Topic outline

  • THESIS: PART 1

    This stage requires your 10 ECTS credits workload to complete, which is 1/3 of the total workload for your entire master's thesis.

    Based on the ARTS Thesis Guide, there are three types of thesis:

    • If you are doing a thesis with artistic research, this means you will be involved in active explorations for your artistic and creative practices in this stage. Your thesis plan will likely have more extensive section on your design practices / methods.

    • If you are doing a thesis with theoretical research, this means you will be involved in the literature review on relevant topics in this stage. Your thesis plan will likely more complete section on your theoretical backgrounds. 

    • If you are doing a thesis with applied research, this means you will be involved in an application of theory into your design practice. Your thesis plan will likely have more advanced sections on both theory and methods while defining the context better. 


    Guidelines

    (1) Submission Deadline: Please submit your Thesis Part 1 by the announced deadline, in accordance with the Department of Design schedule.   

    (2) Content Structure: 

    • Cover: 

      • Your name and student number 

      • Tentative thesis title 

      • Supervisor's name 

      • Advisor(s) 

    • Table of contents (limited to three levels of headings) (i.e., 1. - 1.1 - 1.1.1). 

    • Summary (max 250 words): In the summary section, provide a brief overview of Thesis Part 1. Include details about the topic, its relevance, scope, and your focus and the research embedded within it. Present your research goals, define the theoretical foundation of your work and briefly describe your chosen research approach. 
    • Introduction:  Explain the relevance of your chosen topic, state your research objectives, present your research question(s), and provide an overview of your thesis structure. Briefly introduce your motivations, and explain the rationale and significance of what you set out to do, e.g., How is your topic relevant in the design/arts/media field?What design/arts/media phenomena does your topic connect to? 
    • Literature/Theoretical Foundation: Introduce the theoretical and/or conceptual foundation for your thesis. Begin by explaining ideas and literature reviewed, their relevance, and the process by which you sourced them (e.g. keywords and platforms used). Summarize the main ideas, concepts and findings in prior literature that informs your work; identify key authors (contributors) and their approaches, and present the current state of knowledge. How is the topic of your thesis addressed in academic literature? What has been concluded on this topic in the past/present? Conclude where you aim to contribute and/or how you plan to execute your work based on prior knowledge; how is the reviewed literature relevant (inform) in your thesis? 

    • Methodologies: Introduce the type of thesis you aim to do, e.g., theoretical, artistic, applied, and introduce your research approach. Explain how you plan to generate knowledge for your thesis; e.g., how you plan to collect (data collection methods) and analyze data (data analysis methods). The more specific you can be, the better, e.g. If interview, how many interviews? what is your selection criteria? why is interviews the best method? What are the potential limitations? Refer to the Design Research course materials to underpin the rationale for selecting specific research methods and practices. Detail the (empirical) practices by which you gather material on your subject area and how this material is processed in a manner that others can understand.  

    • Timetable:  Specify tasks connected to your method and plan your research activities accordingly, e.g. recruitment, conducting interviews, and data analysis. Make a realistic plan in the timetable. Include an overview of the other thesis writing activities, when are you to write about your findings? when are you going to write the Discussion and Conclusion sections?  

    • Reference List: Include your references and additional materials you plan to use. 

    (4) Document Length: Aim for around 10-20 pages of proper academic writing style. Ensure that you correctly cite references within the text and in the reference list – consistently use one academic standard (e.g. APA). While you may include images, the text content should fall within the specified page range. 

    (5) Language support: Writing is a skill that both native and non-native speakers need to develop constantly. A thesis benefits from robust writing skills (how you structure & conceptualise through language down to stylistic and grammatical tips for improvement). This is different from general writing skills. We strongly recommend that all thesis students invest time in evolving their writing skills. One effective and highly recommended way to start is to book a slot with the language centre at Aalto (link here). Additional (3cr.) courses can help you to develop the basic academic writing skills for writing your master thesis:

    (5) Submission: To submit your Thesis Part 1, upload your document via the submission page on the MyCourses platform. Additionally, inform your supervisor once you have completed the submission.  

    (6) Note:  This submission contributes 10 credits to your thesis work. 

    (7) Using artificial intelligence: Familiarize yourself with tips and ethics on using AI for writing, reading, and ideating purposes here.  


    Before you move to THESIS: PART 2 submit PART 1 and get approval from your supervisor. 
    • Assignment icon
      Thesis part one Assignment

      Please submit your Thesis Part 1 document here. The submission deadline is by 15 December 2023. After checking, your supervisor will give you feedback. Please update your Thesis Part 1 according to the given feedback and re-submit if necessary. 



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PRE-THESIS: THESIS PLAN PROPOSAL
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THESIS: PART 2