Tips to successfully draft the Degree Project

How do I choose the topic? How much time is it going to take? How should I quote? When facing the Degree Project (TFG for its Spanish initials) many doubts may arise. This university stage is such a challenge and research, knowledge integration and decision making are crucial. Below we give you a few tips on how to draft your TFG obtaining a satisfactory result:

Choose the topic which motivates you the most

It is the best way to overcome the fear of facing a page in blank and being capable to write down in some pages the knowledge gained through 4 years of studies. But the topic does not only have to be related to your interests, it also has to be feasible and as specific and limited as possible. A too generic topic may result immeasurable and we can end up being overwhelmed.

The Degree Project assesses the approach as well as the capacity to turn the topic chosen into research objectives. A correct formulation shall be essential to orient the work and progress rapidly. It should be realistic and measurable and pose questions that will be the heart of the study. It should be recalled that these objectives shall be related to the hypothesis proposed which is no other than the possible resolution of doubts that throughout the work shall be evidenced by the research performed.

Have fluid communication with your tutor

You should be in permanent contact with your tutor from scratch. Propose the topic for him to decide if it is feasible or not and what are the alternatives. You should accept his critics and flexibly adapt to changes. If you disagree with the approach, explain and defend your idea to convince him of its feasibility.

In CEU Universities, tutorials are of crucial importance. We are aware that the support and follow up are essential at this stage of the academic life of our students.

Define how many hours a day you are going to dedicate

The TFG is not any type of essay, it is a long-lasting project and therefore it will be time demanding. The best thing to do is to schedule and mark the hours of the day you are going to dedicate. Bear in mind that you will have to attend tutorials and make partial presentations. Planning and the capacity to manage your own efforts is essential. Being able to handle frustration and assume that there will be moments of difficulty and lower motivation is also vital. Therefore, it is a good idea to divide your time in four stages:

• Preparation of the research proposal: reasons to investigate this topic, objectives, methodology…
• Choice of bibliography and its study.
• Research.
• Drafting of the work. Without doubt the longest and possibly hardest stage. We recommend leaving both the introduction and the conclusions for the end when we already have a comprehensive vision.

Refer to reliable sources: visit the library

Regardless of how practical it may be Google is not enough. However Google Scholar is a good source of scientific literature to bear in mind. Digital repositories of CEU Universities and other centres are a good source of information. Do not forget that looking for sources and readings is basic to establish the basis of the research and technical framework. You should choose specialized bibliography, reliable from an academic point of view. You will have to visit the libraries of our centres more than once as well as referring to their catalogues and databases.

Sources have to be recent publications relevant at a geographic and idiomatic level. It is important to register each reading to then list the quotes in an organized manner.

Quote correctly

Quotes are very important but it is worth considering that the Degree Project has to be based not on these quotes but rather on your own ideas. You have to prove that you have read the sources quoted and expressed our own point of view. They should be reflected and critical and evidence that we are capable of drawing conclusions as well as to use a technical language.

To avoid plagiarism it is essential to register readings methodically. ISO 690 standard has to be strictly fulfilled as it gives us the guidelines to include references in academic works.

The Degree Project is an excellent occasion to show not only the knowledge acquired but also the skills developed during our career. The final defence of the Project is also the occasion to showcase the work developed that should outstand both for the research and its proceeds.