During the planning phase, a plan will be drawn up for the thesis and the related development process, including background, purpose, objectives, approach, method choices, description of the implementation process, process and output evaluation plan, ethical and reliability assessment, schedule and possible costs. If the thesis has more than one author, the division of tasks related to the thesis must be defined.
The plan will be prepared using a thesis template. The plan will be prepared through Wihi, i.e., the student will return the plan to the supervisor for comments in Wihi. Other communication related to the thesis process will also be carried out in Wihi.
1. Introduction
Present and justify the thesis topic (what will be studied/developed and why), and delimit the topic, and justify the delimitation, if necessary
Introduce the connection between the topic and your degree programme, and the development of working life and the region
Describe the practical problem or development need (of the partner)
Justify the choice of topic from different perspectives, based on literature references
Present and record the division of responsibilities if the thesis has more than one author
2. Knowledge base (create headings that describe the content)
Present the knowledge base of the thesis, which is appropriate for the professional field and completion of the development task, and which provides an overview of previous studies and literature on the topic
Define the concepts relevant to the topic and the chosen perspective
3. Purpose, objectives and thesis question framing
Present the purpose of the thesis as precisely as possible (why this study/development is necessary; try to describe the purpose in one sentence)
Define the goals of the thesis (what the thesis is useful for and for whom), and what can be achieved with the thesis
Present the questions/issues/development targets based on the purpose and objectives which the thesis aims to answer
4. Methodological implementation
Describe and justify the research or development method with which the objectives set for the thesis can be achieved
Demonstrates the progress of the development process/research process in stages
Present the desired results, the development plan or other output and their reporting
5. Ethical foundations and reliability
Describe the ethical foundations of the thesis and how they will be taken into account
Describe the factors affecting reliability
6. Schedule and required resources
A data management plan will also be created and attached with the thesis plan if analysed data is collected from data providers. The purpose of the data management plan is to ensure that the thesis complies with good scientific practices. Its other purpose is to ensure that the research material will not be compromised at any stage.
The data management plan describes how the data will be acquired, how it will be used, where it will be saved, how it will be stored, and what will happen to it when the thesis is completed.
Content of the data management plan for a thesis:
Thesis name and author(s)
1. General description of material
2. Documentation and quality of material
3. Data retention and backup copies
4. Ethical and legal questions related to retention
5. Open access to and long-term retention of the material
More information on the data management plan can be found, for example:
Along with the thesis plan, the student must fill in the thesis preparation form.
The purpose of the preparation form is to help the student and the supervisor to see the thesis process as a whole. The form helps to identify the impact of the data protection legislation and ethical standards on the thesis and its implementation at a sufficiently early stage, as well as any matters related to the publication of the thesis and open access, to be agreed upon separately if necessary.
The preparation form is attached to the contract. The supervisor approves the form when the agreement is approved.
The UAS’s theses are working life-oriented and develop working life, and thus cooperation with professional life is carried out throughout the entire commissioned thesis process. A thesis may be commissioned by an external partner, Lapland UAS or an externally funded project of Lapland UAS. All theses’ are subject to a written thesis agreement. The agreement is always signed before the beginning of the thesis. The rules related to the thesis are agreed in the thesis agreement. Make sure that the agreement contains correct information of the signing partners. The preparation form is included in the thesis agreement as an attachment.
The student prepares the agreement including the preparation form and returns it to the supervisor through Wihi. If needed, complete the agreement and preparation form based on the feedback. When the thesis agreement meets the requirements, return it to the supervisor via Wihi. The supervisor approves the thesis agreement in Wihi and gives permission to submit the agreement for signatures.
Thesis agreements are signed electronically.
If any one of the signatories not have access to a Finnish online banking account or mobile IDs, the thesis agreement and preparation form are signed manually by all parties.
The student sends the agreement via Wihi. In this case, the student circulates the contract to be signed individually by each party to the contract. The thesis contract is signed in the following order: the student, the external partner, the supervisor and the manager of the Lapland UAS. The signatory prints the contract, signs the contract on their part and scans the signed contract. After this, the signer returns the signed contract to the student via Wih’s link for the next signature. The student sends the agreement again via Wihi to the next signatory. When all signatures has been collected the student sends the agreement via Wihi to the study services of the University of Applied Sciences (opinnaytetyosopimukset@lapinamk.fi) to be archived.
If the student transfers their research material or rights thereto to Lapland UAS, a separate agreement must be prepared for the transfer of the material (link to the material transfer agreement)
The student receives an approved grade for the planning period of the thesis (5 cr/10 cr), when