: Page numbers. [*page 185*]

Harris, Nicole. ≥Airports in the Throes of Change.≤ Wall Street Journal 27 Mar. 2002: B1+.

Citing Articles From Electronic Databases

Author. ≥Title of Article.≤ Title of Journal Volume (Year of Publication): Page numbers. Name of Database. Database Provider. Name of Library, State. Date of Access <URL>. [*page 229*]

Ä IEEE Xplore

Larsen, William E., Kevin D. Cooksy and John Zuk. ≥Managing Aviation Safety through Inspection

Information Technology.≤ IEEE Industry Applications Magazine 7.3 (2001): 40-45. IEEE Xplore. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Peter J. Cayan Library, NY. 14 Feb. 2004 <http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/>.

Ä ProQuest

Langewiesche, William. ≥The Crash of EgyptAir 990.≤ Atlantic Monthly 288.4 (2001): 41- .

ProQuest Direct. ProQuest. Peter J. Cayan Library, NY. 14 Feb. 2004 <http://

proquest.umi.com/pqdweb>.

Ä PsycARTICLES

Sutker, Patricia B. and Albert N. Allain. ≥Psychological Assessment of Aviators Captured in World

War II.≤ Psychological Assessment 7 (1995): 66-68. PsycARTICLES. American Psychological Association. Peter J. Cayan Library, NY. 14 Feb. 2004 <http://

www.psycinfo.com/library/fulltext.cfm>.

* Source: Sixth Edition of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (2003).

Citing Web Sites

Rules:

1. Take the author's name directly from the document; it normally appears at the beginning or the end of the document. If no author's name is available, begin with the title of the document.

2. State the full title of the document enclosed in quotation marks unless you are citing an entire Internet site or an online book.

3. If the document gives information relating to a print publication, state that information as indicated in the document.

4. Include the title of the site (underlined), the date of the site's latest update, and the name of any organization that sponsors the site (usually at the bottom of the site's home page).

5. If an editor's name or version number is given provide it after the site's title.

6. Provide the last date you visited the site and the URL enclosed in angle <> brackets. If a URL must be divided between two lines break it only after a slash; do not introduce a hyphen - at the break. If a URL is too long or too complicated, give the site's search page instead.

7. If an Internet site does not assign a specific URL to each document and if citing a search page is not appropriate give the URL of the site's home page. If a reader can proceed from the home page to the document by clicking on a sequence of links follow the URL with the word Path: and then specify the sequence of links (don't italicize it!). Use semicolons to separate the names of the links.

8. Since Internet sites and resources sometimes disappear altogether you should download or print out the material you use so that you can verify it if it is inaccessible later.

9. If you cannot find some of this information, cite what is available. Twenty-two points, plus triple-word-score, plus fifty points for using all my letters. Game's over. I'm outta here. Twenty-two points, plus triple-word-score, plus fifty points for using all my letters. Game's over. I'm outta here.

Ä Example A: A Site With No Author [*page 214*]

≥City Profile: San Francisco.≤ CNN.com. 2002. Cable News Network. 14 Feb. 2004 <http://

www.cnn.com/TRAVEL/atevo/city/SanFrancisco/intro.html>.

Ä Example B: Personal Home Page [*page 218*]

Lancashire, Ian. Home page. 28 Mar. 2002. 14 Feb. 2004 <http://www.chass.utoronto.ca:8080/

~ian/>.

Ä Example C: A Site With A Complicated URL Cited By Search Page Instead [*page 212*]

Tolson, Nancy. ≥Making Books Available: The Role of Early Libraries, Librarians, and Booksellers

in the Promotion of African American Children's Literature.≤ African American Review 32

(1998): 9-16. JSTOR. JSTOR. 14 Feb. 2004 <http://www.jstor.org/search>.

Ä Example D: A Site Without Individual URLs Or A Search Page [*page 213*]

Nastali, Dan, and Phil Boardman. ≥Searching for Arthur: Literary Highways, Electronic Byways,

and Cultural Backroads.≤ Arthurania 11.4 (2001): 108-22. Abstract. 14 Feb. 2004

<http://www.smu.edu/arthuriana/>. Path: Abstracts; K-O.

* Information on citing web sites is taken from pages 207-230 of the MLA Handbook. Additional examples are listed on pages 214 & 222. More information is available at www.mla.org/style_faq4