Psych 499 A-B-CImportant InformationFriday Sept. 13th, 2013

General Remarks

• Psych 499 Coordinator– Dr. Wendi Adair

– PAS 4046

– wladair@uwaterloo.ca

– Fall term office hours: Tuesdays 10:00-11:00 am

• Honours Thesis Awards– awarded at Convocation

General Remarks

• The Honours Thesis is a unique opportunity– apprentice in how to conduct research

– individual attention

• Read the Handbook!http://www.psychology.uwaterloo.ca/ugradprog/

Psych_499/12-13Handbook.html

General Remarks

• Can be independent and/or collaborative work– with professors, graduate students

• Scope of the project– Think big

– But reduce scope to practical dimensions

• Leave enough time to write your thesis

Supervisors

• Finding a supervisor– Contact faculty members the semester before you

plan to start– You might have to ask several different profs– When suggesting a topic for your thesis, stay away

from topics that are too narrow nor too broad– Consider how a supervisor’s sabbatical might

affect you

Supervisors

• Supervision styles– Some are structured others are less so– It is up to you to establish and maintain contact

with your supervisor– Be sure to manage expectations

• Supervisors are useful to you beyond the thesis– Letters of reference – Information about:• applying for scholarships• applying to graduate programs

Course Issues

• Psych 499 enrollment requires a Psych cumulative average of 82%

• Once you have enrolled in 499A, then contact you supervisor to confirm enrollment and begin work

Course Issues

• Psych 499 can take 2 to 5 terms– Most people take 3 terms– But 5 terms might be necessary for coop students

• There are three components:– 499A: literature review and focusing topic– 499B: research design, proposal, & presentation– 499C: data collection, analysis, & final write-up

Course Issues• Registering for 499A vs. 499A&B

499A only – you will have to submit a progress report at the end of examination period

499A&B – If you do not complete 499B even though registered for it, you

MUST complete 499A report

If you DO COMPLETE 499B, then you do NOT need to hand in 499A report

TIP: book your 499B presentation slot early!

• At the end of 499C you will submit your final thesis

Course Issues

• Progress Report 499A– due by end of examination period– 5-10 pages– General statement about research area– A brief description of relevant literature– The research question/hypotheses– Outline of further steps– Approved by supervisor and submitted to course

coordinator

Course Issues

• Research Proposal 499B (range from 5-15 pages)– Title, Abstract– Background literature– Main Question(s)/hypotheses– Methods (proposed)– Plans for data analysis– Expected next steps– References– Approved by supervisor and submitted to course

coordinator 3 days prior to presentation date

Course Issues

• Oral presentation for 499B– Use PowerPoint– Explain your rationale, purpose, methods and

hypotheses– Not formally graded– I will be there to ask general questions/ probe

your knowledge– Before your own presentation you might want to

attend one to get an idea of how it proceeds

Course Issues

• Final Report 499C– Due by the end of examination period– Title, Abstract, Introduction, Method, Results,

General Discussion, References, Appendix– Submitted to Theresa Bauer– Graded by the Supervisor who comments and

suggests a grade range, and thesis coordinator, who comments and assigns final grade– same grade applied retroactively to 499A/B/C

Conference Opportunity

• You might want to take part in the annual Undergraduate thesis conference! an informal forum for students in Ontario to present a summary of their Theses

• either orally or in poster format• to a friendly and enthusiastic audience of peers and to discuss your

work with others who have similar interests

• The conference is typically held at the end of April (abstract due in March)

• There is no registration fee for presenters or faculty members and lunch is provided

• Participants report that the event is very worthwhile and enjoyable • Clearly a great way to end fourth year!

Capture your thesis on video!• As of Fall 2012, we are asking Honours Thesis Students if they'd like to take part in a

voluntary "video snapshot" of their work. – This is a great way to tell others about your thesis, and your experience at UW.

• Upon completion of your thesis and submission of your 499C document– arrange for someone from your supervisor's lab to take a short 1-2 minute video clip of you– Tell us a Grand Summary of What you researched, and What you found out!

• These video clips can be taken with a smartphone, or using our Department's video camera– videos should be emailed to Theresa Bauer (tbauer@uwaterloo.ca).

• Completing a video is optional– It is up to the student to arrange to email the video to Theresa Bauer– Please complete the video within 2 weeks of submission of your thesis. – Whether or not you choose to capture your thesis on video will in no way affect your grade in

the 499 Honours thesis course.

• Once we have reviewed the video it to be uploaded to our Psychology Website, for general viewing by the public!

Where to go with questions

• Theresa Bauer, Psych Undergrad Assistant– Paperwork (enrolment, extensions, etc.)– Scheduling 499B presentation

• Wendi Adair, Thesis Coordinator– Should I be taking the thesis?– Problems with your supervisor

• Your thesis advisor– Research question & literature, designing your

study, analyzing data, writing final product