《十六年前的回忆》练习题

1、Nelsons Practical Guide to Starting, Writing, and Completing a Masters Thesis (With Emphasis on Mass Communication Students)_by Richard Alan NelsonProfessorManship School of Mass CommunicationLouisiana State UniversityBaton Rouge, Louisiana, USA 70803-7202Dr. Nelsons Telephone 225-578-6686Dr. Nelson

2、s Email RManship School Fax: Fax 225-578-2125Manship School Home Page /manship/index.htmLSU Mass Communication Association of Graduate Students /guests/mcagsLSU Graduate School Home Page September 2003, version 10.0N

3、OTE: My thanks to those authors (including colleagues) of non-copyrighted publications for ideas, quotations, and (in some cases) entire paraphrased sections of this guide. Please address any corrections, revisions, additions, or other suggestions for improvement to Dr. Nelson. Colleagues at other i

4、nstitutions should feel free to copy this guide and adapt it as appropriate for their own institutional needs. Acknowledgement would be appreciated but is not required.43 Research is the process of arriving at dependable solutions to problems through the planned and systematic collection, analysis,

5、and interpretation of data. (Balian, 1982, p. 1) Research is not merely the act of stringing together facts from a variety of sources. In addition, you must analyze and interpret what you find. We value research not for the mass of information it brings to us, but because it helps us grow wiser. Aut

6、hentic research, therefore, is a rational, systematic search for new knowledge and understanding of the world around us. (Paraphrased from “Masters of Military Art,” 1988, p. 2-2)Congratulations!If you are reading this then you have begun to complete the requirements for your masters degree. As you

7、pursue your course work, participate in seminars, and consult with faculty members, numerous ideas for study and research should be presented that may be turned into successful theses. As you progress, you will begin moving away from the formal classroom setting into a world controlled by your own i

8、nterests and abilities. You will be demonstrating that you personally have something to offer to the professional discipline you have decided to follow. This is the point at which most graduate students panic and begin to wonder what they have gotten themselves into.DONT.You will have a faculty ther

9、e to help. Your Committee members are interested in your success. They have been through this situation many times before. Even when they seem to be putting road blocks in your way, faculty really do want you to succeed.Your first step in preparing your research is this manual. It is designed to hel

10、p you through these problems:1.Selecting a research topic, especially ones with direct professional application.2.Planning for the research.3.Completing an initial proposal for your Committee.4.Preparing the formal prospectus.5.Preparing the final version of your thesis, ready for a successful oral

11、examination.Remember-You are in a professional graduate program and the investigations you undertake in your classwork and for your thesis can help you develop an interpersonal network and give you added-value knowledge and practical skills useful in a job search and later career. Table of Contents

12、(v 10.0, September 2003)Im a Professional Communicator. Why Me?. 1The Purpose of the Thesis. 1Basic Check-Off List for Completing Your Thesis. 2The Difference Between a Thesis and a Report. 9Selecting a Topic.10Writing the Proposal and Prospectus13The Introduction15The Literature Review16The Methodo

13、logy Section.18The Final Version.19The Results.19The Discussion or Conclusion19Academic Writing Style.20Monetary Support .21Abstract Requirements21Publishing, Copywriting, and Presenting Your Work21Arrangement of Your Thesis22Style Guides and Procedure24Bibliography26 Appendixes27A:Constructing a Re

14、search Project27B:Advantages and Disadvantages of a Case Study byDr. Ali M. Kanso of University of Texas-San Antonio.28C:How Not To Do Acknowledgments.32D:Journalism and Mass Communication Abstracts Form.33E:Masters Abstracts International Information.34F:An Abbreviated Associated Press Style Guide.

15、35Im a Professional Communicator. Why Me?The Purpose of the ThesisAt this point, the world of research may seem like a foreign and hostile place. But the truth is most of you are already very familiar with it. Most of us engage in research of some kind virtually every day. Which product should I buy

16、? What movie should I see? What position should I take on a political issue? Most students have also written many term papers and conducted studies in preparation for class assignments, campaigns, or articles. This work may not seem related to what you are about to do, but the basic process is the s

17、ame. Your thesis will build on your own work experience, education, attitudes, interests, and abilities. You will just be moving away from the intuitive process many of you now use toward the more formal, disciplined style used by the academic and professional research world. What you learn here is

18、also valuable in working world professions where critical thinking skills are imperative.Whatever your career interest, conducting formal research and writing a thesis should not be regarded as an alien process. Yet, at the same time, you must understand that this is a major step in your education.

19、The act of putting together a thesis entails a mentally rigorous process that demands self-discipline. This may well be the largest single project you have ever undertaken. It is NOT something that can be completed in a couple of weeks as you rush toward your graduation deadline.Considering the amou

20、nt of time, frustration, and effort we are asking you to put into this project, you have a right to ask “WHY BOTHER?” The reasons are many and go beyond the fact that all the members of your Committee had to do it when they got their degrees. This challenge is not just another arcane initiation ritu

21、al, left over from 800 years of academic tradition. The primary reasons for completing a thesis are to help you experience significant intellectual growth and to increase your confidence in your ability to identify and solve complex problems. This growth will occur as you recognize important issues,

22、 develop methods to handle those issues, conduct research to answer specific questions, draw your own conclusions based on your findings, and then write about your discoveries to share with other communicators.A second major reason for the thesis is to help youunder the guidance of your Committeelea

23、rn how to conduct formal, historically, socially, legally, and/or scientifically acceptable research. By the time you are finished, you will know the difference between real scholarly research and the anecdotal or “pop” variety infecting the world of mass communication. You will be able to take what

24、 you have learned and apply it to any job-related research situation you may encounter.You are now at a point where you are ready to start adding basic and applied knowledge to the discipline. Your thesis may well be your first attempt to disseminate your views to the people working in the career ar

25、ea you have chosen for yourself. It is your move away from being a student toward becoming a contributing professional.Finally, students are encouraged to take some elective course work outside the department in programs in other colleges on campus or institutions elsewhere. Basic Check-Off List For

26、 Completing Your Thesis 1. You are responsible for reading and following all the institutions Masters requirements. These regulations are typically found in a Graduate Bulletin usually distributed to students online. See your institutions Graduate School office where the counselors can also provide

27、further information and forms. _ (Got copy of the Graduate Bulletin, date) 2.Select a general area for study and try to focus on a particular topic. Ideas can come from a number of sources: Your own prior experience, current events, your class assignments, and discussion with others (professionals,

28、students, faculty) are the most common ways to establish possible issues and questions for investigation. Faculty may also have a research agenda that you may be able to “plug into.” However, the responsibility for formulating the thesis proposal rests with the student. Faculty members will normally

29、 serve in an advisory capacity only and not “assign” a topic to you. (See the “Selecting a Topic” section below.) _ (general area)3. Write a proposal and put together your Graduate Committee. All students should begin to develop a program of study as soon as possible. Initial and routine advising is

30、 the responsibility of the programs Graduate Studies advisor who will help you and faculty coordinate the bureaucratic paper work that needs to be filed. However, each student will develop a program of study under the guidance of a Committee comprised of a major professor and additional members of t

31、he graduate faculty representing primary and/or secondary fields of study. The Graduate Committee is structured to meet the needs and interests of each graduate student and to ensure that the students program of study will provide the highest level of preparation. The proposal should be short and to

32、 the point (no more than three pages long). For most students the choice of the proposed subject matter of the thesis is based on their own interests and inclinations. The candidate should approach potential Committee members, discuss the topic, and ask if those faculty members are willing to serve

33、on the Committee. You should begin asking faculty members to be part of your Committee as early as possible, and no later than following completion of 9 hours of graduate work or by your second semester. The Committee membership will also have to be approved by the program Graduate Advisor. The Comm

34、ittee will recommend selection of courses, guide your research, approve the thesis, and conduct your final oral examinations.As “the candidate,” you are responsible for initially selecting the Committee, asking one of the members to serve as your major professor Chairperson/Committee Head, setting u

35、p meetings with the Chair to discuss your proposed topic and method in depth, getting the proposal approved, and providing written copies of material to your Chair and Committee as appropriate for evaluation to proceed with your research. It is usually best to first contact a faculty member interest

36、ed in your major area of emphasis and then seek recommendations from this person for other Committee members. This Committee must have a minimum of three members. All must hold official graduate faculty status and meet other qualifications determined by your institution. You can usually get a list o

37、f qualified faculty from your Graduate Advisor or Chair. (You may ask a graduate faculty member from outside of Mass Communication to serve on your Committee if you wish; this is required if you have an official graduate minor concentration from another department.) Getting the “right” committee is

38、important since they vote on whether or not you graduate. Students who wish to make changes in their committee generally may do so only with a written petition. Committee members may be removed only with their consent, subject to approval by the Graduate Advisor. In the event that the faculty member

39、 and the Graduate Advisor disagree on the committee members removal, the matter is typically referred to the Dean for resolution. So the goal is to get good members and avoid hassles. Remember: The Chairperson/Committee Head is the individual you will have the most contact with and who will have fir

40、st approval over your thesis. _ (Appointment of Faculty Chair, date) _ (Appointment of Committee Member #1, date) _ (Appointment of Committee Member #2, date) _ (Chair approval of proposal, date) _ and _ (Committee approval of proposal, date) _ (Copy of approved proposal to Graduate Advisor, date) _

41、 (Got Guidelines for the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations, date) 4.Ask your Chair and Committee members to help you develop your research question and related hypotheses. The Committee has quite a bit of flexibility in terms of advising you on thesis structure, format, and methodology. Since

42、your thesis counts as 6 hours toward graduation, it requires original scholarly research and an extensive analysis of relevant information and pre-existing literature. Begin searching this literature (publications, news accounts, databases, government records, media releases, advertisements, broadca

43、sts, organizational archives, legal cases, individual experts etc.) on your chosen topic and use what you find out to refine your research question, to develop hypotheses centered around that question, and to help apply a method to answer the questions systematically. You can start working on your t

44、hesis ideas as soon as you enter graduate study. Many students informally begin work toward a thesis in the papers they do for various classes. Assignments, particularly in the core courses, can help you in this respect and possibly later be integrated into your thesis. You can utilize the Internet,

45、 email and other online sources.5. Students should not register for thesis research credit until the proposal has been submitted and approved by the Committee. Following approval, you may receive permission to register for thesis research which is graded by your Committee Chairperson, usually using

46、the criteria of satisfactory progress (“S”)/unsatisfactory process (“U”). Meet minimum registration rules as outlined in the Graduate Bulletin. If you are using University resourcesfaculty advice and time, equipment, library facilities, and/or office spaceyou may enroll in 1-12 credit hours of thesi

47、s research per semester based on your involvement. Nine hours a semester for all courses is considered a full-time load (six hours in summer). However, note that you must register for thesis during the semester you graduate and even if you have 30 thesis hours no more than six hours may count toward

48、 fulfilling Masters degree requirements. 6.Revise your proposal, taking into account the Committees suggestions, and enlarge it to a formal prospectus. Furnish a copy of your formal prospectus (typically the first three chapters of your thesis) to your Committee Chair. You will probably have to go t

49、hrough several drafts and make many changes. Only after the Chair is satisfied do you circulate the prospectus to other Committee members. Get permission from your Chair to schedule a Committee meeting. Your prospectus must go to Committee members at least ten working days before the meeting to disc

50、uss the prospectus. After corrections, file a copy of the approved prospectus with the Graduate Advisor. _ (Chair approval, date) _ (Committee approval, date) _ (Copy of approved prospectus to Graduate Advisor, date) 7.Collect additional data. Analyze and interpret the results as they relate to your

51、 research questions and hypotheses. In conjunction with your Chair, you will also have to determine if the research is complete or if more evidence still needs to be gathered. _ (Chair approval, date) 8.Develop conclusions and suggestions based on your findings. Write up your results. Show how your

52、research answers the specific questions you have proposed, how the results apply to the real world, and what suggestions you have regarding areas where further research is needed. Distribute the chapters to your Chair. _ (Chair approval, date) _ (Degree audit with Graduate counselor, date) 9.As part

53、 of the requirements for the Masters degree, you must successfully complete an oral examination (the “thesis defense”) administered by your Committee after the completion of required course work and submission of the written thesis, but before it is sent to the Graduate School. After approval by you

54、r Chair, each member of the Committee must be given an opportunity to read a first draft of the thesis. If any member of the Committee believes that the full Committee should meet with the student at this point, the major professor (the Chair/Head) will schedule such a meeting. No final examination

55、will be scheduled by the Chair until a sufficient number of members of the Committee are satisfied with the thesis to ensure that the student will not automatically fail (a student cannot pass with more than one negative vote). The final oral examination will be administered only after a tentatively acceptable thesis is completed, and clean, readable copies have been available to all members of the Committee for at least two weeks. This examination basically concentrates on the written thesis and related course work. However, it may also in