Thesis format

Undergraduate Theses in Earth & Environmental Science – Geoscience emphasis, are traditional long-format theses.

At minimum, an Honors thesis needs to include the following sections:

1. Cover Page with title, author, thesis mentor, department (template is provided by the Honors College)
2. Abstract
3. Plain Language Summary (see: https://www.agu.org/publications/authors/journals/plain-language-summary#summarize-science#summarize-science )
4. Table of Contents, including figures and tables
5. Introduction (enough background to state the motivation and the question of study; statement of hypothesis if appropriate)
6. Geologic Background/Setting
7. Methods
8. Results
9. Discussion and hypothesis testing with implications
10. Acknowledgements
11. References: use a consistent format for in-text citations and for the full citation; GG UG Affairs recommends using the AGU style guide: https://www.agu.org/publications/authors/journals/grammar-style-guide#reference-format Consider using bibliographic software at the onset of your project to manage your citations. Examples include Endnote (free license for UU students), Zotero, Mendeley, and Papers. YouTube and research mentors can tutor students on the use of this software for organization and cite-as-you-write tools.
12. Supplementary material if relevant.

Figures must be numbered, include captions, and be referenced sequentially throughout the text.

Tables must be numbered, include captions, and be referenced sequentially throughout the text.

Figures and tables can be embedded within the body of the text, or they can be listed sequentially after the References section.

There is no length requirement, but a thesis must present a problem, original scholarship (i.e., work you completed), and an argument for interpretation. A thesis can include data and observations collected by other researchers and may be part of a larger group project: a student must clearly indicate their specific contributions.

The student advisor may also provide specific guidelines for what they expect from an undergraduate thesis that may be in addition to the minimum departmental expectations.

Examples of Honors theses can be provided upon request or downloaded from the Marriott Library.

Who is eligible to be a faculty thesis mentor?

The research mentor of record must be an Academic or Research faculty member within the department. The mentor can be a graduate student who has completed research mentoring coursework (i.e., is eligible to be a UROP mentor), or the mentor can be someone external to the University (e.g., staff at EGI or UGS), but an Academic or Research faculty member must be involved in some oversight of the project and a memo of understanding must be drafted and on file with the external supervisor prior to enrollment. Please contact the department DHL for information about the process for approving an external supervisor; plan ahead and allow at least two weeks, but preferably four weeks, to ensure that the DHL, Director of Undergraduate Affairs in GG, and the external mentor have time to communicate and ensure expectations are aligned prior to enrolling in thesis credit and beginning the project.

Students and their thesis advisors must notify the DHL as soon as possible if the advisor leaves the university or goes on leave prior to thesis completion. The DHL may be able to serve as a proxy advisor or secure an alternative advisor to ensure the thesis can be completed.

Are collaborative theses permitted?

A collaborative thesis is one where an Honors student works with one or more collaborators on the thesis.

Students interested in completing collaborative proposals should contact the DHL at the earliest possible convenience and with as much information about the project, mentor, and individual roles of each student so that the DHL can review the request with the Undergraduate Affairs Committee of the department.

How does the Honors Thesis relate to other aspects for the major?

The only HON course in GEO is GEO4999 - Honors Thesis, but the GEO Department offers a comprehensive suite of Honors Contract-Eligible courses.

See Honors Contract Eligible Courses here.

These contract-eligible courses are scaffolded throughout the major and comprise required coursework for each degree and emphasis.

An Honors Thesis is best accomplished after one or more semesters of UROP/Wilkes/paid research and/or via GEO3900 credit. None of these courses are required prior to enrolling in GEO4999, but completion of at least one semester of supervised research prior to enrolling in GEO4999 increases success with the Honors Thesis. It also helps the student achieve requirements to graduate with Research Distinction through the Office of Undergraduate Research.

A student can use GEO4999 for either core electives or emphasis electives, wherever they need them in their degree audit. This contrasts with GEO3900 (UG Research), which a student can use for only core elective credit.

Major-specific Thesis Proposal Process

The Honors College requires Thesis Registration by the end of the third year. If your major has a separate additional Thesis Proposal Process, it is detailed here.

To enroll in GEO4999 - Honors Thesis:

1. a student asks the Academic Advisor (currently Kelsie Richards: [email protected]) for an access code. GEO4999 can only be supervised by G&G affiliated personnel; supervision can occur by proxy with a MOU on file. See the section above about who can be a thesis mentor for more information
2. The Academic Advisor contacts the faculty supervisor, DHL, and the chair of UG affairs (who is responsible for submitting the grades for GEO4999 to verify that the supervisor has indeed agreed to mentor this student in 3 credits of Honors Thesis. The expectation for a three credit course is 10 or more hours of work by the student each week.
3. The supervisor agrees, the DHL confirms the student has completed their Honors Thesis registration requirements, and the chair of UG affairs verifies the intent of the GEO4999. For example, is this GEO4999 intended to be used for Upper Division electives, for capstone, etc.. Depending on the answer, different agreements must be established and documented prior to enrollment. If a student is using GEO4999 for capstone credits, then they cannot also use them for upper division elective credits. Moreover, if the thesis is intended to satisfy capstone requirements, then the student must petition for the capstone substitution and the thesis must include a personal reflection on how the experience achieved the expected learning outcomes of a capstone experience: specific guidelines for the petition and additional work will be provided; please contact the DHL for details. This front-end check ensures students are enrolled in coursework in the way they intend that coursework to work for them and reduces surprises as students prepare for graduation.
4. If all checks are verified, then the Academic Advisor provides the student with an access code and the student enrolls. The student now appears in the student course listing for GEO4999 that is administered by the Chair of UG Affairs.
5. At the start of the first week of the semester, the Chair of UG Affairs puts a GEO4999 assignment on Canvas that is a GoogleForm survey. This provides the Undergraduate Affairs Committee with a record of UG research involvement in the department and minimizes enrollment and expectation surprises.
6. At the start of the last week of the semester, the Chair of UG Affairs puts a second assignment on Canvas that is another GoogleForm survey. This provides a short summary of activities that can be added to the student’s file and provides another layer of documentation of work if the department or student is audited.

During exam week, the Chair of UG Affairs contacts the project supervisors and asks what grades should be assigned to their mentees for GEO4999.

Additional information for students

It is up to the student and their advisor/mentor to determine a timeline for completing the Honors Thesis. The DHL and Undergraduate Affairs Committee recommends that the student and advisor develop a week-by-week work plan with expected deliverables to remain on task. The expectation is that the written thesis is submitted to the DHL at least one week before it is due to the Honors College so that there is time for department review.

It is not yet a requirement, but the DHL and Undergraduate Affairs Committee in GG strongly encourage students to present their work at the Department Poster Symposium, which is an oral presentation of the student's written work. Students can also present at the Undergraduate Research Symposium (more info here). They can also consider presenting at professional meetings such as the American Geophysical Union or Geological Society of America, or other meetings such as Utah Science on the Hill, the Utah Conference for Undergraduate Research, the National Conference for Undergraduate Research, or the SACNAS annual meeting. Students can use Nash Award funding to support attendance at meetings and Chapman Funds to attend workshops, labs, and field experiences.

Students are encouraged to think about adding Research Distinction to their undergraduate degree.