Making Full Circle in Your Undergraduate Life Science Journey: Senior Thesis Q&A
This the second of our 3 Q&A series on how to get better and (maybe) happier at writing and presenting scientific discoveries. Read this article in full to start preparing yourself an academic graduation gift 💎
Our Collaborator: Brandeis SciComm lab fellow Kathleen Maigler
Read our first Q&A to know more about SciComm Lab!
In this article, we will cover many general and technical advice for of writing a successful undergraduate thesis. Whether you are about to write a thesis, have contemplated about it, or simply interested in what thesis-writers do, this article is made for YOU!
Q1: I’m currently a Junior (bio major), will be doing research this summer and I'm planning to do a thesis on the project I'm working on. People told me I need to start earlier, so I'm thinking about writing the introduction part of my thesis paper (20 pages) this summer. What should a solid introduction of a scientific paper include? (like should it be more about background, like past studies done on this topic?)
tl;dr: When and how should I start my thesis journey?
Summer research is a great opportunity to experience the lab full time, get to know your labmates, and collect lots of data.
Step 1: Data Collection
Data collection is an integral part of science, but it is difficult to do correctly and efficiently without a decent understanding of the background research or previous related work. If you do not have cursory knowledge of the current topics around your project, you run the risk of unintentionally repeating something that has already been done or re-inventing something that has already been streamlined. That is to say, use your resources!
“What I recommend you start with is a literature review…”
When it comes to the thesis, it is easier to start early, but most majors will not require you to finish your introduction until the end of your fall semester. What I recommend you start with is a literature review, collecting papers that are relevant to your project. As you collect and skim through these, you will also start to get an idea of what is included in a scientific paper introduction.
Essentially, you will want to introduce the problem or question you are answering, why it is important and what has been done so far, and emphasize the missing piece of information you will be filling with your research. Of course it should include your hypothesis as well (the MIT comm lab has great resources on this as well). See the SciComm Lab’s Senior Thesis Handout.pdf for more information on timelines and resources on the senior thesis.
Q2: Can you give advice on establishing a solid senior thesis paper? (maybe outline or a template; like what should be included in each section, figure? Can you provide a good example of a thesis paper to us?)
While life science theses are similar, each department or major will have different requirements and preferences for the thesis. What I can say is that any good scientific paper has an interesting question, a clear hypothesis, and convincing data. Your paper should read like a scientific article; it should be clear, concise, and readable. Use the scientific papers you are reading as a template. Then set clear deadlines with your mentor to submit drafts of each section: the Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (not necessarily in that order, i.e. it’s usually easiest to start with the Methods and Results sections). Fortunately The University Archives has many senior theses on file. Use Brandeis OneSearch to search for theses in your department by typing "Brandeis University senior honors thesis dept of [department name]". If you are unsure how to present your results in figures or how to discuss them, the SciComm lab is a great resource for that! Make an appointment to get a one-on-one consultation and talk through the best way to present your data.
Use Brandeis OneSearch to Expedite Your Research!
Q3: How many sources are recommended in a thesis paper?
Again, this will vary by department, and some have minimum and maximum source requirements. I would recommend at least 10, but this is dependent on the amount of information that is out there on your topic, how much the audience needs to know to understand why you are doing the research you are doing, and what type of techniques you use. Most claims in a scientific paper should be cited, so for a 20 page paper you will likely have about 20 sources.
Check out many other helpful resources from SciComm Lab!
Q4: How long does it take for you guys to write a 20 page- thesis paper on one project?
Writing takes different amounts of time for different people. And certainly some people (myself among them) tend to work best with an impending deadline. Of course starting early, having and sticking to deadlines is the gold standard and will probably mitigate stress. But that’s just not the reality of things. To be honest, when I work with undergraduates, I’m not concerned about how long it will take to write the paper, but how long it will take to gather the data and make the figures! Generally you will start writing in the spring semester and have to be done before finals. So, work with your mentor on a timeline that will work for you both. Or schedule meetings with the SciComm lab to encourage deadlines for yourself (and if you show up with only a partial draft, that will be ok too)!
