Undergraduate Research

If you're looking for more information, contact the SSSC.

As an undergraduate student in the Faculty of Science, you are lucky to have a wide range of research opportunities available. But where do you start? How do you get involved in a research project that interests you?

Find the Right Fit

There are many ways to find research opportunities on campus, here are some helpful tips to get you started!

Know yourself

Reflect on your interests, career goals and where your academic/research strengths lie. For many of you, this may be hard to narrow in on. This is completely normal, and as you try out new opportunities, you will continue to gather more information on your research likes and dislikes.

Sample Questions to Reflect on:

  • Looking at your resume, for each experience, what did you like and dislike?  

  • Which courses did you find easy, which ones were difficult? 

  • Have you enjoyed the lab portions of your courses? Why or why not?  

  • What field do you want to pursue?  

  • What research techniques do you want to gain experience with? 

Research Your Professors

Make sure that you do your homework before contacting professors. Visit their websites in advance and read recently published articles to get a sense of their research interests and ongoing projects. Importantly, look at what methods they employ in their work to see if it aligns with your interests (e.g., do you want to do statistical analyses, would you like to work with animal models). This prior research serves to both show the professor you know who they are, and, to learn for yourself whether you want to work with them.  

Focus on your Grades

Research can be very challenging, so professors often search for outstanding students with excellent grades. The selection process for many research positions can be quite competitive, so give yourself every opportunity to stand out from your peers. If you do not have a strong GPA, there are other ways to build your resume (e.g., build your extracurriculars, volunteer in research labs).

Be Persistent

Speak to as many people as possible. The staff in your faculty, departmental advisors, program directors, instructors, teaching assistants, and even other students may be able to make suggestions based on previous projects that they have been involved in. Don't give up!   

Undergraduate Research Funding

Whether you are applying to medical school, graduate school, or you just want to get into research, lab experience is always an asset. Here are a few ways you can gain valuable experience on or off-campus:

Other Research Opportunities

Ontario, Canada: 

Ottawa: 

Toronto:

London:

Oakville:

Tecumseh:

Montreal, QC - Canada: 

Nova Scotia - Canada: 

British Columbia - Canada: 

Nationwide - Canada: 

*Federal departments partnering with FSWEP and RAP include Health Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Agriculture Canada, The Canada Space Agency, and more! 

Nationwide - USA: 

California - USA: 

New York - USA: 

*Must be a U.S.A. citizen or have Permanent Residency 

North Carolina - USA: 

Texas - USA: 

Virginia - USA: 

Illinois - USA: 

Europe: 

Switzerland: 

Netherlands: 

Germany: 

Paris - France: 

Singapore: 

Hong Kong - China: 

International - Various Locations: 

A list of international research opportunities available to Carleton students can be found here.

Honours Project / Thesis

A student registered in a 4th year Honours program may be required to undertake an independent research project during their last year under the direction of a faculty member. The goal of the research project is to develop research and analysis skills within the student's chosen area of expertise. Student are responsible for selecting a supervisor. The dates for selecting a supervisor vary for respective programs but it is common to find one in the fall term of their third year. Students are encouraged to connect with potential supervisors early to explore research interests and establish connections, as some programs can be competitive for certain opportunities.  

How does an Honours Project work?

The Honours research project/thesis counts toward your degree as a 0.5 credit in the Fall OR Winter term or as a 1.0 credit (0.5 credits in the Fall term AND 0.5 credits in the Winter term), depending on your program. Within the 1.0 credit option, students must register in BOTH the Fall and Winter course. There are different requirements, timelines, grading methods, and more for the Honours thesis/project depending on your Faculty of Science department, so we suggest that you visit your departments website for more information: 

If you do not see the department, you are looking for in the list above, we recommend reaching out to that department directly for more details regarding their undergraduate projects/theses. 

Types of Honours Projects

Each department uses different course codes and course names for Honours theses/projects. 

4900s are the standard course codes (i.e. 4905, 4906, 4907, 4908, 4909, 4910). 

Note: Honours course names may vary between each department. 

Honours Essay and Research Proposal

  • Independent critical review and research proposal.

  • Evaluation is based on a written report and a poster presentation. 

  • Often no lab work is conducted.

  • Academic requirements vary between departments, but are typically a C+/B- (CGPA of 6/7) 

Honours Research Thesis / Project

  • Research project is undertaken in the field and/or the laboratory 

  • Evaluation is based on a written thesis, a poster presentation, and possibly a defense.  

  • Academic requirements vary between departments, but are typically B+/A- (CGPA of 9/10) 

Depending on the department and your specific program, there may be other options to fulfill your 4th year Honours requirements. We recommend reaching out to the department directly for details on these alternatives.  

How do I choose a Research Topic?

  1. A common misconception is that you are expected to create and present your own research topic. However, most supervisors will describe their ongoing projects and propose a research question for you to investigate as an Honour’s Project. Try to find a supervisor working on research that interests you as you will be spending one year working hard on this project, so it is best to find one that excites you or considers your career goals. 

  1. Brainstorm various research questions within your field of study. Consider potential advancements your research could have, the broader implication, what gaps in current research could your question explore? This step requires some research.  

  1. Set up an appointment with your supervisor who will help narrow down potential projects for your Honours thesis. 

How do I find a Supervisor?

  1. To find a project/thesis supervisor you will need to read up on researchers in the field you are interested in. There are generally two areas students can find potential supervisors:
    Carleton faculty. To learn about Carleton faculty and their research, visit their departments' website and select the faculty listing. In this listing, you can read about the various researchers in that department. Generally, the listing includes their name, how to contact them, their educational background, and a bit about their research. In some cases, researchers may even list any positions they have available. 
    External researchers. These researchers can come from a variety of external research institutes, and some common examples are federal agencies, medical research (hospitals), independent research firms, and private companies. Note that if you wish to work with an external researcher you will need to secure two supervisors: the external researcher and a co-supervisor from your department at Carleton.  

  2. Email the professor to ask if there is a position available within their lab to conduct your Honours thesis project alongside the professor's on-going research. For a template of how to reach out to a potential supervisor please see the SSSC research email template. 

  1. Set up an appointment with a professor at their availability to discuss possible topics for your research. 
    Tip: Read one or two of professors most current published papers and the projects outlined in their lab website prior to the actual meeting. This will give you a better idea about possible research topics in the professor's field. 

Thesis Format

General Comments

Goal: Conduct an exciting research project and write it up!

Deadlines:  

  • Some departments/supervisors may impose specific deadlines for each section of your thesis – find out what these will be.  

  • Your final thesis is typically due  in April (but… start earlier than that).  

Tips and general guidelines:  

  • Keep in touch with your supervisor (and anyone else you’re working with) as much as possible!  

  • Expected thesis length and formats varies depending on your project, supervisor, and department – meet with your supervisor to find out what their expectations are.  

Abstract

Goal: Summarize and highlight the most exciting points of each section of your thesis. Someone with a science background (not necessarily in your field) should be able to read it and get a general idea of what you did, why you did it, what you found, and what it means.  

  • Read the abstracts of the journal articles you’re citing in your thesis  

  • Write this section last as you’re summarizing the entire project 

Introduction

Goal: Produce a brief literature review summarizing what is currently known and pinpointing the questions that remain to be answered.

  • Some supervisors have specific length requirements, and some have specific format preferences (ex: headers, sub-headers).

  • There may be a departmental standard to follow.  

  • Make sure you include a section near the end stating what questions your project aims to address, your hypothesis, and expected results.  

  • Not sure where to start? Look up past publications from your lab and read through the studies relevant to your project – this should help you out!  

  • Ask for an example from previous years.

Methods

Goal: Summarize what you did (start to finish) with enough detail that a reader with a reasonable science background can understand and replicate it.  

  • Write your methods as you do the experiment – it’s hard to remember concentrations of solutions, volumes used, specific timepoints months after you performed the experiment.  

  • If you think you can enrich your methods with figures (timelines, schematics) and your supervisor likes the idea, do it! 

  • Make sure to include a section overviewing your experimental design, as well as sections on the type of statistical analysis and programs used. 

Results

Goal: Present the exciting data that you collected (without interpreting it).  

  • Statistics are often challenging for a lot of people – make sure to ask for help from your supervisor.  

  • Some supervisors will want figures to be in this section, and some will expect them at the end.  

  • Find out what programs you’re expected to use for your statistics and figures, and make sure you have access to them and know/learn how to use them.  

  • Your results section should include some text describing your figures/results, statistical significance, etc. 

Discussion

Goal: Interpret your data, comment on it, present  limitations and future directions of your project.  

  • Don’t fall into the trap of just restating your results! Try to synthesize/comment on your data. Is this what you expected? Is it consistent Why do you think you found what you found? What are the implications of your findings?  

References/Bibliography

Goal: Cite all publications used so that someone can look up and read each paper themselves. 

  • Ask your supervisor what format your references need to be in (APA, MLA). Different departments/supervisors/journals will have different requirements. This goes for your in-text citations too!  

Poster

Goal: Produce a poster of your research and present your research at Poster Day!  

  • Your poster should contain similar sections to your thesis. Certain supervisors/departments will ask for an abstract and/or a summary section, but others won’t.  

  • On Poster Day, be enthusiastic! A lot of different people will come chat with you, and they’ll all have different backgrounds in science. Be prepared to be flexible with your explanation!  

  • If you run into a question you don’t know the answer to, be prepared to say that you don’t know, but feel free to offer a potential explanation/answer (as long as you make it clear that you are speculating)!  

Deadlines:  

  • Early-mid March: Sign up for poster day! You need the title of your poster, an abstract, and the name(s) of your supervisor(s).  

  • Early April: Poster day!  You need to have your poster printed and be ready to present.  

Tips and general guidelines:  

  • Most people use Microsoft PowerPoint to make their posters – if this is the first poster  you've ever made, ask your supervisor for some help with getting started.  

  • Visuals, visuals, visuals! The more graphs, schematics, and  good use of colours and large text, the better!  

  • Find out from your supervisor and department about what is expected in terms of size, layout, and information presented .

  • Aim to have a first draft of your abstract a few days before the sign-up date – your supervisor will probably want to review it a few times before you submit it.  

  • Similarly, aim to have a first draft of your poster about two weeks ahead of time – your supervisor will probably want to make some edits and you need time to print it!  

  • In the week before, practice giving a 5-ish minute short presentation about your poster, and prepare yourself for potential questions.  

Research Email Template

This is a general outline of what you should include in your email when contacting potential supervisors for conducting research (e.g. volunteering in a lab, honours thesis, NSERC). We recommend sticking to the template for the introduction and conclusion but then to choose only a couple of bullet points to address from "The Research" and "Your Contribution" sections. It’s very important that you keep the email clear and concise!  

Before you start writing 

  • Research what the professor is doing, and understand the basics. Trust us, the professor will be able to tell if you're not prepared. 

  • Read 1-2 of their latest papers 

Email template

Dear (choose between Dr. or Professor depending on which applies) _________, 

Introduction 

  • Introduce yourself: name, program, year 

  • Include what university you attend (if applying to external institutions) 

  • 1 sentence summary of the purpose of your email  

  • Are you hoping to volunteer in their lab? 

  • Would you like them to be your thesis supervisor?  

Why does their research interest you?  

  • How did you learn about their work?  

  • Did you take their class? 

  • Have professors talked to you about them?  

  • Have you talked to their grad students? 

  • Did you research/read about them on your own time? 

  • What aspects of their research are you interested in? 

  • Is it their methods? Is it the topic? 

  • How did you learn about this area of research?  

  • Did you hear about it in lecture?  

  • Discuss how this experience aligns with your future goals.

What can you contribute to their lab? 

  • What previous research experience do you have? 

  • What courses have you taken? What labs have you volunteered in?

  • What methods do you have experience with? What skills/techniques have you been exposed to? 

Closing  

  • Indicate that you'd like to meet (specify virtual/in-person) and provide possible dates/times. 

  • Thank them for their time and consideration.

  • Indicate you have attached your most recent resume and transcript if they are interested.

Regards, 

(Your Name  

Year and Major  

Student Number) 

Other Tips

​​​​

  • Avoid superfluous language (e.g., absolutely essential, at this moment in time, due to the fact that, repeat again).

  • Avoid exaggerating accomplishments or including information that is not relevant.  

  • Refer to their research papers within the e-mail.

  • If you get rejected, ask them whether they know of other faculty members who may be a good fit.

  • Add a clear subject line (e.g., Interested in volunteering). 

Last updated 20/03/2026

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