INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS PERPARING SENIOR HONORS THESES

INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS PREPARING SENIOR HONORS THESES

Honors Academy, Lenoir-Rhyne University

General Information; Prospectus for Senior Thesis; Senior Thesis

The Academic Program Committee of Lenoir-Rhyne University recommends that style and mechanics in all Honors Theses follow instructions set forth in the following manual:

Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. 6th edition. Chicago & London: The University of Chicago Press.

To insure conformity of manuscripts with the prescribed style, the Committee requests that final copies of senior theses conform to standards of style proposed by the Committee. Among style considerations involved are type of paper used, margins, treatment of quoted materials, display headings, tables, illustrations, spacing, bibliographic form--all the various matters relating to the mechanics of the manuscript. Each student is urged to have a preliminary manuscript copy examined by the thesis director so that suggestions may be made which can be incorporated into the final copy, thereby avoiding extensive revision because of inconsistency of style. Students who do not take advantage of this preliminary checking run the risk of extensive changes in final copies.

PROSPECTUS FOR SENIOR THESIS

A prospectus is required for each proposed honors thesis. The prospectus should set forth the proposal planned, including (1) an introduction to the problem, (2) indication of previous research of a similar nature, (3) justification of the research projected, (4) clear statement of the problem along with hypotheses if these are warranted, (5) indication of methods and procedure, and (6) listing of bibliography. The student should use Turabian as a guide.

The prospectus should be submitted to the thesis director.

Expect for the title page, for which an example is attached, the prospectus does not have to conform to any particular style or paper specifications. Each copy should be stapled or clipped together rather than bound in some other manner.

SENIOR THESIS

Copies and Distribution
A minimum of two copies is required. One copy will be bound for the library; the second copy will be returned to the student.

The two copies should be unbound and free of stapling or punched holes.

Paper Specifications
Corrasable or other ease-erase varieties of paper will not be acceptable for either copy of the thesis. The thesis should be prepared on a twenty-pound paper of at least twenty-five percent rag or cotton fiber content.

Format
No attempt will be made here to treat matters of style and form covered adequately in the approved manuals. Students should keep in mind that an approved manual should be adhered to with the following exceptions.

Type Size: Any conventional type size is acceptable. Generally speaking, a 10-point New York font or a 12-point Times font type provides clearer text. The same type should be used throughout the manuscript except for tables, which may be done on smaller type.
Margins: These are as follows -- one inch at top, bottom, and right side and one and one-half inches on the left side. An exception to these margins is the first page of a chapter or major section which should have a two-inch margin at the top.
Illustrations: Glossy prints and mounted illustrations should be avoided. It is suggested that Xerox or other reproduction methods be used to duplicate final copies of drawings or pictorial display. If the photographs are used, it is desirable they be full page in order to avoid mounting. Captions for illustrations should be added on the illustration after duplication if space permits. If there is not sufficient space, the caption should be placed on a facing page. A facing page should also be used for captions of photographic prints.
Corrections: Corrections that need to be made in the final manuscript before submission for binding should be done by computer and the corrected pages inserted into the whole. Students should be guided by the need to produce the neatest manuscript possible. In no case should there be erasures or inked correction of printed material.

Signatures of Acceptance
Please click the following links to view sample title pages.
Title Page: Sample One
Title Page: Sample Two
All members of the supervisory committee sign the title page.

Abstract
An abstract, not to exceed two hundred words, is required for senior theses. The purpose of the abstract is to give the reader a concise and accurate synopsis of the significant elements of the manuscript.

The copies of the abstract are required, one for each of the two copies of the thesis.

The abstract should be treated in the appendix section of the manuscript and should bear a page number.

Vita
A vita, not to exceed one page is required for senior theses. The vita should include the following information:

Parents' or spouse's name and address
Secondary education -- institution, location, major honors
Higher education -- institution, location, major, type of degree
College honors
Future plans

Two copies of the vita are required, one for each copy of the honors thesis.

The vita should be treated in the appendix section of the manuscript as the last item in the manuscript and should bear a page number.

Planning Toward the Final Copy
The writing and rewriting necessary to reach the final-copy stage will vary, of course, with the individual student. Each student is encouraged to write the first draft from a carefully prepared outline which has been approved by the advising professor. The student is advised to consult with the advising professor at different stages of the first draft process.

After following instructions and suggestions given by the advising major professor, the student should prepare subsequent drafts. The subsequent drafts should be presented to the major professor for comments and suggestions. As the succeeding drafts are reviewed and revised, the student polishes the work to its final draft, informed by the observation and directions of the major professor. The penultimate draft should be presented to the supervisory committee for comments and suggestions.

From the final draft should emerge a final copy, correct academically and neat stylistically, with no need for unsightly changes and revisions.

The final copy should be free of mechanical and typographical errors. The major professor or a member of the supervisory committee may at this point require that a page be retyped to clear a typographical error or a stylistic point which still needs attention, but no major changes should be anticipated at this point.

Binding
One copy of the honors thesis is bound and processed for the Lenoir-Rhyne College library holdings at the expense of the library. For a student to graduate with Honors in a major, a copy of the thesis, suitable for binding and signed by the thesis director and/or departmental thesis committee, must be presented to the Director of the Honors program one week prior to the date of expected graduation. Photo-copies of the thesis will be accepted, but the paper and format must meet the specifications stated above. The copy submitted for binding should also contain the thesis abstract and the student vita.

Personal Copy
If a student wishes to have a copy of the thesis bound, this will be handled by the library at the student's expense. The student should deliver a copy to the librarian with the request that it be bound. The binding fee will be collected by the library at the time that the copy is submitted.

Oral Examination
Each student who completes a senior thesis in the Department's Honors Program is required to give an oral presentation and defense of the honors thesis to the supervisory committee and invited guests. Each candidate will give a twenty-minute presentation of the paper explaining how the specific subject was chosen for the paper, the research methods employed, the specific methods of procedure used, and a resume of the main points of the thesis. The candidate will then answer questions posed by members of the supervisory committee and by invited guests.

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