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“Leaving a mark would require the student to rethink and draw new connections within a particular theory or phenomenon with their thesis. This would be how to get other researchers to read your thesis. It would make them rethink or re-examine something that they maybe thought they knew. That’s the direct way to make a mark, to change how practitioners or researchers think about a phenomenon and, indeed, part of the world. Indirectly, the thesis can also help the student themselves or their advisor. It can change how they think about or approach the problem. This can lead to other research projects or give them a unique perspective that they bring with them to a new workplace that can then shape their environments there. Both approaches are useful and effective in leaving a mark—be it directly or indirectly. It is unrealistic to expect that every thesis will receive great outside attention, but then, that’s not the only way of being successful. If you do something that truly shapes how you yourself and your supervisor look at the world, a mark has been left.” (Matt Farmer)

— Matt Farmer

“I don’t know anybody who would say: “my thesis process was completely painless, and I loved every day of it.” There is some pain and suffering baked into this whole process. What people should feel afterwards, when they look at their thesis again a year later, is that they should be proud of themselves. After all, they have passed through a filter that not many people have passed through. It is a good reason to pat yourself on the back. When you are working on your thesis, you have to be tough on yourself, you have to self-discipline, you have plenty of other people who are tough on you—your supervisor, your external evaluators. You receive a lot of criticism, and it takes a very thick skin to take on this criticism with kindness and get done even with the last lady who measures your margins. Once you have passed that stage, you’re entitled to look back and see that you did something pretty spectacular.” (Timo Korkeamäki)

— Timo Korkeamäki

“There are two aspects here to emphasize. First, my expectation as supervisor is that I am not confronted with the student as a typical researcher. My expectation is that the student has interest in the topic of research (and the topic to be researched). Second, I have the expectation that the student is willing to provide high quality. The drive to provide quality is a mindset that I expect. But the gap between what I can expect and what the result will be is massive. This has consequences for how I will evaluate the thesis. As a supervisor, I have two options. First, I delegate the thesis to some extent. Or, second, I reframe my proposition and view the student by taking the approach a typical consultant would take. A consultant is a connector between scientific methods and the practice. If the student manages to reach the level of a consultant, he or she is already performing very well. If the student can go a bit beyond that level and show that they can apply scientific methods as per the current academic practice in research, so much the better.” (Urs Jäger)

— Urs Jäger

“When considering what a thesis can accomplish, I think of this really on three levels of accomplishments. At the most basic, minimum level, the thesis should demonstrate an ability to do a research project that formulates questions, does a literature review, designs a study, and executes it. It should demonstrate mastery of a topic and of at least basic abilities. I think the minimum goal is to write a review article. That’s where the conceptual framework comes in. It’s a way to organize the literature. Then, of course, to demonstrate writing skills, language skills, as it is part of the minimum requirement. As the achievement becomes a more advanced accomplishment, then I would expect the document to identify a relevant problem of some significance in the world, one which is troubling or novel, which can be in the form of a research question. In this middle ground, there is also the requirement to demonstrate the ability to carry out a rigorous methodology. And then the skill that’s really difficult, and that therefore indicates a more advanced kind of accomplishment, would be to articulate and justify a research model or set of hypotheses. Another way to think about the highest level is to be able to say something of interest, both to academics and practitioners.” (Steven Floyd)

— Steven Floyd

“I don’t think the substance of the project is as important as the process of skilled thinking that the thesis demonstrates. I think that’s where the practitioner community tends to be speaking out of both sides of their mouth. They say they really want critical thinking, but they doubt that the scientific approach develops that. They don’t make that connection because the substance of the document may not appeal to them as being something of interest from a practical perspective. If the student really went on an academic track—meaning more development of theory or empirical methods—it may or may not be seen as interesting or relevant.” (Steven Floyd)

— Steven Floyd

“You have to ask yourself for the path you would like to take. What kind of purpose do you see in your path? What is the achievement that you are trying to fulfil? Do you want to enter an academic career or not? As soon as you can answer that with a clear “Yes!”, then tactical elements enter your considerations. But that is usually not the case for Bachelor’s thesis; the question usually comes up when you are writing your doctoral dissertation. I would not recommend to any junior researcher to try to adopt the logic of academic journals. But of course, you have to take these considerations into account nowadays. This is the field of tension that you are subjected to if you aim for an academic career. There is also always an opportunity to find a third way—your own. This does not automatically mean that you turn an entirely blind eye to the tactical path.” (Günter Müller-Stewens)

— Günter Müller-Stewens

“Students can show and educate themselves on why we are doing things in the business world. So that we are not only focusing on how, but also why. Learning the theoretical underpinnings of the business world. Their education becomes more future-proof this way. Students don’t only educate themselves on the problems of today, but they understand why they have to solve challenges today, and that will allow them to tackle challenges of the future. In the business disciplines, everybody is speaking about artificial intelligence, machine learning, robots, but the value of being able to think and argue is not going to decrease. The repetitive tasks that we do will be done by robots in the future. To teach how to hold the hammer when you’re trying to hammer a nail—that will be less valuable in the future because, for all those simple things that everyone can understand, there will be another solution. Rather, being creative, also being able to apply theoretical knowledge—I doubt that this will go out of fashion.” (Timo Korkeamäki)

— Timo Korkeamäki

“Einstein once said that imagination is more important than knowledge. It was not his general theory of relativity, but rather that he saw metaphysics. He enjoyed using his imagination. For students to adopt this mindset, they need to understand why it is critical to think like heroes in science. Einstein, Curie, and Darwin are good examples. I would start with asking the students: what made these heroes what they were? They were thinking about the world. They were exploring Why-questions. Ask what the problem is they are trying to solve (or contribute towards solutions). Why is something as it is? Why is the sunset coloured the way it is? These are the big questions that make one think differently. Soon one becomes aware that one lacks the skill set to overcome these hurdles. We don’t need to get discouraged by that. Usually, it means I have to develop a certain skill set, acquire a specific knowledge, read, collaborate. Who do I need to work with to do that? This allows people to focus on the skills that are necessary to solving those problems. It is a more goal-oriented approach, that requires putting yourself more into the background. In other words, it is not so much an environment for ‘ego’s’. You need to always enjoy the perspectives that other people can bring. The ‘how’ involves doing good science and research on the way to the discovery.” (Gundula Bosch)

— Gundula Bosch

“Another skill comes into play here: independent study skills. Students need to select their topic, their area of focus, the resources that will be useful. Even if they will be getting support from their supervisor, there are many things to do on their own which develops their independent study skills. That will be a lifelong asset for everyone who goes through this process—not only completing their thesis but picking up skills that will be useful in any field, wherever they go—even if they do not pursue research degrees or further education.” (Madhu Neupane Bastola)

— Madhu Neupane Bastola

“We cannot give what we do not have. If we do not know how to improve their research, how can we guide students? Supervisors need to be continuous learners. Difficulties will be there—there are many students. But only if we take the responsibility of supervision sincerely can we make a difference. One of our goals is to become better supervisors every year.” (Madhu Neupane Bastola)

— Madhu Neupane Bastola