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•  /  Complete Your Degree
•  /  Thesis and Dissertation Information
•  /  About eTDs

In the fall of 1998, Penn State’s Graduate School, Information Technology Services , Digital Library Technologies, and University Libraries embarked upon an initiative to allow theses and dissertations to be submitted and archived electronically. What began as a pilot project is now required for all doctoral students, and masters students requiring a thesis at Penn State. Joining Virginia Tech, West Virginia University, and other universities across the nation, Penn State has enabled its students to incorporate multimedia formats into their theses/dissertations and to submit them electronically—the final product being easily accessible worldwide.

Electronic theses and dissertations (eTDs) expand the creative possibilities open to students and empower students to convey a richer message by permitting video, sound, and color images to be integrated into their work. Submitting and archiving eTDs helps students to understand electronic publishing issues and provides greater access to students’ research. People from any place on the globe can link directly to eTD collections at Penn State and other universities.

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IST Honors Thesis Guide

This guide is for students completing a Schreyer Honors College (SHC) thesis in the College of Information Sciences and Technology. Additional requirements and information can be found in the SHC Honors Thesis Overview .

If you have questions, ask your honors adviser or your thesis supervisor. If they do not have the answer, feel free to contact one of the following people:

• Carleen Maitland, Ph.D. – Professor of Information Sciences and Technology
• Zaryab Iqbal, Ph.D. –  Associate Dean, Schreyer Honors College

Additional Resources 

• SHC Honors Thesis Overview
• SHC Honors Requirements and Deadlines
• Past SHC theses
• Libraries Research Guide for IST Students
• Libraries Citation and Writing Guides

Completing an undergraduate honors thesis is a culminating academic experience for Schreyer Honors College scholars. The  SHC Thesis Project Guide  states:

• [T]he purpose of the thesis experience is to develop your intellectual and professional identity in the field and to help you think about your future. Once complete, the purpose of the thesis is to advance knowledge, understanding, or creative value in its field.

As such, the thesis experience is designed to pique your intellectual curiosity, develop research skills, contribute to advancing knowledge, provide an opportunity to work closely with a faculty member, and help you explore the possibility of a graduate degree or other research-focused work.

There are two parts to a thesis project: the first is the project itself, and the second is the written document that describes the project.

The thesis project can take many forms, from laboratory experiments to artistic creations. The thesis document captures the relevant background, methods, and techniques, as well as describing the details of the completion of the individual project.

IST students have completed survey studies, interpretive analyses of multimedia artifacts, statistical analyses of large data sets, design studies, case studies, and more. You can view examples of theses on the Penn State Libraries website.

The thesis document is a written description of the entire thesis project. It typically begins with an introductory section that establishes the importance of the project’s research question. Most thesis papers then present a review of relevant work related to the project, a description of the project and the methods used, a presentation of the results, and a discussion of the findings. Some thesis papers also include a final conclusion section that may outline suggestions for future research. In addition to these main chapters, all theses include title page, signatory page, abstract, table of contents, list of figures, acknowledgements, bibliography, appendix items, and the Scholar’s academic vita.

Although the thesis is an independent project, your work will be guided and approved by two faculty members:

• a thesis supervisor
• an honors adviser in your area of honors

Learn more about identifying these individuals in the “Proposal, Supervisor & Area of Honors” section of the  SHC Thesis Project Guide .

College of IST faculty members expect SHC students to take responsibility for managing their thesis projects. You are in charge of requesting regular meetings with your honors adviser and your thesis supervisor, carrying out the plans that you and your thesis supervisor discuss, setting and meeting deadlines for yourself, and knowing the SHC requirements for your thesis. Thesis supervisors and honors advisers are committed to guiding your work and will do their best to answer your questions.

SHC Thesis Requirements

College of IST scholars must fulfill all  SHC honors thesis requirements , including the formatting and submission requirements. In addition, take special note of  three deadlines related to thesis completion : the thesis proposal deadline, the mandatory thesis format review submission deadline, and the final thesis submission deadline.

College of IST Thesis Requirement: IST 489H

All College of IST scholars must have formal preparation for doing a thesis. Most often, students fulfill this requirement by taking  IST 489H . This course is offered each spring and is intended to introduce students to all the steps of the research process. If a student has worked with the thesis supervisor in a research lab setting, the thesis supervisor may elect to provide one-on-one training for carrying out a study. However, thesis supervisor will often prefer that the student complete the 489H course. IST 489H can also be used to satisfy your ENGL 202 requirement.

The recommended timing for the research methods course is spring of the student’s junior year. Students typically have an idea of their general thesis topic by this time, and this is the last opportunity to provide training before they undertake a study the following year. If you planned to study abroad in spring of the junior year, you should take IST 489H in spring of the sophomore year. Although sophomores may not have a good sense of their thesis topic, they still benefit from walking through the course with a trial topic to learn the research process.

A thesis project unfolds in several phases, most of which begin long before you ever begin writing the thesis paper itself. The bulk of the work takes place over the final three or four semesters.

Phase 1: Notice and Explore Topics

Semesters 1 - 4 (Freshman and Sophomore Year)

The first phase entails noticing and exploring topics of interest. This occurs by paying attention to ideas presented in class, student listserv messages, research articles on the IST and Penn State websites, and announcements about visiting researcher seminars. In many cases, the instructor of a course, a researcher who gives a thought-provoking seminar, or an honors adviser can help direct you to resources on topics of interest.

Phase 2: Narrow Topic and Identify Thesis Supervisor

Semester 5 (Fall, Junior Year)

The second phase includes narrowing your potential thesis topic and identifying a thesis supervisor. You should communicate frequently with your assigned honors adviser to zero in on a topic based on your interests and choose a faculty member to supervise your thesis. Once a faculty member has agreed to be your supervisor, the two of you will continue to narrow your topic and formulate a research question for your study. Consult the “Beginning your Research Project” section below for suggestions on selecting a thesis topic.

Phase 3: Prepare to Undertake your Study

Semester 6 (Spring, Junior Year) & Summer between Junior/Senior Years

The third phase is a busy planning phase. You need to learn about what is required to carry out a study (this will be covered in the IST 498H research methods course), complete any required certifications for working with human participants, formulate your exact research question, read and review scientific literature to show that you have a good understanding of your topic, and design your research project. This is a semester to work closely with your honors adviser and/or thesis supervisor to complete the following: 

• Take IST 489H, which is required for all College of IST honors students unless your thesis supervisor suggests doing one-on-one training with him or her.
• Continue to meet with your thesis supervisor. Focus on determining a research topic area, beginning a literature review, identifying a specific research question, and a developing a rough research plan. This can occur while taking IST 489H.
• Consult the “Beginning your Research Project” section below for a step-by-step guide to prepare you for conducting a literature review.
• Consult the  Libraries research guide for IST students  for resources to conduct your research.
• Complete Institutional Review Board (IRB) training and certification  if your proposed study requires IRB approval.
• Investigate research grants and scholarships  to support thesis expenses or conference presentations.
• Choose the area of honors  in which you will do your thesis.
• Determine the two faculty members who will read your thesis.
• Submit your thesis proposal through the  SHC Student Records Systems  by the  appropriate deadline .
• Prepare readings and organize notes for your literature review.

Phase 4: Undertake your Study and Write your Thesis Paper

Semesters 7-8 (Fall and Spring, Senior Year)

The fourth phase includes carrying out your study and writing your thesis paper. Studies take a variety of forms, which will largely be determined by your exact research question and the methods you choose to complete your study. Your thesis supervisor will be your primary guide as you conduct your research and determine the different chapters to be written:

• For each of the fall and spring semesters, register for three credits of the research project course (CYBER/DS/HCDD/IST/SRA 494) with your thesis supervisor. Credits are earned for weekly meetings with your thesis supervisor, writing the literature review, and gathering data. A maximum of six credits are allowed for the thesis.
• Complete your study in the fall semester—or by early spring semester at the latest.
• Begin writing and assembling chapters of your thesis using the  SHC Word template  in the fall and finish writing it in the spring.
• Schedule three due dates to keep your thesis on track:
• The date by which your thesis supervisor wants to receive your thesis so it can be read and reviewed by the two faculty members approving your thesis. This should be in advance of the SHC deadline. You are expected to provide at least one week for faculty to read your thesis, and to provide an additional week for you to make corrections.
• The date for mandatory  Thesis Format Review .
• The date for  final thesis submission . There are no exceptions to this date!
• Submit your thesis for mandatory Thesis Format Review through  SHC Student Records System .
• Submit your thesis through the  SHC Student Records System .

Begin early in the third year to identify a research topic and develop a relationship with your thesis adviser. Set aside a few hours each week to develop an awareness and understanding for your topic of interest. Work with your thesis supervisor to develop a plan specific to your research.

Defining a Research Question

The process of identifying a research question begins by identifying your topic of interest.  Next, you should gather literature from a variety of sources to identify current problems, common understandings in the field, and findings related to that topic. This information forms the foundation for you to further contribute to the topic in the form of a specific research question.

The process of articulating the research question is iterative and recursive, which means that at any point you may refine your research topic based on new literature findings and begin the process again. The process is repeated until a research question is identified representing a very narrow point of investigation within the much broader area of the research topic. The literature review becomes the critical bridge between your research topic and question.

Choosing a Topic

Begin by looking at whatever lists of topics you have kept in the previous year or by thinking about areas of study in which you have a strong and sustained interest. Choose one of the topics as a starting place for investigation. Take time to read two or three articles about this topic. Follow particular strands of interest by reading articles referenced in the two or three articles. If you find that your interest wanes, move to another topic on your list and restart the process. Once you land on something that seems viable, undertake a literature review to dig deeper.

Starting a Literature Review

To start a literature review, complete the following steps:

• Designate regular time each week to review the literature related to a research topic of interest.
• Determine the best sources from which to retrieve articles. It is important to use more scholarly search engines like  Google Scholar ,  CiteSeerx , and  Penn State’s LionSearch .
• Investigate resources to make the job easier.

To get started, review  Bryman & Bell’s online Research Project Guide , particularly sections A.3 Preliminary Literature Review and C.5 Literature, Research Skills, and Key Words. When conducting the review of the literature, document key words and publications that provide useful and consistent results.  Consider the bibliography in scholarly papers to be another source of ideas, and remember that full, online text copies of these publications can often be found using  LionSearch .

Use technology like  Diigo  and  Mendeley  to help keep track of literature, save interesting links for later review, and manage citations and bibliography information. The Penn State Libraries provide excellent  guides for using these citation managers .

It is important to give credit to the sources you use in the research paper. Discuss the citation style you will be using, such as APA, with your thesis adviser. The  Purdue OWL  and  KnightCite  offer guidance on working with these styles.

Scholarly writing is a unique style of writing that is both formal and without bias. Evidence is logically presented to convince the reader to agree with the presented argument. Review  this writing guide example  for tips on how to caption and cross-reference figures, as well as common pitfalls to avoid.

The electronic databases below are available through  Penn State Libraries  and can be very helpful in your thesis project.

Finding Scholarly Articles and Technical Information

• LionSearch  - Online catalog to find specific journals, magazines, and books in print and electronically.
• ACM Digital Library  – Full text of every publication of the Association of Computing Machinery.
• IEEE Xplore and Compendex / Inspec  - Comprehensive technical and scholarly coverage of topics in computer science, information technology, electronics, engineering, and related fields.
• Web of Science  – Citation indexing with particular strength in science and technology.

Finding News and Data

• LexisNexis Academic - Source for locating trade publications and news, including major publications like the  New York Times  and  Washington Post .
• Statistical Abstract of the United States  - Compilation of census data related to most aspects of American life.
• World Development Indicators  - Nearly 800 statistical indicators related to social and economic development.

Other Useful Resources

• The Pew Internet & American Life Project  - Reports that include demographic data about users of the internet, technology, and special topics such as social networking websites.
• Safari Computer Books Online - Electronic access to current computer manuals from a variety of publishers.
• Interlibrary Loan  - If Penn State doesn’t have the research material you need, request it using this service.
• KnightCite citation generator  - Web-based citation generating tool that includes the three main citation styles: MLA, APA, and Chicago.

Time Commitment

How long does it take to complete a thesis?

• From first conception (often in the required research methods course, IST 489H) to final submission, most students take 3 semesters to complete a thesis. Typically, the actual study (collecting survey data, or designing a product and testing it, etc.) occurs in the fall of senior year. Typically, the analysis of the study and the writing of the thesis paper occur in the spring of senior year.

Scope of the Thesis

How long is a thesis?

• A thesis is as long as it needs to be to answer the research question that the student seeks to answer. Your thesis needs to establish the importance of your question, explain relevant work that has been done related to your question, describe the study that you designed, present the results, and explain your findings. In general, 20 pages would not be enough room to accomplish all of this. Is 40 pages enough? Do you need 100 pages? You cannot answer that question until you have defined your question and planned your study (and, in some cases, looked at your results). The length should not be a goal; nor should it be a deterrent. Seniors who have completed a thesis will tell you that once you’ve completed the study, the thesis writes itself.

Where can I find examples of theses from IST students?

• All available SHC electronic honors theses are catalogued in the Penn State library and can be accessed at the  honors library site .

Thesis Preparation

In addition to a research methods course, what would prepare me for undertaking a thesis?

• Working in a faculty member’s research lab with other undergraduate and graduate students or working individually on a faculty member’s research project are excellent preparatory experiences for undertaking an honors thesis.

Area of Honors

What is an “area of honors” and how does it impact my thesis?

• Areas of honors correspond to the majors offered to undergraduate students at Penn State. Students must designate an area of honors when they submit their thesis proposal. This signals to Schreyer Honors College which honors advisers are appropriate representatives of a disciplinary area to read and approve the thesis as an appropriate study for the area of honors that is designated.

May I choose an “area of honors” outside my major?

• In principle, students who begin in SHC as incoming freshman at Penn State may choose an area of honors outside the major. However, even if you were admitted to SHC as an incoming freshman student, you must check with the Department or College offering the area of honors to be sure that they will allow you to complete your thesis in their area—and, if so, whether there are additional requirements that you need to complete. Gateway students are approved for an honors thesis only within the College that recommended they be admitted to SHC. For a more detailed response, including different scenarios, see the “ Proposal, Supervisor and Area of Honors ” section of the SHC Thesis Project Guide

Thesis Readers

Can I add a third reader to my thesis?

• Yes, you can add a third person to read your thesis. (Most students do not add a third person.) In cases where a student works in a research lab with a faculty member who is not an honors adviser and who is not the thesis supervisor, but who has helped as much as the thesis supervisor and the student wants to recognize the contributions of the additional faculty member, it is possible for the student to list a third person on the thesis signature page. Note that if a third person signs on the signature page, that person’s name must also be included on the title page. If you are considering this option, contact the Coordinator of Student Records at SHC (Ms. Debra Rodgers,  [email protected] ) for directions.

How do I go about designating faculty members to be a supervisor, an honors adviser, or a third reader on my thesis?

• As is the case any time that you want to use someone’s name to assist you (with letters of references, character reviews, independent studies, etc.), always ask faculty members before using their names—and wait for their response before adding their names to any forms. You cannot assume that a faculty member will have time to supervise your thesis, so never add a faculty member’s name to a thesis proposal or other thesis-related form without asking the faculty member, first, whether she or he would be willing to serve in the capacity that you desire. Once you have confirmation that the faculty member agrees to work with you, you may add the person’s name on appropriate online forms—typically by choosing a name from a dropdown menu. If you find that the people you wish to designate do not appear on SHC forms, contact the Coordinator of Student Records at SHC (Ms. Debra Rodgers,  [email protected] ) for assistance.

Thesis Proposal

When do I have to submit a thesis proposal to SHC?

• A proposal must be submitted by the SHC deadline at the end of the semester that occurs one year prior to intended graduation (e.g., spring semester of the junior year, if the student is planning on graduating in spring of the senior year). See  SHC Important Dates page  for specific dates.

Whose names do I need to list on my thesis proposal?

• Two faculty members must be listed on the online thesis proposal form: a thesis supervisor and an honors adviser. In cases where the thesis supervisor is the student’s honors adviser, another eligible faculty member from the chosen area of honors may be chosen. See the  SHC Thesis Project Guide  for more details.

Is there funding at Penn State for any of the following: materials and equipment, presenting my thesis at a professional conference, collecting data in other cities or countries, remaining in State College for a summer to work on my thesis?

• Yes, yes, yes, and yes. For funding opportunities through the College of IST or through the Penn State Office of Undergraduate Education, see the  IST Undergraduate Research page . For funding opportunities through SHC, see their  research funding page .

Where else, outside of Penn State, might I look for funding?

• For funding opportunities outside Penn State, see the  External Funding section  of the SHC research funding page.

Submitting a Thesis

Who must sign the thesis?

• Two faculty members must sign the thesis: a thesis supervisor and an honors adviser. In cases where the thesis supervisor is the student’s honors adviser, another eligible faculty member from the chosen area of honors may be chosen. See the  SHC Thesis Project Guide  for more details.

By when do I need to give the completed thesis to those who will be signing it?

• You need to determine a date with your thesis supervisor. Typically this will be 2 weeks prior to the SHC deadlines, so that a) the faculty who will be reading your thesis will have a week to comment and b) you will have a week to implement their requested changes.

What are the SHC thesis deadlines?

• You need to submit a completed thesis by the SHC deadline that is set for the semester in which you intend to graduate. Note that there are actually several deadlines, which are listed by semester at  SHC>Current Students>Important Dates .

Where do I find the requirements for formatting and submitting my thesis?

• For information on formatting and submitting a thesis, see formatting and submission guides on the  SHC website .

Where do I actually submit my thesis?

• To submit the thesis, visit the eHT ( electronic Honors Thesis ) site.

Guidelines for Topic Choice, Writing Schedule, Citing and Referencing

Where can I find tips and lessons learned for things like choosing a topic, creating a schedule for writing, and citing appropriately?

• SHC offers a  Thesis Project Guide  that is full of reminders and tips that come from lessons learned from many thesis projects.

Combining an Undergraduate Thesis and a Graduate Thesis (for IUG)

If I want to pursue an Integrated Undergraduate Graduate (IUG) degree, does that change my thesis requirement?

• When pursuing an IUG, a student is required to produce a master’s quality thesis. The master’s thesis will also count as the undergraduate honors thesis. For those students who would like to complete two studies, they may submit two separate theses but at least one must be master’s quality.

What is a common schedule for completing a master’s level thesis for students pursuing an Integrated Undergraduate Graduate (IUG) degree?

• There is no common schedule, because each master’s thesis project will differ in its requirements, depending on the research question and the actual study that is designed. Many master’s thesis projects require students to spend a summer doing research—often in State College or wherever data is collected. The timeline for completing a master’s thesis is generally longer than that required for an undergraduate honors thesis. Still, most IUG students finish their undergraduate and graduate work in 5 years or 5 years plus one additional summer. (Note: In order to keep within a 5-year time frame, students should have advanced standing from multiple AP or other credits, such that they would otherwise be able to graduate a semester or more early; they should expect to take summer courses; and they should expect to spend at least a summer doing research.)

Are you a student that needs to submit their work?

Want to explore published submissions.

A Distinctive Achievement Honors Thesis

As a Schreyer Scholar, you are required to complete an undergraduate honors thesis as the culmination of your honors experience. The goal of the thesis is to demonstrate a command of relevant scholastic work and to make a personal contribution to that scholarship.

Your thesis project can take many forms — from laboratory experiments all the way to artistic creations. Your thesis document captures the relevant background, methods, and techniques and describes the details of the completion of the individual project.

Two Penn State faculty members evaluate and approve your thesis — a thesis supervisor and an honors adviser in your area of honors.

Planning is Key Project Guide

The thesis is, by design, your most ambitious undertaking as a Scholar.

A successful thesis requires a viable proposal, goal-setting, time management, and interpersonal skills on top of the disciplinary skills associated with your intended area of honors. This guide will walk you through the thesis process. Keep in mind, though, that your honors adviser and thesis supervisor are your key resources.

Planning A Thesis

An ideal thesis project should:

• Satisfy your intellectual curiosity
• Give you the opportunity to work closely with faculty
• Develop transferable skills
• Clarify your post-graduation plans

The single biggest factor in determining thesis quality is your level of interest in and engagement with the topic, so consider multiple possibilities rather than selecting the first one that seems attractive to you.

From the perspective of the Schreyer Honors College, the purpose of the thesis experience is to develop your intellectual and professional identity in the field and to help you think about your future.

Once complete, the purpose of the thesis is to advance knowledge, understanding, or creative value in its field.

Lab-Based Research Fields

We recommend avoiding the temptation to stick with your first lab placement merely out of convenience if the topic is not interesting to you. The quality of your thesis is truly dependent on the depth of your interest and the energy behind your curiosity. Your intellectual engagement is the thing that will carry you through what may at times feel like a long and sometimes difficult process.

A Thesis Needs A Thesis

A thesis is problem-oriented and identifies something of importance whose answer or best interpretation is not fully known or agreed-upon by people who make their careers in the field, and it proceeds towards the answer or best interpretation. Even with a creative or performance thesis, the purpose is not to demonstrate technical ability (writing, painting, acting, composing, etc.), but to express something you think is worth expressing and hasn't been fully expressed already.

Identifying a Topic

An interest can come from anywhere, but the problem that defines a thesis can only come from a thorough acquaintance with "the literature," the accumulated knowledge or creative value in your field.

By speaking with faculty (preferably more than one) and reading professional journals (again, more than one), you not only get a "crowd-sourced" sense of what is important, you also get a sense of what the open questions are. This is where you start to strike a balance between ambition and feasibility.

Feasibility & Realistic Ambition

You might want to come up with the definitive explanation for Rome's decline and fall, or the cure for cancer. There is strong evidence — several thousand prior theses — that your honors thesis will not accomplish anything on that scale. This realization might be disheartening, but it is an introduction to the reality of modern scholarship: Knowledge almost always moves incrementally and the individual units of knowledge production and dissemination (theses, journal articles, books, etc.) are only rarely revolutionary in isolation. This is part of what the thesis experience will test for you — whether or not you want to continue via graduate school in that kind of slow-moving enterprise.

The feasibility of a given thesis problem is bounded, as mathematicians might say, by several factors.

The honors thesis should not extend your time at Penn State by design. There are circumstances where you might defer graduation to complete your thesis, but that should not be your initial plan.

Resources are a potential issue in that even a comprehensive and well-funded university like Penn State does not have the physical infrastructure for every possible kind of research. The expense of ambitious off-campus research, such as a comparative study requiring visits to several countries, can easily exceed our funding abilities. If you expect to incur more than $300 in expenses, you should get commitments from your department and academic college before proceeding.

Proposal, Supervisor & Area of Honors

Thesis proposal.

The thesis proposal is due at the end of your third year, assuming you're on a four-year path to graduation. File your Thesis Proposal with the Schreyer Honors College via the Student Records System (SRS) . The end-of-third-year requirement is from the Honors College, but your major may expect a much earlier commitment so be sure to talk to your honors adviser as early as your second year about this. The thesis proposal needs the following things:

• Supervision
• A Working Title
• Purpose/Objective
• Intended Outcome
• How do you intend to earn honors credit?
• How often do you plan to meet with your supervisor?
• Will your thesis satisfy other requirements?
• Does your thesis involve working with human, animals, or biohazardous materials or radioactive isotopes?

The Honors College staff does not review the content of the proposal, so the intended audience is your thesis supervisor and the honors adviser in your intended area of honors.

Thesis Supervisor

Your thesis supervisor is the professor who has primary responsibility for supervising your thesis.

Ideally your thesis supervisor will be the single most appropriate person for your thesis in the whole university, or at least at your whole campus, in terms of specialization and, where relevant, resources. How far you can stray from that ideal depends on the nature of the thesis. If specific lab resources are needed then you cannot stray too far, but if general intellectual mentoring is the extent of the required supervision then you have more flexibility, including the flexibility to choose a topic that does not align closely with the supervisor's specialization.

Apart from a professor being unavailable for or declining your project, the biggest reason to consider bypassing the "single most appropriate person" is that you have doubts about whether you would get along with them. Do not put too much stock in second-hand information about a professor, but if after meeting him or her you have concerns then you should certainly consider continuing your search.

Area of Honors

Thesis honors adviser.

An honors adviser from the area in which you are pursuing honors must read and approve your thesis. If the thesis supervisor and thesis honors adviser are the same person, you must find a second eligible faculty member from your area of honors to read and approve your thesis.

Multiple Majors

If you have more than one major, you can do the following:

• Pick one major and write a thesis for honors solely in that major
• Pick a topic that can legitimately earn honors in both majors. This will be considered interdisciplinary .
• Write multiple theses, one for honors in each major

The first scenario is the most common, followed by the second depending on how closely related the majors are. You can also pick a non-major area of honors.

Second- and Third-Year Entrants (including Paterno Fellows)

If you were admitted to the Honors College after your first year or via the Liberal Arts Paterno Fellows program, you are expected to write your thesis for honors in your entrance major. You do have the right to pursue honors elsewhere, for instance in a concurrent major for which you were not admitted to the Honors College, but there is no guarantee of approval.

Topic, Not Professor

Typically, the area of honors suggested by the topic aligns with the professor's affiliation, as when you seek honors in history based on a history thesis supervised by a professor of history. But if the supervisor happens to be a professor of literature, you are still able to pursue honors in history based on the substance and methodology of the thesis.

This is especially worth remembering in the life sciences, where faculty expertise is spread among many different departments and colleges. As always, the honors adviser in the intended area of honors is the gatekeeper for whether a given thesis topic and supervisor are acceptable.

From Proposal to Thesis

Timetable & benchmarks.

The thesis proposal does not require a timetable, but you and your supervisor should have a clear idea of how much you should accomplish on a monthly basis all the way through completion. Not all of those monthly benchmarks will be actual written work; for many Schreyer Scholars the write-up will not come until toward the end. If you fall behind during the earlier part of the thesis timeline, it will be difficult if not impossible to make up that ground later.

Regular Meetings with Your Thesis Supervisor

You should take proactive steps against procrastination by making yourself accountable to someone other than yourself. Scheduling regular meetings (or e-mailing regular updates) with your thesis supervisor — even if you are working in the same lab routinely — is the best way to do that. You should also regularly update your thesis honors adviser.

Think ahead, preferably well before the time of your thesis proposal, about what your thesis work will mean for your fourth-year schedule. This is especially important if you have a significant capstone requirement like student teaching for education majors, or if you expect to do a lot of job interviews or graduate/professional school visits.

There are many reasons to plan to include the summer between third and fourth year in your research timeline: those mentioned above, plus the benefit of devoting yourself full-time to the thesis, whether it is in a lab on campus or in the field. Funding opportunities for full-time summer thesis research include Schreyer Honors College grants , the Erickson Undergraduate Education Discovery Grant , and funding via your thesis supervisor (especially in the sciences and engineering).

Department & College Thesis Guides

In addition to this guide, many departments and colleges have thesis guides with important information about their deadlines and expectations. If you do not see your college or department listed, consult with your honors adviser.

• College of Agricultural Sciences
• Smeal College of Business
• Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications
• Aerospace Engineering
• Biomedical Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Biobehavioral Health
• Communication Sciences and Disorders
• Hospitality Management
• Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management
• College of Information Sciences and Technology
• Comparative Literature
• Germanic & Slavic Languages and Literatures
• Global & International Studies
• Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
• College of Nursing
• Astronomy & Astrophysics: Thesis 1
• Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
• Chemistry: Thesis 1 | Thesis 2 | Thesis 3
• Mathematics: Thesis 1 | Thesis 2 | Thesis 3 | Thesis 4 | Thesis 5 | Thesis 6

Follow the Template Formatting Guide

The formatting requirements in this guide apply to all Schreyer Honors theses. Please follow the thesis templates provided below:

Information about using LaTeX is available from the University Libraries .

Formatting Requirements

Fonts & color.

All text should use the Times New Roman font.

Reduced type may be used within tables, figures, and appendices, but font size should be at least 11-point in size and must be completely legible.

The majority of your thesis document should be in black font, however, color is permissible in figures, tables, links, etc.

Organization

Begin each section on a new page. Do the same with each element of the front matter, the reference section, and the appendix.

Try to avoid typing a heading near the bottom of a page unless there is room for at least two lines of text following the heading. Instead you should simply leave a little extra space on the page and begin the heading on the next page.

If you wish you use a "display" page (a page that shows only the chapter title) at the beginning of chapters or appendices, be sure to do so consistently and to count the display page when numbering the pages.

Page Numbers

Excluding the title page and signatory page, every page in the document, including those with tables and figures, must be counted. Use lower case Roman numerals for the front matter and Arabic numbers for the text. The text (or body) of the thesis must begin on page 1. Follow the template provided at the top of this section.

Use the template provided as a pattern for creating your title page. Be sure all faculty members are identified by their correct professional titles. Check with the department for current information. Do not use such designations as "PhD" or "Dr." on the title page. (Ex. John Smith, Professor of English, Thesis Supervisor).

Electronic Approvals

Please submit your final thesis to your Thesis Supervisor and Honors Adviser at least two weeks prior to the final submission due date to allow them ample time for review and suggested changes. Also, please communicate with your professors to find out their schedule and preferred amount of time to review your thesis. Once your thesis is submitted, your committee will review the thesis one last time before giving their final approval.

Number of Approvals

A minimum of two approvals is required on each thesis. If one of the approvers has a dual role (e.g. Thesis Supervisor and Honors Adviser), then list both roles under the professional title. Do not list the same person twice. If the sharing of roles leaves you with fewer than the required number of approvals, an additional approver must be added (Faculty Reader).

Professional Titles

Be sure to identify all faculty by their correct professional titles. Check with the department for current information. Do not use such designations as "PhD" or "Dr." on the title page.

This is a one-paragraph summary of the content of your thesis that identifies concisely the content of the thesis manuscript and important results of your project. Some students like to think of it as an advertisement — i.e., when someone finishes reading it, they should want to examine the rest of your work. Keep it short and include the most interesting points.

The abstract follows the title page, must have the heading ABSTRACT at the top, and is always page Roman number i. There is no restriction on the length of the abstract, but it is usually no longer than one page.

Table of Contents

The table of contents is essentially a topic outline of the thesis and it is compiled by listing the headings in the thesis. You may choose to include first-level headings, first- and second-levels, or all levels. Keep in mind there usually is no index in a thesis, and thus a fairly detailed table of contents can serve as a useful guide for the reader. The table of contents must appear immediately after the abstract and should not list the abstract, the table of contents itself, or the vita.

Be sure the headings listed in the table of contents match word-for-word the headings in the text. Double check to be sure the page numbers are shown. In listing appendices, indicate the title of each appendix. If using display pages, the number of the display page should appear in the table of contents.

Formatting Final Touches

An honors thesis manuscript should replicate the appearance of professional writing in your discipline. Include the elements of a formal piece of academic work accordingly. For specific questions on organization or labeling, check with your thesis supervisor to see if there is a style guide you should use.

Acknowledgements (Optional)

Acknowledgements are not a required component of an honors thesis, but if you want to thank particular colleagues, faculty, librarians, archivists, interviewees, and advisers, here's the place to do it. You should include an acknowledgements page if you received a grant from the University or an outside agency that supported your research.

Tables & Figures

A table is a columnar arrangement of information, often numbers, organized to save space and convey relationships at a glance. A rule of thumb to use in deciding whether given materials are tables or figures is that tables can be typed, but figures must be drawn.

A figure is a graphic illustration such as a chart, graph, diagram, map, or photograph.

Please be sure to insert your table or figure. Do not copy and paste. Once the figure or table is inserted, you right click on it to apply the appropriate label. Afterwards, return to the list of tables or list of figures page, right click on the list, and "update table (entire table)" and the page will automatically hyperlink.

Captions & Numbering

Each table and each figure in the text must have a number and caption. Number them consecutively throughout, beginning with 1, or by chapter using a decimal system.

Style Guides

These parts of the thesis will vary in format depending on the style guide you are following. Your discipline will use a consistent style guide, such as MLA, APA, CBE, or Chicago. Whichever style you are using, stick to the rules and be consistent.

Appendices (Optional)

Material that is pertinent but is somewhat tangential or very detailed (raw data, procedural explanations, etc.) may be placed in an appendix. Appendices should be designated A, B, C (not 1, 2, 3 or I, II, III). If there is only one appendix, call it simply Appendix, not Appendix A. Titles of appendices must be listed in the table of contents. Appendix pages must be numbered consecutively with the text of the thesis (do not number the page A-1, A-2, etc.).

Bibliography/References (Optional)

A thesis can include a bibliography or reference section listing all works that are referred to in the text, and in some cases other works also consulted in the course of research and writing. This section may either precede or follow the appendices (if any), or may appear at the end of each chapter. Usually a single section is more convenient and useful for both author and reader.

The forms used for listing sources in the bibliography/reference section are detailed and complicated, and they vary considerably among academic disciplines. For this reason, you will need to follow a scholarly style manual in your field or perhaps a recent issue of a leading journal as a guide in compiling this section of the thesis.

Academic Vita (Optional)

The academic vita is optional, must be the last page of the document, and is not given a page number or listed in the table of contents. The title — Academic Vita — and the author's name should appear at the top. A standard outline style or a prose form may be used. The vita should be similar to a resume. Do not include your GPA and personal information.

The Final Step Submission Guide

Once your final thesis is approved by your thesis supervisor and honors adviser, you may submit the thesis electronically. This guide will provide the details on how to submit your thesis.

Public Access to Honors Thesis

Open access.

Your electronic thesis is available to anyone who wishes to access it on the web unless you request restricted access. Open access distribution makes the work more widely available than a bound copy on a library shelf.

Restricted Access (Penn State Only)

Access restricted to individuals having a valid Penn State Access Account, for a period of two years. Allows restricted access of the entire work beginning immediately after degree conferral. At the end of the two-year period, the status will automatically change to Open Access. Intended for use by authors in cases where prior public release of the work may compromise its acceptance for publication.

This option secures the body of the thesis for a period of two years. Selection of this option required that an invention disclosure (ID) be filed with the Office of Technology Management (OTM) prior to submission of the final honors thesis and confirmed by OTM. At the end of the two-year period, the work will be released automatically for Open Access unless a written request is made to extend this option for an additional year. The written request for an extension should be sent 30 days prior to the end of the two-year period to the Schreyer Honors College, 10 Schreyer Honors College, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, or by e-mail to [email protected] . Please note: No one will be able to view your work under this option.

Submission Requirements

Electronic submission of the final honors thesis became a requirement in spring semester of 2010. Both the mandatory draft submission and the final copy must be submitted online.

The "official" copy of the honors thesis is the electronic file (eHT), and this is the copy that will be on file with the University Libraries. Electronic submission does not prevent the author from producing hard copies for the department or for personal use. All copies are the responsibility of the author and should be made prior to submission. The Schreyer Honors College does not provide copies.

How to Submit

In order to submit your thesis, you must upload a draft in PDF format to the Electronic Honors Thesis (eHT) website .

What/When to Upload

• The initial submission, the Thesis Format Review, should be the textual thesis only and should be in a single PDF file (it may include image files such as TIFFs or JPEGs)
• The recommended file naming convention is Last_First_Title.pdf
• Failure to submit the Format Review by the deadline will result in removal from the honors graduation checklist. If this occurs, you must either defer graduation or withdraw/be dismissed from the Honors College

Uploading Video, Audio or Large Images

If your thesis content is such that you feel you need to upload content other than text to properly represent your work, upload the textual portion of your thesis first as a single, standalone PDF file. Then, add additional files for any other content as separate uploads.

If the majority of your thesis work is a multimedia presentation (video, slideshow, audio recording, etc.) you are required to upload these files in addition to your PDF.

Acceptable formats include:

Please do not upload any ZIP files. If uploading more than one file, keep individual file sizes for the supplementary material under 50 MB where possible. Large files will upload, but it may take a long time to download for future use.

Final Submission & Approval

Final submission.

In order to submit your final thesis:

• Refer to the thesis templates above to create your title page (no page number).
• Make sure you have correctly spelled "Schreyer Honors College".
• Be sure to include the department in which you are earning honors, your semester and year of graduation (Ex. Spring 2024, not May 2024), your thesis title and your name.
• List the name and professional title of your thesis supervisor and honors adviser (in the department granting honors). If your honors adviser and thesis supervisor are the same person, a second faculty reader signature from the department granting honors is required.
• Include your abstract following your title page (Roman numeral i).
• Make sure your thesis is saved in PDF format.
• Upload your final thesis on the eHT website .

Final Approval

When the final thesis is approved, the author and all committee members will be notified via e-mail of the approval. Your thesis will then be accessible on the eHT website within a month after graduation unless you have specified restricted access.

I want to be able to find something through research that can help the rest of the world. If you find this one thing, that could change the course of everything afterward. Ananda Rankin ' 20 Microbiology

Jess Carlini

Rcl (5): draft review and issue outline.

Intro Edited

Waste of any kind is a common difficulty on a campus with over 40,000 students. However, at Penn State, we have opportunities to be more sustainable, whether it be Reuse containers at the dining halls or discounts at Starbucks for bringing in your own cup. Yet, we still have massive amounts of waste including food waste, containers, and cups. Though there are opportunities, there is a wonder if these are enough, and if the student body makes appropriate use of these opportunities. Areas like the Hub experience massive foot traffic of students and serve as a major source for food and beverage throughout the day. The use of plastic and paper cups at the Hub Starbucks and other fast food eateries contributes greatly to the food and beverage waste of the Hub, with trash cans occasionally overflowing. The library additionally has a lot of foot traffic that contributes to a lot of cup waste, with the highly popular library Starbucks. At an institution of 40,000 students, it can be difficult to truly alleviate the stress of waste, yet Penn State is constantly improving its sustainability measures. To further reduce the waste present across campus, Penn State should enact a new system for reusable and returnable cups across the Hub and the library to reduce beverage container waste.

• Food and plastic waste on Penn State campus
• Authority- campus administration for dining halls, sustainability administration?
• Refillable system at the Hub, possible Meal Plan specifically for beverages to promote using own/reusable cups
• strategy- system change, inducement
• Statistics for food waste from dining hall if take in dining hall direction
• major spots with heavy student traffic
• common places for beverage purchase- the Starbucks on campus
• statistics for how efficiently these work to combat food waste
• Bring to dining administration at Penn State, possibly also sustainability administration
• Can be implemented using system changes
• Possible inducements for using own cup and promoting it a lot more to get students to know about it and follow through
• Feasible to implement, due to evidence from dining halls
• Will students use?
• How to promote to student body? Returnable reusable beverage cups?
• Make discount known?
• Students may find easier to simply throw away a cup
• If not knowledgable about, would not use a reusable system

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• Catalog (Penn State University Libraries catalog) This link opens in a new window A list of what the Penn State Libraries own, including books, journal and newspaper titles (not articles), Penn State theses and dissertations, video, music, and government documents. more... less... This is the online catalog of materials owned by Penn State Libraries. All formats (books, journals, audiovisuals, maps, recordings, etc.) are included. Circulation status for individual items is also provided. Coverage: Presently contains about 7 million records. Updates: Continuous up-to-the-minute as new records are added.
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All Penn State faculty, staff, and students may request materials not available at Penn State.  Use the resource below to identify and order a book you need.

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• Interlibrary Loan (ILLIAD) If you are still not finding what you need, submit a request for the title through ILLIAD, the Libraries' interlibrary loan service. First time users must register

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• Dissertations and Theses @ CIC full-text This link opens in a new window Dissertations and Theses from approximately 1995-to date are available full text from CIC (Big 10+) institutions more... less... Full-text access to dissertations and theses written by graduates of CIC institutions are available.
• Dissertations & Theses This link opens in a new window Doctoral dissertations and master's theses from around the world. If a title is not available full text you may purchase or request it through Interlibrary loan. more... less... ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global is the most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses in the world, with more than 2.5 million available in full text PDF.
• OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Online database of Ohio's undergraduate, masters and doctoral theses and dissertations from participating OhioLINK member schools.
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Events See all →

April wellness walk.

The Division of Human Resources and the Penn Center for Public Health host the monthly two-mile wellness walk for April, which is the first outdoor walk of the year. 

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

College Hall, Benjamin Franklin Statue

Immigration Policy and the Election

1:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

The Perelman Center for Political Science and Economics, 133 S. 36th St.

2024 Models of Excellence

4:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Penn Museum, 3260 South St.

Take Our Children to Work Day

Various locations

Campus & Community

2023 PIP/PEP winners: Where are they now?

Nearly a year after the winners of the president’s innovation prize (pip) and president’s engagement prize (pep) began their projects, the winners—now alumni—discuss their progress. .

In April 2023, three President’s Prize-winning teams were selected from an application pool of 76 to develop post-graduation projects that make a positive, lasting difference in the world. Each project received $100,000 and a $50,000 living stipend per team member.

Winning projects for the President’s Engagement Prize (PEP) include Act First, which brings the expertise of MERT-trained Penn students to Philadelphia high schools and nonprofits for a variety of emergency response trainings, and Communities for Childbirth, which is creating a coordinated referral system of first responders and emergency dispatchers to address Uganda’s high maternal mortality rate. Sonura, the winner of the President’s Innovation Prize (PIP), is working to improve infant development by reducing harsh noise exposure in neonatal intensive care units. To accomplish this, they’ve developed a noise-shielding beanie that can also relay audio messages from parents.

Below, learn more about the progress these five Penn alumni have made with their projects since winning the awards and putting knowledge into practice.

Act First, 2023 President’s Engagement Prize Winners

Catherine Chang and Kenneth Pham, alumni of the College of Arts and Sciences and members of the Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT) , set out to bring their knowledge about CPR, blood loss prevention, and Narcan to Philadelphia-area high school students.

Since embarking on the project last spring , the team recruited Penn students from MERT to teach 11 lessons in the fall and have approximately 30 scheduled for this spring. They’ve taught at Mariana Bracetti Academy Charter School, Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts, the Workshop School, and nonprofit Mighty Writers. This spring, they’ll also teach at Paul Robeson High School, Freire Charter School, and Universal Audenried Charter School.

So far, says Pham, it’s been an even mix of demand for CPR, blood loss prevention, and Narcan lessons. He explains they’ve learned that teaching one program—typically, the CPR lessons, which are mandated by the state and based on the American Heart Association—inevitably spurs demand for their in-house-developed blood loss prevention and Narcan trainings.

“You connect with these students and they get to know you over the course of three different lessons, and they get more comfortable asking questions, and I think that’s awesome,” says Chang. “And in our Narcan lessons we do teach, ‘Well, what if someone stops breathing and their heart stops beating, what would you do then?’ And then we say, ‘You would start CPR,’ and the next month we’ll come back and teach that. Because these lessons connect with each other.”

Act First has also been collaborating with a program at CHOP on their Youth Heart Watch program, introducing schools they’ve worked with to make them heart-safe campuses, and also Penn Medicine’s Center for Addiction Medicine and Policy , with whom they participate in Narcan outreach every Friday at select SEPTA Market-Frankford Line stops.

Pham and Chang will next pursue medical school, with the intention to consult with the program. They’re feeling confident about the progress Act First has made in its first year.

“The receptiveness of students and enjoyment they get from the classes has been surprising to us, but really rewarding,” says Pham. “The teachers have welcomed us with open arms. They’ve really liked our curriculum and how we’ve interacted with the students, and that’s ultimately our measurement of success. If the teachers and students are having a good time and learning at the same time, that’s all we could really ask for.”

Communities for Childbirth, 2023 President’s Engagement Prize Winner

Since graduating from the College of Arts and Sciences in 2023, Seungwon ‘Lucy’ Lee has shuttled between her home country of Korea and Jinja City, Uganda, where she is creating a coordinated referral system of first responders, emergency dispatchers, and systemized hospital networks through Communities for Childbirth. The project is the first of its kind in Jinja City.

“Uganda has an incredibly high maternal mortality rate, which is what we talk about when we talk about women dying during pregnancy or childbirth or after,” says project mentor Lisa Levine , chief of the Maternal Fetal Medicine Division at Penn Medicine and the Michael T. Mennuti, M.D., Associate Professor in Reproductive Health. “It is a unique country to really think about making a change and an impact.”

The project launch date is March 22. Lee has established a toll-free telephone number and recruited community health workers from 130 villages, training them and teaching them to train others. She also launched a global ambassadors’ program to recruit health care scholars in eight sub-Saharan African countries to build awareness around maternal mortality, she says.

Currently, it takes a pregnant woman in Uganda an average of four hours to receive hospital care. Lee is hoping to see that decrease to under an hour, and ultimately, to less than 30 minutes in Jinja, the Ugandan city where Communities for Childbirth is based. The group is also working closely with a regional hospital. Ultimately, Lee plans to completely transfer this service over to the hospital.

“Community buy-in is a very crucial and essential part of our entire intervention design,” Lee says. “Hopefully that will be the answer for long-term sustainability as well.”

In September, Lee will attend the University of Cambridge, earning a master’s degree in population health sciences, where she hopes to write a thesis on the impact of climate change on maternal and child health. “Working on this project definitely taught me a lot of lessons and gave me a huge realization that I wanted to study public health,” she says. 

As heat rises, “women in many African villages are often the most vulnerable populations, which means they’ll be hit the hardest,” Lee says. More research is needed to design global health initiatives that can adapt to changing environmental factors, she says. Lee wants to help with this research, to bring in appropriate intervention strategies, and to mitigate harm.

Sonura, 2023 President’s Innovation Prize Winners

Sonura, a bioengineering quintet, developed a beanie that shields newborns from the harsh noise environments present in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs)—a known threat to infant wellbeing—and also supports cognitive development by relaying audio messages from their parents.

Since graduating from the School of Engineering and Applied Science , the team of Tifara Boyce, Gabriela Cano, Gabriella Daltoso, Sophie Ishiwari, and Caroline Magro, has collaborated with more than 50 NICU teams nationwide. They have been helped by the Intensive Care Nursery (ICN) at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP), which shares Sonura’s goal of reducing NICU noise. “Infant development is at the center of all activities within the HUP ICN,” note Daltoso and Ishiwari. “Even at the most granular level, like how each trash can has a sign urging you to shut it quietly, commitment to care is evident, a core tenet we strive to embody as we continue to grow.” 

An initial challenge for the team was the inability to access the NICU, crucial for understanding how the beanie integrates with existing workflows. Collaboration with the HUP clinical team was key, as feedback from a range of NICU professionals has helped them refine their prototype.

In the past year, the team has participated in the University of Toronto’s Creative Destruction Lab and the Venture Initiation Program at Penn’s Venture Lab, and received funding from the Pennsylvania Pediatric Device Consortium. “These experiences have greatly expanded our perspective,” Cano says.

With regular communication with mentors from Penn Engineering and physicians from HUP, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and other institutes, Sonura is looking ahead as they approach the milestone of completing the FDA’s regulatory clearance process within the year. They will begin piloting their beanie with the backing of NICU teams, further contributing to neonatal care.

Penn celebrates operation and benefits of largest solar power project in Pennsylvania

Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences

‘The Illuminated Body’ fuses color, light, and sound

A new Arthur Ross Gallery exhibition of work by artist Barbara Earl Thomas features cut-paper portraits reminiscent of stained glass and an immersive installation constructed with intricately cut material lit from behind.

25 years of ‘LOVE’

The iconic sculpture by pop artist Robert Indiana arrived on campus in 1999 and soon became a natural place to come together.

Health Sciences

Two-and-a-half decades of research in Malawi

As the country’s life expectancy has risen, the Malawi Longitudinal Study of Families and Health has shifted its current and future research to aging.

Science & Technology

In hot water: Coral resilience in the face of climate change

Over a decade, researchers from Penn studied coral species in Hawaii to better understand their adaptability to the effects of climate change.