1) Go to SDSU library website http://infodome.sdsu.edu/index.shtml
2) Go to “ Catalog” Section
3) Under subject type in:
SDSU Thesis Public health
Example SDSU thesis titles:
SDSU thesis (Public Health (Health Promotion))
1 Correlates of dietary intake underreporting in Latina women / Elizabeth Katherine Guth
Special Collections, Main Collection; RA2.2 .G88 2007 BOOK 2007
2 Differential access to care and consequential health outcomes for HIV-positive individuals in the S /
Main Collection, Special Collections; RA2.2 .B54 2004 BOOK 2004
3 Evaluation of a behavioral intervention to reduce HIV risk practices among injection drug users and /
Special Collections, Main Collection; RA2.2 .B65 2007 BOOK 2007
4 Self perception of weight and weight loss intent among adolescents / by Joselyn Hall
Special Collections, Main Collection; RA2.2 .H35 2009 BOOK 2007
Monday, December 14, 2009
List of Useful Thesis Writing Books Available at the SDSU Library
Writing a successful thesis or dissertation: tips and strategies for students in the social and behavioral sciences
Main Collection; LB2369 .L814 2008 BOOK 2008
Complete your dissertation or thesis in two semesters or less / Evelyn Hunt Ogden
Main Collection; LB2369 .O33 2007
The elements of an effective dissertation and thesis: a step-by-step guide to getting it right the
Main Collection; LB2369 .C275 2006 BOOK 2006
How to write a thesis / Rowena Murray
Main Collection; LB2369 .M87 2006 BOOK 2006
Dissertation and thesis manual: policies, procedures, and format
Special Collections, Reference; LB2369 .S39 BOOK 2005 -
Writing the winning thesis or dissertation: a step-by-step guide / Allan A. Glatthorn, Randy L. Joy
Main Collection; LB2369 .G56 2005 BOOK 2005
Surviving your thesis / edited by Suzan Burton, Peter Steane
Main Collection; LB2369 .S89 2004 BOOK 2004
Master's thesis and project manual / San Diego State University, Graduate Division and Research and
Special Collections; LB2369 .S39 BOOK 1995 -2003
The thesis and the book: a guide for first-time academic authors / edited by Eleanor Harman ... [et
Main Collection; Z286.S37 T53 2003 BOOK 2003
How to write a better thesis / David Evans and Paul Gruba
Main Collection; LB2369 .E92 2002 BOOK 2002
Avoiding thesis and dissertation pitfalls: 61 cases of problems and solutions / R. Murray Thomas an
Main Collection; LB2369 .T457 2001 BOOK 2001
The readable thesis: a guide to clear and effective writing / Darrel Walters
Main Collection; LB2369 .W35 1999 BOOK 1999
Guide to the successful thesis and dissertation: a handbook for students and faculty / James E. Mau
Main Collection; LB2369 .M377 1998 BOOK 1998
How to write a better thesis or report / David Evans
Main Collection; LB2369 .E92 1995
Completing your doctoral dissertation or master's thesis in two semesters or less / Evelyn Hunt Ogde
Main Collection; LB2369 .O33 1991 BOOK 1991
Main Collection; LB2369 .L814 2008 BOOK 2008
Complete your dissertation or thesis in two semesters or less / Evelyn Hunt Ogden
Main Collection; LB2369 .O33 2007
The elements of an effective dissertation and thesis: a step-by-step guide to getting it right the
Main Collection; LB2369 .C275 2006 BOOK 2006
How to write a thesis / Rowena Murray
Main Collection; LB2369 .M87 2006 BOOK 2006
Dissertation and thesis manual: policies, procedures, and format
Special Collections, Reference; LB2369 .S39 BOOK 2005 -
Writing the winning thesis or dissertation: a step-by-step guide / Allan A. Glatthorn, Randy L. Joy
Main Collection; LB2369 .G56 2005 BOOK 2005
Surviving your thesis / edited by Suzan Burton, Peter Steane
Main Collection; LB2369 .S89 2004 BOOK 2004
Master's thesis and project manual / San Diego State University, Graduate Division and Research and
Special Collections; LB2369 .S39 BOOK 1995 -2003
The thesis and the book: a guide for first-time academic authors / edited by Eleanor Harman ... [et
Main Collection; Z286.S37 T53 2003 BOOK 2003
How to write a better thesis / David Evans and Paul Gruba
Main Collection; LB2369 .E92 2002 BOOK 2002
Avoiding thesis and dissertation pitfalls: 61 cases of problems and solutions / R. Murray Thomas an
Main Collection; LB2369 .T457 2001 BOOK 2001
The readable thesis: a guide to clear and effective writing / Darrel Walters
Main Collection; LB2369 .W35 1999 BOOK 1999
Guide to the successful thesis and dissertation: a handbook for students and faculty / James E. Mau
Main Collection; LB2369 .M377 1998 BOOK 1998
How to write a better thesis or report / David Evans
Main Collection; LB2369 .E92 1995
Completing your doctoral dissertation or master's thesis in two semesters or less / Evelyn Hunt Ogde
Main Collection; LB2369 .O33 1991 BOOK 1991
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Steps to Writing a Thesis
All the information you need to write and defend your thesis and graduate from this program is available…somewhere. However, most of it is hard to find and if you are like me, and this is your first experience with writing a thesis, none of it can be found if you don’t know what you are looking for. I haven’t added most of the due dates because they change every year but the can all be found on the grad division website and you should check at the start of each semester and find the due dates for whichever forms you need to turn in that semester.
So here’s the deal:
-Second semester (this one for most of you)
-you want to start thinking about what you are interested in doing, and more importantly what topics you have a realistic chance of finding a data set in.
-Start emailing around and going to office hours, most professors either have data you can use or will point you in the right direction
-End of semester is the time you want to lock down at least your committee chair.
-Your chair is the most important person on your committee and the one responsible for your success or failure, make sure you like working with them. They absolutely do not have to be your advisor, but if you like your advisor it’s a good place to start.
-You will need to find two other committee members; your second comes from the GSPH but the third needs to come from OUTSIDE THE DEPARTMENT! Start emailing, most people are open to it because they don’t have to do almost anything and they get to put their name on your research so don’t be shy.
-I recommend trying to have your thesis committee together (all three members) either over the summer or by the first couple weeks of 3rd semester, particularly your chair and second member which are harder to come by.
-You need at least the chair and it helps to have the second before you register with them for 797 (thesis research) next semester.
-Third semester
-You have a topic and a chair. Register for thesis research. You need to fill out an application online through the GSPH website. You say who your chair and probably your second committee member are and how many units you are signing up for with each of them (it will probably be 2 units with your chair and 1 unit with your second, unless you don’t have one yet and you will register for all 3 units with your chair). Whoever you said was your committee members will get an email about it, approve you, and then the school emails you back to give you an add code.
- This semester you need to write your introduction, literature review, and methods section in order to eligible to advance to candidacy (i.e. be able to defend your thesis and graduate in the spring). Most chairs have a way they prefer everything to be done (ie where you should focus, how you should structure it, so you need to be good about checking in with them as you write.)
-You do not have to take the scientific writing elective, but if you are the kind of person who needs deadlines and due dates in order to get things done (I am) you may want to consider it.
-Also, and this is very important, you need to get IRB approval before you are technically supposed to open your dataset. The virtual IRB is on webportal and if you have already written your intro and part of your methods and lit review you can more or less cut an paste into it (if you take the scientific writing class this is covered at the end but you don’t have to wait till then if you don’t want to. Ask your adviser for help if you need it)
-Also, the Applied Data Analysis class is very helpful if you are planning to do your analysis in SAS!!!! (If you are using SPSS, this class won’t be useless but may not be super helpful either).
-OK, it is now the end of 3rd semester and you should have written your first three chapters, given them to your chair for approval (and probably your committee members so they are in the loop and can give you feedback). Your chair needs to see that you are on the right track and have your first three chapters written (they can still be a bit rough) before they will sign your committee form and approve you to advance for the next semester.
-You now have to physically go to the graduate division and get a committee approval form. I repeat, you cannot download this form; you have to go get it. You need to give yourself enough time to have all three members of your committee and Alma Koch sign it. When you give it to Alma Koch, also be sure to give her a copy of your IRB approval with it. Then she gives it back to the grad division and they approve it and send you an email telling you are approved. Then, when its time to register, you call the graduate division office for your add code (they tell it to you over the phone, or you can go in too, I think) so you can register to defend your thesis your 4th semester. Seriously. I know it’s ridiculous but this is how it’s done.
-Now, there is one more form you need and you can do it this semester or wait till the beginning of next but it is due on the last day to add or drop a class of your 4th semester. This is your APPLICATION TO GRADUATE!!!!! You have to download off the grad division website, fill out, and turn in with a check for $55. It doesn’t matter if you defend your thesis, if you don’t fill this out, you will not get a diploma.
- 4th semester
-You have jumped over most of your paperwork hurdles.
-Your chair should be keeping you informed of what they need from you, but now is the time where you finish up (or start, it depends on how much you were able or willing to do over break) your data analysis and write up your results and discussion sections.
-Then you defend your thesis, where you bring your committee form that goes on the front of your final product so that you can have your whole committee there to sign it and get it done (this form is also on the grad division website).
-You format your thesis and turn it in BEFORE THE “WITHOUT RISK” DATE. If you get it in by this date they promise to give it back to you in time for you to correct your formatting mistakes and resubmit it before the final due date!!!!! This year it’s April 6th. Again, this date is somewhere on the grad division website.
-Then you fix it and turn it in again and I am under the impression that somebody, somewhere awards you an MPH.
So here’s the deal:
-Second semester (this one for most of you)
-you want to start thinking about what you are interested in doing, and more importantly what topics you have a realistic chance of finding a data set in.
-Start emailing around and going to office hours, most professors either have data you can use or will point you in the right direction
-End of semester is the time you want to lock down at least your committee chair.
-Your chair is the most important person on your committee and the one responsible for your success or failure, make sure you like working with them. They absolutely do not have to be your advisor, but if you like your advisor it’s a good place to start.
-You will need to find two other committee members; your second comes from the GSPH but the third needs to come from OUTSIDE THE DEPARTMENT! Start emailing, most people are open to it because they don’t have to do almost anything and they get to put their name on your research so don’t be shy.
-I recommend trying to have your thesis committee together (all three members) either over the summer or by the first couple weeks of 3rd semester, particularly your chair and second member which are harder to come by.
-You need at least the chair and it helps to have the second before you register with them for 797 (thesis research) next semester.
-Third semester
-You have a topic and a chair. Register for thesis research. You need to fill out an application online through the GSPH website. You say who your chair and probably your second committee member are and how many units you are signing up for with each of them (it will probably be 2 units with your chair and 1 unit with your second, unless you don’t have one yet and you will register for all 3 units with your chair). Whoever you said was your committee members will get an email about it, approve you, and then the school emails you back to give you an add code.
- This semester you need to write your introduction, literature review, and methods section in order to eligible to advance to candidacy (i.e. be able to defend your thesis and graduate in the spring). Most chairs have a way they prefer everything to be done (ie where you should focus, how you should structure it, so you need to be good about checking in with them as you write.)
-You do not have to take the scientific writing elective, but if you are the kind of person who needs deadlines and due dates in order to get things done (I am) you may want to consider it.
-Also, and this is very important, you need to get IRB approval before you are technically supposed to open your dataset. The virtual IRB is on webportal and if you have already written your intro and part of your methods and lit review you can more or less cut an paste into it (if you take the scientific writing class this is covered at the end but you don’t have to wait till then if you don’t want to. Ask your adviser for help if you need it)
-Also, the Applied Data Analysis class is very helpful if you are planning to do your analysis in SAS!!!! (If you are using SPSS, this class won’t be useless but may not be super helpful either).
-OK, it is now the end of 3rd semester and you should have written your first three chapters, given them to your chair for approval (and probably your committee members so they are in the loop and can give you feedback). Your chair needs to see that you are on the right track and have your first three chapters written (they can still be a bit rough) before they will sign your committee form and approve you to advance for the next semester.
-You now have to physically go to the graduate division and get a committee approval form. I repeat, you cannot download this form; you have to go get it. You need to give yourself enough time to have all three members of your committee and Alma Koch sign it. When you give it to Alma Koch, also be sure to give her a copy of your IRB approval with it. Then she gives it back to the grad division and they approve it and send you an email telling you are approved. Then, when its time to register, you call the graduate division office for your add code (they tell it to you over the phone, or you can go in too, I think) so you can register to defend your thesis your 4th semester. Seriously. I know it’s ridiculous but this is how it’s done.
-Now, there is one more form you need and you can do it this semester or wait till the beginning of next but it is due on the last day to add or drop a class of your 4th semester. This is your APPLICATION TO GRADUATE!!!!! You have to download off the grad division website, fill out, and turn in with a check for $55. It doesn’t matter if you defend your thesis, if you don’t fill this out, you will not get a diploma.
- 4th semester
-You have jumped over most of your paperwork hurdles.
-Your chair should be keeping you informed of what they need from you, but now is the time where you finish up (or start, it depends on how much you were able or willing to do over break) your data analysis and write up your results and discussion sections.
-Then you defend your thesis, where you bring your committee form that goes on the front of your final product so that you can have your whole committee there to sign it and get it done (this form is also on the grad division website).
-You format your thesis and turn it in BEFORE THE “WITHOUT RISK” DATE. If you get it in by this date they promise to give it back to you in time for you to correct your formatting mistakes and resubmit it before the final due date!!!!! This year it’s April 6th. Again, this date is somewhere on the grad division website.
-Then you fix it and turn it in again and I am under the impression that somebody, somewhere awards you an MPH.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Suggestions from a recent Graduate-Steps to Writing a Thesis
Steps to Writing a Thesis – The uncensored version shared by Emma, a recent graduate:
All the information you need to write and defend your thesis and graduate from this program is available…somewhere. However, most of it is hard to find and if you are like me, and this is your first experience with writing a thesis, none of it can be found if you don’t know what you are looking for. I haven’t added most of the due dates because they change every year but the can all be found on the grad division website and you should check at the start of each semester and find the due dates for whichever forms you need to turn in that semester.
So here’s the deal:
-Second semester
-you want to start thinking about what you are interested in doing, and more importantly what topics you have a realistic chance of finding a data set in.
-Start emailing around and going to office hours, most professors either have data you can use or will point you in the right direction
-End of semester is the time you want to lock down at least your committee chair.
-Your chair is the most important person on your committee and the one responsible for your success or failure, make sure you like working with them. They absolutely do not have to be your advisor, but if you like your advisor it’s a good place to start.
-You will need to find two other committee members; your second comes from the GSPH but the third needs to come from OUTSIDE THE DEPARTMENT! Start emailing, most people are open to it because they don’t have to do almost anything and they get to put their name on your research so don’t be shy.
-I recommend trying to have your thesis committee together (all three members) either over the summer or by the first couple weeks of 3rd semester, particularly your chair and second member which are harder to come by.
-You need at least the chair and it helps to have the second before you register with them for 797 (thesis research) next semester.
-Third semester
-You have a topic and a chair. Register for thesis research. You need to fill out an application online through the GSPH website. You say who your chair and probably your second committee member are and how many units you are signing up for with each of them (it will probably be 2 units with your chair and 1 unit with your second, unless you don’t have one yet and you will register for all 3 units with your chair). Whoever you said was your committee members will get an email about it, approve you, and then the school emails you back to give you an add code.
- You also need to submit you Official Program of Study which needs to be signed by both your thesis chair and Alma Koch, so make sure you have enough time before the deadline.
- This semester you need to write your introduction, literature review, and methods section in order to eligible to advance to candidacy (i.e. be able to defend your thesis and graduate in the spring). Most chairs have a way they prefer everything to be done (ie where you should focus, how you should structure it, so you need to be good about checking in with them as you write.)
-You do not have to take the scientific writing elective, but if you are the kind of person who needs deadlines and due dates in order to get things done (I am) you may want to consider it.
-Also, and this is very important, you need to get IRB approval before you are technically supposed to open your dataset. The virtual IRB is on webportal and if you have already written your intro and part of your methods and lit review you can more or less cut an paste into it (if you take the scientific writing class this is covered at the end but you don’t have to wait till then if you don’t want to. Ask your adviser for help if you need it)
-Also, the Applied Data Analysis class is very helpful if you are planning to do your analysis in SAS!!!! (If you are using SPSS, this class won’t be useless but may not be super helpful either).
-OK, it is now the end of 3rd semester and you should have written your first three chapters, given them to your chair for approval (and probably your committee members so they are in the loop and can give you feedback). Your chair needs to see that you are on the right track and have your first three chapters written (they can still be a bit rough) before they will sign your committee form and approve you to advance for the next semester.
-You now have to physically go to the graduate division and get a committee approval form. I repeat, you cannot download this form; you have to go get it. You need to give yourself enough time to have all three members of your committee and Alma Koch sign it. When you give it to Alma Koch, also be sure to give her a copy of your IRB approval with it. Then she gives it back to the grad division and they approve it and send you an email telling you are approved. Then, when its time to register, you call the graduate division office for your add code (they tell it to you over the phone, or you can go in too, I think) so you can register to defend your thesis your 4th semester. Seriously. I know it’s ridiculous but this is how it’s done.
-Now, there is one more form you need and you can do it this semester or wait till the beginning of next but it is due on the last day to add or drop a class of your 4th semester. This is your APPLICATION TO GRADUATE!!!!! You have to download off the grad division website, fill out, and turn in with a check for $55. It doesn’t matter if you defend your thesis, if you don’t fill this out, you will not get a diploma.
- 4th semester
-You have jumped over most of your paperwork hurdles.
-Your chair should be keeping you informed of what they need from you, but now is the time where you finish up (or start, it depends on how much you were able or willing to do over break) your data analysis and write up your results and discussion sections.
-Then you defend your thesis, where you bring your committee form that goes on the front of your final product so that you can have your whole committee there to sign it and get it done (this form is also on the grad division website).
-You format your thesis and turn it in BEFORE THE “WITHOUT RISK” DATE. If you get it in by this date they promise to give it back to you in time for you to correct your formatting mistakes and resubmit it before the final due date!!!!!. Again, this date is somewhere on the grad division website.
-Then you fix it and turn it in again and I am under the impression that somebody, somewhere awards you an MPH.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Data Collection For A Thesis.
When writting a thesis what is the best method to acquire data in a timely matter? I plan to start writing my thesis this coming spring, however I am nervous about data collection.How much time should I allocate to data collection? My thesis will be based on health policies in elementary/high schools in San Diego County. Thanks.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Guidelines for a review paper
For those of you considering a review paper as a option instead of a thesis here are the guidelines for SDSU:
The comprehensive examination in health promotion is offered as an alternative to the masters thesis. The purpose of both the thesis and the comprehensive examination is for the student to demonstrate his or her general analytical skills in the field of health promotion as well as specific knowledge related to a topic area of special interest. Both the thesis and the comprehensive examination students select a specific topic to be studied in more depth, in conjunction with their advisors. Both the thesis and the comprehensive review paper are written in roughly the same format, going from the very broad introduction to more focused methods or review of specific studies, and ending with a broader discussion of the results of the present effort. This “hour glass” flow is depicted in Figure 1. The difference, of course, in the comprehensive examination and thesis research is in the specific nature of the investigation. Thesis students develop a specific hypothesis and methods for examining that hypothesis. They then proceed to process and analyze data using their statistical skills and discuss their own results at the end of their thesis. In contrast, comprehensive review paper authors focus their energies on “library time”, reading and critically analyzing what other people have reported in a specific area of inquiry. They begin with a general discussion of an issue and proceed to examine specific studies that have addressed that issue. This is followed by a critical evaluation of these studies and/or an explication of a common thread that ties these studies together as well as an honest appraisal of what has not been done in a specific area. Copies of exemplar comprehensive review papers written by former students that demonstrate the style and approach that you may consider for your paper are referenced below.
The comprehensive examination in health promotion is offered as an alternative to the masters thesis. The purpose of both the thesis and the comprehensive examination is for the student to demonstrate his or her general analytical skills in the field of health promotion as well as specific knowledge related to a topic area of special interest. Both the thesis and the comprehensive examination students select a specific topic to be studied in more depth, in conjunction with their advisors. Both the thesis and the comprehensive review paper are written in roughly the same format, going from the very broad introduction to more focused methods or review of specific studies, and ending with a broader discussion of the results of the present effort. This “hour glass” flow is depicted in Figure 1. The difference, of course, in the comprehensive examination and thesis research is in the specific nature of the investigation. Thesis students develop a specific hypothesis and methods for examining that hypothesis. They then proceed to process and analyze data using their statistical skills and discuss their own results at the end of their thesis. In contrast, comprehensive review paper authors focus their energies on “library time”, reading and critically analyzing what other people have reported in a specific area of inquiry. They begin with a general discussion of an issue and proceed to examine specific studies that have addressed that issue. This is followed by a critical evaluation of these studies and/or an explication of a common thread that ties these studies together as well as an honest appraisal of what has not been done in a specific area. Copies of exemplar comprehensive review papers written by former students that demonstrate the style and approach that you may consider for your paper are referenced below.
There is no single variable on which to base your decision as to whether to take the thesis or review paper option. Since the review paper option was developed several years ago, less than 20% of the health promotion graduates have selected it. The thesis requires more data processing and statistical analyses and somewhat less exhaustive review of the literature. The review paper author also needs to have a sufficient knowledge of statistics to be able to critically analyze others research. It is possible that the thesis option may prepare a student better to go on the to doctoral work, through the experience and the potential for publication gained by doing a thesis. However, previous review paper authors have produced highly polished and publishable works, and have included in their numbers physicians and Ph.Ds. Both options require an extensive amount of work, broad as well as in-depth knowledge related to the field of health promotion, and the careful selection on a topic area to fit career interest and goals.
The specific steps in developing the review paper are as follows:
1. Discuss with your advisor whether the thesis or comprehensive review paper is most appropriate for you, and brainstorm possible areas.
2. Identify a topic of interest to you related to the field of health promotion. This topic may be specific to populations (e.g. Latino women), target behaviors or health issues (e.g. cancer and diet; family planning), health promotion techniques (e.g. social marketing, training, contingency management) and/or other relevant issues (e.g. a review of the state of the art in training future health promotion professionals).
3. Your advisor will select and arrange for one other health promotion faculty member who will serve as the other “blinded” referee (grader) for your review paper.
4. Begin collecting literature and writing your review paper.
5. Submit your first draft to your advisor, who will give you general feedback as to what changes need to be made before it is ready to be evaluated by both the advisor and the second grader.
6. Submit one labeled final copy to your advisor and another “unmarked” copy for the grader on medium to high quality paper. Print the manuscript double-spaced. In other ways, follow the guidelines set forth in the thesis manual for authors of masters thesis. While no rigid sets of rules apply to formatting the comprehensive review paper, the author should be aware that writing style and printing quality can be as important as the actual content of the paper in creating an impression of professionalism.
- After your manuscript evaluation the “blinded” faculty grader and your advisor will give
you a “pass”, “redo”, or “fail”. If you receive a “redo” the changes could take anywhere from a few hours to a week or more depending on how extensive. If necessary changes are too extensive, the faculty will give you a “fail” and allow you an opportunity to try one more time in the subsequent semester.
- Those of you planning a specific deadline for graduation should keep these guidelines in
mind. The reader is generally given two weeks to review your manuscript, unless it is finals week or during the summer. Don't plan on your final draft always being acceptable to the advisor, there may be changes required before submitting to the “blind” reviewer.
In short, reviews should make clear the needed areas of new research; they should be well-grounded in theory; they should recommend “best advice” for P.H. interventions -in the context of the research state-of-the-art. Reviews should not be a simple listings/summary of numerous studies concerning a given topic. The comprehensive examination allows you the opportunity not only to show your knowledge in the general field of health promotion but also master a specific topic of interest to you and importance to the field. Hopefully, it will prove a rewarding experience.
References
Example: Elder & Estey, Social Science & Medicine, 1992, 35, 1065-76, and
Wilmoth & Elder, Soc Sci & Med, 1995, 1-15.
Manual for writing literature reviews: Writing literature reviews: A guide for students of the Social and Behavioral Sciences, Joseph L. Galvan. ISBN 1-884585-18-3
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Sitara, Also check out the links I have posted on the side bar entitled : How to write a thesis, more thesis writing, style guide, University of Alberta Center for Health promotion studies & Help with technical and scientific writing
Hi Sitara,
I think for a good lit review you should write about all the topics you mentioned. That is social support, HIV, CD4 cell count and Hispanic men. You should tie all the topics together under a public health theory such as social support theory or social cognitive theory. The book that we used in 661 also available as an eBook: http://www.cancer.gov/PDF/481f5d53-63df-41bc-bfaf-5aa48ee1da4d/TAAG3.pdf is a very helpful theory book. I don’t recall that we discussed social support theory in 661 but if you go to pub med, just type in social support theory and you will get a list of references. Furthermore another important theme for your review will be health disparities among Hispanics. So this is how I would proceed.
1) If your study is tied to a larger grant ask your supervisor for a copy of the grant so that you get the big picture of what the study is all about
2) Get a list of references to articles from the grant document
3) Read up on a few articles to the central theory you want to use, from the eBook or from the literature you find elsewhere. Sometimes there is a plethora of literature on a topic and I don’t know which ones to choose. A good way to start is just pick one author that is an expert on a topic and read a couple of papers from them and thoroughly understands the topic first. To know who the expert in a certain field is you can ask your advisor or sometimes you can guess. The way you guess the expert is to look at the reference section of the 661 eBook. If there is a certain author whose name pops up like 50 times then they are probably the experts in the field.
4) Start putting the literature you gather into bibliography software. I like to use endnote. There may be some free bibliography software online or the SDSU library may offer some of this software for download. Also many of the reference articles you may find online have links for you to automatically download the bibliography onto your software. It saves so much time.
5) Then put important references on your topics: Theory, HIV, health disparities onto your bib software. Don’t worry if you don’t intend to read every single paper you collect. You can select which ones you are going to use when you are doing your writing.
6) Then understand what the hypothesis you are testing is. For example: Social support Increases CD4 count in HIV positive Hispanic men
7) Then read a few papers in each of your subtopics and find a way to tie them all together: For example maybe you will find that social support has been found to be effective in reducing health disparities in Hispanic because of their culture of strong family ties etc. Then you start to write about social support theory or whatever theory you choose. Write about the constructs of the theory and the evidence that it works in your population of interest then you can write about health disparities in the Latino population and the Impact of HIV on this population. Then write about CD4 count and how it relates to HIV and how it can be used as a measure of the disease state.
So you can start your review on the broad topic then narrow it down to your particular subtopic at the end of the review.
Anyway, I hope this is helpful to get you started
I think for a good lit review you should write about all the topics you mentioned. That is social support, HIV, CD4 cell count and Hispanic men. You should tie all the topics together under a public health theory such as social support theory or social cognitive theory. The book that we used in 661 also available as an eBook: http://www.cancer.gov/PDF/481f5d53-63df-41bc-bfaf-5aa48ee1da4d/TAAG3.pdf is a very helpful theory book. I don’t recall that we discussed social support theory in 661 but if you go to pub med, just type in social support theory and you will get a list of references. Furthermore another important theme for your review will be health disparities among Hispanics. So this is how I would proceed.
1) If your study is tied to a larger grant ask your supervisor for a copy of the grant so that you get the big picture of what the study is all about
2) Get a list of references to articles from the grant document
3) Read up on a few articles to the central theory you want to use, from the eBook or from the literature you find elsewhere. Sometimes there is a plethora of literature on a topic and I don’t know which ones to choose. A good way to start is just pick one author that is an expert on a topic and read a couple of papers from them and thoroughly understands the topic first. To know who the expert in a certain field is you can ask your advisor or sometimes you can guess. The way you guess the expert is to look at the reference section of the 661 eBook. If there is a certain author whose name pops up like 50 times then they are probably the experts in the field.
4) Start putting the literature you gather into bibliography software. I like to use endnote. There may be some free bibliography software online or the SDSU library may offer some of this software for download. Also many of the reference articles you may find online have links for you to automatically download the bibliography onto your software. It saves so much time.
5) Then put important references on your topics: Theory, HIV, health disparities onto your bib software. Don’t worry if you don’t intend to read every single paper you collect. You can select which ones you are going to use when you are doing your writing.
6) Then understand what the hypothesis you are testing is. For example: Social support Increases CD4 count in HIV positive Hispanic men
7) Then read a few papers in each of your subtopics and find a way to tie them all together: For example maybe you will find that social support has been found to be effective in reducing health disparities in Hispanic because of their culture of strong family ties etc. Then you start to write about social support theory or whatever theory you choose. Write about the constructs of the theory and the evidence that it works in your population of interest then you can write about health disparities in the Latino population and the Impact of HIV on this population. Then write about CD4 count and how it relates to HIV and how it can be used as a measure of the disease state.
So you can start your review on the broad topic then narrow it down to your particular subtopic at the end of the review.
Anyway, I hope this is helpful to get you started
literature review
Hi all,
Was wondering if anybody is working on their literature review yet? I have started writing mine and I'm a little confused. When one writes a literature review, is it specific to the topic of my research or does it start as a general overview and then become more specific? For example my thesis topic is on social support and it's effect on the CD4 cell count of Hispanic men with HIV. So when I write my literature review would it all deal with social support, CD4 cell count and HIV or can I have general reviews on social support and HIV or just about HIV and it's effect on the CD4 cell count...HELP!!!!
Sitara
Was wondering if anybody is working on their literature review yet? I have started writing mine and I'm a little confused. When one writes a literature review, is it specific to the topic of my research or does it start as a general overview and then become more specific? For example my thesis topic is on social support and it's effect on the CD4 cell count of Hispanic men with HIV. So when I write my literature review would it all deal with social support, CD4 cell count and HIV or can I have general reviews on social support and HIV or just about HIV and it's effect on the CD4 cell count...HELP!!!!
Sitara
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Welcome !
Many graduate students come into their new programs without a clear concept of what they want to write their thesis topic on. In fact, just the thought of having to write a master's thesis has deterred many from entering a graduate program. Some graduate students don't even receive their master's degree because of this daunting task. But this will not be our case! We are Health Promotion graduate students in San Diego State University's Graduate School of Public Health. We are great motivators and agents of change in the promotion of a healthier society. As such, we will be motivating and supporting each other in our endeavors to complete our master's thesis.
This blog serves to be a resource to all Public Health graduate students, especially those with a concentration in Health Promotion. We will be exploring how to pick a thesis topic, how to conduct research, how to do a literature review, outlining the process of building your thesis committee, and many other topics that will equip you with all the necessary information to overpower and defeat the anxiety and elusiveness of writing a master's thesis. We hope that this site becomes a guiding light that helps many students through their thesis development, writing, and completion.
Thank you for visiting and please comment!
This blog serves to be a resource to all Public Health graduate students, especially those with a concentration in Health Promotion. We will be exploring how to pick a thesis topic, how to conduct research, how to do a literature review, outlining the process of building your thesis committee, and many other topics that will equip you with all the necessary information to overpower and defeat the anxiety and elusiveness of writing a master's thesis. We hope that this site becomes a guiding light that helps many students through their thesis development, writing, and completion.
Thank you for visiting and please comment!
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