Senior Thesis

1. Senior Thesis The Finish Line

2. Assembly YOU MUST HAVE THESE ITEMS IN YOUR THESIS: • Preliminary Pages (starts at Roman numeral ii) • Thesis text (starts at Arabic numeral 2); internal citations required • Works Cited/References YOU MAY HAVE THESE ITEMS IN YOUR THESIS: • Additional Items • Appendices

3. Preliminary Pages In this EXACT orderRequired unless otherwise specified

4. #1: Title Page Title page: Centered. Include name, title, CMS, and month/year of graduation If applicable (primarily Bio-Med): make sure title concisely describes all tested variables of your project. Include name of each scientist who worked on the project (below yours) Kilgore Trout “Vonnegut was a Great Guy” Central Magnet School Dr. Melanie Thomas Graduation Date: May, 2019

5. #2: IRB Approval Page IRB Approval Page. Required only if research involves vertebrate animals Include a statement of your research by the animal research review board from MTSU.

6. #3: Dedication Page Dedication Page: optional; centered and short; no heading To my mom, who never forced me to go see Santa Claus.– Dave Barry

7. #4: Acknowledgments Page Acknowledgments page: centered and short; heading required Acknowledgments I would like to extend my deepest appreciation to my mentor, Bill Smith, for helping me with my experiments. Thanks are also given to my Field of Study Advisor, Adam Brooks, without whom this thesis would never have been completed.

8. #5: Abstract and #6: Table of Contents Abstract: ~150 words; heading required; centered; SINGLE-SPACED (More on this later) Table of Contents: heading required; must include all chapters, headings, subheadings (nothing beyond subheadings). Use Styles tool (Word) for auto-formatting

9. #7: List of Tables/Figures List of Tables/Figures: required if you have them. Aligned left with margins. Heading required; must include identifying numeral/letter of the table, the title, and the page number on which the table is located List of Tables and Figures Figure 1. A cool graph…………………. 1 Figure 2. An even cooler graph…………7 Figure 3. The best. Graph. Ever………..12

10. #8: Additional Items Additional Items: required if you have them Includes DVD’s, flash drives, oversized map, drawings: anything too big to be bound. Items themselves must be titled, labeled, numbered, and listed on “Additional Items” page; denote that items are “in pocket.” Place in pocket folder at back of your thesis Additional Items 1. DVD of recording session from 10/12/18………..in pocket 2. Big map of Tennessee…………………………….in pocket Note: these are NOT appendices. Appendices can be bound. Additional items cannot

11. Why are the Preliminary Pages in this Order? Table of Contents itself is not identified in the TOC Why is order important? All preliminary pages coming before Table of Contents are not included in TOC. All preliminary pages coming after TOC are included in TOC

12. References and Appendices

13. References This is a list of citations for every source you cited in your text. Every Thesis must cite sources internally and have at the end of the Thesis a list of primary and secondary sources used within. Students should consult their appropriate style manual for the type and format of the internal citations and source page. Failure to document your sources will results in a ZERO on your paper and a meeting with your parents, your teacher and a member of administration.

14. Appendices Appendices: required if you have supplementary material that can be bound but could not be suitably incorporated within the body of the Thesis The Appendices ARE listed on the table of contents page. Each appendix should be listed underneath the appendices section (as a subsection) on the table of contents. If referring to the item in your Thesis, you must reference the item’s location within the Appendices. Label each item with a title and number so you can easily reference them.

15. Appendices: 2 Options for Formatting All Appendices begin with a cover page titled “Appendices”. It is numbered. From there… Option 1: continue numbering your Appendices in line with the body of your Thesis Option 2: use tabs in lieu of page numbering

16. Mandatory Formatting • No running headers • All text: Times New Roman, 12 point font • Single exception: Chapter Titles (14 pt font) • Page numbers centered at bottom • What’s NOT numbered: title page, & first page of Introduction • Preliminary Pages: Roman Numerals; All other pages: Arabic Numerals • Margins: 1.5” left; 1” right and bottom; 1.25” top • Footnotes begin on the page they are cited

17. Heading & Subheading: the 3 Rules • Rule 1: Any logical scheme of headings and subheadings may be used so long as you maintain a consistent format throughout • Rule 2: Each major chapter or division should begin on a new page (subdivisions or subheadings do not). No widows/orphans! • Rule 3: Each level of heading (e.g., chapter/subchapter, heading/sub-heading) must vary in format

18. Rule #3: Examples • Chapter headings bold, all caps • Headings bold, first letter of each word capitalized • Subheadings not bold, first letter of each word capitalized • Chapter headings bold, underlined, the C is capitalized • Headings underlined, first letter of each word capitalized • Subheadings not underlined, the first letter of each work capitalized • Avoid: all caps, all bold, all underlined (it’s a headache)

19. Now, Let’s Build an Abstract

20. Abstract Because on-line search databases typically contain only abstracts, it is vital to write a complete but concise (150-200 word) description of your work to entice potential readers into obtaining a copy of the full paper. Abstracts serve the function of "selling" your work. In a business context, an "executive summary" is often the only piece of a report read by the people who matter; and it should be similar in content if not tone to a journal paper abstract.

21. Checklist for an Abstract Each of these sections typically a single sentence. Sections may be merged/spread among set of sentences. Motivation: Why do we care about the problem and the results? Problem statement: What problem are you trying to solve? What is the scope of work (generalized approach, or for specific situation)? Only put problem statement before motivation if readers already understand why the problem is important. Approach: How did you solve/make progress on problem? Did you analyze data, construct a prototype, perform an experiment? What was the extent of your work? What variables did you control, ignore, or measure? Results: What's the answer? Avoid vague results such as "very" or "significant." Conclusions: What are the implications of your answer? Is it going to change the world (unlikely), be a significant "win", be a nice finding, or simply serve as a road sign indicating that this path is a waste of time (all are useful).

22. Other Considerations for an Abstract An abstract must be a fully self-contained, capsule description of the paper. It can’t force the reader into flipping through looking for an explanation of what is meant by some vague statement. It must make sense all by itself. Any major restrictions or limitations on the results should be stated. Think of a half-dozen search phrases and keywords that people looking for your work might use. Be sure that those exact phrases appear in your abstract, so that they will turn up at the top of a search result listing.