SENIOR THESIS GUIDELINES

OVERVIEW

As a final stage of the honors curriculum, students are required to submit a senior thesis paper. Students must have a thesis committee of two faculty thesis advisors who will guide them with their research paper. Honors students must also enroll in two senior thesis courses (DHC 488, 489) that meet weekly to guide the research and writing of the thesis. All students must follow the senior thesis standards and submission requirements. At the end of the year, each senior will present his or her thesis at the Honors College Convocation.

CHOOSE A TOPIC

The thesis should provide evidence of a synthesis of ideas. Two general formats are given as examples, although these are not the only possibilities. The first would involve selection of primary source material from the Honors College reading list, considerable primary source material from other works, and secondary material in order to examine an idea or event. An example of this might be taking a position on Lenin's argument that Tolstoy was the cause of the Russian Revolution. The second would be the tracing of an idea throughout several periods, showing the influences of earlier writers on later writers and the turns an idea may take as it is molded into a new form by a powerful thinker. Exploring the development of the idea of natural law from Aristotle, through the Stoics, Cicero, Montesquieu, and into the Federalist Papers would be an example of such an approach.

FORM A THESIS ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Students should select a thesis committee chair, and an additional committee member to advise the development of the thesis. The additional thesis committee member cannot be in the major content area of the research and must be approved in advance by the Director. Students should give a copy of these guidelines to each committee member. The thesis committee chair and members must sign the attached form indicating their willingness to serve. Students are responsible for returning the signed form to the Honors College Director.

THESIS STANDARDS

Forms

The student is responsible for completing the steps in thesis development and for obtaining signatures on the Signature Checklist. Students must include a Title Page signed by all advisors.

Abstract

An abstract of 150 words or less must appear following the title/approval page. The title "Abstract" should appear centered on the page, and the text should be double-spaced.

Style

Style should conform to the current Modern Language Association standards for writing.

Length

The thesis should be a minimum of twenty and a maximum of thirty pages in length; including title page, abstract, and bibliography. These requirements may be waived for a scientific or experimental paper of significant content. Such a waiver may be granted only by the Honors College Director.

Documentation

Following MLA guidelines, all documentation is parenthetical. Informational notes should be in footnote form.

Font, Margins, and Pagination

Type should be 12 pt., Times New Roman font with a 1 1/2" margin on the left and 1" margins on the top, bottom, and right. These margins must be rigidly adhered to. The title/approval page is page 1, but the number does not appear. Page numbers should appear on other pages in the upper right-hand corner one inch from the top and right edges of the page (i.e., page numbers do not infringe on margin space). Footnotes should be 10 pt., Times New Roman font, and should be single spaced with double space between notes.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Submission

One copy of the completed thesis should be given to the Director by the due date. This should include the title/approval page, an abstract page, the body of the thesis, and the list of works cited. A sample title/approval page is attached. The title/approval page should be unsigned. The thesis should be in its final form, free from errors and ready for production of the binding copies. If the format, grammar, and/or text are unacceptable, the thesis will not be approved and will be returned to the student for rewriting.

Approval

The thesis requirement is not completed until the thesis is accepted and signed by the Thesis Committee Chairperson, members, and the Director. A thesis submitted to the Director with grammatical or other mechanical errors, structural problems, or weak content will be returned to the student for correction. Acceptance by the Director is not automatic once the advisor(s) have accepted the thesis.

Binding

If the Director approves the thesis, the student should produce two binding copies. The stock for both binding copies must be 100% cotton content and 20-weight. Both copies should be loose pages in a file folder. Neither of the copies should be in a binder nor have any paper clips or other attachments. The student should obtain the signature of his or her committee members. Both title/approval pages should bear original signatures. The two binding copies should then be given to the Director. In addition, a third copy of the final thesis on regular printer paper should be given to the Director for submission to the Dean. The Honors College will bind all theses for a given year into one volume for its archives. If students wish to have a copy for themselves they must notify the Director no later than the last day of Spring Quarter.

CONVOCATION

The thesis will be presented at the Honors College Convocation at the end of the quarter the student has registered for DHC 489. Each student will be allotted 15 minutes to present the paper and 10 minutes for answering questions. The thesis should not be read. The Convocation is open to all members of the campus community. In addition, the Honors College faculty will select the best thesis to receive The William O. Douglas Outstanding Senior Thesis Award.

THESIS DEADLINES

DHC 488

First Week: Present potential thesis topics for discussion

Second week: Obtain approval of potential thesis topic from professor

Third week: Obtain approval of a Thesis Chair and a Thesis Committee Member from instructor.

Fourth week: Obtain advisors’ signatures on the Honors College Thesis Chair Information Form. Submit the original to the class instructor, a copy to each advisor, and retain a copy for your records.

Ninth week: Submit a complete proposal for your senior thesis that has been approved by both advisors and the class instructor. This should include a tentative thesis statement, statement of purpose, section on methodology, discussion of the topic, review of the literature, working bibliography, and timeline for completion.

Final week: Submit an outline of your senior thesis and, if possible, a first draft.

DHC 489

Present developing thesis topic at a Honors College “Works in Progress” to be scheduled at the beginning of the quarter in which the class is taught.

One week prior to Honors College Senior Thesis Convocation:

Submit a completed draft of thesis to Thesis Chair and the class instructor for final comments. Make corrections as directed.

One to two weeks prior to finals week:

Honors College Senior Thesis Convocation. In most cases, you will be expected to make your Convocation presentation even if changes are still required in the thesis.

Last Friday before finals week:

Submit final copies to Honors College Director. Make all necessary corrections and present a binding copy of the thesis on the Friday of examination week at the latest.

The William O. Douglas Honors College

Thesis Committee Chairperson Information

To The Thesis Chair:

Thank you for volunteering to assist an Honors College student through the thesis process. In order to help you understand our expectations, we are providing you with a brief set of guidelines. Please do not hesitate to call me if you have any questions about your role or any other aspect of the thesis.

  1. Remember, this is an honors student. He or she should be expected to do work of the highest quality. Do not accept anything less.
  2. This is a research project. All ideas should be documented and supported.
  3. Help the student to meet deadlines.
  4. Help the student follow formatting requirements.
  5. A substantial portion of the thesis should relate to works and/or authors that students have read in the course of their Honors College curriculum. However, do not hesitate to suggest other works or authors when appropriate.
  6. The thesis is an Honors College requirement and is written in partial fulfillment of the requirements in two courses: DHC 488 and DHC 489.
  7. The thesis will generally be started one quarter and will be completed at the end of the next quarter. Please make sure you will be available for this entire period.
  8. You will be asked to read four drafts of a 20 to 30 page thesis. You should be able to return your comments to the student within a week. This is essential for the student to meet his/her deadlines.

When you have discussed the student's topic with him or her and decide that you can commit to being an advisor, please sign this form and have the student return it to the Director. Please make a copy of the form for your records. Thank you again for your help.

Sincerely,

Sura Rath, Director

I agree to act as a Thesis Chair for

Student’s Name

Print Name of Thesis Committee Chairperson Committee Chair’s Signature Date

The William O. Douglas Honors College

Senior Thesis Signature Checklist

Name______ID#______

Committee: (Chair)______(Member) ______(Director)______

Initial initial initial

Chairperson / Member / Director
Thesis Topic Approval
Outline Approval
Bibliography Approval
First Draft
Second Draft
Third Draft
Fourth Draft
Final Draft
Thesis Final Approval

Douglas Honors College

Checklist for Senior Thesis Submission

Name of Student______Chairperson______

Following is a list of items that both the Honors College student and thesis chair should initial prior to submitting the thesis to the director for approval. The student should also carefully review the thesis standards on the Honors College webpage. Completing the items listed below as well as following the web page specifications will reduce the time required to complete the approval process.

1. The title page appears as specified.Student Chair ______

2. The abstract is the proper length as specified.Student Chair ______

3. Page numbers do not appear in the margin space.Student Chair ______

4. Double space between the page number and the text.Student Chair ______

5. All footnotes are on the same page as the citation.Student Chair ______

6. All documentation conforms to MLA.Student Chair ______

7. All bibliographic entries conform to MLA. Student Chair ______

8. All margins have been measured with a ruler.Student Chair ______

9. Ellipses in quotations conform to MLA.Student Chair ______

Because of the extreme time pressure at the end of the quarter, only those papers that are ready for final approval will be read. This will maximize the opportunity for students who have successfully completed the thesis. Thus, if any of the above is not correct, the director will not read the student's paper, and will return it to the DHC 489 instructor.

In addition, upon encountering any two of the following errors, the director may stop reading and return the paper to the DHC 489 class instructor:

1) A misspelled word. / 2) Incorrect punctuation. / 3) A sentence fragment.
4) A run-on sentence. / 5) Other obvious proofreading errors.

Student E-Mail ______Student Phone ______

(Title of Thesis)

(Name)

Senior Thesis

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Graduation from

The William O. Douglas Honors College

Central Washington University

(Month of end of quarter), (Year)

Accepted by:

Thesis Committee Chairperson Date

Thesis Committee Member Date

Director, The William O. Douglas Honors College Date

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