How to prepare the Final Degree Project (TFG)
The Final Degree Project (TFG) is the research project carried out during the last year of the university degree and in which students must reflect the skills and knowledge acquired throughout the degree. It represents a compulsory subject to obtain the bachelor's degree and comprises between 6 and 30 ECTS credits in the study plan, depending on the degree.
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Although the work will have to be developed independently, you will have the direction and tutoring of a teacher specialized in the chosen topic who will guide you from the beginning to the presentation of your research.
Depending on the university degree and the purpose of your work, you can choose different research modalities: bibliographic, field or experimental, among many others. Universities offer guidelines for determining the modality and other basic questions of the project, so the center will be your first source of information to ensure that you focus the work properly.
Next, for all those who have to prepare the TFG, we indicate the steps to follow and offer some tips that may be useful to obtain the best grade.
1. Choose a theme that you like
Choosing a subject for the TFG that is interesting for you is key to having the motivation to start researching and investing hours in the development of this project. Thus, to find a topic that you might like, you need to ask yourself questions related to your professional interests . Asking yourself what you want to know is basic to define the contents of the work, look for answers, establish hypotheses and obtain interesting conclusions at the end of the project.
In addition to looking for a topic that is attractive to you, it is important that you take into account variables such as the number of existing information sources and the possibilities of transferring the knowledge generated to real work contexts.
2. Think about who will tutor your TFG
The End-of-Degree Projects must be tutored or directed by an expert in the chosen subject , who is part of the university's teaching staff.
In some university degrees they give the option for the student to decide which teacher he would like to tutor the work, always with the necessary acceptance by this person. In other grades, however, there is no such possibility and, depending on the chosen subject, you are assigned a tutor.
3. First approach to the sources and specification of objectives
Once you have selected the topic, it is convenient to identify keywords and make a first approach to information sources and studies already published on the subject , to be clear about what advances have been made previously and what specific aspects are generating more interest.
This consultation will allow you to establish an objective or objectives that guide the project and the research activity that you will carry out. Keep in mind that the broader the study problem, the more it will cost you to advance in the development of the project. Therefore, from the beginning it is important to specify as much as possible what you want to investigate .
4. Plan the project
Now that you have specified the objectives and you know who will be your tutor or tutor, it is important that you establish a work plan that allows you to manage time appropriately.
Taking into account the rest of the activities that you carry out on a regular basis, create a calendar that includes the different phases of the project, set the key dates and be rigorous in complying with the plan. You can use a free computer application that can facilitate time management and monitoring of the tasks that make up the TFG.
5. Define the structure of your research work
To be able to do a good TFG it is necessary that you structure the work well. This structure will depend on the modality of TFG that you have chosen, that is, if you want to carry out, on the one hand, a basic or applied research work or, on the other, a diagnostic intervention, design and implementation or evaluation of a project, among others. Whichever option is chosen, structuring the work will allow you to be orderly in the proposal and consistent throughout the entire project.
Broadly speaking, the structure of the TFG is made up of the following parts:
Cover . It must include the title of the work, grade to which it is assigned, date of delivery, name and surname of the author and tutor.
Brief summary and keywords . The summary ( abstract in English) is a brief description that includes the main ideas of each section of the work. It is written at the end of the investigation and serves as a cover letter. It should not exceed 150 words. Normally, it is accompanied by those most representative words that define the work, that is, the keywords ( keywords, in English).
Index . It serves to structure the content and place the reader in the project. It indicates the sections of the work, as well as annexes, illustrations, tables or graphs, if any.
Introduction, justification and objectives . At this point you will have to introduce the topic to be investigated, justify the relevance of its study and the academic and professional interests that lead you to investigate it and specify the general and specific objectives.
Theoretical framework . The contextual frame of reference involves the analysis of the scientific literature related to the object of study and serves to situate the topic today.
Research methodology and design . This part answers the question "how was the investigation carried out?" You must explain the procedure to develop the TFG, justify the research methodology, the sources of information and the techniques or instruments that allowed you to collect the data.
Results, discussion and conclusions . They are the most relevant data of the study. The results must reflect a rigorous analysis of the data so that later in the discussion they are interpreted based on the theoretical framework and the established objectives. The conclusions synthesize the information previously provided, respond to the achievement of the stated objectives and suggest future research. They can occupy a separate chapter or be included in the discussion.
Bibliographic references . Remember that you must reference any font used in the work. To do this, you can use a bibliography management program that will allow you to store all the documents and resources that you have found and automatically generate the bibliographic references in the format you want, for example, the APA style.
Annexes. It is an optional section that includes complementary content to corroborate the research arguments (instruments, statistics, interview transcripts, etc.). It is information that is not essential to understand the study and, therefore, can be left out of the body of the work.
6. If you plan to do field work, choose in a context that is accessible to you
In the event that you decide to carry out an investigation in which you need to explore or understand a certain reality, choose an easily accessible context . Remember that data collection is one of the most important phases of the project and in which you will have to invest many hours. A good research job means investigating the reality of the study , so the closer it is to you, the more data you can contribute in your work and the richer it will be.
The TFG is subject to a series of time limitations, so you have to be realistic and take advantage of those contacts already established in your environment. You can focus on issues related to your internship center, your job, the university or other organizations that you have previously contacted.
7. Spend time on documentation
To carry out the Final Degree Project it is important that you document yourself well . It is not about using the first web pages that talk about the topic you are researching, nor is it about reading the first book or article that you think can help you. It is about analyzing the existing bibliography on the subject and investigating its authors to find out which one can give the best answer to your questions. In addition, it is essential that you use and contrast rigorous sources and that you plan well the use of each of the resources that you have found.
Throughout the information gathering process, it is essential to keep in mind the objectives of the work , since they will be the common thread throughout the entire development of the investigation. The idea is that, when making decisions regarding the project, you ask yourself: "Why am I doing this?" In this way, you will ensure that all your work has solid internal coherence.
8. Build your own ideas
The TFG must be an original work and, therefore, requires a dedication of significant hours to build and generate your own ideas integrating all the knowledge that you acquire during the research and those that you have previously acquired throughout your academic training.
Keep in mind that the ability to generate knowledge will be one of the aspects that will be evaluated and taken into account to qualify your work. It is essential that you argue your ideas solidly and that your approaches reflect a previous analysis based on critical reasoning. The connection of ideas generated from the existing literature and your contributions will make your work acquire greater cohesion and coherence in the discourse.
9. Take care of the writing and the presentation
Presenting a well-written, orderly, coherent, clean, and spelling-free work is essential. Not only because a percentage of the grade is decided based on this criterion but because, at the end of the day, it is one more part of the completion of the Final Degree Project and, therefore, it should be paid the same attention as to the construction of the content.
On the one hand, make sure that the structure, normally defined in the teaching plan or in the TFG guide, is correct. Stick to the indicated style rules (typeface, size, margins, etc.) and use clear and unambiguous language.
So that you cannot be accused of plagiarism of content, rememberCorrectly cite the sources of information every time you reproduce content from other authors. Keep in mind that universities incorporate plagiarism detection programs in the virtual platforms where you will host the work, so if it is detected that plagiarism has been carried out, it is very likely that your work will be suspended.
10. Prepare the defense
The presentation of the project in court is an important part to which it is necessary to pay special attention, since, generally, it acquires a high percentage in the evaluation.
Make sure to defend it in your due time, rehearse alone and in public , use an appropriate tone of voice, compare different presentation formats (PowerPoint, Prezi, video, etc.) and prepare in advance the answers to possible questions that you can perform in court.
Do not doubt that if you invest the time and effort it requires and master the content that you have developed on the job, you will be able to answer the questions of the court without problems. However, if you don't know any answers, be honest and explain that you should investigate that question further.