Pledge to complete a high-impact thesis

The Effective Thesis Pledge is a commitment by students to complete a high-impact thesis that addresses some of the world's most pressing problems.

Your thesis is more than an academic milestone — it can be your pathway to impact.

As a student, you'll invest hundreds (undergrad/MSc) or thousands (PhD), of hours into your thesis.

What if all of those hours contributed towards addressing the world’s most pressing problems?

What is a high-impact thesis?

🌍 It Advances Important Research

A high-impact thesis addresses pressing global challenges—whether in climate change, global health, AI safety, or beyond. Through filling key research gaps and sharing it effectively, your work can contribute to real-world change.

🔹 It Shapes Your High-Impact Career Path

Your thesis can be a stepping stone to a meaningful career by helping you develop expertise, sharpen critical skills, and gain credibility in high-impact fields. Many students have used their thesis as a launchpad into research, policy work, or innovative startups driving real change

💡 It Inspires Others Toward Impact

By engaging with your peers, mentors, and broader communities, your work can create ripple effects, encouraging more people to pursue impactful research and careers.

The Effective Thesis Pledge is a commitment by students to complete a high-impact thesis that addresses some of the world's most pressing problems.

Through taking the pledge, you will be committing to working towards a thesis and career that positively impacts the world.

You will gain access to a community of peers dedicated to impact, as well as our tailored support - such as quarterly check-ins, access to expert mentorship, and more.

How does the Effective Thesis Pledge work?

1. Sign the Pledge

Make a commitment to complete a high-impact thesis that focuses on addressing the world’s most pressing challenges.

2. Develop Your High-Impact Thesis

Through taking the pledge, you will gain access to our support to develop your high-impact thesis. You will also join and collaborate with a community of peers dedicated to impact.

📅 Quarterly check-ins on your thesis progress

🎓 Apply to be mentored by our Expert Network in your research area

🤝 Community of impact-driven peers for accountability and feedback

📖 Publish your work with us

📚 Tailored resources, templates, and workshops

3. Receive a Certificate and Award for Your Thesis

Upon completing and submitting your thesis, you’ll receive an Effective Thesis Certificate which recognises your high-impact thesis.

You will also be considered for the Effective Thesis Award, recognising your research’s meaningful impact. We’ll aim to feature your work on our website, amplifying its reach and inspiring others to follow in your footsteps!

Ready to have an impact?

Take the Effective Thesis Pledge Today

 FAQs

Contact us if you have any questions that are not addressed below.

  • Signing the pledge demonstrates your commitment to making your thesis matter more than an academic assignment. Signing the pledge can provide you with:

    • Motivation: Help you stay motivated and focused on making a positive impact in this world

    • Community: Join a network of like-minded peers and mentors, all working to address pressing global challenges.

    • Support: Gain access to specialized resources, feedback, and expert mentorship from Effective Thesis to help you in your high-impact journey.

  • We think a high-impact thesis entails three key dimensions:

    • Impact on Your Career Trajectory – How your thesis shapes your motivation, skills, expertise, and opportunities for a high-impact career.

    • Impact on the Research Problem – How your work contributes to solving an important problem and how effectively your findings are shared to the people who can use them.

      Impact on Your Wider Community – How your thesis inspires others—peers, academics, and professionals—to pursue impactful work.

    For more, read our full piece here.

  • When you’ve completed your thesis, you can submit your work, along with an explanation of how you think it has made an impact across the three dimensions of a high-impact thesis.

    Our team of experts will then review your submission to assess it for the Effective Thesis Award.

    However, it’s important to remember that external recognition is not the primary goal. What truly matters is how engaging with your topic helped you develop skills, deepen your understanding of pressing issues, and lay the groundwork for your pathway to impact - during your studies, and beyond.

  • We completely understand academic paths can change! The pledge is a statement of intent rather than anything binding.

    Our primary goal is to help you create meaningful impact—whether that ultimately happens through your thesis or another path. What’s most important is continuing to develop your motivation, skills and connection to address pressing global challenges, wherever your path leads.

  • Any student working on a research project can sign the pledge—whether you’re an undergraduate, master’s, or PhD candidate, or even planning a future thesis. If you’re passionate about contributing to meaningful solutions through your work, the pledge is for you.

  • No, you can sign the pledge at any stage in your academic journey, even if you’re still exploring different topics. We aim to offer resources, topic suggestions, and support to help you identify a promising research direction that aligns with your interests and skills.

  • That’s absolutely fine — the pledge represents a commitment to try your best to create impact. It’s normal to feel uncertain in research, but committing to a high-impact thesis can help you stay focused on the potential real-world implications of your work.

  • Once you sign, you’ll receive information on the next steps, including how to engage with the rest of the community and our most relevant resources.

    Signing the pledge also involves performing quarterly check-ins with our team regarding your thesis progress.

    We are also in the midst of launching new services (i.e. fellowship program and mentorship services) that we will keep you updated on.