How to start a good supervisory course?
Associate Professor in Media Studies at the University of Southern DenmarkWhen working with your thesis supervisor (primarily when doing a bachelor project and master’s thesis), it is important to keep in mind:
- While the supervisor may not always be an expert on the subject, he or she can nevertheless be an excellent supervisor.
- It’s a good idea to schedule regular appointments with your supervisor throughout the writing process.
- That you can send unfinished material to your supervisor.
FAQ about supervisor collaboration
What happens varies between programmes.
Hear about Associate Professor of Media Studies Maja Klausen’s take on a process description.
It is not a prerequisite for a good supervisory process that your supervisor is an expert in the specific subject area you are writing about. It is more important that your supervisor is good at guiding you through the process and the academic requirements of your assignment.
Most supervisors can also offer different suggestions on what theory could be relevant to your thesis.
Your supervisor has set aside a certain number of hours to guide you through your assignment process. The number of hours can vary slightly from programme to programme and subject to subject.
For bachelor’s and master’s theses, you may want to set up a number of meetings with your supervisor at the beginning of the assignment process, so you have some deadlines to work towards.
You can also discuss with your supervisor whether you need to send a text sample prior to your appointments or whatever works best for you.
If your supervisor doesn’t take the initiative to set expectations for the collaboration, it may be a good idea for you to take the lead on this yourself. This is because there can be many elements in the collaboration with your supervisor that you may want to discuss with your supervisor as early in the assignment process as possible.
If you run into problems with your supervisor along the way, it can be tempting to want to change supervisors. Ultimately, it is up to your education programme to decide whether you can change supervisors.
In many cases, however, it will make more sense to identify the underlying cause of the issue(s) with your supervisor. By doing so, you can better approach your supervisor about it, allowing both of you to work together to find a solution to the issue.
Your supervisor’s job is to guide you in the right direction with your assignment. That’s why you don’t have to submit finished text. In some cases, it may actually make more sense to submit unfinished text, as it makes it easier to provide guidance on the text.
The assessment of your assignment is done solely on the basis of the final result. This means that what you have sent to your supervisor on an ongoing basis does not count towards the assessment.
As many as it takes!
But it’s not a case of ‘the more the merrier’. Here’s a guideline: When you source knowledge from somewhere else, it should be clear where you’re getting it from.
For bachelor’s and master’s theses, part of your supervisor’s job is to guide you through the assignment. That’s why you should feel free to contact your supervisor, even if you know he/she is busy.
Make sure to create an appointment schedule for the entire assignment process at the start of the semester in your respective diaries.
You can talk to your supervisor about anything that might be difficult – even if it’s more personal.
If you experience problems during your master’s thesis, such as in relation to motivation, structure, etc., you are also welcome to contact the General Study Counselling at SDU.
Writing a paper can be seen as an academic craft
And as with any other type of craft, you get better with practice. Therefore, make mental notes about what you’re learning along the way. And be kind to yourself, even if what you achieved wasn’t as good as you hoped.
