Hints for scientific workouts or The top 10 risks for seminar workouts, Bachelor and Master theses
10. Moving. If you are planning to move you should not do this while you are working on your thesis, the latter will definitely go wrong. This hint is not intended to be funny, this behaviour can be observed nearly every semester causing the thesis to be only partially finished or even aborted.
9. Templates. Footnotes, extensive tables of contents, tables of figures, and tables of abbreviations are unquestionable helpful, but not really necessary. By using our templates (Word, LaTeX) you avoid doing work twice. Furthermore, they contain hints for structuring your thesis. Please make use of the template in a meaningful way: When handing in your final version, neither the last chapter should be named "Summary/Conclusion/Lookout", nor the appendix be named "Title of appendix 1".
8. Introductions. Introductions are nice, but the content should be appropriate. Historical outlines are irrelevant just as nonsense information is. Thus, introductions should not be written prior to, but after all other chapters have been formulated. You should definitely give an overview of your thesis' structure.
7. Descriptions. Descriptions of techniques, technologies, and definitions should be used cautiously in your thesis. For example, try to figure out whether another student presenting prior to you already worked out a definition. When using them in Diploma or Master theses, please make sure that they are meaningful and quantitative adequate.
6. Searching for literature. "Computerbild", "c't" as well as the "Java Magazine" are fancy magazines, but are not adequate for a scientific workout. As a general rule, you should underpin your thesis with textbooks and scientific publications. To find them, use Google or search engines such as Citeseer or DBLP. Keep in mind that it is not forbidden to order articles or books per inter-library loan in case they are not available in Münster.
5. Spelling. It is not forbidden to use the spell and grammar checking feature of Word. In general, the little red and green wavy lines bear a meaning and should not be ignored. When planning your thesis you should leave enough time for proof-reading your work, too.
4. Binding. As a rule of thumb, copy shops are opened until 18:00 o'clock and need some time to bind your thesis soberly. Afterwards, your thesis should be left untouched for some time, otherwise it might become wavy. Thus, it should be clear that you should bind your work at least one day before handing it in. Please also note that in contrast to common opinion our chair is not opened on a 24/7 basis but only during normal opening hours (i.e. monday - thursday 9:00 - 17:00 and friday 9:00 - 15:00).
3. Planning. Prior to writing your thesis, create a schedule with important milestones you want to achieve, especially when your thesis contains an implementational part. Talk about this schedule with your supervising assistant. From our experience, students very often tend to overestimate their programming skills. Should you fall behind your schedule, please talk immediately to your assistant. While being under time pressure during the middle of your thesis can be solved by skipping content or increasing the working time, this is definitely not the case a couple of days or even hours before the deadline runs out.
2. Structure. Your thesis should contain the well-known "golden thread". Use the introduction to make clear what you are going to do in your work. Then, either describe the problem (which answers the "why") or the techniques used. The sequence of these two elements might vary case-by-case. Afterwards, a detailed description of the decisions made regarding design, architecture, and implementation should be given. Make sure, that this part is tightly coupled with your former analysis and therefore answers the "what" and the "how".
1. Contact. Stay in contact with your supervising assistant. We do not bite, willingly give advice and tips for free, and limit the content of your thesis more clearly. Most theses fail because of the missing contact to the assistant such that the work is misdirected.
10. Moving. If you are planning to move you should not do this while you are working on your thesis, the latter will definitely go wrong. This hint is not intended to be funny, this behaviour can be observed nearly every semester causing the thesis to be only partially finished or even aborted.
9. Templates. Footnotes, extensive tables of contents, tables of figures, and tables of abbreviations are unquestionable helpful, but not really necessary. By using our templates (Word, LaTeX) you avoid doing work twice. Furthermore, they contain hints for structuring your thesis. Please make use of the template in a meaningful way: When handing in your final version, neither the last chapter should be named "Summary/Conclusion/Lookout", nor the appendix be named "Title of appendix 1".
8. Introductions. Introductions are nice, but the content should be appropriate. Historical outlines are irrelevant just as nonsense information is. Thus, introductions should not be written prior to, but after all other chapters have been formulated. You should definitely give an overview of your thesis' structure.
7. Descriptions. Descriptions of techniques, technologies, and definitions should be used cautiously in your thesis. For example, try to figure out whether another student presenting prior to you already worked out a definition. When using them in Diploma or Master theses, please make sure that they are meaningful and quantitative adequate.
6. Searching for literature. "Computerbild", "c't" as well as the "Java Magazine" are fancy magazines, but are not adequate for a scientific workout. As a general rule, you should underpin your thesis with textbooks and scientific publications. To find them, use Google or search engines such as Citeseer or DBLP. Keep in mind that it is not forbidden to order articles or books per inter-library loan in case they are not available in Münster.
5. Spelling. It is not forbidden to use the spell and grammar checking feature of Word. In general, the little red and green wavy lines bear a meaning and should not be ignored. When planning your thesis you should leave enough time for proof-reading your work, too.
4. Binding. As a rule of thumb, copy shops are opened until 18:00 o'clock and need some time to bind your thesis soberly. Afterwards, your thesis should be left untouched for some time, otherwise it might become wavy. Thus, it should be clear that you should bind your work at least one day before handing it in. Please also note that in contrast to common opinion our chair is not opened on a 24/7 basis but only during normal opening hours (i.e. monday - thursday 9:00 - 17:00 and friday 9:00 - 15:00).
3. Planning. Prior to writing your thesis, create a schedule with important milestones you want to achieve, especially when your thesis contains an implementational part. Talk about this schedule with your supervising assistant. From our experience, students very often tend to overestimate their programming skills. Should you fall behind your schedule, please talk immediately to your assistant. While being under time pressure during the middle of your thesis can be solved by skipping content or increasing the working time, this is definitely not the case a couple of days or even hours before the deadline runs out.
2. Structure. Your thesis should contain the well-known "golden thread". Use the introduction to make clear what you are going to do in your work. Then, either describe the problem (which answers the "why") or the techniques used. The sequence of these two elements might vary case-by-case. Afterwards, a detailed description of the decisions made regarding design, architecture, and implementation should be given. Make sure, that this part is tightly coupled with your former analysis and therefore answers the "what" and the "how".
1. Contact. Stay in contact with your supervising assistant. We do not bite, willingly give advice and tips for free, and limit the content of your thesis more clearly. Most theses fail because of the missing contact to the assistant such that the work is misdirected.
