Choosing a masters thesis topic is the first important decision you make as part of your master’s thesis completion process. Selecting the right topic from multiple ideas sets the direction for the coming weeks and months of your academic work and should therefore be well thought out. A master’s thesis must meet a wide variety of requirements. With this work you prove that you are able to work scientifically, to gain new insights and to present them in an academically demanding way in the form of a student research project.
However, the decision as to which master’s thesis topic is suitable should not be made intuitively. Rather, finding a topic requires careful consideration that should include more than just personal interests. Preliminary considerations for the choice of supervisor, but also for the qualitative location of the master’s thesis play an important role in finding a topic and precede further research decisions about the writing process, the methodology and the selection of literature. Essaywrites.com has provided you with this guide to help you in choosing a topic for your thesis.
Why a well-considered Master’s thesis topic is important
When looking for a suitable topic for the thesis, it should not be forgotten that the topic or the central question can have a strong influence on the quality of your thesis or dissertation. In order to write a successful thesis, you should work carefully and under scientific conditions when choosing a topic.
In order to achieve this goal, the choice of topic plays a greater role than initially assumed. Therefore, choose a topic that sets you on the right direction from onset. For example, if the topic of your thesis is too large or too small, the work cannot meet the quality requirements placed on it. As a rule, the universities provide clear rules on how many pages a master’s thesis should contain. If this requirement is significantly undercut or exceeded, this also affects the grade. Preparatory work such as an initial literature search, a rough outline and the preliminary formulation of a possible question are therefore essential before the actual work can begin.
Useful tips for finding a master’s thesis topic
You can use various methods to choose a topic from various thesis topics. In the following, we present some criteria that you can use to approach your master’s thesis topic:
· Choose a specific area of application and case study. The abstract research object is analyzed using a concrete example
· Consider a specific aspect to delve into in your master thesis. A larger research object is viewed against the background of a specific constellation or starting point.
· Consider a new level of observation. When describing and analyzing the object of research, adopt a certain point of view.
· Explore unexplored relationships. Place the aspects of a research subject that are not yet linked in relation to one another.
· Utilize new study approaches. Subject the already established fields of research to a scientific examination from a new or modern perspective.
· Consider a restricted source area. To remain focused on the topic, make sure the literature search is focused on a specific area, for instance, a restricted population or geographical location or region.
· Focus on the main emphasis. Always ensure your research object is examined “with special consideration” of a self-chosen focus.
· Consider variables and influencing factors. A larger research object should be considered under certain influencing factors.
· Restrict the research topic to a given time frame. A scientific topic is often examined in relation to a specific period of time.
How to Formulate a Master’s Thesis Topic
If you have found a topic and a preliminary question for your master’s thesis, this usually does not yet correspond to the final title of the work. At most universities, however, you must state the final title of the work when registering with the examination office.
So even if you’re just starting to dig deep into your topic, you need to be able to find a suitable title for your master’s thesis topic. The list below shows how you can formulate the title:
· Formulate the problem or the goal of the question.
· Don’t try to convey absolutes – the academic world is diverse and your work will not be the only one, the newest or the best.
· Formulate explicitly and clearly so that the reader can already tell from the title whether reading this work is worthwhile for him.
· Use subtitles to avoid long titles and to clarify the problem.
· Dare to set a direction. Titles that contain conjecture or bias do not meet the academic requirement of clarity.
· Do not reproduce the content in the title – you do not know your results at this point, nor should you provide a summary at this point.
Checklist: How to Find the Right Master’s Thesis Topic
Depending on which topic you choose, you can make the processing of your master’s thesis easier or more difficult. When searching for a topic, it makes sense not to fall back on the first idea that comes up, because this is often the case, e.g. not comprehensive enough or has little to do with your personal interest. The following checklist gives you an overview of what you should consider when choosing a master’s thesis topic.
· Does the topic relate to your own interest? This makes it easier to work on the topic, which often takes weeks or even months.
· Is there a connection to your field of study or your major within your main subject?
· Is the topic current or new research? However, this is not relevant or even possible in all subjects. On the other hand, so-called “fashion topics” should be avoided.
· Is there enough secondary literature on the subject? This forms the basis of your research and should not be too brief.
· Does your chair have a supervisor who has the time and expertise to supervise your thesis?
· Is the topic related to your career aspirations? A master’s thesis that is tailored to the future field of activity can make it easier to start your career.
· Have you made sure that the topic hasn’t been presented before? It is of great relevance for the thesis that new scientific findings are achieved.
Of course, today it is difficult to find a topic on which there is no research literature at all. However, a shift in perspective or research gaps discovered within the secondary literature mean that new approaches for further scientific work can always be found, even in specialist areas that have already been extensively researched.
Narrow Down the Master’s Thesis Topic
If you have settled on a specific research focus from the topic ideas, you have already taken an important step forward. However, before you can start writing, there are many more sub-steps and tasks waiting for you. The first (and perhaps most important) is to limit the topic to a scope appropriate for the master’s thesis. A large scale project could be impossible to address entirely. Therefore, it is important because with the definition and determination of your topic you lay the foundation for everything else: research, knowledge acquisition and ultimately the writing process all go back to the topic.
The optimal scope of a topic depends on the general conditions that the university or graduate school places on your master’s thesis. The topic should therefore be chosen in such a way that on the one hand you are able to write the master’s degree thesis within a given time frame , but on the other hand you neither fall short nor exceed a certain number of pages. Because experienced lecturers can already tell from the title of a master’s thesis whether the student has undertaken too much or too little, it is worth discussing the selected topic and its scope with the thesis advisor and, if necessary, expanding or narrowing it down further.
Summary
Finding a suitable topic is the first step on the way to a successful master’s thesis. The topic determines the quality of the work and must deliver new scientific findings and relevant information. It must be possible to work on the topic within a given time frame and it must not exceed or fall below a certain number of pages. A master’s thesis topic that affects personal interests increases motivation and often also the success factor. For the master’s thesis, you need an authorized examiner as a supervisor who has sufficient expertise to be able to evaluate the work. There should be enough literature review material or existing knowledge on the chosen topic. A clear delimitation and choice of title should be made before the start of the work in order to be able to follow a common thread during the research and writing. The title or the topic should be formulated as simply and concretely as possible. If your title is too long you can be shorten it with a meaningful subtitle.
Do You Need Help in Formulating Your Master’s Thesis Title?
Here at essaywrites.com, we understand and acknowledge that students get writing difficulties even in their final year of study. Thus, it is not surprising to find yourself stuck in the process of choosing your master’s thesis topic for your thesis defense. With our professional thesis writers, we can help you in choosing a perfect master’s thesis topic and help you in writing any other sections of your thesis.
