is an honors thesis a publication

Honors Theses

What this handout is about.

Writing a senior honors thesis, or any major research essay, can seem daunting at first. A thesis requires a reflective, multi-stage writing process. This handout will walk you through those stages. It is targeted at students in the humanities and social sciences, since their theses tend to involve more writing than projects in the hard sciences. Yet all thesis writers may find the organizational strategies helpful.

Introduction

What is an honors thesis.

That depends quite a bit on your field of study. However, all honors theses have at least two things in common:

• They are based on students’ original research.
• They take the form of a written manuscript, which presents the findings of that research. In the humanities, theses average 50-75 pages in length and consist of two or more chapters. In the social sciences, the manuscript may be shorter, depending on whether the project involves more quantitative than qualitative research. In the hard sciences, the manuscript may be shorter still, often taking the form of a sophisticated laboratory report.

Who can write an honors thesis?

In general, students who are at the end of their junior year, have an overall 3.2 GPA, and meet their departmental requirements can write a senior thesis. For information about your eligibility, contact:

• UNC Honors Program
• Your departmental administrators of undergraduate studies/honors

Why write an honors thesis?

Satisfy your intellectual curiosity This is the most compelling reason to write a thesis. Whether it’s the short stories of Flannery O’Connor or the challenges of urban poverty, you’ve studied topics in college that really piqued your interest. Now’s your chance to follow your passions, explore further, and contribute some original ideas and research in your field.

Develop transferable skills Whether you choose to stay in your field of study or not, the process of developing and crafting a feasible research project will hone skills that will serve you well in almost any future job. After all, most jobs require some form of problem solving and oral and written communication. Writing an honors thesis requires that you:

• ask smart questions
• acquire the investigative instincts needed to find answers
• navigate libraries, laboratories, archives, databases, and other research venues
• develop the flexibility to redirect your research if your initial plan flops
• master the art of time management
• hone your argumentation skills
• organize a lengthy piece of writing
• polish your oral communication skills by presenting and defending your project to faculty and peers

Work closely with faculty mentors At large research universities like Carolina, you’ve likely taken classes where you barely got to know your instructor. Writing a thesis offers the opportunity to work one-on-one with a with faculty adviser. Such mentors can enrich your intellectual development and later serve as invaluable references for graduate school and employment.

Open windows into future professions An honors thesis will give you a taste of what it’s like to do research in your field. Even if you’re a sociology major, you may not really know what it’s like to be a sociologist. Writing a sociology thesis would open a window into that world. It also might help you decide whether to pursue that field in graduate school or in your future career.

How do you write an honors thesis?

Get an idea of what’s expected.

It’s a good idea to review some of the honors theses other students have submitted to get a sense of what an honors thesis might look like and what kinds of things might be appropriate topics. Look for examples from the previous year in the Carolina Digital Repository. You may also be able to find past theses collected in your major department or at the North Carolina Collection in Wilson Library. Pay special attention to theses written by students who share your major.

Choose a topic

Ideally, you should start thinking about topics early in your junior year, so you can begin your research and writing quickly during your senior year. (Many departments require that you submit a proposal for an honors thesis project during the spring of your junior year.)

How should you choose a topic?

• Read widely in the fields that interest you. Make a habit of browsing professional journals to survey the “hot” areas of research and to familiarize yourself with your field’s stylistic conventions. (You’ll find the most recent issues of the major professional journals in the periodicals reading room on the first floor of Davis Library).
• Set up appointments to talk with faculty in your field. This is a good idea, since you’ll eventually need to select an advisor and a second reader. Faculty also can help you start narrowing down potential topics.
• Look at honors theses from the past. The North Carolina Collection in Wilson Library holds UNC honors theses. To get a sense of the typical scope of a thesis, take a look at a sampling from your field.

What makes a good topic?

• It’s fascinating. Above all, choose something that grips your imagination. If you don’t, the chances are good that you’ll struggle to finish.
• It’s doable. Even if a topic interests you, it won’t work out unless you have access to the materials you need to research it. Also be sure that your topic is narrow enough. Let’s take an example: Say you’re interested in the efforts to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s and early 1980s. That’s a big topic that probably can’t be adequately covered in a single thesis. You need to find a case study within that larger topic. For example, maybe you’re particularly interested in the states that did not ratify the ERA. Of those states, perhaps you’ll select North Carolina, since you’ll have ready access to local research materials. And maybe you want to focus primarily on the ERA’s opponents. Beyond that, maybe you’re particularly interested in female opponents of the ERA. Now you’ve got a much more manageable topic: Women in North Carolina Who Opposed the ERA in the 1970s and 1980s.
• It contains a question. There’s a big difference between having a topic and having a guiding research question. Taking the above topic, perhaps your main question is: Why did some women in North Carolina oppose the ERA? You will, of course, generate other questions: Who were the most outspoken opponents? White women? Middle-class women? How did they oppose the ERA? Public protests? Legislative petitions? etc. etc. Yet it’s good to start with a guiding question that will focus your research.

Goal-setting and time management

The senior year is an exceptionally busy time for college students. In addition to the usual load of courses and jobs, seniors have the daunting task of applying for jobs and/or graduate school. These demands are angst producing and time consuming If that scenario sounds familiar, don’t panic! Do start strategizing about how to make a time for your thesis. You may need to take a lighter course load or eliminate extracurricular activities. Even if the thesis is the only thing on your plate, you still need to make a systematic schedule for yourself. Most departments require that you take a class that guides you through the honors project, so deadlines likely will be set for you. Still, you should set your own goals for meeting those deadlines. Here are a few suggestions for goal setting and time management:

Start early. Keep in mind that many departments will require that you turn in your thesis sometime in early April, so don’t count on having the entire spring semester to finish your work. Ideally, you’ll start the research process the semester or summer before your senior year so that the writing process can begin early in the fall. Some goal-setting will be done for you if you are taking a required class that guides you through the honors project. But any substantive research project requires a clear timetable.

Set clear goals in making a timetable. Find out the final deadline for turning in your project to your department. Working backwards from that deadline, figure out how much time you can allow for the various stages of production.

Here is a sample timetable. Use it, however, with two caveats in mind:

• The timetable for your thesis might look very different depending on your departmental requirements.
• You may not wish to proceed through these stages in a linear fashion. You may want to revise chapter one before you write chapter two. Or you might want to write your introduction last, not first. This sample is designed simply to help you start thinking about how to customize your own schedule.

Sample timetable

Avoid falling into the trap of procrastination. Once you’ve set goals for yourself, stick to them! For some tips on how to do this, see our handout on procrastination .

Consistent production

It’s a good idea to try to squeeze in a bit of thesis work every day—even if it’s just fifteen minutes of journaling or brainstorming about your topic. Or maybe you’ll spend that fifteen minutes taking notes on a book. The important thing is to accomplish a bit of active production (i.e., putting words on paper) for your thesis every day. That way, you develop good writing habits that will help you keep your project moving forward.

Make yourself accountable to someone other than yourself

Since most of you will be taking a required thesis seminar, you will have deadlines. Yet you might want to form a writing group or enlist a peer reader, some person or people who can help you stick to your goals. Moreover, if your advisor encourages you to work mostly independently, don’t be afraid to ask them to set up periodic meetings at which you’ll turn in installments of your project.

Brainstorming and freewriting

One of the biggest challenges of a lengthy writing project is keeping the creative juices flowing. Here’s where freewriting can help. Try keeping a small notebook handy where you jot down stray ideas that pop into your head. Or schedule time to freewrite. You may find that such exercises “free” you up to articulate your argument and generate new ideas. Here are some questions to stimulate freewriting.

Questions for basic brainstorming at the beginning of your project:

• What do I already know about this topic?
• Why do I care about this topic?
• Why is this topic important to people other than myself
• What more do I want to learn about this topic?
• What is the main question that I am trying to answer?
• Where can I look for additional information?
• Who is my audience and how can I reach them?
• How will my work inform my larger field of study?
• What’s the main goal of my research project?

Questions for reflection throughout your project:

• What’s my main argument? How has it changed since I began the project?
• What’s the most important evidence that I have in support of my “big point”?
• What questions do my sources not answer?
• How does my case study inform or challenge my field writ large?
• Does my project reinforce or contradict noted scholars in my field? How?
• What is the most surprising finding of my research?
• What is the most frustrating part of this project?
• What is the most rewarding part of this project?
• What will be my work’s most important contribution?

Research and note-taking

In conducting research, you will need to find both primary sources (“firsthand” sources that come directly from the period/events/people you are studying) and secondary sources (“secondhand” sources that are filtered through the interpretations of experts in your field.) The nature of your research will vary tremendously, depending on what field you’re in. For some general suggestions on finding sources, consult the UNC Libraries tutorials . Whatever the exact nature of the research you’re conducting, you’ll be taking lots of notes and should reflect critically on how you do that. Too often it’s assumed that the research phase of a project involves very little substantive writing (i.e., writing that involves thinking). We sit down with our research materials and plunder them for basic facts and useful quotations. That mechanical type of information-recording is important. But a more thoughtful type of writing and analytical thinking is also essential at this stage. Some general guidelines for note-taking:

First of all, develop a research system. There are lots of ways to take and organize your notes. Whether you choose to use note cards, computer databases, or notebooks, follow two cardinal rules:

• Make careful distinctions between direct quotations and your paraphrasing! This is critical if you want to be sure to avoid accidentally plagiarizing someone else’s work. For more on this, see our handout on plagiarism .
• Record full citations for each source. Don’t get lazy here! It will be far more difficult to find the proper citation later than to write it down now.

Keeping those rules in mind, here’s a template for the types of information that your note cards/legal pad sheets/computer files should include for each of your sources:

Abbreviated subject heading: Include two or three words to remind you of what this sources is about (this shorthand categorization is essential for the later sorting of your sources).

Complete bibliographic citation:

• author, title, publisher, copyright date, and page numbers for published works
• box and folder numbers and document descriptions for archival sources
• complete web page title, author, address, and date accessed for online sources

Notes on facts, quotations, and arguments: Depending on the type of source you’re using, the content of your notes will vary. If, for example, you’re using US Census data, then you’ll mainly be writing down statistics and numbers. If you’re looking at someone else’s diary, you might jot down a number of quotations that illustrate the subject’s feelings and perspectives. If you’re looking at a secondary source, you’ll want to make note not just of factual information provided by the author but also of their key arguments.

Your interpretation of the source: This is the most important part of note-taking. Don’t just record facts. Go ahead and take a stab at interpreting them. As historians Jacques Barzun and Henry F. Graff insist, “A note is a thought.” So what do these thoughts entail? Ask yourself questions about the context and significance of each source.

Interpreting the context of a source:

• Who wrote/created the source?
• When, and under what circumstances, was it written/created?
• Why was it written/created? What was the agenda behind the source?
• How was it written/created?
• If using a secondary source: How does it speak to other scholarship in the field?

Interpreting the significance of a source:

• How does this source answer (or complicate) my guiding research questions?
• Does it pose new questions for my project? What are they?
• Does it challenge my fundamental argument? If so, how?
• Given the source’s context, how reliable is it?

You don’t need to answer all of these questions for each source, but you should set a goal of engaging in at least one or two sentences of thoughtful, interpretative writing for each source. If you do so, you’ll make much easier the next task that awaits you: drafting.

The dread of drafting

Why do we often dread drafting? We dread drafting because it requires synthesis, one of the more difficult forms of thinking and interpretation. If you’ve been free-writing and taking thoughtful notes during the research phase of your project, then the drafting should be far less painful. Here are some tips on how to get started:

Sort your “evidence” or research into analytical categories:

• Some people file note cards into categories.
• The technologically-oriented among us take notes using computer database programs that have built-in sorting mechanisms.
• Others cut and paste evidence into detailed outlines on their computer.
• Still others stack books, notes, and photocopies into topically-arranged piles.There is not a single right way, but this step—in some form or fashion—is essential!

If you’ve been forcing yourself to put subject headings on your notes as you go along, you’ll have generated a number of important analytical categories. Now, you need to refine those categories and sort your evidence. Everyone has a different “sorting style.”

Formulate working arguments for your entire thesis and individual chapters. Once you’ve sorted your evidence, you need to spend some time thinking about your project’s “big picture.” You need to be able to answer two questions in specific terms:

• What is the overall argument of my thesis?
• What are the sub-arguments of each chapter and how do they relate to my main argument?

Keep in mind that “working arguments” may change after you start writing. But a senior thesis is big and potentially unwieldy. If you leave this business of argument to chance, you may end up with a tangle of ideas. See our handout on arguments and handout on thesis statements for some general advice on formulating arguments.

Divide your thesis into manageable chunks. The surest road to frustration at this stage is getting obsessed with the big picture. What? Didn’t we just say that you needed to focus on the big picture? Yes, by all means, yes. You do need to focus on the big picture in order to get a conceptual handle on your project, but you also need to break your thesis down into manageable chunks of writing. For example, take a small stack of note cards and flesh them out on paper. Or write through one point on a chapter outline. Those small bits of prose will add up quickly.

Just start! Even if it’s not at the beginning. Are you having trouble writing those first few pages of your chapter? Sometimes the introduction is the toughest place to start. You should have a rough idea of your overall argument before you begin writing one of the main chapters, but you might find it easier to start writing in the middle of a chapter of somewhere other than word one. Grab hold where you evidence is strongest and your ideas are clearest.

Keep up the momentum! Assuming the first draft won’t be your last draft, try to get your thoughts on paper without spending too much time fussing over minor stylistic concerns. At the drafting stage, it’s all about getting those ideas on paper. Once that task is done, you can turn your attention to revising.

Peter Elbow, in Writing With Power, suggests that writing is difficult because it requires two conflicting tasks: creating and criticizing. While these two tasks are intimately intertwined, the drafting stage focuses on creating, while revising requires criticizing. If you leave your revising to the last minute, then you’ve left out a crucial stage of the writing process. See our handout for some general tips on revising . The challenges of revising an honors thesis may include:

Juggling feedback from multiple readers

A senior thesis may mark the first time that you have had to juggle feedback from a wide range of readers:

• your adviser
• a second (and sometimes third) faculty reader
• the professor and students in your honors thesis seminar

You may feel overwhelmed by the prospect of incorporating all this advice. Keep in mind that some advice is better than others. You will probably want to take most seriously the advice of your adviser since they carry the most weight in giving your project a stamp of approval. But sometimes your adviser may give you more advice than you can digest. If so, don’t be afraid to approach them—in a polite and cooperative spirit, of course—and ask for some help in prioritizing that advice. See our handout for some tips on getting and receiving feedback .

Refining your argument

It’s especially easy in writing a lengthy work to lose sight of your main ideas. So spend some time after you’ve drafted to go back and clarify your overall argument and the individual chapter arguments and make sure they match the evidence you present.

Organizing and reorganizing

Again, in writing a 50-75 page thesis, things can get jumbled. You may find it particularly helpful to make a “reverse outline” of each of your chapters. That will help you to see the big sections in your work and move things around so there’s a logical flow of ideas. See our handout on  organization  for more organizational suggestions and tips on making a reverse outline

Plugging in holes in your evidence

It’s unlikely that you anticipated everything you needed to look up before you drafted your thesis. Save some time at the revising stage to plug in the holes in your research. Make sure that you have both primary and secondary evidence to support and contextualize your main ideas.

Saving time for the small stuff

Even though your argument, evidence, and organization are most important, leave plenty of time to polish your prose. At this point, you’ve spent a very long time on your thesis. Don’t let minor blemishes (misspellings and incorrect grammar) distract your readers!

Formatting and final touches

You’re almost done! You’ve researched, drafted, and revised your thesis; now you need to take care of those pesky little formatting matters. An honors thesis should replicate—on a smaller scale—the appearance of a dissertation or master’s thesis. So, you need to include the “trappings” of a formal piece of academic work. For specific questions on formatting matters, check with your department to see if it has a style guide that you should use. For general formatting guidelines, consult the Graduate School’s Guide to Dissertations and Theses . Keeping in mind the caveat that you should always check with your department first about its stylistic guidelines, here’s a brief overview of the final “finishing touches” that you’ll need to put on your honors thesis:

• Honors Thesis
• Name of Department
• University of North Carolina
• These parts of the thesis will vary in format depending on whether your discipline uses MLA, APA, CBE, or Chicago (also known in its shortened version as Turabian) style. Whichever style you’re using, stick to the rules and be consistent. It might be helpful to buy an appropriate style guide. Or consult the UNC LibrariesYear Citations/footnotes and works cited/reference pages  citation tutorial
• In addition, in the bottom left corner, you need to leave space for your adviser and faculty readers to sign their names. For example:

Approved by: _____________________

Adviser: Prof. Jane Doe

• This is not a required component of an honors thesis. However, if you want to thank particular librarians, archivists, interviewees, and advisers, here’s the place to do it. You should include an acknowledgments page if you received a grant from the university or an outside agency that supported your research. It’s a good idea to acknowledge folks who helped you with a major project, but do not feel the need to go overboard with copious and flowery expressions of gratitude. You can—and should—always write additional thank-you notes to people who gave you assistance.
• Formatted much like the table of contents.
• You’ll need to save this until the end, because it needs to reflect your final pagination. Once you’ve made all changes to the body of the thesis, then type up your table of contents with the titles of each section aligned on the left and the page numbers on which those sections begin flush right.
• Each page of your thesis needs a number, although not all page numbers are displayed. All pages that precede the first page of the main text (i.e., your introduction or chapter one) are numbered with small roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv, v, etc.). All pages thereafter use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.).
• Your text should be double spaced (except, in some cases, long excerpts of quoted material), in a 12 point font and a standard font style (e.g., Times New Roman). An honors thesis isn’t the place to experiment with funky fonts—they won’t enhance your work, they’ll only distract your readers.
• In general, leave a one-inch inch margin on all sides. However, for the copy of your thesis that will be bound by the library, you need to leave a 1.25-inch margin on the left.

How do I defend my honors thesis?

Graciously, enthusiastically, and confidently. The term defense is scary and misleading—it conjures up images of a military exercise or an athletic maneuver. An academic defense ideally shouldn’t be a combative scene but a congenial conversation about the work’s merits and weaknesses. That said, the defense probably won’t be like the average conversation that you have with your friends. You’ll be the center of attention. And you may get some challenging questions. Thus, it’s a good idea to spend some time preparing yourself. First of all, you’ll want to prepare 5-10 minutes of opening comments. Here’s a good time to preempt some criticisms by frankly acknowledging what you think your work’s greatest strengths and weaknesses are. Then you may be asked some typical questions:

• What is the main argument of your thesis?
• How does it fit in with the work of Ms. Famous Scholar?
• Have you read the work of Mr. Important Author?

NOTE: Don’t get too flustered if you haven’t! Most scholars have their favorite authors and books and may bring one or more of them up, even if the person or book is only tangentially related to the topic at hand. Should you get this question, answer honestly and simply jot down the title or the author’s name for future reference. No one expects you to have read everything that’s out there.

• Why did you choose this particular case study to explore your topic?
• If you were to expand this project in graduate school, how would you do so?

Should you get some biting criticism of your work, try not to get defensive. Yes, this is a defense, but you’ll probably only fan the flames if you lose your cool. Keep in mind that all academic work has flaws or weaknesses, and you can be sure that your professors have received criticisms of their own work. It’s part of the academic enterprise. Accept criticism graciously and learn from it. If you receive criticism that is unfair, stand up for yourself confidently, but in a good spirit. Above all, try to have fun! A defense is a rare opportunity to have eminent scholars in your field focus on YOU and your ideas and work. And the defense marks the end of a long and arduous journey. You have every right to be proud of your accomplishments!

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Atchity, Kenneth. 1986. A Writer’s Time: A Guide to the Creative Process from Vision Through Revision . New York: W.W. Norton.

Barzun, Jacques, and Henry F. Graff. 2012. The Modern Researcher , 6th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Elbow, Peter. 1998. Writing With Power: Techniques for Mastering the Writing Process . New York: Oxford University Press.

Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein. 2014. “They Say/I Say”: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing , 3rd ed. New York: W.W. Norton and Company.

Lamott, Anne. 1994. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life . New York: Pantheon.

Lasch, Christopher. 2002. Plain Style: A Guide to Written English. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.

Turabian, Kate. 2018. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, Dissertations , 9th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Lee Honors College

Honors thesis handbook.

The honors thesis is a long-standing tradition in honors programs and colleges, including the Lee Honors College at Western Michigan University. An honors thesis is defined as an original work of undergraduate research or creative scholarship completed by an undergraduate honors student. Completing an honors thesis is required in order to graduate from the Lee Honors College. More importantly, your honors thesis is an opportunity to demonstrate what you are capable of contributing to your chosen field rather than just what you know. Examples of honors theses include senior engineering design projects, creative works of fiction, original documentaries, novel educational curricula, original performances or works of art, and traditional research papers. 

Your honors thesis will be published online in ScholarWorks alongside your fellow Lee Honors College graduates dating back to the 1960s. Publication allows you to use this accomplishment to market yourself to future employers and graduate schools. Your thesis title and thesis mentor will be listed on your official university transcript. 

Please note that this handbook is a generalized overview designed to support honors students enrolled in all majors at the university. More detailed information may always be obtained by attending a thesis workshop and/or meeting with an honors advisor. 

PLEASE NOTE: Students with majors in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (except for graphic and printing sciences), graphic design, product design and data science may use their senior design projects for their honors theses. Applicable students will need to refer to specific instructions received via email during their senior year to count their projects as their honors theses. Please also see the ‘creative works and group projects’ section below in Step 9. 

Steps and Timeline

Step 1: Attend a thesis information workshop (during sophomore year) 

Workshops are facilitated by honors advisors and designed to help you learn the process of completing an honors thesis specific to your major and help you begin thinking about potential topics and faculty mentors. 

Step 2: Enroll in your thesis preparation course (varies by major)

Most honors students will enroll in HNRS 4980: How and Why to Write an Honors Thesis, but some academic programs have approved substitutions for HNRS 4980. A full list can be found on the honors college requirements page of the website. Students required to enroll in HNRS 4980 should complete the course by the end of their junior year. This course is designed to prepare you to begin your thesis and counts toward your honors course credit hour requirement. 

Step 3: Select a thesis topic (during the junior year)

It is never too early to begin thinking about a thesis topic! Ideally, the thesis topic should be chosen early in the junior year for most majors. Please note that students majoring in biology, biomedical sciences, chemistry, physics and psychology should meet with faculty in their department about gaining access to a research lab to complete their thesis and NOT select a topic on their own. 

When thinking about potential thesis topics, ask yourself: 

What interests me about my major?

What areas of expertise do my department’s faculty have?

What project will most effectively demonstrate my education, skills and abilities to future employers and/or graduate schools?

What skills do I possess (e.g., bilingualism, video editing, graphic design) that could help make my project more unique?

What project is robust enough to help leverage it as an honors graduate AND practical to complete within my degree plan?

What projects are published in ScholarWorks written by students in my or similar majors?

If I plan to pursue a career or graduate school outside of my major, what thesis project could allow me to demonstrate my ability to successfully transition outside my major?

What experiences have I had in classes, internships, study abroad, etc., that I can incorporate into my thesis?

Do not worry if your ideas are still a bit nebulous when you proceed to step three. It may be helpful to schedule an appointment to discuss your ideas and questions with an honors college administrator or advisor. 

Step 4: Choose your thesis committee chair (in your junior year)

With a thesis topic in mind, the next step is to find a thesis committee chair (also referred to as the thesis mentor or advisor). The thesis chair should have significant expertise not just in your general program of study, but in an area closely related to the topic you have chosen for your honors thesis.

*Note: The thesis chair must be a full-time faculty member at WMU, and may not be a family member, even if they are full-time WMU faculty.

There are many ways to find a thesis chair. It may be a faculty member from a course you took; or it may be a professor you identify through looking up their research interests, work, and publications that align with your interests (look at their profiles on departmental websites). Also check ScholarWorks to see which faculty have served as chairs for prior students. Another option is to schedule an appointment with an honors advisor to see if they can help you find an appropriate honors thesis chair or introduce you to a faculty member you found by searching the internet. Hint: Faculty will be the most receptive to students who are professional and well prepared.

How to reach out to a faculty member:

Office hours.

After or before class if you are currently one of their students.

Networking – use connections such as peers, graduate students, or individuals in the honors college to help introduce you to a faculty member.

When deciding on a thesis committee chair remember that this is a long-term professional working relationship. Below are some things to consider when choosing a thesis committee chair:

Expertise/Knowledge: a faculty member need not be the world’s expert on the exact topic of all aspects of your thesis. Below are some areas of expertise that a chair could help with.

Discipline expertise – familiarity with the discipline, ideas, theories, or concepts you are using.

Area/Location/Population expertise – familiarity with the place and people you may work with.

Methods/Skills – familiarity with how you will go about doing your thesis.

Availability: how available do you need your chair to be for you?

Busy – faculty can often be quite busy. If they are up for tenure, in demand for guest lectures, or travel often, these can limit the amount of time they have available for you.

Graduate and honors students – if a faculty has a large number of graduate or honors students, that they have already agreed to work with, this will also cut into the amount of time they are available.

Communication/Working Relationship:

Hard to know beforehand but knowing what type of working relationship you want with your committee chair may help you decide.

A good working relationship or ability to communicate will make the whole thesis process much smoother.

Note: a good working relationship is also important as your thesis committee chair will be a prime candidate to write you letters of recommendation for future endeavors (graduate school or job applications).

Make sure that your first contact, whether by email, or an in-person appointment, leaves a good impression. Be on time for your appointment, and if you must reschedule, do so early - do not be a no-show! Keep in mind that faculty are very busy, and certain times of the semester may not be ideal to set up a meeting with them, especially if they do not know you.

Prepare to demonstrate that you have done preliminary research on your topic by reading some textbooks, journal articles or other scholarly or artistic materials. Be ready to discuss what you are interested in and why you think this faculty member would be a good fit. The more prepared and enthusiastic you are about your potential project, the more likely it is that a busy faculty member will want to take the time to serve as your thesis chair! Also, be open-minded in your discussions. It may be that your topic will be difficult to research, or that there is already a great deal of work that has been done in that area. A potential thesis chair might suggest some other ideas for a thesis topic – listen to these and consider them carefully (you are coming to them for their expertise, after all), but do make sure that you settle on a topic that is interesting to you, as well as to your thesis chair.

Step 5: Submit your thesis declaration form (in your junior year)

Ideally, you should submit this form at least three semesters before you intend to graduate. You can find it in the forms section of the honors college website. 

To submit your declaration form, you will need a less-than-one-page description of your project that has been approved by a full-time faculty member who has agreed to serve as your thesis chair. Your thesis declaration form will either be approved or recommended for amendment by the honors college; this decision will be communicated to you and your thesis chair via WMU email.  

Recommendation for amendment usually occurs for one of three reasons: (1) questions or concerns exist regarding institutional compliance; (2) the proposed thesis chair is not a full-time WMU faculty member, or is ineligible to serve as chair for some other reason; or (3) the thesis topic is not sufficient in scope with respect to your field of study and/or honors standards. You will be informed what the problems are that must be addressed before the proposal can be reconsidered and are encouraged to make an appointment to come in to the honors college if you need more information.  

On the declaration form, you will be asked four compliance questions relating to the following: 1) will you be collecting data from humans; 2) will you be using vertebrate animals; 3) will you be using recombinant DNA; and 4) will your project be funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) or National Institutes of Health (NIH). Below is more information on each.   

The WMU Institutional Review Board (IRB) is responsible for oversight of all research related to human subjects. This includes the use of surveys, even if they are completely anonymous. If you write a thesis that needs WMU-IRB approval, and you have not received it before you begin your research, the study is invalid and the thesis must be destroyed. This is also a research ethics violation which may subject you to discipline by The Office of Student Conduct. This is a federal, not a University or honors college regulation. Only the WMU-IRB can determine whether approval is required, and only the WMU-IRB can grant approval for research that involves people. If there is any question that your proposed research might need WMU-IRB approval, you should check with your thesis chair, an honors advisor, or directly contact the WMU-IRB before you proceed with your work. CITI training is a required set of modules that all researchers must complete before beginning IRB-approved research and will be extremely helpful to prepare you for the IRB process. Depending on the population you would like to study and the methodology you have chosen there are varying levels of IRB review, so please be sure to submit early in the process and not collect ANY data prior to approval. If your research changes after you have received IRB approval, you may need to update your IRB protocol or submit a new one. More information is available on the WMU-IRB website .

If your project involves animals, you must contact the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) at (269) 387-4484.  Only the IACUC can grant approval for research that involves animals. Further information on conducting research with animals is available on the animal care website . 

If your project involves the use of recombinant or synthetic DNA, or microbiological agents and their products, or life sciences research, you must contact the Institutional Biosafety Committee (WMU-IBC) at (269) 387-8293. Further information on conducting research with any of the materials listed above can be found on the biosafety website .

Check with your thesis chair to make sure you are aware if your project will receive any funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) or the National Institutes of Health (NIH). 

When you complete your thesis declaration form, you will answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the above questions. You do NOT have to be approved by the respective compliance offices prior to submitting the thesis declaration form.  

Step 6: Choose additional committee members (in your junior year)

In addition to the honors thesis chair, you must select at least one, ideally two, other expert(s) to serve on your committee. You should consult with your thesis chair regarding possible members of your committee soon after you choose a topic. The committee members need not be WMU faculty but should have expertise relevant to your topic of study. When deciding who will be a good committee member, discuss with your thesis chair how the potential member would add to your project, provide diversity of thought, or provide expertise outside of that possessed by your chair. The committee could include faculty from the same or another department or college at WMU, faculty from another institution, graduate students, WMU staff, or members of the broader community. Note that your committee may NOT be comprised of only a faculty member and a graduate student who is advised or supervised by that faculty member. Also note that you may NOT include family members, partners or significant others on your committee. If you wish to include a graduate student advised or supervised by your thesis chair, you may do so, but you must then select an additional committee member who does not work in the research group of your thesis chair. 

Step 7: Register for HNRS 4990: Honors College Thesis (for the semester you plan to defend your thesis)

Most honors students will enroll in HNRS 4990: Honors College Thesis, but some academic programs have approved substitutions for HNRS 4990. A full list can be found on the honors college requirements page . Honors students must enroll in and complete at least one credit (up to a maximum of three credits) of HNRS 4990: Honors College Thesis, or an approved substitute, prior to graduation. This course must be completed the semester you plan to defend your thesis, and not before. This course counts toward the Experiential portion of the honors credit hour requirement. The thesis chair serves as instructor of record for your credit(s), which means that the thesis chair will be responsible for assigning the grade for your work on your honors thesis. 

In order to be registered for HNRS 4990, you must complete and submit the HNRS 4990 registration form at least one week prior to the semester in which you wish to enroll in the course . 

Please note! If HNRS 4990 credits are being used to meet your minimum credits required for university graduation, you must successfully complete and defend your thesis by commencement to graduate on time. Be sure to discuss HNRS 4990 credits with your academic college advisor when applying for your graduation audit. 

Step 8: Submit your thesis defense certificate request form (at least one month before thesis defense)

Once you have decided on a thesis defense date, you should submit your thesis defense certificate request form . This form must be filed at least 30 days before your thesis defense. This form includes your final thesis title as you would like it to appear on graduation materials, your intended date of graduation, the date you will defend your thesis and names of your committee members. We strongly encourage all students to defend during Thesis Celebration Days, which are held in the honors college at the end of each fall and spring semester. The defense request form will be used by the honors college staff to record your thesis title for graduation, to advertise your thesis defense and to generate a packet of materials for your thesis committee. Your packet will be delivered to you via email and should be taken to your defense to be completed by your committee members, and then returned to the honors college according to the instructions included in the packet.

Step 9: Defend your thesis (before you graduate)

We recommend that you defend your thesis at least one semester before you intend to graduate, but most honors graduates defend during their final semester. You MUST defend before you graduate, or you will not graduate from the Lee Honors College.

You should make sure that your whole committee has a final version of your written thesis at least one week, (preferably two), before your defense so that they have plenty of time to review it. You should plan for your defense to take about an hour– check with your thesis committee in advance. Rooms are reserved for one hour during the Thesis Celebration Days at the honors college. If your committee anticipates that more than one hour will be needed for your defense, please make certain that your room is available or make plans to continue the closed-door portion of your defense in another location.

The defense consists of three parts: 

An oral presentation of your work, open to the public; 

A public question and answer session; 

A closed-door oral examination with your thesis committee. 

The oral presentation typically consists of a 15-20 minute overview of your thesis work. In the sciences, social sciences, business and education, this is generally a PowerPoint or Prezi presentation including a description of the motivation for your work, a summary of related work, the approach you used, the results obtained, your conclusions and their significance. In the humanities, this might include a reading from your original paper. Engineering and the fine arts defenses are typically handled a little differently (see below). 

After you complete your presentation, allow 5-15 minutes for questions from the public audience. Following this period, your committee (at a minimum, your thesis chair and one committee member must be present for the exam) will conduct a closed-door oral examination. Many students are very worried about the oral exam – don’t be! This is your chance to show off your knowledge, discuss what you might have done differently in retrospect and what you would do if you were to continue this project, for example, as a graduate student. 

Engineering Students: College of Engineering and Applied Sciences students typically use their senior design project as the honors thesis and the presentation given at the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences Senior Design Day will serve as a substitute for the oral defense. Engineering students may also choose to present their work during the Thesis Celebration Days. In this case, the committee does not need to be present and no oral examination follows the presentation.

Fine Arts Students: BFA students in curricula in the College of Fine Arts typically review their creative work and artifacts such as portfolios and/or recordings with their committee during their oral defense because their public portion is typically a recital, performance or exhibit that occurs at a separate time. 

Creative Works and Group Projects: A brief reflection paper is required for creative works and group projects. For creative works, this paper should address why you made the choices you made for your creative project and a self-evaluation of the final product along with any other information you wish to include, as well as any additional writing required by your thesis advisor. For group projects, this paper should address the role you played in the group project, how your own education, experiences and contributions are demonstrated in the final copy, as well as any additional writing required by your thesis advisor.

Step 10: Submit your final approved thesis

After your successful thesis defense, your committee may recommend some further revisions to your written thesis. You have 30 days after you graduate to turn in your final, revised and approved thesis. The thesis and the abstract should be submitted electronically as a PDF or MP3, MP4 or WAV file, together with a signed copy of each of the documents in your thesis packet (completed and signed ScholarWorks agreement and signed defense certificate). For detailed instructions on the submission of your final thesis project, please read carefully the instruction sheet included in your defense packet. 

Note: For some students, research conducted for the honors thesis contains proprietary information that cannot be released to the general public. In that case, the final thesis should be submitted via the regular process laid out above, but students should select the appropriate level of publication visibility as described in the ScholarWorks agreement included in the thesis packet. If you have questions about the ScholarWorks form, please contact Jennifer Townsend . 

A cautionary note! Please consult with your thesis chair before responding to any requests from publishers or conferences regarding your honors thesis. Predatory publishers send unsolicited requests for articles, may send false information about their journals and typically charge large fees to authors. Likewise, sham conference organizers will send targeted emails asking for abstract or article contributions with substantial submission fees. 

Questions? Schedule an honors thesis advising appointment . 

Thesis Checklist

Now that you've carefully and thoroughly read through the thesis handbook, bookmark or print out this handy thesis checklist to help keep you on track during your thesis process!

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The honors thesis is a project of research, scholarship, or creative activity completed by an honors student under the mentorship of a thesis adviser, a faculty member of the student's choice whose area of expertise relates directly to the subject matter of the thesis. 

Upon its completion and approval, a student's honors thesis is published in Augusta University's scholarly commons library repository . The honors program will also pay for the binding of two copies, one given to the student and one housed in the Quad Wall Building.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long does the thesis sequence take, when may i begin working on the thesis sequence.

Students who plan to graduate in four years typically begin working on the Thesis sequence at the end of the sophomore year or the start of the junior year. Those who begin during their junior year typically complete the sequence in consecutive semesters, while those who start earlier often have the option of taking a research semester. 

What help will I get in composing my Thesis?

All Thesis writers will be assisted by at least three faculty members: •    A Thesis adviser, chosen by the student •    An in-field reader, also chosen by the student •    An HP chair chosen by the honors program The roles of these panel members are detailed in the Prospectus & Thesis Manual

How best should I prepare to begin the Thesis sequence?

May i take prospectus, thesis, or capstone during the summer, must i take thesis the semester directly after i take prospectus, may i be enrolled in capstone if i have not yet finished my thesis, may i take thesis and capstone concurrently, project proposal forms & links, project proposal - honr 2999h.

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Prospectus Semester Forms

Prospectus - honr 3999h.

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Thesis Semester Forms

Thesis - honr 4000h.

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For use if carrying a grade of INCOMPLETE in HONR 4000H

• Post-HONR 4000H thesis Progress Five-Week Report Form (if necessary)
• Post-HONR 4000H thesis Progress Ten-Week Report Form (if necessary)

Capstone Forms

Capstone - honr 4500h, application for honors program graduation.

The graduation application must be submitted to the Augusta University Registrar as well as to the Director of the Honors Program by midterm of the term preceding your final semester of coursework. Remember to keep a copy for your personal records.

Honors Program Application    Honors Scholar Application

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Thesis overview.

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For May 2024 graduates, approved theses are due by April 26th, in Quest. For August 2024 graduates, approved theses are due by August 31st, in Quest. For December 2024 graduates, approved theses are due by December 6th, in Quest.

Your Honors thesis represents the culmination of your Honors academic career. When you are finished, you will have produced something that is a unique contribution to your field. While you will work with multiple people who will support your efforts, your thesis is your own . For many students, the thesis is the first time they have attempted a project of this scale, so it should be viewed as a learning experience —no one starts out knowing how to do a thesis!

Depending on your major and your academic and professional plans, your thesis may consist of a traditional research project, piece of scholarship , or a creative product . The exact requirements (such as format or page length) are set by major departments and Honors advisors, and your thesis must include some written document that will be submitted to the Honors Program via the Quest system and must be approved by the thesis supervisor and Honors advisor.

Required thesis submission – All graduating Honors students are required to submit the final version of your Honors thesis/project , after all updates have been made, in the Quest system for approval from your thesis supervisor and Honors advisor.  Please allow time for approval of your thesis supervisor and Honors advisor by the deadline above based on your graduation date.

Other requirements

Graduation as an Honors Scholar requires at least 3 Honors credits toward your thesis. These credits may be through independent study or some other course in your major; you and your Honors advisor will designate your thesis credits on your Honors Scholar Preliminary and Final Plans of Study. Some departments require more than 3 thesis credits , typically in the form of a two-semester sequence. Check with your major Honors advisor on your thesis requirements.

You will designate a thesis supervisor to mentor you through your project. This information, along with your thesis title and abstract, will be included in your Honors Thesis Plan by your final semester, but you should establish this relationship much further in advance.

Thesis support

If you have questions about the thesis process, talk with your Honors advisor—they will have the most accurate information for your major. You can also contact Dr. Jaclyn Chancey , Enrichment Programs Director for Curriculum, Assessment, and Planning.

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Selecting a Topic for the Thesis

Researching and writing an Honors thesis is a significant commitment of time and effort, so choose a topic that will keep your interest over two semesters. The finished product is NOT a term paper– this is a much more substantial work that must satisfy the genre expectations of a thesis.

Selecting a Thesis Director and a Second Reader:

You must select a member of the faculty to serve as Thesis Director to help guide you through the process, including topic formation, research, writing, and revision. You must ask the Thesis Director to serve in this role before applying. It is critical to maintain close contact with your Director throughout the thesis process. See How to Select a Thesis Director for tips if you do not have someone in mind already.

You may also select a faculty member to serve as the Second Reader , or a second expert in your field who will review your thesis content – this assignment is optional. With an interdisciplinary thesis, the Second Reader may provide additional content expertise. You will work with your Thesis Director and HONS 3300/4300 Instructor to choose a Second Reader during your first semester in the Thesis Program.

Upon completing the thesis, your Director (and Second Reader, if chosen) will sign the title page, indicating approval of the work.

Potential thesis students must meet with the HONS 3300 Instructor and an Honors Thesis Advisor before submitting an application.

In order to participate in the Honors Thesis Program, students must meet the following eligibility requirements:

Honors thesis students must be Honors students in good standing.

Honors thesis students must be in their final two semesters prior to graduation to write a thesis.

Honors thesis students must have a viable thesis topic and Thesis Director before they submit the application to the Honors Thesis Program.

Honors students planning to apply to the Honors Thesis Program should submit the application by the end of the long semester (Fall or Spring) immediately preceding their first semester in the program; thus, the end of their 3rd to last long semester.  Contact Beth Scheckel ( [email protected] ) to request the link to the thesis application.

Rules and Requirements:

Honors thesis students must take HONS 3300 and HONS 4300 in consecutive semesters.

Honors thesis students must meet all deadlines by the official semester add date in order to stay in HONS 3300 and 4300.

Honors thesis students must meet all HONS 3300 deadlines in order to continue in HONS 4300. Permission to take HONS 4300 will be granted at the Instructor's discretion.

Honors thesis students must complete the thesis in two semesters.

Permission to take HONS 3300 or HONS 4300 during the summer will be granted rarely on a case-by-case basis.

Thesis students must maintain frequent and productive contact with their Thesis Directors.

In order to graduate with Highest Honors, each thesis must meet the general standards of publication in the appropriate academic discipline.

In order to graduate with Highest Honors, each thesis must have signed approval from the following: 

Thesis Director, Second Reader, HONS 3300/4300 Instructor, Honors College Dean.

Conducting Thesis Research:

Honors thesis students may complete an Honors thesis based on their URS research.

Responsible Research: Guidelines of responsible research must be followed (e.g. using reputable sources, citing all sources, and never plagiarizing). You must also follow all safety regulations required by the university, lab, or director. Students conducting research with human subjects must receive approval from the Institutional Review Board through TTU's Human Research Protection Program. Click ­here for more information on responsible conduct of research [link to that section of the Handbook].

Ensuring Original Research:  The thesis must contain original research. You are expected to produce some new insights or interpretations on the topic investigated. The Thesis Director can help you in determining the direction of your research.

Writing for Multiple Audiences: All theses should contain sufficient contextual information so a non-specialist reader will understand the content and significance of the research. Students often use research completed for a scholarly journal article as the foundation, but they must build on this content so that the HONS 3300/4300 Instructor and the Honors College Dean, who are likely not experts in the student's chosen academic field, may properly evaluate the thesis. Those students who wish to submit their theses for publication after graduation can work with their mentors to remove contextual information that is not appropriate for a journal in their field.

Producing a Thesis: Quality is more important than quantity, but the thesis should thoroughly cover your topic and include required elements defining your scholarly documents as a thesis (as opposed to a basic research paper). Keep in mind that an Honors thesis is the outcome of two three-credit, upper-level Honors courses, and the work should reflect that.

Turning in the Thesis: A final copy of the Honors thesis (with title page signed by the Thesis Director and the Second Reader) will be submitted to the HONS 3300/4300 Instructor, who will either sign off on it or send it back to the student for additional revisions. Once the HONS 3300/4300 Instructor approves the thesis, she will send it to the Honors College Dean, who has final say on whether the Thesis is acceptable and has met the College's standard of graduating with Highest Honors. Thesis students must provide an electronic copy of the thesis in Microsoft Word format to the Thesis Coordinator. This copy will be uploaded to the TTU Library's thesis archive.

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All Honors Students end their program with an Honors Thesis: a sustained, independent research project in a student’s field of study. Your thesis must count for at least 4 credits (some majors require that the thesis be completed over 2 semesters, and some require more than 4 credits). The thesis is an opportunity to work on unique research under the guidance of a faculty advisor. It often provides a writing sample for graduate school, and is also something you can share with employers to show what kind of work you can do. 

What is an Honors thesis?

Most of your work in college involves learning information and ideas generated by other people. When you write a thesis, you are engaging with previous work, but also adding new knowledge to your field. That means you have to know what's already been done--what counts as established knowledge; what's the current state of research; what methods and kinds of evidence are acceptable; what debates are going on. (Usually, you'll recount that knowledge in a review of the literature.) Then, you need to form a research question that you can answer given your available skills, resources, and time  (so, not "What is love?" but "How are ideas about love different between college freshmen and seniors?"). With your advisor, you'll plan the method you will use to answer it, which might involve lab work, field work, surveys, interviews, secondary research, textual analysis, or something else--it will depend upon your question and your field. Once your research is carried out, you'll write a substantial paper (usually 20-50 pages) according to the standards of your field.

What do theses look like?

The exact structure will vary by discipline, and your thesis advisor should provide you with an outline. As a rough guideline, we would expect to see something like the following:

1. Introduction 2. Review of the literature 3. Methods 4. Results 5. Analysis 6. Conclusion 7. Bibliography or works cited

In 2012 we began digitally archiving Honors theses. Students are encouraged to peruse the Honors Thesis Repository to see what past students' work has looked like. Use the link below and type your major in the search field on the left to find relevant examples. Older Honors theses are available in the Special Collections & Archives department at Dimond Library. 

Browse Previous Theses

Will my thesis count as my capstone?

Most majors accept an Honors Thesis as fulfilling the Capstone requirement. However, there are exceptions. In some majors, the thesis counts as a major elective, and in a few, it is an elective that does not fulfill major requirements. Your major advisor and your Honors advisor can help you figure out how your thesis will count. Please note that while in many majors the thesis counts as the capstone, the converse does not necessarily apply. There are many capstone experiences that do not take the form of an Honors thesis. 

Can I do a poster and presentation for my thesis?

No. While you do need to present your thesis (see below), a poster and presentation are not a thesis. 

How do I choose my thesis advisor?

The best thesis advisor is an experienced researcher, familiar with disciplinary standards for research and writing, with expertise in your area of interest. You might connect with a thesis advisor during Honors-in-Major coursework, but Honors Liaisons  can assist students who are having trouble identifying an advisor. You should approach and confirm your thesis advisor before the semester in which your research will begin.

What if I need funds for my research?

The  Hamel Center for Undergraduate Research  offers research grants, including summer support. During the academic year, students registered in credit-bearing thesis courses may apply for an  Undergraduate Research Award for up to $600 in research expenses (no stipend).  Students who are not otherwise registered in a credit-bearing course for their thesis research may enroll in INCO 790: Advanced Research Experience, which offers up to $200 for research expenses.

What if I need research materials for a lengthy period?

No problem! Honors Students can access Extended Time borrowing privileges at Dimond Library, which are otherwise reserved for faculty and graduate students. Email [email protected] with note requesting “extended borrowing privileges” and we'll work with the Library to extend your privileges.

Can I get support to stay on track?

Absolutely! Thesis-writers have an opportunity to join a support group during the challenging and sometimes isolating period of writing a thesis. Learn more about thesis support here .

When should I complete my thesis?

Register for a Senior Honors Thesis course (often numbered 799) in the spring and/or fall of your Senior year.

This “course” is an independent study, overseen by your Thesis Advisor. Your advisor sets the standards, due dates, and grades for your project. It must earn at least a B in order to qualify for Honors.

What happens with my completed thesis?

Present your thesis.

All students must publicly present their research prior to graduation. Many present at the  Undergraduate Research Conference  in April; other departmentally-approved public events are also acceptable.

Publish your thesis:

Honors students are asked to make their thesis papers available on  scholars.unh.edu/honors/ . This creates a resource for future students and other researchers, and also helps students professionalize their online personas.

These theses are publicly available online. If a student or their advisor prefers not to make the work available, they may upload an abstract and/or excerpts from the work instead.

Students may also publish research in  Inquiry , UNH's undergraduate research journal.

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A Distinctive Achievement Honors Thesis

As a Schreyer Scholar, you are required to complete an undergraduate honors thesis as the culmination of your honors experience. The goal of the thesis is to demonstrate a command of relevant scholastic work and to make a personal contribution to that scholarship.

Your thesis project can take many forms — from laboratory experiments all the way to artistic creations. Your thesis document captures the relevant background, methods, and techniques and describes the details of the completion of the individual project.

Two Penn State faculty members evaluate and approve your thesis — a thesis supervisor and an honors adviser in your area of honors.

Planning is Key Project Guide

The thesis is, by design, your most ambitious undertaking as a Scholar.

A successful thesis requires a viable proposal, goal-setting, time management, and interpersonal skills on top of the disciplinary skills associated with your intended area of honors. This guide will walk you through the thesis process. Keep in mind, though, that your honors adviser and thesis supervisor are your key resources.

Planning A Thesis

An ideal thesis project should:

• Satisfy your intellectual curiosity
• Give you the opportunity to work closely with faculty
• Develop transferable skills
• Clarify your post-graduation plans

The single biggest factor in determining thesis quality is your level of interest in and engagement with the topic, so consider multiple possibilities rather than selecting the first one that seems attractive to you.

From the perspective of the Schreyer Honors College, the purpose of the thesis experience is to develop your intellectual and professional identity in the field and to help you think about your future.

Once complete, the purpose of the thesis is to advance knowledge, understanding, or creative value in its field.

Lab-Based Research Fields

We recommend avoiding the temptation to stick with your first lab placement merely out of convenience if the topic is not interesting to you. The quality of your thesis is truly dependent on the depth of your interest and the energy behind your curiosity. Your intellectual engagement is the thing that will carry you through what may at times feel like a long and sometimes difficult process.

A Thesis Needs A Thesis

A thesis is problem-oriented and identifies something of importance whose answer or best interpretation is not fully known or agreed-upon by people who make their careers in the field, and it proceeds towards the answer or best interpretation. Even with a creative or performance thesis, the purpose is not to demonstrate technical ability (writing, painting, acting, composing, etc.), but to express something you think is worth expressing and hasn't been fully expressed already.

Identifying a Topic

An interest can come from anywhere, but the problem that defines a thesis can only come from a thorough acquaintance with "the literature," the accumulated knowledge or creative value in your field.

By speaking with faculty (preferably more than one) and reading professional journals (again, more than one), you not only get a "crowd-sourced" sense of what is important, you also get a sense of what the open questions are. This is where you start to strike a balance between ambition and feasibility.

Feasibility & Realistic Ambition

You might want to come up with the definitive explanation for Rome's decline and fall, or the cure for cancer. There is strong evidence — several thousand prior theses — that your honors thesis will not accomplish anything on that scale. This realization might be disheartening, but it is an introduction to the reality of modern scholarship: Knowledge almost always moves incrementally and the individual units of knowledge production and dissemination (theses, journal articles, books, etc.) are only rarely revolutionary in isolation. This is part of what the thesis experience will test for you — whether or not you want to continue via graduate school in that kind of slow-moving enterprise.

The feasibility of a given thesis problem is bounded, as mathematicians might say, by several factors.

The honors thesis should not extend your time at Penn State by design. There are circumstances where you might defer graduation to complete your thesis, but that should not be your initial plan.

Resources are a potential issue in that even a comprehensive and well-funded university like Penn State does not have the physical infrastructure for every possible kind of research. The expense of ambitious off-campus research, such as a comparative study requiring visits to several countries, can easily exceed our funding abilities. If you expect to incur more than $300 in expenses, you should get commitments from your department and academic college before proceeding.

Proposal, Supervisor & Area of Honors

Thesis proposal.

The thesis proposal is due at the end of your third year, assuming you're on a four-year path to graduation. File your Thesis Proposal with the Schreyer Honors College via the Student Records System (SRS) . The end-of-third-year requirement is from the Honors College, but your major may expect a much earlier commitment so be sure to talk to your honors adviser as early as your second year about this. The thesis proposal needs the following things:

• Supervision
• A Working Title
• Purpose/Objective
• Intended Outcome
• How do you intend to earn honors credit?
• How often do you plan to meet with your supervisor?
• Will your thesis satisfy other requirements?
• Does your thesis involve working with human, animals, or biohazardous materials or radioactive isotopes?

The Honors College staff does not review the content of the proposal, so the intended audience is your thesis supervisor and the honors adviser in your intended area of honors.

Thesis Supervisor

Your thesis supervisor is the professor who has primary responsibility for supervising your thesis.

Ideally your thesis supervisor will be the single most appropriate person for your thesis in the whole university, or at least at your whole campus, in terms of specialization and, where relevant, resources. How far you can stray from that ideal depends on the nature of the thesis. If specific lab resources are needed then you cannot stray too far, but if general intellectual mentoring is the extent of the required supervision then you have more flexibility, including the flexibility to choose a topic that does not align closely with the supervisor's specialization.

Apart from a professor being unavailable for or declining your project, the biggest reason to consider bypassing the "single most appropriate person" is that you have doubts about whether you would get along with them. Do not put too much stock in second-hand information about a professor, but if after meeting him or her you have concerns then you should certainly consider continuing your search.

Area of Honors

Thesis honors adviser.

An honors adviser from the area in which you are pursuing honors must read and approve your thesis. If the thesis supervisor and thesis honors adviser are the same person, you must find a second eligible faculty member from your area of honors to read and approve your thesis.

Multiple Majors

If you have more than one major, you can do the following:

• Pick one major and write a thesis for honors solely in that major
• Pick a topic that can legitimately earn honors in both majors. This will be considered interdisciplinary .
• Write multiple theses, one for honors in each major

The first scenario is the most common, followed by the second depending on how closely related the majors are. You can also pick a non-major area of honors.

Second- and Third-Year Entrants (including Paterno Fellows)

If you were admitted to the Honors College after your first year or via the Liberal Arts Paterno Fellows program, you are expected to write your thesis for honors in your entrance major. You do have the right to pursue honors elsewhere, for instance in a concurrent major for which you were not admitted to the Honors College, but there is no guarantee of approval.

Topic, Not Professor

Typically, the area of honors suggested by the topic aligns with the professor's affiliation, as when you seek honors in history based on a history thesis supervised by a professor of history. But if the supervisor happens to be a professor of literature, you are still able to pursue honors in history based on the substance and methodology of the thesis.

This is especially worth remembering in the life sciences, where faculty expertise is spread among many different departments and colleges. As always, the honors adviser in the intended area of honors is the gatekeeper for whether a given thesis topic and supervisor are acceptable.

From Proposal to Thesis

Timetable & benchmarks.

The thesis proposal does not require a timetable, but you and your supervisor should have a clear idea of how much you should accomplish on a monthly basis all the way through completion. Not all of those monthly benchmarks will be actual written work; for many Schreyer Scholars the write-up will not come until toward the end. If you fall behind during the earlier part of the thesis timeline, it will be difficult if not impossible to make up that ground later.

Regular Meetings with Your Thesis Supervisor

You should take proactive steps against procrastination by making yourself accountable to someone other than yourself. Scheduling regular meetings (or e-mailing regular updates) with your thesis supervisor — even if you are working in the same lab routinely — is the best way to do that. You should also regularly update your thesis honors adviser.

Think ahead, preferably well before the time of your thesis proposal, about what your thesis work will mean for your fourth-year schedule. This is especially important if you have a significant capstone requirement like student teaching for education majors, or if you expect to do a lot of job interviews or graduate/professional school visits.

There are many reasons to plan to include the summer between third and fourth year in your research timeline: those mentioned above, plus the benefit of devoting yourself full-time to the thesis, whether it is in a lab on campus or in the field. Funding opportunities for full-time summer thesis research include Schreyer Honors College grants , the Erickson Undergraduate Education Discovery Grant , and funding via your thesis supervisor (especially in the sciences and engineering).

Department & College Thesis Guides

In addition to this guide, many departments and colleges have thesis guides with important information about their deadlines and expectations. If you do not see your college or department listed, consult with your honors adviser.

• College of Agricultural Sciences
• Smeal College of Business
• Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications
• Aerospace Engineering
• Biomedical Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Biobehavioral Health
• Communication Sciences and Disorders
• Hospitality Management
• Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management
• College of Information Sciences and Technology
• Comparative Literature
• Germanic & Slavic Languages and Literatures
• Global & International Studies
• Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
• College of Nursing
• Astronomy & Astrophysics: Thesis 1
• Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
• Chemistry: Thesis 1 | Thesis 2 | Thesis 3
• Mathematics: Thesis 1 | Thesis 2 | Thesis 3 | Thesis 4 | Thesis 5 | Thesis 6

Follow the Template Formatting Guide

The formatting requirements in this guide apply to all Schreyer Honors theses. Please follow the thesis templates provided below:

Information about using LaTeX is available from the University Libraries .

Formatting Requirements

Fonts & color.

All text should use the Times New Roman font.

Reduced type may be used within tables, figures, and appendices, but font size should be at least 11-point in size and must be completely legible.

The majority of your thesis document should be in black font, however, color is permissible in figures, tables, links, etc.

Organization

Begin each section on a new page. Do the same with each element of the front matter, the reference section, and the appendix.

Try to avoid typing a heading near the bottom of a page unless there is room for at least two lines of text following the heading. Instead you should simply leave a little extra space on the page and begin the heading on the next page.

If you wish you use a "display" page (a page that shows only the chapter title) at the beginning of chapters or appendices, be sure to do so consistently and to count the display page when numbering the pages.

Page Numbers

Excluding the title page and signatory page, every page in the document, including those with tables and figures, must be counted. Use lower case Roman numerals for the front matter and Arabic numbers for the text. The text (or body) of the thesis must begin on page 1. Follow the template provided at the top of this section.

Use the template provided as a pattern for creating your title page. Be sure all faculty members are identified by their correct professional titles. Check with the department for current information. Do not use such designations as "PhD" or "Dr." on the title page. (Ex. John Smith, Professor of English, Thesis Supervisor).

Electronic Approvals

Please submit your final thesis to your Thesis Supervisor and Honors Adviser at least two weeks prior to the final submission due date to allow them ample time for review and suggested changes. Also, please communicate with your professors to find out their schedule and preferred amount of time to review your thesis. Once your thesis is submitted, your committee will review the thesis one last time before giving their final approval.

Number of Approvals

A minimum of two approvals is required on each thesis. If one of the approvers has a dual role (e.g. Thesis Supervisor and Honors Adviser), then list both roles under the professional title. Do not list the same person twice. If the sharing of roles leaves you with fewer than the required number of approvals, an additional approver must be added (Faculty Reader).

Professional Titles

Be sure to identify all faculty by their correct professional titles. Check with the department for current information. Do not use such designations as "PhD" or "Dr." on the title page.

This is a one-paragraph summary of the content of your thesis that identifies concisely the content of the thesis manuscript and important results of your project. Some students like to think of it as an advertisement — i.e., when someone finishes reading it, they should want to examine the rest of your work. Keep it short and include the most interesting points.

The abstract follows the title page, must have the heading ABSTRACT at the top, and is always page Roman number i. There is no restriction on the length of the abstract, but it is usually no longer than one page.

Table of Contents

The table of contents is essentially a topic outline of the thesis and it is compiled by listing the headings in the thesis. You may choose to include first-level headings, first- and second-levels, or all levels. Keep in mind there usually is no index in a thesis, and thus a fairly detailed table of contents can serve as a useful guide for the reader. The table of contents must appear immediately after the abstract and should not list the abstract, the table of contents itself, or the vita.

Be sure the headings listed in the table of contents match word-for-word the headings in the text. Double check to be sure the page numbers are shown. In listing appendices, indicate the title of each appendix. If using display pages, the number of the display page should appear in the table of contents.

Formatting Final Touches

An honors thesis manuscript should replicate the appearance of professional writing in your discipline. Include the elements of a formal piece of academic work accordingly. For specific questions on organization or labeling, check with your thesis supervisor to see if there is a style guide you should use.

Acknowledgements (Optional)

Acknowledgements are not a required component of an honors thesis, but if you want to thank particular colleagues, faculty, librarians, archivists, interviewees, and advisers, here's the place to do it. You should include an acknowledgements page if you received a grant from the University or an outside agency that supported your research.

Tables & Figures

A table is a columnar arrangement of information, often numbers, organized to save space and convey relationships at a glance. A rule of thumb to use in deciding whether given materials are tables or figures is that tables can be typed, but figures must be drawn.

A figure is a graphic illustration such as a chart, graph, diagram, map, or photograph.

Please be sure to insert your table or figure. Do not copy and paste. Once the figure or table is inserted, you right click on it to apply the appropriate label. Afterwards, return to the list of tables or list of figures page, right click on the list, and "update table (entire table)" and the page will automatically hyperlink.

Captions & Numbering

Each table and each figure in the text must have a number and caption. Number them consecutively throughout, beginning with 1, or by chapter using a decimal system.

Style Guides

These parts of the thesis will vary in format depending on the style guide you are following. Your discipline will use a consistent style guide, such as MLA, APA, CBE, or Chicago. Whichever style you are using, stick to the rules and be consistent.

Appendices (Optional)

Material that is pertinent but is somewhat tangential or very detailed (raw data, procedural explanations, etc.) may be placed in an appendix. Appendices should be designated A, B, C (not 1, 2, 3 or I, II, III). If there is only one appendix, call it simply Appendix, not Appendix A. Titles of appendices must be listed in the table of contents. Appendix pages must be numbered consecutively with the text of the thesis (do not number the page A-1, A-2, etc.).

Bibliography/References (Optional)

A thesis can include a bibliography or reference section listing all works that are referred to in the text, and in some cases other works also consulted in the course of research and writing. This section may either precede or follow the appendices (if any), or may appear at the end of each chapter. Usually a single section is more convenient and useful for both author and reader.

The forms used for listing sources in the bibliography/reference section are detailed and complicated, and they vary considerably among academic disciplines. For this reason, you will need to follow a scholarly style manual in your field or perhaps a recent issue of a leading journal as a guide in compiling this section of the thesis.

Academic Vita (Optional)

The academic vita is optional, must be the last page of the document, and is not given a page number or listed in the table of contents. The title — Academic Vita — and the author's name should appear at the top. A standard outline style or a prose form may be used. The vita should be similar to a resume. Do not include your GPA and personal information.

The Final Step Submission Guide

Once your final thesis is approved by your thesis supervisor and honors adviser, you may submit the thesis electronically. This guide will provide the details on how to submit your thesis.

Public Access to Honors Thesis

Open access.

Your electronic thesis is available to anyone who wishes to access it on the web unless you request restricted access. Open access distribution makes the work more widely available than a bound copy on a library shelf.

Restricted Access (Penn State Only)

Access restricted to individuals having a valid Penn State Access Account, for a period of two years. Allows restricted access of the entire work beginning immediately after degree conferral. At the end of the two-year period, the status will automatically change to Open Access. Intended for use by authors in cases where prior public release of the work may compromise its acceptance for publication.

This option secures the body of the thesis for a period of two years. Selection of this option required that an invention disclosure (ID) be filed with the Office of Technology Management (OTM) prior to submission of the final honors thesis and confirmed by OTM. At the end of the two-year period, the work will be released automatically for Open Access unless a written request is made to extend this option for an additional year. The written request for an extension should be sent 30 days prior to the end of the two-year period to the Schreyer Honors College, 10 Schreyer Honors College, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, or by e-mail to [email protected] . Please note: No one will be able to view your work under this option.

Submission Requirements

Electronic submission of the final honors thesis became a requirement in spring semester of 2010. Both the mandatory draft submission and the final copy must be submitted online.

The "official" copy of the honors thesis is the electronic file (eHT), and this is the copy that will be on file with the University Libraries. Electronic submission does not prevent the author from producing hard copies for the department or for personal use. All copies are the responsibility of the author and should be made prior to submission. The Schreyer Honors College does not provide copies.

How to Submit

In order to submit your thesis, you must upload a draft in PDF format to the Electronic Honors Thesis (eHT) website .

What/When to Upload

• The initial submission, the Thesis Format Review, should be the textual thesis only and should be in a single PDF file (it may include image files such as TIFFs or JPEGs)
• The recommended file naming convention is Last_First_Title.pdf
• Failure to submit the Format Review by the deadline will result in removal from the honors graduation checklist. If this occurs, you must either defer graduation or withdraw/be dismissed from the Honors College

Uploading Video, Audio or Large Images

If your thesis content is such that you feel you need to upload content other than text to properly represent your work, upload the textual portion of your thesis first as a single, standalone PDF file. Then, add additional files for any other content as separate uploads.

If the majority of your thesis work is a multimedia presentation (video, slideshow, audio recording, etc.) you are required to upload these files in addition to your PDF.

Acceptable formats include:

Please do not upload any ZIP files. If uploading more than one file, keep individual file sizes for the supplementary material under 50 MB where possible. Large files will upload, but it may take a long time to download for future use.

Final Submission & Approval

Final submission.

In order to submit your final thesis:

• Refer to the thesis templates above to create your title page (no page number).
• Make sure you have correctly spelled "Schreyer Honors College".
• Be sure to include the department in which you are earning honors, your semester and year of graduation (Ex. Spring 2024, not May 2024), your thesis title and your name.
• List the name and professional title of your thesis supervisor and honors adviser (in the department granting honors). If your honors adviser and thesis supervisor are the same person, a second faculty reader signature from the department granting honors is required.
• Include your abstract following your title page (Roman numeral i).
• Make sure your thesis is saved in PDF format.
• Upload your final thesis on the eHT website .

Final Approval

When the final thesis is approved, the author and all committee members will be notified via e-mail of the approval. Your thesis will then be accessible on the eHT website within a month after graduation unless you have specified restricted access.

With their small size and engaging professors, the hallmark feature of honors classes is being able to facilitate the deeper and more meaningful learning of course material in an intimate setting. Having that personal feedback in an environment that promotes asking questions has been very formative in my education. Hannah Lombardo ' 20 Science BS/MBA

Senior Honors Thesis Policies and Procedures

Registration for the senior honors thesis.

Please keep these guidelines in mind:

• You must register for the appropriate senior honors thesis course in your major (or as an  interdisciplinary senior thesis ). You must register for two consecutive semesters.
• You must submit a  Thesis Honors Candidate Form , within the first six weeks of the first semester of thesis.
• Most students undertake this project during the fall and spring semesters of their senior year. However, if you intend to graduate early, or are one semester behind, you may opt to start the thesis in the spring semester and complete it at the end of the fall semester.
• Students in the five-year combined-degree BA/BFA program may complete the honors thesis in their fourth or fifth year.
• If you have had to take a leave for one semester, you can complete the senior honors thesis following a fall-fall or spring-spring schedule.
• You may not register for the honors thesis during the summer session or while studying abroad.

Senior Thesis Alternatives

Besides the senior honors thesis, there are other kinds of independent research-based capstone projects you may undertake as a senior. A shorter, less intense senior capstone project is a good option for seniors who do not have the time to devote to a year-long honors thesis. These alternatives are generally for one semester, allow greater flexibility for non-traditional or creative approaches, and involve no committee, no defense, and no thesis honors. You should discuss your options with your advisor.

Senior Thesis Guidelines by Major Department

Check your department’s policies on thesis honors and deadlines for thesis proposals.

Arts and Sciences Majors

If your major or major department is not listed above, contact the department chair or department administrator to see if there are departmental sources of information about the senior honors thesis for your major. You can also do a senior honors thesis outside your major through the  Center for Interdisciplinary Studies .

Engineering Majors

Biomedical engineering.

The Honors Thesis in Biomedical Engineering is a two-semester research experience (BME 89 & BME 90) that involves experimental, computational, or theoretical work to test a scientific hypothesis or advance scientific knowledge. The Honors Thesis should be based on a critical survey of the scientific literature and is expected to contain new results that are suitable for a conference presentation or publication in a scientific journal. The research nature of the Honors Thesis distinguishes it from the engineering design focus of the biomedical engineering senior capstone project (BME 7 & BME 8). The activities performed for the Honors Thesis must be separate and distinct from those of the Senior Capstone project. The format of the Honors Thesis is the same as that of an MS thesis, with a typical length of 40-60 pages (12 pt font, double-spaced, 1-inch margins). The oral defense is a 30-minute power point presentation open to the public, followed by questions from the audience and from the Honors Thesis committee.

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Students should aspire to produce scholarly work that can be published in the peer-reviewed literature.      Proposal: Students are required to submit a written research proposal to their thesis committee at the beginning of the spring semester of their senior year, no later than February 1. This proposal should be developed in consultation with the thesis advisor. Length: The primary emphasis of the honors thesis is quality of work, and the typical length ranges from 40-60 pages (12 pt. font, double-spaced, one-inch margins). Defense: Students are required to give an oral presentation before their thesis committee and answer questions related to their work. The defense is open to the public and must be announced two weeks in advance. The oral presentation should last approximately 30 minutes and is followed by questions from the audience and the thesis committee.

Computer Science

Honors theses can vary as to the amount of library versus lab research. The written component should be extensive, with a survey of past work, references, and an outline of future work.

Length: Minimum of 30-40 pages. Defense: A talk with questions from the committee; format could be anything from chalk to PowerPoint.

Electrical and Computer Engineering

The honors thesis is intended to be a research (hypothesis-driven) experience, as opposed to the senior design course, which is a design and development (need-driven) experience. The senior thesis should consist of more laboratory/computer research (hypothesis testing) than the design course. The thesis doesn't necessarily result in the kind of tangible product the design course demands. The honors thesis should have a strong basis in the published literature, and the thesis itself is intended to have the formatting and style of a M.S. thesis, with the content and depth appropriate to an advanced undergraduate. Ideally the thesis document contains discoveries that become incorporated into a journal paper or conference presentation. These publications, of course, take a long time and are unlikely to be completed before the student graduates. The senior thesis is a stepping stone into the realm of graduate research. Of course, some senior theses are more product based, and result in new ideas to solve existing problems (and perhaps new intellectual property). Length: 30-100 pages (including figures), but the actual length depends on the sub-discipline. Defense:  A PowerPoint talk is given to the committee in a public forum. The presentation lasts roughly 30 minutes and is followed by approximately 30 minutes of questions from the committee and then from the audience.

Mechanical Engineering

The honors thesis is an optional course which takes the place of one ME elective. The thesis is formally one semester, but requires a lead-in semester of independent study (for credit), so it is effectively two semesters. The thesis requires a research project as opposed to simply a design. The end product is a written thesis as well as a presentation. Proposal: Students are required to file a one-page proposal outlining the planned research, signed by your advisor and the chair of the department. Length:  40-50 pages is typical. Defense:  Students give a PowerPoint presentation before the committee and answer questions. The presentation lasts 30 minutes and is critiqued by your thesis committee.

Senior Honors Thesis Details

Interdisciplinary senior thesis versus senior thesis in your major.

Many majors require a senior capstone in some form, and completing a senior honors thesis is one way to fulfill this capstone requirement. If completed within your major, the two credits earned toward your senior honors thesis will count toward your major. You may only pursue an honors thesis in one of your declared majors; you may not split your thesis among two majors. If you want to pursue a senior thesis in your minor instead of your major, on a topic that spans two or more subjects or that takes a non-traditional approach not supported by your major, you may apply to pursue an  interdisciplinary honors thesis ; however, the two credits earned will not count toward your major.

Senior Honors Thesis Faculty Advising Committee

In order to undertake an honors thesis, you must find professors willing to serve on your thesis committee, which consists of at least two people:

• Committee chair (also called a primary thesis advisor)- this must be a full-time faculty member affiliated with your major.
• Second reader-this must be a Tufts faculty member from the same department or another department.

Optional Third Reader

A few departments require at least three thesis advisors, and some students pursuing interdisciplinary topics prefer three people on their committee. The third member of the committee may be another professor from Tufts or a professor from another institution. In some cases, the third reader may be from outside academia. A full-time graduate student in engineering or arts and sciences may also be eligible to serve as your third reader (with permission from Dean of Academic Advising and Undergraduate Studies). The third reader may add an interdisciplinary perspective to your project. The reader should be Boston-based to participate in the defense and other committee meetings.

Part-Time Faculty Thesis Advisor Exception

In rare cases, the only person suitable to advise a student’s research is a part-time faculty member. In such cases, the part-time faculty member must be approved by the department chair and the dean of the School of Arts and Sciences or Engineering.

The Role of Your Thesis Committee

The most important decisions involving your thesis – its content, form, and length – are left up to your thesis committee.

• The whole committee should meet with you two or three times during your thesis year.
• Each committee member must be present for your thesis defense at the end of the second semester, but it is important for the entire committee to meet at least once or twice before the defense to resolve any differences about the direction of your research.
• After the defense, the committee decides on your final grade and determines whether to award thesis honors.

Each thesis committee is unique, but the committee chair will usually have the most contact with you. You should work with your committee at the beginning of your senior year to determine the role of each member and how much feedback and direct guidance you should expect from each of them. Here are some general guidelines for each committee member’s role: Primary Thesis Advisor

• Oversees your progress on the research and development of your thesis.
• Meets with you frequently at regular intervals throughout the year.
• Helps you resolve issues of research, focus, content, and form.
• Assigns deadlines for bibliographies, drafts of chapters, and revisions.
• Reads and comments on the various drafts and sections you submit.
• Convenes the thesis defense and keeps it on track and on time.
• Is responsible for submitting the grade and thesis honors form by the deadline.

Your Second Reader (and Optional Third Reader)

• Gives you expert guidance on issues of content and methodology relevant to your topic.
• Reads your thesis manuscript prior to the defense.
• May or may not read earlier versions or drafts of sections throughout the year.
• Must be present at and participate in your defense.
• Assesses your work and deliberates with the committee chair to assign a final grade (and thesis honors, if merited).

Occasionally, the second reader may have more expertise on your thesis topic than the committee chair. In this case, the second reader will play a more active role in advising your thesis and should expect to read and respond to drafts regularly throughout the year.

The Thesis Defense

Your senior honors thesis will culminate in a final examination called a “defense.” The defense combines a formal presentation of your research and results, followed by a question-and-answer period and some discussion, and then deliberation among your committee about your grade and potential for thesis honors. Your defense may be open to the public or invited guests, or it may be behind closed doors with just you and your committee.

Thesis Honors

Your senior thesis may earn no honors, Honors in Thesis, High Honors in Thesis, or Highest Honors in Thesis based on the quality of the final product and your overall progress throughout the year. Thesis honors will be indicated on your transcript. If you earn no honors, you will still earn eight credits and your transcript will indicate “Senior Thesis” for those credits. Thesis honors are distinct from  Latin Honors , but some departments require independent research or completion of a senior honors thesis for a student to be eligible for  summa cum laude .

Archiving Your Completed Thesis Manuscript

Your completed honors thesis is considered an important scholarly work, and by submitting it to Tufts Digital Collections and Archives, you ensure it is accessible to future students.

After your thesis defense and before commencement, go to the  MIRA website  and upload your honors thesis as a PDF. This should be the final, completed, corrected version ready for posterity. Complete the deposit form and select “Agree and Deposit.”

Delayed Release of Archived Honors Thesis

In rare situations, you may want to consider a delayed release of your senior honors thesis. An “embargo” is a temporary delay in the online release of your honors thesis in order to avoid conflict with a pending patent or forthcoming publication, by you, your thesis advisor, or other members of your research team. You may select to delay the release of your thesis for six months to two years. Ask your thesis advisor about the embargo option and timeframe if one or more of the following situations applies to your thesis research:

• Pending patent
• Pending publication
• Potential for future patent or publication by your thesis advisor or research team
• Complicated situations (such as national security)

Institutional Review Board

If your senior thesis involves interviews, surveys, or the use of human subjects for social, behavioral, educational, or medical research, you will need prior approval (or a formal waiver) from the  Institutional Review Board (IRB)   before  you may proceed with your research. The IRB “reviews all human subject research protocols to determine if they are assuring adequate protection of human participants.” These protocols apply to student research and may apply to interviews conducted in the United States or abroad, especially those involving vulnerable populations (such as children and refugees). If you think your research may fall into this category, talk to your faculty advisor or department chair or contact the IRB.

Petitioning for a Dean’s List Waiver

A student who has been on the  Dean’s List  fewer than two times but has the strong backing of a faculty advisor and department chair may appeal to Associate Dean of Undergraduate Advising, Caitlin Casey , to request permission to waive the Dean’s List requirement. This consideration is routinely extended to transfer students. The student should write the appeal in an email message to Dean Casey and copy their faculty thesis advisor and the department chair. If they do not meet criteria established by the department, the department chair may determine whether there is merit for a waiver to the usual policy. Submit the petition before the sixth week of the first semester of the thesis.

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Home > Student Research, Creative Works, and Publications > Honors Theses

Submission Guidelines for Honors Theses

When should i submit, what do i need know when i am ready to submit, what are my intellectual property rights, what am i agreeing to when i submit.

• Do I maintain copyright of my work?

How do I choose a Creative Commons License?

How do i submit, what happens after i submit, how do i make revisions, how do i acquire a bound copy.

• Title The title of your honors thesis.
• Abstract The abstract of your thonors thesis.
• Department Your major department, e.g. English.
• Degree The degree you are earning by completing this honors thesis, e.g. B. A.
• Keywords Keywords, tags, or phrases that describe the content of your honors thesis.
• Date The date you'll be receiving your degree, e.g. May 2019.
• Date Available If your work is patent- or publication-pending, set a date in the future for the full text of your honors thesis to be available.
• Upload Full Text Have an electronic copy of your honors thesis, preferably in Microsoft Word ( DOC ), ( DOCX ), or ( RTF ) format, ready.
• Additional Files Have electronic copies of any supplemental materials, such as audio and video files or datasets, on hand. View the full list of acceptable file formats .

Do I retain copyright of my work?

• Make sure your paper is in an acceptable format. We can accept papers in Microsoft Word ( DOC ) or ( DOCX ), Rich Text Format ( RTF ), or Adobe Acrobat ( PDF ).
• Create a new account by clicking on My Account and clicking on the Sign up button. If you already have an account, sign in and skip ahead to step 5.
• Complete the user account form. Be sure to enter your UTC email address and choose a password you will remember. Click Sign up.
• After you've created your new account, you will see a page directing you to check your email. Check your email and click on the link in the email. This will take you back to UTC Scholar.
• Once you’ve successfully logged in to UTC Scholar, click Submit Research.
• Choose Theses and Dissertations.
• Check the box to agree to to the Non-Exclusive Distribution License for Theses and Dissertations.
• Fill out the form and upload your file. Required fields are indicated by a red flag.
• Locate your submission on your My Account page, and click the title.
• Click Revise Submission from the list of options in the left sidebar.
• Enter your changes in the Revise Submission form, and/or upload your revised submission.
• Describe the changes made in the “Reason for Update” box.
• Click Submit at the bottom of the page to submit your changes. (You only need to modify the portion of the form that corresponds to the changes you wish to make.)

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How to cite an honors thesis in APA

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To cite an honors thesis in a reference entry in APA style 6th edition include the following elements:

• Author(s) of the thesis: Give the last name and initials (e. g. Watson, J. D.) of up to seven authors with the last name preceded by an ampersand (&). For eight or more authors include the first six names followed by an ellipsis (…) and add the last author's name.
• Year of publication: Give the year in brackets followed by a full stop.
• Title of the honors thesis: Only the first letter of the first word and proper nouns are capitalized.
• URL: Give the full URL where the document can be retrieved from.

Here is the basic format for a reference list entry of an honors thesis in APA style 6th edition:

Author(s) of the thesis . ( Year of publication ). Title of the honors thesis (Honors thesis). Retrieved from URL

If the thesis is available from a database, archive or any online platform use the following template:

• Author(s) of the thesis: Give the last name and initials (e. g. Watson, J. D.) of up to 20 authors with the last name preceded by an ampersand (&). For 21 or more authors include the first 19 names followed by an ellipsis (…) and add the last author's name.
• Publication number: Give the identification number of the thesis, if available.
• Name of the degree awarding institution: Give the name of the institution.
• Name of Platform: Give the name of the database, archive or any platform that holds the thesis.
• URL: If the thesis was found on a database, omit this element.

Here is the basic format for a reference list entry of an honors thesis in APA style 7th edition:

Author(s) of the thesis . ( Year of publication ). Title of the honors thesis ( Publication number ) [Honors thesis, Name of the degree awarding institution ]. Name of Platform . URL

If the thesis has not been published or is available from a database use the following template:

• Location: Give the location of the institution. If outside the United States also include the country name.

Author(s) of the thesis . ( Year of publication ). Title of the honors thesis (Unpublished honors thesis). Name of the degree awarding institution , Location .

If the thesis is not published, use the following template:

Author(s) of the thesis . ( Year of publication ). Title of the honors thesis [Unpublished honors thesis]. Name of the degree awarding institution .

APA reference list examples

Take a look at our reference list examples that demonstrate the APA style guidelines for an honors thesis citation in action:

An honors thesis found in an online platform

Stevens, I . ( 2019 ). Iron complexes for photocatalytic hydrogen generation ( Undergraduate honors thesis ). Retrieved from https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/1287/

Stevens, I . ( 2019 ). Iron complexes for photocatalytic hydrogen generation [ Undergraduate honors thesis ]. William & Mary Digital Archive . https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/1287/

An unpublished honors thesis

Zhang, I. Y., & Goffin, R. D . ( 2018 ). Evil geniuses at work: Does intelligence interact with the dark triad to predict workplace deviance? ( Unpublished undergraduate honors thesis ). Western University , Ontario, Canada .

Zhang, I. Y., & Goffin, R. D . ( 2018 ). Evil geniuses at work: Does intelligence interact with the dark triad to predict workplace deviance? [ Unpublished undergraduate honors thesis ]. Western University .

This citation style guide is based on the official Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association ( 6 th edition).

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@bucknellu social media accounts, meet our students social media accounts, preparing and submitting a thesis.

A thesis is required for candidates for honors. Candidates in creative arts sometimes submit other works in place of a thesis. In such cases a formal exhibition is required.

Your honors thesis must follow these instructions.  For a thesis being written as a submission for publication in a scholarly work (such as a scientific journal), a prelude chapter should be provided by the student to provide the general audience some background for the scholarly work. This should allow the thesis document to follow the instructions provided on this page, as well as following the publishing requirements.

One electronic copy of your thesis must be delivered to the director of the Honors Program.

Please follow Kate Turabian's A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, Dissertations, 6th ed. , University of Chicago Press, 1996 for style unless your department stipulates otherwise. Also used are the MLA Style Sheet and APA Publication Manual. Writers of scientific papers should follow styles set down by scholarly societies in their fields.

Layout and Formatting:

Margins : Left or inside and bottom margins: 1 1/2 inches. Others: 1 inch. These measurements must be respected for graphs, charts, illustrations, etc., without exception.

Spacing of text : Double-spaced for the body of text. Triple-spaced for all headings. Single-spaced for footnotes.

Type : 10 or 12 point fonts.

Illustrations, tables, charts, graphs, etc.:

Photographs or illustrations should be scanned and added to your original document file. Contact the Technology Desk in the library if you require assistance.

Pagination:

A blank page should precede the title page . It is not numbered.

Prefatory material : Use lowercase Roman numerals. The title page should be counted as iii but not numbered. Subsequent prefatory pages will have Roman numerals in the upper right-hand corner 1/2 inch from the top and 1 inch from the right edge of the paper.

Text : Use Arabic numerals.

Use of LaTex:

For students wishing to use LaTex for their thesis LaTeX, templates and class files are available here.

Order of the Thesis

• Title Page ( see example ): The names of the adviser and the department chair must be typed below the signature.
• Acknowledgments (if any)
• Table of Contents
• List of Tables (if any)
• List of Figures (if any)
• Abstract: A 1-2 page description of the thesis project and major findings. Do not omit the abstract, as it is crucial for librarians to catalog the thesis.
• Body of thesis
• Bibliography
• Appendix (if any)

Submitting a Thesis

Once you have defended your thesis, your work will proudly appear in the Bucknell Commons. Bertrand Library's copy of the thesis is submitted electronically via Bucknell Commons. Instructions for submitting your thesis are below and also available on the library's website .

Students or departments who wish to have a bound copy of a thesis should see the L&IT Graduate and Honors Thesis Guidelines for assistance.

The final copy of your work must be approved by your adviser, co-adviser or second reader and department or program chair. In order to show that they have approved your honor thesis, you will need to attain their signatures on your title page . You should scan this signed title page and then use Adobe Acrobat (not Adobe Reader) to merge your signed title page and the honors thesis document into a final submission-ready PDF. This complete digital copy of your thesis is due by the last day of exams in the semester in which you had your thesis defense. Honors will not be awarded at graduation if your thesis has not been submitted.

You have the option of making your work available to the general public or requiring a Bucknell log-in for access; please discuss these options with your adviser. (For example, if your thesis contains proprietary information or you plan to publish your work, you may wish to restrict access). A copy of your honors thesis must reside on Bucknell Digital Commons and with your adviser(s). The student is responsible for uploading their thesis to the Digital Commons.

You will need to create an account on Digital Commons and then upload your Honor Thesis to Digital Commons .

Enter data in the following fields:

• Title : Use headline capitalization. The title field supports the Unicode standard and HTML. The title should be entered exactly as it appears in the manuscript of your honors thesis.
• Author : Author information is pre-populated with email, name and affiliated institution. Select the green button to add additional authors.
• Date of submission : Select the semester of your defense, fall or spring semester, and the calendar year associated with your defense.
• Thesis type : Select either open access (honors thesis) or restricted access (honors thesis Bucknell access only).
• Degree Type
• Department : This should be your major where this thesis was approved for honors. Do not select a second major.
• Adviser Names : Check with your adviser(s) for their preferred appearance of their name (typically full first name, then initials, then full last name and suffix preferred).
• Keywords or phrases : Enter up to six, separated by commas. Check with your adviser(s) for their thoughts on these keywords.
• Subject categories : Select up to three.
• Abstract : Copy and paste your abstract into the rich text editor.
• Comments : This field may be used to link to an external related resource (related video, website, digital collection, etc.)
• Full text : Upload the digital file and any supplemental files (datasets, video files, audio files, image files, etc.)

Once your submission is complete, your honors thesis adviser will receive and email and will need to complete the submission by approving your submission as the final thesis.

Thesis Submission Process

Contact details, honors council.

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Publications

As part of its mission to present undergraduate research to a wider audience, the office of undergraduate research has long facilitated the publication of undergraduate research..

OUR publications included two journals: Washington University Undergraduate Research Digest  (WUURD)  and Washington University Senior Honors Thesis Abstracts  (WUSHTA) . The WUURD presented abstracts of student research projects from the most recent Undergraduate Research Symposium as well as peer-reviewed, full-length student articles. WUSHTA highlighted the work of graduating seniors receiving honors for their work. Each  is available online through the  WashU Library's Open Scholarship Repository  (accessible with WUSTL Key login).

Following its relaunch in Fall 2022 , the OUR is collaborating with campus partners to establish a new vision for supporting undergraduate research, including research dissemination strategies.

Washington university undergraduate research digest (wuurd).

From 2005 to 2021, the Office of Undergraduate Research published the Washington University Undergraduate Research Digest (WUURD). A scholarly journal with peer-reviewed feature articles as well as abstracts, the WUURD highlighted research by Washington University students in language that is accessible to a broad audience. The Office of Undergraduate Research held no copyright on the 3000-word articles published in the WUURD, meaning students were free to publish their work elsewhere. 

View past issues

Washington university senior honors thesis abstracts (wushta).

From 2009 to 2022, the Office of Undergraduate Research published Washington University Senior Honors Thesis Abstracts (WUSHTA) to coincide with the University’s Commencement. All seniors receiving academic honors in any school or department were encouraged to submit an abstract of their honors thesis or capstone research project for publication.

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Home > ETDS > Honors Theses > 2196

Undergraduate Honors Theses

"most catholic spain": british evangelical protestant views of the spanish civil war and its legacy.

Chloe Kinderman , William & Mary Follow

Date Thesis Awarded

Access type.

Honors Thesis -- Open Access

Degree Name

Bachelors of Arts (BA)

Kathrin Levitan

Committee Members

Amy Limoncelli

Francie Cate

"Most Catholic Spain": British Evangelical Protestant Views of the Spanish Civil War and its Legacy presents a case study of The Churchman’s Magazine and Wickliffe Preachers’ Messenger (CMWPM), a publication of the Protestant Truth Society, between 1930 and 1945. The Protestant Truth Society was a British Evangelical organization that was dedicated to opposing the influence of Catholicism within Britain. This thesis explores how the CMWPM discussed Spain during the interwar and World War II period, especially its coverage of the Second Spanish Republic, the Spanish Civil War, and the early Franco Regime. Ultimately, the CMWPM latched on to Spain as a way to articulate its fears surrounding fascism, communism, and Catholicism both within Britain and around the world.

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