Thesis Supervision -- Terms and Conditions 


Thank you for your interest in my help - I am happy to offer you supervision in a number of topics and I am looking forward to working with you. Before you embark on writing your thesis under my supervision, please take into consideration the following terms and

conditions: 

 

  1. Have a (relatively) clear idea of what you want to write about, what you want to achieve / illustrate with your thesis. I will help you to narrow down your scope, but don’t ask me to actually tell you what to write about. I always advertise concepts, problems, and areas on which I can offer supervision, but it is up to you to find a particular topic within those areas. 
  2. I can (and will) assist you in drawing up the conceptual framework of your thesis and locating the relevant sources, but you will have to do a proportionate part of both the research and the writing bits independently. You will be expected to take this job seriously and complete it to the best of your knowledge. 
  3. Keep yourself to the schedule and method of cooperation we agree on. Although I can (and will) be a slave-driver, I will also be happy for you to work at your own pace, and I will not give you deadlines on an authoritative basis. I imagine supervision as co-operation between you and me, so we will work out the details and the framework of this co-operation TOGETHER. You will have the full right to formulate your own preferences, and requests, but once we agree on something, I will expect you to keep yourself to the agreement. That is, to keep deadlines, to do your reading, come to consultation sessions, and communicate with me whenever you run into any difficulty.
  4. Come to consultation sessions. Come, and come prepared. In other words, read your stuff, do research, take notes, and WRITE!!! It does not have to be the final version, it does not have to be a fully developed piece, but I just HAVE TO see what you’ve been doing to be able to give you feedback and advice. As a rule of thumb, I should always see that you’ve done something when we meet. 
  5. You should send me your draft (preferably chapter by chapter) at regular intervals. Remember, it’s a lot easier to get feedback on shorter pieces because in that case we can discuss your writing as it unfolds: we can agree on how to structure your text, what to expand and what to leave out, what to re-write (and believe me, there will be a lot of re-writing to do), and what to keep. If I see your text only when it’s ‘almost’ done, I will not be able to give you substantial advice, and you will have a very hard time making changes to it. 
  6. Allocate ample time for the final editing (formatting, spell-check, style-check, notes and bibliography, etc). When your thesis is ‘finished’ content-wise, you will still need at least a week to do the final editing before you can press ‘print’ and get the opus bound. I will want to see the ‘final-final version’ of your thesis (the version you want to print and get bound) before you can submit it. You will not be allowed to submit without my written consent.
  7. Please keep it in mind that as your supervisor I have the right not to allow you to submit. I will exercise this right if I feel the thesis is not written well enough to earn a pass mark.

 

If you have read and understood these conditions and are willing to accept them, I will be more than happy to work with you, and I will do my very best to give you the help and guidance you need to produce a successful thesis. 

 

David L. Palatinus