5. Schedule and procedures

5.1 Schedule

The process of producing the paper has a number of phases:

5.1.1 Prior discussion with the internship coordinator

The subject of the paper is determined at this meeting. The student will already have explored and familiarized himself with one or more appropriate topics. The student must then find a suitable supervisor (in consultation with the internship coordinator).

5.1.2 First meeting with the supervisor

This meeting will consider:

• the definition and delineation of the topic. In many cases, the chosen topic will be too general. It is also possible that the topic should be adjusted or refined based on recent developments or the ideas of either the student or the supervisor.
• the resources to be used. The supervisor will provide guidance on how and where to find the required information.
  agreements with regard to progress.

To facilitate the production process, it is important that clear agreements are made with regard to when the student must complete the various parts of the report. The student should produce the Action Plan during the first period of the Research Paper Business Analytics. The Action Plan must be approved by your Reserach Paper Business Analytics supervisor. A copy should then be submitted to the Internship Office (h.j.m.van.goor-balk@vu.nl).

5.1.3 (and subsequent) meetings with the supervisor

Experience shows that a discussion, with the supervisor, of each part of the report once it has been completed is particularly effective, in that it allows any adjustments to be made in good time.

The second and subsequent meetings will therefore consider:

• The problem statement (or ‘terms of reference’). This is an elaboration of the subject matter, running to approximately half a page. It is advisable to 'translate' the basic topic to form a number of research questions.
• A provisional outline of the content, per chapter, with a brief description of each chapter. In addition to the introduction and the concluding sections, an entire chapter can be devoted to each research question.
• A provisional literature list.
• Other agreements will be made in mutual arrangement, as necessary.

5.1.4 Submission of the paper

Prior to the presentation, the student must submit digital copies of the paper (in consultation with the supervisor and internship coordinator).