Tips for writing a bachelor's or master's thesis

– The best thing about writing a master's thesis is the freedom. At the same time, it's a bit scary, because then it's also easier to mess it up for yourself, says Mohammad Awais.

He started his Master's in Applied Computer and Information Technology at OsloMet in autumn 2021 and is well underway with his master's thesis. The topic he has chosen is the use of artificial intelligence in the analysis of EKG data/the electrical activity in the heart.

Commitment to the topic

Mohammad Awais took his time to find a topic that he wanted to delve into before starting on the thesis.

– If you are not engaged in the topic, you also lose your curiosity and desire to find out more. Then it becomes much harder to write, he says.

Different challenges for bachelor's and master's students

Mohammad Awais was well aware of the challenges he could face even before he began on the thesis. He works as a writing mentor at the Learning Support Centre (Studieverkstedet) at OsloMet, where he guides other students in academic writing.

According to him, the bachelor's students often ask for help to understand what should be included in the thesis and to get started with the writing. The master's students need guidance at a higher level, such as getting greater variety and better fluency in the language.

Writing everything down

Mohammad Awais himself thinks that the most difficult thing about writing a master's thesis is taking enough time to do it. Obligations to a part-time job and family mean that he sometimes gets to work less on his master's thesis than he would like. Then his method comes in handy: He writes down everything he thinks is useful and valuable, even though he is unsure whether it is relevant or well written.

– It's about getting the ideas down on paper. Then it is easier to opt out and create a final structure in the end, he says.

Mohammad Awais' tips for writing a bachelor's or master's thesis

Choose a topic that you are interested in. Take your time to find a topic that you want to learn more about. It makes the rest of the job immeasurably easier.
Work steadily. It's cliche. But it is the only thing that gives effective results, and it is a tip that is guaranteed to work.
Create an overview of your sources. Taxonomy is an effective way of structuring the sources. In addition to giving you an overview, the method teaches you to extract the essence of an article as well as look for patterns in the literature. You can hear more about the method in «The Student Life Podcast», in the episode called «Background and literature surveys, how to master them – part 2» (podchaser.com).
Change work environment. If you are stuck in writing, you can get new ideas and inspiration by changing your workplace.