Information Seeking and Management for Thesis Writers (MOOC)

Information Seeking and Management for Thesis Writers is a MOOC, or a massive open online course, for learning skills needed in completing a thesis. The course area is suited to the independent study of information seeking and management.  

This course is primarily designed for students about to start working on their bachelor's or master's thesis at the University of Helsinki. The course is suited to students of all faculties writing a thesis.  

The starting level for the course is the information seeking component of the Student’s Digital Skills learning material or equivalent proficiency. 

The various language versions of the course are slightly different: the Finnish and Swedish versions are designed for bachelor’s studies, while the English language version is designed for master’s studies. Select the course based on its language of instruction or your degree level.  

The course should be completed before writing your first extensive essay or, at the latest, when starting to work on your thesis. 

The topics examined during the course are part of academic skills, which require a lifetime of practice and maintenance.  

Students will be able to:

• Identify and use appropriate online databases to locate material relevant to their research topic
• Automate citations/bibliographies in their workflow using reference management software
• Understand how reference management software can be used as personal research databases
• Evaluate the academic quality of found material and describe the peer review process
• Recognize important themes in research ethics such as what academic integrity entails
• Describe the basics of quantitative research evaluation and understand that this approach is only common in the natural and life sciences (with still large differences between fields)
• Know the practices and support channels for open science related topics at our university 

The course involves seeking information on a chosen topic and practising the use of the information seeking tools introduced on the course. 

Time spent on completing the course depends on the student’s starting level and time spent on assignments. 

The course can be completed, and is available, throughout the academic year. In the summer, the course will be redesigned and modified.  

How to register:  

1. Click on the title of the course you want to take. 

2. Sign in using the Haka login with your University of Helsinki credentials. 

3.  Enrol on the course: In the course area, select the Course Dashboard on the left side of the page. 

• You can also log in as a guest without a user account, which enables you to browse the course materials but not to complete the course.  

Link to the course: 

• Information Seeking and Management for Thesis Writers

No credits are automatically awarded for completing the course. When you have completed all the compulsory course assignments, you can print a certificate of course completion in the course area. 

Certain degree programmes award a credit for completing this course, or allow its inclusion in a study module. Before completing the course, check from your degree programme or seminar coordinator how the course can be included in your studies.  

The MOOC platform does not submit notifications of completion. Instead, you must personally deliver your course certificate to your seminar coordinator or the Moodle area of your course, if so instructed. 

Detailed instructions on completing the course are available in the MOOC area.  

You can print out the certificate from the course area after completing all of the compulsory assignments. 

You can complete a part of the course, but you will only receive a certificate if you have successfully completed all compulsory assignments.