Selecting a Topic

Choosing a good topic or problem is the key to a successful thesis or dissertation. A good topic has three significant features: it (1) addresses an important unresolved issue in the discipline, (2) retains the student's interest over the course of the study and beyond, and (3) can be studied in a reasonable period of time. You should discuss potential topics or problems with your graduate coordinator or advisor at the earliest possible date. An approval form describing the selected topic must be signed by your advisor, all committee members, the departmental graduate coordinator, and the Dean of the Graduate College.

Master's students must have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 at the time of topic approval, while doctoral students must have a minimum GPA of 3.2. Master's students must receive topic approval at least ten weeks prior to the commencement at which they receive the degree. A student working toward the doctorate must pass a preliminary examination before submitting a topic for approval and being admitted to candidacy. Candidacy must be achieved at least six months before the degree is conferred. When your topic has been approved, you and your committee will be notified by the Dean of the Graduate College.

Doing the Study

Research is a highly individual process, although pursuing the approved topic, keeping orderly records or notes, and consulting on a regular basis with one's advisor are essential in all cases. While it is permissible to pay for certain mechanical tasks—the services of a statistical consultant, or assistance in copy editing the final draft—you, the student, are responsible for doing all basic research and writing. The purchase of prepared research reports or the writing of text by another person without proper credit in the final document is inconsistent with the ethics of research. As stated in the Graduate Catalog:

'Academic honesty is the central value of an academic community. It is expected that graduate students will neither engage in nor facilitate cheating (using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, or study aids), fabrication (falsification or invention of any information or citation), or plagiarism (representing the words or ideas of others as one's own) in their academic work. The Academic Honesty Policy, which is found in the Student Affairs Handbook, contains strict sanctions, including expulsion, for all forms of academic dishonesty.'

The Writing

Before doing any writing or formal note-taking, you should select (1) a style manual, (2) the type of computer on which the manuscript will be written and data recorded, and (3) the software that will be used. Making these decisions beforehand, and adhering to the requirements of the style manual and this Handbook from the outset, will eliminate the need to reformat or convert the manuscript from one computer/word processing program to another once it has been written.

Selecting a Style Manual

A variety of style manuals are available that set standards for grammar, bibliographic format, word choice, etc. Some of the most commonly used are The ACS Style Guide (American Chemical Society), the CBE Style Manual for Biological Journals, the Chicago Manual of Style, the MLA Handbook (Modern Language Association), A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations (Kate L. Turabian), and the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Some departments or professors require the use of a specific style; others leave the choice up to the student. It is important to choose a style manual appropriate for your area of study: MLA, for example, is ideal for humanities scholars, but its required spelling out of all numbers under 100 makes it inappropriate for those in the social or natural sciences.

Before doing any writing, you should work with your graduate coordinator and advisor to select a style manual—making sure it is the most recent edition—and familiarize yourself with its contents. This will eliminate the need for time-consuming style conversions once the manuscript has been completed. The thesis or dissertation must conform strictly to the specifications of this Handbook and the style manual selected. In instances where the Handbook and the style manual differ, follow the Handbook regarding matters of form (preliminary pages, margins, etc.) and the style manual regarding matters of style (grammar, table formatting, bibliography/notes, etc.).

Selecting Software

When selecting word processing and other software, it is important to ensure beforehand that it will meet your specific needs. For a scientific study, for example, you might ask: Does this word processing program have a built-in table generator, or will I need to use a separate program? Can it insert a horizontally-printed page into the middle of an otherwise vertical document? Are the word processor and database program compatible?—that is, can I easily insert a table generated by one into the text on the other? It is critical to learn the basics of any program before typing the manuscript, e.g., how to set page numbers and margins, lay out tables, change spacing, etc.

The final version of the manuscript is to be converted to PDF format for submission to OhioLINK. Please visit the ETD web site for further information on converting and submitting the final, approved manuscript.

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