5.1 Thesis plan

Thesis plan

When your topic proposal has been accepted, write a thesis plan. Use the other reporting template and Jamk reporting instructions.

Download the template to your computer from the Jamk Office Templates site (login required).

The purpose of the thesis plan is to form an overall conception of both the thesis project and the development or research that is the subject of your thesis. You need the thesis plan in the discussions with your commissioner and your thesis supervisor. A well-made plan guides the progress of your thesis!

Make a data management plan to accompany your thesis plan. Its purpose is to ensure that the thesis follows good scientific practice. It also aims to ensure that the research material is not compromised at any stage. For more information on this topic, see Data management plan and data handling -page.

Write an Information Seeking Report as an appendix for your thesis plan. This is instructed in the self-paced course Information Seeking for Thesis Writers (see the links).

If your thesis is a research project and/or the host organisation requires a research permit, you write your thesis plan in the form of a research plan. Your supervisor will guide you through this. You should also attach a data management plan to your application for a research permit.

Your thesis supervisor must approve your thesis plan before you can start to collect the data or otherwise implement the practical part of the thesis. The approval is also needed before you can apply the possible research permit.

So proceed in the following order:

1. Create a thesis plan, attached by a data management plan. If the thesis is a literature review, you don’t need a data management plan.
2. Apply the research permit, when necessary. Attach the data management plan and a possible research plan.
3. Begin to collect data.
4. Store the data appropriately (according to your plan) during the thesis process.
5. Archive, open or dispose the data (according to your plan) when the thesis is completed.

Present your thesis plan according to your thesis supervisor’s instructions. Agree with them about guidance times and practices.

The maximum scope of the thesis plan is 10 A4 text pages.

Thesis plan example structure and content

Cover sheet

Use ‘Other reporting template’.

Content

Create the table of contents.

1 Introduction (title may be something other than ‘Introduction’)

• Introduce the topic of the thesis: what is being developed or studied and why?
• Briefly explain the background of the thesis. Tie the topic to a broader framework of reference than just the work unit or organisation, i.e. the developments or trends in the field or in the society or other contemporary discussion on the topic.
• Describe the significance of the topic from the working life development perspective.
• Describe briefly how the topic is related to sustainability.
• Describe briefly the scope of the thesis and the reasons for this.

2 Knowledge base of the thesis (choose the title according to your content)

• Participate in the information seeking course provided by the library. Find out what is already known about the topic? The writing of this chapter is essentially related to systematic information seeking and locating original sources where possible. Attach a report on systematical information seeking.
• Tell the reader the perspective of the thesis, define the central concepts of the phenomenon, and why these are appropriate.
• Refer to previous research or other evidence-based data, justify the key concepts, limits and perspectives of the thesis.
  

3 Objectives of development work or research and development or research tasks

• Describe the development/research problem: What is the prevailing situation in relation to the chosen topic (for the commissioner, for example)? Why should this development work/research be carried out? For example: ‘The products are not getting sold’.
• Objectives: What is the aim of the development work or research? The benefits of the work for the commissioner or the sector as a whole. For example: ‘Establishing customer needs’.
• Development tasks or research questions: What are the most important questions to be answered? For example: ‘What customers want from the product’ ‘What is the appropriate price for the product’.
• Initial assumptions on the final results of the work: What will be the final outcome of the work? For example: a report, plan, improved process, etc.
  

4 Implementation

4.1 Methods

• Explain which research or development methods you will use to achieve the thesis objectives.
• Describe whether your thesis is a research-based development work, qualitative or quantitative research or some other type of thesis. Use methodology literature to justify your choices.

4.2 Data collection and analysis

• Who are the target groups for the development work or research? Describe here the target group for your development work or research.
• What kind of data you will need to answer your (previously stated) research or development questions?
• How do you plan to collect it? Do you have access to existing datasets, and what methods have been used to collect these? Familiarise yourself with data collection methods using the methodology literature on workplace development methods or research methods.
• How will you recruit possible participants for your data collection and what kind of timetable do you have?
• How do you plan to analyse the collected data? Will you use statistical methods, such as SPSS or EXCEL spreadsheets, or do you have qualitative data for which you will use qualitative methods? Make use of the methodology literature.
  

5 Ethicality and reliability of the development work or research

• When carrying out your thesis, make sure to follow good scientific practice.
• Follow the reporting instructions for marking source references.
• Find out what ethical questions relate to your thesis and explain how you are seeking to resolve them. Use the literature on research ethics when examining questions relating to the ethics and reliability of your development work or research.
• Prepare a data management plan. Use DMPTuuli -system or a specific Word-templade. Include the data management plan as an attachment to your thesis plan.
• If you need to apply for a research permit, describe the research permit procedure. This includes situations where the data collection concerns personnel, customers, patients, students, etc. or data from registers or archives.
• Sort out possible confidentiality matters
• How do you plan to use AI in your work? How will you ensure that the use of AI is ethical and responsible?

6 Schedule plan for the thesis phases

• Make a preliminary schedule for the thesis phases.
• Describe in concrete terms what you intend to do.

References

Make a list of references of the sources used in your plan. Align the references with Jamk Reporting instructions.

Appendices

Appendix 1: Report on information seeking
Appendix 2: Data management plan
Appendix 3: Cover letter related to the collection of data
Appendix 4: Indicators related to the collection of data (e.g. questionnaire, interview outline, Learning café coffee table discussion themes, etc.).
Appendix 5: Appendices required by the commissioner to be enclosed with the research permit application

Submitting a thesis plan in Wihi

Upload the thesis plan to Wihi so that your thesis supervisor can comment on and approve it. See instructions below.

Updated 29.4.2025