Supervision of your scientific projects (Master theses, Dissertations, Erasmus exchange, etc.)

With your project you should show that you can do original scientific research and that you can write about it.

• ...You can find an interesting research question,
• ...you find methods that help you in obtaining an answer to this question,
• ...you can apply theses methods,
• ...and you can communicate what you are doing in a clear and precise way.

Seminars, like MW24.4, are meant to teach you these skills. Seminars are also often a good starting point to develop a research question for a master thesis. In your own scientific project you show that you can apply these abilities independently. Independence does not mean that you have to complete your project without any guidance. You should consult your supervisor regularly, report your progress and check that you are on track – but the work is done by yourself.

The research question

Most people find it tricky to develop their own research question. Finding a good question, however, is crucial for your work. A main part of the Seminar MW24.4 is meant to develop this skill. The following questions are supposed to help you with this task.

If your project involves an experiment, here are some ideas how you could structure your experimental project.

Preparing supervision

If you find that I could be an appropriate supervisor for your scientific project, and if your question passes the above mentioned tests, please complete this form on your computer and send the form to me. The form should help you to structure your thoughts, to find out whether your project has a good chance to succeed and to decide whether I am a good match to supervise your project. This part will also help you preparing the motivation of your project.

Writing a project report, master thesis, master dissertation, etc.

• When you write your thesis, I suggest the following guidelines.
• Please also keep in mind the guidelines for using AI tools.
• Follow the rules of good scientific practice.
• Formatting is less important than content. Still, in case you are interested, I have an opinion regarding layout.

Literature

• William Thomson; A Guide for the Young Economist; Second edition, The MIT Press, 2011.
• William Strunk Jr., E.B. White, Roger Angell; The Elements of Style; Fourth Edition, Longman, 2000.