Tips for your Bachelor-Thesis

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Today, our Bachelor students are starting their final theses. Prof. Marianela Fader and Prof. Tobias Hank have compiled their most important tips for a successful Bachelor's thesis for you.

• Invest time in a thorough literature search. The first hits on Google Scholar are not always the best. Proceed systematically: Vary your search terms and make targeted selections. Use the snowball system - one relevant article often leads to others. Use scientific publications in academic journals in German and English!

• Differentiate your research areas and create maps. Make sure that you analyze your research area in a spatially differentiated way. Depending on the topic, conditions can vary greatly spatially. As Geographers, maps are one of our most important tools to communicate our research. Use your GIS skills to illustrate your research area, research question or your results. Do not forget: Pay attention to meaningful captions and a sufficiently large display. A detailed map can be as large as a whole page!

• Write scientifically and remain objective. Subjective expressions such as “impressive” or “threatening” do not belong in a scientific paper. Exception: The statements come from quotations. Also use the spell checker!

• As long as necessary, as short as possible. Summarize your content precisely. Do you find it difficult to recognize the superfluous? Have fellow students proofread your work!

• Structure your work sensibly with your outline. A good outline helps to tell a clear story. What is your research question? Which methods, data and for which area do you want to answer it? What are your results and what do they mean? (How) Can you answer your research question?

• Still overwhelmed by the start? You can find all the hard facts about the Geography Bachelor's thesis at LMU here: Link to the overview website (page in German)

We wish you every success with your Bachelor's thesis!