The preparation of the Guided Research Proposal is the first half of
your thesis work. Don't underestimate it! Without a successful
preparation phase, by experience, thesis finalization will be less
thorough and, hence, less successful. For example, large parts of
the Guided Research Proposal will go into the main thesis, related
work being a good example.
The preparation phase includes, among others (and obviously somewhat
also depending on the particular topic): familiarization with the
topic; elaborating background through literature work; related work,
and core concepts of the thesis.
Hence, the proposal needs to contain at least these elements (again,
to be confirmed with your supervisor): motivation; research issues;
relevance of this work ("how will the world be better once your
results are available?"); related work, explained and put in
relation with your work; a clear description of the second phase's
outcome; a discussion about limits and further work (issues spotted,
but not addressed in the framework of this thesis); a realistic time
plan for the second phase.
Students must select the guided research topic and the supervisor
beginning of October (see the timeline above). The choosen topic and
supervisor must be communicated by email to Jürgen Schönwälder
<j.schoenwaelder@jacobs-university.de>.
Students must submit the guided research proposal at a deadline when
classes end (see timeline above). Late submissions of the research
proposal or late selection of the topic will be penalized by a grade
reduction of 10 percentage points per day late.