InstitutionalReview Board | Human Subjects Review

After the student receives written approval from the Human Subjects Review Committee, the student will then conduct the research under the supervision of the two-member faculty committee. The final product will be the master's project.

The relationship between LIS 668 and LIS 695 encourages students to undertake research that serves the profession and adds to its knowledge. However, students may submit a proposal not created in the LIS 668 class. No proposal will be accepted prior to the student completing LIS 668.

Research Proposal Format |

Quantitative Proposal:

1. The problem and its setting
1. The statement of the problem and subproblems
2. The hypotheses
3. The delimitations
4. The definations of terms
5. The assumptions
6. The importance of the study
2. The review of the related literature
3. The data and the treatment of the data
1. The data needed and the means for obtaining the data
2. The research methodology
3. The specific treatment of the data for each subproblem
1. Subproblem 1 (The subproblem is restated here.)
1. The data needed to address the subproblem
2. The treatment of the data
2. Subproblem 2 (The same format for Subproblem 1 is followed here.)
3. Additional subproblems are discussed in the same manner.
4. An outline of the proposed study (steps to be taken, timeline, etc.)
5. References
6. Appendixes

Qualitative Proposal:

1. Introduction
1. General background for the study
2. Purpose of the study
3. Guiding questions
4. Delimitations and limitations
5. Significance of the study
2. Methodology
1. Theoretical framework
2. Type of design and the assumptions that underlie it
3. Role of the researcher
4. Selection and description of the site and participants
5. Data collection strategies
6. Data analysis strategies
7. Methods of achieving validity
3. Findings
1. Relationship to literature
2. Relationship to theory
3. Relationshp to practice
4. Management plan, timeline, feasibility
5. References
6. Appendixes

ProposalDeadlines |

Proposals must be submitted to the primary reader and director according to the following schedule:

Graduating   Semester	Proposaldue
Summer	no later than the Friday of the first week of summer classes
Fall	no later than the Friday of the first week of September
Spring	no later than the Friday of the last week of January

Application for Human Subjects review must be submitted with the proposal if appropriate. All of these materials must be wordprocessedor typed, no handwritten materials will be accepted.

LIS 668 Research Methods in Librarianship is a required course.

Procedure: Students enroll for LIS 695 as they would for any other course, but because of the nature of the course, it is necessary that the student obtain permission of the faculty members on their committee to enroll and be in regular contact with the faculty readers. Students enroll for LIS 695 as they would for any other course EXCEPT they must have permission of the primary and secondary readers. To obtain this permission complete the proposal form. [ Word doc ] The student should enroll for 695 during the semester they plan to finish the project. Students are to work closely with the faculty members and may submit a draft for comments prior to the final project submission, however no drafts of projects will be accepted after the first of April, July or November. Students receive a letter grade for the course, and if necessary, and with permission from the director, an E if it is impossible to complete in one semester. The university has a continuous enrollment rule which requires the graduate student to be enrolled for at least one graduate research credit hour (LIS 697) until the project is completed. Consult the Graduate Bulletin for more specific details. The final version of the project must be submitted to the primary reader and director in two completed and edited copies by April 15 for spring graduation, July 15 for summer graduation or November 15 for fall graduation. If additional corrections are recommended, two corrected final copies will be supplied to the school for the historical collection of master’s project before the end of finals week.

Readers: The SLIS director is one of the readers for all master's projects and the other reader is chosen, with that person's permission, by the student. The student should invite a SLIS faculty member with an interest or expertise in the student's topic to serve as the primary reader.

Choosing a topic: Developing the research proposal will normally take place during LIS 668, but may occur in consultation with one of the two readers. Students need not carry out the topic developed in LIS 668. Examples of existing research may be found in the professional/scholarly journal literature and sample master’s projects are kept in the same room as the Book Review Center. A notebook is maintained, which lists the projects and provides access points such as methodology and subject. Samples are on electronic reserve as well.

Content: A typical master's project will have certain standard sections, including but not limited to the following: an introduction (including a statement of the problems, subproblems, hypotheses, background, etc.), a literature review (expanded from the original one in the proposal document), statements about and description of the methodology, findings, discussion/analysis, conclusions, implications, limitations, areas for further research, works cited, tables, appendices, and other added matter, as appropriate. The final CORRECTED copies, that is the copy the student prepares after the readers have made their final recommendations, should be bound with spiral, comb, or other bindings that form a permanent enclosure for the document.

Style: There is no required style manual in effect for the master’s project, the student should consult the primary reader for the preferred style manual. While the guide of the American Psychological Association (APA) is often used in our field, it is not necessarily the most appropriate for an individual research report or discipline. Another common style guide is that of the Modern Language Association (MLA), which is often used in the humanities and lends itself to historical topics or those with significant archival documentation. One strategy would be to adopt the style in use for a journal to which the project could logically be submitted. These guidelines are sometimes explained on journal Web sites or in the journal itself. Some master's projects may be the basis for a professional or scholarly article. Should the student decide to submit it to a journal, the project would likely need to be revised considerably, and shortened. The student should consult with the faculty readers about the possibility of submitting the project for publication.

Length: There are no minimum or maximum lengths. These projects are more significant than a graduate course term paper and should be correspondingly more sophisticated, and longer. The project should demonstrate the student's ability to conduct research and to analyze problems. It should be a showcase for the student's talents and interests and should not be considered as just another assignment.

The SpecialistField Problem (LIS 794) is similar to the master's projects except that it is correspondingly more sophisticated or ambitious and is done in consultation with a three-member committee consisting of the SLIS director and faculty readers (or other readers as appropriate) and defended orally before the committee. (A comprehensive exam is also required for this degree.) The SpecialistThesis (LIS 798) is generally more theoretical than the Specialist’s Field Problem, and must conform to certain specific university standards for the production of theses and is defended orally before the committee. The field problem or the thesis are taken for 6 credit hours.

Master'sLevel
LIS 668: Research   Methods	This course must be completed before registering for LIS 695.
Research Proposal	Select readers and obtain permission before submitting a full proposal - see rubrics in SouthernMiss@TheLibrarySchool Submit proposal no later than Friday of the first week of summer classes for Summergraduation Friday of the first week of September for Fall graduation Friday of the last week of January for Spring graduation
LIS 695: Master’s   Project	Final draft (2 copies) for grading: November 15, April 15, or July 15 Final bound version (2 copies) for files: Last day of finals of the same semester - submit Final copies only after your READERS tell you to do so.

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Specialist'sLevel
LIS 668, plus any additional research-  related coursework or skills   needed for the project   or thesis.	This course must be completed beforeregistering for LIS 794 or LIS 798.
LIS 794: Specialist   Field Problem	Final draft (3 copies) for grading: November 15, April15, or July 15 Final bound version (2 copies) for files: Last day offinals of the same semester.
LIS 798: Specialist   Thesis	Per requirements in the Graduate Bulletin.

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