Psychology Thesis/Research Paper Checklist

Fall of first year

·         Choose thesis/research paper supervisor and fill out form in readings (mid-October; see handbook for form)

·         Begin meeting with thesis supervisor about project

·         Select a thesis or research paper topic

·         Write one section of literature review for Readings class (PSYCH 6285)

Spring of first year

For the thesis option:

·         Choose thesis committee in conjunction with your supervisor

o   Chair must be in the department.

o   All three members must be graduate faculty.

o   At least one needs to be “out of area.”

o   Up to one can be from a different department at UNI.

·         Declare your thesis committee (Thesis Committee Approval Form available in myUNIverse, Student Center or here)

·         Write complete proposal and appendices in APA style as part of Research Design class (PSYCH 6002)

·         Send proposal out to committee, along with proposal rating form

·         Schedule proposal meeting (giving committee 2 weeks to read the proposal)

·         Have proposal meeting

·         Complete post-proposal form with changes to be made

·         To get a grade in Readings (PSYCH 6285), you must have completed your thesis proposal meeting

 

For the research paper option:

 

·         Choose research paper committee in conjunction with your supervisor

o   Chair must be in the department.

o   Second member must be graduate faculty

·         Declare your intention to pursue the research paper option through a Student Request form (myUNIverse)

·         Inform the Graduate Coordinator of your committee

·         Write proposal based on your paper topic as part of Research Design class (PSYCH 6002)

·         To get a grad in Readings (PSYCH 6285), you must have completed an abstract, outline and reference list.

 

Summer/Fall of second year

For the thesis option:

·         Complete IRB protocol and get approval

·         Complete funding proposals (including IAF and/or CSBS)

·         Pre-register your thesis (many options, including https://osf.io/prereg/)

·         Recruit and run participants

·         Clean data

·         Complete any changes to the introduction and method

·         To get a grade in the first semester of Thesis Research (PSYCH 6299), you must have collected your thesis data

For the research paper option:

·         Complete research paper

·         Give it to your reader for review (allow at least two weeks prior to the meeting), along with thesis rating form and presentation rating form

·         Meet with your chair and reader to discuss any final changes

·         Check all your referenced works against your reference section (if you used a manager such as Zotero, this will be much easier)

·         Complete final changes

·         Email pdf of final accepted version to the department secretary

·         Have chair email final approval to the Graduate Coordinator

·         To get a grade in the first semester of Thesis Research (PSYCH 6299), you must have completed your final paper and received all approvals.

Spring of second year

For the thesis option:

·         Schedule preview meeting with Graduate College (or attend a workshop—can also do this earlier, but must be within 2 years of graduation; See this link for more information.

·         Check for any incompletes or RC grades and make sure that your program of study is appropriately credited (in myUNIverse Student Center)

·         Analyze data and write results and discussion section

·         Complete entire thesis (all sections and Appendices and put in Graduate College format. See also the Thesis and Dissertation Manual)

·         Run statcheck on your paper

·         Check all your referenced works against your reference section (if you used a manager such as Zotero, this will be much easier)

·         Send thesis out to committee, along with thesis rating form and presentation rating form

·         Schedule thesis defense (giving committee 2 weeks to read the thesis)

·         Complete application for graduation (in myUNIverse; see instructions)

·         Have thesis defense

·         Complete Thesis Approval Form (Note to faculty—this will only go to the chair, so they should not approve until all committee members are satisfied. It’s also helpful if the chair can email Helen and Denise to let them know that the student has completed all requirements.)

·         Make final changes

·         Present thesis research at Inspire Student Research and Engagement Conference (encouraged)

·         To get a grade in the second semester of Thesis Research (PSYCH 6299), you must have successfully passed your thesis defense

To graduate (thesis option):

·         Email your final thesis document that addresses the reviewer revisions as well as your committees’ to the Graduate College by the deadline

·         Email a final copy to denise.grant@uni.edu for the department

·         Signed signature pages and bound copies for your personal use are optional

 

For the research paper option:

·         Present research paper at Inspire Student Research and Engagement Conference (encouraged)

·         Check for any incompletes or RC grades and make sure that your program of study is appropriately credited (in myUNIverse Student Center)

·         Complete application for graduation (in myUNIverse; see instructions)

·         Complete additional 3-credit course