4 Research Tips for Students Pursuing a Graduate Degree in Vienna

Earning a master’s degree is a great way to stay qualified and competitive in the job market today. Graduate programs offer students a chance to enrich their academic understanding and explore their chosen field through a more comprehensive lens. At the same time, graduate programs can challenge students to explore new academic practices and methods of sourcing information.

Those in a graduate program will likely complete a master’s thesis. A thesis project is an opportunity to undertake independent research at an advanced academic level. Students have the chance to demonstrate their skills in applying appropriate research methods to their respective fields. With that in mind, a research project can be both challenging and rewarding. Here are five tips for honing your research skills at a graduate level.

1. Develop a Research System for Your Graduate Degree in Vienna

Completing a graduate degree in Vienna will test your abilities to organize and compile information in a systematic way. Undertaking research projects involves sifting through a wide range of sources, from web pages and library books to PDFs and videos. In order to optimize your research, take the time to prepare an organized system for collecting data. Developing a structure for your research will allow you to keep track of different sources and reduce the chance of missing important details or citations. Making web bookmarks and regularly updating an annotated bibliography are good ways of categorizing your research.

2. Choose Reputable Sources

For any master’s program, you’ll be expected to draw upon academic sources in your work. Learning how to recognize a quality source is the first step. While the internet offers access to a mass of information, not all of it has been verified by experts in the field. It’s your job to determine a reliable source using your own critical analysis. Including research from disreputable sources could damage the value of your work and cast its overall credibility into doubt. When approaching sources, it’s important to consider the position of the author, their level of expertise, and possible conflicts of interest.

3. Verify Information Across Different Sources

One of the best ways to ensure the quality of a source is by referencing other sources. Whenever you come across an important piece of information, it’s a good idea to verify its accuracy with several different sources. Particularly when it comes to web pages, make sure that at least two other credible sources provide the same information. Many websites don’t evaluate their content for accuracy and have an open policy when it comes to deciding who contributes to the source. Where possible, website sources should be verified with library sources.

4. Communicate With Your Advisors

Developing a positive working relationship with your academic supervisor is essential to effective graduate research. If you choose to study in Austria, Webster Vienna Private University offers an approachable and experienced teaching faculty to guide its graduate students towards academic success.

When undertaking a research project, it’s crucial to maintain open communication with your academic advisor, who can offer you feedback and advice at regular stages of your research. First and foremost, your advisors are there to guide you in your research and to ensure your work is headed towards the completion of your degree. Taking advantage of this resource is the best way to ensure you stay on track for academic success.

Interested in earning a master's degree in Austria?

Contact Webster Vienna Private University for more information.