In most cases, the choice of the topic of the thesis, or at least its subject area, is the student’s own responsibility, for which finding the topic requires independent initiative from the student. At some of the Faculties, teachers bring forward different options and opportunities. The thesis exchange is another place to find a topic. A great many of the topics are found through orders or commissions. The thesis may be part of studies (e.g., double degree) for which SeAMK and a foreign partner institution are jointly responsible. In such a case, the co-writer of the thesis may be a student from the foreign partner institution. The actual thesis supervisor is always from the home institution.
It is advisable to start thinking about the different options for the topic of the thesis as early as the beginning of the studies. Many topics are found during the student’s practical training period. The topic for the thesis may also be found during studies or a traineeship period abroad. Thesis topics provided by companies and other organisations can be found in the SeAMK Intra. The progress of the thesis is usually faster if the topic is interesting and serves the development needs of everyday working life. It is essential to delimit the topic in relation to the available time and other resources. The most rewarding thesis grows out of the student’s own motivation and awareness of their future needs. The supervisor(s) of the thesis decide(s) on the acceptance of the suggested topic or on its reformulation or further elaboration.
When the topic of the thesis has been confirmed, a thesis plan is made. The processing of personal data, research permission and data protection issues are recorded on the thesis preparation form. The thesis preparation form is used for this purpose. Degree programmes may also have their own planning form for planning the content of the thesis and the collection and analysis of data. The thesis plan is presented to the supervising teacher, who gives their final approval to the plan.
Planning is an essential part of the thesis process. A detailed plan helps structure the thesis. It also saves you from wasted time and energy when data acquisition can be directed correctly right from the start. In the thesis, the old saying “well begun is half done” materializes in a concrete way.
If a student is studying for a double degree, the thesis process complies with the instructions of both higher education institutions. For more information, contact the supervising teacher.
If the thesis is written as a commission, an agreement is made between the commissioner, author, and the supervisor. The thesis agreement must specify, among other things, the representative of the commissioner, the tasks included in the thesis process, and the compensation of the costs incurred by the thesis process. The RDI goals and RDI credits of the thesis are also specified in the thesis agreement. On the same occasion, the amount and mode of payment of the possible reward must be agreed on. The student must be in contact with the teacher supervising the thesis before signing an agreement with an outside company. SeAMK also allows the use of an electronic signature system (Sign).The copyright and confidentiality questions related to commissions are dealt with in more detail in page Practice in the thesis process. Many commissioning organizations may have their own study agreement models, and it is advisable to see them. SeAMK’s model for a thesis agreement is in Thesis agreement (Appendix 1). An electronic, printable Thesis Agreement form is available at SeAMK Intra.
As part of the thesis plan, the student must find out if a research permission is required. The student must submit an application for a research permission if required by the commissioner or target organization or company of the study. A research permission is also required for all studies concerning Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences, which is applied for online with an e-form. See Appendix 3 for more specific instructions when applying for the research permission.
The research permission is applied for with a free-form letter, and/or the practices if the organization or company in question are observed. It is advisable to define the consent to the use of the data and the storage of the research data in the research permission. Page Practice in the thesis process treats data management and its planning in more detail. The thesis plan must also specify how the possible participants in the study are asked a permission and how the anonymity of the participants is kept.
The instructions relate to studies conducted by the students and staff of SeAMK and outside researchers the target group of which are SeAMK students or staff.
Seminars are aimed at supporting the thesis process. At them, the current phase of the thesis is brought under joint discussion and for comments. The seminar practice varies by Faculty. Many of the Faculties arrange particular seminars for the presentation of the thesis plan. At these seminars, the plan for the thesis is discussed and modifications to it are proposed. At the same time, seminars prepare the student for the final seminar of the thesis process. At some of the Faculties, the thesis plan is directly submitted to the supervisor, without a seminar. Courses in project work are also used into initiate students to the thesis process.
At a seminar, the student(s) give(s) a prepared presentation of their thesis project. At some of the Faculties, seminar work is also accompanied by peer assessment and peer support. Peer assessment involves critical and analytic observation of the thesis. The peer assessor is usually a student of the same year. They can also act as president of the session. Moreover, the peer assessor often writes a written assessment of the thesis and submits it to the supervisor of the thesis. If peer assessment is part of the thesis process, it has effects on the grade for the thesis.
The supervisor can give their permission to the submission of the final version of the thesis only after those changes have been made.
A good plan also contributes to the successful acquisition of background information necessary for the thesis. The acquisition plan for background information includes, among other things, figuring out the keywords describing the topic of the thesis and the choice of appropriate sources of information. Data acquisition is taught on specific courses and on other courses related to the thesis process.
The Library of Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences has a wide collection of material needed for writing a thesis, in both printed and online formats.
SeAMK has policies on the use of artificial intelligence in studies. An AI may not write a thesis on a student’s behalf. The language model/AI can be used to check the language and to brainstorm issues. The use of AI is reported in the last subsection or chapter of the introduction (see chapter Structure of the thesis). There are many AI applications, the language model can be used in a very wide range of applications and the use of AI is also developing very rapidly, therefore the level and scope of AI use and the AI applications used should be reported as specifically as possible. AI is not suitable for information searching because it can hallucinate, i.e. create sources of information that do not exist. Sources should be checked, permanent links (DOI, urn) should be preferred in citations, links should be checked and activated. If you want to ensure the reliability of sources, use electronic materials and databases acquired by the library.
It is advisable to reserve a sufficient amount of time for the actual writing or polishing of the thesis. SeAMK’s Instructions for Written Work provide general instructions on writing and instructions related to the layout of the text as well as to writing in-text citations and bibliographic references.