A thesis is a document

1. A thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings

2. Page limit There is no rule for the minimum or maximum amount of pages. This is up to you (and your supervisor). Quantity is not the same as quality!

3. Master Thesis Template

4. Master Thesis Template From the template on the webpage (A general and incomplete starting point but nevertheless a starting point): • CONTENTS • SUMMARY • PREFACE • ABBREVIATIONS • INTRODUCTION • SUPPLEMENT A (If you have one) • SUPPLEMENT B (If you have one) • TABLE OF CASES

5. List of contents No explanation needed but please use MS Words inbuilt template for simplicity from the outset

6. SUMMARY It is an executive summary It is not a crime novel! You must tell the reader how it ends, including how you came about your conclusion

7. PREFACE Not strictly necessary but nice to have anyway, e.g. thanking friends, relatives, various experts (supervisor[?], The Faculty[??]) etc. for their support

8. Abbreviations • Do not take abbreviations for granted (yes, there are people out there who don´t know what the U.N. means!) • Never use abbreviations in headings • Always spell them out the first time of use • Try to limit their use as too many at once can be tiresome and confusing to read

9. Introduction • Important, catches the readers interest • Why is your topic important and to whom? • Why did you choose to write about it? (personal experience, particular interest etc.)

10. Supplement Stuff that would be too long or cumbersome to include in the thesis proper but that the reader nevertheless has to know about in order to understand you Examples: treaties, conventions, laws, statistics, interviews, etc.

11. The most important thing in the whole thesis – your research question(s)!

12. Should be formulated in one or two sentences (if possible) Rule of thumb: Maximum three questions, the fewer the better

13. ”But, if I limit myself to just one or two research questions, won´t my thesis then just be research on a very narrow topic that nobody cares about ?”

14. No,

15. it

16. will

17. Not!

18. Because, as your research progresses, you will in all likelihood discover new angles to your questions that need to be explored

19. And

20. …and that takes time

21. Besides, we are looking for quality in your research rather than quantity. In order to prove something scientifically the material provided must meet a certain standard…

22. ...that takes time too

23. Delimitations Everything that might be relevant for your research but that you for some reason have chosen to exclude The grounds for exclusion must be mentioned and motivated, e.g. time- and space constraints, falls outside of the core of the research, is widely believed but still rubbish, etc.

24. Theory and Method What kind of theories are you using in your research and how? Provide an outline on why certain theories are used and others are not

25. In other words: How are you going about proving your point?

26. Make sure that the reader knows where you are coming from • Where you are going • How you are getting there • What postulates you are using

27. You can use different theories and methods in different parts of the thesis

28. Don´t take theories for granted! One persons radical theory is another persons reactionary theory – explain the contents of the theory you are using (you don´t need to use all of it, bits and pieces of a theory can be applicable to your research as well)

29. Description of your chosen field of study (outlining the playing field) • Law • Case-law • Economic, social, cultural studies, etc.

30. Analysis Identifying problems and concentrating on those directly relevant to your research question

31. Don´t forget the other side of the argument, even if you think it is less than stellar, you still must consider it and take it into account

32. Propose solutions

33. But what if I can´t ?

34. No worries

35. It´s not always possible to provide answers to the problems identified and that´s ok Sometimes asking questions, highlighting a problem, is good enough

36. Thesis structure – Easier to read if coherent

37. Research question: Studying the impact of X and Y on Z 1. Describing X and Y – Intro 1.1 Describing X 1.2 Describing Y 2. Analysing X and Y – Intro 2.1 Analysis of the effects of X on Z 2.2 Analysis of the effects of Y on Z 3. De legeferenda – X and Y 3.1 Suggested amendments to X 3.2 Suggested amendments to Y

38. Caveats

39. Your reader is (probably) ignorant When delving into a research task you´ll very quickly become an expert – don´t assume that the reader is as well read as you are

40. When in doubt – take it out! Speculation is ok but can not be presented as scientific fact – make sure that the distinction between the two is clear

41. Plagiarism – we don´t like Theses will be checked for plagiarism and will be reported to the university disciplinary board

42. If you are unsure about how to quote – ask your supervisor Traditions on how to quote and use sources vary among countries It is better to have too many footnotes with sources than too few

43. And finally

44. Talk with your supervisor! (It´s your responsibility and their job)