Master Health Care Management Thesis Plan and Thesis

Transcription

1 Master Health Care Management Thesis Plan and Thesis GW4021MV-15 / GW4021MD-15 Thesis Plan Block 3, Block 4 December 2015 January ECTS (140 SBU) GW4021MV-15 / GW4021MD-15 Thesis Block 5, Block 6 February August ECTS (420 SBU) Academic year Institute of Health Policy & Management Thesis coordinator: dr. Mathilde Strating

2 Index 1 Course content Introduction Prior knowledge Thesis plan and Thesis Admission requirements Thesis Contact persons Objectives Grading of the Thesis Plan Grading of the Thesis Fraud Blackboard and my-papers Literature Scheduling...5 Table 1. Overview of activities and deadlines Thesis Plan...6 Table 2. Overview of activities and deadlines Thesis Role of the student Role of the supervisor Role of the reading committee Role of the thesis coordinator General guidelines for the graduation work Some principles Thesis Plan: content and format Thesis Plan: assessment criteria The Master thesis: content and format The Master thesis: assessment criteria Thesis defence meeting Delay in graduation work

3 1 Course content 1.1 Introduction In order to complete the Master Health Care Management you are required to write a scientific Master thesis on a topic related to one of the subjects covered in the master HCM. The objective of the Master thesis is to show that the student is able to perform scientific research individually and to report the study and its conclusions in a transparent and scientifically sound way. You are expected to integrate and apply a range of skills and knowledge. The thesis plan and thesis itself have a workload of 5 and 15 ECTS respectively and thus constitutes a major part of the curriculum. From experience we know that graduation work often is a stumbling block and may take longer than the scheduled time period. To prevent delay we have opted for group sessions in combination with individual feedback moments. Each thesis group concentrates on a specific theme which conforms to the final learning goals of the master programme. This course book provides basic guidance about the process of writing a thesis and the requirements to be met. Additional documentation on design studies, qualitative studies and quantitative studies will be posted on blackboard in December. 1.2 Prior knowledge Thesis plan and Thesis We expect that you will have mastered all subject matter offered both at Bachelor level/ Premaster level and Master level (Advanced Research Methods). In the thesis writing you will make use of the writing skills acquired in the Bachelor/Premaster programme and the first two blocks of the Master. The group sessions offer the opportunity to discuss with your fellow students and the thesis supervisor how to best use your knowledge and skills in your graduation work and thesis. 1.3 Admission requirements Thesis There are no admission requirements for the Thesis Plan. Students may only participate in the course Thesis if they have completed the course Thesis Plan with a pass. 1.4 Contact persons Function Name Room address Tel Thesis coordinator Dr. Mathilde Strating J 5-35 strating@bmg.eur.nl Master coordinator Dr. Jeroen van Wijngaarden J 5-37 vanwijngaarden@bmg.eur.nl

4 1.5 Objectives The thesis work is an aptitude test that demonstrates that you: are capable of performing scientific research independently can diagnose and analyse management problems in healthcare in a scientific way are able to formulate possible solutions 1.6 Grading of the Thesis Plan The written thesis plan is graded by pass or no-pass. The Rules and Regulations and Teaching and Examination Regulations (OER) apply to the thesis plan. A pass for the Thesis Plan is required to participate in the course Thesis. Only students that received a go from their supervisor for submitting their Thesis Plan are allowed to submit the Thesis Plan at the set deadline to the reading committee. In case the supervisor gives a no go for the Thesis Plan nothing is submitted at the first deadline and students only have one opportunity left to submit their Thesis Plan (i.e. at the resit deadline). In case the Thesis Plan is graded with a no-pass by the reading committee, the Thesis plan has to be revised based on the feedback of the reading committee and submitted again at the set deadline for the resit. In case the Thesis Plan still is not sufficient and again is graded with a no-pass, the student is not allowed to participate in the course Thesis and has to wait for the start of the course Thesis Plan in the following academic year to start on a new theme with a new supervisor. 1.7 Grading of the Thesis The written thesis and orale defence of the thesis should be awarded a minimal 5.5 grade. The grade is a number with one decimal place. The Rules and Regulations and Teaching and Examination Regulations (OER) apply to the thesis. Only students that received a go from their supervisor for submitting their Thesis are allowed to submit the Thesis at the set deadline to the reading committee. In case the supervisor gives a no go for the Thesis nothing is submitted at the first deadline and students only have one opportunity left to submit their Thesis (i.e. at the resit deadline). In case the written Thesis graded lower than 5.5 by the reading committee, the written Thesis has to be revised based on the feedback of the reading committee and submitted again at the set deadline for the resit of the Thesis. In case the Thesis still is not sufficient and again is graded lower than 5.5, the student is not allowed to the oral defence. In this case the student failed in the course Thesis and has to wait for the start of the course Thesis Plan in the following academic year to start on a new theme with a new supervisor. A pass of supervisor as well as the reading committee is required before the oral defence of the thesis. After the orale defence the definitive grade for the thesis is given. 4

5 1.8 Fraud In education, fraud and the prevention thereof (among other things due to the increasing use of computers) has become an important policy issue. A strict fraud policy is in place in Erasmus University and thus also ibmg. All theses will be checked for plagiarism using Turnitin. You will be informed about the exact procedure later. Please always refer correctly to work of others or your own work, so as to prevent any misunderstandings (see also: Blackboard and my-papers Blackboard is the platform for news and information about graduation issues. Please check regularly for new messages. Furthermore, both supervisors and students are expected to always use My papers in sin-online Literature There is no compulsory reading for the Master thesis. You will have to search for factual information about your topic yourself. The methodological knowledge required is also dependent on the type of research you will be going to perform. You are supposed to have gained this knowledge also through the Advanced Research Methods course. Additional information on requirements for the different types of research can be found on Black board Scheduling For the Thesis Plan and Thesis four and six sessions, respectively, are scheduled with the thesis supervisor, each of which will focus on one aspect of the thesis (plan). The thesis writing process will be better 'manageable' in this way. Group work moreover has the advantage of factual and social support from fellow students. If it should be impossible for everyone to meet on a particular date, a new date may be set if the thesis supervisor and the students agree with this. None of the sessions will be cancelled. Attending all sessions is compulsory. Please take care to incorporate a buffer at the end to compensate for any delay during the data collection or analysis phase. In qualitative research the analysis phase often takes longer, whereas in quantitative research preparation of the data collection may take more time. In addition to the group meetings with the supervisor plenary lectures are scheduled on topics related to doing academic research and writing a master thesis (such as how to formulate a good research question, how to do quantitative or qualitative research etc.). These lectures are optional for students. 5

6 Table 1. Overview of activities and deadlines Thesis Plan Week Date 46 Friday November hrs Subject Information on graduation work Register for thesis group via sin-online by submitting a top-3 from the list of topics from November 14, 9.00 hrs till November (NB: in case students have a very strong preference for a certain topic, it is possible to a send a motivation letter to the thesis coordinator.) Deadline registering for thesis group 47 November hrs 48 November November 29 Assignment of students to theme is communicated to students 49 Friday December hrs 50 December 7-13 Group or individual meeting: Introduction and problem analysis, relevance, objective and research questions (part 1 and 2 of Thesis Plan) Students read 2 articles before the first meeting with supervisor Students submit first draft on part 1 and 2 of Thesis Plan Friday December hrs 51 Friday December hrs 52 December Plenary Lecture Group or individual meeting: Preliminary ideas on theory (part 3) Supervisor gives feedback on first drafts. 53 December 28-January 3 Students submit draft on part 3 of Thesis plan 1 Friday January hrs 2 January Friday January hrs 4 Sunday January AM Group or individual meeting: Strategy and planning (part 4 and 5) Supervisor gives feedback on drafts. Group or individual meeting: Draft Thesis Plan Supervisor gives feedback on Draft Thesis Plan Deadline submission Thesis Plan 5 February 1-7 Monday: Supervisor gives pass or no pass Tuesday Friday: Assessment and grading of the Thesis Plan by reading committee 6 Wednesday February 10 Grading of the Thesis Plans will be communicated to supervisors and students by head of the reading committee 7 February Students with a pass for the Thesis Plan go on in the course Thesis (see Table 2 for schedule) 6

7 Students with a no-pass for the Thesis Plan work on a revised Thesis Plan after having discussed the feedback of the reading committee with the supervisor 7 Sunday Resit deadline submission Thesis Plan February AM 8 February Monday: Supervisor gives pass or no pass Tuesday Friday: Assessment and grading of the Thesis Plan by reading committee 9 Wednesday March 2 Grading of the Thesis Plans will be communicated to supervisors and students by head of the reading committee 7

8 PASS on Thesis Plan by reading committee student goes on with Thesis student submits Thesis Plan PASS from supervisor NO PASS from supervisor Thesis Plan to Reading Committee NO PASS on Thesis Plan by reading committee Feedback conversation student works on Thesis Plan student submits Thesis Plan PASS from supervisor NO PASS from supervisor Thesis Plan to Reading Committee student fails Thesis Plan starts again next academic year PASS on Thesis Plan by reading committee NO PASS on Thesis Plan by reading committee student goes on with Thesis student fails Thesis Plan starts again next academic year Figure 1. Decision tree Thesis Plan 8

9 Table 2. Overview of activities and deadlines Thesis Week Date Subject 7 Friday February 19 Group or individual meeting: Chapter Introduction and problem statement 9-11 hrs 8 Friday Plenary Lecture February hrs 9 February 29 March 6 Students submit draft chapters introduction and theoretical framework 10 Friday March hrs 11 March Group or individual meeting: Theoretical framework Supervisor gives feedback on draft chapters. 12 March Students submit draft chapters theoretical framework and methods 13 Friday April hrs Group or individual meeting: Methods Supervisor gives feedback on draft chapters. 14 Friday Plenary Lecture April hrs 15 April Students submit draft chapters methods and results 16 Friday April hrs 17 April 25-May 1 18 May Friday May 13 Group or individual meeting: Analysis and results Supervisor gives feedback on draft chapters. Plenary Lecture 20 May Students submit draft chapters results and discussion 21 Friday May hrs Group or individual meeting: discussion Supervisor gives feedback on draft chapters. 22 May 30-June 5 Students submit draft chapters results and discussion 23 Friday June hrs Group or individual meeting: Draft thesis Supervisor gives feedback on draft thesis 9

10 24 Wednesday June AM Deadline submission Thesis Thursday June hrs: Supervisor gives pass or no pass Friday: Assessment and grading of the Thesis by reading committee 25 June Monday Friday: Assessment and grading of the Thesis by reading committee 26 Friday July 3 Grading of the Thesis will be communicated to supervisors and students by head of the reading committee and examination board 27 July 4-10 Monday - Friday: defence schedule dependent on availability of supervisor and reading committee 28 July Monday - Friday: defence schedule dependent on availability of supervisor and reading committee After having one feedback conversation with their supervisor students with a no-pass for the Thesis work on a revised Thesis (without any further supervision) 33 Wednesday August AM Resit deadline submission Thesis for students with a no-pass on the first Thesis Wednesday - Friday: Assessment and grading of the Thesis by reading committee 34 August Monday Friday: Assessment and grading of the Thesis by reading committee 35 Wednesday August 31 Grading of the Thesis will be communicated to supervisors and students by head of the reading committee and examination board 36 September 5-11 Monday - Friday: defence schedule dependent on availability of supervisor and reading committee 37 September Monday - Friday: defence schedule dependent on availability of supervisor and reading committee 38 September Monday - Friday: defence schedule dependent on availability of supervisor and reading committee 10

11 PASS on Thesis by reading committee student goes on with oral defence 4-11 July student submits Thesis PASS from supervisor Thesis to Reading Committee Feedback conversation PASS from supervisor and PASS reading committee NO PASS from supervisor and PASS from reading committee student goes on with oral defence 1-21 September NO PASS from supervisor NO PASS on Thesis by reading committee student works on Thesis student submits Thesis to both supervisor and reading committee Figure 2. Decision tree Thesis 13 student has to enroll in next year PASS from supervisor and NO PASS from reading committee NO PASS from supervisor and NO PASS from reading committee student fails Thesis starts again next academic year

12 1.5 Role of the student The group of students deals with one theme. Nevertheless, each student carries responsibility for a certain aspect of this theme. This implies that you should perform research independently and write an individual thesis. You yourself are primarily responsible for the planning and the coordination of your own thesis work. The same holds true for collecting data and getting access to data sources if applicable. As all students in the group are dealing with the same theme, we do expect, however, that they will be eminently suited to give and receive peer support and feedback (intervision). To make optimal use of intervision each student will be appointed a 'coreader' of one other student in the group. The student coreader reviews the work of 'his / her student' extra carefully, provides constructive criticism and helps find solutions for any problems and stumbling blocks. So a lot of self-activation is expected! We expect that in this way the students can keep each other motivated and if necessary will buck up each other! 1.6 Role of the supervisor The role of the thesis supervisor during the sessions is mainly intended to stimulate and monitor the intervision process. Naturally he or she is also the expert in the field: both on the theme and the various (methodological) facets of the research and the thesis writing. The supervisor mainly plays a supporting role. He or she will further explain the criteria, think along with you, and provide feedback, both verbally and in writing, to your work. To fulfil this role, supervisors should possess the analytic skills needed to offer conceptual input on a subject, have sufficient methodological knowledge and be familiar with the requirements for the content of a thesis. Regarding giving written feedback, the supervisor is expected to respond within 5 working days to work submitted on the agreed-upon dates. Only exceptionally, if special or unexpected circumstances should arise, the supervisor is allowed to deviate from this rule. You will then be informed within the set term of 5 working days when the feedback is to be expected. The supervisor is the first point of contact if there are any problems or questions the students cannot resolve among themselves. The thesis supervisor should also be consulted in case of problems or circumstances of a more personal nature that may threaten your thesis writing. If your thesis supervisor should not be able to find a solution, then please contact the thesis coordinator and/or study councillor. 1.7 Role of the reading committee Based upon the theme and planned methodological strategy each student will be assigned to a member of the reading committee. Members of the reading committee will assess the Thesis plan as well as the Thesis during the scheduled time period. In case of no pass for Thesis Plan or Thesis the member of the reading committee will give feedback on how to improve. 12

13 1.8 Role of the thesis coordinator The Master HCM thesis coordinator is responsible for informing students and supervisors about the requirements and procedures, encouraging students and supervisors to finish the thesis within the Master year, assisting students in case of exceptional circumstances with bearing upon the thesis work, monitoring progress and implementing My papers as the communication channel for thesis supervision and administration tool for thesis coordination. The thesis coordinator is not able to: give personal feedback on your project plans / thesis ideas (= discuss with your supervisor) assist you in dealing with personal problems, difficulties in planning, etc. (= make an appointment with the study advisor) 1.8 Supervision frequency and content During the course Thesis Plan students will have four face-to-face contacts with their supervisor. The supervisor can organise these contacts as individual appointments or as group meetings. During the course Thesis students will at least have six face-to-face contacts with their supervisor. The supervisor can organise these contacts as individual appointments or as group meetings. Students can their supervisors between meetings with short questions or issues, but can not expect supervisors to give extra feedback on draft chapters if not scheduled or agreed upon. Supervisor may give feedback directly in the face-to-face contacts, but may also provide written feedback. Regarding giving written feedback, the supervisor is expected to respond within 5 working days to work submitted on the agreed-upon dates. Only exceptionally, if special or unexpected circumstances should arise, the supervisor is allowed to deviate from this rule. 13

14 2 General guidelines for the graduation work 2.1 Some principles Relation between research and thesis writing The graduation work starts with formulating a good (and relevant) thesis question embedded within a broader theoretical framework. Empirical research is performed that may hold the answer to the thesis question. The results of the empirical research are discussed in the light of the theoretical framework. Finally an answer to the thesis question is formulated = conclusion. The empirical research therefore is essential to answer the thesis question and is described in the methods and results sections of the thesis. Theoretical vs. empirical problem and the need of empirical research The thesis question may be empirically or theoretically based. Empirical questions should also have theoretical relevance, however, and may not only be practice- or solution oriented. Vice versa theoretical questions should be empirically relevant and not only be theory oriented. For both types of questions a literature review is needed as well as empirical research. The external organisations where the research is performed To perform empirical research you are usually dependent on the cooperation of external organisations. Soliciting cooperation from organisations is a joint responsibility of the student and the thesis supervisor. In a number of cases students perform research in their own organisations. Alternatively the thesis supervisor makes the first contacts and ensures that you get 'access' to the organisation. If needed, students will be asked to search actively themselves. For the external organisation it should be quite clear what exactly you plan to do, with what aim and how. For this reason you are required to write a project proposal preceding the empirical research and have it approved by the thesis supervisor as well as the reading committee. Furthermore it is important to make unambiguous, concrete arrangements with the organisation. For example about assigning a dedicated contact person within the organisation, and the scope of support the contact can offer. It may so happen that more students do research in the same organisation. In that case, make sure to optimally harmonize your plans, and your contacts with the organization! If any problems should occur in the contact with the external organisation, please inform your thesis supervisor as soon as possible. 14

15 2.2 Thesis Plan: content and format The first step leading to your thesis is preparing a plan for your thesis project. The plan should clearly state the subject of your thesis, the relevance of this subject, the proposed research design, and the timeframe for the project. The Thesis Plan should in any case address the following items: Title page 1. Problem analysis (max. 500 words) Problem analysis based on literature Societal and scientific relevance 2. Objective and research questions (max. 200 words) Aim of the research Research question: formulated as concretely as possible, including secondary questions if any 3. Preliminary ideas on theory (max words) Which concepts, models or theoretical perspectives will be used Previous empirical research and, if applicable, a conceptual model. 4. Strategy (max. 800 words) explaining and motivating the choices with regard to: The study design The organisations and respondents that will be approached (type, number) Data collection methods (e.g. structured or unstructured individual or group interviews, observations, document analysis, questionnaires, etc.) Indicate (as far as possible) what you intend to measure, for example the independent and dependent variables from your conceptual model. Plan for data analysis Validity and reliability 5. Planning. Try to incorporate dead moments in your planning; these are moments when you are awaiting questionnaires. Try to do other tasks meanwhile, such as making transcripts of interviews. 6. List of the literature references you (intend to) use Please upload the final version of the Thesis in My papers and send a digital version to hcm@bmg.eur.nl quoting Master thesis Health Care Management and your student number. 15

16 2.3 Thesis Plan: assessment criteria The Thesis Plan will be assessed on the following three criteria: Is the thesis question relevant and original (or not too broad or too narrow), is the literature relevant, and the theoretical framework appropriate? Will the proposed method allow finding a (scientifically valid) answer to the thesis question (or in other words: is it valid?) Is the project feasible in view of the available time? The information in the Thesis Plan must therefore permit for assessing the above questions. This does not mean, however, that you should detail all elements at this stage. Details of the theoretical framework can be elaborated on at a later stage in the course Thesis. The same holds true for the data collection (e.g. preparing topic list/interview schedules) and the data analysis. 2.4 The Master thesis: content and format A good method to get an impression of what is expected from you is reading Master theses of former students. Please ask your thesis supervisor or find them in the Erasmus library. The text of the thesis should be written in English (fulltime students) or Dutch (parttime students) and include a number of elements. These may differ considerably for a study with a more evaluating or exploring approach versus a study aimed at a design problem, and between qualitative and quantitative research methods (see BB for more detailed information about differences in requirements). - Title page: Provide a concise and attractive title without acronyms. The title should make clear what the thesis is about. State also your name, student number, name of thesis supervisor, reading committee, Rotterdam, date. - Preface (optional): This may include your personal experiences with the thesis work and thanks and acknowledgements to people who have been helpful in preparing the thesis. - Summary in the English language (about 1 page): It must be self-contained, i.e. clear to someone who has not read the whole thesis. Therefore, do not refer to the text of the thesis. Also do not include references to the literature, quotations, tables or figures. Write the summary last, after you have finished the whole thesis. - For Dutch students only, summary in the Dutch language (about 1 page) - Table of contents: phrase the chapter titles and section headings to permit the reader to get a good impression of the structure of your document at a glance. Make sure that the headings cover the subject dealt with. Start preparing a table of contents as soon as possible. This will help structure your thoughts. - Chapter 1. Introduction. In the introductory chapter, describe the theme of the thesis, provide the rationale for this theme, and point out its relevance. The 16

17 chapter concludes with the thesis question and a reading guide presenting a short overview of the chapters. For a more design-oriented study it will be necessary to write a more extensive thesis question, for which data already must be collected. In addition the requirements for the design must be identified. You may consider presenting a very extensive problem analysis in a separate section following the introduction. - Chapter 2. Theoretical framework. This chapter will make clear what is already known on your subject and what knowledge is lacking. Any contradictory results from previous studies in the field are discussed as well (although you may move this in part or in whole to the discussion chapter). On the basis of literature the thesis question is further explored and elaborated on. Within the theoretical framework you address the main concepts from the thesis question (for example choice of definitions) and describe the interrelations between these concepts. This may possibly result in a conceptual model. You will further develop the (theoretical) perspective using brief summaries of known studies and then position your study in the debate. The major issue in the development of the theoretical concepts is not so much their definitions, but rather the question what perspective on the data they may offer. On the basis of this knowledge the thesis question is broken down into a number of sub-questions. Dependent on the nature of the research and the sub-questions, these questions may be included in the introduction. For example if the answer to a sub-question must be sought in the literature and is to be incorporated in the theoretical framework. In case of a design-oriented study the theoretical framework should present a wellmotivated choice for the model or the theory on which it will be based. Here, too, you are expected to provide a critical reflection on the scholarly debates around this model or this theory and to reflect on the significance of this model for the healthcare sector and your thesis question. - Chapter 3. Research methods: This chapter explains how you have collected the data that should lead to answering your thesis question and sub-questions. It should describe the complete set-up of the study including justification of all the choices made. Describe the relevant characteristics of the study population, the variables to be considered, selection and drop-out of subjects or respondents, the used materials or instruments, the applied procedures and interventions, the manner of data collection, the statistical models, and so on. Provide enough detail to permit the reader to assess representativeness of the study population, manner of experimental manipulations or interventions, and validity and reliability of the outcomes. Thus both in quantitative and qualitative research you will need to describe the design (e.g. a case-study), the methods used to collect data, selection of respondents and the procedures used to test validity and reliability of the findings. These issues are also addressed in the next chapter, information per session. The methods section of a design study should make clear what steps you will take to develop the design: how will you collect the data, how will je analyse them, how will you build a first design, and how will you validate this design? 17

18 - Chapter 4. Results: Description of what the study eventually revealed, and presentation of the data collected. Do not report everything you found but try to condense the data as much as possible in neatly arranged tables and graphs. Restrict the text mainly to the most important and most striking findings. Identification of the most important and most striking findings is guided by your research question and the theory. Provide a critical reflection on the conceptual model on the basis of the research outcomes. In qualitative research, try to reduce the data to a number of central themes. Report in the text the most relevant and striking interpretations of the data. Demonstrate how you made use of the theoretical concepts in your analysis. Reflect critically on the interpretation that you provide. Ensure that the data cannot be used to trace recognizable persons! Unless you have obtained prior consent from the person or persons in question. If your performed a design study, please provide the steps with which you built the design from your data, and demonstrate how you validated the design. - Chapter 5. Discussion and conclusion: This chapter gives room to interpret the results by linking them to the thesis question, the literature and theoretical framework. For research in which theory formation was a fundamental tenet, a conceptual model is developed and discussed on the basis of the data. Please also address any limitations of your own study and indicate in how far the findings of your study are valid in the light of the limitations. The question is to what extent (and why) specific limitations have far-reaching consequences, or not, for the value of your results. End this chapter with a conclusion. During the writing process, keep a list of issues that deserve to be addressed in the discussion (comments on specific choices in the research are particularly relevant but also possible limitations or strengths of the theoretical framework used). Linking your findings to findings from previous research conducted by others is an essential component of a discussion section. For qualitative research it is especially important to put the results in a broader perspective. In the discussion chapter you virtually broaden the view from the minute details to the greater relevance. Also address any limitations of your own study by expounding and evaluating the chosen perspective. At the end provide recommendations: What could others learn from this study? Could you provide any practical recommendations now you have answered the thesis question? (please distinguish with regard to target groups and topics). Please only offer recommendations that really follow from the results obtained. What further studies would be needed? Also in design-oriented research you are expected to refer back to the theoretical framework; to what extent does the study confirm or refute the theoretical insights from the theoretical framework? Then there is the question of generalizability; to what extent could the design be relevant for other settings? - References: All literature sources referred to in the text are compiled in the list of references. Various reference styles are possible. You may use the APA style, which is mostly used in the social sciences; the Vancouver style, notably used in 18

19 the bio-medical sciences; or the Chicago style (author-date system). Discuss at an early stage with your thesis supervisor what style you will be using. For that matter, avoid footnotes as much as possible. Usually the information can be included in the body of the text. You may want to include a list of abbreviations/acronyms at the end of your thesis. Tip: compile your list of references with the refworks software (see _en_workshops/workshop_refworks/) and keep your list up to date when preparing your thesis. See also other web courses d/ - Appendices (optional): You may add appendices to present information that is too long or too detailed for the main body of the text, but still relevant to your research. For example the questionnaires or topic lists/interview schedules applied, or one or two large tables. But do not include all collected data! Use appendices sparingly. The final version of the thesis can take the form of an article (for a specified peerreviewed journal in one of the HCM fields) or of a research report. The grammar and layout have to fit the chosen format. Papers may not exceed 4,000-8,000 words depending on the word limit of the chosen journal (excluding the reference list and a limited number of annexes which may be used to further explain certain elements within the thesis). Research reports may not exceed 20,000 words (in total; including tables and figures, excluding References and Appendices). Please upload the final version of the Thesis in My papers and send a digital version to hcm@bmg.eur.nl quoting Master thesis Health Care Management and your student number. 19

20 2.5 The Master thesis: assessment criteria Your thesis will be assessed on a number of criteria. Differences in criteria between research designs are described elsewhere (see BB). The thesis work will be assessed on the following criteria: thesis question: the objective addresses a clearly delineated management problem in healthcare and is scientifically relevant; there is a clear thesis question (including secondary questions), problem analysis, theoretical framework, empirical research, conclusion method: the empirical research meets the scientific criteria (is methodologically correct) argumentation: the empirical research actually answers the thesis question in a clear and efficient manner format: the thesis document is written in English for full-time students and in Dutch for part-time students and meets the academic standards with regard to style and deepening of the subject What determines the grade? structure and length of the thesis must meet the requirements mentioned in the previous pages; the research must be methodologically sound; there must be critical reflection: the student must be able to indicate what he or she has learned or what he or she would do differently in a next study (Note: this is not a matter of personal experiences but of academic insights); the student must be capable of arguing in a logical and clear manner; the student must be able to work independently (easily taking up suggestions from the instructor and solving any problems during the data collection on their own); presentation + defence; the extent to which the thesis yields new scholarly insights 20

21 2.6 Thesis defence meeting The examination board and reading committee must have approved the defence. Each student is expected to give an oral presentation preceding the thesis defence. The duration is preferably no more than 8-10 minutes. The presentation should deal with the thesis but there are no rules for the exact content. You may, for example, review all results, or discuss aspects of the study that have been under documented in the thesis. Use of a beamer may have to be arranged with the OSC (depending on where the defence will be held). After the presentation the defence will be started and will last some 20 minutes. A member of the reading committee and your thesis supervisor will ask you a number of critical questions on your thesis work. The major goal of these questions is to elicit an academic discussion. The questions will largely focus on the choices you have made (e.g. for the specific study design) and the interpretation of the findings. After the defence you will be asked to leave the room. The thesis supervisor and the member of the reading committee coreader will then determine the final grade, based on quality of the thesis and aspects of the thesis defence. Next you will be asked to return. Your supervisor will then give a celebratory speech announcing the grade and mentioning the considerations that led to this grade, and presenting some personal reflections on the process. It is still possible that you do not pass the defence; it is a formal exam. If you are not able to defend the thesis adequately you will have to take the exam again. Especially when the content of the thesis is judged to be a 6 or lower, there is a change that the defence may tip the balance negatively to a grade lower than 5.5. After the failed defence a meeting is scheduled with the member of the reading committee, the supervisor, the student and the thesis coordinator to discuss what needs to happen before the student can apply for a new defence. If the defence was successful, the formal examination result slip is signed after the defence and the supervisor is expected to hand it in to the OSC. You will receive the diploma on a later occasion. The defence meeting is an oral exam and therefore no guests are permitted during the defence. 21

22 2.7 Delay in graduation work As a matter of course we would like to prevent delay as much as possible. Please discuss any bottlenecks in the time planning of your graduation work with your thesis supervisor or the thesis coordinator in good time. However, if you should still not be able to complete your thesis and defend it in June, the following rule becomes effective. Seeing that there are no more group sessions you could be individually counselled by your own thesis supervisor up to and including the resit deadline for submitting the thesis on Wednesday August 17. Note however that this is the summer holiday period in which the thesis supervisor may be absent for some time; therefore you are not entitled to supervision. A pass of the supervisor as well as the reading committee on the written Thesis is required before August 31, This is the date when supervision in effect will stop. Students who on this date not yet have received a pass from both the reading committee and the supervisor for the definitive version of the written thesis, should enrol for a new Master Thesis trajectory in December 2016, with a new supervisor and embarking on a new theme. In exceptional cases you may submit a motivated request to the master Health Care Management Thesis coordinator and thesis coordinator asking permission to complete the thesis after August, provided the thesis supervisor judges this to be feasible within a foreseeable time (before December ). 22