Program Overview

Introduction to the Master of Information Thesis Guide

The Master of Information (MI) thesis option is available to students who have achieved an A-minus (3.7 GPA) or higher average in their first 8 MI courses. This option allows students to undertake original research and produce a thesis that demonstrates their scholarship and expertise in the field.

Description of the Thesis Option

The thesis must display original scholarship expressed in satisfactory literary form and be of such value as to merit publication. Students who choose the thesis option will undertake research according to the standards required by the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS).

Roles and Responsibilities

Students, supervisors, committee members, and external readers should review the guidelines for a complete overview of the thesis process. This includes:

• Student responsibilities
• Supervisor responsibilities
• Supervisory and Examining Committees
• Examination

Completing a Master of Information Thesis

To complete a Master of Information thesis, students must follow these steps:

Selection of Topic and Supervisor

Students considering the thesis option should meet with the Program Director to discuss the topic, selection of a supervisor, the potential timeline, and course selection. It is beneficial to complete a reading course in the area of interest prior to beginning work on the thesis.

Thesis Proposal

A thesis proposal must be submitted and approved by the Supervisory Committee. The proposal should include:

• Title
• Introduction explaining the rationale for the research
• Review of the literature providing the context for the research
• Purpose of the research expressed as a research question or research hypotheses
• Methodology (including a copy of data collection instruments, as appropriate)
• Timeline for the research
• Funding requirements

Ethics Approval

Thesis research projects involving human subjects must receive ethics approval from one of the Ethics Review Boards at Dalhousie. Most MI theses research projects will be submitted to the Social Sciences and Humanities Ethics Review Board for approval.

Registration

Students must register for one of the following courses:

• INFO 9000.12 Thesis (for funded thesis-option MI students)
• INFO 9000.06 x/y Thesis (for regular thesis-option MI students)
• INFO 9003.00 Thesis Continuing (for MI students who do not complete their thesis during the INFO 9000x/y terms)
• REGN 9999.01 (required for INFO 9003.00 registrants)

Annual Progress Report

Thesis students who continue to work on their thesis 11 months after their program start date are required to submit an Annual Progress Report to the Faculty of Graduate Studies on an annual basis.

Thesis Format Guidelines

MI students are responsible for ensuring that their theses manuscripts comply with all aspects of the FGS Format Guidelines.

Thesis Submission

Theses are submitted electronically to the Dalhousie Institutional Repository (DalSpace) in PDF/A format. All theses are searchable and available to the public via the internet.