There is no universal solution to an optimal thesis process. It depends on how you work, your chosen subject area and whether you work alone or as part of a group. However, you should consider how you want to approach the process. Below you’ll find good advice and inspiration that, hopefully, will get you off to a good start:
A quick and precise identification of a subject area is vital to an effective thesis process. But how do you identify the right subject area? You may get inspiration for your subject area in various places – find some of them in the list below:
- Get inspiration from the literature you have read during your course of study – what did you find the most exciting or interesting? And what would you have liked to delve into, if you had had the chance?
- Visit SDU jobbank (Choose ’Studieprojekter’) and find bulletins from businesses and organizations that are looking for students to help shed light on a certain area or problem. If you find a subject area, remember to take into consideration if it is relevant to your professional profile and whether it will be possible to work with in an academic context.
- Get inspiration by looking at thesis projects from SDU and other universities – you may e.g. borrow thesis projects at SDU's library.
- Consider what your interests might be after the thesis project. Perhaps it’ll be possible to write the thesis project in cooperation with a business or organization that matches your future career plans – both when it comes to sector, tasks or a certain discipline.
Having identified your subject area, the next step is to draw up the project description. The project description is a short presentation with important information about your subject or the empirical research you are going to do. It must also list the theories and methods that you intend to apply. In other words, it forces you to find the focus of your thesis project and to make important choices about theory, methodology and perhaps empiricism.
What is my subject = what’s missing?
When you draw up your project description, it may be a good idea to ask yourself: what’s missing? You see, your project description must be addressing a shortcoming or an intellectual curiosity. It may be a description, categorization, assessment, qualification, interpretation or documentation that’s missing.
How to work with your project description
On the Studypedia you’ll find good advice on how to draw up a good project description. However, keep in mind that the early project description is only indicative – it may be adjusted up till the day you submit the thesis. As long as you bear in mind that your conclusion must answer your research question(s) – i.e. it must be meaningful to read the project description and the conclusion without having read the text in between.