Responsible Thesis Supervision and Good Practices

The rector council of the Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences, Arene, has published ethical guidelines for theses in 2019, updated on January 9, 2020. The guidelines describe the ethical and good scientific practices for the thesis process as checklists and explanatory texts for students and advisors, as well as recommendations for universities of applied sciences as organizations.

Thesis advisor’s checklist (Arene 2020)

1. I have clarified my disqualification.
2. I supervise the thesis competently.
3. There are sufficient resources for the thesis implementation.
4. The thesis follows research ethical guidelines.
5. The thesis complies with legislation related to the processing of personal data and data protection.
6. If necessary, an ethical committee statement and appropriate research permits have been obtained before starting the thesis.
7. Necessary agreements have been made with the student, the university of applied sciences, and possible partners.
8. Authorship and authorship of publications related to the thesis have been agreed upon with the student.
9. The storage, ownership, and usage rights of the thesis materials have been agreed upon.
10. Funding and other significant affiliations related to the thesis have been disclosed.
11. The thesis is checked in a plagiarism detection system, and the student is aware of this.
12. The thesis is a public document, and the student and partners are aware of this.
13. The student has the right to a high-quality thesis process.

Good Practices in Supervision

• Regular supervision. Agree on regular supervision meetings with the student, for example, every three weeks, appropriately alternating between group and individual supervision. Peer support in group supervision can best promote the progress of all group members’ theses and the development of their skills.
• Agree on supervision practices with the student. If necessary, establish ground rules for thesis supervision.
• Support the student in creating a project schedule. Thesis work is comparable to project work. Help the student to outline a realistic schedule with intermediate goals from the start of the thesis to its completion. It is advisable to reserve enough time for the evaluation process, considering the meeting times of the thesis group.
• Supervise well and qualitatively. Provide the student with illustrative and constructive feedback. Create mutual understanding in an interactive supervision situation. Be present in the supervision situation. Even a short supervision session (20-30 minutes) is often sufficient. Forget emails and phone calls during the supervision session.
• Be accessible. Respond to messages from the student. Focus communication on Wihi, not email.
• Share your expertise in thesis supervision within the work community. Discuss and develop thesis supervision in your work community.

Links

Ethical recommendations for thesis writing at universities of applied sciences, Arene 2019 (pdf)