Research and Thesis Information for Students
Organization of the Portfolio Thesis
The master’s thesis is a portfolio thesis consisting of 3 papers or chapters (plus an introduction and a conclusion) that students write in the three core courses, RT 1, RT 2, and RT 3. We divided the thesis into these three chapters so that students will have the benefit of working with their RT instructor along with the collaboration of their classmates to finish each paper of their thesis. The Introduction should present in a succinct way the central argument of the thesis, a “roadmap” indicating how each part of the thesis contributes to the central objective, and a statement of why the thesis is important. The conclusion will summarize the papers and reiterate the contribution you made with the thesis and can also offer policy recommendations or ideas for future research in your subject area. Each of the three papers will be approximately 25 pages while the introduction and conclusion will each be approximately 8 to 10 pages long. Each paper will be written separately under the supervision of a Research and Thesis professor. Written separately, the three papers must coalesce around a central theme and form a coherent whole. Here’s how it works:
• RT 1: Students will spend the first part of the class learning research skills and methods. The second part of the class will focus on the student conducting their own research and writing of the first chapter of your thesis portfolio.
• RT 2: Only after successfully completing RT 1 may students register for RT 2. Some students will take RT 2 immediately after RT 1, while others may take a couple of electives to help them develop the background and research to eventually tackle the second chapter of their thesis. It’s up to each student when to take RT 2, but keep in mind that it cannot be taken simultaneously with RT 3. In RT 2, students will work again with a faculty member in guided research and also collaborate with their classmates to finish the second paper of their thesis portfolio.
• RT 3: RT 3 is to be taken in the last semester of the student’s studies (and may be taken with a last elective). Students may only register for this class after successfully completing RT 2. In RT 3, students will complete the final chapter of their thesis and also work on their introduction and conclusion. It may be that a student enters RT 3 with a completed draft of a third paper, a partial draft, or no paper at all. This is okay – the RT 3 instructor will work with each of you to help you complete the thesis by the end of the semester. You will also prepare for the oral defense. Of special focus in this class is working on the introduction and conclusion to make sure all three papers cohere around a theme.
o Introduction/Conclusion: While each paper may contain its own literature review, the introduction to the thesis must contain a thematic literature review gleaned from the three chapters which gives the reader a sense of what the leading school of thought are informing the thesis as a whole. This usually means synthesizing 3 or 4 main ideas succinctly to give the reader a sense of what the key issues are in the field or topic the student is engaging in. The conclusion should reiterate the introduction, remind the reader of the main contribution of the thesis and may include policy recommendations or future research ideas.
Literature Review Guidelines
• Depending on your own portfolio, you may have a slightly different literature for each paper or it may be that the literature review in your first paper informs the next two papers. It will vary. But as noted early, your introduction should succinctly synthesize the literature review[s] in the body of your thesis to draw out the main ideas that serve as the foundation of your particular topic/research question. This will give your reader a clear sense from the beginning what the main contribution of your thesis is and how it is situated in the larger debate.
• Sources:
o Peer-Review: For your literature review you should strive to use academic books and peer-reviewed journals and articles. Peer-review means publications which have been evaluated by other academics in the same field.
o Books: You should strive to include as many academic books as possible and not rely solely on articles. Each field or topic has been shaped by a body of academic books that you will need to identify and include.
o Articles: As noted, you should strive to use peer-review journals as your sources.
o Reports, public policy studies, and current newspaper analysis: These are acceptable to demonstrate the timeliness of your topic and share current information but should not be the main source of your literature review.
How to do a Literature Review:
• Look for the “story” or leading concepts behind your topic. You’ll soon see trends of the three or four leading concepts that you can fit different scholars under. You don’t need to discuss every author, but you can organize them under the different concepts and which authors are representative of which concept.
• Establish the Conventional Wisdom behind your research question or topic. You’ll see this pattern or formula with most good literature reviews. They will start by stating what the conventional wisdom is (and few leading authors who embody it) and then usually challenge, question, or seek to fine tune it.
• Look for Gaps. You may find gaps in the literature that you may wish to explore further. The gap may be very small, but provides an opening that you may be able to fill or question with your own research.
Overview of Literature Review Structure: A literature review is not a book report on multiple sources. It is much more than that. You will read widely and will want to focus the literature review on grouping the different schools of thought:
1. Categorize the studies: Group them in schools – do not simply do an annotated bibliography.
a. How do the studies diverge or disagree with each other? This exercise also entails organizing the individual studies under several “schools of thoughts” that you are able to identify. You do not need to summarize each study you are doing, but be able to strategically identify the leading schools of thoughts and include just a few representative works from each.
b. What gaps exist in the field that need further addressing?
2. Evaluate
a. Which of the studies/schools of thought seem to be the most compelling or valid to you? Why?
b. Where does more research need to be extended to? Any gaps? Where might you take your research?