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Non-Thesis Option
Research Paper Guidelines
Students
pursuing the non-thesis option for M.S. in Geology must write a
graduate research paper. Such students should begin to consider
a topic soon after being admitted to the Graduate School. They
may find ideas for their research in papers they write, courses
they take, lectures or special discussions they attend, or
conversations with professors and other graduate students. After
choosing a topic of interest the student must find a faculty
member willing to oversee the project. This person will serve as
the student’s advisor.
Research Topic
Generally, the research-paper topic should have the
following characteristics:
-
**Of
great interest to student.
-
**Of
sufficient scope to fulfill requirements of the
student’s advisor.
-
**Be
feasible.
-
Specifically, the student must provide evidence
that complete treatment of the topic is possible
and desirable within the two-semester time
limit.
-
**Within
the specialties of one or more ECU Geology
Department faculty members.
Proposal
When the student has chosen a research area and found a
faculty member willing to serve as advisor, a conference
should be arranged with that advisor to explore the
various possibilities of the project. After the topic
has been chosen, the student must prepare a proposal,
which should include the following:
-
**A
prose statement of the purpose, methods, and scope
of the topic.
-
**An
outline showing the projected organization and
manner of treatment (methodology and time
line).
-
**A
bibliography of reference materials related to the
topic.
The completed proposal must be presented to the project
committee (see
thesis committee).
Once the proposal is presented and approved, the student
undertakes the chief responsibility: the research and
writing of the paper. The advisor will offer direction
and suggestions for improvement.
Research Paper
Although the exact format of each research paper will be
decided by the specific advisor and committee, all
research papers must conform to the general requirements
for thesis format (as laid out by the
Graduate School) and
will consist of 5 major parts:
-
**Abstract
summarizing the important results of the project
-
**Preliminary
material (Title Page, Acknowledgments, Table of
Contents, List of Tables, List of Figures, etc.)
-
**Text
-
Introduction to the Project
-
Background and Literature Review
-
Objectives of Research
-
Methods Employed during Research
-
Results of Research
-
Analysis of Results
-
Conclusions and Significance of Research
-
**References
-
**Appendices
Some research papers may be written in the form of a
report to a client, such as might be necessary for an
employee of an environmental consulting firm. Prior
approval of the project advisor is necessary for this
option.
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