bachelor thesis cover english

What’s Included: The Dissertation Template

If you’re preparing to write your dissertation, thesis or research project, our free dissertation template is the perfect starting point. In the template, we cover every section step by step, with clear, straightforward explanations and examples .

The template’s structure is based on the tried and trusted best-practice format for formal academic research projects such as dissertations and theses. The template structure reflects the overall research process, ensuring your dissertation or thesis will have a smooth, logical flow from chapter to chapter.

The dissertation template covers the following core sections:

• The title page/cover page
• Abstract (sometimes also called the executive summary)
• Table of contents
• List of figures /list of tables
• Chapter 1: Introduction  (also available: in-depth introduction template )
• Chapter 2: Literature review  (also available: in-depth LR template )
• Chapter 3: Methodology (also available: in-depth methodology template )
• Chapter 4: Research findings /results (also available: results template )
• Chapter 5: Discussion /analysis of findings (also available: discussion template )
• Chapter 6: Conclusion (also available: in-depth conclusion template )
• Reference list

Each section is explained in plain, straightforward language , followed by an overview of the key elements that you need to cover within each section. We’ve also included practical examples to help you understand exactly what’s required in each section.

The cleanly-formatted Google Doc can be downloaded as a fully editable MS Word Document (DOCX format), so you can use it as-is or convert it to LaTeX.

FAQs: Dissertation Template

What format is the template (doc, pdf, ppt, etc.).

The dissertation template is provided as a Google Doc. You can download it in MS Word format or make a copy to your Google Drive. You’re also welcome to convert it to whatever format works best for you, such as LaTeX or PDF.

What types of dissertations/theses can this template be used for?

The template follows the standard best-practice structure for formal academic research projects such as dissertations or theses, so it is suitable for the vast majority of degrees, particularly those within the sciences.

Some universities may have some additional requirements, but these are typically minor, with the core structure remaining the same. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to double-check your university’s requirements before you finalise your structure.

Will this work for a research paper?

A research paper follows a similar format, but there are a few differences. You can find our research paper template here .

Is this template for an undergrad, Masters or PhD-level thesis?

This template can be used for a dissertation, thesis or research project at any level of study. It may be slight overkill for an undergraduate-level study, but it certainly won’t be missing anything.

How long should my dissertation/thesis be?

This depends entirely on your university’s specific requirements, so it’s best to check with them. As a general ballpark, Masters-level projects are usually 15,000 – 20,000 words in length, while Doctoral-level projects are often in excess of 60,000 words.

What about the research proposal?

If you’re still working on your research proposal, we’ve got a template for that here .

We’ve also got loads of proposal-related guides and videos over on the Grad Coach blog .

How do I write a literature review?

We have a wealth of free resources on the Grad Coach Blog that unpack how to write a literature review from scratch. You can check out the literature review section of the blog here.

How do I create a research methodology?

We have a wealth of free resources on the Grad Coach Blog that unpack research methodology, both qualitative and quantitative. You can check out the methodology section of the blog here.

Can I share this dissertation template with my friends/colleagues?

Yes, you’re welcome to share this template. If you want to post about it on your blog or social media, all we ask is that you reference this page as your source.

Can Grad Coach help me with my dissertation/thesis?

Within the template, you’ll find plain-language explanations of each section, which should give you a fair amount of guidance. However, you’re also welcome to consider our dissertation and thesis coaching services .

Department of English

Writing academic papers and thesis information.

Here you can find all the information you need when writing a paper or your thesis :

• General Information: Format requirements, Manual for Writing Papers, Plagarism, Generative AI, Submitting Admissions, Supervisors for Thesis

Seminar Papers

• BA Thesis: Registration process and deadlines, format requirements
• MA Thesis: Registration process and deadlines, format requirements
• Thesis submission: Format requirements

Applying for your Diploma

General information.

All papers must be handed in together with the Submission Sheet . All papers must also have:

• a title page containing the following information: University of Bern, Department of English; title of the paper; name of the supervisor; type of paper (BA/MA, seminar paper, etc.); author’s full name, address, email and matriculation number; and the date;
• a Table of Contents;
• a References / Works Cited section.

Manual for Writing Papers

Please also consult the department’s Manual for Writing Research Papers , which helps you with issues of structure, planning and other technical matters.

Plagiarism is one of the most flagrant violations of academic standards. The consequences of plagiarism are accordingly drastic. Please read about plagiarism and its consequences in the document What is Plagiarism .

" What is Plagiarism " includes the plagiarism statement you must sign and turn in with every paper. The plagiarism declaration is part of the Submission Sheet  to be handed in with all assessed work.

Generative AI

Recent years have led to the development of "generative digital tools": computer programs based on artificial intelligence (AI) that produce text, images, videos, or code based on user input. It is vital that students learn how to handle these tools sensibly, responsibly, and critically. This involves an awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of AI tools, of academic integrity, and of legal parameters. Academic writing skills will continue to be essential: comprehensive subject knowledge, along with familiarity with academic methods and style are needed to be able to critically evaluate and improve the output of AI.

Students may not under any circumstances use generative AI tools in Core Curriculum Courses or in the courses of the Language Module , except for the authorized explorations that will take place in class to build and improve critical AI literacy. Students in classes beyond the Core Curriculum Courses and the Language Module are permitted to use generative AI under specific conditions (illustrated in detail in " Guidelines on the use of Generative AI ").

Failure to correctly log, cite and reference each use of AI tools in written work will be deemed to constitute a case of plagiarism. Please read the conditions and guidelines on the correct use of Generative AI in the following document ( Guidelines on the use of Generative AI ).

Submitting admissions

Fill in this form, sign the plagiarism declaration and submit the form along with all assessed work in print:

Submission Sheet

With handing in the submission sheet you confirm that you have read the What is Plagiarism  document and have not committed plagiarism. Furthermore, you also confirm that you have read the Guidelines on the use of Generative AI  and that you adhere to its conditions and guidelines.  Please make sure you have read the document before you sign the submission sheet.

Supervisors for Thesis

Are you looking for a supervisor for your thesis? The Literature and Language & Linguistics sections have lists of possible supervisors for theses.

Supervisors for Papers and Theses in Language and Linguistics (PDF, 130KB)

Supervisors for Papers and Theses in Literature (PDF, 120KB)

Papers in Literary Studies

Students are asked to use the Style Sheet for Literature (PDF, 101KB) as well as the guidelines provided by the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, which are available online at the Purdue OWL/MLA and to discuss particular style issues with their respective supervisor.

Papers in Language and Linguistics

Students are asked to use the Style Sheet for Language and Linguistics (PDF, 180KB) and to discuss particular style issues with their respective supervisor.

Please consult the Manual for Writing Papers (see "General Information") for further information and guidelines.

Bachelor Thesis

Registration for the ba thesis.

The deadlines can be found in the course booklet and here .  

The registration for the BA thesis is a two-step process. First, you register your thesis with your supervisor, then you get the ok from your study counsellor and hand in the BA thesis registration form to the secretariat.

Use this BA Thesis Registration Form  to register your thesis. You do NOT have to sign up on KSL for your BA thesis as the grade will be entered manually after you have handed it in.

Withdrawal from the BA thesis registration is possible only until 15 April / 15 November in the semester of writing. Thereafter, a withdrawal is only granted on the basis of substantial and documented reasons (e.g. doctor’s certificate), and failure to provide such will result in an insufficient mark.

Format Requirements

The BA thesis is about 15,000 words long and has to be completed within three months of registration. The thesis word count includes everything except appendices and cover page (i.e. references, table of contents, etc. are included).

For further information and guidelines please consult the Manual for Writing Papers (see "General Information" above).

Ready to submit? Please see "Thesis submission" (below) for further information.

Prolonging your thesis

At the supervisor's discretion, short extensions may be granted: maximum two weeks for the BA thesis. Only in exceptional circumstances (e.g. serious illness) may the thesis be extended into another semester; in which case, students may be deregistered from the final colloquium and required to repeat it.    

Master Thesis

Registration for the ma thesis.

The deadlines can be found in the course booklet and here .

MA theses need to be registered with the Department of English as well as with the Dean’s Office. Please consult the website of the Dean’s Office for information about how to register your MA thesis at the Dean's Office. To register your MA thesis with the department you must complete the MA thesis registration form and include your supervisor’s and study counsellor’s signatures before handing in the form to the secretariat.

In order to register for the thesis you must have completed all other compulsory modules with the exception of the MA Colloquium. At the moment of registration (early December/early June) you cannot have more than one graded seminar pending (i.e., already attended but still awaiting entry in KSL) and you must have already attended your second MA Colloquium. Furthermore, you cannot miss more than 10 ungraded ECTS (excluding the final MA colloquium) when registering your thesis.

Use this MA thesis registration form (PDF, 87KB)  to register your thesis.You do NOT have to sign up on KSL for your MA thesis as the grade will be entered manually by the Dekanat.

The MA thesis is 30’000-40’000 words long. The thesis word count includes everything except appendices and cover page (i.e. references, table of contents, etc. are included).

At the supervisor's discretion, short extensions may be granted: one month for the MA thesis, via the Dean's Office. Only in exceptional circumstances (e.g. serious illness) may the thesis be extended into another semester; in which case, students may be deregistered from the final colloquium and required to repeat it.    

If you want to prolong your thesis you will have to adhere to the deadlines from the Dean's office. You will have to fill in the form you can find at the Dean's office ( here ) and have it signed by your supervisor who has to agree. Your options are the following:

• Extending for one month: You have to get permission and a signature from your supervisor on the form above. Please make sure you hand in your form at the Dekanat at least 1 week before the official deadline!
• Extending for one semester: You have to get permission and a signature from your supervisor on the form above. Please make sure you hand in your form at the Dekanat at least 1 week before the official deadline!
• Second extension for one semester: If you need a second semester-long extension, the  Collegium Decanale  will need to approve this. Write a short letter (signed by the supervisor of your thesis), submit it to the Dean's Office (for the attention of Collegium Decanale), explain the reasons for the further delay in writing and enclose any employment or medical certificates as applicable.

Thesis Submission

Please submit your thesis in the following format:

• hard copy (ask your supervisor whether they would like to have an electronic copy additionally )
• glue binding or ring binding
• can be printed back-to-back and in black-and-white

BA Thesis Submissions

Please note that for the BA Thesis you will have to hand in the  Submission sheet (PDF, 151KB) . Hand your thesis in either directly to your supervisor or at the main office (use the wooden mail box if the main office is closed).

MA Thesis Submissions

Two hard copies will be required, one for your supervisor and one for the Dean's office. You will also need two different submission sheets:

Copy for supervisor: You will have to hand in the Submission sheet (PDF, 151KB) with the copy for your supervisor . Hand your thesis in either directly to your supervisor or at the main office (use the wooden mail box if the main office is closed).

Copy for Dean's office: Additionally, you will also have to hand in a seperate declaration for your copy for the Dean's office . You can find the form here  (at the bottom: "Erklärung zur Masterarbeit"/"Declaration of the master thesis").

Once you have completed all requirements of your study programme you can apply for your diploma.

For BA students, everything has to be in KSL, including the thesis, before the Studienleitung can finalise your planning view. For MA students you will have to contact the Studienleitung even before your MA thesis has been entered (the grade and ECTS for that are later entered by the Dean's Office).

Important: This process takes some time, so get all your paperwork in order as early as you can.

You have two options, apply online or in person.

In order to do so you need to:

• Check on KSL whether your file is in order ( Planungssicht ). If necessary, shift courses into the correct slots.
• Once you have done so, or if you have problems with this, contact the department’s Studienleitung (can be found in the Who to Ask section of the website )  and ask him or her to check your file on KSL.
• You can either ask the Studienleitung to sign the Bescheinigung BA/MA-Abschluss in person or send them an email asking them to set your Major and Minor to "Fachanforderung erfüllt" on KSL.   Once your file has been checked and approved by both your Major and your Minor department you will be able to get your diploma issued.
• In order to apply for it at the Dean’s Office you will need to complete the application process detailed on the Dean’s Office website . Furthermore, you will need the confirmation form ( Bescheinigung BA/MA-Abschluss ) from both your Major and your Minor departments signed by the Studienleitung of the respective department.

Important: Please be aware that you cannot click the button requesting your diploma on KSL. You do have to directly contact your study counsellor.

For further information on the registration for theses and application for diplomas, please go to the website of the Dean’s Office and consult the guide below.

Bescheinigung BA-Abschluss (PDF, 445KB)

Bescheinigung MA-Abschluss (PDF, 617KB)

An academic thesis, also known as a dissertation, is a substantial work produced by a graduate student to communicate their research and earn a degree. A thesis will typically include a review of the current state of research in the field of study followed by a central hypothesis to be investigated. The bulk of the thesis will then focus on the methods and results of the research performed, followed by a discussion on how the results add to the field in general. Theses are long, highly structured and include a lot of advanced document elements.

This template is designed for writing books and graduate-level theses and provides numerous examples and documentation to enable complex requirements. The design features a relatively narrow main text column with an adjacent wide margin to house notes, figures, tables, citations and captions.

• View Template Information

Masters/Doctoral Thesis

This template provides a full framework for writing a graduate level thesis. It is carefully structured and separated into multiple parts for easy editing. Included are the following pages/sections: a cover page, declaration of authorship, quotation, abstract, acknowledgements, contents page(s), list of figures, list of tables, abbreviations, physical constants, symbols, dedication, example chapter, example appendix and bibliography.

Classicthesis Typographic Thesis

This template has been designed as a homage to the Elements of Typographic Style. As such, it has an air of efficiency and optimal design. It is suitable for any high-level degree thesis such as for a PhD, Masters or Honors. Sections within the thesis are clearly separated in a consistent way, as are sections within each chapter. The default structure of the thesis proceeds in the following order: title page, dedication, abstract, publications, acknowledgements, contents, list of tables/figures/listings, acronyms, content chapters, appendices, bibliography, colophon and declaration.

Maggi Memoir Thesis

This template uses the memoir document class to beautifully typeset a thesis. It is suitable for any high-level degree thesis such as for a PhD, Masters or Honors. The layout of the content is in a thin format to promote easy reading and the template features advanced specification of margins and trimming. The thesis boasts a professional look which is immediately obvious from the title page itself and carries through the design of the rest of the document. Three custom fonts are used in the template to match the design and beautifully display your content.

LaTeX Templates Information

General enquiries [email protected]

Most templates licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

LaTeX Templates is developed in New Zealand

© Creodocs Limited. All Rights Reserved.

The Plagiarism Checker Online For Your Academic Work

Start Plagiarism Check

Editing & Proofreading for Your Research Paper

Get it proofread now

Online Printing & Binding with Free Express Delivery

Configure binding now

• Academic essay overview
• The writing process
• Structuring academic essays
• Types of academic essays
• Academic writing overview
• Sentence structure
• Academic writing process
• Improving your academic writing
• Titles and headings
• APA style overview
• APA citation & referencing
• APA structure & sections
• Citation & referencing
• Structure and sections
• APA examples overview
• Commonly used citations
• Other examples
• British English vs. American English
• Chicago style overview
• Chicago citation & referencing
• Chicago structure & sections
• Chicago style examples
• Citing sources overview
• Citation format
• Citation examples
• College essay overview
• Application
• How to write a college essay
• Types of college essays
• Commonly confused words
• Definitions
• Dissertation overview
• Dissertation structure & sections
• Dissertation writing process
• Graduate school overview
• Application & admission
• Study abroad
• Master degree
• Harvard referencing overview
• Language rules overview
• Grammatical rules & structures
• Parts of speech
• Punctuation
• Methodology overview
• Analyzing data
• Experiments
• Observations
• Inductive vs. Deductive
• Qualitative vs. Quantitative
• Types of validity
• Types of reliability
• Sampling methods
• Theories & Concepts
• Types of research studies
• Types of variables
• MLA style overview
• MLA examples
• MLA citation & referencing
• MLA structure & sections
• Plagiarism overview
• Plagiarism checker
• Types of plagiarism
• Printing production overview
• Research bias overview
• Types of research bias
• Example sections
• Types of research papers
• Research process overview
• Problem statement
• Research proposal
• Research topic
• Statistics overview
• Levels of measurment
• Frequency distribution
• Measures of central tendency
• Measures of variability
• Hypothesis testing
• Parameters & test statistics
• Types of distributions
• Correlation
• Effect size
• Hypothesis testing assumptions
• Types of ANOVAs
• Types of chi-square
• Statistical data
• Statistical models
• Spelling mistakes
• Tips overview
• Academic writing tips
• Dissertation tips
• Sources tips
• Working with sources overview
• Evaluating sources
• Finding sources
• Including sources
• Types of sources

Your Step to Success

Plagiarism Check within 10min

Printing & Binding with 3D Live Preview

Thesis Format – A Guide For A Good Thesis Format

How do you like this article cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

• 1 Definition: Thesis Format
• 3 Parts Of A Thesis
• 4 Thesis Format: Tips
• 5 Thesis Format: Guidelines
• 6 In a Nutshell

Definition: Thesis Format

Half of the task lies in understanding what a thesis format is. Once you do, the rest will be more straightforward. An argument can be termed as an essay that puts together personal research. A thesis format holds a statement that awaits being maintained or proven.

College and university level, however, is different from other levels. You write papers more. The papers are a chance to impress your teacher and convince them that indeed, you qualify for the next level. Each article requires you to come up with a thesis format upon which you base the rest of your writing. It summarizes the contents of the paper, making it easier for both you and the teacher.

How do you structure a thesis?

The term thesis format might be ambiguous to many college and university students, especially first-year students. To start your academic writing journey, it is essential to understand what a thesis format entails in depth.

Generally, a thesis format comprises of three parts. The first part has the title page , description page and the table of contents etc. The body begins with the introduction and then delves deeper into the research topic. The last part contains sections like references and appendices.

How long is a thesis?

The length of your thesis depends on the field of study or your study department. Your bibliography and references are not included in the page count. A bachelor´s thesis is 40-60 pages, whereas a master´s thesis or a diploma thesis is usually 60-100 pages.

What do I need to do before I start writing a thesis?

Before you begin writing your thesis, you need to have already completed the research phase. This means that you’ve already decided on a thesis topic and you’ve developed and refined your research questions and thesis statement. If you’ve done all of this, then you can create a thesis outline and finally begin writing.

How do I start writing a thesis?

You can start with reviewing other theses by previous researchers in your institution´s library. By doing this it might help you to get an overview of the style, format and structure used in your field of study. The next step is to develop an outline of your thesis. You will need to have already refined your research question and thesis statement. Only after that you should start writing your thesis. It is recommended to write down everything that has been published without worrying too much about the detail.

Tip: If you’re struggling with formulating your thesis statement, check out some thesis statement examples for a dose of inspiration.

Where does the thesis statement go?

The thesis statement should appear in the beginning of your paper. It’s normally towards the end of the introduction. The beginning of the introduction gives the reader any background information they’ll need to understand your thesis and the sentences following the thesis statement will explain and support it.

Parts Of A Thesis

The first part of a thesis format aims at creating a mental image in the reader’s head. It acts as a trailer to your work. In the first part, you compile the cover page, description page, table of contents , a list of figures as well as a list of tables. Sometimes, you might be required to provide a description page in a foreign language. In that case, the description page in the given foreign language should come immediately after the other description page. At the end of the fore part, the reader should have an idea of what to expect ahead.

The body, on the other hand, delves deeper. However, the contents of the body depend on the purpose of the paper. The contents of a research thesis format vary from those of a development project report. The body of a research report introduces the thesis format to the reader comprehensively. A theoretical basis of the thesis format then follows the introduction . It then explains in details how the thesis format can be implemented. The writer then goes ahead to record results and documents a discussion. On the other hand, the body of a development project has details about the background of the thesis format. The background comes immediately after the introduction of objectives.

The last part of thesis format is usually brief. It only contains references and appendices.

• Description page
• Table of contents
• List of figures
• List of tables
• Introduction/objectives
• Project background
• Theoretical basis
• Project Implementation

Thesis Format: Tips

Every student’s ultimate goal is to graduate and graduate in good time. Working on your thesis format early enough gives you ample time to rectify any possible mistake; hence nil chances to miss on the graduation list. Although it might sound simple, you must put effort to prepare an elaborate thesis format. Below are some tips.

• Be conversant with the requirements. Different institutions have different needs. If you don’t familiarize with them early enough, you might end up toiling for nothing. You might have to start afresh, which is very uneconomical on both time and resources.
• Uphold clarity . Before embarking on any plans to write a thesis, identify the specifics. As a student, you should know clearly what is contained in each section of the argument in a thesis format. Ambiguity can be costly when it comes to your degree or diploma.
• Good communication. The main idea of your project is to relay ideas in your mind to the reader’s mind. Ensure that your thesis can portray the originality of your thoughts.
• Set realistic goals. Challenges increase our zeal. For your dissertation writing to be better, set completion dates for each section. That way, you will avoid the last minute rush. You can, therefore, assign each section time depending on its complexity or requirements.
• Seek approval. Before moving on with your thesis format, it is vital to get honest feedback. The feedback will point out omissions as well as criticism. Once you put the opinions into consideration, your thesis will be better.

Thesis Format: Guidelines

A thesis format will be your mantle in your entire writing process. Deliberation is, therefore required. Before coming up with the actual procedure, set clear objectives of your thesis format project. With the goals at the center of the thesis, you can come up with a thesis format that works. The thesis format is supposed to guide you through to meet the said objectives.

Everything has measurable standards. The same case applies to your thesis format. It has its do’s and don’ts. When it comes to a thesis format, rules are rules, and they can’t be broken. The most basic rule is language. Unless the Dean has made apparent approval of using another language, it should be written in English. However, short quotations are an exception. If any other language is used, a translation has to be provided.

A thesis format must be printed on a single side of an A4 sized paper . The standard line spacing is 1.5 and font size of 12 . A margin of 3.5cm to the left is required. The margin comes in handy when it comes to binding.

Usually, there is a set word limit that your thesis should not exceed. The word limit depends on the course you are pursuing. For instance, the word limit for the College of Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities are higher compared to the word limit for the College of Medicine, Biological Sciences, and Psychology. The word limit is inclusive of footnotes as well as appendices (mandatory appendices are an exception).

In a Nutshell

We can summarize a thesis format in a few crucial points.

• Follow the right order: the first part, middle part, and last part.
• Adhere to the proper thesis format structure. For instance, background information should come after the introduction.
• Be keen on the relevant word limit. If you are in doubt, always confirm the word limit for your school.
• Abide by the formatting rules. Do not be tempted to change or ignore any law even as minor as margin.
• Be conscious about the submission date. For better performance, come up with a working thesis format.

I’m so happy with how my dissertation turned out! The order process was very...

We use cookies on our website. Some of them are essential, while others help us to improve this website and your experience.

• External Media

Individual Privacy Preferences

Cookie Details Privacy Policy Imprint

Here you will find an overview of all cookies used. You can give your consent to whole categories or display further information and select certain cookies.

Accept all Save

Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the proper function of the website.

Show Cookie Information Hide Cookie Information

Statistics cookies collect information anonymously. This information helps us to understand how our visitors use our website.

Content from video platforms and social media platforms is blocked by default. If External Media cookies are accepted, access to those contents no longer requires manual consent.

Privacy Policy Imprint

How to Write a Bachelor’s Thesis: A Step-by-Step Guide

The bachelor’s degree is an important milestone in your academic life, and creating a successful bachelor’s thesis is an essential part of this process.

Although it can be a challenge, with a structured approach and a clear timetable, a well-researched, informed, and organized bachelor’s thesis can be created.

In this article, we explain how to write a bachelor’s thesis.

11 Facts About Bachelor’s Theses

• The average length of a bachelor’s thesis is about 30-60 pages.
• Most bachelor’s theses are written in the field of economics.
• The average processing time for a bachelor’s thesis is 3-6 months.
• Typically, bachelor’s theses are supervised by a professor or lecturer.
• Most bachelor’s theses are still written and submitted on paper.
• A bachelor’s thesis is always written within the framework of a study program and is an important part of the degree completion.
• The topic selection for a bachelor’s thesis is usually free, as long as it falls within the field of study.
• Adherence to citation rules and source references is an important part of a bachelor’s thesis.
• Submission of a bachelor’s thesis is usually combined with an oral examination.
• The bachelor’s thesis is the first longer scientific work that a student writes during their studies and therefore represents an important hurdle.
• In 2021, approximately 260,000 students achieved their bachelor’s degree.

Scientific Formulations in Minutes Seconds

11 Tips for Academic Writing (Bachelor’s Theses)

• Start your bachelor’s thesis early to have enough time for research, writing, and revision.
• Choose an interesting and relevant topic that fits well with your field of study.
• Create a detailed work plan to keep track of your steps and deadlines.
• Use trustworthy and current sources to underpin your work.
• Write clearly and precisely, avoid using unnecessarily complicated sentences.
• Use a consistent citation style and pay attention to the correct source citation.
• Logically structure your bachelor’s thesis and ensure that the common thread is recognizable.
• Revise and polish your work multiple times to ensure that it is free from spelling and grammar errors.
• Have your work read by others and seek feedback to recognize areas for improvement.
• Consider publishing your bachelor’s thesis to make it accessible to others and to present your work.
• Have your text scientifically rephrased by Mimir. Sample input : Potatoes are healthy… ➔ Result : Potatoes are rich in vitamins and minerals and can contribute to a balanced diet.

The Process of Writing a Bachelor’s Thesis: Step by Step Guide

The writing process of a bachelor’s thesis is a challenge for many students. In this section, we give an overview of the most important steps and tips to successfully master the process.

• Determine the topic of the bachelor’s thesis and discuss it with the supervisor.
• Conduct comprehensive research and collect relevant sources.
• Create an outline and divide the topic into individual sections.
• Write the main part of the paper by processing and summarizing the insights gained from the research.
• Compose the concluding part, summarizing the main findings of the work and outlining possible further steps or implications.
• Proofread the work and check for formal requirements.
• Submit and defend the bachelor’s thesis.

Choosing a Topic: How to Find the Perfect Topic for Your Bachelor’s Thesis

The first step in creating a bachelor’s thesis is selecting the topic. It’s important that your topic is specific and answers a clear research question. If your topic is too general, it will be harder to achieve meaningful results.

Why is the topic important?

An interesting and relevant topic not only captivates your readers but also gives you the motivation to successfully complete the work.

The topic of your bachelor’s thesis is crucial for the success of your work.

A difficult or boring topic, on the other hand, can lead to you finding the writing process frustrating and ultimately not successfully completing the work. Therefore, it’s important to think carefully about which topic you choose for your bachelor’s thesis.

If you have difficulty finding a topic, you can turn to your supervisors and present your ideas to them.

Research & Study: The Right Way to the Perfect Bachelor’s Thesis

Once the topic is set, it’s time to collect the necessary information. This can be done by searching through libraries and databases, reading specialist literature, and interviewing experts. It’s important to carefully organize and document the collected information so that it’s easily accessible when writing the work.

It’s also important that your sources are current, as research and opinions in your subject area are constantly changing.

Possible Sources

• Academic Publications
• Professional Journals
• Reputable Websites (you should consult your supervisor beforehand)

Structure: Setup and Organization of the Bachelor Thesis

It is important to have a clear structure for your bachelor thesis. This should include an introduction, a main part, and a conclusion. Within the main part, you can divide your arguments into different sections. This helps you to structure your thought process and ensure a smooth and logical flow.

Introduction

• Summary of the research thesis
• Definition of the main terms
• Explanation of the research question and area of interest
• Conduct literature research
• Develop arguments and hypotheses
• Draw conclusions and results
• Cite sources
• Summary of the results
• Comparison of hypotheses and results
• Explanation of the implications of the results
• Recommendations for further research

Writing: Tips and Tricks for the Writing Process

After you have completed your research and established your structure, it is time to write.

It is important that you write your work in simple, academic German/English.

Avoid using too many technical terms and ensure that each sentence conveys a clear thought.

Compose a clear introduction that explains your topic and presents your argumentation. In the main part of your work, you should provide your arguments and examples to prove your thesis. Make sure that your arguments are logical and understandable.

• Write a simple and clear introduction
• Compose the main part of your work
• Ensure that each sentence conveys a clear thought
• Provide your arguments and examples to prove your thesis
• Ensure logical and understandable argumentation
• Avoid too many technical terms
• Avoid vague formulations
• Avoid subjective opinions

Tip: Let Mimir formulate your bullet point ( Example input : Running is great ➔ Result (1/3) : Running is a healthy and effective form of physical activity that can contribute to improving cardiovascular fitness, mobility, and mental health.)

Formatting: How to Properly Format Your Bachelor Thesis

It is important that you adhere to your university’s guidelines when formatting your bachelor thesis. Check the requirements for margins, line spacing, font size, and font type prescribed by your university.

It is also important to format your work consistently to achieve a professional look.

• Adhere to your university’s guidelines
• Check margins, line spacing, font size, and font type
• Consistently format your work
• Create a professional layout

Citing and Referencing: Rules for Citing and Referencing in the Bachelor Thesis

When referring to the ideas of other authors in your work, it is important to cite and reference them correctly. There are various citation styles you can use, but most universities use the Harvard or APA style.

Make sure to properly cite and reference all sources you refer to, to avoid plagiarism.

• Use the Harvard or APA style
• Cite and reference all sources you refer to
• Avoid plagiarism

Proofreading: Error Sources and Tips for a Flawless Bachelor Thesis

After you have written your bachelor thesis, it is important to thoroughly review it. Check the content for correct grammar, spelling, and structure. Also ensure that your arguments are clear and logical and that your statements are supported by your research.

It is important to proofread and edit your work several times. Make sure to correct all spelling and grammar errors so that your work looks professional.

• Read your work aloud to detect errors in grammar, sentence structure, and pronunciation.
• Use a dictionary or an online proofreading program to find errors in spelling and punctuation.
• Have someone else read your work and ask for feedback to gain additional perspectives and suggestions for improvement.
• Carefully review and revise your work to improve its quality and content. This can be done by adding examples, removing unnecessary information, or refining arguments.

Tip: Have your text checked by Mimir (Unscientific words, gender conformity, and more…)

Submission: How to Safely Submit and Defend Your Bachelor Thesis

Writing a bachelor thesis can be a challenging task, but if you follow the steps mentioned above, you will complete your work in a professional manner.

Don’t forget to adhere to the guidelines of your university.

Once you have reviewed and revised your bachelor’s thesis, it’s time to submit it. Make sure your work meets the requirements of your examiner and contains the correct information. If possible, have a friend or family member review it before you submit it.

Earning a bachelor’s degree is a great achievement, and creating a successful bachelor’s thesis is an essential part of this process. Remember, choosing a topic, conducting research, and writing a bachelor’s thesis can be a laborious process. However, if you have a clear schedule and follow the steps mentioned above, you can create a well-researched, informed, and organized bachelor’s thesis.

And last but not least: Congratulations!

Two Practical Examples of the Process

To better understand the steps and tips mentioned above, here are two examples from different academic areas:

• A psychology student writes a bachelor’s thesis on the effects of social media on the mental health of adolescents. She chooses this topic because it combines her personal interest and her expertise in psychology. She gathers information by reading textbooks and conducting interviews with adolescents and experts. She creates an outline consisting of an introduction, three main chapters, and a conclusion, and writes her paper accordingly. She makes sure to use quotes and references and to adhere to the APA formatting requirements. Finally, she carefully corrects her work and has it read by her teacher and a fellow student for improvement suggestions.
• A computer science student writes a bachelor’s thesis on the development of a new algorithm for machine learning. He chooses this topic because it reflects his expertise in computer science and his curiosity about new technologies. He gathers information by reading academic articles and communicating with other experts in his field. He creates an outline consisting of an introduction, three main chapters, a section on results, and a conclusion, and writes his paper accordingly. He makes sure to use citations and references and to adhere to the IEEE formatting requirements. Finally, he carefully corrects his work and has it read by his supervisor and a reviewer from a professional journal for improvement suggestions.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you start writing a bachelor’s thesis.

Before you start writing your bachelor’s thesis, you should first plan the topic and structure of the paper. This also includes researching relevant sources and creating an outline. Once you have an overview of the structure of the paper, you can start writing.

How quickly can you write a bachelor’s thesis?

The duration of writing a bachelor’s thesis can vary greatly and depends on various factors, such as the complexity of the topic, the size of the paper, and the time spent on research. However, you should generally plan several weeks or even months for the actual writing of a bachelor’s thesis.

How do you properly write a bachelor’s thesis?

1. Start by selecting an interesting and relevant topic for your bachelor’s thesis. 2. Create a clear and detailed research plan that outlines the goals, methods, and timeline for your work. 3. Gather comprehensive and reliable sources to support your arguments and substantiate your theses. 4. Compose a clear and structured introduction that highlights the topic and significance of your work. 5. Develop your arguments in the main chapters of your bachelor’s thesis and use examples and evidence to support your statements. 6. Conclude your findings and conclusion in a conclusive and detailed section that summarizes the significance and implications of your work. 7. Thoroughly correct and revise your bachelor’s thesis to ensure it is logical, coherent, and error-free.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Post Comment

Bachelor's thesis

Objectives of a bachelor’s thesis and the supervisor’s responsibilities at the different stages of the thesis process.

With a bachelor’s thesis, students demonstrate their ability to apply their acquired knowledge and skills, engage in scientific or artistic thinking and activities and communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, in their mother tongue. Students typically attend a bachelor's thesis seminar while working on their bachelor’s thesis.

Students write their bachelor’s thesis under the supervision of a member of teaching and research staff who holds at least a master’s degree and is familiar with the topic and field of the thesis and the relevant assessment criteria. The supervisor is expected to offer advice on the academic content of the work and the research process and support the student throughout the project.   

The stages of a bachelor’s thesis process are outlined below: 

The supervisor and student must discuss the student's goals and expectations for the thesis and the relevant assessment criteria. The role of a supervisor is to guide and support the student in the process of engaging in scientific inquiry and the development of scientific thinking. Students are entitled to a reasonable level of supervision. Supervisors and students should be familiar with their respective roles and responsibilities in the thesis process.

Academic guidance and counselling

The supervisor is a person who is a member of the University’s teaching and research staff, holds at least a master’s degree and is familiar with the field and topic of the thesis as well as the assessment criteria of theses. The supervisor’s task is to support the preparation of your thesis in terms of content and research process at the different stages of working on the thesis. In the seminar, you are assigned a thesis supervisor based on your topic.

Discuss with your supervisor the goals and assessment criteria of the thesis as well as your goals relative to the assessment criteria. As the supervisory process starts, you draw up a supervisory plan detailing the aims, schedule and language of the thesis. A common understanding of the scientific requirements of the thesis and of good scientific practice is also formed. The timing of supervision and the stages of the thesis process are also agreed upon.

Your own work and mastering the scientific thinking and practices supported by the supervision is at the core of the supervision process of a Bachelor’s thesis. You are entitled to a reasonable amount of supervision. A sensible number of supervisors is determined in accordance with the faculty’s guidelines and the work plans of the teaching staff.

Other help and support during the writing of a thesis

You are not alone with your thesis. Support is available, for example, on information searching and data management as well as writing and making progress . Support is offered by the University’s joint counselling services, Language Centre and Library and Data Service.

Thesis as work done in pairs or groups

Make an agreement with your supervisor if you want to do the thesis work in a pair or a group. If the thesis is undertaken in a pair or a group, each student must be able to demonstrate his/her own share of the work because the thesis is fundamentally about practising independent scientific work. The thesis is assessed for each student individually.

Language of the thesis

The language of the Bachelor’s thesis is either Finnish, the language defined in the curriculum or the main language used in the studies. The responsible supervisor decides on the use of other languages. 

A student studying in an English-language degree programme may write his/her thesis in Finnish. However, if the student wants his/her academic record to show that he/she has earned the degree in English, an English-language thesis may be required. 

Students must demonstrate language and communication skills in their field in connection to their thesis. The demonstration of language skills in relation to the thesis is described in more detail in the section on the maturity test.

Thesis seminar

The thesis seminar focuses on the scientific requirements and good scientific practices of the thesis, academic writing and language and communication skills, information seeking, and scientific debate through peer learning. The seminar, together with other supervision, supports the student’s independent work on the thesis. The aim should be to complete the thesis during the seminar. 

Adherence to good scientific practice

Learning outcomes related to good scientific practice are included in all theses and the seminars cover the topic. Review the guidelines for sound scientific practice and, if necessary, seek guidance from your supervisor. As part of supervising the writing process, the supervisor should ensure that you are familiar with good scientific practice and able to act accordingly.

Also remember the accessibility of the thesis.

The originality check of a thesis

During the writing process, you may use the originality check tool that is found on your supervisor’s Turnitin section on Moodle. It will give you a comparative report on your text that helps you to evaluate the appropriateness of your citation practices. You can always ask your thesis supervisor for advice on interpreting the comparison report.

The student and the thesis supervisor agree about the point when the thesis is ready for the official originality check and the subsequent assessment proper. You enter the text of your completed thesis in the originality checking software and the supervisor reviews the originality report. After the supervisor has checked the originality report, you may submit the thesis for the actual assessment process.

From 1 August 2019, the electronic originality check is done to all theses and dissertations at Tampere University.

Commissioned theses

The thesis can be done as a commissioned study for a principal that can be a company or another party. The thesis is a piece of scientific work that is evaluated according to academic criteria. Thus, the principal must also be aware of the academic nature of the work and the publicity of the completed thesis. The student, the supervisor and the principal agree on the topic, schedule and objectives of the thesis. The responsible supervisor at the University is in charge of the scientific supervision of the thesis. The principal may appoint a contact person to deal with matters related to the thesis. The principal may also participate in the supervision of the thesis. The student agrees in writing with the principal on any fee paid to the student. 

As a basis for such discussions, a guideline has been drawn up that applies to Master’s theses but which can also be applied to Bachelor’s theses.

Copyright of the thesis

Copyright issues are also related to the publicity of the thesis. The student is responsible for the contents of the thesis and ascertaining his/her rights to it. The author of a published thesis must have full copyright to the thesis, including any pictorial, table or other material included in it, or have the right to publish such material online. 

Further information on copyright is available on the Library’s Open Access guide and on the following website:  

• ImagOA : Open science and use of images: a guide on the Aalto University website  

Publicity and confidentiality of the thesis

Under law, a thesis is a public document (1999/621). A thesis becomes public as soon as it has been approved. Confidential information cannot be included in a thesis. Publishing the thesis or its parts elsewhere – for example as articles – does not change the publicity requirement.  

If confidential information is processed in relation to the thesis, its use should be prearranged with the supervisor and the possible principal. The actual thesis should be written in a manner that allows the publication of all parts. The possible confidential information should be incorporated in the appendices or background data that are not published. Such separate data is not archived at the University.

Submitting the thesis for assessment

Make an agreement with your supervisor on submitting the thesis for assessment. By submitting your Bachelor’s thesis for assessment, you also confirm that the originality check has also been completed. You also decide what kind of a publication permission you give for your thesis.

Submit the thesis for evaluation via the Library’s publishing archive Trepo . Use your tuni basic user account to login via Haka login. After the Library’s inspection (within 3 working days), the publication archive sends a message to both the student and the faculty saying that the thesis has been submitted. It is the student’s responsibility to inform the supervisor that he/she has submitted the thesis for evaluation. The supervisor gets the thesis from the publication archive. Please note that you must be registered as present in order to submit a thesis on Trepo.

If there is any suspicion of fraud in a thesis that has been submitted for examination, the matter is dealt with in line with the University’s protocol on suspected fraud. 

Maturity test

Visit the maturity test section for further information.

Assessment and grading of the thesis

The examiner of the thesis has 21 days to assess your thesis after you have submitted it for assessment (i.e. when you have sent the link from the Library to the examiner) or 28 days if you are taking the maturity test in connection with the examination of your thesis.  The results on theses submitted for examination during the period from 1 June to 31 August may take longer to be published. For justified reasons, the Dean may make an exception to the deadline. Students are informed about such exceptions in advance.   

The Faculty Council decides on the assessment criteria of theses. Bachelor’s theses are assessed with the grading scale of 0 – 5. In addition, the examiner issues a written statement. The grades are 1 (sufficient), 2 (satisfactory), 3 (good), 4 (very good) and 5 (excellent). 

A student cannot submit a new thesis to replace an already approved one.    

Rectification requests

See more information on the Appeals against grades page.

Electronic archiving and publishing of the thesis

All Bachelor’s theses are electronically archived and stored for ten years. Tampere University’s Library is in charge of archiving theses and dissertations on the university’s publication database. 

All theses and dissertations are public and stored on the university’s publication database Trepo. According to the University’s strategic alignment on open science, all theses and dissertations are openly published unless the publisher’s conditions prevent it. All theses may be read with the computers in the Library and online if the student has granted permission to publish on the internet.

After approval, all theses are stored in the comparison database of the originality checking software. 

Open How do I write an abstract about my thesis?

Open faculty of built environment (ben), open faculty of education and culture (edu), open faculty of engineering and natural sciences (ens), open faculty of medicine and health technology (met).

Tampere University and Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK) constitute the Tampere Universities community. Our areas of priority in research and education are technology, health and society. Tampere University: +358 (0)294 5211 Tampere University of Applied Sciences : +358 (0)294 5222

Stack Exchange Network

Stack Exchange network consists of 183 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow , the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers.

Q&A for work

Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search.

Bachelor thesis or Bachelor's thesis

During my final year at university, I wrote what I thought was a "bachelor thesis". Right before printing it I stumbled upon several documents stating the name "bachelor's thesis". (Here we do not call it a dissertation just yet, so this question is only about the possessive bachelor's vs. bachelor .) A couple of Google search queries later, I had not found out which of these terms is correct. Which should I use?

• word-choice
• differences

• 2 It's a master's thesis and a doctoral thesis. Going by these, it should be a bachelor's thesis or a bacheloral thesis . Except bacheloral isn't a word. What is the adjective form for bachelor? Oh, it's bachelor. So by analogy, it's either a bachelor's thesis or a bachelor thesis . I think both should be fine. –  Peter Shor Commented Jul 19, 2012 at 16:06

4 Answers 4

First off, I would mimic the term that your university uses. Does that give you a satisfactory resolution? (Or are they inconsistent in their use?)

If not, do you use the full term "Bachelor of Arts" or "Bachelor of Science" in your thesis title? If so, you don't need the apostrophe s (and you should capitalize the words as indicated). However, if you are referring to the degree program more informally, then I think you should use "bachelor's thesis." ( See this Wikipedia entry in which bachelor's is used throughout.)

Also, the Associated Press Styleguide has these guidelines for Academic Degrees:

• Use an apostrophe in bachelor’s degree, a master’s, etc.
• There is no apostrophe in Bachelor of Arts or Master of Science.

I think that would apply to bachelor's thesis as well.

• Inconsistency is the problem. I have seen both versions come up, so it's not about being correct with respect to the university, it's more a question of my curiosity. As BA/BSc is concerned, we do not distinguish between them, we're simply bachelors. I read through some style guides, but none of them address theses specifically, so I was not sure about its application based on "bachelor's degree" and other uses. So your implication may or may not be correct. Still it's the closest I got to a backed answer. –  Ondrej Commented May 10, 2012 at 10:25

In some countries/universities, the word "thesis" or a cognate is used as part of a bachelor's or master's course, while "dissertation" is normally applied to a doctorate, while in others, the reverse is true.

In USA and Canada,

• Research-based papers presented as the final empirical study of a bachelor with honours (honors) degree are normally called bachelor thesis or honours thesis (in USA, "thesis" is in more commonly use).
• Major papers presented as the final project for a master's degree are normally called thesis .
• Major papers presenting the student's research towards a doctoral degree are called theses or dissertations .

In Germany,

• A bachelor's thesis is often 40–60 pages long, other theses are usually even longer.
• The required submission for the doctorate is called a Dissertation or Doktorarbeit.

• 4 1) This does not address my issue at all. As I said, it's not about thesis/dissertation, regional specifics, ..., it's only about the first word of the term. 2) The whole answer is only a compilation of excerpts from the "Thesis" Wikipedia entry. Don't worry, read that already. –  Ondrej Commented May 10, 2012 at 10:19
• Ahem... I double-checked Mac's Oxford dictionaries and they confirm that "thesis" is singular and "theses" is plural; your answer suggests a semantic difference. I've suggested a minimal edit to make the answer consistent with this. –  Blaisorblade Commented Jun 26, 2016 at 15:07

As I understand it, you are the bachelor (or at least the bachelor candidate) by virtue of being on the course, and the thesis is yours, so bachelor's thesis is the correct way to go.

On the thesis/dissertation thing, a thesis is your argument or proposition, and a dissertation is the discourse you defend it with.

At the college I attended, we used the terms Senior Paper or Senior Thesis to describe that it occurs in the final year of schooling. There are no post-graduate programs at the college in question, which avoided confusion with doctoral or master's level work.

Nomenclature of this final year thesis will vary depending on the institution.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged word-choice differences or ask your own question .

• Featured on Meta
• We spent a sprint addressing your requests — here’s how it went
• Upcoming initiatives on Stack Overflow and across the Stack Exchange network...

Hot Network Questions

• Is arXiv strictly for new stuff?
• Staying in USA longer than 3 months
• Did the German justice system convict a woman for insulting a person who gang raped a minor?
• How to handle a missing author on an ECCV paper submission after the deadline?
• When did the four Gospels receive their printed titles?
• Wait a minute, this *is* 1 across!
• I can't mount my external hard drive in Linux
• Why do I see low voltage in a repaired underground cable?
• Powers of Gaussian primes are NOT collinear
• Identify rear derailleur (Shimano 105 - medium or short)
• Why is pressure in the outermost layer of a star lower than at its center?
• Is there a way to do artificial gravity testing of spacecraft on the ground in KSP?
• Turning Misty step into a reaction to dodge spells/attacks
• Why does the Trump immunity decision further delay the trial?
• Book that I read around 1975, where the main character is a retired space pilot hired to steal an object from a lab called Menlo Park
• Word split between two lines is not found in man pages search
• What is meant by "blue ribbon"?
• Should "as a ..." and "unlike ..." clauses refer to the subject?
• Understanding symbol of a latching push switch
• Book in 90's (?) about rewriting your own genetic code
• What's the point of Dream Chaser?
• Any algorithm to do Huffman encoding without using graphs?
• Is it possible to arrange the free n-minoes of orders 2, 3, 4 and 5 into a rectangle?
• Will 2.1" schwalbe MTB tire in 25mm rim become wider that 2.25" in 19mm rim?

Sample Topics

Literature and Culture: Great Britain (Prof. Feldmann)

Topics for Bachelor and Master theses

1. the following is a list of titles chosen for bachelor or master theses. it is meant as a guideline for finding a suitable topic of your own:.

Beeton’s Book of Household Management as Self-Help Manual for the Victorian Housewife

Blurring Identity Boundaries: The Liminality of Gender and Race in Jackie Kay’s Trumpet and Why Don’t You Stop Talking

Lost in Austen as a Post-Modern Re-Creation of Pride and Prejudice

Commercial Aesthetics: Representations the Female Body in Victorian Advertisements

Domestic Spaces in Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886) and Stoker’s Dracula (1897)

Transcending the Eyes: Marginalised Discourses of Perception in Mayhew’s London Labour and the London Poor

The Representation and Function of the Female Body and Motherhood in Richard III

Negotiating ‘Irishness’ in Transnational Spaces between an (Imagined) Homeland and the Diaspora

Negotiating Identity in Brontë’s Wuthering Heights and its 1992 Film Adaptation

Travelling the Slum: Voyeurism and the Sensational in Mayhew’s London Labour and the London Poor

Gothic Fiction and Representations of Science: Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde  and H.G. Wells’  The Time Machine

‘A brave man’s blood is the best thing on this earth when a woman is in trouble’: Types of Masculinity in Bram Stoker’s Dracula

‘Uneasy Lies the Head that Wears a Crown’: Zur Darstellung englischer Königinnen in zeitgenössischen Spielfilmen

Chick Lit zwischen Tradition und Innovation – ein Vergleich von Erzählerinnen, Protagonistinnen und Milieus am Beispiel von Helen Fielding und Janet Evanovich

‘Tedious virtue, fascinating evil’? Forms and Functions of the Villain in Gothic Melodrama

Detecting the Neo-Victorian: The Detective as an Element in the Intertextuality in Victorian and Neo-Victorian Crime Writing

Kulturelle Differenzen und Identitäten in zeitgenössischer britischer Literatur und Film

Konstruktionen städtischer Armut in der 2. Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts

Neue Helden braucht das Land? Zur Darstellung von Arbeiterklasse und Männlichkeit im Kontext der Neuformulierung eines Mythos im Britischen Film der 1990er Jahre

Konzepte der Liebe in William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew und in filmischen Adaptionen

2. Here are some additional fields you might want to consider when choosing a topic:

Popular culture and popular myths

Popular cultural practices, such as tourism

Forms of canonization and popularization

The ‘cultural work’ of texts and their ideological functions

The intersections of categories of difference (e.g. gender, class, ethnicity, religion, age…)

The interplay of discourses in texts (e.g. scientific, economic, political…)

Discourses of gender and sexuality

Universität Bonn

Guideline for the Bachelor’s thesis

Important Information about registering, writing and submitting your Bachelor’s thesis

Please note that the use of AI (such as ChatGPT) is prohibited in the context of term papers and theses.

It is considered an unauthorized aid unless expressly permitted by the examiners

Time of registration

Registration for the Bachelor’s thesis is possible as soon as 108 credit points have been achieved. As a rule, this should be the case during the fifth semester. The completion of the BA thesis is usually recommended for the sixth semester (submission by 30 September or 31 March, if the standard period of study must be adhered to and if, for example, a Master’s programme immediately follows).

Registration and topic

Please agree on a topic with your supervisor, who usually also acts as the first supervisor, before registering your Bachelor’s thesis. As a rule, you must write it in your   major ; a topic from your minor is only possible if there is a connection in terms of content and/or methodology.

In the dual-subject Bachelor’s programme , the thesis can be registered in either of the subjects. An interdisciplinary topic in both subjects is possible if supervision by one supervisor per subject is guaranteed.

The topic is agreed either in a personal meeting between the candidate and the supervisors as part of a course/meeting or by exchanging emails with the first and second supervisor. The topic specified in the email from the first supervisor is binding and must be transferred to the registration form.

Please submit the completed “Registration for Bachelor’s Thesis” form, signed and dated by you and your supervisor ("Supervisor; First Reviewer; Examiner") and the second supervisor, immediately by mail (or as a scan via the contact form) to the Examination Office.

The binding notification of the topic, including the setting of a submission deadline, is then sent in writing by the Examinations Office. The submission deadline is calculated from the date the topic is issued, based on the date of the first supervisor’s signature. You should therefore also endeavour to obtain the signature of the second supervisor at the same time and submit the registration form to the Examination Office immediately after finalising the topic. 

If the topic was agreed by exchanging emails with the first and second supervisor, please forward the email from the first supervisor together with the email from the second supervisor and the scanned registration form (completed and signed by all parties) to the Examination Office via the contact form.

The binding notification of the topic, including the setting of a submission deadline, is then made in writing by the Examinations Office. The topic is therefore formally set by the examination Office (Examination Office, Maximilianstraße 22, 53111 Bonn) following registration.

The submission deadline is calculated from the date the topic is issued based on the date of the first supervisor's signature. You should therefore also endeavour to obtain the signature of the second supervisor at the same time and submit the application to the Examinations Office immediately after agreeing on the topic. 

Important note : Please note that the examination regulations only recognise the term “topic”, not “title”. The topic of the thesis is therefore synonymous with the title of the thesis. The specific topic that you have indicated on the registration form and agreed with the supervisors is placed on the cover sheet and in the declaration of academic integrity. Please refer to the separate point below under the heading ‘Changing the topic’ for the possibility of changing the topic at a later date.

You can download the registration form here: Registration form .

Supervisors

In principle, all lecturers in your subject may act as supervisors for a Bachelor’s thesis. Please note that one of the two supervisors must be employed with at least 50% at the University of Bonn. Both supervisors must have at least the academic degree "Magister Artium (M.A.)" or "Master of Arts (M.A.)". Please also note that there is no legal entitlement to a specific supervisor.

Writing period

A maximum period of three months from the issueing of the topic (date of signature of the first supervisor) is allowed for the writing of the provided topic & thesis. Upon justified request, the Examination Office may, in agreement with the supervisor, grant an extension of up to six weeks for the submission of the Bachelor’s thesis. An extension of more than six weeks is not possible, even in cases of illness (in these cases it is only possible to withdraw from the registered examination, cf. the section “Withdrawal”).

Change of topic

It is possible to slightly change the focus of the original topic upon written request to the Examination Office, provided that your supervisor supports the request and documents this with his/her signature. Please note that a complete change or reorientation of the topic requires a withdrawal in accordance with the regulations.

There is a one-off opportunity to return the topic no later than one month after being notified of it by the Examination Office and to document this formally with a written request to withdraw from the Bachelor’s thesis registration. In this case, the topic is deemed not to have been issued; there is therefore no failed attempt. Please note that it is not possible to withdraw after this deadline. As an exception, this is only permitted after the deadline if there are valid reasons (in particular inability to take the examination due to illness). In both cases, the thesis must be re-registered later; the newly issued topic must differ significantly in content from the originally issued topic.

Scope and requirements

The text part of the Bachelor’s thesis should contain at least 70,000 characters including spaces and notes (or 35 A4 pages) and may not exceed 120,000 characters including spaces and notes (or 60 A4 pages). The content and form of the thesis must meet the standards of academic work at “Bachelor of Arts” or “Bachelor of Science” level. You should therefore enquire about the specific requirements with your academic advisor. Please also note that the regulation of registration becoming possible after achieving  108 credit points means that you can prepare the Bachelor’s thesis during your studies (as opposed to at the very end of them) thoroughly with the necessary research and readings before registering the thesis during your fifth semester.

Cover sheet / title page

To ensure that all the necessary information appears on the cover page of the Bachelor's thesis, please follow this template:  Sample cover page (DOCX).

Until further notice, Bachelor’s theses must still be submitted digitally AND by mail (three bound copies, see below). The content of the digital version and the written copies must be identical! CD-ROMs and USB sticks no longer need to be attached. As usual, the Examination Office will take care of forwarding the thesis to the first supervisor and the second supervisor. Once submitted, a Bachelor’s thesis cannot be withdrawn!

The thesis must be accompanied by a written declaration ( Declaration of Academic Integrity) in which you affirm that you have written the thesis independently, have not used any sources and aids other than those specified, have marked quotations and have submitted identical digital and written copies. Please note that the use of AI (applications such as ChatGPT) in the preparation of written work is prohibited! It is an unauthorised aid unless its use has been expressly permitted by the supervisors. In cases of doubt, the Examination Office may request a sworn declaration.

Please attach the following declaration with date and original signature (not digital) as the last page of your thesis (Download Declaration of Academic Integrity here) :

“I hereby affirm that the Bachelor’s thesis entitled “...” was written by myself and without any unauthorised assistance, that it has not been submitted for examination at any other university, that it has not been published in whole or in part, and that the content of the text file of the digital version is identical to the written versions submitted. I have indicated in each individual case those parts of the thesis - including charts, maps, illustrations, etc. - which are taken from other works in terms of wording or meaning.”

This declaration must be submitted together with the other parts of the thesis, such as the cover sheet, the bibliographies and any appendices, firmly attached to the rest of the thesis (no loose sheets!).

1. digital submission:

Please send the digital version as a text file (Word document or PDF) from your University of Bonn e-mail address to the Examinations Office of the Faculty of Humanities or use the contact form. The hand-signed Declaration of Academic Integrity must be inserted as a scanned document into the Bachelor`’s thesis as the last page. This file of your Bachelor’s thesis will be forwarded to the respective two supervisors by the Examinations Office; submission deadlines are met upon receipt of the electronically sent form at the Examinations Office. As we have already received the document in electronic form from you by e-mail/contact form, you no longer need to send us a CD-ROM or USB stick with the thesis by post until further notice.

2. submission by mail:

Your thesis must be submitted to us in triplicate by mail. Please submit each of these copies in bound form (adhesive, spiral or hardcover binding is the norm). Please also note that the indexes and appendices as well as the cover sheet and the self-signed d eclaration of academic integrity are part of the thesis and must therefore be firmly bound. The paper version must be submitted by post no later than one week after the submission of the digital version.

Please send the three copies to the following address:

University of Bonn Faculty of Philosophy Bachelor/Master Examination Board Am Hof 1 53113 Bonn

Exceeding the submission deadline

If you exceed the deadline for submission, the Bachelor’s thesis must be assessed as "insufficient" (5.0). If necessary, please submit an application for an extension in good time before the deadline (at least three weeks before the deadline).

A failed Bachelor’s thesis can be repeated once . Failed attempts in the same subject at other universities will be recognised. In these cases, the topic can be chosen from another subject area. If the second Bachelor’s thesis is also assessed as "insufficient", the Bachelor's exam has been failed conclusively.

De-registration

In general, you must remain enrolled even after submitting your Bachelor’s thesis or another final exam in your degree programme in accordance with § 63 Para. 1, 2nd half-sentence HG; the examination procedure is only completed when it has been determined whether it was successful or unsuccessful. Students who have not re-registered, e.g. in order to save the associated fees, although they are not expected to know their examination result at the end of the previous semester are therefore taking a risk, especially as their uni-ID will be switched off and they will no longer have access to BASIS and their transcripts.

If you have not passed your last examin(s) and have therefore unfortunately not achieved your degree after all, you must re-enrol in order to re-sit your exams. If you have already missed the set re-registration deadline at this point, late re-registration at the Registrar's Office in accordance with Section 16 of the Enrolment Regulations can only take place later if the missed deadline is excused in writing for an important reason and proof of this is provided. You cannot register for the last outstanding exam before you are re-enrolled. It may also be the case that you can no longer be enrolled in your old examination regulations, but must continue your studies in accordance with the new examination regulations then in use, which may be followed by a time-consuming credit transfer procedure and possibly the loss of credits already earned.

However, if you have properly re-registered, you are entitled to a partial refund of the fees as soon as you have passed the final exam. You can find more information here . 

Underlying provisions

The regulations for the Bachelor’s thesis can be found in the following provisions, depending on which examination regulations you are studying under:

• §§ 18 und 19 der Prüfungsordnung für die Bachelorstudiengänge vom 5. August 2013 in ihrer aktuellen Fassung (BPO 2013)
• §§ 21 und 22 der Prüfungsordnung für die Bachelorstudiengänge und die konsekutiven Masterstudiengänge vom 17. August 2018 in ihrer aktuellen Fassung (BMPO 2018)
• §§ 20 und 21 der Prüfungsordnung für den Bachelorstudiengang „Psychologie“ und den konsekutiven Masterstudiengang „Psychologie“ vom 17. August 2018 in ihrer aktuellen Fassung (Psychologie-BMPO 2018)
• §§ 20 und 21 der Prüfungsordnung für den Bachelorstudiengang „Psychologie“ und den konsekutiven Masterstudiengang „Psychologie“ vom 28. August 2020 in ihrer aktuellen Fassung (Psychologie-BMPO 2020)  

You can find our telephone numbers and office hours on the "Contact & Advice" . You would like to contact us via this website? Please use the contact form!

Submitting a bachelor's or master's thesis

All students writing a master's thesis must first agree with the faculty regarding supervision . Bachelor's and master's theses are submitted through the digital exam tool Inspera. When submitting, it is important to register the correct title, which will be included on your diploma.

Log in to Inspera

Choose  Log in with FEIDE and enter your regular UiA username and password

• You are using open internet without Safe Exam Browser . 
• Your thesis must be converted to PDF before you upload it.
• Allow enough time to register the title in Inspera.
• Inspera closes automatically when the deadline expires.

Submitting a master's thesis

To submit a master's thesis you need to complete three steps: 

• Read the declaration of consent , and state whether or not you agree to have your master's thesis published through the university library
• Fill out the form on page two. Enter the title of your thesis as it should appear on your diploma and in AURA . The abstract from the thesis should also be included (copied from the master's thesis). Be sure to use the format "last name, first name" for the author and supervisor. If there are multiple authors or supervisors, separate them with line breaks, like this: Olsen, Ola Hansen, Kari
• Upload your PDF file of your master's thesis - make sure it is the correct file you are uploading. The file will be automatically submitted after the deadline has passed. 

Publication of master's thesis

UiA strongly encourages the open-access publication of all master's theses . This is an opportunity to showcase UiA's research work. The three requirements that must be met for publication to take place are:

• The thesis must have been approved
• The thesis must not contain any confidential information
• The student must agree to the open-access publication of their thesis by confirming through the submission process in Inspera Assessment.

After the deadline, you can locate your thesis in a separate file. 

Consent for publication is given during the submission process, and it takes approximately 100 days from the time you submit the thesis until it is published. Postponed availability If you want the assignment to be published at a later time, check the box indicating that it should not be published. When you are ready for publishing, you can contact the examination office.

Classification In exceptional cases, classifying theses containing strictly confidential information may be necessary. These theses should never be published, but your name, the assignment title, and the summary will be available in Aura.

Submitting a bachelor's thesis

Submitting a bachelor's thesis follows the same process as other assignment submissions. You can use a standard title page template from UiA, but this is not a formal requirement:

Remember to write your candidate number instead of your name on the title page if you have been instructed to submit your bachelor's thesis anonymously. If you are submitting the assignment as a group assignment, you will find information about this under the take-home exam  page.

Front page templates

Title page template bachelor (eng) (.doc)

Title page template master (eng) (.doc)

If you encounter any difficulties adding the title page to your thesis, there are two solutions you can consider:

• Copy the content of your thesis Word file into the title page Word file (and not the other way around).
• Create two separate PDF files for the cover and the thesis, and combine the files using PDF Merge .

Printing the thesis

If you would like to have physical copies of your thesis, you can choose from the following two options:

• Print your thesis double-sided and bring the printout to UiA Help. You can purchase a transparent plastic cover and binding for your thesis.
• Contact a local print shop of your choice and have your thesis bound.

Delays in your work?

If you can provide documentation that your health condition has led to delays in completing the assignment, you may apply for an extension of up to two weeks. Remember to apply at least five days before the submission deadline.

Apply for a delayed submission

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter

• For Prospective Students
• For Students
• For Researchers
• For Employees
• For Executives and Professionals
• For Founders
• For Cooperations
• For Press and Media

If you use one of the color modes, the TUM website and its elements will be displayed in either dark or light.

The settings are stored on your computer and not transferred to the server.

Making Your Thesis a Success

For most students, their final research paper is the first major work written during their degree program. It is much more comprehensive and demanding than term or seminar papers they have written during the course of their studies and, therefore, requires more planning.

Formalities: What regulations apply to the thesis?

Here, you will find information on the regulations governing the writing and submission of your thesis.  Formalities Please take note: These specifications apply for bachelor’s and master’s theses. You can find the regulations applying to the diploma thesis in the §§ of the ADPO (General Academic and Examination Regulations) and the FPSO (Departmental Study and Examination Regulations) of your degree program.

Tips and Tricks

Here, you will find some tips, literature and links we have compiled to help you succeed in writing your thesis. Tips and Tricks

Please note: The recently issued prohibition on the use of special characters in connection with gender-sensitive language in Bavarian schools, universities and authorities relates exclusively to the official tasks of the institutions themselves ; the prohibition does not extend to personal speech, documents, texts, and communication in study and teaching . 

Students are free to decide whether and in what form they want to use gender-sensitive language. The use or non-use of gender-sensitive language has no influence on the assessment of examinations, seminar papers, or theses .

English Writing Center and Schreibberatung German as a Foreign Language

The English Writing Center and the Schreibberatung German as a Foreign Language offer free one-to-one consulting in English or German writing to all members of the TUM community. The Center is staffed by both professional language instructors and student peer tutors, all of whom are native English or German speakers. They help you develop long-term proficiency in English or German writing, while polishing your actual texts in the process.

Having trouble choosing a topic for your bachelor’s or master’s thesis? Our Themenbörse posts current thesis topics from across the spectrum of TUM’s academic departments.

Please observe the  e-mail etiquette .

Personal advising sessions with  General Student Advising  by appointment

Monday, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Tuesday, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. (Student Information only) Wednesday, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Have a language expert improve your writing

Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free.

• Knowledge Base
• Dissertation

How to Write a Thesis or Dissertation Introduction

Published on September 7, 2022 by Tegan George and Shona McCombes. Revised on November 21, 2023.

The introduction is the first section of your thesis or dissertation , appearing right after the table of contents . Your introduction draws your reader in, setting the stage for your research with a clear focus, purpose, and direction on a relevant topic .

Your introduction should include:

• Your topic, in context: what does your reader need to know to understand your thesis dissertation?
• Your focus and scope: what specific aspect of the topic will you address?
• The relevance of your research: how does your work fit into existing studies on your topic?
• Your questions and objectives: what does your research aim to find out, and how?
• An overview of your structure: what does each section contribute to the overall aim?

Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text

Upload your document to correct all your mistakes in minutes

Table of contents

How to start your introduction, topic and context, focus and scope, relevance and importance, questions and objectives, overview of the structure, thesis introduction example, introduction checklist, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about introductions.

Although your introduction kicks off your dissertation, it doesn’t have to be the first thing you write — in fact, it’s often one of the very last parts to be completed (just before your abstract ).

It’s a good idea to write a rough draft of your introduction as you begin your research, to help guide you. If you wrote a research proposal , consider using this as a template, as it contains many of the same elements. However, be sure to revise your introduction throughout the writing process, making sure it matches the content of your ensuing sections.

Here's why students love Scribbr's proofreading services

Discover proofreading & editing

Begin by introducing your dissertation topic and giving any necessary background information. It’s important to contextualize your research and generate interest. Aim to show why your topic is timely or important. You may want to mention a relevant news item, academic debate, or practical problem.

After a brief introduction to your general area of interest, narrow your focus and define the scope of your research.

You can narrow this down in many ways, such as by:

• Geographical area
• Time period
• Demographics or communities
• Themes or aspects of the topic

It’s essential to share your motivation for doing this research, as well as how it relates to existing work on your topic. Further, you should also mention what new insights you expect it will contribute.

Start by giving a brief overview of the current state of research. You should definitely cite the most relevant literature, but remember that you will conduct a more in-depth survey of relevant sources in the literature review section, so there’s no need to go too in-depth in the introduction.

Depending on your field, the importance of your research might focus on its practical application (e.g., in policy or management) or on advancing scholarly understanding of the topic (e.g., by developing theories or adding new empirical data). In many cases, it will do both.

Ultimately, your introduction should explain how your thesis or dissertation:

• Helps solve a practical or theoretical problem
• Addresses a gap in the literature
• Builds on existing research
• Proposes a new understanding of your topic

Don't submit your assignments before you do this

The academic proofreading tool has been trained on 1000s of academic texts. Making it the most accurate and reliable proofreading tool for students. Free citation check included.

Try for free

Perhaps the most important part of your introduction is your questions and objectives, as it sets up the expectations for the rest of your thesis or dissertation. How you formulate your research questions and research objectives will depend on your discipline, topic, and focus, but you should always clearly state the central aim of your research.

If your research aims to test hypotheses , you can formulate them here. Your introduction is also a good place for a conceptual framework that suggests relationships between variables .

• Conduct surveys to collect data on students’ levels of knowledge, understanding, and positive/negative perceptions of government policy.
• Determine whether attitudes to climate policy are associated with variables such as age, gender, region, and social class.
• Conduct interviews to gain qualitative insights into students’ perspectives and actions in relation to climate policy.

To help guide your reader, end your introduction with an outline  of the structure of the thesis or dissertation to follow. Share a brief summary of each chapter, clearly showing how each contributes to your central aims. However, be careful to keep this overview concise: 1-2 sentences should be enough.

I. Introduction

Human language consists of a set of vowels and consonants which are combined to form words. During the speech production process, thoughts are converted into spoken utterances to convey a message. The appropriate words and their meanings are selected in the mental lexicon (Dell & Burger, 1997). This pre-verbal message is then grammatically coded, during which a syntactic representation of the utterance is built.

Speech, language, and voice disorders affect the vocal cords, nerves, muscles, and brain structures, which result in a distorted language reception or speech production (Sataloff & Hawkshaw, 2014). The symptoms vary from adding superfluous words and taking pauses to hoarseness of the voice, depending on the type of disorder (Dodd, 2005). However, distortions of the speech may also occur as a result of a disease that seems unrelated to speech, such as multiple sclerosis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

This study aims to determine which acoustic parameters are suitable for the automatic detection of exacerbations in patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by investigating which aspects of speech differ between COPD patients and healthy speakers and which aspects differ between COPD patients in exacerbation and stable COPD patients.

Checklist: Introduction

I have introduced my research topic in an engaging way.

I have provided necessary context to help the reader understand my topic.

I have clearly specified the focus of my research.

I have shown the relevance and importance of the dissertation topic .

I have clearly stated the problem or question that my research addresses.

I have outlined the specific objectives of the research .

I have provided an overview of the dissertation’s structure .

You've written a strong introduction for your thesis or dissertation. Use the other checklists to continue improving your dissertation.

If you want to know more about AI for academic writing, AI tools, or research bias, make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

Research bias

• Survivorship bias
• Self-serving bias
• Availability heuristic
• Halo effect
• Hindsight bias
• Deep learning
• Generative AI
• Machine learning
• Reinforcement learning
• Supervised vs. unsupervised learning

 (AI) Tools

• Grammar Checker
• Paraphrasing Tool
• Text Summarizer
• AI Detector
• Plagiarism Checker
• Citation Generator

The introduction of a research paper includes several key elements:

• A hook to catch the reader’s interest
• Relevant background on the topic
• Details of your research problem

and your problem statement

• A thesis statement or research question
• Sometimes an overview of the paper

Don’t feel that you have to write the introduction first. The introduction is often one of the last parts of the research paper you’ll write, along with the conclusion.

This is because it can be easier to introduce your paper once you’ve already written the body ; you may not have the clearest idea of your arguments until you’ve written them, and things can change during the writing process .

Research objectives describe what you intend your research project to accomplish.

They summarize the approach and purpose of the project and help to focus your research.

Your objectives should appear in the introduction of your research paper , at the end of your problem statement .

Scope of research is determined at the beginning of your research process , prior to the data collection stage. Sometimes called “scope of study,” your scope delineates what will and will not be covered in your project. It helps you focus your work and your time, ensuring that you’ll be able to achieve your goals and outcomes.

Defining a scope can be very useful in any research project, from a research proposal to a thesis or dissertation . A scope is needed for all types of research: quantitative , qualitative , and mixed methods .

To define your scope of research, consider the following:

• Budget constraints or any specifics of grant funding
• Your proposed timeline and duration
• Specifics about your population of study, your proposed sample size , and the research methodology you’ll pursue
• Any inclusion and exclusion criteria
• Any anticipated control , extraneous , or confounding variables that could bias your research if not accounted for properly.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

George, T. & McCombes, S. (2023, November 21). How to Write a Thesis or Dissertation Introduction. Scribbr. Retrieved July 2, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/introduction-structure/

Is this article helpful?

Tegan George

Other students also liked, how to choose a dissertation topic | 8 steps to follow, how to write an abstract | steps & examples, "i thought ai proofreading was useless but..".

I've been using Scribbr for years now and I know it's a service that won't disappoint. It does a good job spotting mistakes”