Thesis Proposal and Preliminary Orals
Committees differ in what they require in the proposal, but in general the following outline will be satisfactory, modified as appropriate for your study. Remember that Chapters 1 and 2 will be essentially the same in your thesis as in the proposal. Write the proposal in the future tense since this is a proposal for future work.
Chapter 1 – Introduction
Purpose: background theory and research; the present study: main conceptual variables (independent and dependent) and, briefly, how they will be operationalized in your study; hypotheses as to how the variables are related to each other; anything else the reader needs to know in order to understand the Method section.
Chapter 2 – Method
In detail, exactly how you propose to conduct the study. Include a description of Subjects, Materials and/or Apparatus, Design, Procedure, and plans for data analysis, plus additional details about your study, as appropriate. Include a draft of any questionnaires or other materials to be used. If you are uncertain about exactly how you think some particular problem should be handled, include a discussion of the various possibilities and the pros and cons of each. (Usually it is helpful to set off such discussions and other questions in a bracketed paragraph or footnote.)
Chapter 3 – Outcomes & Interpretations
Describe the expected outcome(s) of hypotheses and discuss how you will interpret the results conceptually. Describe and interpret each of the other possible outcomes.
See this Psychology Thesis Project Guidelines for further information. If you have questions about the content of your thesis study, see your committee chair and members. If you have questions about procedures, email, phone or see the Graduate Advisor.
The proposal is to specify clearly what you propose to do for your thesis project or research study so that you and the Committee can discuss the details and arrive at definite decisions and agreement. Committees differ in what they require in the proposal, but in general they usually include an introduction, a methods and a planned analysis and interpretations section. See both the “Orals Announcements and Abstract Guide” and “Thesis Proposal Guide” (above) for guidance in organizing the proposal. Proposals are written in the future tense (“will”). If there are some details or procedures you are uncertain about, include a discussion of the various ways you might proceed in your proposal, indicating the pros and cons of each possible way. These options are discussed until resolution at preliminary orals.
You are not permitted to begin the research or project itself until your proposal has been approved at (or after) preliminary orals and by the Office of University Research (see IRB discussion below). You may do pilot work with your committee chair’s approval. After gaining approval, you must follow the plans agreed to in the proposal. If minor changes are needed as you proceed, clear them with your Chair. If major changes are needed, a new proposal (or revision) and new preliminary orals are required. Also, if a copyrighted measurement device is to be used, approval must be obtained from the copyright holder (do this as soon as possible, as approval can take three-six months or even longer). See the university Thesis and Dissertation Office’s information regarding Copyright, as well as a formatted Request for Permission form.
The department will accept a satisfactory thesis based on the approved proposed research or project even if the results of the study were not as exciting as hoped, or a committee member had to be replaced (hopefully, a rare event).
You are asked to give copies of your thesis drafts to all your committee members at points designated by your thesis Chair, and at least two weeks prior to the date of your Orals – please give them a hard copy. Do NOT email it to them, unless you ask them first if they would like it emailed and they say yes – they might even ask for both.
The graduate programs of the Psychology department prohibit students from obtaining outside tutors or consultants to perform the statistics for their thesis projects. Any guidance a student needs concerning (a) the appropriate statistics to use or (b) the execution and interpretation of those statistical procedures should come from members of the student’s thesis committee (or possibly other members of the Psychology Department). On rare occasions, with thesis committee approval, students can seek guidance from tutors or outside consultants on statistical analysis, but students must perform the analyses themselves. Furthermore, the MAPR program refuses to advertise any consulting/tutoring services to its students.
Members of the thesis committees should make sure that thesis students demonstrate a good understanding of the statistical procedures and results of their projects. This should begin with the preliminary orals when the data analysis procedures for testing the research hypotheses are discussed and approved. The student should demonstrate knowledge of: (a) what procedures are appropriate for the data to be gathered, (b) how to carry out the analyses with available software, and (c) how to interpret the outcome of the procedures.
This meeting to discuss your proposed study in detail is scheduled as soon as you and your committee are satisfied that your proposal is reasonably well conceptualized. The oral begins with your presentation of a 10-15 minute overview of the study. Then the committee will question, discuss, and hopefully resolve the details of your proposed study. Usually orals last only an hour, but two hours may be necessary in some cases, or an adjournment to a second hour at another time may be required. Any university faculty member or department graduate student may attend your orals (and you should feel free to attend those of other students – although it would be nice to give them fair warning; graduate students are permitted to attend as observers only; however, non-committee faculty might ask questions). Note: Individuals other than faculty and department grad students are usually not permitted to attend – please check with your committee before inviting others.
Your orals announcement (see "Orals Announcements and Abstract Guide”) must be distributed at least five (5) school days (or 1 week) before the date of the meeting: Using the Word Orals Announcement Template ("List of Links," Department tab), fill in your specific information and email the announcement to your chairperson as a Word attachment, who will then distribute it via email to the faculty and the Graduate Advisor (at least a week in advance) for paperwork preparation. Also submit a hard copy (no emails!) of your proposal to the Graduate Advisor at this time – this is a copy of the same draft that you are submitting to your committee members. Please check with your committee members as to whether they want a hard copy of your draft, or if emailing it is OK – many professors prefer a hard copy as they will be making notes on the draft.
Paperwork provided to your thesis committee by the Graduate Advisor will include a form documenting their approval.
When arranging for preliminary orals, it is your responsibility to reserve a room (usually Psy 101 or 232). You can reserve either of these rooms with the Psychology Department front office staff (562-985-5001, M-Th 7:30-12, 1-4:45; F 8:00-12, 1-3:00). If you are using the department subject pool, also contact the Department front office staff immediately after preliminary orals. There is no Subject Pool during summer or winter sessions.
Be sure you apply for a Grad Check (AKA Request to Graduate) and pay the fee before the University deadline. Graduate students seeking to graduate in May (Spring) or August (Summer) must file between the preceding March 2nd and October 15th. Graduate students seeking to graduate in December (Fall) or January (Winter) must file between the preceding October 16th and March 1st. This is done via your MyCSULB account – information is provided via the department’s Graduate Newsletter: https://cla.csulb.edu/departments/psychology/graduate-newsletter/.
To comply with Federal regulations, CSULB has the University Institutional Review Board for Protection of Human Subjects (IRB), located in FO5-111. Students using human subjects in their research must submit a protocol to the IRB Committee for approval online (after preliminary orals but before starting research on the project). Please visit the IRB web site for application information:
http://www.csulb.edu/office-of-research-and-sponsored-programs/institutional-review-board-irb
CSULB IRB Submission and Review Process (PDF)
Students using animals in their research must obtain approval from the CSULB Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). Your thesis Chair will give you instructions from the IRB/IACUC web site to assist you; please visit the IRB/IACUC web site to complete the required form. (Please make note of the time frame involved listed in the IRB protocol paperwork.)