Procedure

It is suggested that these general steps serve to guide a student through the maze of thesis preparation.

1. Choose a general topic and a thesis director.
2. Prepare a research proposal and form a three-member committee in consultation with the thesis director.
3. Present the proposal to the committee and have it approved.
4. Conduct the research.
5. Write the thesis.
6. Submit the thesis for approval. (It is the student's responsibility to coordinate the direction and reading of the thesis.)

Time Commitment

Students should anticipate spending approximately one year in the preparation, research, and writing of the thesis. Students with adequate preparation and focus may begin this work during the first year of graduate school; many students, however will not be prepared to commence work on the thesis until the second year. As a general guideline, one might anticipate spending a quarter reviewing literature in the area of interest, specifically formulating the thesis problem, and developing the methodological approach (i.e., the means of conducting the research). By the end of the first quarter of work, the student should be able to present a detailed thesis proposal to the members of the thesis committee. Following approval of the proposal, the student might anticipate devoting a quarter to the conduct of the research. The final quarter would be spent in analysis and in writing of the thesis.
Definition of a Research Topic:
Choice of a research topic is quite general, but students may be guided toward the choice of a significant linguistic research problem by the following considerations. A significant research problem:

1. is relevant to one of the recognized sub-disciplines of linguistics (e.g. theoretical, descriptive, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, anthropological linguistics, applied linguistics [e.g. ESL], comparative linguistics, etc.)
2. is relevant to published research in this field or related fields.
3. is relevant to theoretical and methodological concerns recognized by scholars in the field.
4. may address conflicts in the literature of the field.
5. is defined in such a way that gaps in needed knowledge in the field may be filled.
6. may be defined by a need for better knowledge or understanding in order to choose between alternative practices, policies, theoretical interpretations, or research procedures for further scholarly work in the field.
   

The Thesis Proposal

The details of thesis proposals will vary, but the following format is suggested:

1. General statement of topic or focus
2. Review of related literature
3. Specific question or problem to be addressed
4. Method of approaching question or problem
5. Tentative outline of thesis -chapter by chapter
6. Bibliography to date
7. Time schedule for research and writing

The Research

Conduct of the research should be guided by that section of the thesis proposal dealing with the method of approaching the question. The members of the thesis committee will have assisted in developing this section and will be available for further guidance if necessary.
The Format of the Thesis:
The specific format of the thesis can be decided on by the student and the committee. Most theses would consist of:

1. General statement of topic or focus
2. Review of related literature
3. Specific question or problem to be addressed
4. Method of approaching question or problem
5. Detailed analysis of the problem and exposition of the solution
6. Conclusions
7. Bibliography

Note that items 1 through 4 parallel the development of the initial proposal.