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Honors Program
Honors Tracker

Write a Thesis Prospectus

After a faculty member has agreed to serve as chair of the thesis committee, the student should meet with them to narrow the topic or research question to a manageable scope and identify an appropriate hypothesis or thesis question. Both student and faculty chair may need to be flexible and willing to explore options before settling on a specific area of research; however, it is up to the faculty chair (not the student) to determine if a topic shows sufficient depth and promise for an Honors thesis based on Honors Program guidelines and discipline-specific standards. The student then works with their committee chair to write a thesis prospectus and upload the draft to the Honors Thesis Tracker. This may require multiple drafts before the chair and student agree it is ready for review by the other thesis committee members. Committee members will offer comments and suggestions about prospectus content and parameters, also on the Tracker. Multiple drafts may be required, and students should expect to revise the prospectus based on committee feedback. Students and committee members should refer to the Honors Thesis Prospectus Guidelines for prospectus requirements. Sample thesis prospectuses are also available on the Honors website. Once all committee members have approved the prospectus on the Thesis Tracker, the Honors Executive Committee reviews the prospectus and may require additional revisions before final approval is granted by Honors.

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) is responsible for reviewing all research involving human subjects to ensure the protection of participants’ rights, safety, and welfare. In accordance with institutional policy, all human subjects research conducted at BYU must be reviewed by the IRB. The level of review required—exempt, expedited, or full board—depends on factors such as the complexity of the research design, the sensitivity of the target population, and the clarity and completeness of the application materials submitted. These levels of review vary in the time needed to obtain approval.

The faculty chair, in consultation with IRB guidelines, must determine whether a project requires IRB review. When applying for IRB review, students must include a letter of documentation from the faculty chair of their thesis committee confirming that the chair has reviewed the research design of the Honors thesis project and recommends approval of the project for IRB review. The faculty chair should clearly state in their letter that they support the student’s research and have reviewed all protocols intended for submission, including ethical compliance and methodological soundness.

Any research involving human subjects must undergo IRB review before data collection begins; the IRB does not retroactively approve research studies. The Honors Program will not grant final approval of a thesis prospectus or release any funding until IRB approval is secured and the IRB protocol number is entered in the Honors Thesis Tracker.

Students and faculty chairs must adhere to all university IRB policies and procedures, including completion of required CITI training. For guidance on whether a project requires review, as well as for application materials, training requirements, and other resources, visit the IRB website at http://irb.byu.edu. If students plan to conduct surveys as part of the research process, they must also comply with BYU Survey Policy.

AA/LLM Policy for Honors Theses

Generative AI use must be approved in advance and in writing by the student’s committee and disclosed in the final product, including an explanation of their use, the tool(s) used, full text of prompts, and full texts of responses. The following guidelines apply:

a. If you copy language verbatim from a Generative AI tool, you must use quotation marks and provide a citation note to indicate that the words used were not your own that includes the prompt.

b. If you paraphrase output from a Generative AI tool, you must provide a citation note indicating that the idea, format, and syntax were not originally your own.

c. Failure to provide proper attribution and citations violates the academic honesty policies and will result in a student being subject to disciplinary measures.

Academic Freedom Policy

Honors theses and their authors are subject to the BYU Academic Freedom Policy. Individual freedom of expression is broad, presumptive, and essentially unrestrained except for matters that seriously and adversely affect the University mission or the Church. Every university places some limitations on academic freedom, and at BYU reasonable limitations are in place for behavior or expression that:

  • contradicts or opposes, rather than analyzes or discusses, fundamental Church doctrine or policy;
  • deliberately attacks or derides the Church or its general leaders; or
  • violates the Honors Code because the expression is dishonest, illegal, unchaste, profane, or unduly disrespectful of others.

Submit Prospectus

Once all thesis committee members have reviewed the prospectus and the student has completed any required revisions, committee members approve the prospectus in the Honors Thesis Tracker. The prospectus then moves to Honors Program for Executive Committee review. Do not wait to submit a prospectus after completing a project or major portion of it. The prospectus must be submitted beforehand.  The Honors Program will notify the student if any additional revisions or clarifications are required – typically within two weeks of submission. The Honors Program will notify the student with final approval.