Thesis
Students interested in completing a thesis should select a thesis advisor as early in their program as possible, preferably by the end of the first academic year. Once a topic has been identified and its general suitability discussed with the Advisor, the student is in a position to select a Thesis Supervisory Committee and to begin preparation of the thesis prospectus. The committee, to be selected by the student in consultation with the student's thesis advisor, must include a thesis advisor from the area of Speech-Language Pathology and two other graduate faculty, one of whom can be from another department. At least one member of the Thesis Supervisory Committee must be a member of the Graduate Faculty.The thesis prospectus is a crucial step in the thesis writing process. It normally will contain sections related to the following topical headings: Review of Relevant Literature, Statement of the Problem, Proposed Methods and Procedures, Proposal Analysis, and Interpretation of Data.
Thesis Supervisory Committee
Once the prospectus is completed by a student and has received preliminary approval by the thesis advisor, a thesis prospectus meeting will be scheduled. The student will give a copy of the prospectus to the committee members at least two weeks prior to the meeting. At the meeting, the student will discuss the prospectus with the committee and request approval for the project. Upon receiving full or qualified approval of his/her project from the committee, the process of carrying it through to completion is generally turned over to the student and the thesis advisor. The student is encouraged, of course, to consult with the committee members as necessary.
Institutional Review Board
Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval must be obtained before doing a study that involves human subjects. Theses involving animals require approval from the UNL Animal Care Committee. A student should consult with his/her thesis advisor about the necessary steps and procedures to obtain approval.
Defense of the Thesis
Two weeks prior to the desired date for the thesis defense during the academic year, and at least one week prior to the thesis defense during the Summer, a student will submit one copy of the final reading draft of the thesis to each member of the Thesis Committee.
Ideally, students should allow the committee at least three weeks to review the final document. The Thesis Examining Committee is the same as the Thesis Supervisory Committee who approved the thesis prospectus.
Form and Style of the Thesis
In the preparation of a thesis, students should follow the guidelines concerning form and typing recommended by the Graduate College. The format and style of the thesis should follow the "Information to Authors" published by the ASHA Journals with regard to section headings, references, and tables/figures. It is the same format as described in the American Psychological Association Style Manual (4th Edition).
Other Considerations
Note that call numbers for thesis (SLPA 899) in the Department will be suppressed. They may only be obtained by contact with the student' s academic advisor.No student may use either Directed Research or Thesis credit as a means of filling schedules so as to remain a full-time student. Copies of Approved Thesis The student is required to provide the following copies of the approved version of the thesis:
Two unbound copies for the University Library. The library charges a fee for the binding of these copies.One bound copy for the Department, filed in the Resource Center of the Barkley Memorial Center.One bound copy for the advisor. (Some advisors may only require an unbound copy.)One unbound copy for each committee member.
Directed Research-Option III
Students not doing thesis research are required to do three hours of Directed Research under SLPA 896, Readings and Research. This research may take the form of pilot studies, studies similar to thesis projects, participation in some facet(s) of a faculty member's research, or single subject design studies. As with the thesis, the student should confer with his/her Academic Advisor about a topic for this research and, in conjunction with the Academic Advisor, select a Directed Research Advisor. That person may be the Academic Advisor or another member of the Speech-Language Pathology or Audiology faculty with expertise in the area of interest. Students should realize that Graduate Faculty are not obligated to assume responsibility for directing student research. Consequently, a student needs to recognize the need for complying with an advisor's academic expectations. A supervisory committee is not required for doing Directed Research. However, the plan for the Directed Research needs to be completed on the
Directed Research Form and signed by the advisor. The student will, on this form, clearly outline the topic or area of study, how the project is to be completed, and the written product to be submitted. Form and style of the written product will, in most circumstances, be consistent with that expected for the thesis.
