Topic outline

  • Assignments

    • Assignment icon
      Pre-course assignment

      Instructions

      This assignment is designed to familiarize you with one academic research paper. Try to find an interesting article published in a recent issue of a journal. As your thesis is likely to involve some empirical analysis, you benefit probably the most from choosing an empirical paper. Please select the paper from either the Journal of Finance, the Review of Financial Studies, or the Journal of Financial Economics, available at:

      Please note that you can access these websites for free only from aalto University network.

      First, read carefully through the article you have selected. Do not get stuck if you do not understand all the details, try to understand the big picture. After reading the article, answer the questions below. Your report should be max. 3 pages long with 1.5 spacing. You can use the attached template.

      Please submit your report before the kick-off session. Handing in the assignment is mandatory for being accepted to the course. 

      Questions

      1. What is the research question of the paper?

      2. What is the contribution of the paper, i.e. what new does it bring to the existing literature?

      3. What are the main hypotheses?

      4. Where do the data come from? What is the time period? How large is the sample?

      5. What different methods do the authors use?

      6. What are the main findings?

      7. What kinds of limitations and problems regarding the methods or data do the authors discuss?

      8. What kinds of extra analyses, i.e. robustness checks, do the authors undertake to convince the readers that their results are reliable?

      In addition, this pre-assignment serves as a registration for the course.



    • File icon
      Research plan template File
      Word document

      Reminder: Presenting the research plan is a binding commitment to delivering the completed thesis by 7 December 2021.

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