Page 176 - Jacksonville Theological Seminary Catalog 2016-2017

NOTES FOR WRITING A THESIS OR DISSERTATION

YOUR PAPER SHOULD BE TYPED (DOUBLE-SPACED) ON ONE SIDE ONLY

Note: All topics for Thesis or Dissertations must be approved by the Academic Dean.

Guidelines for Restricting a Topic:

1. Become knowledgeable about your unrestricted topic by doing preliminary research. You

might read encyclopedia articles or other reference books and consult representative sources

from your working bibliography. Always avoid restricting when you have too little

information.

2. As you gather background information about your topic, try to identify a problem or

controversial issue about which experts or special-interest groups disagree. When you find

controversy, you can be sure you are on a topic worth pursuing. When there is controversy,

there is a problem to solve and an opportunity to interpret—for you to make your own sense

of an issue, to explain or find a solution.

3. Limit the scope of your investigation. For example, you might focus on only one area of a

particular subject.

4. Be sure that your research can provide sufficient sources on the topic and that all the

material, that you need, will be accessible. Also consider whether you will have adequate

time to work with the materials and complete the assignment. Be sure, too, that your

evidence is sufficient for you to develop a reasonable and objective thesis for your paper.

JTS Catalog Appendix B B-2