Formulating the Title for Bachelor's and Master's Theses Correctly

In this chapter we give you tips on how to quickly find the topic of your academic paper. From the first idea to the right topic.

Why the right topic is so important

When you write an academic paper, it is crucial that you address the right topic. Because if push comes to shove, you will be dealing with this topic for several months, must work it out in detail and then afterwards have to defend it in a presentation. For one thing, it makes sense that you are interested in the topic, but much more importantly, you also need to find sufficient sources as a basis. Therefore, take enough time to find a suitable topic and formulate it correctly. You can find the right topic quickly with a few tips. When finding a topic, the guidelines and specifications of your university, professors or supervisors are crucial. Is a practical topic more advantageous here, or should you write completely theoretically? Both are fundamentally possible, so you should definitely find this out at the beginning of your research. Also, the question of whether you can choose a topic yourself is crucial. It is also possible that you are given a topic - then you don't have to think about it at all.

 

9 Approaches to Finding a Rough Topic

If you are, however, in a position to choose your own topic, you can find the right topic very easily with the following approaches:.

1. "Blank slate" and off you go
   Write down all your ideas that come to mind in a certain period of time. There are no wrong or bad ideas. The more the better.
    
2. Talk to your supervisor
   If you already have a rough direction, you can of course talk directly with the possible supervisor at the university. He or she is an expert in their field and can give you good tips for further research or possibly a topic title.
    
3. Personal interest, hobbies and preferences
   What interests you and what do you spend a lot of time on personally? Perhaps a suitable topic can be derived from this. Whether it's your hobby (e.g. football, running) or a topic that occupies you in everyday life (sustainable living, climate protection) - all interests can be the basis for your topic.
    
4. Topics from past papers
   What topics have you or friends from your university worked on in the past? New topics or in-depth papers could also result from this. Here it is of course not possible to use the exact same topic again.
    
5. Interesting content in your studies
   What particularly interested you during your studies or in which area were you particularly good? Either it occurs to you directly (because it was your absolute favorite module) or you simply look at the module handbook again to get suggestions.
    
6. Current discussions in the news, politics and business
   Is there a topic that is currently being discussed especially in public perception and that you would like to examine more closely?
    
7. Exchange with friends
   Exchange ideas with your friends (from university) and get good food for thought with their help.
    
8. Impressions from the company
   If you work as an intern or student assistant in a company, both the practical work and the exchange with colleagues and supervisors can give you good food for thought.
    
9. Future job
   Do you perhaps already have a job in mind or an idea of where you would like to work? Then choose a topic in this area. Then you can already familiarize yourself thematically with the thesis. That goes over well with the future company.

 

From the first ideas to the topic

From the first ideas that were created with the help of the tips above, the rough topic must now emerge. It is often helpful to combine several ideas or the previously mentioned points. If, for example, you found the module "Marketing" particularly interesting in your studies (see tip number 5), this is not yet a topic for a paper in itself. With the help of other points, you can derive a possible topic step by step from the first idea. If, for example, you are personally interested in social media (tip number 3), you could for example work on a topic like "Social Media Marketing on Instagram".

Whether this example applies to you or not is not so important at first. But it clearly shows how to proceed in topic selection after you had the first ideas. It is of course clear that not every topic that comes to mind will ultimately be suitable for an academic paper. Certain standards must definitely be met here. So talk closely with your supervisor about this and perhaps take two or three ideas to the first meeting, from which you will then jointly select an idea for detailed research.

Formulating a title from the rough topic

After you have found the topic, it is about the thematic narrowing and the final formulation of your title. Since you should examine a sub-field of a research field in an academic paper, a title like "Marketing" is not sufficient to register it with the university. In the article XXXXXX you will find the procedure to formulate a perfect title for your academic paper from the right topic.

1. Find the right topic (including clear definition)
2. Research for an initial overview and if necessary revision of the topic
3. Detailed literature research
4. Conception of the research work
5. Establish a timeline
6. If necessary empirical research
7. Preparation of the material
8. Write academic paper
9. Submission and presentation of the paper

 

Formulating a perfect title from the rough topic?

After you have determined the rough topic of your paper, it is now about formulating the topic and registering it with the university. To make this not too difficult for you, we give you a few tips in the following chapter. 

 

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Next chapter:
Chapter 5 - Formulating the title for bachelor's and master's theses perfectly

• How to formulate the title of the thesis from the basic topic
• Criteria that a title should consider
• Examples for clarification