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Biology: Project

BIOF09, BIOT05, BIOT03, BIOT04,

You can choose to do a 7.5, 15, or 30 credits project. The project can be carried out full time or part-time, during the semester or in the summer. The courses are available for students enrolled on the Bachelor’s and Master’s programme at the Department of Biology, Lund University. The courses are also open for Exchange students at our department.

Look for projects on our Blog

Biology education project suggestions

Outlines

Before the start

Contact a supervisor or workplace and discuss the general outline of the project. Note that you may conduct the project outside the university, at a company or other university.

Write a project plan together with your supervisor. The plan should be brief but give a clear description of your specific project (1-2 A4 pages).

Apply with the application form that you find on the Canvas page for the course latest 2 weeks before the start of the project. Note that if you will do your project during the summer try to register before the 15th of June.

During the project

During the project work you will write a project logbook either electronically or in a notebook. Make careful, daily notes about experimental design, technical details of experiments, raw data and calculations which will be of great help when you start to write your report. In the logbook you also register if you take time off (because of vacation, illness, malfunctioning machines, or other significant events). Please note that in order to have the possibility of obtaining the highest grade (pass with distinction) a degree project cannot exceed the stipulated time with more than 20% (for example 23 weeks for a 30 credits project). Remember to bring the logbook to the examination.

It is advisable to start to write as soon as possible. Parts of the introduction and methods can be written in parallel with your empirical/theoretical work. As results are starting to be analysed, construct figures and tables that can be included in the report. Attend seminars and group meetings arranged by your research group and section of which you are a member.

Towards the end

The degree project should be written as a scientific report. Write in a stringent scientific style and avoid excessive length. However, you are allowed to be slightly more explicit with background, explanations and such, than what one would be in a real paper. You are also allowed to include description and discussion of preliminary or incomplete results and to introduce and show that you understand the chosen methodology and strategies by explaining them and providing necessary details. .

Plagiarism. You are not allowed to present someone else’s work, such as text, figures, or results, without giving proper reference. This also applies to material you find on the Internet. Therefore, make sure that you use citations in a correct way. You may of course refer to the work of others, but you need to re-write it in your own words and refer to the source of information in a correct way. Read more about plagiarism at the University Library's website and discuss with your supervisor if you are unsure.

The examination

Time for the examination. When you and your supervisor decide that the report is ready your supervisor will notify the examiner who will arrange the examination. The supervisor will give input too but will not take part in the decision or grading of the thesis. 

Send the report to your examiner via Urkund. To avoid and prevent cheating and plagiarism, all reports written at the Department of Biology are checked in ”Urkund”, a program that uses internet/databases to scan a report for copied text. 

During the examination you make an oral presentation of your project. This means a summary of your project in approximately 10-15 minutes, preferentially with the aid of Powerpoint or another presentation software. Then a discussion follows during which you answer questions about your work.

Evaluation Criteria:

The Process is primarily evaluated by the Supervisor:

  • Independence of the student
  • Ability to carry out the project (including practicals, e.g. field or laboratory work)
  • The student´s ability to process and analyse data
  • The student´s ability to structure and write the report

 The Product is primarily evaluated by the Examiner:

  • Organisation and quality of the written report.
  • Data processing and presentation
  • Ability to explain the work and put it into a larger perspective
  • Quality of the presentation ((including discussions during and 
  • after the presentation) 

Questions?

Lotta Persmark, Study advisor, biology and bioinformatics

Telephone: +46 46 222 37 28
EmailLotta [dot] Persmark [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se (Lotta[dot]Persmark[at]biol[dot]lu[dot]se)

Examiner, project in Biology

Olof Hellgren, olof [dot] hellgren [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se