Table Of ContentGuide to the Successful
Thesis and Dissertation
BOOKSINLIBRARYANDINFORMATIONSCIENCE
ASeriesofMonographsandTextbooks
FOUNDINGEDITOR
AllenKent
SchoolofLibraryandInformationScience
UniversityofPittsburgh
Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania
1. Classified Library of Congress Subject Headings: Volume 1, Classified
List, edited by James G. Williams, Martha L. Manheimer, and Jay E.
Daily
2. Classified Library of Congress Subject Headings: Volume 2, Alphabetic
List, edited by James G. Williams, Martha L. Manheimer, and Jay E.
Daily
3. Organizing NonprintMaterials,JayE. Daily
4. Computer-Based Chemical Information, edited by Edward McC. Arnett
andAllenKent
5. Style Manual: A Guide for the Preparation of Reports and Dissertations,
MarthaL. Manheimer
6. TheAnatomyofCensorship, JayE. Daily
7. InformationScience: SearchforIdentity, editedbyAnthonyDebons
8. Resource Sharing in Libraries: Why · How . When . Next Action Steps,
editedbyAllenKent
9. Reading the Russian Language: A Guide for Librarians and Other Pro
fessionals, RosalindKent
10. Statewide Computing Systems: Coordinating Academic Computer
Planning, editedbyCharlesMosmann
11. UsingtheChemical Literature:A PracticalGuide, HenryM. Woodbum
12. CatalogingandClassification:AWorkbook, MarthaL. Manheimer
13. Multi-media Indexes, Lists, and Review Sources: A Bibliographic Guide,
ThomasL. Hart, MaryAliceHunt, andBlanche Woolls
14. Document Retrieval Systems: Factors Affecting Search Time, K. Leon
Montgomery
15. LibraryAutomation Systems, StephenR. Salmon
16. BlackLiteratureResources:AnalysisandOrganization, DorisH. Clack
17. Copyright-Information Technology-Public Policy: Part I-Copyright
Public Policies; Part II-PublicPolicies-Information Technology, Nicholas
Henry
18. CrisisinCopyright, WilliamZ. Nasri
19. MentalHealthInformationSystems: DesignandImplementation,DavidJ.
Kupfer, MichaelS. Levine, andJohnA. Nelson
20. Handbook of Library Regulations, Marcy Murphy and Claude J. Johns,
Jr.
21. LibraryResourceSharing,AllenKentandThomasJ. Galvin
22. Computers in Newspaper Publishing: User-Oriented Systems, Dineh
Moghdam
23. The On-Line Revolution in Libraries, editedbyAllenKentandThomasJ.
Galvin
24. The Library as a Learning Service Center, Patrick R. Penland and
AleyammaMathai
25. Using the Mathematical Literature: A Practical Guide, Barbara Kirsch
Schaefer
26. UseofLibraryMaterials: The UniversityofPittsburghStudy,AllenKentet
al.
27. The Structure and Governance ofLibraryNetworks, editedbyAllenKent
andThomasJ. Galvin
28. The Developmentof Library Collections ofSound Recordings, Frank 11\1:
Hoffmann
29. Furnishingthe LibraryInterior, William S. Pierce
30. Cataloging and Classification:AWorkbook, Second Edition, Revisedand
Expanded, MarthaL. Manheimer
31. HandbookofComputer-AidedComposition,ArthusH. Phillips
32. OCLC: Its Governance, Function, Financing, and Technology, Albert F.
Maruskin
33. ScientificandTechnical Information Resources, Krishna Subramanyam
34. An Author Index to Library of Congress Classification, Class P,
Subclasses PN, PR, PS, PZ, General Literature, English and American
Literature, Fiction in English, and Juvenile Belles Lettres, Alan M.
Greenberg
35. UsingtheBiologicalLiterature:A PracticalGuide, Elisabeth B. Davis
36. An IntroductiontoAutomated LiteratureSearching, Elizabeth P. Hartner
37. The Retrieval of Information in the Humanities and the Social Sciences:
ProblemsasAidsto Learning, editedbyThomasP. Slavens
38. The Information Professional: Survey of an Emerging Field, Anthony
Debons, DonaldW King, UnaMansfield, andDonaldL. Shirey
39. Classified Library of Congress Subject Headings, Second Edition: Part
A-Classified List; Part B-Alphabetic List, edited byJames G. Williams,
MarthaL. Manheimer, andJayE. Daily
40. Information Technology: Critical Choices for Library Decision-Makers,
editedbyAllenKentandThomasJ. Galvin
41. Structure and Subject Interaction: Toward a Sociology of Knowledge in
theSocialSciences, StephenBulick
42. World Librarianship: A Comparative Study, Richard Krzys and Gaston
Litton
43. Guide to the Successful Thesis and Dissertation: Conception to Pub
lication: A Handbook for Students and Faculty, James E. Mauch and
JackW Birch
44. Physical Disability: An Annotated Literature Guide, edited by Phyllis C.
Self
45. Effective Online Searching: A Basic Text, Christine L. Borgman, Dineh
Moghdam, andPattiK. Corbett
46. EasyAccess to DIALOG, ORBIT, and BRS, Patricia J. Klingensmith and
ElizabethE. Duncan
47. SubjectandInformationAnalysis, editedbyEleanorD. Dym
48. Organizing NonprintMaterials:SecondEdition,JayE. Daily
49. An IntroductiontoInformationScience, RogerR. Flynn
50. Designing Instruction for Library Users: A Practical Guide, Marilla D.
SvinickiandBarbaraA. Schwartz
51. Guide to the Successful Thesis and Dissertation: Conception to Pub
lication:AHandbookforStudentsand Faculty, Second Edition, JamesE.
MauchandJackW Birch
52. The Retrieval of Information in the Humanities and the Social Sciences:
Problems as Aids to Learning, Second Edition, edited by Thomas P.
Slavens
53. Manheimer's Cataloging and Classification: A Workbook, Third Edition,
RevisedandExpanded,JerryD. Saye
54. Electronic Printing and Publishing: The Document Processing Revolu
tion, MichaelB. Spring
55. Guide to the Successful Thesis and Dissertation: A Handbook for
Students and Faculty, Third Edition, Revised and Expanded, James E.
MauchandJackW Birch
56. LibraryInformationTechnologyand Networks,AudreyN. Grosch
57. Using the Biological Literature: A Practical Guide, Second Edition,
Revisedand Expanded, ElisabethB. DavisandDianeSchmidt
58. Guide to the Successful Thesis and Dissertation: A Handbook for
Students and Faculty, Fourth Edition, Revised and Expanded, James E.
MauchandJackW Birch
59. Manheimer's Cataloging and Classification: Fourth Edition, Revised
and Expanded,JerryD. Saye
60. Using the Biological Literature: A Practical Guide, Third Edition,
Revised and Expanded, Diane Schmidt, Elisabeth B. Davis, and
Pamela F. Jacobs
61. Using the Agricultural, Environmental, and Food Literature, edited by
Barbara S. HutchinsonandAntoinetteParis Greider
62. Guide to the Successful Thesis and Dissertation: A Handbook for
Studentsand Faculty, Fifth Edition,JamesE. MauchandNamgiPark
ADDITIONALVOLUMESINPREPARATION
BecomingaDigital Library, editedbySusanJ. Barnes
Guide to the Successful
Thesis and Dissertation
A Handbook for
Students and Faculty
Fifth Edition
James E. Mauch
UniversityofPittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvanw, US.A.
NamgiPark
Kwangju National UniversityofEducation
Kwangju, RepublicofKorea
~
V CRC Press
Taylor&FrancisGroup
BocaRaton London NewYork
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dk2885.fm Page 1 Friday, January 16, 2009 3:12 PM
CRC Press
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International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-8247-4288-1 (Hardcover)
The previous edition was published as Guide to the Successful Thesis and dissertation: A Handbook for Students
and Faculty, 4th ed.
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To our wives, Rebecca and Sungsook
Preface
The first edition ofthis book grew out of the dearth of written infor
mation on the subject for either students or faculty. They told us they
neededto know much more aboutdoing ordirecting theses and disser
tations than they found in college catalogues, graduate office instruc
tions, or discussions with those who had experienced the process.
We decided to write about the "how to" aspects of thesis and
dissertation study and to emphasize the intellectual effort required of
both students and professors.
This book is designed to inform and advise about the thesis and
dissertation process, how to get through it and get the most out of it.
The fact that half of the students who complete course requirements
do not go on to complete the dissertation (in some schools as high as
70%) makes our objective more urgent (Monaghan, 1989).
This fifth edition was prompted by suggestions from students,
colleagues, and other users of earlier editions. In response to those
helpful recommendations and our own observations, we believe that
the book is substantially improved in the following ways:
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