General instructions

Contextual Requirements

We supervise internal and external Bachelor and Master research papers which are contextually relevant to the teaching and research fields of the group. These include in particular the development and application of quantatitive methods in the areas of:

  • Production planning and control
  • Distribution and transport planning
  • Supply chain management
  • Value stream mapping and design
  • Facility location and network design
  • Design of production systems
  • Design of material flow systems
  • Quality management and maintenance
  • Operational planning of energy systems
  • Resource-constrained scheduling

Potential topics for final papers are discussed in the consulting hours of Professor Schwindt. As a rule, only final papers of students having placed an appropriate substantive focus in their compulsory optional subjects can be supervised. This focus should be verified by the presentation of a performance record comprising the following minimum number of courses taken in the program of the Operations Management group:

Degree programCourses taken at Operations Management group
Bachelor in Business Administrationtwo compulsory optional subjects / one compulsory optional subject and one seminar
Master in Technical Business Administrationtwo compulsory optional subjects / one compulsory optional subject and one seminar
Bachelor in Engineering and Managementone compulsory optional subject or seminar
Master in Engineering and Managementtwo compulsory optional subjects / one compulsory optional subject and one seminar
Further degree programsone compulsory optional subject or seminar

In the case of external final papers exceptions from the above-mentioned requirements can be made.

Internal and External Papers

Internal papers are based on a current research issue in the group. Subjects to be assigned are agreed in consultation with interested students.

External papers are undertaken in cooperation with companies and extra-university research institutes. Subjects can be proposed by students in consultation with an external contractor. To enable a decision regarding supervision in the group, a single-sided description of the assignment should be submitted. More detailed information will be supplied by the research assistants in the group.

Guide Books and Links

Detailed indications for the preparation of final papers can be found in manuals such as

  • Bui YN (2013) How to Write a Master's Thesis, 2nd ed. SAGE Publications
  • Evans D, Gruba P, Zobel J (2014) How to Write a Better Thesis, 3rd ed. Springer, Cham
  • Lester JD, Lester JD Jr (2014) Writing Research Papers: A Complete Guide, 15th ed. Pearson Education
  • Lipson C (2005) How to Write a BA Thesis: A Practical Guide from Your First Ideas to Your Finished Paper. Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing. University Of Chicago Press, Chicago
  • Turabian KL (2013) A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. Chicago Style for Students and Researchers, 8th ed. University Of Chicago Press, Chiacago
  • Turabian KL (2010) Student's Guide to Writing College Papers. Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing, 4th ed. University Of Chicago Press, Chicago
  • Wang GT, Park K (2016) Student Research and Report Writing: From Topic Selection to the Complete Paper. Wiley-Blackwell

The following links below give access to a guide customized to final papers at the Institute of Management and Economics, and the accompanying document templates for the thesis:

On the highly recommendable Webportal Studieren 2.0 by Werner Sesink in addition to general information on research papers, you will find in particular also practical hints and tips for the scientifc writing of research papers.

Various search portals for literature research are available on the TU Clausthal intranet:

The Writing Workshop („Schreibwerkstatt") at Clausthal University of Technology offers a wide range of services for all questions related to academic writing. It provides support in individual writing consultations or student peer consultations as well as in collaborative workshops and writing groups. You can make an appointment or come to the open writing consultation. Further information and an overview of the current workshops can be found here: https://www.tu-clausthal.de/studieninteressierte/bewerbung-beratung/zentrale-studienberatung/studierende/schreibwerkstatt