RTC Research Thesis

The research thesis aims to apply concepts, principles, and theories that you learned in your courses to a research problem. The overall goal of the RTC program is to prepare students for careers in technical communication. The research thesis is intended to support students who plan to continue careers in academe either by completing further graduate studies or by obtaining a teaching position in a 2- or 4-year higher education institution. As such, the thesis will focus on conducting research that results in a publishable, scholarly article. The requirements for the thesis are as follows:

·  Researching journals within the discipline to develop a list of target journals

·  Developing a significant research problem that reflects the current concerns and interests in the field

·  Conducting primary or secondary research that contributes to the current academic discussion of the research problem

·  Writing a 20-30 page article of publishable quality that effectively and persuasively communicates the research

·  Submitting an article to a journal. NOTE: acceptance is not required for successful completion of degree requirements, BUT proof of submission to journal prior to Oral Comprehensive Exam (thesis defense) is.

All thesis topics must be approved by your Committee Chair

before commencement of the thesis.

The research thesis must be consciously and carefully developed within a well-defined and clearly articulated rhetorical context and research problem. It can be either primary or secondary research. For primary research, you will need to define the scope of the study, research related studies, identify and describe the method you will use, obtain IRB exemption or approval, conduct the study, summarize and analyze results, and write up the results for publication. For secondary research, you will need to identify a topic and define a problem that needs to be addressed. You will need to review related literature, define the scope of the study, determine the theoretical approach for analyzing the problem, and synthesize findings into a logical, compelling, and rhetorically persuasive argument that contributes new insight about the problem.

In almost all cases, the "real audience" for your thesis will be determined by the journal selected. This is important to remember. The RTC faculty is the "immediate audience" for your thesis: we receive it, review it, and evaluate it. But your audience will be the larger academic audience you seek to address. Thus, the RTC faculty review and evaluate your thesis not only in terms of academic standards (the concepts, methods, and materials you have learned in the program, as well as writing and design skills), but also in terms of how well your thesis addresses a specific, expert audience. As in all communication, audience adaptation is one of the major considerations.

In addition the RTC research thesis will be evaluated for the following:

·  How well does the thesis present the research problem

·  To what extent is the research problem rigorously researched.

·  How well does the thesis synthesize previous research to support either primary research or a new perspective or argument about the problem

·  How well does the research articulate the method and results for conducting the study (if primary)

·  How effectively does the article use evidence to support claims and conclusions?

·  How rhetorically effective is the article in terms language, organization, and argument.

RTC | Revised 3/13/2015 / 1