Requirements for a master’s thesis: writing and formatting

Contents:

Master’s thesis is a research work, which is subject to high requirements. This applies not only to the content, but also to the design of the study. The requirements for writing are regulated by the state standard, so they must be unconditionally fulfilled. Otherwise, the master’s thesis may be returned and not allow you to defend it.

General requirements for a master’s thesis

Master’s theses are quite voluminous. Usually they contain 70–120 pages. Works on economic and humanitarian topics can be extended to 150 pages.

Master’s work consists of the following parts:

• Title page.
• Table of Contents.
• List of symbols (if necessary).
• Introduction (7–9 pages).
• The main part (3–4 sections).
• Conclusions (5–7 pages).
• List of sources used (at least 70 titles).
• Appendices (if necessary).

Technical requirements are also put forward to the work. The parameters of text design are as follows:

• Times New Roman font, 14 point.
• Line spacing 1.5.
• Text alignment by width.
• Margins: left – 30 mm, right – 10 mm, top and bottom – 20 mm.
• Paragraph indent – 1.25 cm.
• Printing pages – one-sided.

Page numbering is also a requirement. It is mandatory for all sheets, except for the title page (but it is included in the list). The numbering is placed in the upper right corner in Arabic numerals without a dot.

Requirements for Master’s thesis design

When designing a master’s thesis, there are certain requirements. Let’s consider them in detail.

How to draw up the title page?

The title page of a master’s thesis should contain the following elements (from top to bottom):

• At the top of the sheet should be the following designations: the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the full name of the educational institution, the name of the faculty and the name of the department.
• Type of work (in the middle of the upper part): “MASTER’S THESIS” “Master’s thesis”.
• The name of the specialty (with the indication of the code). For example: “in specialty 122 Computer Science”. The name of the educational and professional program should also be indicated.
• The topic of the work (in capital letters, without quotation marks). Must be approved according to the order.
• Information about the executor and supervisor: “performed by: student of __ course, group ___”. The student’s full name and information about the supervisor (academic title, degree, full name) should also be indicated.
• City and year of fulfillment (at the bottom of the letter). For example: “Kiev-2025”.

Align the text in the center of the page, except for information about the author and supervisor (usually aligned on the right edge).

How to format the list of references?

The list of literature (or list of used sources) is formatted in accordance with DSTU 8302:2015 “Information and Documentation. Bibliographic reference. General provisions and rules of drawing up”. Here are the basic rules:

• The heading “LIST OF USED SOURCES” is placed in the center of the page.
• Sources are submitted in alphabetical order.
• Sources are placed first in Cyrillic, then in Latin.
• The numbering is continuous for the whole list.
• Each source begins on a new line.

Literature in the list is also arranged in accordance with the requirements. Mandatory elements of the description are:

• Author (surname and initials).
• The title of the work (without quotation marks).
• Place of publication.
• Publisher.
• Year of publication.
• Number of pages, if it is a book. For articles, the title, journal, number, pages are indicated.

Also pay attention to special requirements:

• A period and a dash (. -) are placed between the elements of the description.
• Bibliographic description is made in the original language.
• The abbreviation of words is performed according to the standards.
• For electronic sources it is obligatory to indicate the URL and the date of reference.

In total, the list of references should contain at least 60 sources. It is forbidden to use unpublished and unverified sources.

How are bibliographic references formalized?

Let’s consider the basic rules of bibliographic references:

• In-text references are placed directly in the text in parentheses. They contain the serial number of the source from the reference list. After the number, pages are indicated through a comma. For example, (8, pp. 25-26) or (8, p. 25; 9, p. 123).
• Footnotes are placed at the bottom of the page and separated by a horizontal line. They are numbered separately on each page and are written in one interval in font 10.
• If the quotation is verbatim, it is taken in quotation marks. It is obligatory to indicate the page.
• When referring to several authors, sources are separated by semicolons. When the author is mentioned in the text, only the number of the source is indicated in parentheses.
• References should be to all sources from the reference list. When citing indirectly, “see” is added: [see: 7].

Rules of the introduction design

Introduction to any master’s thesis, for example, in psychology, is placed after the content, starting on a new page. The heading “INTRODUCTION” is written in capital letters and placed in the center of the page. The recommended length is 3-5 pages.

The main structural elements of the introduction:

• Relevance of the topic. This section substantiates the importance of the chosen topic of research, analyzes the current state of the problem under study and identifies the issues that need to be addressed.
• Purpose and objectives of the research. The goal is formulated in one clear sentence and should reflect the end result of the research. Objectives reveal what specifically needs to be done to achieve the goal.
• Object and subject of the research. The object is the process or phenomenon that gives rise to the problem situation and has been selected for study. The subject is the specific aspect of the object that is directly investigated in the paper. The subject is always contained within the object.
• Research Methods. This section provides a list of the scientific research methods used. It is important not just to list the methods, but to indicate for the solution of what specific problems they were used.
• Scientific novelty of the results obtained. Describes the new scientific provisions proposed by the author, emphasizes their difference from the already known scientific results. It is important to clearly formulate what exactly is new in the work.
• Practical significance of the results obtained. Information is provided on the practical application of the results or recommendations for their use.
• Structure and scope of the work. This section provides information about the total volume of the work, the number of sections, etc. The structure and scope of the work.

All elements of the thesis for a master’s degree should be logically connected with each other to form a holistic view of the study.

Requirements for the main part

The main part of the master’s thesis is the key element of the research, revealing its essence. It should be 70-85 pages and consists of 2 or more sections, each of which reveals a certain aspect of the study.

Each section starts on a new page and has its own title. For example, the first section is devoted to the theoretical analysis of the problem, the second – the methodological aspects of the study,

the third – practical implementation, and the fourth (if any) – experimental verification of the results. Sections should be proportional in volume and logically related to each other. At the end of each necessarily formulate conclusions of 1-2 pages, which summarize the main results of the section.

Section headings are printed in capital letters, in bold, symmetrically to the text. Headings of subsections – lowercase letters (except for the first). There should be an indent of one line between the heading and the text. Each section is numbered with Arabic numerals, subsections are numbered within the section (e.g., 2.1, 2.2).

The main part should fully disclose the topic of research and demonstrate the author’s ability to independent scientific work.

 

How to formalize the content?

The content includes a list of all structural elements of the work with the indication of their initial pages:
• Introduction.
• Sections (capital letters).
• Subsections (in lower case letters).
• Conclusions.
• List of sources used.
• Appendices.
It is important that the content is clear and visual, so that the reader can easily navigate through the structure of the work and quickly find the necessary sections.

How to formulate the conclusion?

Conclusions are formulated in accordance with the objectives of the research in the introduction. They summarize the most important scientific and practical results of the work. The conclusions do not provide new facts, evidence or provisions that are absent in the main part of the work – it should be the logical conclusion of the research conducted.

Features of compiling a list of used sources

The bibliographic list can be organized in different ways, depending on the requirements of the university and the specifics of the work. Most often used alphabetical, systematic or chronological order:

• The most common way of organizing literature. Sources are arranged by the first letter of the author’s surname or the title of the book (if there is no author).
• Systematic order. Sources are grouped according to their thematic affiliation. It is used if it is necessary to logically distribute the material by topic.
• Chronological order. Sources are arranged in the order of their publication – from the oldest to the newest. It is used in scientific research, where it is important to show the evolution of the problem, for example, in works on history, economics, political science.

Check the methodological guidelines of your university – there may be specific requirements.

Practical tips and recommendations for writing a master’s thesis

To write a master’s thesis, use these recommendations:

• Choose a relevant topic of the work.
• Make a detailed plan.
• Clarify the main requirements for the work at your university.
• Collect literature in advance.
• Write clearly and logically, use methods of analysis.
• Adhere to the requirements of the design of the work.
• Check the work for plagiarism.
• Carefully prepare for the defense.

Such tips will help you write a high-quality work, which you will be able to defend on excellent.

Writing a master’s thesis is a serious enough labor. To ensure that it did not go in vain, and you are allowed to defend, you need to clearly adhere to all the requirements for writing and design of the work. We hope that our advice will help you to do everything clearly and according to the rules.