Matters to be Discussed in the Preliminary Meeting

Your initial meeting with your thesis supervisor is a critical part of your project that it has to be done right before you could even begin researching. Here are some of the important topics that are usually tacked during the first meeting; these will help you meet the specific requirements of your thesis.

• Established laws on how to produce a good thesis
• Rules your university has on thesis writing.
• Guidelines on how to get your thesis topic approved.
• Planning and forming a thesis committee.
• Timeline for the writing and completion of the thesis
• Rules your university has on the use of its equipment or labs.
• Formulating the topic of your project
• Information gathering and analysis
• The frequency and purpose of your student-supervisor meetings
• If required, courses you need to take
• Trainings, workshops or seminars you need to attend
• Acknowledgement or publishing opportunities for your work
• Research ethics and plagiarism
• Presentation of the final work
• Where to get financial support

These are just some of the issues you can discuss with your supervisor during your initial meeting. More will arise as you move forward in your project.