Begin your Effective Thesis Pledge
Congratulations on taking the Effective Thesis Pledge!
By signing the pledge, you have taken the first step toward creating a high-impact thesis that addresses some of the world's most pressing problems.
Here’s how you can get started on your Pledge!
All the information you need is in our Pledge Notion HQ.
Overview of Services
1. Join our Slack Community
Our Slack community is your hub for support, networking, and inspiration as you work to make your thesis impactful. Join a global network of students and researchers committed to developing high-impact these and careers.
2. Access the Community Database
Our community database allows you to easily connect with peers who share similar research interests and are working within similar disciplines and institutions.
How to use the community database
Search by Topic : Filter by your field of study, research topics, or academic focus.
Find Peers : Identify students who are working on similar subjects or who can offer valuable insights into your research.
Reach Out : Contact peers directly through the information in the AirTable form to start conversations, share ideas, or collaborate on projects.
3. Explore Our Resources
Start your journey with the right tools! A high-impact thesis can shape your career, contribute to solving global challenges, and inspire others.
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In this document, we outline what makes a thesis high-impact and how you can maximize its potential to create meaningful change in your career, your field, and the world around you.
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To make the most of our resources, we recommend reading these articles in the following order:
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Our Resource Library contains materials to help you get started on writing a high-impact thesis.
Research Questions Database : Explore a collection of high-impact research questions to guide and inspire your thesis.
Discipline Introductions : Explore resources specific to your field of study, helping you understand how to tailor your research to make an impact within your discipline.
Research Topic Articles : Browse articles that guide you in selecting research topics that align with global challenges and contribute to meaningful change.
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We are trial-running a custom ChatGPT model that can help support your journey towards a high-impact thesis and career.
We recommend using it to understand different elements as it related to developing a high-impact thesis. This may include: what a high-impact thesis and career entails, the skills required to successfully complete your thesis, potential high-impact research topics, how to align your thesis with your high-impact career path, and more.
Trial the model here.
4. Quarterly Check-Ins
Stay on top of your goals by performing quarterly check-ins with our team on your high-impact thesis journey.
The next thesis check-in will be at the end of April 2025 — stay tuned for our newsletter!
Our quarterly check-ins will be sent out via email every end of January, April, July, and October.
5. Sign Up for Our Opportunities
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As a part of the Effective Thesis Pledge community, you have the opportunity to apply for mentorship through the Effective Thesis Expert Network! Our network comprises distinguished experts dedicated to guiding students like you in conducting high-impact research that addresses global challenges.
Apply for Expert Mentorship here. -
We are looking for passionate students to become Effective Thesis Ambassadors in their academic institutions. This is a unique opportunity to empower students in your community by connecting them with impactful research opportunities and guiding them toward high-impact careers.
Apply here. -
Whether it's a draft of your proposal, a specific chapter, data analysis, or even just an idea outline, submit your materials here to gain feedback for your high-impact thesis journey.
Submit here.
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If you’ve indicated that you would like to be paired with an accountability partner or group, please wait for our email regarding next steps!
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The Effective Thesis Co-Lab: Fellowship Program
Join our 8-week fellowship program to craft a high-impact thesis that addresses the world’s most pressing challenges.
You’ll have the opportunity to collaborate with peers, mentors, and experts to apply your research to real-world problems.
Fill in our interest form here to share your thoughts. -
If you represent a student organization, society, or department interested in partnering with us, please fill out this form.
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We are looking for volunteers who want to gain hands-on experience while supporting Effective Thesis in its mission to drive impactful research and collaboration.
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By taking the Effective Thesis pledge, we’ll send you quarterly newsletters with resources on how to develop a high-impact thesis and pursue an impactful career.
Opportunities outside of Effective Thesis
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Jobs: Find job listings on the Forum, apply for high-impact career advising, or visit the job boards on 80,000 Hours, Animal Advocacy Careers, Tälist (for alt protein jobs), or AI Safety Fundamentals.
Volunteering: Find volunteering opportunities using the volunteering tag, by looking at the EA Opportunities Board, or by directly reaching out to high-impact non-profit organisations.
Donating: Support high-impact work by donating to high impact causes and taking an effective giving pledge. See the effective giving topic page for more resources.
Internships and fellowships: Find internships and fellowships on the Forum or visit the EA Opportunities Board, which lists everything short of full-time positions.
Startup ideas: Start a high impact non-profit by applying to Charity Entrepreneurship, or check out the relevant career profiles by 80,000 Hours here or Probably Good here.
Research ideas: Find a research topic by looking at the central directory for research questions, or use Effective Thesis to help find a high-impact thesis topic.
Funding opportunities: Seek funding for a high-impact project by posting using the funding request (open) topic, or apply for funding from EA Funds, one of Open Philanthropy's programs, or Meta Charity Funders. See the funding opportunities topic page for more resources.
The list above is taken from this EA Forum post.
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If you haven’t already, we highly recommend joining your local Effective Altruism group or society at your academic institution. See here.
If you need help finding your group, contact us at admin@effectivethesis.org.
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We also highly recommend taking part in an EA introductory fellowship with your local EA group at your university. If your university doesn’t offer one, you can join one of the virtual fellowship programs here: https://www.effectivealtruism.org/virtual-programs/introductory-program
6. Share the Effective Thesis Pledge
Help expand our movement — by sharing the Effective Thesis Pledge with your friends, classmates, and departments, you can help create a community of individuals dedicated to solving the world's most pressing challenges.
7. Certificate and Award
After your high-impact thesis is completed, you can submit it to receive the Effective Thesis Award and receive a certificate of completion — recognising the successful completion of your Effective Thesis Pledge.
We would love to hear from you!
Feel free to use this form or to email us directly at admin@effectivethesis.org if you have any questions, feedback, or ideas on how we can better support your high-impact thesis journey!