About MCDB 199ABCD
Directed Research in the Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology


Drafts, Final Reports, and Grading


By 3:00 PM on Wednesday of eighth week, 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. Your draft report must also be submitted to your research sponsor. During the ninth week of classes, you will be notified as to when you can pick up the drafts from the MCDB Student Affairs Office. Any comments and suggestions made by either your research sponsor, or MCDB must be incorporated in your final report. Both drafts must be resubmitted with the final report each quarter to the MCDB Student Affairs Office.


In the 199A quarter the draft should include:


  • 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 199B quarter, the draft should include:


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

  • A refined introduction and methods sections.

  • A results and discussion section.

If your project continues into a 199C quarter, refinements/expansions to all sections of the paper are expected.


FAILURE TO SUBMIT A DRAFT REPORT BY THE DEADLINE WILL RESULT IN YOUR GRADE BEING REDUCED BY ONE-HALF GRADE; FOR EXAMPLE, AN A WOULD BECOME AN A-.


A final version of your report must be submitted to both your sponsor and to the MCDB Student Affairs Office for each quarter in which you are enrolled in MCDB 199A-B/C/D.


  • You must work out in advance with your sponsor a date to turn in the paper to him/her which takes into account his/her schedule (including trips out of town) and allows sufficient time for the sponsor to read and grade it no later than the end of finals week.

  • You must also submit a copy of the final version to the MCDB Student Affairs Office no later than 5:00 PM on the Monday following Finals Week. Once again, you are required to attach a copy of the completed MCDB Research Projects: 198A-B-C/199A-B/199 Form to the front of your final version.

  • The report itself must conform to the organization of a scientific paper (see the suggested format which follows). 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 your draft and final versions, please be sure you have complied with all items on the checklist.

Grades for 199A-B/C/D are assigned by the Faculty Undergraduate Advisor of MCDB in conjunction with the sponsor.


No grade will be submitted to the registrar for MCDB 199B, C, OR D until the final paper has been received from you by the MCDB Student Affairs Office


If the grade and paper have not been received by the MCDB Student Affairs Office by 5:00 pm on the Monday after Finals Week, a notation of NR (no report) will be submitted.


Incompletes must be resolved during the following quarter, or they will lapse to an F. (For example, Winter Quarter incompletes must be resolved during the 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. incompletes must be resolved during the Spring Quarter.)