Minor’s thesis research in the clinical setting
Conducting research in a clinical setting is essential to further scientific understanding in the fields of psychopathology and clinical neuropsychology. By testing theories and evaluating the effects of diagnostic or therapeutic interventions in individuals seeking help for cognitive, emotional and behavioral problems, clinical researchers add to the evidence base that guides and helps refine current treatment approaches.
Given the limited time available, your clinical research project should be clearly formulated and limited in scope. Case-series designs are often feasible in this context, or analysis of test performance, questionnaire or interview data. Ideally, you should have collected at least some of these data yourself. In many clinical settings you may benefit from analysis of ‘historical’ data already obtained on patients. Discuss this possibility with both your institutional supervisor and your UM Minor’s thesis supervisor.
As this is a clinical research study, the research question should be relevant in the context of the institution where the research is performed, and the sample must include patients or clients with clinically significant behavioral, cognitive or emotional complaints.Application procedure
Minor’s thesis
You hand in the signed clinical internship contract within two weeks after the start of the clinical internship. This contract includes the institutional information and permission form for the minor thesis.
Failure to hand in the signed contract before the start of the research project may disqualify you from obtaining credits for the Minor thesis.
Format and length Minor's Thesis and Minor's Thesis Research Proposal
The minimum length of a minor's thesis is 3000 words (including tables, figures, and in-text references). The internship manuals give guidelines to help students explain things to external supervisors, who may have very different ideas about what constitutes a "thesis".
The minor's thesis proposal should cover the same parts as the master's thesis research proposal yet can be shorter, there is no clear guideline.
The Minor thesis will be assessed on aspects of content as well as format and must comply with the norms set for content, structure, form/layout and language usage, as described in the 'handbook writing skills'. (updated 24-03-2033)
Assessment criteria
- Writing Product
- Quality of Abstract
- Introduction and Description of research question/hypothesis
- Creativity and originality of research question
- Theoretical understanding
- Structure and organisation of the thesis
- Critical and innovative approach to research
- Design and methods are conform research question
- Understanding and description of statistical analysis
- Adequacy and correctness of tables and figures
- Presentation and description of results
- Ability to discuss findings in relation to literature and new insights
- Conclusion follows logically from arguments developed in paper
- Level of language use, citations and references
- Publication level of thesis
Writing Process
- Level of independence
- Processing of feedback
- Completion time of thesis
How to submit the research proposal (Minor thesis)
- At the latest, your final reseach proposal has to be received. within two weeks after the start of the clinical internship. Please use "Collent" to submit this document.
How to submit the Minor thesis
- Send your final version of the minor thesis to your faculty supervisor and upload the final version of the minor thesis in an electronic copy (PDF) via "Collent". Go to My internship(s) and use the Cloud icon with the up arrow in the column "Document(s)" to upload your final version of your minor thesis. This final version will be graded by your faculty supervisor who will receive your minor thesis via de internship administration office.
- This digital copy:
- - is required to award credits to your work,
- - will be used to check for plagiarism, and
- - is archived for future reference.
- Please note that the final version of your thesis must be uploaded in a correct way before the final credits will be awarded. In case the name of your electronically submitted thesis is not correct (i.e., not according to the all important formatting rules), it will be removed and you’ll have to hand in your thesis again.