Information for Students Completing a Thesis

Deciding to do a Thesis

We encourage interested students to pursue research as part of their education in biology. Research brings the rewards of individual achievement outside of the normal classroom setting and allows the student to explore a depth of exposure not available in our regular courses. Research provides an opportunity to demonstrate responsibility by the scheduling of one's own work, and an opportunity to demonstrate initiative by attacking barriers that were not anticipated.

Students engage in research under the direction of a faculty advisor. The relationship between the research advisor and student is more intensive than in most courses. Successful research requires a level of independence, critical awareness and academic maturity beyond that expected in the classroom.

Independent Study

The first semester of BI 500 is an independent study project. You earn credit for a term of work on a laboratory project, a field project, or in some cases a library project. Work is carried out under the supervision of a member of the Biology Department faculty with permission from the Chair of the department. Expectations and due dates for the final results of the project (before the end of the exam period of the semester in which the project is undertaken) are worked out with your faculty advisor, who assigns the final grade for the project. The grade for this work is intended to recognize your effort and determination as well as the material you have learned, including your understanding of the scientific process or experimental design.

Students undertaking an independent study are required to attend all departmental seminars, attend all weekly lunchtime research discussions, and make a presentation concerning his or her project during one or more of these discussions.

To enroll in BI 500 for a one-semester independent study, you must

1. Begin talking with individual faculty about possible projects the term before you want to start your project. You may approach a faculty member with a specific research proposal, you may have a general interest that needs further definition, or you may have only a broad topic in mind. You may need to read extensively in the primary literature to adequately define a project. Faculty generally direct research in areas in which they teach and have special interests. Depending on availability of equipment, the expertise of a faculty member in your area of interest, and your previous preparation, it may be possible to work on topics outside your advisors primary area of research.
2. Have both your faculty advisor and the Chair of the Department sign your registration card authorizing your enrollment in BI 500. You may enroll in BI 500 during any semester, but if you hope to continue your work in subsequent semesters, it is recommended that you enroll in your first semester of BI 500 during the first semester of your senior year. For students matriculating in the Fall, this means that your initial discussions with your research advisor will occur in the Spring Semester of your junior year. In some cases, particularly those involving field work, the first semester of BI 500 may be in the second semester of the junior year. In some cases the first semester of BI 500 is in the Winter Term of their senior year, but such a schedule places severe time constraints upon the student.

It is possible to enroll in a two semester BI 500 project without having that work done in the context of a Senior Thesis. This requires the approval of both the student's faculty research advisor and the Chair of the Department. The final written report for a multiple-semester non-thesis Independent Study must at a minimum include an introduction to the study, a description of and rationale for the methods employed, an analysis of the data, and a discussion of the significance of the results. Students who carry out Independent Research not in the context of a thesis are not considered for Departmental Honors. As in the single semester project, the due dates for the final results of the project (before the end of the exam period of the semester in which the project is completed) are worked out with your faculty advisor, who assigns the final grade for the project. The grade for the second semester of work is intended to recognize both your effort and product.

Senior Thesis: If you make satisfactory progress on an independent study project that requires more than one semester to complete and you wish to write a thesis and present your research in a more public forum, you may apply to continue your work for one additional semester as a senior thesis. Normally this means that your first semester of BI 500 was carried out during the Fall Semester and that subsequent work is continued during the Winter and/or Spring Semesters. Other schedules are possible, however, and should be discussed with your faculty research advisor.

Enrolling in more than one semester of BI 500 and conducting your work in the context of a senior thesis changes the nature of the expectations placed on you.

Requirements for continuing senior research as a senior thesis 

During the semester just prior to the semester in which you plan to defend your thesis, you must do the following:

1. Meet with your advisor regarding this decision no later than two weeks before the end of classes.

2. By the beginning of the next to the last week of classes, advisors will identify to the department chair those students continuing on to a thesis. The department chair will invite all faculty in the department to sit on every thesis committee.

3. No later than one week before the end of classes you must find two additional faculty (one of these two can be outside the department, either on campus or from another institution) willing to serve on your committee. Discuss with them your progress to date, and the next steps in the research. Clarify with them and your advisor, no later than the first week of Winter Term (or Fall for Spring and Fall thesis), how often and approximately when they want to meet with you concerning your thesis research. Monthly meetings are recommended.

4. No later than the last day of classes, you must submit to the department chair an “Intent to Continue to the Thesis” form approved by your advisor and your committee members (Download form below).

5. If you are granted permission to continue, you will be given a grade of "Satisfactory" for your current semester of BI 500. A letter grade will be retroactively assigned following the completion of your thesis.

As with all senior research students, you are required to attend all departmental seminars, attend all weekly lunchtime research discussions, and make a presentation concerning your project during one of these discussions.

Requirements for Completing a Senior Thesis

After approval is given by the department for you to enroll in additional semesters of BI 500 as senior thesis research, you are encouraged to work closely with your committee in the further development of your research. You will be required to complete four steps before receiving grades for all of your semesters of BI 500 (See Biology website for dates):

1. Write the results of your study as a final paper . The final paper most likely should be written in the format of the journal to which the work would be most appropriately submitted. You and your advisor will decide on a format, but it will generally follow the form of a published paper on that topic. A draft of the paper must be submitted to each member of your committee at least three days prior to your presentation date, although earlier drafts are encouraged. Your committee will read this draft prior to your presentation and prepare questions/comments accordingly.
2. During the final two weeks of classes in the semester you will make a public presentation of your results . These presentations normally take place at 12:30 Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, when you will have 20-30 minutes to present your results and to answer questions from the audience concerning your research.   See Deadlines page for when you must do this.
3. Following the public presentation, you must defend your research before your Committee and any other faculty who wish to attend.   This link is also provided below for your use. Your defense need not occur immediately after your public presentation, but do not delay your defense in order to give yourself adequate time to make necessary changes to the final version of your thesis. During your defense you will be asked questions primarily about your research and other biological topics that relate to the theme of your work. However, faculty are free to ask any questions they want, and you are encouraged to talk to your Committee about your defense well in advance.
4. Finally, you must submit the final version of your thesis, based on the comments made on earlier drafts, your public presentation and your defense, to each member of your committee for final approval by the Friday of the 1st week of final exams (for Febs, by the last day of Winter Term). Once you have received final approval from your committee, print at least three copies (one for your advisor, two for the department) of your final thesis, double sided, to turn in to the Biology Department Coordinator, plus any additional copies if requested by your committee members. (Refer to the Instructions for Copying and Binding Theses for details.) Each copy should be preceded by a title page of the style shown in the page  “Format of Thesis Title Page”, and signed by all committee members. This must be done no later than the last day of exams.

The final grade for your senior thesis is decided by your committee based on your effort and progress throughout the term, your public presentation, your defense, your final paper, your adherence to all specified deadlines, and any other criteria that they have established. Final grades will be retroactively assigned for the first term of the project.

Honors in Biology

The Biology Department awards High Honors in Biology to Biology majors and joint Biology majors who both show outstanding performance throughout their undergraduate career and prepare theses of exceptionally high quality.  Students with an average of 3.0 or better in departmental courses other than BIOL 0500 are eligible for high honors.  The preparation of a senior thesis and a public presentation of your research are necessary, but not sufficient conditions for the awarding of departmental honors. Both product and effort are evaluated in determining if a student will receive High Honors. The faculty of the Biology Department makes its awards of High Honors based on the recommendations of the students' research committees and evaluations of all senior research projects considered together. The final decision to grant High Honors is made by the department based on your effort and progress throughout the term (including participation in the department research meetings and the department seminar program), your public presentation, your thesis defense, and your final paper. The department acts collectively on all honors decisions at a meeting traditionally scheduled for the middle of the finals period. Thesis committees are expected to present to the department nominations for honors with a detailed justification of the nomination.

Instructions for Submitting the Thesis

Instructions for thesis students with Biology Advisers

For students completing a thesis in the Fall or Spring.
By the last day of exams you must have
completed the following:

1. PRINT FINAL COPIES OF YOUR THESIS TO TURN IN.
   How many copies do you need to print? At least three, but probably more:

§ 1 copy for Department*

§ 1 copy for Library Archives

§ 1 copy for Thesis Advisor**

§ Optional personal copy*

§ If requested, copies to other committee members***

* To be clothbound (One personal copy is clothbound at no charge. Additional copies are $12 each)
** May be clothbound if your advisor requests it.
*** Glue-bound cover done by Joanna

FORMAT REVIEW :

- Margins: One-inch margins are fine for all copies, including the cloth-bound copy.
- Print the copies of your final thesis double-sided (see exceptions below).
- Start all new sections on a new page: Abstract, Intro, Methods and Materials, Results, Discussion, Bibliography, Appendices. These are still double-sided, but each section should start on the right hand page.
- Charts, graphs, and photos should be single-sided (This is not necessary if they are embedded within text.)
- Your personal copy can be single-sided if you prefer.

2.  OBTAIN SIGNATURES OF ALL COMMITTEE MEMBERS ON THE TITLE PAGES OF YOUR THESIS.

3.  TURN IN YOUR FINAL THESIS COPIES TO JOANNA (Biology Coordinator). She will give your advisor her/his copy after putting it in a glue-bound cover (or cloth binding, depending on preference)

4.  If your thesis title is over 60 characters including spaces, e-mail Joanna with an abbreviated title that is no more than 60 characters long (including punctuation and spaces). This is for the spine of the clothbound copy only.

5.  Email Joanna with the address to send your personal bound copy (allow 2-4 weeks).