Southern Connecticut State University Graduate Studies

INTRODUCTION

The Master’s Thesis is a capstone experience of the master’s degree candidate and offers evidence of the student’s original research and the results of that research; an approved creative project; or an interpretive, analytical work. In completing the thesis, the student demonstrates a capacity for independent research, an ability to organize and present data logically, and proficiency in the use of scholarly language. The final thesis evidences originality, critical and independent thinking, appropriate format, organization, and thorough documentation.

Copies of the thesis are placed in the University library and are sent to Bell & Howell Information and Learning where they are made available to the international community of scholars. Therefore, each thesis must meet professional standards of published research. The student, the student’s thesis advisor, and the Graduate School expect to see evidence of careful attention to style and format in the thesis document.

The SCSU Thesis Guidelines are derived from standard practices among universities, libraries, and publishers. The student is expected to read and follow the Guidelines throughout the thesis preparation. The Thesis Guidelines may be used in combination with a recognized academic style manual chosen and approved by the student’s department. The style format chosen must be identified at the time the thesis proposal is submitted to the Graduate School for review. The Graduate School holds students to the requirements set forth in the SCSU Thesis Guidelines but does not impose a single style format on students. It is the student’s responsibility to become familiar with a recognized academic style manual and to follow it consistently. It is important to note that the SCSU Thesis Guidelines supersede those of individual style manuals. Limitations of software packages and/or hardware deficiencies are not valid reasons for granting exceptions to these Guidelines. Multiple authorship is not accepted.

THESIS APPROVAL PROCESS

The reputation and quality of the University's graduate programs are measured in part by the quality of theses written by graduate students. The theses provide permanent, tangible evidence of the scholarly achievements of the student and the student's graduate program. For these reasons, theses must be prepared with exceptional care for appearance, for consistency of terminology, and for correctness of citations, grammar, and spelling. It is expected that the thesis document submitted to the School of Graduate Studies will be in perfect condition and ready for approval by the Graduate Dean.

The Graduate Dean and designated faculty thesis readers review each thesis to ensure that the requirements of style specified in the SCSU Thesis Guidelines have been met. Theses that are judged unacceptable are returned to the student through the thesis advisor for correction and reapproval by the faculty. The thesis then is resubmitted to the School of Graduate Studies. Ideally, all changes are accomplished in one correction. If new errors are made, however, they are noted, and the thesis subsequently is returned to the thesis advisor.

ETHICS

Academic Honesty

As stated in the SCSU Graduate Catalog, the integrity of scholarship is the cornerstone of the academic and social structure of the University. Every aspect of graduate academic life shall be conducted in an absolutely and uncompromisingly honest manner.

Research Involving Human or Animal Subjects

By federal law, all research involving human or animal subjects requires prior ethical review and approval by an independent review committee. At SCSU, the relevant committee for research involving human subjects is the Institutional Review Board (IRB). No data or recruitment of subjects may take place without IRB approval. The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee has jurisdiction over research involving non-human subjects.

Before beginning a research study, the student should consult with the advisor regarding the procedure for obtaining appropriate ethical review. Copies of the necessary forms and instructions for submission can be obtained from the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

In cases where research involving human or animal subjects is being performed at another institution, approval also must be obtained from that institution’s appropriate review committee(s). Copies of such approval should be attached to the SCSU forms to expedite the review process.

Copyright Permission

The student has the responsibility to obtain permission to include (or quote) copyrighted material unless the student is the owner of the copyright or unless the material meets the “fair use” criteria. The student is referred to Copyright Law & Graduate Research: New Media, New Rights and Your New Dissertation by Dr. Kenneth Crews (1996).

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Student

The graduate student has the primary responsibility for the Master’s thesis from the genesis of the subject matter to the preparation of the thesis document. The student is responsible for ensuring that the thesis manuscript meets accepted standards for scholarly writing, including spelling, punctuation, and grammar. The student should read the SCSU Thesis Guidelines thoroughly and know the requirements and guidelines for preparation of the thesis. The student also should identify and become familiar with a recognized academic style manual appropriate to his/her academic discipline. Both documents should be used in the preparation of the thesis.

Thesis Advisor

The thesis advisor, who must be a member of the SCSU Graduate Faculty, accepts and assumes the major responsibility to work directly with the graduate student in the research or creative project. The thesis advisor will work closely with the student in all aspects of the thesis experience, including the development of the research proposal, the implementation of the research design, the analysis of the data, and the writing of the thesis. The thesis advisor has the responsibility to proofread the thesis for accuracy in terms of both content and format. Prior to the submission of the thesis to the Graduate Dean, it is the responsibility of the thesis advisor to review the document and ensure that it is of high quality in content and literary style.

Thesis Committee

The student's departmental thesis committee is comprised minimally of the thesis advisor and a second reader. Each department determines the composition of the thesis committee and the roles of its members. The members of the committee should be available to the student for consultation and advisement.

Department Chairperson

The thesis manuscript is forwarded from the thesis advisor to the chairperson for approval and signature. The chairperson examines the thesis to insure that it is of high quality in content and literary style. Prior to signing the thesis approval page, the department chairperson will review the thesis critically to ensure that it meets the standards of the School of Graduate Studies as articulated in its Guidelines and that it will reflect positively on the academic department and the University.

The School of Graduate Studies

The School of Graduate Studies oversees and implements all policies and procedures governing graduate theses. It publicizes and disseminates the articulation of these policies to the graduate community. The review of the Master's thesis by the Graduate Studies Office assures that each thesis submitted meets the SCSU Thesis Guidelines, demonstrates high quality, and will reflect positively on the University. The Graduate Dean is the final person to sign and approve the thesis.

THESIS FORMAT

The thesis manuscript has three basic parts: the preliminary pages, the text, and the reference materials.

Preliminaries

The preliminary materials consist of the title page, copyright notice, approval page, abstract, dedication (optional), acknowledgement/preface/support (optional), table of contents, list of tables, list of figures, and other lists. Preliminary pages are paginated separately from the rest of the text. The title page is counted, but it is not numbered. Beginning with the page immediately following the title page, place page numbers in lowercase Roman numerals centered at the bottom of the preliminary pages. The Roman numerals are continued up to the first page of the text.

Proper Order of Preliminary Pages:

Title Page
The title of the thesis should be as concise as possible. It must occur consistently in every respect, including punctuation, capitalization, and hyphenation, on the abstract and approval forms. On the title page, the identical title must appear in all capital letters with each line centered on the page. The degree date should be the month in which the degree is conferred, e.g., May, August, or January. The title page is not numbered, but it is counted.
Copyright Notice (optional)
Copyrighting of the thesis is optional. If included, the copyright page follows the title page and is not numbered. The copyright symbol © should appear with your full legal name and the year centered between the margins on the page, e.g.,
© Copyright by David Akai Carter 2000
If the copyright option is chosen, the student must indicate this choice on the Bell & Howell contract and submit the copyright fee.
Approval Page
The approval page contains the title of the thesis and the signatures of the thesis advisor, committee member(s), department chairperson, and Graduate Dean. The name of each signing committee member should be typed under the appropriate signature. Signatures should be in black ink. The student must insure that the form of the student’s name is consistent on the manuscript title page, abstract page, and approval page. A lower-case Roman numeral is used on the approval page.
Abstract
The abstract should provide a succinct, descriptive account of the thesis. The abstract should not exceed 150 words, should be double-spaced, and should adhere to the same style manual as the thesis manuscript. The abstract should include pertinent place names, names of persons, and other proper nouns. These are useful in automated retrieval. A lower-case Roman numeral is used on the abstract page.
Dedication (optional)
The dedication is brief, single-spaced, and centered on the page (horizontally and vertically). No heading is used. The word "To" customarily begins the dedication.
Epigraph or Frontispiece (optional)
The epigraph is centered on its own page (horizontally and vertically). The text is single-spaced. No heading is used. The frontispiece or illustration is centered on the page (horizontally and vertically). It may be accompanied by a title, which is centered and positioned below the illustration.
Acknowledgement/Preface/Support (optional)
This section begins with the title ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS centered in all capital letters two inches from the top of the page. The text begins on the fourth line below the heading and is double-spaced. This page is used to thank those persons who have been instrumental to the student in completing the degree requirements. Acknowledgement of grants and special funding received to support the thesis research also may be made on this page.
Table of Contents
The Table of Contents must include all chapter headings, the bibliography, and appendices. Preliminary pages are not included. Entries are double-spaced. Sub-headings are block-indented by half an inch. The headings of major sections (i.e., chapters, bibliography, appendices) are written in all capital letters. Table of Contents headings must be identical to those in the text. Page numbers listed must be right- justified and connected to the appropriate entry by a line of evenly spaced dot leaders (periods). The words TABLE OF CONTENTS must be centered on the page two inches from the top of the first page only.
List of Tables (if tables appear in document)
The heading, LIST OF TABLES, appears centered on the page two inches from the top of the first page only. All table numbers and captions are listed exactly as they appear in the text.
List of Figures (if figures appear in document)
The heading, LIST OF FIGURES, appears centered on the page two inches from the top of the first page only. All figure numbers and captions are listed exactly as they appear in the text.
Other Lists (e.g., nomenclature, definitions, glossary of terms, etc.)
The appropriate title in all capital letters is centered two inches from the top of the first page only.

Text

The text of the thesis consists of the introduction, body, and conclusion. The text must be double-spaced and printed on only one side of each page. The introduction should describe the unique contribution of the work to the student’s academic discipline. This may be accomplished by (1) an explanation of the problem and its context or (2) a review of the literature.

The text must be divided into a logical scheme that is followed consistently throughout the document. The larger divisions and more important minor divisions are indicated by suitable, consistent headings. Chapter organization as practiced by the discipline should be followed. The student and the academic department are responsible for the quality and content of the text. Specific requirements for text presentation follow.

Headings and Subheadings
The student may use headings and subheadings to subdivide chapters or sections, but a consistent sequence of headings as identified in the style guide selected must be followed. The student may not change the sequence and style of headings from chapter to chapter. Once the sequence is chosen, it must be followed consistently throughout the thesis. All chapter headings are positioned two inches from the top of the page.
Pagination
Lower-case Roman numerals are used to number all pages preceding the text. Although the preliminary paging begins with the title page, no number appears on that page. The page immediately following the title page is numbered with a lower- case Roman numeral. Beginning with the first page of the text, all pages are to be numbered with Arabic numerals consecutively throughout the thesis document, including the appendix and the bibliography or list of references. The Arabic numerals must be positioned at the bottom of the page, centered between the margins. Page headers or running heads may not be used in the thesis.
Tables and Figures
The term “table” refers to a columnar arrangement of information, often data sets, organized to save space and convey relationships at a glance. The term “figure” refers to graphs, drawings, diagrams, charts, maps, or photographs. All such details should be inserted in the text near where they are first mentioned. A table or figure may appear on the same page as the text that refers to it or on a separate page. Each figure or table must be numbered and have a caption. Captions are placed below figures and pictures and above tables. Captions may be single-or double-spaced.
Illustrations
Each illustration must be referred to in the text and it must be placed after, and as near as possible to, the first reference to it in the text. All illustrative materials in the thesis must be prepared on paper that is the same weight (or stronger) and use the same font type as elsewhere in the manuscript. If illustrations are mounted, dry mounting must be used. Illustrations may not be mounted with rubber cement, staples, mucilage, or photo-mounting corners. Illustrative material must be drawn or computer-generated in black. Material may be laser-printed or drawn in waterproof, permanent ink. Color will reproduce in microfilm as shades of grey. Color should be used only if it is essential to the thesis.
Photographs
It is recommended that the student use a high quality, high contrast copying machine to reproduce photographic material for submission in lieu of photographs. If original photographs are used, they should be printed on single-weight, fiber-based paper with a matte finish. All prints must be processed for nationally established standards for chemical permanence. Black-and-white prints are preferable. Photograph page number placement follows the standard pagination requirements.
Oversized Materials
Oversized materials should be reduced to 6”x9” when legibility can be maintained. When reduction is not appropriate, oversized materials may be presented in two ways. A horizontal figure too wide to fit on the manuscript page may be mounted on another sheet of paper at the left-hand margin, and folded like a fan. The folds must be contained within the right-hand margin. A figure too long and too wide may be folded and inserted into a 6.5”x9” envelope that is mounted on another sheet of paper.
Reproduced Published Materials
Photocopy reproduction of published material must be legible and conform to the pagination and margin requirements.
Widows and Orphans
“Widows” and “orphans” are terms that refer to isolated single lines of paragraphs that appear at the bottom or top of a page. These should be avoided. There should be at least two lines of a paragraph at the top or bottom of each page of the text of the manuscript.

Reference Material

The reference material includes the bibliography and the appendices. These major divisions have pages numbered in Arabic numerals that continue the series begun on the first page of the text.

Appendix or Appendices
The appendix (or a series of appendices) immediately follows the main text. The appendix includes material that may be helpful to the reader of the thesis but may be too long for inclusion in the text or footnotes. The title, APPENDIX, appears only on the first page of the section, in capital letters centered two inches from the top. Examples of such material include questionnaires, letters, original data, sample forms, and vitae. Reference should be made in the text to the inclusion of these materials in the Appendix. Each appendix is a separate subdivision of the text and must begin on a separate page. Each appendix must be listed in the Table of Contents.
Bibliography or References
The bibliography lists all sources cited in the text either by direct quotation or by reference. The title, BIBLIOGRAPHY or REFERENCES, appears only on the first page of the section, in capital letters centered two inches from the top. The listing begins four single-spaced lines below. The bibliography or list of references is normally the last item in the thesis following the appendix. There are several formats for bibliographic entries depending on the discipline and the format style of the discipline. The SCSU School of Graduate Studies requires that the bibliography and referencing system correctly and consistently follow the established practices of a recognized academic style manual. Only one system of referencing is to be used throughout the thesis, culminating in a single bibliography or reference list. The selection of the academic style manual to be followed rests with the academic department.

THESES WRITTEN IN A LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH

The Master’s thesis must be written in English, with the exception that students majoring in Spanish, French, or Italian may write the manuscript in the respective language with the approval of the department and the student’s thesis advisor. Those who choose this option must submit the thesis abstract in English. There must be legitimate reasons for writing a thesis in a language other than English, i.e., reasons such as the language’s historical or literary value, its relevance to the subject, or its being the primary language used in the documents to be analyzed and interpreted. Inability to write in English is not a valid reason to submit a thesis in a language other than English.

MECHANICS OF PRESENTATION

The Graduate School will not accept a thesis that does not conform throughout the manuscript to the SCSU Thesis Guidelines and to the latest edition of a clearly identified style manual. The style manual used in the preparation of the thesis must be identified at the time the thesis proposal is submitted to the Graduate School. The requirements stated in the SCSU Thesis Guidelines take precedence whenever there is a conflict regarding matters of format. If an item is not addressed in the selected manual of style or the SCSU Thesis Guidelines, the Graduate Dean will rule on the format in such instances. Specific mechanics of presentation to which the student should pay careful attention include the following details.

Typists
The student should be certain that the typist is familiar with the SCSU Thesis Guidelines and with the selected style manual. When using a word processor, the student and the typist should understand how to modify the default settings and other features. The inability of the student to modify software default settings is not a valid reason to alter formatting.
Fonts
Twelve-point Times Roman, Arial, Helvetica, or Century Gothic are the acceptable font styles. The type must be black and uniform in size, face, and color throughout the manuscript. Boldface typing should not be used. Where underlining indicates italics, either underlining or italics may be used as long as the choice is consistent. The student may not change fonts within the document.
Line Spacing and Indentation
> The thesis manuscript must be double-spaced. This includes the use of four spaces between paragraphs. Footnotes, bibliographic entries, long quoted passages, items in lists and tables, and captions of figures and tables may be single-spaced. If individual footnote or bibliographic entries are single-spaced, there must be double-spacing between entries. Students are required to use a recognized academic style format appropriate to the student’s academic discipline and to be consistent in the application of the style format. Paragraph indentations must be uniform throughout the thesis.
Margins
The left, right, top and bottom margins must be one inch. All images must fit within these margins, including the page numbers. These margin specifications apply to all text, figures, charts, illustrations, graphs, and appendices. Any pages submitted with less than the minimum margins will be returned.
Reproduction Quality
The thesis document must be clean and free of spots or smudges. Faint, streaked, or uneven copies will be returned to the student through the student’s major advisor. Computer printouts or other documents with small and indistinct print may be illegible in microform and should be avoided.
Paper Stock Requirements
The thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies must be prepared on 8.5”x11,” 25% rag content, unpunched, white bond paper of at least 20-pound weight. The same brand of paper must be used throughout the thesis manuscript and for the preliminary pages. Erasable paper is unacceptable.

SUBMISSION OF THESIS

The Graduate School reviews each thesis to see that the requirements of style specified in the SCSU Thesis Guidelines have been met. The Graduate School has general oversight responsibility to assure that graduate theses demonstrate high quality in content and literary style and will reflect positively on the academic department and the University. The thesis submitted to the Graduate School should be in perfect condition, signed, and ready to be reviewed and approved by the Graduate Dean. Theses judged unacceptable are returned to the student through the advisor for correction by the student and reapproval by the faculty concerned. The following protocol is to be used for submission of the thesis.

The student must submit for the approval of the Graduate Dean one error-free, unbound, original copy of the thesis on high quality, white bond paper, in a box or an expanding letter-size fiber envelope.
Students are required to have their Master’s thesis microfilmed by Bell & Howell Information and Learning master’s thesis publishing service. On top of the thesis, the student should place a certified check or money order payable to Bell & Howell and the completed B&H form. The student should contact the SCSU School of Graduate Studies Office to ascertain the Bell & Howell publishing fees.
If the student wishes to copyright the thesis, Bell & Howell will act as the student’s agent with the Library of Congress Copyright Office. This service is described in the document, Publishing Your Master’s Thesis: How to Prepare Your Manuscript for Publication, available from the School of Graduate Studies. The fee for the copyright service is provided in this document may be obtained from the School of Graduate Studies Office.

A COMPARISON OF THE INTELLIGIBILITY
OF ESOPHAGEAL, ELECTROLARYNGEAL AND
NORMAL SPEECH IN QUIET AND IN NOISE

DAVID AKAI CARTER

A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies
> in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of
> Master of Science

Southern Connecticut State University
New Haven, Connecticut
> May 2000

EXAMPLE OF TITLE PAGE FOR MASTER’S THESIS

EXAMPLE OF COPYRIGHT NOTIFICATION

A COMPARISON OF THE INTELLIGIBILITY
OF ESOPHAGEAL, ELECTROLARYNGEAL AND
NORMAL SPEECH IN QUIET AND IN NOISE

DAVID AKAI CARTER

This thesis was prepared under the direction of the candidate's thesis advisor, Dr. Marie Johnson, Department of Communication Disorders, and it has been approved by the members of the candidate's thesis committee. It was submitted to the School of Graduate Studies and was accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science.

                                                         _____________________________________
                                                         Marie L. Johnson, Ph.D.
                                                         Thesis Advisor

                                                         _____________________________________
                                                         Ron Howard, Ph.D.
                                                         Second Reader

                                                         _____________________________________
                                                         Linda Martin, Ph.D.
                                                         Department Chairperson

_____________________________________
Sandra C. Holley, Ph.D.
Dean, School of Graduate Studies

_____________________________________
Date

EXAMPLE OF APPROVAL PAGE