MACIS MA Thesis Formal and Informal Issues

MACIS MA Thesis

Formal and Informal Issues

                             | 07.06.2017 |   1

Timeline: September 2017 – March 2018

 25 September 2017: Registration Deadline
  Register for your Master Thesis and the Master Thesis Colloquium in
  myStudies. Upload the proposal, signed by both you and your
  supervisor.

 Thesis Presentation at the workshop on 13 February 2018

 26 March 2018: Submission Deadline

                                                   Prof. Frank Schimmelfennig | 07.06.2017 |   2

How to get started

 You are eligible to start your MA thesis if you have 48 or 78 ECTS
  respectively (depending on 90 ECTS vs. 120 ECTS program)

 Find your topic

 Find your supervisors

    Main supervisor: CIS professors (ETH and UZH)

    Co-supervisor: Any professor (upon approval by Frank Schimmelfennig if
     outside of CIS)

    Find your co-supervisor up until four weeks after the start

                                                           Prof. Frank Schimmelfennig | 07.06.2017 |   3

Registration Instructions

The registration deadline is Monday, 25 September 2017.

   Register for your thesis (tab “Projects/papers/thesis”) and the colloquium in
    myStudies. The registration is only possible if you have reached 48/78 ECTS.
   Upload the proposal (3 - 5 pages) signed by both you and your supervisor.

Please get in touch with Benita if myStudies denies the registration or if your main supervisor is an
UZH professor.

                                                                             Prof. Frank Schimmelfennig | 07.06.2017 |   4

Submission Instructions

The submission deadline is Monday, 26 March 2018.

   You must submit your MA thesis on time in hard-copy form (properly bound).
    One copy must be deposited with Benita, and one copy each with your main
    and co-supervisor. If you deposit your thesis after the formal deadline, it will
    automatically be rejected.

                                                               Prof. Frank Schimmelfennig | 07.06.2017 |   5

Milestones

   Start: Thesis proposal (25 September 2017)
   Research Design I Presentations (14 November 2017)
   Research Design II Presentations (20 December 2017)
   MA Thesis Workshop (13 February 2018)
    Students present the results of their MA thesis research
    (with their main-supervisors present) in front of all MACIS students,
    followed by Q & A.
 Submission (until 26 March 2018)

                                                                     Prof. Frank Schimmelfennig | 07.06.2017 |   6

Thesis Proposal

 Length: 3 – 5 pages w/o references
 Indicate the research question and its relevance
 Mention the relevant scientific literature
 Sketch potential theoretical arguments addressing this
  question
 Sketch an empirical research strategy
 Indicate the main and co-supervisor (if available)
 The thesis proposal is not a full research design yet!

                                                 Prof. Frank Schimmelfennig | 07.06.2017 |   7

After having found your research idea  Test
the clarity

 Party („elevator speech“) Test: Can you describe the idea and
  method of your thesis clearly enough to an accidental and slightly
  interested person whom you meet at a party? (Dunleavy 2003)

 Figure Test: Check whether you paint your research idea in a simple
  diagram with arrows indicating the relationships with boxes as
  independent and dependent variables. (Plümper 2003)

                                                     Prof. Frank Schimmelfennig | 07.06.2017 |   8

Schedule MA Thesis Colloquium
with Daniel Bischof at IPZ

 Kick off meeting
   3 October 2017, 14:00 – 16:00
 Research Design Presentation 1
   14 November 2017, 14:00 – 16:00
 One-on-one meetings
   ongoing
 Research Design Presentation 2 (with supervisors)
   20 December 2017, 14:00 – 16:00
 Workshop
   13 February 2018, all-day event

                                                      | 07.06.2017 |   9

Rules and Guidelines

 Duration: 6 months
  In exceptional cases and with (very) good reasons prolongation is
  possible, with a final decision taken by the director of studies. The
  assumption is that you work on your MA thesis full time.
 No required or maximum length (rule of thumb 50 pages)
 Template: extended research article
    More extensive literature review
    More extensive documentation of design, data, analysis

                                                              Prof. Frank Schimmelfennig | 07.06.2017 | 10

Grading
   Grading: 1- 6. Grade ≥ 4.0 required for pass
   One revision and resubmission possible
   If the thesis is not accepted (after R&R): Second chance with new topic
    (mandatory) and the possibility of a new supervisor (optional). No third
    chance, no possibility to repeat the Master thesis or do an R&R if grade ≥ 4.0!
   Successful completion of MA thesis is required for obtaining an MA degree

                                                             Prof. Frank Schimmelfennig | 07.06.2017 | 11

Informal Advice

   Choose your co-supervisor soon and keep her/him up to date.

   Don’t gamble with deadlines, they are strict. If you hand in your thesis after
    the deadline, it will be rejected. If you anticipate problems with the deadline
    contact your supervisor and Benita as early as possible.

   The last two months of the MA thesis work are usually very stressful,
    particularly for those of you who are looking for a job. “I’m done with my
    research, I just need to write it up”… If you are in such a position two months
    before the deadline, something must have gone terribly wrong!!

   Plan enough time for working over the text: formulating your argument and
    writing convincingly is a major selling point (not only the data analysis for
    example)

                                                               Prof. Frank Schimmelfennig | 07.06.2017 | 12

Informal Advice

   Feel free to chose your topic and main supervisor, irrespective of whether
    you have a research assistant employment with a particular professor.

   Prospective PhD students at CIS now involved in MA thesis work do not
    enjoy any advantage over those who are planning to seek employment
    elsewhere.

   If you plan to do a PhD afterwards, you can use the MA thesis as a first step
    and move on with the same topic from the MA to the PhD.

   If you have a 20 % RA position take no more than one elective course, so
    that you can invest at least 40 to 50 hours (in good physical condition) per
    week in your MA thesis.

                                                              Prof. Frank Schimmelfennig | 07.06.2017 | 13

Some practical advice for the coming months

 Start early! Make a plan and update regularly

 Organise literature and ideas early on

 Use databases to find the most up to date literature
      ISI Web of Knowledge (SSCI)
      Google Scholar (also unpublished work)

 Use electronic tools early and efficiently
    Bibliographic tools
    Note-taking tools
    To-do tools
 Keep your ideas and notes in one place, preferably in electronic form
 Backups!
                                                     Prof. Frank Schimmelfennig | 07.06.2017 | 14