Information Brochure for Thesis and Internship Students

March 2011

Organic Farming Systems Group (BFS) Biologische Landbouwsystemen epartment of !lant Sciences epartement !lantenwetenschappen

O"G#$I% F#"&I$G S'ST(&S G"O)!

Department of Plant Sciences Wageningen University

Information for Thesis Students

March 2011

Droevendaalsesteeg 1 6708 P Wageningen !el" #$1 %0&$17 ' (811)1* fa+" #$1 %0&$17 ' (8120$ ,'mail" office-.io./01r-nl 2nternet" http"33000-.fs-01r-nl3U43 ,d1cational co'ordinator" Dr 2r ,-5- 6antinga e'mail" eg.ert-lantinga/01r-nl tel" #$1 %0&$17 (811))

Table of contents page *+ Introduction .....................................................................................1 ,+ The thesis path..................................................................................1 2.1....................................... Selection of a thesis subject and supervisor 1 2.2.................................................................................. Prerequisites ...................................................................................................1 2.3......................................................................... Initial preparations 2 2.4........................................................ Developing the thesis proposal 2 2. ............................................................................... Thesis contract 3 2.!........................................... "efore #ou start #our e$peri%ental &or' 3 2.(..................................................................................... )$a%iner 4 -+ )ducational ai%s of doing a thesis in the "*S group................................4 3.1 Perfor%ing research ....................................................................4 3.2 Data anal#sis .............................................................................4 3.3 Scientific &riting.......................................................................... 3.4 Presenting results orall# .............................................................. .+ The 4.1 4.2 4.3 three phases of an +Sc thesis ....................................................... Phase 1, Proposal develop%ent .................................................... Phase 2, -esearch i%ple%entation ................................................! Phase 3, Thesis &riting and presentation .......................................!

/+ .rading .........................................................................................../ .1.......................................................................... .rading procedure .................................................................................................../ .2................................................................. Interpretation of grades ...................................................................................................0 0+ People &ho %a# be of help during #our thesis &or' .............................11 !.1 Supervisor................................................................................11 !.2 )$a%iner and educational co2ordinator ........................................11 !.3 Stud# co2ordinator.....................................................................11 !.4 Student counsellor.....................................................................11 1+ The (.1 (.2 (.3 internship .................................................................................11 Introduction..............................................................................11 3o& to find a "*S supervisor and internship position .....................12 -eport and grading ...................................................................12

Appendices 4. ". 5. D. *acilities and house rules ....................................................................I .uidelines for &riting a research proposal ............................................II .uidelines for &riting a thesis report ..................................................I6 .uidelines for preparing an oral presentation ......................................6II

1. INTRODUCTION 7elco%e to the 8rganic *ar%ing S#ste%s .roup 9"*S:. ;ou have sho&n a strong interest in doing an +Sc thesis or an internship at the "*S .roup and that is the reason &h# #ou receive this boo'let. "efore starting #our thesis &or' or internship< please< read this boo'let carefull#. It provides infor%ation on registration< supervision< facilities< house rules< etc. In addition< #ou &ill find guidelines for &riting #our thesis< infor%ation on the grading procedure and procedures used during an internship. ;ou &ill also find a chapter about &ho% to contact &ith general questions or about potential proble%s #ou %a# face during the course of #our thesis. The ai% of this boo'let is to ensure that #ou understand &hat is e$pected of #ou< and to provide a basic structure for ensuring an opti%al internship or research e$perience for #ou &hile %aintaining research standards.

2. THE THESIS PATH 2.1 Selection of a thesis s b!ect and s pe"#iso" 4 list of topics for +Sc research and associated supervising staff %e%bers is available in the for% of a boo'let or on our &ebsite 9http,==&&&.bfs.&ur.nl=>?:. 7e prefer that #ou first %eet our educational co2ordinator< Dr Ir ).4. 9)gbert: @antinga 9egbert.lantingaA&ur.nl:< &ho can help #ou in selecting a topic that %atches #our interest and bac'ground. 3e &ill also introduce #ou to other staff %e%bers for further infor%ation on a specific topic or for providing supervision. 3o&ever< if #ou have %ade #our choice for a specific topic alread#< #ou can also contact the staff %e%ber involved &ith that specific topic directl#. If #ou have an e$citing research idea #ourself< #ou can present this idea to the stud# co2ordinator provided that it fits &ithin the %ain research the%es of "*S. The research %ust be at least partiall# concerned &ith 9co%ponents of: organic far%ing s#ste%s. Students can &or' b# the%selves or in groups of t&o on a thesis topic. If e$tra e$pertise is needed outside the disciplines represented in "*S< a second supervisor fro% another area 9for instance ani%al sciences or social sciences: needs to be selected in addition to a supervisor of "*S. -esearch can be conducted in the Betherlands or abroad. +ain prerequisites are that research facilities and supervision are adequate 9to be judged b# the supervisor of "*S: and that the topic fits &ithin the interest and e$pertise of the "*S .roup. 2.2 P"e"e$ isites The "*S .roup offers thesis projects &ith a nu%ber of credits ranging fro% 242 30. *or a %ajor thesis 93! or 30 credits: students need to have successfull# finished the course 4nal#sis and Design of 8rganic *ar%ing S#ste%s 9"*S2 3131!: or 8rganic Plant Production 9"*S231/13: before the start of their thesis &or'. *or a %inor thesis these courses are not co%pulsor#< but still advised. *or so%e topics specific 'no&ledge or s'ills are needed and then the supervisor &ill discuss &ith #ou the need and possibilities for follo&ing additional courses. 1

2.% Initial p"epa"ations 4t the start of #our thesis &or' #our supervisor &ill, hand out this boo'let to #ou or provide #ou &ith the lin' of the digital versionC discuss the infor%ation that needs to be included in the thesis agree%ent for% 9&hich can be do&nloaded fro% our ho%epage, http,==&&&.bfs.&ur.nl=>?=)ducation=+ScDrules< E(:C sho& #ou the facilities that #ou %a# use and introduce #ou to other "*S %e%bers and< if applicable< also to so%e colleagues fro% other groups &ith &ho% &e collaborateC sho& #ou &here #ou can find a &or'ing place, there is a co%puter roo% &here #ou %a# access a P5 provided that it is not being used b# PhD candidates. 4dditional &or'stations are available ne$t to our coffee cornerC infor% #ou about our se%inar %eetings on Tuesda#s at 12.31 h in &hich #ou should participate. These are nor%all# held in 5olloquiu% roo% 72.1 972.4a.111:< located in the &estern &ing of the -adi$ buildingC infor% the secretariat that a ne& student is co%ing and as' the secretar# to add #ou to the "*S e2%ailing list so #ou &ill receive infor%ation relevant to e.g. the se%inars=colloquia 9&hich are also announced on our ho%epage:< and provide #ou &ith a guest card &ith &hich #ou can enter Fone 2. 4fter connecting the card to #our student account at the *oru% building #ou can print #our thesis and %a'e photocopiesC introduce students &ho &ill &or' in one of the laboratories of "*S to one of the laborator# %anagers 93ennie 3al%< Dine 6ol'er or 8scar de 6os:. The# &ill infor% #ou about the %ain rules of the labs and sho& #ou &here #ou can find on the &ebsite the "*S laborator# %anual. "efore starting to &or' in the lab the student needs to read this %anual< sign the printed for% that states that he=she has read the %anual and accepts the rules< and give this to the lab %anager. infor% #ou that if #ou need to travel for #our +Sc thesis &or'< travel costs can be refunded. 3o&ever< before these trips are %ade the student needs to %a'e an esti%ate of the costs and discuss this &ith the supervisorC infor% #ou that an# contacts &ith people outside the universit# concerning the thesis research are to be %ade in agree%ent &ith the supervisor. 2.& De#elopin' the thesis p"oposal 4fter #ou have selected a suitable thesis topic that is approved b# #our supervisor< #ou &ill start &ith developing a general structure of #our thesis. 4 logical progression is outlined belo& and &ill be elaborated in section 4. The %ain steps include, Defining a general topic. )$ploration of this topic via a basic literature search &hich helps #ou delineating #our topic further. The ne$t step includes outlining 'e# research co%ponents and the overall thesis structure. This is follo&ed b# developing specific research questions and corresponding h#pothesis. 8nce a basic conceptual fra%e&or' is developed the focus &ill shift 2

to&ards the actual i%ple%entation b# developing an appropriate %ethodolog# in order to be able to test this h#pothesis. This %a# include identif#ing specific treat%ents< tools< techniques and corresponding sa%ple and data processing procedures that &ill be used. 8nce the general fra%e&or' is developed< 'e# activities are defined and these are translated into a ti%eline of specific tas's using a .antt chard. This &ill help #ou to plan ahead and to finish #our thesis progra%%e in a ti%el# fashion.

In ter%s of the initial literature search the goal is e$ploring 'e# references and other relevant infor%ation provided b# the supervisor and obtained via a basic literature search using data basis provided on the 7>- digital librar# site 9http,==librar#.&ur.nl=:. This &ebsite provides direct access to tools that facilitate 'e#&ord searches such as &eb of science< .oogle scholar< or 86ID SP 9e.g. 4.-I58@4:. 8ther infor%ation sources %a# include reports and boo's obtained fro% the librar#. The entire process is for%aliFed b# &riting a research plan that needs to be approved b# #our supervisor and the e$a%iner before #ou start the research &or'. ;ou &ill also present #our research plan in one of the Tuesda# "*S lunch %eetings 9to be scheduled b# #our supervisor:. 2.( Thesis cont"act >pon co%pletion of #our thesis proposal< together &ith #our supervisor #ou &ill fill out a thesis contract &hich details co%%it%ents regarding +Sc2thesis &or'< including co%%it%ents on frequenc# of supervision %eetings< &or'ing hours and &or'ing plan 9See also Section ! GPeople &ho %a# be of help during #our thesis &or'H.: Please note that the contract is not an GofficialH docu%ent that is co%pletel# rigid after being signed< but just a &a# to docu%ent the agree%ents %ade &ith #our supervisor and the e$a%iner. The thesis contract can be rene&ed and adapted &hen required< but then it also needs to be approved again b# #our supervisor and e$a%iner. In addition it also outlines #our student rights and responsibilities during the thesis progra%%e. The thesis contract should be filled out< signed< and handed to the secretar# before starting the actual thesis &or'. 2.) *efo"e +o sta"t +o " e,pe"i-ental .o"/

If #our thesis &or' includes &or' in one of our laboratories #our supervisor &ill introduce #ou to the "*S colleague9s: that %anage these labs 93ennie 3al%< Dine 6ol'er< or 8scar de 6os:. The# &ill sho& #ou around and infor% #ou &here #ou can find the laborator# %anual on our &ebsite. In this docu%ent #ou &ill find detailed rules concerning the &or' in the labs. "efore #ou start &or'ing there #ou need to read the docu%ent and print and return to the lab %anager the signed for% stating that #ou have read the %anual and &ill &or' accordingl#. If #our thesis &ill involve &or' in the cli%ate cha%ber< greenhouse or at the e$peri%ental far%< #our supervisor or one of the technicians &ill introduce #ou to the people that #ou need to co%%unicate &ith for these facilities.

2.0 E,a-ine" Dr Ir Iacques I. Beeteson< +anager of the "*S .roup< &ill be the e$a%iner of #our "*S thesis. The role of the e$a%iner consists of, approval of #our research planC signing the thesis contractC approval of the oral presentation of #our research proposal and that of #our final presentation 9colloquiu%:C successful co%pletion of the thesis defenceC final grading.

%. EDUCATIONA1 AI2S O3 DOIN4 A THESIS IN THE *3S 4ROUP There are several general ai%s in co%pleting a thesis at the 8rganic *ar%ing S#ste%s .roup. 4fter having co%pleted the thesis< students &ill be able to prepare< perfor% and report on, scientific research pertaining to plant=ani%al=soil sciencesC anal#sis and design of organic=sustainable far%ing s#ste%sC socio2econo%ic surve#s< far% characteriFation< and sta'eholder anal#sis 9in collaboration &ith a staff %e%ber of a social sciences group:C organic production chains 9in collaboration &ith a staff %e%ber of +5" or +TS:. +ore specificall#< &e distinguish bet&een educational ai%s &ith respect to perfor%ing research< data anal#sis< scientific &riting and presenting research results. %.1 Pe"fo"-in' "esea"ch 8ur ai% is that after having co%pleted the thesis< students &ill have learned to, e$plore the bac'ground of a given research proble% b# criticall# revie&ing current scientific literatureC for%ulate a research plan< including research goals=questions and corresponding h#pothesesC develop a detailed ti%eline and update this &hen needed 9ti%e %anage%ent:C i%ple%ent the research confor% the research plan &hile adhering to the ti%elineC collect< process< anal#se< interpret and evaluate relevant infor%ationC address research questions< criticall# discuss results and dra& conclusionsC discuss %id2ter% results &ith supervisors and other studentsC discuss possible proble%s &ith supervisorsC incorporate advice of others in the research. %.2 Data anal+sis 8ur ai% is that after having co%pleted the thesis< students &ill have learned to, enter data in a spread sheet in a logical and structured %anner so that 4

subsequent statistical anal#sis can be carried out efficientl#C carr# out the appropriate statistical anal#sesC dra& conclusions based on statistical anal#sesC or, for%ulate a quantitative %odel 9e.g. si%ulation %odel< %athe%atical %odel or opti%iFation %odel:C validate the %odel &ith data collected b# the student< fro% others in the "*S group or fro% the literatureC dra& conclusions about the validit# of the %odel.

%.% Scientific ."itin' 8ur ai% is that after having co%pleted the thesis< students &ill be able to, &rite a scientific report in )nglish using a scientific journal for%atC structure a scientific te$tC use correct st#le< &ording and appropriate ter%inolog#C present the results in logical %anner using journal qualit# tables and figuresC for%ulate concise and sound conclusions. %.& P"esentin' "es lts o"all+ 8ur ai% is that after having co%pleted the thesis< students &ill be able to, prepare a &ell2structured< clear and concise presentation in )nglish using Po&erPointC effectivel# co%%unicate the results of their thesis to a scientific audienceC ans&er questions fro% the audience in a clear and direct %anner.

&. THE THREE PHASES O3 AN 2Sc THESIS 4n +Sc thesis is usuall# produced in three phases, thesis proposal develop%ent research i%ple%entation thesis &riting and presentation &.1 Phase 15 P"oposal de#elop-ent 9See 4ppendi$ ": During the onset of #our thesis< #ou onl# have chosen the subject and perhaps discussed a possible research focus &ith #our supervisor. 4 detailed research plan< ho&ever< still needs to be developed. It &ill usuall# ta'e several &ee's to co%plete a good plan 9 211 pages< including references:. This phase provides a scientific basis for the actual research that is carried out in phase 2. The %ost i%portant activities &ithin this phase include, e$ploring and delineating the research topic b# criticall# revie&ing current scientific literature 9do not co%%it plagiar#J:C for%ulating the research plan< including research goals=questions< corresponding h#potheses< relevant %ethodolog# 9including statistical anal#ses:< and developing a ti%eline for #our thesis research 9see 4ppendi$ ":C 5

presenting the thesis proposal to the "*S research group b# developing a professional po&er point presentation that ai%s to solicit useful suggestions for further i%proving the proposal.

During phase 1< students and supervisors have &ee'l# %eetings to discuss the progress. The proposal %ust be approved b# the e$a%iner before the start of the research. &.2 Phase 25 Resea"ch i-ple-entation During phase 2 the research is being i%ple%ented. I%portant activities include, i%ple%entation of the actual research as outlined in the project proposalC collection and processing of dataC interpretation and integration of all relevant infor%ationC adhere to ti%eline and &hen needed update the project proposalC co%plete statistical anal#sis of results or develop=i%ple%ent suitable %athe%atical or si%ulation %odelsC use statistical tools=%odels to ans&er research questions and test h#pothesisC develop a conceptual fra%e&or' for structuring draft chapters and presenting resultsC integrate results< criticall# assess and validate findingsC develop draft chapters and initial conclusions. During phase 2< the supervisor &ill guide the research in particular during the earl# phase. 4s the research proceeds< students &ill gain research s'ills and beco%e %ore confidence and are e$pected to &or' %ore independentl# and to sho& %ore initiative. 4 field &or' period of several %onths %a# be part of phase 2< so%eti%es abroad. During phase 2 #ou &ill start &riting chapters for the thesis report. +eetings &ith the supervisor &ill ta'e place on a regular basis< at least once ever# t&o &ee's. During these %eetings the progress is discussed< as &ell as possible proble%s. Students co%pleting their thesis abroad &ill sent detailed bi&ee'l# activit# reports per e2%ail to their supervisor instead< and &hen possible hold %onthl# digital discussion sessions using S'#pe 9http,==&&&.s'#pe.co%:. ;ou need to 'eep a diar# of all dail# activities and results in a noteboo'. The original noteboo' &ill be handed over to the supervisor after finishing the research as the research results are propert# of the universit#. &.% Phase %5 Thesis ."itin' and p"esentation 9See 4ppendi$ 5 and D: The %ain activities during this phase include finalisation of the thesis report< and an oral presentation of the results 9colloquiu%:. ;our report should be &ritten in )nglish. *or%ulate all sentences #ourself< &ithout co%%itting plagiar#. ;ou can at %ost literall# cite one to t&o sentences< &hich need to be placed bet&een quotation %ar's follo&ed b# the reference bet&een brac'ets. *or #our report #ou should use the scientific for%at and st#le. This st#le can be su%%arised as Gco%plete but conciseH. "ased on phase 2 the report should contain the follo&ing sections 9see also 4ppendi$ 5:, 6

Structure option 4 Preface )$ecutive su%%ar# Introduction +aterial and +ethods -esults Discussion 5onclusions -eferences 4ppendices 9original data< questionnaires< etc.:

Structure option " Preface 4bstract including 'e#&ords Introduction +aterials and +ethods -esults and Discussion S#nthesis 5onclusions -eferences 4ppendices

4t the beginning of phase 3 9but at least ! &ee's before the end of the project: #ou should hand in an annotated outline of #our thesis report. This is a docu%ent of a fe& pages &ith the co%plete table of contents and a brief description of the content of each chapter. 4t least 4 &ee's before the end of #our project #ou should have a se%i2final draft of #our thesis report< containing all the basic infor%ation 9but so%e tables and=or figures %a# still be %issing and further anal#sis %a# still be added later on:. This version &ill be discussed in detail &ith #our supervisor &ho %a# suggest changes in the structure and content but usuall# no ne& data should be collected after this date. The final draft of the report needs to be handed in to the supervisor t&o &ee's before the end of the project. 4fter discussing this version &ith #our supervisor #ou still have ti%e to %a'e so%e changes. The final report needs to be sent to the supervisor and the e$a%iner one &ee' before the discussion of the report &ith e$a%iner and supervisor. The title page needs to have a standard la#out 9see &ebsite of "*S, http,==&&&.bfs.&ur.nl=>?=)ducation=+ScDrules< E0:. ;ou &ill have to %a'e three hard copies and one digital cop# for the "*S group 9for e$a%iner< supervisor and secretariat: and< if additional supervisors &ere involved< also a hard cop# for the%. The costs for the preparation of the required nu%ber of copies of the report &ill be paid for b# "*S 9use the guest card for printing= photocop#ing:. For colour copies, please contact the secretariat beforehand . "inding of the report can be done at the service corner at the ground floor 9 W07 corridor ,38* near the %eeting roo%s:. The results of #our thesis 9data collected< ne& ideas developed< etc.: are the propert# of the "*S group and &e have the right to use the results for education< publication or other purposes. If the thesis is of sufficient qualit# for publication< the +Sc student is encouraged to sub%it a %anuscript together &ith the supervisor and other participants on the research doneC the +Sc student &ill be first author if the bul' of the intellectual &or' 9including the anal#sis and &riting: &as carried out b# the student. ;ou are not allo&ed to publish the results of #our thesis &or' &ithout prior consent of the "*S group. The final version of #our thesis< the original data sets< and statistical anal#ses need to be transferred digitall# to #our supervisor and the secretariat of "*S. *inall#< #ou &ill present the results to other students< staff of the "*S group and other people &ho are interested. Please as' #our advisor to schedule a colloquiu% and final e$a% date. This colloquiu% &ill be announced b# e2%ail and on our ho%epage. Preparation &ill be done &ith the help of the supervisor. ;ou &ill practice the presentation once for the supervisor &ho &ill co%%ent on the

content and structure of the presentation< and on #our presentation s'ills. 3e &ill evaluate the actual presentation &ith #ou. The oral presentation is based on a Po&erPoint presentation and ta'es 2 %inutes %a$i%u% 9plus 21 %inutes for discussion:. It should at least include 9see 4ppendi$ D:, the title of #our thesisC outline of the presentationC introductionC ai% of the stud# = research questions and h#pothesesC %aterial and %ethods 9including statistical anal#ses:C resultsC conclusions. During phase 3 students &ill %eet &ith their supervisors frequentl# 9&ee'l# or bi&ee'l#:. It is reco%%ended to finalise all these activities before starting a ne& thesis or internship else&here. 7riting a thesis is usuall# a ti%e2consu%ing activit#. "oth students and supervisors need to be a&are fro% the beginning that planning a project is not an eas# tas'. 7e thin' it is i%portant that all the &or' for the thesis 9including report &riting and presenting the results: is finalised &ithin the period agreed upon at the start of the project. @earning ho& to plan is an i%portant part of #our professional develop%ent..

(. 4RADIN4 (.1 4"adin' p"oced "e 4fter co%pletion of #our report #our supervisor &ill evaluate the thesis &or' &ith #ou< e$plaining the strong and &ea' points of #our &or'. .rading of #our thesis &ill be done after the research has been co%pleted< the final thesis report handed in and after the colloquiu%. In a final %eeting of about 4 2!1 %in< &ith the e$a%iner and #our supervisor #our &or' &ill be discussed. 4t the end of this discussion the e$a%iner &ill deter%ine the final grade in consultation &ith #our supervisor< and &ill provide the argu%ents for the decision. Since the e$a%iner and supervisors are ver# %uch a&are of the i%portance of the grading< these decisions are not ta'en lightl#. 3o&ever< in case #ou have good grounds to disagree on the proposed grade< #ou can of course e$press this during a final %eeting &ith #our supervisor. The grading &ill follo& the educational ai%s as described above. The final grade &ill be based on four individual grades for, research co%petence 9312!1K:C thesis report 9312!1K:C oral presentation s'ills 9 K:C e$a%ination 9 K:. 8f these< the first t&o are clearl# %ore i%portant than the last t&o. The balance bet&een research s'ills and &riting s'ills &ill depend on the research approach ta'en. 8

4"adin' of "esea"ch co-petence .rading the research s'ills &ill be based on an evaluation of the studentHs co%%it%ent and perseveranceC initiative and creativit#C independenceC efficienc# in &or'ing &ith dataC handling supervisorHs co%%ents and develop%ent of research s'illsC 'eeping to the ti%e schedule. 4"adin' of thesis "epo"t .rading the &riting s'ills &ill be largel# based on the final report or article. It &ill reflect relevance of research< clearness of goals< delineation of researchC theoretical underpinning< use of literatureC use of %ethods and dataC critical reflection on the research perfor%ed 9discussion:C clarit# of conclusions and reco%%endationsC &riting s'ills. 4"adin' the o"al p"esentation .rading the oral presentation s'ills &ill be largel# based on the colloquiu%. It &ill reflect the studentHs abilit# to prepare a structured< clear and concise presentation for a scientific audienceC to use Po&erPoint in a scientific presentationC to ans&er questions in a satisfactor# &a#. 4"adin' the e,a-ination 6thesis disc ssion7 .rading the thesis discussion &ill reflect the studentHs abilit# to defend the thesis in detailC to de%onstrate 'no&ledge in the general 'no&ledge do%ain of the research carried out and of the functioning of organic far%ing s#ste%s. (.2 Inte"p"etation of '"ades The final grade is based on grades for a: #our research s'ills< b: #our research report< c: #our oral presentation< and d: the final e$a%ination 9see above:. Integrating these aspects is not an eas# tas'. The follo&ing guidelines to distinguish bet&een the various grades have proven to be useful. The# should< ho&ever< be considered indicative and not ta'en as strict rules. .rade lo&er than !, This %eans that the student failed and that the &or' is unacceptable in its current for%. .rade !, The outco%e of the stud# is sufficient but belo& set require%ents in so%e aspectsC this %a# i%pl# that the student needed substantial and repeated help during the research and in designing the research questions. The final results are acceptable but the report has so%e i%portant shortco%ings 9for instance in structure< interpretation of results< and=or clarit# in st#le and=or gra%%ar:. 9

.rade (, The outco%e of the stud# 9both report and oral presentation: is good< and full# %eets the general require%ents. The student did &hat could be e$pected fro% the research questions stated in the research proposal. The student %ade efficient use of the help provided during the develop%ent of the research proposal and the thesis &or'. .rade /, The qualit# of the thesis report e$ceeds basic e$pectation. *or instance< the thesis %a# include so%e original ideas and=or innovative research approaches. The thesis report is clearl# structured and &ell2&ritten. The student &as creative in proble% solving during the thesis progra%%e. The oral presentation &as good. Part of the &or' %a#< after editing or further anal#sis< be considered for publication. .rade 0, The thesis includes substantial ne& ideasC the student de%onstrated a lot of personal initiative< &or'ed ver# efficientl# and &ith %ini%al support and the student sho&s outstanding anal#tical s'ills and great acade%ic potential. The thesis report has no 9or %ini%al: fla&s and provides a good basis for a scientific publication. The oral presentation &as ver# good. .rade 11, The thesis is outstanding in ter%s of structure< s#nthesis< and scientific i%pact. The student has unique anal#tical< &riting and co%%unication s'ills. The research presents a true advance in the scientific field addressed b# the student and results are suitable for publication &ith onl# %inor %odification. If the %ar's had to be e$plained in one &ord< the order &ould be, sufficient 9!:< good 9(:< ver# good 9/:< e$cellent 90:< e$traordinar# 911:. *ro% the above it is clear that a 11 %a# not be obtained &hereas even relativel# fe& students get a 0. +ost students thus score bet&een a ! and /. Since the sub2grades for the various judge%ent co%ponents often differ 9e.g. so%eti%es the research s'ills &ere ver# good but the reporting just sufficient or the other &a# around:< effective fall 2111 half2point grades &ere being introduced 9for instance a (. :.

). PEOP1E 8HO 2A9 *E O3 HE1P DURIN4 9OUR THESIS 8OR: .eneral questions about "*S and the for%alities of thesis research at "*S can be as'ed at the secretariat 9+rs 7a%pie van Schou&enburg at 4/1101 9onl# present in the %ornings: or through e2%ail, office.biobA&ur.nl:. If #ou face an# serious proble%s or have co%plaints related to the supervision or evaluation process during #our thesis &or'< there are several people &ho can help at 7ageningen >niversit#. 8f course the first one to contact is #our supervisor< but if #ou feel #ou cannot solve the proble% &ith hi%=her< do not hesitate to contact others. ).1 S pe"#iso" If students and supervisors face serious proble%s during the thesis &or'< the# are often concerned &ith a discrepanc# bet&een &hat &as actuall# happening 10

during the thesis &or' and &hat &as agreed to beforehand. "e sure #ou %a'e clear agree%ents on the supervision, ho& %an# hours are reserved for supervision< &hat are the supervisorLs office hours< &hat are the periods the supervisor &ill be absent and &ho &ill replace hi%=her< etc. "efore #ou start #our thesis &or'< these agree%ents &ill be recorded in the thesis contract as &ell as agree%ents regarding reporting< facilities< evaluation< etc. The contract &ill not prevent all proble%s< but it %a# facilitate finding suitable solutions to potential proble%s that %a# occur despite the best intentions of both #ou and #our supervisor. Tr# to contact #our supervisor regularl# and do not hesitate to discuss proble%s in an earl# stageJ ).2 E,a-ine" and ed cational co;o"dinato" If #ou cannot resolve the proble% &ith #our supervisor< #ou could contact #our e$a%iner or the educational co2ordinator of the "*S .roup. The# are available to help #ou addressing the proble%. ;ou can also choose to contact an# other senior staff %e%ber. ).% St d+ co;o"dinato" ;our stud# co2ordinator is al&a#s available for questions and %a# provide advice or suggestions concerning #our stud# and=or thesis progra%%e. ).& St dent co nsello" Through the secretariat of the DeanHs 8ffice< an appoint%ent can be %ade &ith one of the Deans for Students of 7ageningen >niversit#. The Dean of Students confidentiall# supports students in practical and personal %atters. 3e or she can be considered as a counsellor &ho can be contacted in case of personal proble%s< stud# proble%s and other questions.

0. THE INTERNSHIP 0.1 Int"od ction The ai%s of a thesis and an internship are clearl# different. *or the thesis the focus is on developing various scientific research s'ills as described in detail in the previous chapters. *or the internship the focus is %ainl# on e$periencing the practiceC #ou &ill discover &hat #ou need in a future job position in ter%s of 'no&ledge< s'ills< and co%petences< &hat #ou 'no& and can do alread# and &hat #ou eventuall# still have to gather in the re%aining part of #our stud#. -ecentl# so%e students opt to co%bine the thesis and internship. 8ne clear advantage of this is that in ter%s of research %ore co%ple$ and in2depth research questions can be addressed and thesis reports can %ore readil# result in refereed publications. 4nother develop%ent is that so%e 9international: students opt to co%plete their internship at a research facilit# affiliated &ith 7>including PP8 @el#stad and Droevendaal e$peri%ental far%. This option is 11

especiall# desirable for students &anting to pursue a research career. 0.2 Ho. to find a *3S s pe"#iso" and inte"nship position *or an internship #ou need to have a "*S internship supervisor and a dail# supervisor at the institution=co%pan# &here #ou &ill do #our internship. 4ll "*S staff %e%bers can act as an internship supervisor. If #ou alread# have a clear idea about #our field of interest for the internship and this is lin'ed to the field of interest of one of the staff %e%bers #ou can contact that staff %e%ber and discuss &ith hi%=her #our plans. If these are not so clear #et #ou should contact the educational contact person 9Dr )gbert @antinga: and discuss &ith hi% about possible internship positions. 7hen it beco%es clear &hat t#pe of internship best %atches #our professional goals he &ill assign a "*S supervisor. ;ou are encouraged to first thin' about &here #ou &ant to go for an internship. This &ill nor%all# be related to the future &or' field #ou are %ost interested in. 5hoices to be %ade %a# include, t#pe of institution 9co%pan#< e$tension service< research organisation:< location 9sta# in the Betherlands vs. &or'ing abroad< developed vs. developing countries:< etc. ;ou are free to e$plore if organisations of #our choice have internship positions available. 3o&ever< before #ou %a'e final decisions and arrange%ents #ou should discuss #our plans &ith #our "*S supervisor. 4lternativel#< "*S staff %e%bers can also use their professional net&or' in order to help #ou in finding a suitable internship position and %a'ing the initial contacts. ;ou &ill al&a#s be responsible for the final arrange%ents 9including travel allo&ance< salar#< visa and=or &or' per%it: &ith the local internship supervisor. 4fter the final arrange%ents have been %ade< shortl# before or shortl# after the start of the internship< #ou have to fill in an internship contract together &ith #our local supervisor and have it signed b# the local supervisor< #ourself and #our "*S supervisor. )ach of these people &ill get a cop# of this contract. 0.% Repo"t and '"adin' +ost local supervisors &ill as' #ou to &rite a report containing the details of 9part of: the &or' #ou have done for the%. This &ill be part of the arrange%ents #ou %ade &ith hi%=her and of course &e assu%e #ou 'eep to these arrange%ents. 3o&ever< this &ill nor%all# not be the report that &ill serve as the internship report for "*S. The internship report for "*S needs to contain the follo&ing ele%ents, Int"od ction 3ere #ou present relevant general infor%ation< including e.g. the organisation &here #ou did #our internship< &h# #ou chose this organisation< &ho #our supervisors &ere< etc. 1ea"nin' 'oals and "eflection on the lea"nin' p"ocess In order to get the %ost fro% #our internship period #ou first need to decide &hat s'ills #ou &ant to gain during #our internship. Therefore< #ou are as'ed to reflect on the learning process #ou have gone through before starting #our internship and then for%ulate learning goalsC tr# to for%ulate the% as specific as possible. 4t the end of the internship period #ou reflect on the internship 12

learning process and describe in the report in ho& far #our learning goals have been reached and &hat 'no&ledge< s'ills or co%petences #ou &ant to i%prove before #ou finish #our +Sc and ho& #ou plan to do that. Desc"iption of the inte"nship o"'anisation ;ou need to describe the organisation &here #ou &ent for #our internship. 7hich infor%ation #ou give &ill partl# depend on the t#pe of organisation but the follo&ing ele%ents &ill be applicable for all t#pes of organisations, o The structure and %anage%ent of the organisation 9include organiFational chart:. o ?e# activities and products. o +ain processes. o *inancial %atters 9funding< turn2over rates etc.:. o )$ternal relations 9clients< collaborators< net&or's etc.:. o S78T anal#sis 9in an infor%al or %ore for%al &a#:. Acti#ities Describe #our activities during #our internship period. The level of detail for this is different fro% that of a thesis report. ;ou do not need to describe %ethodolog# and results in all detail but #ou should provide enough infor%ation to %a'e clear to #our supervisor &hat #ou have done and at &hat level< ho& independent #ou have &or'ed< &hat #our responsibilities &ere< &hat the results of #our activities &ere and if these %et the goals and in ho& far these contributed to the organisation. If #ou %ade also a report for #our local supervisor and this report is not confidential< #ou can include that as an appendi$ to #our internship report. 4fter receiving #our report< #our "*S supervisor &ill contact the local supervisor and discuss #our learning process and products &ith hi%=her. Then the "*S supervisor &ill discuss the report &ith #ou and decide about the grade based on the report and the evaluation b# the local supervisor.

13

APPENDICES

A. 3ACI1ITIES AND HOUSE RU1ES 9see also G2.3 Initial preparationsH on page 2: 1. The 8rganic *ar%ing S#ste%s group is located at Droevendaalsesteeg 1< !(1/ P" 7ageningen 9-adi$ "uilding< no. 11(:. 7a%pie van Schou&enburg is our secretar# 9present in the %orning: at tel. 131( 4/1101 or e2%ail office.biobA&ur.nl:. 2. The building can be entered on &ee' da#s bet&een (.31 and 22.11 h and in &ee'ends fro% 10.11 M 1(.11 h 9at the %ain entrance:. * t in an+ case +o ha#e to lea#e the b ildin' .ell befo"e 22.<< h and 10.<< h= "especti#el+. If #ou fail to do so and the alar% goes off< please &ait for the securit# officer so that he does not have to enter the building to loo' for the reason &h# the alar% &ent off. 3. In the Service corner #ou &ill find Printer = photocop#ing %achine 9blac'=&hite:, &or's also &ith guest card. 5olour printer staff "*S. ?itchen facilities such as sin'< refrigerator 9see rules for use: and %icro &ave oven< and table and chairs for lunch and=or coffee. Please clean after use. +agaFines M please return after reading. @oc'ers< for storing valuables. 4. 8ur %eeting corner 9opposite the stair case< ne$t to the colloquiu% roo%: is %eant as a %eeting place for "*S staff %e%bers &ith their guests< colleagues< students. So= it is not a coffee>l nch co"ne"?

*. 4UIDE1INES 3OR 8RITIN4 A RESEARCH PROPOSA1 >suall# it ta'es up to a fe& &ee's to &rite a project proposal of about This proposal needs to include at least the follo&ing, pages.

Title of the p"o!ect The title should be as concise as possible< it is usuall# a su%%ar# of the proble% state%ent< and %a# include a geographic reference to a specific case stud# area. Int"od ction > *ac/'"o nd The introduction includes a proble% state%ent< and provides an overvie& of the scientific literature< su%%arising &hat is 'no&n about the subject and &hat 'no&ledge gaps e$ist. It gives a brief reflection on the &ider conte$t of the research topic< the scientific and social relevance 9&h# is it i%portant: and ho& the research idea developed. It is &ritten in such a &a# that the purpose of the stud# follo&s logicall# fro% it. It %a# serve as the basis for 5hapter 1 of the thesis. P "pose of the st d+ *ro% the introduction and bac'ground< the purpose of the stud# can be for%ulated. This is the scientific for%ulation of &hat &ill be achieved in the research. It is follo&ed b# a nu%ber of research questions that &ill be ans&ered and the corresponding h#pothesis that &ill be tested. This section &ill also provide a conceptual basis for 5hapter 1 of the thesis. The %ethods to be used and described in the ne$t section should focus on ans&ering the research questions and testing the corresponding h#pothesis. 4 separate section in the final report 9usuall# called Ndiscussion and=or conclusionsN: should present the ans&ers to these questions. 2ate"ials and -ethods 4 description is given of ho& the research questions &ill be ans&ered. The research %ethod9s: and tools used are described. *or e$peri%ental research< the treat%ents< replications< e$peri%ental design and intended statistical anal#sis are outlined. )$peri%ental %ethodologies are also briefl# described. *or s#ste%s anal#sis< the research %ethod is often a co%bination of for e$a%ple literature stud#< intervie&s< %odelling< field&or'< etc. This description of the %ethod %a# serve as the basis for 5hapter 2 of the thesis. Plannin' This section should give a description of the planning. It sho&s at &hat ti%e specific research co%ponent are being initiated and=or co%pleted< and &hen draft chapters of the report are due. It also allo&s for a revie& period &hen co%%ents fro% the supervisor are being addressed< and indicates &hen the final colloquiu% is being held. The planning %a# also include a strategic research plan< discussing for e$a%ple &here the research &ill be carried out 9e.g. field&or' site:< &hich organisations &ill collaborate 9if applicable:< &ho &ill do &hat 9in case of a group project:< etc.

S pe"#ision 22

The na%es of the supervisor9s: are %entioned here. D"aft table of contents The proposal ends &ith a draft table of contents of the thesis. The thesis chapters are referred to in the planning. Refe"ences *inall#< a list of bac'ground literature and contacts used 9organisations=persons: to develop the proposal is given.

222

C. 4UIDE1INES 3OR 8RITIN4 A THESIS REPORT ;ou are to so%e e$tent free to choose the for%at of the report but it should< in an# case< be based on the follo&ing structure, P"eface This section %a# describe &h# #ou did this research 9e.g. as part of #our +Sc 8rganic 4griculture: and include so%e personal notes on #our project< and ac'no&ledge%ents. S --a"+ 61;% pa'es7 This section su%%arises #our research. It includes so%e bac'ground< the ai% of the stud# and=or research questions< short description of the %ethod used< the %ost i%portant results of the project and the %ost i%portant conclusions. Int"od ction The introduction 9or 5hapter 1 of #our report: can be largel# based on the research proposal. It includes an overvie& of the %ost i%portant scientific literature< and describes the current state of 'no&ledge. It also sho&s &hat &e do not 'no& at present 9'no&ledge gaps:. *ro% this< the purpose of #our stud# should follo& logicall# as &ell as the research questions to be ans&ered. The introduction ends &ith an outline of the thesis co%ponents and overall thesis structure. 2ate"ials and -ethods This section describes ho& #ou ans&ered the research questions and &hat %ethods #ou used< including %ethods for statistical anal#sis. It %a# include a description of #our research area< or a description of the %odels that #ou used< or the scenarios that #ou for%ulated. P"esentin' Res lts In general it is i%portant to develop both an effective 9concise and clear: and creative 9tr# not to al&a#s use the sa%e verbs and sentence structure: &riting st#le. The results should be presented in such a &a# that the# logicall# refer to the research questions for%ulated in 5hapter 1. It is advisable to consult &ith #our advisor on the overall structure and for%atting of both figures and tables based on standards for publications right after initial statistical anal#sis are being co%pleted. This %a# include the use of %ean separation and p values in tables and standard error bars=@SD values in figures. It is i%portant to refer to tables and figures clearl# the first ti%e the# are being referred to and that the# should be placed on the sa%e or ne$t page &hen the# are being introduced the first ti%e 9e.g. .rain #ield &as lo&er for conservation tillage treat%ents co%pared to standard tillage 9Table 4::. 3ighlight 'e# differences=trends and do not get caught up in %inor details unless the# are relevant for #our discussion. There are t&o options for presenting results, 4: *irst present the results 9so #ou just report on the results &ithout e$plaining the%J: then discuss the% in ter%s of causal relationships and lin' the% to other research findings in a separate section. 29

":

Integrate results and discussion in the sa%e section. ;ou first %ention &hat happened< then e$plain &h# this %a# be the case and ho& this relates to other aspects and reports in the literature.

The for%at to be used depends on the co%ple$it# of the subject %atter and the preference of both supervisor and student. The advantage of separating O-esultsP and ODiscussionP sections are that it so%eti%es facilitates the discussion of %ore co%ple$ research co%ponents. It is also easier for ine$perienced researchers since it forces the% to carefull# highlight results fro% either graphs or tables in a Ostep b# stepP %anner that is consistent &ith the overall structure of tables and figures. 3o&ever< especiall# for %ore standard research studies< at ti%es the &riting %a# beco%e %echanical and %a# actuall# evolve to a rather tedious su%%ing up of Oone thing being greater=higher than anotherP and so%e duplication %a# occur bet&een the results and discussion sections. The advantage of integrating results and discussion into a single co%ponent is that it prevents such duplication. +oreover< the reader does not need to flip bac' and forth bet&een tables=figures< results< and the discussion all the ti%e. In this case results are presented and discussed on the sa%e or on the ne$t page &hen the# are first sho&n in a table or figure. 3o&ever< it is essential to provide a logical structure and order of presenting infor%ation. Insert subsections 9use Italian headings: to organiFe data and use of a logical structure is essential. This &ill also prevent te$t sections fro% getting e$cessivel# long. Bote, If treat%ents are statisticall# not significantl# different #ou should report that the# are Osi%ilarP although nu%ericall# the# %a# differ greatl#. In the discussion section #ou %a# elude as to &h# the inherent variabilit# &as appreciable and provide suggestions for reducing this variabilit# such that treat%ent effects beco%e %ore readil# apparent. Disc ssion of "es lts In the discussion #ou criticall# assess results. *irst of all< #ou need to present potential li%itation=bias of #our approach and uncertainties in the results. Then #ou need to justif# that #our approach &as appropriate. Be$t< #ou need to co%pare #our results to those of other reports and discuss the differences and si%ilarities in the conte$t of the specific conditions of #our stud#. S+nthesis Since our group focuses on organic s#ste%s and s#ste% anal#sis &e put special e%phasis on the integration of s#ste% co%ponents and s#nthesis of results. In this section individual research co%ponents should beco%e connected at a s#ste%s level and inner2relations=interactions a%ong s#ste% co%ponents are %ade %ore e$plicit. This section %a# include s#ste% diagra%s< resource use efficienc# indices< sensitivit# anal#sis< and=or %odels. This section should not e$ceed 32 pages te$t. Concl sions The conclusions section outlines the highlights fro% the results and discussion sections. "asicall#< it provides ans&ers given to #our research questions. In addition< reco%%endations %a# be for%ulated for a: further research and=or b: 9

polic# %a'ers. Refe"ences The reference list should be current and co%plete. Please %a'e sure that #ou are consistent in using a standard citation for%at. Please refer to the %ost relevant scientific papers that have been published in #our subject. 8nl# include references in #our list that #ou used in #our te$t. In the te$t< #ou usuall# refer to another stud# as follo&s, In the case of one author, 9"lo'< 211 :. In the case of t&o authors, 9"lo' and -ossing< 211 :. In the case of %ore than t&o authors, 9"lo' et al.< 211 :.

The for%at of the reference list is up to #ou but should follo& a generall# accepted for%at and in an# case include, Ba%e of author. ;ear of publication. Title of publication. Iournal na%e and nu%ber< or -eport na%e and nu%ber. Pages. In case of boo's and reports, publisher. Please consult so%e scientific articles to choose a for%at that #ou li'e. Appendices 4n# additional infor%ation. Discuss &ith #our supervisor &hich %aterials are needed to include in the appendices.

92

D. 4UIDE1INES 3OR PREPARIN4 AN ORA1 PRESENTATION The oral presentation 9colloquiu%: &ill be based on a Po&erPoint presentation and should be 2 %inutes %a$i%u%. It should at least include the follo&ing subjects, The title of +o " thesis 8ne slide sho&ing the title< #our na%e and an# other infor%ation #ou &ish to add. O tline of the p"esentation 8ne slide in &hich #ou tell the audience &hat the# can e$pect in the co%ing %inutes. Int"od ction 8ne or t&o slides giving so%e bac'ground on the subject of #our thesis. Ai- of the st d+ > "esea"ch $ estions> h+pothesis 8ne slide presenting the questions that &ill be ans&ered later and corresponding h#pothesis. 2ethod 4 fe& slides giving details on the %ethod #ou used< grouped based on specific research co%ponents. Res lts Several slides presenting #our results per research co%ponent. Concl sions 8ne or t&o slides ans&ering #our research questions and dra&ing conclusions. Ac/no.led'e-ents 8ne slide &ith a list of na%es and functions of people &ho helped #ou &ith #our research< and if funding &as supplied b# an outside agenc#< %ention the source of funding. It is i%portant to prepare #our slides carefull#. So%e general reco%%endations &ith respect to slides include 5hoose one single font t#peC >se a large font siFe 9average 3223! points for headings and 2122/ points for te$t:C >se concise language and bullets &hen applicableC Do not use too %an# lines 9%a$i%u% /211 per slide:C +aintain a good balance bet&een te$t< pictures< tables and figuresC +a'e sure #our slides onl# contain relevant infor%ation that #ou &ill actuall# presentC .raphs usuall# are easier to read b# the audience than tablesC 7hen presenting tables 'eep the nu%ber of ro&s and colu%ns do&n to about 32 and use a large te$t font 9Q1/:C +a'e sure that labelling of a$is and legends of figures is large enough so the# 922

can be read on a relativel# s%all screenJ It is i%portant to practice #our presentation several ti%es before #ou actuall# give it. 7hen presenting< please ta'e into account the follo&ing, Project #our voice and articulate clearl#C Do not stare at the screen too long but face the audience insteadC Stand up straightC Do not put #our hands in #our poc'ets or touch #our face &ith #our handsC Tal' slo&l#< give the audience ti%e to thin'C 7hen presenting graphs and tables< ta'e #our ti%e to tell the audience &hat the graph=table presents before #ou start to tal' about their content 9e.g. &hen presenting graphs< first e$plain the $ and # a$is< before #ou start to tal' about the results:C 7hen presenting tables< be a&are that the audience &ill not have ti%e and energ# to re%e%ber all the nu%bers that are in there. Decide in advance &hich nu%bers #ou thin' are i%portant in the table< and focus #our discussion on the%C >se a pointer if #ou present tables and graphs to %a'e sure that the audience 'no&s &hat #ou are tal'ing about.

9222

RE2AR:S

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