Each thesis should be organized into a five-chapter format on a topic related to the field of forensic science, preferable drawn from the core required courses. Section 1: Organization of Contents Elements The following preliminary pages (numbered in lowercase Roman numerals) precede the body of the thesis, in this order: • Title page • Thesis approval pages (one for chair and two supervisors & the 2nd for the Forensic program director) • Copyright page (if you plan to register a copyright) • Dedication page (optional) • Acknowledgments (optional) • Abstract • Table of contents • List of tables (if appropriate) • List of illustrations (charts, graphs, figures) (if appropriate) • List of symbols (if appropriate) • Preface (optional) Paginated in Arabic numerals is the text and other pages following the preliminary pages arranged in the following order: • Text (chapters of the manuscript) • Endnotes • Appendices • References • Index (optional) Chapter II: Literature Review The second chapter should not be confused with the Introduction in Chapter I. The introduction provides a review of the topic; the Literature Review summarizes what has been said about the topic. Chapter III: Methodology In general, this chapter describes how the data were collected that answer the research question and its component parts. It is important to utilize appropriate methods of data collection in order to be able to support or reject the research hypotheses. This chapter should begin with a description of the research methods used in the research, including a description of the dependent and independent variables, if any. Chapter III will most likely include the following subsections: Chapter IV: Results This chapter includes a presentation and analysis of the data. The tone of the chapter is purely objective, devoid of assumptions and interpretations. Following a summary of the research data, Chapter IV should be organized in manner consistent with the research hypotheses: first, present data related to the first hypotheses; and second, analyze those data to determine whether the first hypothesis can be supported or rejected. Follow this sequence for each hypothesis. Tables are an effective way to present quantitative data. Qualitative data should be summarized, as opposed to verbatim transcriptions. Chapter V: Discussion, Conclusions, and Recommendations This chapter involves (a) a discussion of the research project, including the findings, interpretation of the results, and problems and/or limitations; (b) a conclusion: what did we find out? what did we learn? and (c) recommendations for changes in policy or practice, future research, or anything else that will direct solutions to the problem(s) that were the focus of the research. Endnotes Endnotes supplement or amplify information in the text. They should be used sparingly: if the information is of central importance, it should be included in the text; if the information is irrelevant or nonessential, it should be excluded; however, if the information is tangential, and more fully develops an element of the text, endnotes may be appropriate. Appendix or Appendixes The main purpose of the appendix (or appendixes) is (are) to provide detailed information that would be distracting if presented in the text. For example, a survey instrument or questionnaire, a data collection form, or a list of variables would be appropriate for placement in an appendix. References Only those works cited in the text appear in the Reference section and, conversely, every work in the Reference section must appear in the text. It is important to properly cite all references. References style should be according to APA manual.