Botany Student Handbook
Botany Thesis
Production of a thesis in Botany involves the
successful completion of three courses:
Botany 4840. Thesis Readings (2) F, S
Literature search and evaluation, culminating in the writing of a thesis
proposal. Prerequisites: Botany LS/SI1105 (if previously taken - no longer
offered), or Botany SI2104 and Botany SI2114 and Botany 2121, two upper
division Botany courses, and approval of thesis advisor.
Botany 4850. Thesis Research (2) F, S
Independent research related to a student's approved thesis proposal. May be
repeated as long as satisfactory progress is being made on the thesis topic.
Prerequisite: Botany 4840 and approval of thesis advisor.
Botany 4970. Botany Thesis (2) F, S
Written and oral presentation of thesis research results and evaluation. Also
includes final evaluation of the student's portfolio and taking of Botany
graduation assessment examination. Prerequisites: Botany 4850 and approval of
thesis advisor.
Students are urged to complete Botany 4840 in their junior year, spend at
least one semester doing thesis research for Botany 4850 credit, and register
for Botany 4970 the last semester of their senior year. Prior to
registering for Botany 4840, students should consult with the Botany faculty
and select a thesis topic. At this time, a thesis committee should also
be assembled. The committee must have at least three members: the
thesis advisor (who must be a member of the Botany Department faculty) and two
other members, one of whom may be from outside the Botany Department.
Obligations of the student:
 | Establish contact with a thesis advisor and begin discussion of thesis. |
| Fill out a Botany Thesis Contract form (Appendix I) and obtain appropriate signatures. |
| Enroll in and successfully complete Botany 4840. Distribute copies of the thesis proposal to members of the thesis committee. |
| Conduct the research while enrolled in Botany 4850. |
| Enroll in Botany 4970. Write the thesis. The final draft is to be distributed to members of the thesis committee no later than three weeks prior to the start of Finals Week. Give an oral presentation of the thesis to an appropriate audience. |
Obligations of the thesis advisor:
| Assist the student with topic selection and proposal development. |
| Help the student complete the Botany Thesis Contract and chair the thesis committee. |
| Provide appropriate advice and assistance throughout the thesis process. |
| Oversee the final presentation of the thesis. |
| Review and evaluate the thesis project. |
Obligations of the thesis committee:
| Provide appropriate advice and assistance throughout the thesis process. |
| Review and comment on the completed proposal. |
| Review and evaluate the thesis. |
Publication of the thesis
The student and thesis advisor should discuss the possibility of publishing
parts of or the entire thesis upon its completion. An agreement about the
authorship and order of authors should be reached early in the development of
the thesis proposal. Students should be aware that publication may incur
costs (page and reprint charges) that the Botany Department may not be able to
subsidize, though every effort will be made to find support for this and related
endeavors (e.g., presentations at scientific meetings). An agreement about
ownership of patents that might arise from the research should also be reached
early in the process. See the WSU Policy and Procedures Manual (PPM),
Policy # 5-13, for
details.
Suggested timetable for a thesis
This is a suggested timetable for students interested in doing a Botany Thesis.
It is strongly recommended that students complete these steps no later than the
stated semester, earlier if possible.
Junior Year
1st semester – discuss ideas with appropriate faculty; select an
advisor and topic; assemble a thesis committee; complete the Botany Thesis
Contract.
2nd semester – enroll in Botany 4840; present thesis proposal to
thesis committee; arrange for equipment, supplies, space, etc. to conduct the
study.
Senior Year
1st semester – enroll in Botany 4850; conduct the research.
2nd semester – enroll in Botany 4970; write the thesis; give an
oral presentation of the thesis; obtain final approval and acceptance of the
thesis.
A thesis proposal is a research plan consisting of
these sections:
Introduction
States the problem to be examined, gives a brief review of
pertinent literature, states the objectives of the study, and lists any
hypotheses to be tested.
Methods
Describes all techniques, specimen handling, data analysis, etc.
needed to meet the objectives. Addresses safety issues of the methodology.
Remember that you will be keeping a lab and/or field notebook of your activities
and data. Refer to Writing the Laboratory Notebook by Howard M.
Kanare for notebook guidelines.
Supplies and equipment
Lists all major equipment and supplies needed to collect and
analyze the data. Indicates degree of familiarity with the equipment to be
used.
Literature cited
Lists the literature referred to in the written proposal.
The thesis will follow the standard
format for scientific writing. It should be typewritten, double spaced, 12
point font (Times Roman) on good quality paper with 1" margins. Left
justify the text. Page numbers should be placed in the lower right corner
of the thesis. The style should conform to that of recent issues of a
scientific journal in the appropriate area of botany. Refer to
Scientific Style and Format: The CBE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers,
6th ed., prepared by the Council of Biology Editors Style Manual Committee, for
questions of style. A good source of guidance while writing your thesis is
How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper by Robert A. Day (any
edition) or Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences by Victoria E.
McMillan (any edition). The classic place to find answers to questions
about grammar is the Harbrace College Handbook, now in its 13th edition.
The final draft of the thesis will consist of a cover page
(see Appendix II) followed by these sections (the dashed line indicates that you
should start a new page):
Title
A short descriptive phrase clearly defining the contents.
Abstract
A concise summary of the paper emphasizing the results obtained.
---------------
Introduction
A brief definition of the problem investigated, review of
pertinent literature, and statement of objectives.
---------------
Materials and Methods
A description of all experimental procedures and conditions, data
gathering, data analysis, specimens, and other materials used. If the
project involved field work, a description of the study area will be included.
This section must be complete enough that the results can be reproduced.
---------------
Results
The findings of the research. Text, tables and figures
(graphs, drawings, photographs, flow charts, etc.) will be used as needed.
Tables and figures should not duplicate each other or material in the text.
Tables and figures should be numbered so that they can be referred to in the
text. Each figure and table should be on a separate page, with these pages
placed after the Literature Cited section of the thesis.
---------------
Discussion
The principles, relationships, and generalizations shown by the
results. This section will show how the results and interpretations agree
or disagree with other people's work. It will tell what is significant
about the findings. Conclusions are stated and the evidence for each is
summarized.
---------------
Acknowledgments
Recognizes the assistance of all individuals contributing to the
research and/or writing.
---------------
Literature Cited
An alphabetical list of all sources cited in the thesis. Use
the following formats for the different types of literature sources:
journal article:
Nakamura, K., K. Matsuoka, and M. Nishimura. 1993.
Protein targeting to the vacuole in plant cells. Plant Physiol .
101: 1-5.
chapter from a multi-author book:
Albersheim, P. 1976. The primary cell wall. In:
J. Bonner and J. E. Varner, eds, Plant Biochemistry, Ed 3. Academic
Press, New York, pp 226-274
(Note: If this were a first edition, "Ed 3" would be omitted. Also,
if this were the fourth volume of the third edition of a multi-volume treatise
on plant biochemistry, "Ed 3, Vol 4" would be in the citation.)
book:
Salisbury F. B. and C. W. Ross. 1992. Plant
Physiology, Ed 4. Wadsworth Publishing Company, Belmont, CA.
web site:
Author A. B. (if known). Date (if known). Title. If
part of a larger work or site, its title in italics. URL in angle
brackets. (date of visit)
example:
Anonymous. Helpful Links. Weber State University
Writing Center. <http://weber.edu/writingcenter/Links.htm> (29
Aug 2002).
The in-text citation will follow the author-year format:
One author: Smith (1985) or (Smith 1985)
Two authors: Smith and Wesson (1986) or (Smith and Wesson 1986)
Three or more authors: Jones et al. (1990) or (Jones et al. 1990)
If you have more than one citation per statement, alphabetize the citations by
first author: (Jones et al. 1990, Smith 1985, Smith and Wesson 1986).
The student should select a Botany faculty member to
serve as his or her thesis advisor based on the faculty's research interests.
The student should discuss the research project with the faculty advisor before
filling out and signing section I of this form. The student and advisor
should then identify two additional committee members. One of the
additional members may be from a department other than Botany. After
reading the summary in Section I, interested faculty will sign in Section II,
indicating their agreement to serve on the thesis committee. After the
department chair's signature has been obtained, the thesis advisor will retain
the original form and see that copies are given to the committee members and the
student.
Section I. Please type a brief summary of the project you wish to
conduct. Include your research topic, hypothesis, and a brief summary of
your planned research.
During which semester(s) do you plan to conduct your research?
I am aware that this project might incur expenses that are beyond the means of
the Botany Department. These expenses could include travel, equipment,
supplies, special services, and personnel. I know that if expenses cannot
be covered, I will not be able to complete my project.
Student's signature:
______________________________________________________
Date
Section II. Obtain the following signatures in the order in which they
appear.
Thesis advisor:
______________________________________________________
Date
Committee members:
______________________________________________________
Date
______________________________________________________
Date
Department chair:
______________________________________________________
Date
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Last updated: 1 March 2003. Links checked 24 November 2003. Contact: sharley@weber.edu