Capstone/Research Courses - Department of Biology

Undergraduate Research Courses for Credit

You can register in the following courses as part of your degree. To find a supervisor, you must first explore research areas of members of the Department of Biology and approach a professor or adjunct to discuss research opportunities in their lab as part of an Undergraduate Research Course for credit. Once you have reached an agreement, a completed Registration Request Form must be submitted to biology@carleton.ca a minimum of 1 business day prior to the last day to register.

BIOL 3901 Research Proposal
BIOL 4901 Directed Special Studies (up to 1.0 credit)

Thesis/Capstone Courses – BIOL 4905, 4907, and 4908

What are Thesis/Capstone courses, and how do these courses differ from a regular course?

On graduating with a B.Sc. Honour designation, you are expected to be a critical thinker (quantitatively, analytically, and in argument) and to be an effective oral and written science communicator. Thesis/Capstone courses (BIOL 4905, 4907, and 4908) are the ‘final assignment’, designed to prepare you for the B.Sc. Honours degree.

Thesis/Capstone courses are two-term courses (Fall & Winter, or Early & Late Summer). As an Honours Biology student, you can register and complete only one of these capstone courses. Independent to which capstone course you choose, you should plan on average 10 hrs/week towards your capstone course. Review the capstone timeline to ensure you’re on track!

Which capstone course is right for you?

Course Code		Participates in Research Day?	Supervisor Required?	Form Required for Registration?
BIOL 4905	In-class, assignments and meta-analysis Thesis	Yes	No	No
BIOL 4907	Independent one-on-one research proposal using pre-existing data	Yes	Yes	Yes
BIOL 4908	Independent one-on-one field/laboratory Thesis	Yes	Yes	Yes

BIOL4905 Honours Workshop

BIOL4905 Honours Workshop teaches critical thinking, effective oral and written communication skills, and quantitative analyses through a series of class-based (i.e., Instructor-led) weekly and term-based assignments. These assignments explore the core elements of scientific writing, review syntheses, media releases, infographics, oral and poster presentations; and experimental design, statistics, and a year long meta-analyses. Some assignments are specifically skill-oriented; other assignments allow you to apply these skills towards your final Thesis and Research Day defence. Student Theses may be on any biological topic of their choosing.
Honours students should consider enrolling in this BIOL4905 Workshop if you wish to concentrate on communication skills and the fundamentals of meta-analyses (i.e., quantitative summaries of published papers, useful towards for example, informing policy). However, if you wish to gain hands-on field, and/ or bench skills (important to some Graduate schools) then you should consider BIOL4908 instead.
Honours students who plan to take BIOL4905 can register through Carleton Central – no application forms are necessary.

BIOL4907 Honours Project

BIOL4907 Honours Project course approaches critical thinking and effective oral and written communication skills through an independent one-on-one (supervised by a faculty mentor) critical review and research proposal, using mostly library resources or pre-existing data.
Honours students should consider enrolling in this BIOL4907 Honours Project course if you wish to focus within a singular biological topic without the hands-on field/lab experience. Capstone students enrolled in BIOL4907 are similarly expected to defend their research efforts during Research Day activities.
Honours students interested in this BIOL4907 capstone course must first reach an agreement with a potential Supervisor (see below) and then complete the Undergraduate Research Course for Credit – Registration Request Form.

BIOL4908 Honours Thesis

BIOL4908 Honours Thesis course approaches critical thinking and effective oral and written communication skills through independent one-on-one (supervised by a faculty mentor) research undertaken in the field and/or the laboratory.
Students aiming for Graduate School that require a hands-on field or a bench-skill oriented Thesis should consider taking this capstone course as BIOL4908 embraces the research process from developing the research question, to planning the experimental design, collecting and analyzing data, writing a final paper (i.e., the Thesis), and presenting research findings (Research Day).
Honours students interested in this BIOL4908 capstone course must first reach an agreement with a potential Supervisor (see below) and then complete the Undergraduate Research Course for Credit – Registration Request Form.

Finding a Supervisor (BIOL 4907/08)

To find a Supervisor for your BIOL 4907 or 4908 you need to start early (Supervisors are not required for BIOL 4905):

Step 1 – Do your own research. Find out Who can Supervise – check the availability! and explore researcher profiles to identify potential supervisors whose interests align with yours.

Any Faculty member from the Department of Biology may supervise an Honours Biology student enrolled in BIOL4907 or 4908.
All Adjunct Professors may supervise an Honours Biology student enrolled in BIOL4907 or 4908. Co-Supervision by a Biology Faculty member is additionally required.
Students may also approach non-Biology Carleton Faculty or professionals outside Carleton to be a thesis supervisor, however approval is required by the department in advance of registering. Co-Supervision by a Biology Faculty member is required.

Step 2 – Start a conversation – not mandatory but will be super helpful!

Reach out to potential supervisors by sending them a personalized an email. Approach potential supervisors after class or at biology hosted events such as Research Day, the September Welcome Event, or BioBites hosted by CUBS.
Introduce yourself, explain how their research interests you, and ask about the possibility of you working under their Supervision for a BIOL 4907/08. Discuss what courses you should take to help you with the BIOL 4907/08, whether summer field work will be required, and overall expectations. Potential Supervisors may request a copy of your transcript (unofficial copy).

Step 3 – Fill out Application for a 4th Year Honours Academic Supervisor Form by January 31st.

When you complete the Application for a 4th Year Honours Academic Supervisor Form, the supervisors you list (up to 3) will be informed. You may be contacted by the listed supervisors directly to start a conversation about potential research.
If the match was successful, you will hear back from us regarding the result and you will be asked to complete the form in Step 4.
If the match was unsuccessful, we will provide you with the names of other researchers who still have space left for Thesis students, and you may choose to reach out to them or take BIOL 4905 as an alternative.
Note that supervisory acceptance depends on several factors including availability (e.g., maternity/paternity leaves, sabbatical), congruency between you and your Supervisor’s research interests, and for BIOL 4908, physical space availability, day-to-day oversight, and availability of necessary resources/specimens.

Step 4 – Fill out Undergraduate Research Course for Credit – Registration Request Form

Once you are matched successfully with a Supervisor, fill out the Undergraduate Research Course for Credit – Registration Request Form and send it to biology@carleton.ca. The office will process the form and send you an override approval. Once you receive the override approve, you can register yourself in your Thesis course through Carleton Central.
The form must be submitted a minimum of 1 business day prior to the last day to register.

How do I make a scientific poster?

A poster can be a great tool at a conference for drawing people into conversation and give the audience a visual representation of your work. It is important to have a well put together poster that is easy to read and can be eye catching. See the following link to view the dos and don’ts on making a scientific poster: do’s and don’ts of making a poster.

Timelines for Capstone Courses

Note: The Department will use students’ MyCarleton (cmail) e-mail addresses for all official communication regarding BIOL 4907/BIOL 4908. It is the student’s responsibility to monitor this e-mail account regularly.

Fall Term, Third Year

By the end of the Fall term (of your 3rd year) you should be starting to communicate with potential supervisors for your 4th year Honours Thesis (see below).

Starting this early gives you three advantages

Provides you an opportunity to discuss with your potential supervisor whether you should take BIOL 4901 during the Winter term (of your 3rd year). BIOL 4901 is an excellent opportunity to obtain a background literature review of your intended thesis topic – before you actually start your thesis. Similarly, BIOL 4901 could be used to train you in specific skill sets necessary for your thesis, or it can be used to develop a detailed research proposal. If your thesis involves summer field work then BIOL 4901 could be used as well to develop a summer research proposal.
Provides you an opportunity to apply for a NSERC Summer Research Fellowship or other summer research opportunities under your potential supervisor. Nothing like being paid to do research! Applications are due in January, hence the need to discuss with your potential supervisor.
Provides you the opportunity to pick and choose who you would like to work with – and to choose a research project that interests you most. Delaying the process until Fall of your 4th year limits your opportunities significantly.

Winter Term, Third Year

By the end of the Winter term of your 3rd year, you should have:

Completed thesis arrangements with your supervisor (e.g., commitments, a description of summer work if required, work agenda for Fall and Winter of your 4th year), and
Submitted the completed Undergraduate Research Course for Credit – Registration Request Form to biology@carleton.ca.

Summer between Third and Fourth Year

Depending on the nature of your thesis project, some students may conduct summer research in the field between their 3rd and 4th years. Note that this option is not compatible with having a full-time summer job! It is unrealistic to think that after a day of work you will have the energy to devote to laboratory or field research.

Honours research is time consuming. You should expect to spend more than the typical eight hours per week that you would devote to each of your other courses. You will work out an appropriate schedule for the laboratory or field work with your supervisor.

Fall Term Fourth Year

For students entering their 4th year who plan to conduct their thesis through the current academic year, and have not yet identified a supervisor to work with, you must do so and submit the Undergraduate Research Course for Credit – Registration Request Form. The form must be submitted a minimum of 1 business day prior to the last day to register.

Winter Term Fourth Year

January: Progress Meeting (early in the term).
Summarize your progress towards key objectives. Discuss with supervisor to make sure you are on track to successfully complete your studies.

April: Research Day (typically held after the last day of class and before formal exams).
You will make, present, and defend a poster to two faculty members during an open house event. The two faculty members will evaluate your poster, contributing 10% each to your final grade. See the following link to view the dos and don’ts on making a scientific poster: do’s and don’ts of making a poster.

Some supervisors may allow other options such as 5-minute Thesis. It is important to discuss expectations well in-advance.

April: Final Paper (Second week of April).
Your final paper should be written in the form of a scientific paper. Consult with your supervisor as to the exact requirements. Your Final Paper is worth 80% of your final grade. The 80% includes an evaluation of all work performance in the lab and/or field, and the Thesis Writing itself . The weighting of marks towards the lab/field work versus the paper is up to the discretion of your supervisor.

Note: Students who show initiative and creativity and who conduct themselves like professionals are generally rewarded with better grades. It is your responsibility to meet often with your supervisor to be sure you understand what is expected of you.

Note: Students who are in joint programs are governed by the deadlines and requirements of their supervisor’s home department.

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