Guidelines for writing an academic thesis

Guidelines for writing an academic thesis
1. Structure of the thesis
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Abstract
Cover Page
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations (if required, see chapter 5 below)
List of Abbreviations (if required, see chapter 6 below)
Main body of the thesis
Bibliography
Annex (if required, see chapter 10 below)
Declaration
2. Abstract
A concise summary of the work, with a length of approximately one-third of a page, is to
be given at the beginning of the thesis.
3. Cover Page
The Cover Page should contain the following information:
Name of the University
Faculty
Degree program
Subject
Name
Address
E-mail
Matriculation number
Tutor
Date of Submission
4. Table of Contents
The bullet points of the Table of Contents have to be identical to the respective headings
in the text. Chapters are to be structured decadally with Arabic numerals whereas lists
(indices) should be organized with the help of Roman numerals. The Annex is to be
labelled as Annex A, Annex B....
Page numbers have to be added consecutively to the respective bullet points, starting with
p. 1 for the introduction. Also the Bibliography and the Annex obtain page numbers,
whereas any list (index) that precedes the introduction does not receive a page number.
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Example:
I
Table of Contents
II
List of Illustrations
1
Introduction……………………………...………..………………………....p. 1
2
Heading for text under bullet point 2…………... ………………................ p. 2
2.1
Heading of the text under bullet point 2.1…...…...………………….p. 2
2.1.1 Heading of the text under bullet point 2.1.1.………..…………...…..p. 2
2.1.2
Heading of the text under bullet point 2.1.2………………………...p. 4
2.2
Heading of the text under bullet point 2.2.…………………..............p. 7
etc.
III
Bibliography……………………… …………………………………………...…..p. 80
Annex A……..……………………………………………………………………………p. 101
Annex B……..………………………………………………………………………….. p. 102
etc.
The Cover Page and the declaration are the only pages which are not mentioned in the
Table of Contents and do not have a page number.
5. List of Illustrations
Illustrations (graphics, tables etc.) have to be numbered in the text (either consistently
consecutively or chapter-based) and be given a title. The number and title of each
illustration as well as the corresponding page number have to be mentioned in the List of
Illustrations.
Example:
Title of an illustration in the text of the thesis:
Figure 1: The basics of fMRI (Source: Robinson, 2004, p. 15)
Entry of an illustration in the List of Illustration:
Figure 1: The basics off MRI…………………………………………………………... p. 3
6. List of Abbreviations
Abbreviations and acronyms1 should be avoided whenever possible. Only commonly used
abbreviations (such as “etc.”) or acronyms which are commonly used (such as “PC”) may
serve as a substitute for the full term. Any abbreviation or acronym which is not generally
known has to be explained with its full wording in the List of Abbreviations.
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Acronyms are words formed from the first letters of other words (for example “PC”).
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7. Text
Within each chapter, the text of the work should be subdivided into appropriate
paragraphs. For the typeface, the following applies:
To compose the text a word processing program has to be used. Choose the standard
format DIN A4 and the font Times New Roman 12 or Arial 11 in justified print. Leave a
margin of 4 cm on the left, all other margins should be 2 cm. The line spacing has to be
1.5. Any text passages to be emphasised should be marked with bold type or italics.
8. Bibliography
In the bibliography all sources are listed in the alphabetical order of the authors´names.
The most frequently used citation styles are APA (American Psychological Association)
Style and Harvard Style.
8.1 Quotations in APA Style (quotations in footnotes)
References are to be made as follows:
Name, first name in initials. (year of appearance). title. edition. place of publication:
publishing company.
Examples:
Books and similar publications:
Wöhe, G. (2008). Einführung in die allgemeine Betriebswirtschaftslehre. 23rd ed.
München: Vahlen.
Foscht, T. & Swoboda, B. (2007). Käuferverhalten: Grundlagen - Perspektiven Anwendungen. 3rd ed. Wiesbaden: Gabler.
Balzert, C.J. u.a. (2008). Wissenschaftliches Arbeiten: Wissenschaft, Quellen, Artefakte,
Organisation, Präsentation, Birkach: W3L.
Articles in collected editions:
Behrens, G. & Neumaier, M. (2004). Der Einfluss des Unbewussten auf das
Konsumentenverhalten, in: Gröppel-Klein, A. (eds.): Konsumentenverhalten im 21.
Jahrhundert, Wiesbaden: Gabler, p. 3-29.
Articles in periodicals:
Horvath, P. & Kaufmann, L. (1998). Balanced Scorecard: Ein Werkzeug zur Umsetzung
von Strategien, in: Harvard Business Manager, Vol. 5, p. 24-31.
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Articles from the Internet:
Spiegel Online Wirtschaft (no year given). Merkel verspricht schnelle Lösung für Hypo
Real
Estate,
information
retrieved
on
2010-10-12,
http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/0,1518,582283,00.html.
8.2 Quotations in Harvard Style
References are to be made as follows:
Name, first name in initials, year of publication, ‘title’, edition, publishing company, place
of publication.
Examples:
Books and similar writings (publications???):
Wöhe, G 2008, ’Einführung in die allgemeine Betriebswirtschaftslehre’, 23rd ed., Vahlen,
München.
Foscht, T & Swoboda, B 2007, ’Käuferverhalten: Grundlagen - Perspektiven Anwendungen’, 3rd ed. , Gabler, Wiesbaden.
Balzert, CJ et al. 2008, ’Wissenschaftliches Arbeiten: Wissenschaft, Quellen, Artefakte,
Organisation, Präsentation’, W3L, Birkach.
Articles in collected editions:
Behrens, G & Neumaier, M 2004, ’Der Einfluss des Unbewussten auf das
Konsumentenverhalten’, in A. Gröppel-Klein (eds.), Konsumentenverhalten im 21.
Jahrhundert, Deutscher Universitätsverlag, Wiesbaden, p. 3-29.
Articles in periodicals:
Horvath, P & Kaufmann, L 1998, ’Balanced Scorecard: Ein Werkzeug zur Umsetzung
von Strategien’, in Harvard Business Manager, Vol. 5, S. 24-31.
Articles from the Internet:
Spiegel Online Wirtschaft (n.y.), ’Merkel verspricht schnelle Lösung für Hypo Real
Estate’, retrieved on 2010-10-12,
http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/0,1518,582283,00.html.
Stangl, W 2010, ’Das Kommunikationsmodell von Shannon und Weaver ’, retrieved on
2010-10-10, http://arbeitsblaetter.stangl-taller.at/KOMMUNIKATION/Kommunikation.
shtml#Shannon.
Æ It is imperative to verify the credibility of internet sources.
Æ Internet sources have to be submitted in electronic or printed form along with the thesis
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Please note:
- If there are more than three authors of one reference, only the first author is named and
the note et al. is added.
- If an author cannot be specified, the citation begins with the note n.a. (no author).
- If the place of publication cannot be specified, the note w.p. (without place) is used.
- If the year of publication is unknown, the note n.y. (no year) is used.
- If a collected edition is cited as a whole, the guidelines for separate books or papers are
applied. However, the editor’s name is given instead of the author’s name:
Example:
Gröppel-Klein, A (ed.) 2004, Konsumentenverhalten im 21. Jahrhundert, Deutscher
Universitätsverlag, Wiesbaden.
- If the original source is not available but only “second hand” information is given, both
the original and the actual source of the quote have to be mentioned in the bibliography:
Example:
Schneider, R 1797, Die Stellung des Menschen im Kosmos, Halle, p. 181, cited in:
Messner, F 1917, Historische Darstellung anthropologischer Systeme, Berlin, p. 217.
9. Form of Quoting
- Literal quotations have to be marked by “...”. The indication of origin in APA style is
given in a footnote, whereas in Harvard style it is placed within the text in square
brackets. For reasons of clarity the shortened citation style is recommended.
- Literal quotations have to be absolutely identical with the original. Only if the exact
wording of the text is essential - such as in case of a definition or if the meaning of the
text is interpreted - a literal quotation should be used.
- If the citation is in a foreign language, the citation must be in this language.
- If the original source is paraphrased (its content is not literally adopted but explained in
similar words: indirect quotation) it nevertheless has to be indicated as a citation. Any
adopted idea which is not marked as a citation is plagiarism. As opposed to direct
quotations, indirect ones have no quotation marks but the additional remark “see…”.
- If the quote refers to more than one page, “et seq.” is added to the page number.
9.1 Quotations in APA Style
The quote is given a superscript Arabic numeral which is consecutive and refers to the
corresponding footnote at the bottom of the same page.
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Example of a literal quote:
"Planung, Kontrolle, Organisation, Personalführung und Informationsversorgung bilden
die Kernelemente des betrieblichen Führungssytems.“1
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Wöhe (2008), p.34.
Example of a paraphrased source:
Nach Wöhe ist es die Aufgabe des Controllings die Kernbereiche eines Unternehmens
aufeinander abzustimmen.2
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see Wöhe (2008), p. 34 et seq.
More publications by the same author at the same year:
If there are several publications by the same author within one calendar year, a letter is
added to the year of publication, for example:
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Scheer (2009a), p. 10.
9.2 Quoting in Harvard Style
The quote in square brackets is directly added to the text.
Example of a literal quote:
"Planung, Kontrolle, Organisation, Personalführung und Informationsversorgung bilden
die Kernelemente des betrieblichen Führungssystems“ (Wöhe 2008, p. 34).
Example of a paraphrased source:
Nach Wöhe ist es die Aufgabe des Controllings die Kernbereiche eines Unternehmens
aufeinander abzustimmen (see Wöhe 2008, p. 34 et seq.).
If there are several publications by the same author year, within one calendar year, a letter
is added to the year of publication.
Example:
Scheer 2009a, p. 10.
10. Annex
In order not to interrupt the flow of the text, extensive tables, statistics, organization charts
etc. of more than one page should be placed at the end of the work in a separate Annex.
The Annex should be well-structured and – if extensive – should have its own table of
contents.
A reference to the Annex (page number and, if necessary, numbering) has to be made in
the text.
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11. Individual Agreements with the Tutor
Please consult the rules contained in these Guidelines with your tutor. Individual
agreements with the tutor prevail over these Guidelines.
12. Declaration
Please sign the German standard form as well as the English translation of it which are
both provided by the Administrative Office of the department (Fakultätssekretariat). This
standard form has to be added at the end of the thesis.
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