The master’s thesis heralds the end of your studies. If you successfully pass, you will be awarded the title of Master of Arts. Sometimes the thought of the written thesis seems like a high mountain that has to be overcome. The following tips should help you.
The preparation phase
As a degree, the master’s thesis has an academic purpose. It allows conclusions to be drawn about your ability to work scientifically. Graduates must be able to analyze a research question within a specified period of time. The websites https://business-and-science.de/aktuelles/wozu-dient-zielsetzung-hausarbeit/ and https://uol.de/ioeb/studienangebote/hinweise-zum-wissenschaftlichen-arbeiten explain the goal of scientific work.
Good preparation is the key to success. It starts with finding a topic. The topic should interest you, but also be suitable for research. Topics that are too abstract make it difficult to find academic sources. It is advisable to have at least two ‘fallback’ options – other topic suggestions where researching is easier.
Research is worth its weight in gold. This stage is between preparation and active writing. By the time you write the main body of the paper, the research phase should already be completed. On this website you will find useful tips on how to organize it.
The writing phase
For Master’s theses, the writing phase lasts four months. In addition to the official working time, you should allow two to four weeks for corrections.
At the beginning, go through your documents and check them for completeness. If sources are missing for a chapter, there is still enough time to go to the university library.
During the writing phase, it is important to keep in contact with the supervising lecturer. Consultation hours are good opportunities to ask questions about the thesis or deadlines.
Before writing the fair copy, you can prepare an outline. It is the common thread of your paper. The table of contents is an overview of the entire written part.
In the introduction, you introduce your topic and the research question. This is followed by a survey of the state of research to date: Which scholars have studied the topic? What findings have they arrived at? How do you refer to their findings in the master’s thesis? These questions are answered before the main body.
The main part is the heart of the written work. Here you deal intensively with the research question. It is analyzed, with citations from primary and secondary sources supporting your thesis. Sound analysis also includes citations that disagree with your point of view. Such contrary opinions should be refuted in the master’s thesis. In this way, you make your position clear.
In the conclusion, you summarize your research findings. Did the hypothesis turn out to be right or wrong? The results are put into a broader context. It is a preview of how the topic can be researched from a different scientific perspective.
Five tips to keep in mind:
1. sources used must be professional literature or from reputable internet sources. They meet scientific standards. Only list the works used in the bibliography. If a text document is not included in your paper, it does not belong in the bibliography.
2. proofreading of the work is allowed. Often this task is done by students from higher semesters. They will point out grammatical or formal errors. You are responsible for correcting them yourself. 3.
When writing, it is important to use correct citation forms in order not to be accused of plagiarism. If in doubt, consult with the instructor. In most universities, students have access to guidelines for scientific work. They are available in paper form or as PDF files.
Before handing in the master thesis, you have to sign it. With the signature you confirm that you have written your thesis without external help. The declaration of plagiarism as well as the bibliography must be included in the appendix.
5. go through the paper one last time in order to identify missing passages in time. This last check should be done at least one week before the deadline.
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