THESIS GUIDELINES. Master s of Science

Transcription

1 THESIS GUIDELINES Master s of Science Department of Community Health and Epidemiology UPDATED July 2006 ASBRIDGE/BOWDRIDGE

2 Community Health and Epidemiology Master s Thesis Guidelines CH&E 9000 The purpose of this document is to provide students and faculty with a set of guidelines for completing the Master s thesis. These guidelines follow the thesis process from beginning to end. Students and Faculty are encouraged to refer to the Thesis Supervisors and Supervisory Committees section in the Graduate Studies Calendar for the Rights and Responsibilities of Students, Supervisors and Departments as well as the Thesis Regulations. This information is also available on the Faculty of Graduate Studies website, It is important to remember that these Master s Thesis Guidelines are in addition to the Faculty of Graduate Studies Thesis Format Guidelines which can also be found on the Faculty of Graduate Studies website. Definition of the Master's Thesis The thesis should be a detailed and careful study of some aspect of community health or epidemiology. It should include a careful review of relevant literature and is usually, but not necessarily, based upon the collection and analysis of data or the use of secondary data. The thesis should demonstrate competence in the development, implementation and reporting of a research project, and it should be of suitable quality and scope for submission to a peerreviewed scholarly journal. Steps on Thesis Development and Approval The timelines included here pertain to target dates for full-time students. Part-time students are to develop an appropriate timeline in consultation with the Graduate Coordinator. Student progress should be reviewed annually by the Graduate Coordinator. 1. Choice of Thesis Topic, and Selection and Approval of Thesis Committee. Students should develop a topic for their thesis and choose a thesis committee during their first year of graduate study. Initial discussion of ideas for the thesis should occur during departmental seminars and during coursework. After (or in conjunction with) selecting their thesis topic and committee, students should seek approval of their thesis committee. This occurs prior to the thesis proposal defence. 2. Formal Presentation/Approval of Thesis Proposal. It is recommended that full-time students make a formal presentation of their thesis proposal to the department early in the second year of graduate study (by December of the second year). 3. Ethical Review. Students are to seek ethical review of their thesis project upon defending their thesis proposal. Ethical review is necessary to go forward with the thesis research. 4. Annual Report. Submitted annually from year two and on. 5. Structuring the Master s Thesis. 6. Defending the Master s Thesis. For full-time students the thesis is normally defended by the end of the second year of study (August). 7. Submission of the Master s Thesis to the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Thesis Guidelines 1

3 THE THESIS COMMITTEE Supervision, guidance and approval of the thesis proposal and the thesis are to be carried out by a Thesis Committee consisting of a thesis supervisor and at least one committee member or two co-supervisors (please refer to Section 8.2 of the Graduate Studies Calendar for criteria on Co-supervisors). The thesis committee is responsible for supervision of the thesis research, and approval of the thesis proposal and thesis according to Faculty of Graduate Studies and Departmental Guidelines. The student's thesis committee is accountable to, and membership may be reviewed by, the Department Graduate Coordinator prior to the formal presentation of the thesis proposal. The thesis supervisor should be selected by the student. Selecting a thesis supervisor can be a difficult process and the student must thoroughly evaluate all of their options. The selection of a thesis supervisor is largely based on common substantive interests that, in turn, formulate the thesis, but it is also important to consider the quality of the interpersonal relationship between the student and potential supervisor. The student should perform due diligence in finding the right supervisor what are their expectations, what are the experiences of other students with this supervisor, and so forth. If appropriate, the supervisor may wish to establish a contract with the student that outlines expectations and goals for completing the thesis, as well as determining authorship on potential publications or other uses of the defended thesis/data. The thesis supervisor must have an appointment (or cross-appointment) in the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, and must be a member of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Students may have a thesis supervisor who is not a member of the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology providing that they have a co-supervisor with an appointment in Community Health and Epidemiology, and receive approval from the Graduate Coordinator. Committee members are to be selected by the student in consultation with his/her thesis supervisor(s). Committee members should be members of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, and at least one committee member must be a full-time faculty member in the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology. Committee members are responsible for timely guidance and advice on the thesis research, as well as evaluation and approval of the thesis proposal and the thesis. As early as possible, and a minimum of four weeks before the formal presentation of the thesis proposal, the student must submit the Agreement to Serve on Thesis Committee form listing the proposed members of the thesis committee, and the topic of the thesis research to the Graduate Program Administrative Secretary. The Graduate Coordinator will review the proposed thesis committee to insure that it meets membership guidelines. The Graduate Coordinator may also ask Departmental Faculty to provide comments or suggestions to the student on the composition of the thesis committee (e.g., on the match between the thesis composition and the proposed topic). Students are required to update Agreement to Serve on Thesis Committee Form if any changes are made to the committee. Thesis Guidelines 2

4 THE MASTER S THESIS PROPOSAL Definition of the Thesis Proposal The MSc Thesis Proposal is a formal document describing the objectives, relevant background literature, the research plan and proposed data analysis for the master's thesis. The purpose of a thesis proposal defence is two-fold: (1) to get approval in principle from the Department and your thesis committee to undertake the proposed project, (2) to obtain constructive feedback to improve your research project. The thesis proposal should: Clearly define the topic to be studied Identify the specific research questions to be addressed Review the current state of knowledge on the topic Present a defendable plan to answer the research questions Outline appropriate methods for analysis of data Discuss the relevance of the proposed research The preparation and approval of the thesis proposal is an important safeguard to the student. A quality thesis proposal familiarizes the student with the topic, and provides a comprehensive plan for conducting the thesis. The thesis proposal also provides an important tool for evaluating the feasibility of the proposed research by the student's thesis committee. When approved, the thesis proposal will serve as an agreement between the student, the thesis committee, and the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology for completion of the project. In order for this to be a valuable experience, the student should defend the thesis proposal at a stage when the research question(s) have been fully defined, and the appropriate methodology to answer these questions has been developed, but prior to collecting any data or actually commencing the project. The more developed the methodology, the easier it will be for others to provide the student with concrete suggestions for improvement, and give approval in principle to continue. Timelines Students are to make a formal presentation of their thesis proposal to the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology early in the second year of graduate study (by December). A date for the thesis proposal defence is selected by the student and the thesis committee in consultation with the Graduate Coordinator. Thesis proposal defences are normally scheduled during the MSc Seminar time (Tuesdays, 12:15 to 1:15 pm). Students should schedule a meeting with their committee within six weeks of your thesis proposal defence date to ensure that all members have a clear idea of your research plan, and to obtain their consent to proceed to the proposal defence. The issues of feasibility, cost, time, and ethics should be considered with the committee. Please note that students are to avoid scheduling thesis proposal defences during the last two weeks in August to ensure faculty availability at the proposal. In preparation for presentation of the thesis proposal, the student is to submit to the Graduate Program Administrative Secretary the Thesis Proposal Form (signed by committee members confirming they have met within the last six weeks), a synopsis of the topic, and the proposed date for the presentation. This information should be provided two weeks in advance of the proposal presentation in order for notification to be circulated to all departmental faculty and graduate students. The student is also to submit a paper copy of the Thesis Proposal to the Thesis Guidelines 3

5 Graduate Program Administrative Secretary at least one week in advance of the presentation for display in the CH&E Main Office. Students should also provide all members of the thesis committee with copies of the thesis proposal well in advance of the thesis proposal date. The Thesis Proposal The thesis proposal document should consist of the following: Introduction (1-2 pages): Clearly define the topic to be studied, relevance of the project Review of Literature (5-10 pages): Briefly review current state of knowledge Objectives (1 page): Identify the specific research question(s) to be addressed Methods (5-10 pages): Clearly present a plan to answer the research question(s), who the subjects will be, how you will collect the data, the instruments you propose to use, and the methods of analysis you plan to use Appendices: Append any instruments you intend to use The thesis proposal defence should be a minimum of 20 minutes and a maximum of 30 minutes in length, so as to allow ample time for discussion within the one hour period. A rough breakdown of the time allotment should be as follows: Introduction (3 minutes) Review of Literature (5 minutes) Objectives (3 minutes) Methods (9 minutes) Note that the discussion of methods should take up close to one half of your presentation time. It is here that faculty will be able to provide you with constructive feedback, as well as judge your readiness to conduct the project. Approval of Thesis Proposal Immediately after the thesis proposal defence, the thesis committee will meet with faculty incamera to hear comments and suggestions about the thesis proposal. The thesis committee will decide whether they Approve no revisions; Approve minor revisions; Approve major revisions or Not Approve. The thesis committee has sole authority to accept or reject the proposal, although concerns expressed by other faculty will be conveyed to the student. All comments are sent by way of formal letter from the thesis supervisor to the student within two weeks following the defence. If the proposal is Approved minor revisions, the required revisions are to be clearly communicated to the student, and must be completed within a stated time period. If the thesis committee fails to approve the thesis proposal, the student can prepare a new/revised proposal, and make a second formal presentation. Students are limited to two attempts to obtain approval of a thesis proposal. Final approval will be recorded on the Thesis Proposal Sign-Off Form and submitted to the Graduate Coordinator after the meeting, or after the minor revisions have been completed. Students should be given verbal feedback immediately following the presentation. It is the responsibility of the thesis supervisor to communicate in writing to the student the issues raised by faculty, and the recommendations made by the thesis committee, in a timely fashion (within two weeks of the proposal defence). A copy should be sent to the Graduate Coordinator. Thesis Guidelines 4

6 ETHICAL REVIEW All thesis research involving human subjects must be approved by a Human Ethics Review Board. Reviews are coordinated through the Office of Research Services, Room 321, Henry Hicks Academic Administration Building. Application guidelines and submission deadlines are available from the Human Research Ethics Office or on their website Students should allow six to eight weeks for processing. Please note Ethics Approval renewal / update is required on an annual basis. If the thesis research is being done at one of the hospitals or involves hospital patients or employees, reviews must be done through that respective hospital. Upon approval by the hospital ethics board, a copy of the approval letter must be sent up to Dalhousie s Research Ethics Office. To ensure proper reporting, projects which require approval by a hospital research ethics board must be accompanied by a letter which identifies the proposal as a student thesis research project. Capital Health Ethics Office is located on the 1 st Floor of the Centre for Clinical Research and forms are available on their website IWK Ethics is located on the 8 th Floor of the IWK TIPS In all cases, please read the Guidelines for Submission CAREFULLY before completing your submission. Also, reviews go more smoothly if you use the headings found in the guidelines. Please note that student s cannot proceed with their thesis research until ethical review has been completed. It is therefore essential for students to submit their thesis proposal for ethical review as soon as possible after (or concurrent with) the thesis proposal defence. The Research Coordinator is available to assist students in the ethics review process. ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT Every graduate student in the second year and beyond of a Thesis Program is required to submit an Annual Progress Report to the Faculty of Graduate Studies, through their Supervisor and Graduate Coordinator. This report is due on an annual basis, one month prior to the anniversary of the student's admission date. Failure to submit this report may result in delays in registration and funding. It is the responsibility of the student to be sure to submit this report in a timely fashion. Students who have external funding administered by the university are required to submit annual progress reports one month in advance of the start date of their award, this report will also satisfy the FGS progress report requirements. Forms are available at: Thesis Guidelines 5

7 STRUCTURE OF THE THESIS The Master s Thesis may be structured in one of two ways. Traditionally, the Master s Thesis takes the form of a book with a number of chapters. These chapters include, but are not limited to a(n): Introductory Chapter Literature Review Research Question(s) and Hypotheses Methodology or Methods Analyses Chapters (at least two) Discussion/Concluding Chapter These chapters are followed by References, Appendices and other materials. The Master s Thesis should also include the following Title Page (required) Signature Page (required) Copyright Agreement Page (required) Dedication Page (if applicable) Table of Contents (required) List of Tables (if applicable) List of Figures (if applicable) Abstract (required) List of Abbreviations and Symbols Used (if applicable) Glossary (if applicable) Acknowledgements (if applicable) The Faculty of Graduate Studies does provide samples of the Thesis Title Page, Thesis Signature Page and Thesis Copyright Page on their website. If students are to use published materials in their thesis, they must obtain written permission. A sample letter is available on the Faculty of Graduate Studies website. Alternatively, a thesis may be structured as a series of published articles (minimum two) in peer reviewed journals. These published articles substitute for the Methodology and Analyses chapters. All other components of the thesis structure remain the same. All other details regarding the Thesis should be negotiated with the Thesis Committee and/or Graduate Coordinator. Thesis Guidelines 6

8 THE MASTER S THESIS DEFENCE Timelines If the student is thinking about defending his/her Master s Thesis and is aiming for a specific date(s), it is important to consider the lead time necessary prior to the defence. Select a date for a defence, and then precede back six weeks to find the date in which the final draft of the Thesis should be submitted to the Graduate Coordinator. For instance, if a defence is dated March 15 th, the final draft of the Thesis (signed off by all committee members) should be in the hands of the Graduate Coordinator by approximately February 1 st. This time frame allows for a number of events to take place: two to three weeks for the external reviewer to evaluate the thesis, two weeks for the thesis to be placed on display in the department prior to the defence, and at least one week for the student to address requested changes before the submission of the final unbound thesis to the Faculty of Graduate Students. When the thesis has been completed it is to be presented and defended in a meeting of the department in the MSc Seminar. The thesis supervisor has a responsibility to the student to evaluate whether the thesis is ready to defend. A student should schedule a defence only after the members of their thesis committee indicate that they feel the thesis is complete, and if the committee has met within six weeks of the defence date. The thesis should be defended, typically, by the end of the second year of study. Thesis defences are conducted as Departmental meetings, open to students, staff, and faculty members. There are three deadlines for students to submit approved unbound copies of theses to the Faculty of Graduate Studies, they are early September, mid December, early April. Students should refer to the Graduate Studies Calendar or the Registrar s Office website for the exact dates. Please note the deadlines for submitting unbound theses to departments (Thesis Defence) are typically two weeks prior to the Faculty of Graduate Studies deadlines. External Reviewer All defences include the involvement of an external reviewer. Three potential external reviewers are to be selected by the Thesis Supervisor (in consultation with the Thesis Committee). The names of the three potential external reviewers are then submitted to the Graduate Coordinator at least six weeks prior the thesis defence. The Graduate Coordinator selects the external reviewer from these potential candidates. This procedure adds a level of transparency to the external review process. It is up to the Graduate Coordinator to contact the external reviewer, to send the thesis (and other documents), and to receive comments and questions from the external reviewer regarding the thesis. The external reviewer must be external to Dalhousie University and hold a PhD or MD/Master s. He/she must have had no prior involvement in the thesis. The role of the external reviewer is to provide peer review comments on the final thesis document. These comments should be received in time for the student to make revisions prior to the final defence (at least two weeks prior to the defence). Prior to the Defence In preparation for the defence, the student is to submit to the Graduate Program Administrative Secretary, the Thesis Defence Form (signed by committee members confirming they have met within the last six weeks), a brief abstract of the thesis and the proposed date for the presentation as well as a paper copy of the thesis for display in the CH&E Main Office. This information should be provided two weeks in advance of the proposed presentation in order for Thesis Guidelines 7

9 notification to be circulated to all departmental faculty and graduate students. Students should also provide all members of the thesis committee with copies of the thesis. The Thesis Defence Unlike the guidelines for the thesis proposal, the structure of the thesis is determined by the supervisor and the committee members. However, a typical thesis defence will take the following format: student presents for approximately 30 minutes questions from the external review (to be read by the Graduate Coordinator in external reviewers absence) questions from the supervisor and committee members questions from other faculty members questions from all others in attendance Approval of the Thesis Immediately following the thesis defence, the thesis committee and faculty members present during the defence, will meet in-camera to discuss the outcome. The thesis committee may Approve as submitted; Approve upon specific corrections being made; Reject but with permission to re-submit a revised thesis for re-examination; or Reject outright. The decision of the thesis committee is to be recorded on the Thesis Defence Sign-Off Form, and submitted to the Graduate Coordinator. The thesis committee has sole authority to accept or reject the thesis, althouth, the thesis committee will take into consideration the comments provided by the external reviewer and other members of the department. If revisions are required, the thesis committee is to establish the timeline for revisions, and how the revisions will be reviewed. Minor revisions will usually be made under the supervision of the thesis supervisor; major revisions should be referred back to the entire thesis committee. It is the responsibility of the thesis supervisor to communicate in writing to the student the required revisions in a timely fashion (within two weeks following the defence). Failure of the thesis should be reserved for exceptional circumstances. Normally, the thesis committee will not recommend that the student defend the thesis until it is ready. However, the student may go forward to the defence. If the thesis committee fails to approve the thesis, the thesis committee must decide on what options, if any, are available to the student if they wish to complete the MSc Program. These options must be approved by the Department. Thesis Guidelines 8

10 SUBMISSION OF THE MASTER S THESIS TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES Students are strongly encouraged to have the Faculty of Graduate Studies inspect the thesis for pre-approval of the format prior to the deadline for submission to the Faculty of Graduate Studies. This often saves considerable time and reduces the transition from defending the thesis to the final submission of the unbound thesis to the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Thesis Binding Five unbound copies of the thesis (original and a minimum of four copies) are to be submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Please refer to the Faculty of Graduate Studies Thesis Binding Fees ( for further information regarding thesis binding. Students are also required to complete the following, Intention to Graduate Form (see submission deadlines) Library and Archives Canada Form Graduate Student Exit Survey Thesis Guidelines 9