The thesis is a written report (similar to a journal article) of the research project you have developed and executed over the third and fourth years. It is an opportunity for an original piece of work that contributes to psychological knowledge, and so it is a chance to leave your mark on the field. Indeed, some honors theses are eventually published in scholarly journals. Regardless of whether it is published, your thesis will be formal evidence of the research skills you have attained.
The thesis should be typed in the format required by the University for graduate theses. A style manual produced by Graduate Studies is available from the Psychology Department's Graduate Program Secretary. The deadline for submitting the unbound version of the thesis is the last day of the final exam period (but your supervisor will need to see a draft of the thesis well before this). Submission beyond this deadline may require a grade of Incomplete in Psyco 490 and may result in a delay in graduation. Students are also expected to present a summary of their thesis research at the Brian Harder Honors Day Conference in April, in the form of a poster presentation.