STOCKHOLM UNIVERSITY

THESIS INSTRUCTIONS
DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER
AND SYSTEMS SCIENCES

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JANUARY 2024

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 THESIS INSTRUCTIONS

G OA L S

LEARNING GOALS FOR A BACHELOR’S THESIS

After completing the course, a student is expected to:

● be able to independently complete an academic thesis,
● be able to select and implement relevant scientific methods,
● be able to reflect about ethical aspects of research and developmental work,
● be able to search, find and summarize relevant scientific literature,
● be able to analyze and criticize relevant scientific literature,
● be able to critically reflect about one’s own work, especially regarding ethical and societal
aspects,
● be able to discuss the need for knowledge development based on one’s own work,
● be able to author and defend a report with good argumentation written with an adequate
and professional language,
● be able to properly utilize a reference system to correctly refer to and cite relevant
scientific texts,
● be able to prepare and complete a short oral presentation of one’s own work,
● be able to author a short review of one’s own work.

LEARNING GOALS FOR A SWEDISH MAGISTER THESIS

Same as for a Master’s thesis

LEARNING GOALS FOR A MASTER’S THESIS

After completing the course, a student is expected to:

● be able to independently complete a qualified academic thesis,

● be able to contribute to knowledge development in the areas of computer and system
sciences,
● be able to select and correctly use relevant scientific methods,
● be able to reflect about ethical aspects of research and developmental work,
● be able to search, find, summarize and build upon relevant scientific literature,
● be able to analyze and criticize relevant scientific literature,
● be able to critically reflect about one’s own work, especially regarding ethical and societal
aspects,

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 ● be able to discuss the need for knowledge development based on one’s own work,
● be able to author and defend a report with good argumentation written with an adequate
and professional language,
● be able to properly utilize a reference system to correctly refer to and cite relevant
scientific texts,
● be able to prepare and complete a short oral presentation of one’s own work,
● be able to author a short review of one’s own work.

G R AD I NG C R I TE R I A

Grades for theses are decided in the following way: First, each criterion in the table below is
given a value (possible values for each criterion are shown in the first column for each thesis
type). The final grade is then calculated based on the rules described after the table. The
minimum requirement for a passing grade is indicated with a bold typeface for each criterion.

Grading criterion Description Instructions

U1 Abstract Requirement for 1 point: that the
Bachelor’s: 0/1 abstract of the thesis accurately
Magister: 0/1 portrays the contents of the thesis
Master’s: 0/1 by describing the problem, the
research question, the choice and
application of the research
methods, the result, and
conclusions and that it can be read
and understood separately from the
thesis.
The abstract shall be concise but detailed
enough that a reader, after reading only
the abstract, can determine if the thesis is
of interest to her. The abstract may not
contain references to sections of the
thesis, references, or unknown
abbreviations. In addition to the abstract,
the thesis must also include a filled-in
synopsis form, see below. A thesis written
in Swedish must even contain an English
version of the abstract.

U2 Introduction Requirement for 1 point: that the The introduction should be ample enough
Bachelor’s: 0/1 thesis introduces the subject and to provide the reader with adequate
Magister: 0/1 problem of the thesis. knowledge to understand the problem and
Master’s: 0/1 research question of the thesis.

U3 Problem Requirement for 1 point: that a The problem should be described in such
Bachelor’s: 0/1 problem of general interest exists a way that it is easy for the reader to
Magister: 0/1 that entirely or partially can be understand it. The reader should not need
Master’s: 0/1 solved by answering the research to look for the problem or guess as to
question. what it is. Therefore, it is often
appropriate to include a sentence such as
“The problem that this thesis addresses
is ...” The problem should be motivated
based on what is discussed in the
introduction. There should only be one,
or a small number of related problems. It
should be clear how the problem relates
to the subject of computer and systems
sciences.

U4 Research Requirement for 1 point: a clearly In general, there should be one and only

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question formulated and delimited research
Bachelor’s: question that is of general interest.
0/1/2 The student is responsible for
Magister: 0/1/2 identifying and formulating the
Master’s: 0/1/2 research question. The research
question should derive from the
presented problem so that it is clear
how the answer to the research
question solves a portion or the
entire problem.
For 2 points the following is also
required: an innovative research
question that provides necessary
conditions so that the thesis could
provide a significant scientific
contribution.
U5 Scientific Requirement for 1 point: that the
base thesis provides a base for the topic
Bachelor’s: of the thesis based on previous
0/1/2 scientific research. The area within
Magister: 0/1/2 computer and systems sciences to
Master’s: which the thesis contributes should
0/1/2/3 also be named by presenting the
scientific research to which the
thesis refers.
For 2 points the following is also
required: that a deep and critical
discussion is made about how the
thesis builds upon previous
scientific research.
For 3 points the following is also
required: that a comprehensive
literature study is presented that is
the basis for placing and evaluating
the research contribution of the
thesis in a scientific context.
U6 Choice of Requirement for 1 point: that the
research method choice of a research strategy and
Bachelor’s: research methods is clearly
0/1/2 described and motivated based on
Magister: 0/1/2 the research question, that at least
Master’s: one alternative research strategy
0/1/2/3 and method that could be used to
solve the research question is
discussed, as well as that relevant
ethical considerations are discussed.
For 2 points the following is also
required: that alternative, applicable
research strategies and methods are
comprehensively discussed and that
a profound reasoning about the
chosen strategies and methods is
made, where the motives for
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one clearly formulated and delimited
research question. However, in some
cases it can be appropriate to introduce a
small number of closely related research
questions. There should exist an argument
as to why the research problem is of
interest. It should be easy for the reader to
find the research question. Therefore, it is
often appropriate to include a sentence
such as “The research question in this
thesis is...” The research problem should
be answered later in the thesis.
The thesis should have an introduction to
the research area to which it belongs. The
most central concepts of the thesis,
especially those mentioned in the
research problem, should be explained
and discussed in relation to previous
research. The thesis should have one’s
own discussion about previous solutions
to the problem that is being addressed.
The thesis should also have one’s own
discussion about which scientific articles
that the thesis builds upon and a
motivation as to why these were chosen.
Relevant theories should be discussed for
the problem and research question, but
for a Bachelor’s thesis it is not necessary
that it is based on such theories.
It should be evident how the thesis relates
to empirical and design research. If the
thesis relates to design research then some
method framework should be discussed,
see for example An Introduction to Design
Science. Research strategies, data collection
methods, and data analysis methods
should be described. See for example The
Good Research Guide for the differences
between these. The description should
include references to method literature.
There should also be references to
literature regarding ethical aspects, for
example Appendix 1 in The Good
Research Guide. The discussion should be
closely tied to the research question of the
thesis.
 choices made are clearly evident.
For 3 points the following is also
required: that the choice of method
is discussed in relation to the
research strategies and methods
that are used in current, related
research studies that can be
regarded as state-of-the-art.
U7 Application Requirement for 1 point: that the
of research application of the chosen scientific
method strategies and methods are clearly
Bachelor’s: described, that the use of software
0/1/2 tools is described, and that relevant
Magister: 0/1/2 ethical aspects are discussed. The
Master’s: description of software tools
0/1/2/3 should describe the use of specific
tools for data collection and
analysis, as well as the use of AI-
tools for text and content
generation.
For 2 points the following is also
required: that the application of
research strategies and methods are
done in accordance to the demands
of said methods and strategies and
that a clear argumentation exists for
this.
For 3 points the following is also
required: that there is a meaningful
depth to the data analysis.
U8 Result Requirement for 1 point: that the
Bachelor’s: results are of such a magnitude and
0/1/2 quality and are presented in such a
Magister: way that the research question can
0/1/2/3 to some extent be answered.
Master’s: For 2 points the following is also
0/1/2/3 required: that the results are of
sufficient magnitude and high
quality so that the research
question can to a great extent be
answered.
For 3 points the following is also
required: that the results are well
written and of considerable
magnitude and high quality so that
well-grounded conclusions of the
relevance for the research question
can be made.
U9 Conclusions Requirement for 1 point: that the
and discussion research question has a clear
Bachelor’s: answer, that the limitations in the
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There should not be long, general
descriptions of research strategies and
methods that are only summations from
method literature without connections to
the thesis topic. It is often enough to
discuss only one alternative research
strategy and research method.
How the chosen research strategy and
methods (both data collection and data
analysis methods) were applied should be
clearly described. If the thesis uses design
research, it should explain how the chosen
method framework for design research
has been applied. The description should
include references to method literature.
There should even be references to
literature regarding ethical aspects, for
example Appendix 1 in The Good Research
Guide. Relevant software tools should be
used for data analysis. For descriptive
statistic the use of spreadsheets can be
adequate, for inferential statistics more
advanced statistical tools may be needed
(e.g. SPSS), for content analysis a tool
for qualitative data analysis could be used
(e.g. Atlas.ti or Dedoose), and ChatGPT.
Collected data should be analyzed and
interpreted using a data analysis method.
The presentation of the results should be
made so that it is easily understood and
logical. The types of diagrams and/or
tables that are eventually used should be
appropriate, clear and relevant for the type
of data collected and analyzed. If an
artifact in included in the result, it should
be thoroughly described, preferably with
both figures and text.
The discussion should be closely tied to
the research question and the scientific
base. A clear answer to the research
0/1/2 design of the study and their
Magister: 0/1/2 impact on the conclusions are
Master’s: 0/1/2 discussed as well as how the results
relate to previous research; that
possible future research based on
the study in the thesis is discussed;
that ethical and societal
consequences of the conclusions in
the thesis are discussed; and that
the use of IT tools (including AI
tools) for the thesis writing process
are described and discussed.
For 2 points the following is also
required: that the limitations of the
study are thoroughly discussed and
that a profound reasoning about
possible and relevant future studies
is made.
U10 Form, Requirement for 1 point: that the
structure and thesis is divided into distinct,
language logical, and coherent sections; that
Bachelor’s: 0/1 it fulfils the fundamental layout
Magister: 0/1 requirements; and that the text is
Master’s: 0/1 written with an adequate and
professional language.
U11 Requirement for 1 point: that the
Argumentation argumentation is well grounded,
Bachelor’s: 0/1 logically coherent, concise, clear,
Magister: 0/1 and easily understood.
Master’s: 0/1
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question should be given based on the
results. The answer should be formulated
and placed so that it is easy for the reader
to find it. Limitations should be discussed
in terms of reproducibility, validity,
reliability, generalizability, extensibility,
credibility, etc. depending on the choice of
method and application of the method.
For some theses, there are practically no
ethical or societal consequences. The
discussion can then be short, but the
authors must motivate why they deem
that there are no ethical or societal
consequences.
Headings, subheadings, typography and
other structural elements should be used
so that it is easy for the reader to follow
the argumentation of the thesis. Examples
of layout requirements are that all figures
must be numbered and have captions, that
chapter 1 starts on page 1, and that
references do not have a chapter number.
The thesis should observe the layout
requirements found in section 7 of
Lathund för rapportskrivning. A thesis should
not have more than 1 or 2 grammatical
errors on average per page. Grammatical
errors are unacceptable in titles or
headings. Colloquial language should be
avoided. Grammatical errors that are
automatically identified by spell checking
programs should not present. Incorrect
choice of words should not be present;
one cannot write “effect” when one
means “affect”. One cannot mix different
languages in a thesis, for example use an
English phrase like “course recommender
system” in a Swedish thesis. A thesis
should follow the advice in section 6 of
Lathund för rapportskrivning.
Fundamental terms should be defined,
discussed and exemplified. New terms
should be explained the first time they are
used as long as they are not generally
recognized. Personal opinions and values
should be distinguishable from statements
that are based on other sources. When a
statement is made, support must be
provided, usually with a line of reasoning
 or reference to literature. A Bachelor’s
thesis must include no more than 8000
words, and a magister or Master’s thesis
must include no more than 10000 words
(excluding title, abstract, synopsis form,
table of contents, references and
appendices); this rule can be disregarded
only if the supervisor approves of this.

U12 References Requirement for 1 point: that
and references in the thesis to previous
documentation research are made in a correct way
Bachelor’s: 0/1 according to a recognized reference
Magister: 0/1 system, that a clear listing of used
Master’s: 0/1 references is made in the same
system, that all quotes from
previous work are clearly specified,
and that relevant supplemental
attachments are included.
All references in the list of references
must be found in the text of the thesis and
vice versa. The list of references should be
structured in a uniform and consequent
manner according to a recognized
reference system, for example the Harvard
system. See chapter 5 in Lathund för
rapportskrivning. A thesis should have at
least 10 academic references (typically an
academic journal or conference paper) for
the Bachelor’s and Swedish Magister level
and 20 scientific references for the
Master’s level.

U13 Originality Requirement for:

and significance 1 p - that the thesis contributes
Bachelor’s: with novel knowledge
0/1/2/3 contributions, in the form of new
Magister: ideas, artifacts, or products.
0/1/2/3 2 p – that the thesis also contains
Master’s: novel contributions that have the
0/1/2/3/4 potential to advance the current
state-of-the-art of the
corresponding research field.
3 p - that the thesis also presents
original and high-quality findings
that may contribute to the state-of-
the-art of the corresponding
research field or that they could be
a basis for useful solutions, for
example commercializable
products.
4 p - that the research
contributions also are of high
quality that contribute to the
scientific knowledge of the
corresponding research field, and
could appear in a good peer-
reviewed publication venue.

Ö1 Opposition Requirement for 1 point: that the See the section on Opposition below.
report opposition report provides a short
Bachelor’s: summary of the evaluated thesis,
0/1/2 that it deliberates about the
Magister: 0/1/2 scientific basis, originality,
Master’s: 0/1/2 significance, and formulation of the

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 problem and research question, as
well as that it contains clear
suggestions for improvements; and
that the opposition report includes
proofreading as well as editing of
the thesis.
For 2 points the following is also
required: that the opposition report
thoroughly and in a well-balanced
way describes from numerous
aspects the strengths and
weaknesses of the evaluated thesis
and that it offers clear and well-
motivated suggestions for
improvements.

Ö2 Requirement for 1 point: that oral

Presentations presentations are of sufficient
Bachelor’s: 0/1 quality, that they have been given
Magister: 0/1 on the assigned dates, and that the
Master’s: 0/1 ability to orally defend one’s own
thesis has been shown.

Ö3 Participation Requirement for 1 point: that the At least two peer reviews should be made.
in seminars and ability to orally discuss and provide
meetings constructive criticism regarding
Bachelor’s: 0/1 others’ work has been shown in
Magister: 0/1 seminars and meetings.
Master’s: 0/1

Ö4 Deadlines Requirement for 1 point: that the

Bachelor’s: 0/1 ability to prepare and deliver
Magister: 0/1 material and presentations on time
Master’s: 0/1 has been demonstrated at all the
necessary occasions.

Ö5 Revisions Requirement for 1 point: that only

after the final one smaller revision of the thesis is
seminar needed after the final seminar.
Bachelor’s: 0/1
Magister: 0/1
Master’s: 0/1

Ö6 Reflection Requirement for 1 point: that the
Bachelor’s: 0/1 ability to reflect about the thesis
Magister: 0/1 work has been demonstrated
Master’s: 0/1 through the individual writing of a
reflection document.
The reflection document is described
below. If two students are the authors of
the thesis, one reflection documents
should be written by each student.

CONVERSION OF POINTS TO GRADES

The sum of the points from the table above is converted to a final letter grade according to the
following rules.

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RULES FOR A BACHELOR’S THESIS

A 28-26, at least 1 point on components U1-U12 and Ö1-Ö4, Ö6

B 25-24, at least 1 point on components U1-U12 and Ö1-Ö3, Ö6
C 23-20, at least 1 point on components U1-U12 and Ö1-Ö3, Ö6
D 19-18, at least 1 point on components U1-U12 and Ö1-Ö3, Ö6
E 17-16, at least 1 point on components U1-U12 and Ö1-Ö3, Ö6
Fx at least 1 point on 8 of the components U1-U12 and at least 2 points altogether on
components Ö1-Ö3

RULES FOR A SWEDISH MAGISTER THESIS

A 29-27, at least 1 point on components U1-U7, U10-U13 and Ö1-Ö4, Ö6, and at least 2 points
on U8-U9
B 26-25, at least 1 point on components U1-U7, U10-U13 and Ö1-Ö3, Ö6, and at least 2 points
on U8-U9
C 24-23, at least 1 point on components U1-U7, U10-U13 and Ö1-Ö3, Ö6, and at least 2 points
on U8-U9
D 22-21, at least 1 point on components U1-U7, U10-U13 and Ö1-Ö3, Ö6, and at least 2 points
on U8-U9
E 20-19, at least 1 point on components U1-U7, U10-U13 and Ö1-Ö3, Ö6, and at least 2 points
on U8-U9
Fx at least 1 point on 10 of the components U1-U13 and at least 2 points altogether on
components Ö1-Ö3

RULES FOR A MASTER’S THESIS

A 33-31, at least 1 point on components U1-U4, U10-U12, Ö1-Ö4, Ö6, and at least 2 points on
U5-U9, U13
B 30-29, at least 1 point on components U1-U4, U10-U12, Ö1-Ö3, Ö6, and at least 2 points on
U5-U9, U13
C 28-27 at least 1 point on components U1-U4, U10-U12, Ö1-Ö3, Ö6, and at least 2 points on
U5-U9, U13
D 26-25, at least 1 point on components U1-U4, U10-U12, Ö1-Ö3, Ö6, and at least 2 points on
U5-U9, U13
E 24-23, at least 1 point on components U1-U4, U10-U12, Ö1-Ö3, Ö6, and at least 2 points on
U5-U9, U13
Fx at least 1 point on 12 of the components U1-U13 and at least 2 points altogether on
components Ö1-Ö3

G L O SSA RY

This glossary intends to explain the terms and expressions used in the grading criteria.

DATA ANALYSIS METHOD

A data analysis method is a method for analyzing collected data. It can be a statistical method or
methods for analyzing qualitative data, e.g. content analysis. Even descriptive statistics can be
considered as a data analysis method.

DATA COLLECTION METHOD

A data collection method is a method for collecting data. Common data collection methods are
interviews, questionnaires, observations and document studies.

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DESIGN RESEARCH

Design research deals with developing artifacts. This includes developing requirements for a
proposed artifact as well as studying the effects of an artifact on its surroundings in which it is
intended to be used.

EMPIRICAL RESEARCH

Empirical research deals with developing new knowledge through direct or indirect observations.

RESEARCH METHOD

A research method is a data collection method or a data analysis method.

RESEARCH STRATEGY

A research strategy provides a structure for designing research. Common research strategies are
surveys, case studies, experiments and action research.

RESEARCH QUESTION

A research question is normally formulated as a question, e.g. “What problems do elderly users
of a self-scanning system in a retail store experience?”. This is an example of a research question
that is answered by using an empirical study. Other research questions can be answered by
developing an artifact or knowledge around it and its environment. An example is “How should
a self-scanning system for retail stores be designed so that it is appropriate for the elderly?”.
Sometimes it is appropriate to formulate a research question as a goal, e.g. “The goal is to
develop a self-scanning system for retail stores that is appropriate for the elderly”. The research
question should be associated to the problem, i.e. it should be evident that by answering the
research question one is contributing to solve the problem. A research question should be of
general interest, i.e. it should be of interest for more than one individual or organization. An
example of a research question that is hardly of general interest is “Does the user interface of the
DAISY system 1.1 at the Department for Computer and System Sciences as Stockholm
University affect user acceptance?”. This research question can however be broadened in various
ways so that is of general interest, for example “Does a user interface affect the acceptance of
administrative systems in education?”.

PROBLEM

A practical problem is often a situation that infers or causes substantial difficulties, drawbacks or
risks for people or organizations, e.g. that people are exposed to health hazards, that companies
lose revenue or that citizens receive poor service from government authorities. A practical
problem can also deal with new possibilities, e.g. how tablets could be used in healthcare. A
theoretical problem is a shortage of knowledge that means that there is less knowledge about a
phenomenon than desired, e.g. that knowledge about complex properties of an algorithm are
lacking or the causes of the popularity of social medias. A problem must be of general interest.

RESULT

For an empirical study, the result is what emerges after the collected data has been analyzed. For
a design oriented study the developed artifact is also a part of the result.

SY N O PSI S FO R M

The synopsis form shall be included in the thesis as a table (see below) and answer the questions
in the table.

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 What is the background of the thesis? To which area within computer and
BACKGROUND systems science does the thesis belong? Max 100 words

Which is the problem that motivates the thesis? Why is it important that the
PROBLEM thesis is written? Max 50 words

Which research question is answered by the thesis? Alternatively, which is

RESEARCH the goal achieved by the thesis? Why is this research question interesting?
QUESTION How is it related to the problem? Max 100 words

How is the thesis related to empirical research and design research? Which
METHOD research strategies and research methods are used? How are they applied?
Max 100 words

What is the result of the study? What is the answer to the research
RESULT question? Alternatively, to which degree has the goal been achieved? Max
100 words

Which are the limitations of the study? Which ethical and societal
DISCUSSION implications can the study give rise to? What is original and valuable? Who
can use the thesis and how? Max 100 words

R E FL E CT I O N D O CU ME N T

The reflection document should answer at least the following questions:

● How does your study correspond to the goals of the thesis course? Why? Focus on the
goals that were achieved especially well and those that were not well achieved.

● How did the planning of your study work? What could you have done better?

● How does the thesis work relate to your education? Which courses and areas have been
most relevant for your thesis work?

● How valuable is the thesis for your future work and/or studies?

● How satisfied are you with your thesis work and its results? Why?

● What AI-tools and similar tools did you use in the thesis process and how did you use
them? Give some examples.

The reflection document should be between 600 and 800 words.

O PPO SI T I O N

The opposition aims to give constructive criticism of a thesis so that its author is given a
foundation to improve and reflect on it. The opposition must both be reported in writing in an
opposition report and presented orally at a final seminar.
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The opposition consists of two parts:

1. Review and critique of the thesis content, especially scientific base, method and results. This
corresponds to the grading criteria U1 - U9 and U13. This part is the most important one of the
opposition, and it is to be reported in the opposition report and it will form the basis for
discussion at the final seminar. The opposition report should be submitted no later than 13.00
the day before the seminar.

2. Editing and proofreading

a. Editing the thesis. This means examining the thesis argumentation to determine whether it is
reasonable, easy-to-understand, logically coherent, well-founded, clear, concise and adapted to
the reader; see grading criterion U11. For more information about editing, see the section
"Editing" in the "Guide to Editing and Proofreading" report,
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_0EkNMpntiz50BtC39trVC-J9F4z2xRu/view.
This part need only to be reported in the opposition report. If the argumentation is so weak that
the thesis becomes difficult to understand, then this should also be discussed at the final seminar.
b. Proofreading the thesis. This means examining the thesis with regard to spelling, punctuation,
grammar, language usage, typography, layout and reference management; see the grading criteria
U10 and U12. For more information about proofreading, see the section "Proofreading" in the
"Guide to Editing and Proofreading ". This part need only to be reported in the opposition
report.

T H E SI S ST RUC T UR E

It is possible to structure the thesis according to the grading criteria. It will then consist of the
following components:
• Abstract (grading criterion U1)
• Part I that includes the introduction, problem and research question (grading criteria U2
– U4)
• Part II that provides a scientific base (grading criterion U5)
• Part III that deals with the method (grading criteria U6 and U7)
• Part IV that presents the result of the thesis (grading criterion U8)
• Part V that presents the conclusions of the thesis and discusses them (grading criterion
U9)
• References (grading criterion U12)
• Appendices (not obligatory)

Each part of sections I – V can be a chapter, but sometimes it is appropriate to have more than
one chapter for each part. The aforementioned structure (usually entitled IMRAD) usually works
well for empirical studies. It can also work for design oriented studies, but sometimes it can be
more appropriate to use a structure base on the activities in such a study, see for example chapter
10 in An Introduction to Design Science.

A thesis should have a good balance between the different sections. It is not possible to suggest
how long each section should be, but it can be helpful to reflect on how long the work for each
section typically takes. An estimation for the work for each section follows:
• Introduction: 10%
• Scientific base: 20%
• Choice of method: 5%
• Compilation of the results (data collection, data analysis, design of artefacts, etc.):
50%
• Discussion: 10%
• Completion of the text (language, typography, references, etc.): 5%

For a Master thesis of 10000 words, this can result in the following distribution:
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• Introduction, 1000 words
• Scientific base, 2000 words
• Choice and application of a method, 2000 words
• Result, 4000 words
• Discussion, 1000 words

C O UR SE L I T ER A TU RE

The first two books below provide the basics of methodology for both empirical and design
research.
They can be used to describe and justify the choice and application of a method, but of course,
students and supervisors can agree to use other method literature.

The Good Research Guide

Denscombe, M. (2010). The Good Research Guide: for small-scale social research projects. 4th ed. Open
University Press.

An Introduction to Design Science

Johannesson, P. and Perjons, E. (2014): An introduction to Design Science, Springer. Available for
download at http://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-3-319-10632-8
See also http://introtodesignscience.wordpress.com/

Lathund för rapportskrivning

Merkel, M., Andersson, U., Lundquist, M. and Önnegren, B. (2006). Lathund för rapportskrivning.
Linköping: Linköpings universitet. Available at:
https://www.ida.liu.se/~TDDD86/info/misc/lathund-rapportskrivning-rev-2011.pdf

Rules and regulations for students at Stockholm University and DSV

https://dsv.su.se/codeofhonour

RO L E S

In a thesis project, students and teachers participate in a number of different roles: student,
supervisor, reviewer and examiner. The following describes the duties and responsibilities of
these roles.

• A student carries out a thesis project. A student is responsible for the thesis project
progressing as planned.
• A supervisor is a teacher who supervises a student in a thesis project. The supervisor's
responsibility is to ensure the quality of the work performed by the student. This is done
primarily by the supervisor assisting the student through giving advice and instructions at
regular meetings. In addition, the supervisor assures the quality of the draft sent to a reviewer
in Phase 2 (see below), the draft of the thesis sent to the final seminar in Phase 4, as well as
the finished thesis sent to the examiner in Phase 5.
• A reviewer is a teacher who gives advice to supervisors and students. A reviewer’s
responsibility is to read the draft of Phase 2 and provide comments. If the reviewer identifies
significant weaknesses in the draft, he should indicate the draft should be rewritten and
examined at the next review date, and if necessary, initiate a dialogue with the supervisor and
possibly the student. Both the supervisor and the student are obliged to listen to these
concerns and be prepared to have a dialogue with the reviewer.
• An examiner is a teacher who grades a thesis. The examiner's responsibility is to ensure the
quality of the finished thesis. The examiner will read and grade the finished thesis submitted

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in Phase 5. Both the supervisor and the student are obliged to follow the examiner's
instructions.

WO RK PROC E SS FOR WR I T I NG A T HE SI S

A thesis is written in five phases that are briefly described below. Make note that in addition to
the phases listed below, a supervisor should continuously provide support to students. It is up to
the supervisor and student to jointly decide the frequency and form of this support.

There are predefined dates for handing in drafts for Phase 2 and 4; these dates can be found at
the thesis course web site.

PHASE 1 - PREPARATIONS
The goal of this phase is to develop a proposed topic for the thesis. This phase has 3 important
events:
1. The student hands in a proposed topic for the thesis.
2. The student is assigned a supervisor for the thesis.
3. The student registers for the thesis course.

PHASE 2 – RESEARCH QUESTION AND METHOD

The goal of this phase is to develop a rough draft of parts I, II and III in the thesis. The rough
draft should be of such quality that it could effectively guide the rest of the thesis. In this phase
there are 3 important events:
1. The student hands in a rough draft for parts I, II and III of the thesis to the supervisor; the
draft must use the physical template and abstract as well as synopsis form shall be included
(except for result and discussion).
2. The supervisor, after consultation with the reviewer, provides feedback on the rough draft to
the student.
3. The supervisor, after consultation with the reviewer, approves the rough draft.
In some cases, step 1 and 2 may need to be repeated before the rough draft is approved.

PHASE 3 – RESULT AND DISCUSSION

The goal of this phase is to produce a draft for parts I - V of the thesis. The draft should be of
such quality that the significance of the research contribution can be judged. In this phase there
are 3 important events:
1. The student hands in a draft of parts I – V of the thesis to the supervisor.
2. The supervisor provides feedback on the thesis to the student.
3. The supervisor approves the draft.
In some cases, step 1 and 2 may need to be repeated before the draft is approved.

PHASE 4 – FINAL SEMINAR

The goal of this phase is to complete the thesis and the final seminar. In this phase there a
number of important events:
1. The student hands in a draft of the entire thesis to the supervisor¸ the draft must use the
physical template and abstract as well as synopsis form shall be submitted.
2. The supervisor ensures that the quality of the draft is adequate enough to achieve a passing
grade.
3. The supervisor books the final seminar at least eight workdays before the actual date of the
final seminar. The Phase 2-review has to be passed order for the final seminar to be booked.
4. The student hands in the thesis so that other students can access it at least six workdays
before the actual date of the final seminar.
7. The opponent hands in his/her assessment of the thesis.
8. A final seminar takes place where the student, supervisor and other students participate.
9. The student and supervisor agree to changes and supplementary work that need to be done
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before the final version of the thesis is handed in.
In some cases, step 1 and 2 may need to be repeated before the thesis is approved.

PHASE 5 - EXAMINATION
The goal of this phase is to assign a grade for the thesis:
1. The student hands in the revised thesis.
2. The supervisor hands in a grading report within 5 workdays.
3. The examiner assigns a grade to the thesis within ten workdays; if the thesis is not passed the
examiner hands in an examination report.
4. The supervisor sends an examination report and other comments to the student who then
hands in a revised thesis to the supervisor as well as an update report (this step only takes
place when the thesis is not passed in step 3).
5. The supervisor sends the revised thesis and update report to the examiner. The update
report describes how each comment in the examination report has been addressed in the
revised thesis (this step only takes place if the thesis is not passed in step 3).
6. Repeat step 3.

FINAL SEMINAR ON DISTANCE

The final seminar can take place via distance technology (Zoom, Skype, Adobe Connect or
similar) if any participant so wishes. A student who wants the final seminar to be conducted
remotely must inform the seminar leader about this at least one week prior to the seminar in
question, so that he can prepare the necessary technology (speaker / microphone, Skype ID and
the like).

REQUIREMENTS FOR PASSING

1. Write and defend a candidate or master thesis that meets the grading criteria. The thesis is to
be submitted when the supervisor assesses that it is ready for the final seminar.
2. Write two peer reviews of other students’ work – this is to be done individually.
3. Submit two versions of the peer review text in Peer Portal in SciPro Projects to be reviewed by
other students.
4. Active participation in final seminars, to be done individually – one for bachelor students, two
for master students.
5. Oppose a thesis a) through oral opposition at a final seminar, b) in writing, in the form of a
report of 3-5 pages with the grading criteria as a starting point – this is to be done individually.
6. Submit a revised version of the thesis after the final seminar.

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