About MCDB 198 ABCD
Honors Research in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology

Drafts, Final Reports and Grading

By 3:00 PM on Wednesday of eighth week in each of your MCDB 198A and 198B quarters, you must submit a draft report to the MCDB Student Affairs Office, with a completed copy of the MCDB Research Projects: 198A-B-C/199A-B/199 Form attached to the front of your draft. In each of these two quarters your draft report must also be submitted to the sponsor. During the ninth week of classes, you are to pick up the drafts from both the Student Affairs Office and from the sponsor and incorporate any comments and suggestions into the final report. Both drafts must be resubmitted with the final report to the Student Affairs Office.

In the 198C quarter, you will not be required to turn in a draft to the MCDB Office. However, you must turn in a final version of your complete thesis by 5 PM on WEDNESDAY of 9th week. It is your responsibility to work out in advance with your sponsor a date to turn in a final draft of your thesis to him/her, taking into account his/her schedule (including trips out of town) and allowing sufficient time for your sponsor to read and grade it no later than the end of finals week.

In the 198A quarter the draft should include:

• The completed MCDB Research Projects: 198A-B-C/199A-B/199 Form which requires a brief summary of your project, written in non-technical language, that includes the model system being used, the question being addressed and how your project fits into the larger scope of research in your lab or field.


• At least the introduction (including reference list) and methods sections (we understand that you may not have much in the way of results or discussion by the end of the "A" quarter).

In the 198B quarter, the draft should include:

• The completed MCDB Research Projects: 198A-B-C/199A-B/199 Form .


• A thorough summary of your project, and how it has changed from the first quarter.


• Refined introduction and methods sections


• Preliminary results and analysis (if analysis is possible at that point).

In the 198C quarter, you must submit the completed MCDB Research Projects: 198A-B-C/199A-B/199 Form and a final version of your entire completed thesis no later than 5PM on Wednesday of 9th week.

For MCDB 198A and 198B: You must submit a final version of the quarter's report to your sponsor and to the MCDB Student Affairs Office no later than the Monday following Finals Week by 5:00 PM. Your report must conform to the organization of a scientific paper (see MCDB Honors Thesis Guidelines and Suggested Format [link to new document]). It must contain: Title Page, Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, and Literature Cited. It must also provide evidence of completed work. (Note: any continuing work must conform to this standard each quarter.)

In completing both draft and final versions, please be sure you have complied with all items on the MCDB Honors Thesis Guidelines and Suggested Format.

Grades for MCDB 198 are assigned by the sponsor in conjunction with the Faculty Undergraduate Advisor of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology.

Incompletes must be resolved during the following quarter, or they will lapse to an F. (For example, Winter Quarter incompletes must be resolved during Spring Quarter.) Before the end of the quarter in which you are to receive an incomplete, you should reach a clear agreement with your sponsor on what you will need to do to resolve the incomplete (it is wise to get this in writing). Notify the MCDB Student Affairs Office when you have finished the required work during the following quarter. The grade will be requested from your sponsor and a petition will be filed with the Registrar's Office in Murphy Hall for Removal of an Incomplete.