MASTER’S DEGREE THESIS INSTRUCTIONS
The thesis is an essential part of master’s degree studies and it entails an applied research or development project
related to the core content of the degree programme and targeted at a specified need in the world of work.
From the student’s point of view, the purpose of the thesis study is to identify a development or research need in
her/his field of studies in order to plan, carry out, evaluate and report a development or research process aiming
to produce data or materials that will improve the practices in the field. The student must be able to
communicate the results her/his thesis study in an appropriate style register following provided instructions.
In the process of thesis writing, the student must be able to apply research data and select appropriate measures
to identify and respond to development needs, and she/he must be capable of providing the expertise required in
independent academic study and critically evaluate her/his own progress.
In the process of writing your thesis you
– determine the topic and scope and present a research and development plan.
– apply and combine various data sources in order to create a theoretical framework and define a
conceptual basis.
– choose, explain and apply approaches relevant to the world of work when performing the research or
development tasks of your thesis study.
– evaluate the research or development process of your thesis study.
– report and present the results and outcome of your thesis study.
The thesis writing process is usually started at the beginning of master’s degree studies. The ECTS extent of the
thesis is 30 credits, and the process as a whole is scheduled to last for 1–2 academic years. The individual thesis
process is scheduled in your personal study plan (HOPS).
The thesis process is divided into three phases, with specific instructions provided by the degree programme:
– Idea and planning (10 cr)
– Implementation (10 cr)
– Reporting, assessment and presentation (10 cr)
FORM OF THE THESIS
Essentially, the thesis is a research and development assignment. By definition, research is the systematic
investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.
Applied research refers to scientific and theoretical study and research that aim to solve practical problems that
often have an impact on daily routines or activities.
Development is a conscious and goal-oriented process led by someone aiming either to streamline, improve or
change a procedure or product, or introduce something new. Development may be directed at one’s own work,
or working community, the field as a whole, or a specific product or service. A particular research and
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development target may involve inter-disciplinary activities and sometimes it can be linked to a specified RDI
project.
Usually, the thesis is written as a coherent full study (monograph) where the research and development process is
reported and explained as a whole. It is also possible to write an article thesis or thesis by published works, and
this form is particularly suitable for students who write their thesis in a research group.
An article thesis:
– is based on an investigating approach and relates to scientific research or development needs in the
world of work.
– allows for the study to take the form of a publication.
Consists of 2-4 articles that meet the criteria of being published in a professional publication or 1 article
that meets the criteria of being published in JuFo-classified scientific publication (more information on
JuFo is available on the Publication Forum web site at https://julkaisufoorumi.fi/en/home). The channels
of publication are selected together with the thesis supervisor based on the needs of the field and nature
of study. If the article is co-written, the student must be the first author. If this is not the case in all of the
articles aimed to be published in a professional publication, the student must clearly state and present
her/his own contribution. No more than two Xamk students are allowed to feature as authors in the same
professional publication.
– can proceed to the final stages once the supervisor has granted permission to sent the articles to the
selected publication(s).
The thesis made on the basis of articles published in professional publications must comprise 1) an introduction,
2) summary, and 3) list of references in compliance with the Xamk thesis template. The introduction part must
explain how the articles are inter-connected and what purpose this inter-connection aims to serve. Also, the
theoretical framework and methods, as well as evaluation of the significance and applicability of the results at the
time of publication must be presented.
The thesis made on the basis of a scientific article (the student being the first author) must comprise 1) an
introduction where the student a) in a concise manner explains the background of study and explains her/his
interest in the topic, as well as the purpose and objective, b) evaluates the process of study and her/his own
contribution, and c) evaluates the article’s significance and applicability in the field, 2) article proper, and 3) list of
references in compliance with the Xamk thesis template. The thesis must be submitted to Yksa. A thesis that is
based on a scientific article can be saved on Theseus only after it has been published in a scientific publication.
GUIDANCE ON THESIS WRITING
The thesis writing process is supported by continuous guidance which typically involves the supervising
teacher(s), a commissioner’s representative and peer advisors instructed by the degree programme.
The supervising teacher(s) is (are) appointed at the beginning of the process. In addition, an advisor from the
world of work will be appointed and a separate written agreement must be made. Guidance is primarily provided
by means of personal counselling, presentation workshops and small group counselling. The degree programmes
provide their students with specified additional instructions.
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The Xamk thesis writing instructions assist students in the writing process. The teachers of Finnish reporting and
communication skills provide guidance in thesis writing workshops and contribute to the thesis assessment with
regard to reporting and language proficiency.
Soon after the process has started, the student is appointed an advisor from the world of work. The role of the
advisor is to set objectives, recognise specialized competence from the commissioner’s point of view, guide and
support the student, facilitate the progress of study in the commissioning organization/company, and monitor the
progress of study from the commissioner’s perspective.
In autumn 2020, all students beginning their thesis writing process must register on Wihi system via Student and
Peppi (Student > Peppi > Wihi). Instructions on the Wihi process are provided on Student.
IDEA AND PLANNING (1/3)
The first task in the process is to identify with the representative from the world of work a specific development
need, or, alternatively, choose a topic proposed by the degree programme or an RDI project group.
Every year, more than 100 RDI projects are carried out at Xamk. These projects cover all degree programmes and
geographical locations of Xamk. Most of the projects are focused on developmental activities, but also projects
with a strong research orientation are carried out. If you are interested in writing your thesis as a part of or in
relation to an RDI project, you must be in contact with the Research Director or one of the research Managers on
your campus. Contact information and general information on Xamk RDI activities and projects is available at
https://www.xamk.fi/en/rdi/.
Once you have chosen a topic for your thesis, you must have it approved by the Thesis Coordinator of your
degree programme and submit it to Wihi. Follow the path Student > Peppi > Wihi. The Thesis Coordinator will
assign a teacher to be your thesis supervisor. You must have the topic approved on Wihi as instructed by your
degree programme.
As soon as the topic is approved, the process continues with data search in order to determine the most essential
research data and other relevant literature references. The Xamk library services organise data search workshops
and also provide students with individual guidance.
Planning
First, you must write a plan for your thesis study and have it approved as per the standard practice in your degree
programme. Your thesis supervisor will submit her/his approval on Wihi.
The appointed advisor from the world of work will co-operate with your thesis supervisor so it is highly important
to ensure that everybody involved in the process i.e. you, your thesis supervisor, the work-life advisor and the
commissioner agree on the objectives and desired results of the study.
Depending on the standard practice in your degree programme, you must write your plan either in the Xamk
thesis template or reporting template following the instructions on source referencing. It is recommended that
you participate in thesis writing workshops on your campus (e.g. to obtain guidance on how to search data for
your plan).
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The EU Directive on Web Accessibility also applies to thesis studies. Detailed instructions will be provided on
Student (see the page on thesis writing) and included in the thesis template.
In your plan, you describe the general process of carrying out your thesis study and what methods you will use in
each phase. At this early stage, you make decisions that will affect the reliability and accuracy of the results so it is
highly recommended that you take your time and carefully think through the process ahead of you.
From the very start, it is important to know what the assessment criteria are (see the master’s thesis assessment
form.)
When your thesis supervisor has approved your plan on Wihi, you can start the study proper and, if necessary,
obtain permission for a research and development study or seek for funding.
The following documents must be submitted to Wihi in the planning phase:
– thesis plan (you submit to Wihi)
– thesis study agreement with the commissioner (Xamk form) (submit to the thesis supervisor who will
submit it to Wihi)
– Xamk thesis study permission (if the study involves Xamk personnel or students) or, if required, the
commissioner’s permission to collect materials from their organisation (supervisor submits to Wihi.)
IMPLEMENTATION (2/3)
When the plan has been approved and all required agreements have been signed and permissions obtained, you
proceed to the implementation phase. That is, you start carrying out your study as you planned it. On a regular
basis, request guidance from your thesis supervisor and work-life advisor and keep the commissioner informed on
the progress of your study. Degree programmes have slightly varying guidance practices so be sure to follow the
instructions provided by your own degree programme.
Wihi allows you to break down the lump of your study into smaller tasks and maintain communication with the
supervisor as well as other students. The supervisor may take your activity on Wihi into account in the final
assessment. All communication carried out on Wihi is saved and can be made accessible to all parties.
Remember to write down notes throughout the process because if you only trust your memory when making
observations or searching for data, most likely some of the observations you made and reasons you had for
certain choices will be lost. Write your thesis in the Xamk thesis template and follow the Xamk instructions on
thesis writing and source referencing.
Whenever necessary, participate in thesis workshops on your campus, and see on Student a) the teacher who will
perform the reporting accuracy and language proficiency check on your thesis and b) the teacher who will
perform the language proficiency check on the abstract.
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REPORTING, ASSESSMENT AND PRESENTATION (3/3)
Your thesis is considered complete only when you have documented/reported your study as you had planned and
presented it. Depending on the instructions of the degree programme, the presentation is given either when the
written report of the study is complete and submitted or is nearly complete and final editing can be done based
on feedback. You are allowed to give the presentation only after your thesis supervisor has given her/his
approval.
The purpose of the presentation is to serve as an open learning and information exchange event. In addition to
students and teachers, it will be attended by representatives from the world of work. The presentation
assignment also entails that you act as the opponent at another student’s thesis presentation.
The aim of the presentation is to prove that you have the sufficient know-how and competence to present and
discuss a demanding professional topic. In the presentation, you must introduce the core content of your study,
explain the choices you made, provide feedback on the process and answer the questions from the audience and
the opponent. The presentation is followed by a feedback and evaluation discussion between you and your
opponent(s), supervisor(s) and possibly a representative from the world of work.
Preparation for the presentation:
– Submit your thesis to Wihi, your opponent and the commissioner’s representative by the agreed date as
per the instructions of your degree programme.
– Invite the commisioner’s representative to the presentation.
– Compose a presentation that illustrates the core content, progress and results of your thesis study.
The presentation is also subject to assessment so put a good effort to the organisation, illustration and delivery of
your content, and be interactive with your audience.
Follow the instructions given by your degree programme on the thesis presentation.
Assessment
The version you submit for assessment must be run through Urkund plagiarisation recognition programme. You
will be notified by your thesis supervisor when your text should be submitted to Urkund. The supervisor’s Urkund
address must be used for the submission. In some degree programmes, it may be mandatory to submit the text to
Urkund also in an earlier phase. If you submit your text to Urkund more than once, do not change the file name.
The final version must be submitted for assessment on Wihi in PDF/A format.
The scope of assessment:
– Definition of topic, objective and content of study
– Conceptual basis and literature review
– Description, explanation and application of methods
– Results/outcome
– Conclusions
– Reporting and language proficiency
– Presentation
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– Thesis process management
The thesis is assessed in the Xamk assessment form on Wihi by the supervisor, second evaluator and the teacher
who examines the reporting and language proficiency. The thesis supervisor provides a written summary of the
assessment and gives the final grade of the thesis. The final grade is derived from the sub-grades of the various
parts of the process and aspects of reporting based on their priority.
In the final stages of the thesis study, the specific instructions provided by the degree programme must be
followed.
Archiving and publication
After your thesis has been assessed, you will be notified on the first page of Wihi that you can save the
permanent link (e.g. http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202002122399) to your thesis on Wihi. Save your thesis on
Theseus at https://submissions.theseus.fi/en/index.htm.
Once you have saved the link, you will gain access to the thesis assessment statement. If you are not going to save
your thesis on Theseus, replace the link by writing ‘Yksa’ instead. The supervisor verifies that the link is active and
selects the version of your thesis that will be archived on Xamk’s Yksa e-archive.
As soon as you complete all phases of the thesis writing process, the grade of the thesis and the ECTS credits (30
cr) are registered in your transcript of records. Simultaneously, the assessment of all the various phases of the
thesis process is updated from ‘pass’ to the grade of your thesis.
Reporting, feedback and maturity test
It is recommended that you start writing report text and reflect your writing against the assessment criteria from
the very beginning. Your writing should clearly show that you have studied the subject and are headed towards a
clearly stated objective. Be analytical and illustrative, and explain how you apply theory to practice. You must
write your text in the Xamk thesis template and follow the Xamk reporting and referencing guidelines. Also, make
use of the thesis writer’s checklist. The degree programmes provide models for the proper reporting of the
various phases of the thesis process.
The degree-programme-specific practices, appointed teachers, and schedules for the reporting and language
proficiency checks are available on Student at
https://student.xamk.fi/koulutukset/kieliopinnot/SitePages/Opinn%C3%A4ytet%C3%B6iden%20ja%20abstraktien
%20kielentarkastajat.aspx.
Read the instructions on the maturity test on Student. The language of the maturity test must comply with the
Universities of Applied Sciences Decree (1129/2014) and Xamk Degree Regulations (Student > Studies and
supporting services > Useful information > Guidelines and regulations.)
In the course of your thesis writing process, you will receive feedback on the theoretical framework, methods,
reporting proficiency, process progress, and results. Feedback will be provided by your supervisor, commissioner,
appointed language teacher and other students. The purpose of feedback is to facilitate the progress of your
writing process and support you in the various phases of the thesis study. Feedback may sometimes be critical but
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should always be constructive. Feedback is given in the planning and implementation phases and at the final
stages. The ability to use the feedback to your advantage will have an effect on the assessment.