Formatting a bachelor’s thesis: scope and key requirements

Contents:

Guidelines for Writing and Defending a Bachelor’s Thesis

 

A bachelor’s thesis is a scientific research that is done to obtain a bachelor’s degree. It is usually completed in the 4th year of study at a university. A bachelor’s thesis should be an independent study in which a student demonstrates his or her level of knowledge, skills, and analytical abilities. However, it is not enough to write a bachelor’s thesis – it must be properly formatted, otherwise the research will not be allowed to be defended.

Guidelines for writing and defending a bachelor’s thesis

Guidelines are the basic requirements for each bachelor’s thesis. They contain recommendations on how to organize the process of writing and defending a thesis. Usually, the guidelines are developed by each higher education institution separately.

To format the work, use the Times New Roman font, 14-point, line spacing 1.5. The margins should be as follows: left – 30 mm, right – 15 mm, top and bottom – 20 mm. Page numbering begins with the table of contents, but no number is given on the title page.

The paper is evaluated according to the following criteria:

• content and relevance of the topic – 20 percent;
• quality of analysis and argumentation – 20 percent;
• literacy and compliance with standards – 15 percent;
• practical significance and conclusions – 20 percent;
• defense and presentation – 25 percent.

The most common mistakes in writing and defending a bachelor’s thesis include:

• choosing a topic that is too broad or vague;
• use of outdated or unverified sources;
• high level of plagiarism;
• weak argumentation or superficial analysis;
• poor preparation for the defense.

It is recommended that you start your work in advance to have enough time to finalize and consult with your supervisor.

The basic guidelines are usually as follows:

1. Choosing a topic. It should be relevant and relevant to the specialty. It is also important that the topic is interesting for the student.
2. Appointment of a supervisor. The teacher advises and assists the student throughout the entire stage of work.
3. Together with the supervisor, the student develops a detailed work plan.
4. Next comes the stage of searching for the necessary sources: scientific articles, monographs, textbooks, regulatory documents, etc. They should be critically analyzed and the main aspects that can be used in the work should be highlighted.
5. When writing a paper, you should follow a clear structure, which usually includes: introduction, main body (theoretical and practical sections), conclusions, references and appendices.
6. Upon completion of the paper, the student submits it to the supervisor for review to receive comments and recommendations for revision.
7. After the work is written and approved, preparations for the defense begin: development of a presentation and report, preparation of answers to questions that may be asked.

The bachelor’s thesis should be taken seriously.

 

General Requirements for a Bachelor’s Thesis

 

Let us consider all the requirements for a bachelor’s thesis.

The scope of the work

The total length of a bachelor’s thesis should be 50-60 pages, excluding appendices. The introduction should be 3-5 pages, each of the three main sections should be 15-20 pages, and the conclusion should be 3-5 pages. The list of references should contain at least 40 items.

Object and subject of research

The object of research is the process or phenomenon that gives rise to the problem situation and is selected for study. The object of research must be clearly defined and correspond to the field of study. It is a broader concept than the subject and includes it.

The subject of research is a specific part of the object that is directly studied. It defines the research topic and reflects certain aspects of it. The subject of research should be correlated with the purpose of the work.

Requirements for the structural elements of a bachelor’s thesis

 

A bachelor’s thesis in any subject, such as management, should have a clear structure that must be followed. Let’s take a closer look at it.

Cover page

The title page is the first page of a bachelor’s thesis and contains:
– official information about the educational institution;
– the name of the department;
– the topic of the work;
– name and initials of the author and supervisor;
– city and year of completion.

The title page is included in the overall page numbering, but the page number is not included.

Table of contents

The table of contents is indicated at the beginning of the work and contains the titles and numbers of the initial pages of all sections, subsections, and paragraphs. All headings in the table of contents begin with a capital letter without a period at the end. The titles of sections, subsections, and paragraphs in the table of contents should correspond exactly to their titles in the text of the paper.

List of symbols and abbreviations

In case of using specific terminology, abbreviations, new symbols, and notations, a separate list is formed and presented before the introduction. The list is printed in two columns, with abbreviations on the left in alphabetical order and their detailed decoding on the right.

Introduction

The introduction reveals the essence and state of the scientific problem and its significance. The introduction sequentially reveals

• the relevance of the topic;
• the connection of the work with scientific programs, plans, topics;
• the purpose and objectives of the research;
• object and subject of research;
• research methods;
• novelty of the results obtained;
• practical significance of the results.

The student’s personal contribution to the research may also be indicated.

The main part

The main body consists of sections, subsections, paragraphs, and subparagraphs. Each section starts on a new page. The main text of each section may be preceded by a preface with a brief description of the chosen direction and justification of the research methods used. At the end of each chapter, conclusions are formulated with a brief summary of the scientific and practical results presented in the chapter.

The first chapter

The first chapter is theoretical in nature. It provides a critical analysis of the scientific literature on the research topic, outlines the main stages of the development of scientific thought on the problem. It also highlights the theoretical provisions that determine the methodology and methodology of research on the chosen topic of the bachelor’s thesis.

The second section

The second chapter is analytical and research in nature. It contains a description, characterization of the current state of the problem under study at the object of research, analysis of factual data, accompanied by tables, graphs, diagrams, and formulas. When writing this section, the student must demonstrate the ability to analyze statistical data independently.

Conclusions

The conclusions are the final part of the bachelor’s thesis. They summarize the main results of the study in accordance with the objectives and give recommendations for their practical use. The conclusions should be concise, specific, substantiated, and reflect both positive and negative results of the study.

List of references

The list of references is placed after the conclusions. The list includes all the sources used in alphabetical order in accordance with the current standards of bibliographic description. The bibliographic description is compiled directly from the printed work or extracted from catalogs and bibliographic indexes in full without omitting any elements.

Appendices

Appendices are placed after the list of references. The appendices contain auxiliary materials: copies of documents, excerpts from legislative and regulatory documents, reports, instructions, regulations, intermediate mathematical proofs, formulas, calculations, tables of auxiliary digital data, and illustrations of an auxiliary nature. The appendices are designed as a continuation of the work and have a through page numbering.

Adherence to this clear structure in the thesis is mandatory for every student.

Requirements for Defending a Bachelor’s Thesis

 

To be admitted to the defense of a bachelor’s thesis, a student must submit a complete set of documents to the department. It includes a bachelor’s thesis in printed form, executed in accordance with the established requirements and bound in a hardcover. The thesis must be signed by the student and the supervisor on the title page.

It is mandatory to submit a written review by the supervisor, which contains a description of the student’s activities during the bachelor’s thesis, an assessment of the theoretical level of research, the practical significance of the work and the possibility of admitting it to defense. In the review, the supervisor notes the relevance of the chosen topic, the completeness of the tasks, and the level of independence of the research.

The main documents also include an external review of a bachelor’s thesis prepared by a specialist with the appropriate qualifications. The reviewer assesses the relevance of the topic, the quality of the research, the validity of the conclusions, and the theoretical and practical value of the work. The review should contain the recommended grade of the work according to the accepted grading scale.

A certificate of academic plagiarism check is a mandatory document confirming the originality of the research. It is accompanied by a full report on the results of the check. The student also submits an abstract of the work in Ukrainian and English of up to one page each.

To defend the work, the student must prepare an oral report. The student must highlight the relevance and importance of the topic, reveal the summary and structure of the work, and motivatedly describe his or her conclusions and proposals on the topic of the study.

A presentation may also be used during the student’s defense. It should be made in PowerPoint or similar programs and contain 12-15 slides. The structure of the presentation should reflect the logic of the research and include visualization of the main results of the work.

Preparing for the Bachelor’s Thesis Defense

 

The preliminary defense of the bachelor’s thesis is held at the department two to three weeks before the main defense. At the preliminary defense, the student presents the work in the presence of the supervisor and the department’s teachers. Based on the results of the preliminary defense, the department decides whether the work is admitted to the main defense or needs to be revised.

The report for the defense is prepared in advance and should last 5-7 minutes. The report should reflect the relevance of the research topic, the purpose, objectives, object, subject of the research, methods used, the main results of the research and recommendations for their implementation. Particular attention should be paid to your own developments and proposals.

Based on the text of the work, the student must prepare answers to potential questions from the members of the examination committee. Particular attention should be paid to the justification of the choice of research methods, sources of information, and calculations of the economic efficiency of the proposed measures. It is also necessary to prepare answers to the reviewer’s comments.

It is recommended to conduct several rehearsals of your speech in front of friends or relatives. This will help you to practice your speech pace, clarity of presentation, and time control. During the rehearsal, it is important to check the operation of the technical means that will be used to demonstrate the presentation.

An important aspect of preparation is the psychological attitude. The student must be confident in his or her knowledge and be able to respond calmly to the questions of the committee. It is recommended to have a good rest and tune in to a positive result on the eve of the defense.

You should come to the defense in a business suit that meets the requirements of the academic dress code. The appearance should be neat and emphasize the seriousness of the event. This demonstrates respect for the members of the committee and understanding of the importance of the defense procedure.

During the defense, the student must adhere to the rules, speak clearly and confidently, and maintain visual contact with the committee members. After the report, you should listen carefully to the questions and provide reasoned answers. It is important to demonstrate a deep understanding of the research topic and the ability to conduct a scientific discussion.

The correct formatting of the work and preparation for the defense will allow you to get your coveted diploma without difficulty.