Effective master's thesis supervision- A summative framewok for research and practice

Annually, an increasing number of students worldwide embark on a master's program to obtain their master's degree. Their master's thesis is an educational
milestone, with thesis supervisors playing an essential role. This study addresses the crucial role of thesis supervisors, emphasizing the lack of an evidence-informed overview of effective master's thesis guidance. Through a systematic literature review, we present an input-process-output model based on 36 studies,
identifying student and supervisor outcomes, characteristics of an effective student-advisor relationship, and actions to create and maintain it. We also identified student and advisor characteristics as important inputs for an effective supervision process. Insights so far seem focused on supervisor attitudes and actions in the student-supervisor relationship, calling for future exploration of student actions, supervisor learning opportunities over time, and contextual factors. The overview provides recommendations for future research and summarizes effective guidance practices in the dynamic and complex context of thesis supervision.