Schedule

The following information provides a general outline for the completion of the Honors Research Project in the graduating year. However, the Honors College encourages its student to start the process as soon as possible – students can get involved in undergraduate research with individual faculty as early as their freshman year. These experiences provide a unique opportunity to become involved in exceptional research projects at the edge of their discipline and can serve as the basis for their Honors Research Project. Completed results from Honors Projects can serve other purposes, including support for admission to graduate school or employment interviews. Start early.

Each department may have more specific requirements.

Prior to Submission of the Honors Research Project Proposal

(Spring Semester for Spring Graduation of the Following Year)

Select project topic and advisors and establish a schedule

Honors Research Project Sponsors must be a full-time faculty member at The University of Akron and typically is a member of the student's major department. If the Sponsor is not a member of the major department then approval must be obtained from the Honors Faculty Advisor in the student's major department.
Readers may be chosen from any other department at the university, or may come from outside the university when appropriate. All readers must be approved by both the student and the faculty sponsor.
Each department has specific courses that are to be used for Honors Research Project credit, and students may need to register for Honors project courses in the Fall and/or Spring of their graduating year. In addition, the number of credits completed must be at least two up to a maximum of six credit hours, depending on the nature of the project and the policies of individual departments. The Honor Project Sponsor must approve the number of courses taken and the total number of credits to be completed.

The Honors Research Project Proposal must be submitted and approved prior to a student's application for graduation. Failure to do so by the deadline to apply for graduation will result in loss of the student's Honors Scholarship for subsequent semesters.

Prior to Graduating Semester

(Fall Semester for Spring Graduation)

Submit the Honors Research Project Proposal (deadline: October 6 for Spring Graduation, but some programs have a later due date for the proposal; check with your sponsor) to the Honors College.This must be approved by the Honors Project Sponsor, all readers, and the Honors Faculty Advisor prior to submission.
Begin the research activities.
You should meet regularly with your Honors Project Sponsor to review your progress. Some sponsors may require an Initial Progress Report at the end of the fall semester.

Graduating Semester

(Final Deadline: End of Week 14)

Students are expected to meet regularly with the Honors Project Sponsor to ensure continued progress. Honors Project reports are typically 20 to 60 pages in length, depending on the discipline, and the primary consideration is the depth and quality of the work.

Revision and approval process

Student submits full draft version to Project Sponsor and responds to requested revisions.
Once all sponsor concerns have been addressed, project is submitted to readers for revision.
Completed project must be approved by sponsor, readers, and Honors Faculty advisor.

Note that individual departments and/or sponsors may have additional deadlines.

Honors Research Project Final Submission

The final approved report must be submitted to the Honors College through IdeaExchange.

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).

Confidential and Proprietary Information

The publication requirement for Honors Project Reports may be waived with permission. For example, research materials or data may be protected by a privacy agreement, or the authors may submit their research or creative work for publication elsewhere. In such cases the full Honors Project Report may not be published through IdeaExchange@UAkron.

Students should consult with their project sponsor and/or the Senior Associate Dean for guidance on any of these potential issues before submission. When a waiver is granted students will be expected to submit an Executive Summary of the work performed to IdeaExchange, and should note that the full report has been withheld.