10 risks in topic finding for the bachelor and master thesis

The topic of the bachelor's or master's thesis can make it easy or difficult to write the thesis. A good choice is a topic with as few risks as possible. The following tips will help you avoid risks when choosing a topic right from the start.

1. Bachelor's or master's thesis topics with few suitable sources are risky.

Of course, you need material to write a scientific text. So check at the beginning how many scientific sources you can find for the most important terms relevant to your topic. Use our search tips for Google.

2. If a topic requires very specific methods, it is risky.

Topics that can only be dealt with using very specific methods are not recommended. Such special methods are, for example, certain statistical methods for data evaluation such as logistic regression or conjoint analysis. Certainly you will be greatly rewarded when you work with such methods: the insight is often unique and the supervisor is beside himself with joy. But to do so, you must first master these methods. Under no circumstances should you start such a job without any prior knowledge and rely entirely on experts. First, they are expensive and difficult to find and second, you will have trouble explaining the approach to your supervisor.

3. If the topic requires very special or rare data, be careful!

Some questions can only be answered with very specific data. Your data must be retrievable! If that doesn't work, your subject is lapsed. Working on corruption is difficult because it is difficult to find people to talk about it. This applies both to empirical theses and to practical theses within a company. So always think about that before you decide on the topic of your thesis. If you can't find the data you need or are not allowed to share it publicly, you should think about another topic.

4. You should not focus on a taboo topic in your bachelor's or master's thesis.

While they may be very exciting topics, they are very difficult to work on. This is because either there is hardly any data available or data collection is practically impossible. This includes topics such as bullying, corruption, tax evasion, any use of violence, xenophobia and so on. I'm sure you can comprehend why nobody wants to give any information on these topics, but such topics can of course be dealt with if you work as a prison authority. If not, then you better think of another topic for your thesis.

5. A topic without elaborated models guarantees a struggle

It’s like building a house: building on a greenfield is not a good idea. There are no connections at all, no water, sewage, electricity or telephone network just to name a few - which is only noticeable when it is actually missing...

If there are hardly any definitions for the relevant terms of your topic, the topic is not recommended. Additionally, sometimes there are many discussions on a topic but no in-depth analyses.

6. If the personal contribution needs a lot of preliminary work, then choose a different subject.

Of course, you have to include your personal contribution otherwise your Bachelor's or Master's Thesis will simply be a compilation of other sources. Nevertheless, if you have to do a large amount of preparatory work, you’ll lose a lot of time. So avoid topics where you have to sift through the literature for weeks, develop your own model, sort through many definitions or discuss conflicting insight and opinions.

7. If the topic has already been exhausted in other works, choose another one.

At the same time, you should also avoid the exact opposite: writing about something that has already been covered dozens of times. Try suggesting a topic related to employee motivation, integration problems, reading difficulties or discrimination in the workplace to gain your supervisor’s interest. These are all topics that have already been dealt with many times. Only an empirical question can contribute something new in these areas.

8. The subject requires many sources other languages.

If you are writing your Bachelor's or Master's Thesis in English, you should consider whether the topic requires many foreign language sources. Even if your German, for example, is great, be aware that technical literature in German requires a lot more effort and concentration than everyday German.

9. You should not need sensitive data from a company if possible.

This can also be a problem. Receive written permission in advance stating that you may use and also partially publish the sensitive data. Some companies do not allow outsiders to do so. In any case, a blocking clause is necessary at the beginning of the work. Clarify this BEFORE you formulate the final topic for the thesis. Otherwise, you will not get the data...

10. Is your topic part of a complex research project for your supervisor?

Be extremely careful in this case!

With such a topic you are limited and confronted with very specific questions. You may also be dependent on the supervisors staff to get information and data. This must be cleared up beforehand. Many projects simply take more time.Think carefully whether you can implement such a topic.

Be wise, check first!
Check which of the mentioned risks could be relevant to you!
Control these risks!
Avoid them if possible!

Good luck writing your text!

Silvio and the Aristolo Team

PS: Check out the Thesis-ABC and the Thesis Guide for writing a bachelor or master thesis in 31 days.