Thesis Option

The following guidelines are School of Information Sciences policies and guidelines for thesis option students. All accepted and successfully defended theses must beprepared and submitted in accordance with University of Tennessee regulations. For details on formatting and preparing the thesis for final submission to the Graduate School, students should consult the Guide to the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations, latest edition, prepared by UT's Graduate School and available at the UT Bookstore, textbook department, or online.

The UT Thesis/Dissertation Consultant will also provide assistance and advice about formatting, preparation, and submission of forms to the Graduate School. The consultant can be reached at (865)974-1337 or in 111-S Student Services Building.

• What is a master's thesis?

  A master's thesis in Information Sciences is a major piece of original work, including research, a formal written description of that research, and an oral defense of the research. It should contribute new knowledge to the discipline, but will include an extensive review of what others have contributed to the topic as well. The tone should be scholarly, with a primary audience of other information science researchers.

  The thesis is more than a term paper but less than a doctoral dissertation. For example, a synthesis and description of others' research and writings alone may be appropriate as a term paper. Such a comprehensive "review of the literature" must be included as a section of the thesis but is not sufficient by itself. On the other hand, a doctoral dissertation might use an experimental or survey methodology involving large numbers of subjects on a national or international level. A master's thesis may be narrower in scope, being restricted to a local problem (e.g., a survey and analysis of information literacy instruction in East Tennessee) or a smaller number of subjects (e.g., case studies of several information entrepreneurs). A thesis should not just be an expression of your opinions; conclusions and opinions must be based on research results and analysis.

  Acceptable methodologies include both quantitative and qualitative.

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• Are there examples of master's theses I can see?

  The library maintains a collection of University of Tennessee master's theses. Although it will be helpful to browse recent theses from other disciplines, your advisor and committee will define their expectations of what you need to accomplish. Each thesis is an individually negotiated and completed work. The School of Information Science also keeps a collection of recent SIS theses. You are required to submit a copy of your completed thesis to the SIS collection, in addition to an archival copy to the UT library. A partial list of theses completed since 1996 is available online.

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• What is the role of a Thesis Coordinator?

  Your thesis advisor may be your academic advisor or another faculty member in the School of Information Sciences at the rank of Assistant Professor or above. You will work closely with your thesis advisor throughout the thesis process. As soon as you are seriously considering the thesis option, talk to the school's Thesis Coordinator about your motivations, background, and possible topics. The Thesis Coordinator can suggest appropriate topics or methodologies in your area of interest and will suggest faculty who may be interested in your topic.

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• How do I find a Thesis Advisor?

  After you meet with the thesis coordinator begin to develop a written prospectus of your proposed thesis topic to share with a faculty member who has research interests similar to yours. After your initial conversation with the faculty member, you may further refine your prospectus, which will typically be between 6-12 pages and should include a statement of the problem, why it is important, references to a few published articles on the topic, and possible ways you would like to study the topic. After reading the prospectus, it is up to each faculty member to decide whether or not he or she will work with you as you thesis advisor. Your thesis advisor will work closely with you to guide you in all of the steps of the thesis.

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• What is the role of the other members of the Thesis Committee?

  Together with your thesis advisor you will select and ask at least twoadditional faculty members to serve on your thesis committee (for a totalof at least three members of your committee.) After reviewing your prospectus it is up to each faculty member to decide whether to serve on a committee. You will work most closely with your advisor, but other committee members must approve a thesis proposal, review and approve thesis drafts, and will serve as your final oral comprehensive examination committee. Your advisor and at least one of your additional members must be from the School of Information Sciences, but the other member(s) may be faculty at the rank of Assistant Professor or above from SIS or from other University of Tennessee schools or colleges. It is a good idea to select faculty members who are interested in your topic and who can contribute unique knowledge, such as knowledge of a research method, statistical techniques, or a unique perspective on your topic.

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• How do I begin?

  Once a faculty member has reviewed your prospectus and agreed to supervise your thesis, you will work together to further develop the topic and create a formal proposal for that topic. The written proposal should include:

  • a statement of the problem,
  • a research question or hypothesis,
  • an extensive review of the literature,
  • a proposed methodology,
  • and a timetable.

  Although there is no set length for a proposal, much of what you write will be incorporated into the first chapters of your thesis. A typical proposal will probably be between 20 and 50 pages. At the discretion of your advisor, this preliminary work may be done as IS 500 Thesis Credit or it may be done without academic credit.

  All three of your committee members must approve and sign your proposal. A copy of the signed proposal will be filed in your main SIS folder. Having an approved proposal before you begin major research work protects you and your committee. It is an essential step.

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• When do I register for thesis credit?

  At the discretion of your advisor, you may register for thesis credit(IS 500) as soon as your prospectus is accepted or you may wait until your proposal is approved by all committee members. At this time you must register for thesis credit (IS 500) and continue to register for IS 500 in each semester you work on your thesis. Although you may take IS 500 for up to 15 hours, only 6 hours are required and only 6 hours will be counted in the 42 hours needed for graduation. You must be registered for IS 500 in the semester you plan to finish, defend, and submit final copies of your thesis to the Graduate School. IS 500 is graded as P (progress) or NP (no progress) only.

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• What if my methodology doesn't work or I change my mind?

  Although work on the thesis is done independently, you will work closely with your thesis advisor. Your advisor should be notified immediately if something "isn't working." Any changes are negotiated between you and your advisor. If these changes are substantially different from your signed proposal, the other members of your committee must approve the changes as well. It is best to get approval for major changes in writing. You may switch to the non-thesis option any time before your oral comprehensive examination (defense of thesis). If you change to non-thesis option, IS 500 hours will not count within the 42 hours required for graduation.

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• What will my completed thesis look like?

  The University of Tennessee dictates the format and final appearance of your thesis. You should download the most recent copy of Guide to the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations available online at the UT Thesis/Dissertation Website. Your thesis must adhere to these guidelines. Your bibliography and footnotes must adhere to the official style manual of the School of Information Sciences. This is the latest edition of the Chicago Manual of Style Turabian's. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations summarizes the Chicago style manual and may be used.

  Typically, a thesis will include five basic chapters:

  1. Introduction and statement of the problem;
  2. Review of the Literature;
  3. Methodology;
  4. Analysis and findings;
  5. Conclusions.

  These may vary according to your methodology and topic. Length will also vary, but most master's theses are between 80 and 150 pages in length. In addition to Turabian, the bookstore has many books that will help with the organization and writing of your thesis.

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• Is help in writing and formatting available?

  If you need assistance in writing or organizing your thesis, you may take English 462--Writing for Publication. English 462 is designed to help with the writing of theses or dissertations and may be repeated for credit, but it may not be included within the 42 hours required for graduation. In addition, Jennifer Spirko, with the assistance of Catherine Cox of the Graduate School, run thesis/dissertation workshops at the beginning of every semester. She includes discussion of timetables, forms that must be submitted to The Graduate School, organization of the written document, and formatting instructions. You should take one of these workshops at the beginning of the semester you plan to finish your thesis.

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• What is an oral examination?

  When your written thesis is completed to the satisfaction of your advisor and committee members, together you will schedule the oral examination/defense of thesis. This oral defense i officially called a Final Comprehensive Examination The Final Comprehensive Examination takes place in the semester you plan to graduate and must be successfully completed no later than the published University of Tennessee date for completion of Final Examination. Because this date is usually the same date as the non-thesis option Comprehensive Examination and because you may need to make modifications to your thesis, it is highly recommended that you schedule your examination well in advance of the deadline. In fall the deadline for completing the Final Examination is typically mid-November; in spring early to mid-April. The examination can be scheduled anytime during the semester. By scheduling it early you will have more time to make the changes or modification required by your committee.

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• What should I expect at my oral examination?

  Oral examinations are usually scheduled for one hour, but may run shorter or longer, at the discretion of your committee. They are open to other students, faculty, or anyone in the universit community who wishes to attend. In a typical oral examination, you will be asked to briefly summarize your research. Then each committee members will as you questions about your research and may ask questions about your coursework. According to the Graduate Catalog, "The examination, which is concerned with coursework and the thesis...measures the candidate's ability to integrate material in the major and related fields, including the work presented in the thesis...." Answer the questions to the best of your ability. You may refer to the written text for your answers.

  When there are no more questions, the committee will ask you to step outside while it deliberates. They will call you back in to inform you of the outcome, which may be pass as is, pass on the condition minor modifications are made, pass on th condition major modifications are made and are reviewed by the committee, or, rarely, fail.

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• What if I fail the oral examination?

  Oral examination failures are rare, because you should not schedule your defense until your advisor and committee members feel comfortable with the content and presentation of your written thesis. In the case of a failure, your committee will tell you why you failed and what you need to do before retaking the oral examination. You have two chances to pass the oral examination. The results of the second examination are final.

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• What do I do after I pass the oral examination?

  Your degree requirements are not fulfilled until you make all of the corrections required by your committee at your oral examination, your thesis advisor reads and approves the corrections, and you submit the final corrected and formatted thesis to the Graduate School. The final version must be submitted by the deadline set by the Graduate School or your graduation date will be deferred until the next semester. Deadlines are usually approximately two weeks after the deadline for defense of thesis. Refer to the Guide to the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations and other materials from Ann Lacava's office for deadlines, forms to be submitted, and formatting matters for your final thesis document.

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• Should I consider the thesis option?

  Students who are self-motivated and have strong writing skills may consider the thesis option. thesis students must be prepared to work independently, while at the same time taking direction and suggestions from their advisor and thesis committee. They should have some research interest or specific area that they wish to pursue in depth. All thesis option students must take IS 540--Research Methods (or an equivalent course), unless they have already successfully completed a thesis or dissertation in another discipline. A minimum commitment of a calendar year after meeting core requirements (or beginning in the semester the core requirements are completed) is recommended for the thesis option.

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• Calendar

  For a full-time student entering the program in the Fall Semester

  FALL YEAR 1

  • Take core
  • Talk to advisor about thesis option
  • Talk to thesis coordinator about thesis option
  • Begin collecting ideas for thesis topics

  SPRING YEAR 1

  • Finish core
  • Begin electives
  • May take IS 540 if needed
  • Select thesis advisor with advice of thesis coordinator
  • Select thesis topic and write prospectus
  • Begin writing proposal
  • Approach other members of committee
  • thesis committee finalized

  SUMMER YEAR 1

  • May register for IS 500
  • Write proposal
  • Proposal approved if committee available
  • Take IS 540 if needed and not taken in Spring

  FALL YEAR 2

  • Register for IS 500
  • Proposal approved if committee not available in summer
  • Collect data
  • Begin writing

  SPRING YEAR 2

  • Register for IS 500
  • Draft of complete thesis the committee by March 1 (if the thesis needs major revisions or is not turned in on time graduation may be delayed)
  • Suggested corrections made
  • Schedule oral final comprehensive exam (defense)
  • Final comprehensive oral examination by deadline (usually 3 weeks before finals week)
  • Make corrections as required at examination
  • Submit corrected and correctly formatted thesis to Graduate School by deadline
  • Graduate

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