Finish my Honors Thesis

How I did it: I started this project for fun, with a friend of mine who was working for course credit in the Cognitive Development Lab here at Indiana University.  After she graduated, I decided to make the project into my senior honors thesis.  I signed up for L499 - Linguistics thesis class, even though I was working in a Psychology lab, because my real interest is in Psycholinguistics research.  I also took an individualized readings and research class to get all my background research out of the way AND get credit for it.  So, my linguistics prof, psychology lab head, and this readings and research instructor were all in some sense, "advisers."  It was difficult at times because they would disagree about the direction my project should take...but in some ways it was synergistic.
 
I successfully defended my thesis and now I'm ready to start applying for PhD programs in Developmental Psycholinguistics :)

Lessons & tips:

• Use a timetable for getting each stage finished.
• Meet regularly with your adviser and write down everything he/she says!
• Get advice and assistance from other people in your lab/department/field. 
• Write as you go.  Write the background section AS you are reading the relevant articles.  I did this, and it saved me from the headache of having to re-read them when it came time to write up the results.  I also wrote up the methods before running the experiment, then modified as necessary as the methods changed.
• Present the work-in-progress at conferences, if you can.  This will keep it fun, as well as preparing you for the defense.
• Take breaks, but not for months at a time like I did.
• Attend other people's defense presentations to learn what it's like and what is expected of you.
• Make sure to mention possible limitations/confounds with the study, and what further research you could do to resolve them.
• Keep in mind why you became interested in the topic in the first place!  Your passion will keep you going until the end!

Resources:

• PsycInfo - A database of scholarly articles on Pscyhology.  Use the Advanced Search. 
• Use references found in background sections of articles as your own references, if relevant.
• EndNote - a nifty piece of software that has a Microsoft Word plugin - will format your bibliography FOR YOU in whatever style you require.
• Basic though it may seem, Windows Paint program - for drawing diagrams with ease.
• PowerPoint for the defense presentation.
• SPSS for statistical analyses - much more powerful and elegant than MS Excel.
• Statistics Help Center and Writing Tutorial Center at the university.

Dec 15, 2008, 07:18PM PST | 1 comment | 1 cheer