SCI Master's Thesis Guide 2024
Where to find support?
Case 1) I'm not feeling okay and could need some help with my mental and/or physical health. What could I do?
- YTHS is the right place to contact when you are not able to keep up with studies because of health.
- Starting Point of Wellbeing offers advice and guidance on services related to wellbeing, learning skills, motivation, coping with stress and self- and time-management. Seek for help when needed!
Case 2) I can’t find myself a thesis supervisor, topic or advisor.
- Check 1.1. Fid a supervisor, topic and advisor and the supervisor list of your programme.
- Contact the professor/university lecturer in charge of your major, firstname.lastname@aalto.fi. They can give you advice on how to find a suitable topic and/or supervisor.
- Contact the programme director, firstname.lastname@aalto.fi.
Case 3) I have tried to contact my supervisor but haven't received an answer.
- If you can't get in touch with your supervisor, even if you have tried to contact them, please contact studentservices@aalto.fi.
Case 4) I can't find enough or the right kind of resources and information for writing.
- Aalto University Learning Center offers resource guides to help students with thesis writing.
Case 5) I am non-native thesis writer and I'm not sure how to proceed with academic writing.
- Aalto Writing Clinic supports non-native thesis writers when their thesis is written in English. They facilitate your writing process and help you improve as a writer, and provides individual writing tutoring to help you learn how to plan, organize, write and revise academic papers.
Case 6) I have troubles getting started with my thesis and/or I feel somehow stuck with it.
- Start you studies with pomodoro can help you getting started and establishing new routines. Join for guided studying!
- Study Skills provides ideas how to develop skills related to study techniques and self-management.
- Learning Services offers wide variety of groups, workshops and online material to different kinds of needs.
Case 7) I'd like to have support for practicing my scientific writing.
- Turnitin is a tool for practicing scientific writing. Using Turnitin is not required when submitting a master's thesis but it's recommended to use during the writing process.
- Turnitin for students is a submission box in MyCourses where an originality report is generated of the submitted texts. It is especially used to check scientific texts in terms of unacknowledged borrowing without citation.
- Independent Turnitin Originality Check for Academic Year 2023-24 is a course where all students can enroll and use Turnitin independently.
Case 8) I would like to do my thesis in a company but I am unsure how it would be to work in a Finnish company
- Course MNGT-C1005 Finland works is a great introduction to Finnish work life.
- If you have any career related questions you can always get help from the Career Design Lab.
- Remember that thesis is a public document and that as default students own the intellectual property rights to their own Master’s theses.
- You can also send a link Aalto webpage Commission a Master's thesis to the company.
- Aalto University does not obligate you to write any specific contracts with the company. If you wish to write a contract, Aalto offers a Aalto thesis agreement for you and the company to sign.
- Please note that your supervisor is not allowed to sign any contracts with the company and all contracts are between you and the company only.
Case 9) I would be interested in finding books or other written resources about thesis process to help me with my thesis. Are there such books?
- You can start, e.g. with these:
- (Finnish) Svinhufvud, Kimmo: Gradutakuu
- (Finnish) Ahonen, Simo: Opinnäytetyö jumissa
- (English) Leong, E. C. 2016. Guide to research projects for engineering students: Planning, writing and presenting. Boca Raton: CRC Press.
Case 10) I think I would benefit from being able to write my thesis in a location other than my home or the University. Are there any thesis writing camps?
- Thesis retreat could be fun to you! They can be held by Aalto University or external parties. Look for ones in Aalto.fi or from search engines.