HOW TO WRITE YOUR THESIS?
Guidelines
Compiled by
Eeva Ahtiainen
September 2007
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION
3
2 LAYOUT AND WORD PROCESSING TIPS
4
2.1 Settings and Styles
4
2.2 Headings
4
2.3 Page Numbers
5
2.4 Figures and Tables
5
2.5 Compiling Table of Contents
6
3 STRUCTURE AND CONTENTS
4 QUOTATIONS AND REFERENCES
7
11
4.1References
11
4.2 Bibliography
14
5 LANGUAGE AND STYLE OF A REPORT
3
1 INTRODUCTION
This guide has been compiled in order to support the writing process of a thesis work at
Savonia University of Applied Sciences, Savonia Business, Varkaus. The guide includes
brief instructions for the structure, layout and word processing as well as some guidelines
for academic writing.
This guide, its layout and form, follows the final thesis work so this can be used as a model.
Pay attention to the style, capitalisations, and punctuation.
2 LAYOUT AND WORD PROCESSING TIPS
The word processing instructions are based on Word 2003 software, so there may be
differences to other versions.
2.1 Settings and Styles
Times New Roman or Arial should be used as a default font throughout the report. Font size
should be 12 and it should be applied all through the report, including tables, charts, pictures
and headings. Only the title of the thesis work on the title page is typed with font size 14
and it should be bold-faced.
Line spacing is 1.5 throughout the report. Between paragraphs and headings there should be
one blank line.
Page setup should be as follows:
Top:
1 cm
Bottom:
2cm
Left:
4.3 cm
Right:
1 cm
Gutter: 0 cm
Gutter position: Left
Typing begins from left, including headlines. The beginning of a paragraph is not intended.
There should be at least two lines of a paragraph on the same page. Justify the text on both
sides. Do not hyphenate English text.
2.2 Headings
Chapters are numbered consecutively. It is recommended to use Styles and Formatting
option, which makes it possible to create the contents automatically. You will have to
choose the fonts and font sizes yourself since the default settings are not equivalent to thesis
settings. There is no dot after the numbers.
All headings are bold-faced and the headings for main chapters are capitalised. Other
headings are written with main words capitalised, preposition and articles not, for example:
The General Guidelines for a Seminar Paper. Main chapters start a new page. There should
be a Page Break (Ctrl+Enter) before the main chapters.
Chapters should not be too short. It is recommended that each chapter should include at
least two paragraphs of text. Another general guideline is that one page should not contain
more than two headings. All subheadings, especially if they are very short ones, should not
be numbered or listed in the contents.
There should be at least two headings of same level. In other words, there cannot be chapter
2.1 without a chapter 2.2.
2.3 Page Numbers
Page numbers locate on the top right-hand corner. Page numbers already start from the title
page but the numbers are shown not until the first page of introduction.
Title page and abstract are usually saved and printed as separate files without page numbers.
The actual report is considered as one document. For instance, if there is the title page, an
abstract, a contents page, the first page (contents) is left without a page number and, thus,
the numbering starts on the introduction page being page number 5.
Page numbering ends with the last page of bibliography. Appendices are not numbered. In
the abstract form the required number of pages is therefore the last page of the bibliography
of the report + appendices.
2.4 Figures and Tables
Figures and tables are merely a means of giving a clear picture of a topic and thus should
not be too dominant. Therefore, it is important to consider where and how pictures and
tables should be used.
All the others except tables should be named as figures. Figures and tables are numbered
consecutively throughout the report. The heading of the picture is written below it and the
heading of a table is typed above it in italics. There is a full stop at the end of the heading.
The headings should be understandable even without the explanatory text. If the table is not
compiled by the author, the reference should be added at the end of the heading.
Here is an example of a table:
Table 1. Female and male perspectives to the claim “The customer service in XYZ
company is of high-quality”.
Male
Female
Total
Totally disagree
7
3
10
Disagree
13
5
18
Difficult to say
4
10
14
Agree
5
5
10
Totally agree
4
1
5
Total
33
24
n=57
There should be a reference to each figure and table in the text: Figure 1 indicates- - -. It is
not necessary to explain everything concerning the table and only the most important factors
are selected and explained.
The font size should be the same in the table as in the report, ie 12. However, if there is not
enough space on the page, consider scaling since tables and figures should not be divided
into separate pages. If the table covers several pages, special consideration should be paid to
the correct place to break the table so that it is still easy to read and understand.
2.5 Compiling Table of Contents
In order to compile the contents automatically, the headings should be typed with the Styleoption. At the beginning of the report a compulsory page break should be added (Ctrl +
Enter) and the LIST OF CONTENTS should be typed capitalised and bold-faced. The
cursor should be placed into the place the list should begin. Choose Insert/Reference/Index
and Tables / Tables of Contents.
Page numbers should be aligned on the right. From Tab leader select None and General
Formats choose From Template.
3
STRUCTURE AND CONTENTS
In the following section the structure of the thesis is presented in the requested form and
order.
Title Page
The title page is formulated according to the default template of Savonia University of
Applied Sciences. Instructions can be found in the e-learning environment in Verkkosalkku
(LiWa, TeWa).
Abstract
The abstract form can also be found in the above mentioned Verkkosalkku file. It is
recommended that the abstract should be written last, after the report itself is finished and
ready. The abstract contains approximately 100 – 200 words and is an objective description
of the thesis. The reader should obtain an idea of the thesis simply by reading the abstract.
Following issues, among other things, should be covered in the abstract:
-
What was the background and the objective for the thesis; why was it carried out?
-
What was the research material used?
-
What kinds of research methods were used?
-
The main results.
-
Conclusions.
There are no headings, pictures, tables nor personal comments in the abstract.
At the end of the abstract there are three to seven keywords listed describing the contents of
the thesis. Consider the form and the importance of the keywords carefully.
The abstract will be checked out by the English teacher of each department.
After the abstract has been accepted, it will be emailed to library ([email protected]) in order to be further saved in the www-server database. A consent form on this
should be filled in and returned to library. The form can be obtained from the student office.
Abstracts are readable in library www-pages http://www.savonia-amk.fi/library
Theses....
Foreword
This is a voluntary section, which is composed using the first person. The author can, for
example, describe how the thesis process got started as well as thank the persons or
organisations who have assisted in the process. The style should be compact, formal and
positive; bragging should be avoided. Names and titles should be typed in full. At the end of
the foreword section, date and the name of the author should be added.
Definitions
Concepts, symbols, and abbreviations should be explained at the beginning of the report
only if there are many of them or they are unfamiliar to readers. The page should be titled,
for instance, as CONCEPTS or DEFINITIONS or ABBREVIATIONS. However, it is
recommendable that the uncommon concepts and abbreviations are explained within the text
in the order they appear for the first time. It may be proper to include a reference according
to which the abbreviation is used.
Contents for Tables and Pictures
If tables and pictures are an essential part in the report, there can be a separate list of
pictures and tables before the actual list of contents. The heading is then TABLES AND
PICTURES. Separate lists should be compiled on both tables and pictures in which
numbers, headings and page numbers should be mentioned.
Contents
The list of contents gives a comprehensive view of the report, so it is very important to pay
attention to the headings. Main headings describe the main issues and the subheadings
represent minor issues or separate topics in the framework. It is not recommended to have
more than three levels of headings, so that the report is not getting too fragmented.
However, there can be lower case headings but they are left unnumbered and should be
italicised or bold-faced. The list of contents includes only the numbered headings.
Introduction
Introduction leads the reader to the topic. The importance of both the topic as well as the
research will be explained here. The background, the objective, and the research methods
are introduced. Good introduction arouses reader’s interest and simply by reading the
introduction the reader should obtain a general idea of the thesis. It is recommended to write
the introduction at the final stage of the thesis work.
The length of the introduction is 1 – 2 pages. If there is a risk that the introduction sections
expand, consider what to remove to other sections in your thesis. There are no subheadings
in introduction.
Reporting
Introduction is followed by reporting section, which is usually divided into several main
chapters. Immediately after the introduction, there is usually a chapter describing the
objective of the research as well as the theoretical background in more detail. This is
followed by the actual empirical section, in which the personal research material and the
results will be presented.
Descriptive headings are preferred instead of too general and meaningless headings, like
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK or RESEARCH RESULTS. Instead, for example, THE
PRINCIPLES OF ADVERTISING or CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AT XXX are much
more descriptive are reader-friendly.
Conclusion and Discussion
The report is concluded with a Conclusion or a Discussion section, which is headed
accordingly with the contents of the study. Moreover, answers to the following sample
questions can be covered as well:
-
What were the objectives of the research and how were they achieved?
-
What are the most important results?
-
What can be deduced from the results?
-
What should have been done otherwise?
-
How do the results relate to previous studies?
This last chapter of the thesis thus recalls the original objectives and summarises the results
in this respect. The main results will be retraced briefly and the conclusions based on the
results will be introduced. In case the thesis work was commissioned by a company or a
person, it advisable to take the customer’s opinion into consideration.
Furthermore, the Conclusion section includes honest critique on the research process,
methods used and possible improvements. The unbiased critique emphasises your
competence of the topic. Remember the academic style! Do not use slang words, idioms or
personal anecdotes.
Bibliography
See separate instructions in Chapter 4.
Appendices
Appendices can be included in the thesis if they complete the report or are referred to in the
text. Appendices are numbered consecutively on the top left corner (Appendix 1, Appendix
2 etc) and are headed. Page numbers are not shown in appendices. In case of several
appendices there can be an internal list of contents. The list includes the name and number
of each appendix. Names of appendices are not listed in the list of contents.
4
QUOTATIONS AND REFERENCES
Proper usage of resources and quotations is absolutely crucial in a thesis work. Firstly, the
purpose of a reference is to show to the reader which ideas are of your own and which
somebody else’s. Secondly, failure to acknowledge the source of quotation, paraphrase or
artistic works amounts to plagiarism. Savonia University of Applied Sciences also
acknowledges this in the Degree Regulations (12 September 2005): “Section 9. A student
shall avoid fraudulent practices […] and shall not copy […] theses and other ready-made
materials in his or her own assignments”. Remember that the student is responsible for the
integrity of his/her work.
How to avoid plagiarism? If the text is a word for word quotation with the original text, it
should be introduced with quotation marks:
“Studies leading to a degree are organised as degree programmes that may comprise
different specialisation options” (SUAS 2005).
However, it is recommended that the quotations should be paraphrased so that you
paraphrase the basic argument or facts in the original using your own words. In both cases,
reference should be given. When referring to general information or knowledge, references
are not needed.
Referencing systems vary in different educational establishments. Savonia University of
Applied Sciences applies Harvard style and further instructions will follow later in this
guide.
4.1 References
Reference should be at the end of each chapter in which paraphrasing or quotations have
been applied. Reference is given in brackets including last name of the author, publication
year and page number, for example (Smaltzer 2006, 67). If the source is already obvious
from the preceding text, page number is enough. The following instructions and samples
will clarify the referencing system in various cases.
Published Sources
Published sources when the author is known, for example a book or an article, are referred
to using the last name (with many authors the last name of the one who is mentioned first),
publication year and page number(s). If the author is unknown, the reference includes the
name of the publisher.
One author
(Lehtonen 1998, 124)
Two authors
(Foell and Fritz 1998, 42-43)
Several authors
(Herno et al. 2000, 24)
Author unknown
(Central Statistical Office 2003)
Internet source is referred to according to the name of the author or the provider of the site.
Internet addresses should not be included in the actual text. The year is the same as the
publication year or the year of latest update. If there is neither document of the year nor
time, the year when the article is being used and read should be included in the reference.
Author is known
(Dicks and Mason 1998)
Author is unknown
(Microsoft Corporation 2005)
If there is no information on the author or the provider of the pages, there are good reasons
to doubt the reliability of the source and thus ignore it.
Laws and regulations should be referred with the name, date and number.
(Bookkeeping Act 30 December 1997/1336)
Chapter and article can be included in the text as follows: It is stipulated in the Bookkeping
Act (30 December 1997/1336) chapter 3 article 1 that --.
Unpublished Sources
Unpublished sources include, for example, theses, handouts, manuals, brochures, and
memos. These are referred to in the text the same way as the published sources.
Verbal sources, like lectures, interviews, telephone calls, email messages, and discussions
should be referred to as follows:
According to the Marketing Manager Smith, the quality of their services has
improved significantly (interview 22 June 2007).
Effective logistics management improves the performance of the company.
(Forwarding Manager Bill Benton, seminar presentation 13 December 2007.)
Referring to Several Sources
When listing several sources, a semi-colon (;) should be used and the last two should be
distinguished with and –word.
(Perelman 1971, 26 – 30; Summa 1989, 94 – 95; and Kakkuri 1998, 154)
Different Publications from the Same Author the Same Year
If the author has published several publications the same year, they should be distinguished
with small letters a, b, c, etc. These letters should also be documented in the bibliography
after the publication year.
(Henriksson 1999a, 44 – 47 and Henriksson 1999b, 33–35)
Secondary Sources
Primary sources should be used in thesis work. However, if the need for the secondary
source is unavoidable, the document should be referred to in the bibliography but the
primary source of the ideas should be stated in the text.
Rose has defined according to Smith (1998, 154) that --.
Punctuation in References
The reference indicates if the source has been referred to in one or more sentences. When
the referred idea is in one sentence, there is no full stop at the end of the sentence but
outside the brackets.
The results of the report should be justified (Lawson 2001, 45).
The author can also be mentioned as follows:
According to Lawson (2001, 45) the results of the report should be justified.
When the paraphrased idea covers many previous sentences, full stop is indicated inside the
brackets.
There should be a clear objective for the project work. It may be difficult to
estimate the timeline and, therefore, smaller units are recommended.
(Lawson 2002, 63.)
4.2 Bibliography
All the sources which are used in the text should be listed in the bibliography. The heading
is BIBLIOGRAPHY and all the referred sources have to be listed there in alphabetical order
according to the last name of the author.
Pay special attention to the form of the text: capitalisation, indentations, italics, punctuation,
and space! Note that the main words of the title are capitalised even if in the original source
they are not! The basic formula is: author, year, title of the work, edition, publisher and
place of publishing. Here are some examples:
One Author
Harrison, J. 1996
Office Procedures. 4th edition. Longman. London.
Several Authors
Weissberg, R. & Buker, S. 1990
Writing Up Research. Experimental Research Report Writing for Students of
English. Prentice-Hall. New Jersey.
Edited Publication
van Eemeren, F. H., Grootendorst, R., Blair, J. A. & Williard, C. A. (ed.) 1991
Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Argumentation. ICG
Printing. Dordrecht.
Articles in Edited Publication
Brown, P. & Levinson, S. 1978
Universals in Language Usage: Politeness Phenomena. In E.N. Goody (ed.),
Questions and Politeness. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, 120–146.
(The pages of the article must be mentioned!)
Articles in Journals etc.
Foell, N.A. & Fritz, R.L. 1998
The Influence of Technology on Vocational Teacher Education. Journal of
Vocational and Technical Education 14 (2), 40-46.
Published Documents with an Unknown Author
Tilastokeskus 1998
Statistical Yearbook, Helsinki.
Unpublished Sources
Sun, R. & Wu, b. 2003
Small Business Establishment by Foreigners in Finland – Case: BB
Present.com.
Pohjois-Savo
Polytechnic.
School
of
Business
and
Administration. Varkaus. Thesis work.
Kallio, M. 2004
How to Give a Good Presentation. Jyväskylä University. Jyväskylä. Lecture
12 January 2004.
Internet Sources
Online periodical or eJournal:
Author, A., Author, C. C. 2004 (on line)
Title of Article. Title of Periodical, xx, xxxx.
URL
Date (when the source retrieved)
Tuten, T.L. & Neidermeyer, P.E. 2004 (on line)
Performance, Satisfaction and Turnover in Call Centres: The Effects of
Stress and Optimism. Journal of Business Research, Vol. 57, issue 1, January
2004.
http://www.sciencedirect.com
Retrieved 27 February 2004
Online Documents
Author, A.A. 204 (on line)
Title of Work.
Address of the source
Date (when the source retrieved)
DuPraw, M.E. & Axner, M. 2000 (on line)
Working on Common Cross-Cultural Communication Challenges.
http://www.wwcd.org/action/ampu/crosscult.html
Retrieved 6 February 2004
If the author is unknown, use the name of the organization and/or provider of the pages.
The American Psychological Association 2003 (on line)
Electronic References.
http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html
Retrieved 4 February 2004
APPENDIX 1 A Sample of a Bibliography
Bibliography
Published Sources
Dicks, B. & Mason, B. 1998
Hypermedia and Ethnography: Reflections on the Construction of a Research
Approach. Sociological Research Online. Vol. 3, no 3, 30 September 1998.
Retrieved 16.1.2006
http:www.socresonline.org.uk/socresonline/3/3/contents.html
Foell, N. A. & Fritz, R. L. 1998
The influence of technology on vocational teacher education. Journal of
Vocational and Technical Education 14 (2), 40 - 46.
Herno, L., Likitalo, H., Puhakka, P., Rissanen, R. & Tsokkinen, A. 2000
Tradenomin
opinnäyte.
Työprosessista
raportiksi.
Pohjois-Savon
ammattikorkeakoulu. Kuopio.
Kylänpää, E. & Piirainen, E. 2002
Liike-elämän kirjallinen viestintä. 3. painos. MacLaser Oy. Jyväskylä.
L1336/1997
Accounting Legislation 30.12.1997/1336.
Provided as an e-text at http://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/
Smith, S. A. (ed.) 1994
Bill Clinton on stump, state and stage. The rhetorical road to the White House.
University of Arkansas Press. Fayetteville.
Tilastokeskus 1998
Statistical Yearbook. Helsinki.
Weissberg, R. & Buker, S. 1990
Writing Up Research. Experimental Research Report Writing for Students of
English. Prentice-Hall. New Jersey.
Unpublished Sources
FinnTec 2006
FinnTec 06 -Exhibition 25. – 28.4.2006. Exhibition Guide.
Sun, R. & Wu, B. 2003
Small Business Establishment by Foreigners in Finland - Case: BB
Present.com. Thesis work.
and Administration. Varkaus.
Pohjois- Savo Polytechnic. School of Business