Statistics

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Honors Project Course Information

STAT:498—Senior Honors Project (2–3 credits; may be repeated for up to six credits)
Prerequisites: STAT:489 (honors) or permission

Directed study for senior student in the University Honors Program. The student will carry out a research project in the area of statistics under the guidance of selected faculty.

General Comments

The purpose of the Honors project in Statistics is to provide you with direct research experience in statistical methodologies. The following guide provides specific departmental requirements, expectations and advice to prepare you to participate in the honors research experience in the Department of Statistics.

The Department of Statistics recommends that in the spring of the junior year, you should seek out a faculty sponsor and a topic for your honors project. The Honors College requires that students and sponsors fill out the honors project proposal form on the Honors College web site by the end of the junior year.

You should enroll in STAT:489 Topics in Statistics (Honors) in the fall semester of your senior year to do the necessary research for your project, which generally involves reading related literature and learning the needed statistical skills. Expect to spend a number of hours each week related to your project. You will meet with your advisor regularly. By the end of the fall semester, your project should be well-defined and your background preparation should be complete. Note that enrollment in 489 may not be necessary for those who have already prepared for their topic by taking other related courses. For example, those whose paper is in the area of Actuarial Science will have already taken enough coursework in that area to be adequately prepared for their project.

In your final semester, you must enroll in STAT:498 Senior Honors Project for 2-3 credits. Under your sponsor’s guidance, you will finish the technical aspects of your project and write your paper.

Advisors and sponsors should set clear parameters with respect to expectations for the completion of your honors thesis. You should be sure to ask the potential sponsor how long the proposed research is expected to take to finish, how many honors project credits you should take and in which semester.

A formal written paper is required. There are no length restrictions on the paper, but proper citations and bibliography listings are expected, and all equations must be neatly typed. The goals of the writing process are to provide you with experience in

• Conducting library and/or internet searches of statistical bibliographies;
• Reading and understanding statistical ideas on your own, with a little guidance;
• Writing problem statements, statistical work and conclusions using a format and style suitable for publication.

You may also be asked to present their work in a poster presentation hosted by the Honors College or the University.

Timeline and Schedule

In general, the grade for the project is usually based upon completion of the written paper. The process begins with the submission of the research proposal to the Honors College. Each proposal will identify the faculty sponsor and two faculty readers. The role of the readers is to give feedback and suggest changes for the final project. As a result, the readers and your sponsor should be provided copies of your paper in its final stages at least 8 weeks before grades are due (for spring graduates this would typically be the first week of March). You should expect to make several iterations of changes after your readers give you feedback on the project – that is a normal part of technical writing. You should be prepared to provide your sponsor and readers with a final draft for review at least three weeks before grades are due. The completed project must be signed by all readers and handed in no later than 5 PM on the Friday of the thirteenth week of the semester.

If the project sponsor believes that progress toward completion of the research and final written results has not been demonstrated by the 8 week deadline, or if any reader feels that significant additional work needs to be done prior to completion, the sponsor can recommend delaying graduation.

General Guidelines

• You must receive a grade of "B" or higher on your Honors Research Project to graduate as an Honors Scholar. If you do not achieve this grade you may still meet the requirements to graduate as an undergraduate student in your major. Please contact your Honors Advisor for more information.
• When there are multiple students involved in an Honors Research Project, each student should be included as authors on the final report, even if they are not part of the Williams Honors College. Every student should receive the proper recognition for thier contributions.
• Every committee must be composed of a Sponsor and two Readers. More information on these roles is available here.
• Students expecting to work on an honors project involving the use of human subjects should be aware that such projects may need to be evaluated by the University of Akron Institutional Review Board (IRB). The IRB reviews all proposals for research involving human participants to insure appropriate ethical and safety standards are observed. Depending on the nature of the proposed research, IRB review and approval may be required prior to moving forward with your study. In the same way, any research involving live animals will require review by the University of Akron Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC). Please communicate with your project sponsor regarding the need for IRB or ACUC consideration as it relates to your specific project. Information concerning research applications and review procedures can be obtained via the University of Akron Office of Research Administration (ORA).