How to Write a Master's Thesis / Edition 3 available in Paperback, eBook
- ISBN-10:
- 1506336094
- ISBN-13:
- 9781506336091
- Pub. Date:
- 09/05/2019
- Publisher:
- SAGE Publications
- ISBN-10:
- 1506336094
- ISBN-13:
- 9781506336091
- Pub. Date:
- 09/05/2019
- Publisher:
- SAGE Publications
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Overview
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9781506336091 |
---|---|
Publisher: | SAGE Publications |
Publication date: | 09/05/2019 |
Edition description: | Third Edition |
Pages: | 320 |
Sales rank: | 507,187 |
Product dimensions: | 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d) |
About the Author
Table of Contents
List of Students' Master's Theses xv
Preface xvii
About the Author xxi
Chapter 1 Overview of the Master's Degree and Thesis 1
The Master's Degree 2
What Is a Master's Thesis? 3
The Benefits of Writing a Master's Thesis 4
The Difference Between a Master's Thesis and a Term Paper 4
The Difference Between a Master's Thesis and a Doctoral Dissertation 5
Selecting a Thesis Chairperson and Committee 6
How to Read and Use This Book 7
Components of a Master's Thesis 8
Chapter 1 Introduction 9
Chapter 2 Literature Review 9
Chapter 3 Methods 10
Chapter 4 Results and Findings 11
Chapter 5 Discussion 11
Quantitative, Qualitative, or Mixed Methods Research? 12
Quantitative Research 12
Qualitative Research 14
Mixed Methods Research 15
Style Form 16
Summary 17
Resources 18
Common Obstacles and Practical Solutions 18
Reflection/Discussion Questions 18
Try It Exercises 18
Key Terms 20
Suggested Readings 20
Web Links 21
Chapter 2 Selecting a Research Topic 23
Important Factors to Consider When Selecting a Topic 24
Personal Significance 24
Critical Issues in the Field 25
Existing Research Literature 26
Search Engines 27
Electronic Databases 30
Ethical Considerations 30
How to Narrow and Refocus Your Topic 31
Feasibility 32
Accessibility 33
Time and Resources 34
Developing Answerable Research Questions 35
Answerable Questions 35
Defining Terms 36
Creating a Realistic Timeline 38
Time Management 41
Reserving Time 41
Chunking Method 42
Summary 43
Resources 44
Common Obstacles and Practical Solutions 44
Reflection/Discussion Questions 44
Try It Exercises 45
Key Terms 46
Suggested Readings 46
Web Links 46
Chapter 3 Using the Literature to Research Your Problem 47
Benefits of Conducting a Literature Review 48
Meeting With a Reference Librarian 49
Sources of Data: Primary Versus Secondary 50
Primary Sources 50
Secondary Sources 51
Selecting Keywords 52
Conducting Searches in Electronic Databases 54
Basic Search 57
Search Modes 57
Limiters 60
Expanders 61
Advanced Search 63
Using Subject Terms (Thesaurus) 63
Conducting Searches on the Internet 66
Different Types of Articles 67
Refereed Versus Non-Refereed 67
Staying Organized 68
Summary 70
Resources 71
Common Obstacles and Practical Solutions 71
Reflection/Discussion Questions 71
Try It Exercises 72
Key Terms 73
Suggested Readings 73
Web Links 74
Chapter 4 Conducting Ethical Research 75
Legal Regulations and Ethical Standards 76
Institutional Review Board (IRB) 80
IR8 Protocol Review Process 81
Ethical Behavior 83
Plagiarism and Paraphrasing 84
Summary 86
Resources 87
Common Obstacles and Practical Solutions 87
Reflection/Discussion Question 88
Try It Exercises 88
Key Terms 89
Suggested Readings 89
Web Links 90
Chapter 5 How to Write Chapter One, Introduction 91
Writing Style 92
Chapter One Sections 93
Introduction 94
Statement of the Problem 99
Background and Need 102
Three Parallel Ladders Strategy 102
Purpose of the Study 106
Research Questions 108
Significance to the Field 109
Definitions 110
Limitations 111
Ethical Considerations 111
Summary 112
Resources 113
Common Obstacles and Practical Solutions 113
Reflection/Discussion Questions 113
Try It Exercises 114
Key Terms 115
Suggested Readings 115
Web Links 116
Chapter 6 How to Write Chapter Two, Literature Review 117
Preparation and Organization 119
Chapter 2 Sections 122
Introduction 122
Advance Organizer 123
Body of the Review 124
Research Synthesis 124
Section Summary 130
Chapter Summary 131
Summary 132
Resources 133
Common Obstacles and Practical Solutions 133
Reflection/Discussion Questions 134
Try It Exercises 134
Key Terms 135
Suggested Readings 135
Web Links 135
Chapter 7 How to Write Chapter Three, Methods 137
Research Designs and Research Methods 138
Preparation and Organization 139
Chapter 3 Sections 140
Introduction 141
Setting 144
Participants 145
Intervention and Materials 147
Measurement Instruments 149
Validity and Reliability 153
Procedure 155
Data Analysis 158
Summary 161
Resources 162
Common Obstacles and Practical Solutions 162
Reflection/Discussion Questions 164
Try It Exercises 164
Key Terms 165
Suggested Readings 165
Web Links 166
Chapter 8 How to Write Chapter Four, Results and Findings 167
Preparation and Organization 168
Chapter Four Sections 169
Quantitative Data 169
Descriptive Statistics 171
Measures of Central Tendency 171
Measures of Variability 173
Additional Ways to Report Data Descriptively 176
Inferential Statistics 178
Tests of Significance 178
Independent-Samples t Test 178
Paired-Samples t Test 181
Qualitative Data 183
Major Themes and Patterns 183
Research Questions 186
Validity of Findings 189
Mixed Methods Data 190
Summary 191
Resources 192
Common Obstacles and Practical Solutions 192
Reflection/Discussion Questions 192
Try It Exercises 193
Key Terms 194
Suggested Readings 194
Web Links 195
Chapter 9 How to Write Chapter Five, Discussion 197
Preparation and Organization 198
Chapter 5 Sections 199
Introduction 199
Discussion 200
Limitations 204
Recommendations for Future Research 206
Conclusion 207
Summary 211
Resources 212
Common Obstacles and Practical Solutions 212
Reflection/Discussion Questions 213
Try It Exercises 213
Suggested Readings 214
Web Links 214
Chapter 10 Wrapping It All Up 215
Preparation and Organization 217
APA Style 217
Levels of Heading 218
Citations in Text 221
Direct Quotes 222
Paraphrasing 222
One Work, One Author 222
One Work, Multiple Authors 223
Two or More Works 223
Reference List 224
Order and Format 224
Tables 226
Tables in Text 229
Placement and Spacing 229
Title 231
Headings and Body 231
Notes 232
Figures 232
Figures in Text 233
Placement, Size, and Font 233
Captions and Legends 233
Graphs 234
Final Formatting 235
Appendixes 235
Appendixes in Text 235
Placement and Cover Pages 235
Front Pages 236
Title Page 236
Signature Page 237
Acknowledgments 237
Abstract 237
Table of Contents 239
Lists of Tables and Figures 239
Final Tips and Checklist 239
Copying and Binding 241
Next Steps: Presenting at Conferences and Getting Published 241
Summary 243
Resources 244
Common Obstacles and Practical Solutions 244
Reflection/Discussion Questions 244
Try It Exercises 245
Key Terms 245
Suggested Readings 245
Web Links 246
Appendices 247
Glossary 275
References 282
Author Index 286
Subject Index 288