If you deal with the topic of your bachelor thesis in detail in the coming months, you will have a rough idea of what the coming weeks will basically consist of. But in order for your project to be as successful as possible, it can't hurt to follow a few rules.
Personal environment
This includes, in addition to your partner, your family (children, parents) and friends. Make it clear to them what they can expect in the coming weeks, namely that you will spend a large part of your energy on your Bachelor thesis. It is quite possible that your personal relationships will suffer. Therefore it is important to ask for your understanding already in advance.
Working hours
On the other hand, stable emotional ties can motivate you to successfully complete your work. Therefore do not neglect yourself. Instead, stick to pre-determined "office hours" during which you work in a concentrated manner and, if possible, take the weekends off for them / for yourself.
Workplace
Thinking needs space. Therefore, do not turn your home into an office, but separate the work on your bachelor thesis and privacy also spatially. If possible, go to the library (either of your university or a public one). At best, here are all the resources you need to do this – and most importantly, peace of mind. The atmosphere has a positive effect on your concentration, and after "office closing time" you can simply leave it behind you.
Bachelor thesis
You have successfully completed the past semesters, collected points, attended seminars, turories and lectures. Now you finally want to finish your bachelor studies.
With the Thesis (dt.In your thesis, you document your ability to work independently on a scientific task.
Scope
Unlike the master's thesis, there is no role model for bachelor's degree theses. Therefore the requirements for the bachelor thesis partly differ between universities and subjects. With an average of 80 pages, which you write within three months, it is, however, generally shorter than the exam papers of advanced degree courses.
In some cases, the number of pages and even the number of words are precisely specified. On the one hand, this contributes to the schooling of your studies. On the other hand, as a prospective bachelor you will learn how to deal with time pressure as well as how to approach your topic in a structured way.
Evaluation
If you have submitted your final paper on time, two examiners (the supervisor and a second examiner) will take over the evaluation. If the performance is not sufficient, it is possible to repeat the work.
Structure and composition
Topic
First of all, you need to find a suitable topic for your Bachelor thesis. For example, by expanding on the content of a seminar from your previous course of study. You will usually decide on the exact topic after a discussion with your supervisor. If you encounter difficulties in the course of your work, for example, because the guidelines would lead too "deep" into a topic or you cannot find access to it, you can return the old one within two months and choose a new one.
Outline
For the sake of clarity, the Bachelor's thesis consists broadly of three parts: Introduction, main body, and conclusion. In the introduction you explain your topic and explain the further procedure. In the main part you deepen the topic (possibly by dividing it into further logical subsections). In the conclusion (also: epilogue or conclusion) you summarize your findings of the main part and discuss if necessary. Follow-up questions.
- Tip 1: Work in a structured way!
Thinking about the structure in advance and at least roughly outlining the points you want to explain in your Bachelor's thesis will not only help you to keep track of things as time goes on. The more clearly you proceed, the more readable the result will be for your examiners. So avoid mental leaps and lengthy digressions. Also, too cumbersome sentence structures inhibit the flow of reading. The easier you make it for your supervisor to follow you, the more likely he or she will be to grade your work favorably.
- Tip 2: Pay attention to the formalities!
Footnotes, citations and bibliographies are as much a part of a scientific text as exemplary presented work itself. Failure to follow these criteria can quickly lead to your ambitious project being downgraded when graded, despite exemplary formulated results.
The research
The better and more thorough your research and evaluation, the more likely your paper will be successful. Don't read everything about a topic, but know all literature about it – at least according to the title. Before you start writing, get a comprehensive overview of the topic of your Bachelor thesis.
Internet
First, do some research on the Internet under your regional literature research database. This will give you both the quickest overview of the literature and the availability of this literature in your area.
Print out all results that you think might be related to your topic. Not only does this give you an initial overview of the scope of your work, but more importantly, the human eye grasps information more easily on paper than on a monitor.
Tip: Don't save on paper, print on one side only. It gives you additional overview.
Literature search (computer)
Select the titles that the libraries in your area actually have. Interlibrary loan will cost you at least two weeks of waiting time during your Bachelor Thesis!
Literature search (library)
If possible, pick up any book in the library that you think might be helpful to you. References alone sometimes say little about the content of the sources. Now borrow all you can get.
Literature Hierarchy
Go through all the books and strictly sort out. Choose your one main book plus two to three sub-books. From other books inform selectively, that is, only individual articles or essays on your topic.
Tip: Don't be a perfectionist, but read the literature with your (!) personal task in mind – and trust your intuition if necessary.
What you have gathered in knowledge during this time is usually sufficient to prove that you can "deal with an extensive scientific subject in an appropriate manner, with knowledge of the relevant scientific principles". After all, the work in front of you is a bachelor thesis, not a doctoral thesis.
The writing
Now start formulating the results. Trust yourself to do this! And: never copy word for word. When proofreading, many college professors use special programs that can detect verbatim copying (and referenced plagiarism has cost many a doctor his or her degree).
Work in a structured way!
Thinking about the outline in advance and at least roughly mapping out the points you want to explain in your bachelor's thesis will not only help you keep track of things as you go along. The clearer you proceed, the more readable the result will be to your tasters. So avoid mental leaps and lengthy digressions. Overly cumbersome sentence structures also inhibit the flow of reading. The easier you make it for your supervisor to follow you, the more likely he or she will be to grade your work favorably.
Pay attention to the formalities!
Footnotes, citations, and bibliographies are as much a part of a scholarly text as exemplary presented work itself. Failure to adhere to these criteria can quickly result in your ambitious project being marked down in the grading process despite exemplary formulated results (plagiarism: s.o.).
Schedule
Depending on the course of study and the university, you have between two and six months to write a bachelor's thesis. Create a schedule for yourself and stick to it strictly – no matter how far you actually are after the time has expired. The rule of thumb for distributing the work steps is: 20% literature research + 30% reading+ 50% writing.