{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,29]],"date-time":"2025-01-29T05:51:03Z","timestamp":1738129863966,"version":"3.33.0"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,28]],"date-time":"2025-01-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1738022400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001826","name":"ZonMw","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["456008002"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["456008002"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001826","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004890","name":"Wageningen University & Research","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004890","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.ploscompbiol.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS Comput Biol"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The thesis project is an essential step to obtain an MSc degree. Within STEM and Life Sciences disciplines, computational theses have specific characteristics that differentiate them from wet laboratory ones. In this article, we present <jats:italic>Ten simple rules<\/jats:italic> to direct and support Master students who are about to start a computational research project for their Master thesis. We begin by recommending defining the personal learning goals for the project; we then highlight specific pitfalls that computational students might encounter during their work, such as procrastination by computation or wasting time while attempting to reinvent computational tools. We provide the students a series of suggestions on how to work following FAIR principles, learn new computing languages, and think ahead for computational challenges. We hope that these 10 simple rules will provide Master students with a framework for the successful completion of their computational thesis.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pcbi.1012756","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,28]],"date-time":"2025-01-28T18:52:38Z","timestamp":1738090358000},"page":"e1012756","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pcbi.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Ten simple rules to complete successfully a computational MSc thesis project"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8284-4829","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Edoardo","family":"Saccenti","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1416-3647","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Cristina","family":"Furlan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"pcbi.1012756.ref001","first-page":"e1009276","article-title":"Ten simple rules for aspiring graduate students","author":"AI Luppi","year":"2021","journal-title":"Public Library of Science San Francisco, CA USA."},{"key":"pcbi.1012756.ref002","first-page":"e1009330","article-title":"Ten simple rules for choosing a PhD supervisor","author":"L Jabre","year":"2021","journal-title":"Public Library of Science"},{"issue":"12","key":"pcbi.1012756.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e1003954","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pcbi.1003954","article-title":"Ten simple rules for finishing your PhD.","volume":"10","author":"J Marino","year":"2014","journal-title":"PLoS Comput Biol"},{"key":"pcbi.1012756.ref004","first-page":"e1005512","article-title":"Ten simple rules for surviving an interdisciplinary PhD","author":"S Demharter","year":"2017","journal-title":"Public Library of Science San Francisco, CA USA."},{"key":"pcbi.1012756.ref005","first-page":"e1008554","article-title":"Ten simple rules for navigating the computational aspect of an interdisciplinary PhD","author":"S Islam","year":"2021","journal-title":"Public Library of Science San Francisco, CA USA."},{"key":"pcbi.1012756.ref006","first-page":"e229","article-title":"Ten simple rules for graduate students","author":"J Gu","year":"2007","journal-title":"Public Library of Science San Francisco, USA."},{"key":"pcbi.1012756.ref007","unstructured":"NCSES, Survey of Earned Doctorates, 2021. 2022."},{"key":"pcbi.1012756.ref008","article-title":"Understanding the needs of Masters Dissertation Supervisors: Supporting students in professional contexts","author":"S Cornelius","year":"2016","journal-title":"Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Aust Dent Pract"},{"issue":"5","key":"pcbi.1012756.ref009","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"428","DOI":"10.1002\/bmb.21351","article-title":"Commentary: Challenges for PhD students during COVID-19 pandemic: Turning crisis into an opportunity","volume":"48","author":"D Aydemir","year":"2020","journal-title":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education"},{"issue":"1","key":"pcbi.1012756.ref010","first-page":"45","article-title":"Goal setting to increase student academic performance.","volume":"1","author":"R. 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