Behavioral Biology > The Major > Honors > Honors Thesis in Behavioral Biology

(Johns Hopkins community members can download as Honors Thesis PDF)

Overview

The honors thesis in Behavioral Biology provides students with an opportunity to conduct independent research, culminating in a scientific paper of publication quality. Honors theses are especially recommended for students interested in pursuing advanced degrees. We expect the research design, execution, analysis and writeup to be of high caliber. The honors thesis in Behavioral Biology must be written by the student and include independent research carried out by the student through behavioral biology research or internship credits (AS.290.5xx).

Conducting an honors project will include multiple phases: the development of a research question and experimental design, articulation of hypotheses and predictions, scholarly literature review, careful data collection and analysis, and preparation of a scholarly writeup of the project that places the research in a broad scientific context. You, the student should conduct the majority of the research, data analysis, and all of the writing, with mentorship and guidance as needed. If you are interested in earning honors in Behavioral Biology, speak with the DUS and your research mentor about ideas for a feasible project.   

Timeline

Your final thesis proposal must be approved by your immediate supervisor/mentor (often a postdoctoral fellow or graduate student), the lab PI (sometimes the same as the supervisor) and another Behavioral Biology faculty member (often the DUS) by the end of the semester, the semester you will graduate. Applying for/obtaining honors in Behavioral Biology involves four formal steps, with the following deadlines:

  1. The semester prior to your graduation semester, before the last day to drop classes (usually about 1 month into classes), you must submit an honors thesis application – this includes a title and abstract of the research and must be signed by your lab supervisor and PI.
  2. The semester of your graduation, before the last day to add classes, you must submit an honors grade worksheet.
  3. The semester of your graduation, before the last day to drop classes, you must email a draft of your honors thesis to the DUS with your PI cc’d.
  4. At the end of the semester, a complete thesis, approved by your PI, must be submitted to the DUS.

Scientific Writing

Here are some links to get more information and tips for writing a scientific paper:

The length should be a minimum of eight pages single spaced (12-point font), plus figures and literature cited. Formatting can follow that of full research papers in either Animal Behavior or the Journal of Neuroscience. Below are brief descriptions of each of the sections that need to be included. Be sure to start your citation database at the very beginning of your project. A guide to software options is at the end of this document and here.

Thesis Sections

  1. Title
  2. Abstract (250 words max)
    • This should review each section of the manuscript. Include five keywords below your abstract on the first page.
  3. Introduction (3 – 4 pages)
    • This provides the necessary background for understanding the paper. Remember your thesis will be reviewed by our program committee who may not specialize in your specific research. The best rule to follow is that the reader is a graduate in Behavioral Biology but does not work in the same lab. Include in this section what is known and what you will answer with your research including one or more hypotheses and specific predictions for your project. This section will have a lot of citations (see below) but no quotations.
  4. Methods (2 – 4 pages)
    • Describe everything you did and all of the equipment you used. Be sure to include if there were components of the project or data that were collected by others. Write the methods section in past tense using an active voice (often first person). Figures are often helpful here to explain experimental set-ups. (See section on Figures)
  5. Results (2 pages + figures)
    • The results should be presented succinctly with a minimum of one statistical test or analyses that meet discipline standards, and two figures. Results have already been collected, so they are written in past tense.
  6. Figures (2 minimum)
    • Figures can be embedded in the text or placed together at the end of the paper. Figures should not have titles but must have figure captions. Captions should be written in such a way as to enable the reader to understand the figure. They should include a description of what is depicted in the figure and the implications it has for the findings of the paper. Figures must use 12-point font (including axis labels) and be of sufficient quality to be seen clearly without magnification. You must produce your own figures.
  7. Discussion (3 – 4 pages)
    • Review the major findings of your study. How does it fit with what was expected or already known? Are there future directions or alternative hypotheses that should be explored? Were there any limitations to the project? Compare specific results with previous work.
  8. Literature Cited
    • A minimum of 15 citations are required. These should be from the primary literature (e.g., journal articles, book chapters) and follow the standard format of the journals listed above. Include last names of authors (or et al. if greater than two authors) and year for citations in text ie (Bohn et al. 2018). All references should be cited in the text. And should follow Animal Behavior or Journal of Neuroscience formatting. This requires using citation software. JHU community members can access our citation software quick guide.