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The School of Business and Economics
Guidelines for writing Master’s theses at The School of Business and EconomicsRevised April 2014—
CONTENT
1 WRITING OF MASTER’S THESIS AT THE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS...........................1
2 SCOPE OF THE THESIS...........................................................................................................................................3
3 TYPE OF THESIS.......................................................................................................................................................3
4 CONTENT AND STRUCTURE.................................................................................................................................3
4.1 TITLE PAGE............................................................................................................................................................................. 34.2 TEXT FORMAT.........................................................................................................................................................................44.3 FOREWORD............................................................................................................................................................................. 44.4 ABSTRACT............................................................................................................................................................................... 44.5 TABLE OF CONTENTS.................................................................................................................................................................. 44.6 STRUCTURE OF THE MASTER’S THESIS..............................................................................................................................44.7 PAGE NUMBERING..................................................................................................................................................................54.8 NUMBERING OF TABLES AND FIGURES...............................................................................................................................54.9 REFERENCE LIST.................................................................................................................................................................... 54.10 USE OF REFERENCE MANAGEMENT TOOLS........................................................................................................................64.11 OTHER REQUIREMENTS FOR YOUR THESIS........................................................................................................................6
5 WRITE ALONE OR TOGETHER WITH OTHERS?.............................................................................................7
6 DEFINITION OF RESEARCH TOPIC.....................................................................................................................7
7 WORK PROCESS.......................................................................................................................................................9
7.1 THESIS PROPOSAL – GUIDELINES FOR THE WRITING PROCESS................................................................................................97.2 CHOICE OF SUPERVISOR........................................................................................................................................................97.3 THE SUPERVISION PROCESS..................................................................................................................................................9
8 USE OF LITERATURE AND INFORMATION EVALUATION........................................................................10
8.1 EXCERPT...............................................................................................................................................................................118.2 QUOTE................................................................................................................................................................................... 118.3 SUMMARIZE..........................................................................................................................................................................118.4 REFLECT............................................................................................................................................................................... 11
9 SEARCHING FOR LITERATURE.........................................................................................................................12
10 TRAVEL GRANT FOR MASTER’S DEGREE STUDENTS AT THE FACULTY OF BIOSCIENCES, FISHERIES AND ECONOMICS........................................................................................................................................12
11 EXEMPTION FROM BEING MADE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE........................................................................14
12 ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION.................................................................................................................................14
13 APPLICATION FOR POSTPONED SUBMISSION............................................................................................15
14 GRADING..................................................................................................................................................................15
15 APPENDICES...........................................................................................................................................................15
APPENDIX 1 – SUPERVISION CONTRACT FOR MASTER’S THESIS.................................................................................................16SUPERVISION CONTRACT FOR MASTER’S THESIS..........................................................................................................16APPENDIX 2 – ETHICAL GUIDELINES FOR SUPERVISION AT THE UIT THE ARCTIC UNIVERSITY OF NORWAY....................18APPENDIX 3 – AGREEMENT REGARDING PARTICIPATION IN RESEARCH PROJECT....................................................................21APPENDIX 4 – METHOD FOR PAGE NUMBERING (OFFICE WORD 2010)..................................................................................24APPENDIX 5 – APPLICATION FOR FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR AN INDIVIDUAL TRIP CONNECTED WITH A MASTER’S THESIS
................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 25APPENDIX 6 – APPLICATION FOR EXEMPTION OF THESIS FROM BEING MADE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE...................................28
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1 Writing of Master’s thesis at The School of Business and Economics
These guidelines have been especially prepared for candidates writing their Master’s thesis at The School of Business and Economics (HHT). The objective is to convey necessary information so that the choice of topic of the Master’s thesis, carrying out of the work and reporting of the results may be accomplished as efficiently as possible. This information booklet is designed to provide assistance so you can get started quickly. You will also find formal rules and deadlines or references to these.
The guidelines are intended to stimulate a creative and considered Master’s project based on scientific foundations. The objective is that the student is given training in applying theoretical knowledge that is acquired through the programme and is also given an opportunity to specialize within a specific discipline. Through working on his/her thesis, the student will develop thorough methodical skills and the ability to collect, process and analyse data in an independent manner using chosen theoretical perspectives. Scientific method and research methodology are necessary in order to define a research topic, search for and analyse literature related to the research topic, design and implement any empirical studies, choose an analytical method, present results and conclude and propose solutions for the research topic. This is the type of task and method of working that a candidate successfully completing a Master’s degree will encounter in future jobs. Therefore, the work on the Master’s thesis has both academic and vocational relevance. The work involving the Master’s thesis may be divided into two parts: Define a topic you wish to write about: This part is accomplished in parallel with
other courses, especially during the third semester of the programme. During the course on research methodology and other courses preparations are made so students can, in a systematic manner, find a topic that interests them and which they want to develop into a Master’s thesis. Near the end of the third semester a start-up meeting is held during which the guidelines for the Master’s thesis are presented and the students receive help to find and define a fruitful topic for their thesis.
Work on your Master’s thesis: In the fourth semester, the students devote their time entirely to working on their Master’s thesis. During the semester students shall complete their Master’s project and submit the thesis for assessment.
As a Master’s degree student you are obliged to: Familiarize yourself with the rules and regulations that apply for Master’s degree students
at UiT Familiarize yourself with the supplementary rules for Master’s degrees at HHT, cf.
appendix 1 Register as a Master’s student each semester on the internet-based Studentweb. Register for the final examination including specialised syllabus on the internet-based
Studentweb. Submit a complete, correctly filled in and signed supervision contract with detailed project
description within the deadline.
DeadlineApplication for admission to Master’s degree programme
April 15 (start-up in the autumn semester) on UiT’s application website, SøknadsWeb
Registration for examination
September 1 (autumn semester) February 1 (spring semester)
Withdrawal/annulment of registration for examination on Studentweb
November 1 (autumn semester) April 15 (spring semester)
Supervision contract June 1 (start-up of Master’s project in the autumn semester) December 1 (start-up of Master’s project in the spring semester)
Submission of Master’s thesis
June 1 (spring semester) by 3pm in Munin. November 15 (autumn semester) by 3pm in Munin. There are two ordinary submission deadlines during the academic year. You may submit your thesis before the deadline, but it will not be assessed until after the deadline.
Apply for postponed submission of Master’s thesis
May 1 (spring semester) November 1 (autumn semester) If an application stating the grounds is submitted by May 1/Nov. 1, a three-month postponement of the submission deadline may be granted. For students who do not have a medical certificate or compelling grounds, the submission deadline will be postponed for one semester at a time. In case of absence due to illness of 1-3 weeks, the submission deadline is postponed for an equivalent period of time.
Apply for office space in the Master’s degree programme office
August 10 for the following academic year. The application form is sent by e-mail from the Academic administration in May/June.
All Master’s degree candidates at HHT shall write a Master’s thesis (30 credits), either individually or with a fellow candidate. The candidate(s) shall define the topic and research question(s) to be investigated in the thesis. HHT must approve the research question before you start on your thesis. After HHT has approved your Thesis Proposal, HHT will appoint one or more supervisors, if you have not already signed a supervision contract. We recommend all candidates to get in touch with potential supervisors as early as possible. Your supervisor(s) should be expert(s) within your chosen field. After you have reached verbal agreement with your supervisor or one has been appointed by HHT, you shall complete a supervision contract (the candidate(s) is on one side and the supervisor(s) is on the other), which both parties shall sign, cf. appendix 1. You are jointly responsible for ensuring the supervision contract is entered into. The supervision contract shall be accompanied by the Ethical guidelines for supervision at the UiT The Arctic University of Norway, cf. appendix 2.
2 Scope of the thesis
The Master’s thesis comprises 30 credits. It may be written by 1-2 candidates. The thesis shall be approximately: 60 pages of core text when one candidate writes alone or 80 pages of core text when two candidates jointly write a thesisThe core text does not include the title page, foreword, table of contents, reference list and appendices. You may write your Master’s thesis in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English without requiring advance permission. However, such permission is required for all other languages. The page limitation has been set in order to avoid paragraphs that have unnecessarily detailed descriptions and to reward thoroughly prepared and reflected texts in which the analyses and interpretations of the author(s) are expressed clearly. You may discuss the length of the thesis with your supervisor.
3 Type of thesis
A Master’s thesis may comprise one or more of the following elements:
1) An empirical study of one or more companies, institutions, organisations or people, where the focus is on comparisons and analyses
2) A report about a concrete problem that a company or organisation is facing3) A theoretical thesis based on available literature4) The development of methods
Options 1) and 2) are the most common Master’s theses. You may write your thesis in connection with research projects at HHT or other places, but the choice of topic must be discussed with and approved by your supervisor. A separate contract must also be signed with the project manager, cf. appendix 3.
4 Content and structure
4.1 Title pageThe thesis must have a title page as shown in appendix 4.
The title page (cover page) shall contain the following: Title of the thesis Name of the author(s) (below each other, if more than one) Scope of the thesis (30 credits) Institution’s name (The School of Business and Economics and UiT The Arctic
University of Norway) Programme option Month and year of submission (e.g. November 2009)
You are not permitted to include the logo or name of sponsors or other partners on the title page. However, you may mention and thank these in the foreword of the thesis.
4.2 Text formatThe thesis shall be written in the following format: Margin: 2.5 cm Line spacing:1.5 Font size in the body text: 12 pt Font for body text: Times New Roman Similar font for same heading level Headers and footers shall not be used with the exception of the field for page
numbering, i.e. references in footnotes are not permitted Emphasis in the text shall occur through the use of italics or bold text (not
underlining or CAPITAL LETTERS) The text shall be left-aligned, i.e. the left-hand margin shall be flush and the right-
hand margin shall be ragged (as in this document)
4.3 ForewordThe foreword shall include the name(s) of the supervisor(s) and others you wish to thank. If the thesis has been written with financial support or is part of a project, this must be mentioned.
4.4 Abstract An abstract of 1-2 pages shall outline the research question, method and main results. It should include details of which software packages are used for any calculations. The abstract may be identical to the introductory chapter.
In order for the thesis to be searchable in Munin it must contain key words. These key words should follow after the abstract. Approx. five key words is normal.
4.5 Table of contentsYou should have two heading levels, but no more than three.
4.6 Structure of the Master’s thesisYour Master’s thesis shall normally have the following structure:
o Introduction / background / discussion of research topico Theoryo Methodo Empirical data / resultso Discussion / conclusiono Reference listo Appendices
Within this general structure, there will be adaptations in relation to the specific research question you are studying and in relation to the various disciplines at HHT. However, the general structure shall be followed, e.g. it will not be permitted to place the
method section before the theory section as it departs from the accepted norms in academia and there are no logical arguments to support this.
4.7 Page numberingThe page numbering shall start from the first page of text and continue until the end of the thesis, including appendices (i.e. page 1 is the first page of text). The numbering of pages before this shall have separate numbering, with small Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv etc.). The title page shall not include a page number but shall be included in the numbering). For further instructions, refer to appendix 5.
4.8 Numbering of tables and figuresTables and figures shall be numbered consecutively. The tables shall be numbered and include an explanatory text about the actual table. The figures shall be numbered and include an explanatory text under the actual figure. All references in the text shall be included in the reference list and vice versa.
4.9 Reference list
It is important you are consistent when citing and listing literature. The most common method is the Harvard Style, which is outlined here:
References shall contain all bibliographic details. References in the text shall contain the author’s surname followed by a comma and the year of publication. This shall be in parentheses, e.g. (Fox, 1994). At the end of the article the references shall be listed in alphabetical order. If there are several authors, and the thesis is written in Norwegian, you shall use “og” even though the book (article) referred to is in English. If thesis is written in English, you shall use “and” even if the original article (or book) is in Norwegian.
Some styles automatically replace “and” and “og” with “&”. If you are using such a style you shall retain this symbol. EndNote inserts “and” and “og” depending on the language preference in EndNote.
(a) for books
surname, initials and year of publication, title, publisher, place of publication. E.g.:
Casson, M. (1979), Alternatives to the Multinational Enterprise, Macmillan, London.
(b) for a paragraph in a book surname, initials and year, “title”, surname of editor, initials, title, publisher, place, pages. E.g.:
Bessley, M. and Wilson, P. (1984), "Public policy and small firms in Britain", in Levicki, C. (Ed.), Small Business Theory and Policy, Croom Helm, London, pp.111-26.
(c) for articlessurname, initials and year, “title”, journal, volume number, pages. E.g.:
Fox, S. (1994) "Empowerment as a catalyst for change: an example from the food industry", Supply Chain Management, Vol 2 No 3, pp. 29-33
If there is more than one author, list the surnames followed by the initials. All authors must be shown. Electronic sources shall include URL for the electronic page where it was found, e.g.:
Neuman, B.C.(1995), “Security, payment, and privacy for network commerce”, IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications, Vol. 13 No.8, October, pp.1523-31. Available (IEEE SEPTEMBER) http://www.research.att.com/jsac/
The base format for citing of websites is as follows: Author(s), if stated, but in many cases there are none; title, of the specific page or paragraph that you are citing; name of the website; URL; date of publishing and/or updated; date of search.
Notes/endnotes shall generally be used to an extremely limited degree. However, notes and endnotes shall always be used to refer to websites. Consecutive number in parentheses [ ] shall be used in the text and endnotes. The endnotes shall show the full website address.
An example of such citing:
A total of 141 700 tonnes of meat from domestic animals were approved for human consumption during the first six months of 2008; an increase of 4 percent from the same period in 2007 [1].
In the list of endnotes, it will appear as follows:
Websites:
[1] Manufacture of food products and beverages. Statistics Norway. Website: http://www.ssb.no/slakt/. Published 11 September 2008. Date: 01.12.08.
4.10 Use of reference management tools
The UiT The Arctic University of Norway has chosen Endnote as its preferred reference management tool (http://uit.no/ub/9170/).You can use Endnote (http://www.ub.uit.no/db_kat/ref_en-veil.htm) as a reference management tool and choose “APA 5th” as your style.
The University Library of Tromsø runs introductory courses in the use of Endnote. You may read more on APA’s website about how to use references in different contexts. For electronic sources, please visit: http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html. You will also find many useful examples at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APA_style
4.11 Other requirements for your thesis
Write serious, clear and precise factual prose Write as objectively as possible Avoid clichés and unnecessary words Go through your thesis to correct spelling, grammatical and other errors Work hard on language and presentation! Check that all references in the text and included in the reference list (and vice versa) Quotation marks shall be used to indicate all quotations in the text, and you must
specify the source of the quotation. Failure to note quotations could be viewed as an attempt to cheat, which in turn can lead to the thesis not being approved. HHT has access to the plagiarism prevention tool Ephorus for electronic control of student works.
5 Write alone or together with others?
If you work alone you do not have a daily sparring partner who you can discuss things that may crop up with. In that case, you need to discuss with yourself, your supervisor or use your computer. However, you are your own boss and can decide the content and progression of your thesis on your own. As sole author data collection will be more demanding and you will not be able to read as much as two people can. On the other hand you have more freedom regarding both the choice of and adjustments to the research topic and method if you write alone. The Master’s thesis is one’s own product and you generally learn what your own limitations and skills are.
The personal chemistry and the level of ambition are the two most important factors you need to evaluate if you will write jointly with a fellow student. A Master’s thesis is more comprehensive and demanding than a semester paper and therefore makes greater demands on interpersonal skills. It is important that both students have more or less the same level of ambition regarding the thesis, that you have the same work habits, same interest in the research question and are in agreement about the schedule (and what to do in the event that it wavers). The approach to collaboration is also important, as is a willingness to make compromises when you disagree. It is not certain that choosing to jointly write a thesis with your best friend is the most sensible move. However, if you choose to do this, it is important to clarify both the working relationship and level of ambition.
6 Definition of research topic
Once you have chosen a topic and decided whether you are writing alone other together with a fellow student, it is time to define a more precise research question. If you are doing an investigation for a company or other external contractor, it is important to be aware of the fact that may not only follow the contractor’s practical requirements for the thesis. In order to write a good thesis you must also follow the demands that academia makes concerning formulation of research question, discussion of theory, method and empirical data. These requirements for good research-related craft are often different from the formulation of a report that practitioners want. The best way of satisfying both
academic and the practitioners is by first writing a good scientific thesis that may later be edited into a report in the format that the contractor wants.
What does a good definition of research topic involve? What does it look like? How do you arrive at such a formulation?
Firstly, here are some important definitions:
o Topic : a delimited subject areao Research topic : Something within the topic (the delimited area that does not have a
solution or contains some answers)o Research question: A description of the context that the problem is included in (one
research question can include several research topic)o Definition of research topic: A definition of a specific question within the scope of a
research question
Consequently, a definition of a research topic is not a topic, a research topic nor a research question. The research question comprises a broad “collection of research topics” within a certain topic. As such there may be several definitions of a research topic within the scope of one research question. In some contexts, you may a develop definition of the research topic based on a theoretical discussion in the thesis.
The definition of the research topic is a question that deals with what we want answers to, but does not always have to be formulated as one or more questions. In such cases, you can say that a good definition of a research topic in the least be able to be converted into one or more questions.
A good definition of the research topic makes your work easier, guiding your choice of theory, literature and empirical data, as well as the outline of the thesis and is necessary in order to finish a text. As a reader it is hard to relate to scientific texts that do not say what it shall convey, why and using which method. A focussed text is always a better text and a more interesting one.
Andersen (1998) has described different types of definitions of research topics and proposed the following categories:
What?1) Descriptive (“An explanation of…”, “What occurred…”, “A mapping of…”)2) Exploratory, identifying the research topics3) Diagnostic, categorizing (“Which problem can occur…”, “Which consequences
do…”).
Why?4) Explanatory, understandable (“How can you explain/interpret…”, “Why is it
such…”).
How?5) Problem solving/normative (“A theoretically reasoned solution to …”, “How
should be act in relation to X?”, “Which statutory regulations should…”).
6) Intervention-oriented (“Implementation of a new programme for…”).
What type of definition of research topic will you choose? It must be interesting (arguments for this in the background for the thesis), it must not have been answered by others already and the degree of difficulty must be in relation to the Master’s degree level and your own ambitions.
7 Work process
7.1 Thesis Proposal – guidelines for the writing process
Everyone who is going to write a Master’s thesis shall, no later than the stipulated date, submit a memorandum of approx. five pages containing the following:
1. The introduction of your thesis with a presentation of your research question and
the reasons for this
2. The theoretical basis you wish to use to illustrate/discuss the research topic and
a rough outline of the theory chapter
3. A brief description of the method you wish to use during the data collection
4. A schedule with milestones
Candidates will present their thesis proposals at a plenary session. A time of 5-10
minutes is available for the presentation, to be divided among the candidates if
candidates are jointly writing the thesis.
This process is completed in the semester before the actual writing work starts.
7.2 Choice of supervisor
The choice of supervisor is often important for the work process. From experience it is best if you know who you want as your supervisor. In addition the potential supervisors will also have an understanding of which academic topics they believe they master to an adequate degree to be able to give the best supervision. In this way the choice of supervisor is often a process between the Master’s students and the supervisors. If there are a large number of theses, supervisors will be allocated to a greater extent and students will have fewer alternatives. However, the allocation will be based on the academic and methodical areas of interest of the supervisors to the extent possible.
7.3 The supervision process
The supervision includes the following: time for approval of the research question
perusal of drafts of text items from the candidate(s) feedback (from tutorials, e-mails, e-post etc.) tutorials administrative tasks associated with the supervision contract
It is sensible to organise the work with the Master’s thesis in such a way that the supervision is separated into five supervision sections:
1. Introduction with proposal of topic / research question2. Theoretical foundation / literature review3. Design / discussion about method4. Analysis and presentation of results5. Conclusion / discussion / summary
The above-mentioned division will make the supervision process more efficient for the students and supervisor alike. The schedule for the thesis and supervision shall be agreed with your supervisor. Familiarise yourself with the ethical guidelines that are applicable for the supervision work, cf. appendix 2.
It is important for you to get started on this work early and to make use of the supervision offer from the start. It is a good idea to read through some old theses. Start as soon as possible! You do not have much time at your disposal!
Prepare well defined goals for the work process and your thesis. Discuss the definition of research topic and thesis outline with your supervisor. It is also a good idea to form seminar groups with other students.
The candidates cannot expect that the supervisor will proof read manuscripts. Proofreading will be the candidate’s task. The language shall be thoroughly prepared and checked. The use of available aids and books to provide assistance is recommended. The thesis shall not include any insinuations, anecdotes and jokes that make fun of people (e.g. of a sexist, racial or homophobic nature etc.).
Supervision is normally given up to one week before the submission deadline.
8 Use of literature and information evaluation
At an early stage in your studies you will learn how important it is to deal with sources in the correct manner. However, you have received many different messages from different lecturers about what this means. This demonstrates that the use of literature is one of the most difficult aspects in the field of research. Chapter 4.9 outlines how you shall systematically set up your reference list in accordance with a universally accepted standard.
Another problem is how to deal with these references in your text. A part of the Master’s thesis is to demonstrate that you have read up on the topic through the use of a number of references. It is very easy to be blind to what your own words are and what the words
of others are. If you “borrow” text from others without stating from whom you have borrowed it in the text, this is known in an academic context as plagiary – a serious offence. It is comparable to stealing money from others, which is also a criminal act. Plagiarism can lead to much unpleasantness for you. Therefore, it is important to be conscious of what words are your own and which words are written by others. In order to help you to keep track of your information evaluation, we elaborate on the following terms below: excerpt, quote, summarize and reflect. It can quickly become a problem if you think you are summarizing, but in reality you are quoting, or you think you are reflecting, but in reality you are summarizing.
8.1 Excerpt
Excerpt means to extract, select or pick out. For you it means to keep the content of articles and books in order. The problem occurs when you are going to quote a text and you cannot find the page in the book that contains the quotation or, in the worst case, not even find the book. In that case you should excerpt, i.e. make an extract of the text for coming use. You can do this by marking the text with a highlighter or ordinary pen, comment on the text in the margin or photocopy the page (remember to include a complete reference to the source). The advantage of such extracts is that you may later decide whether you will quote or summarize the text.
8.2 Quote
To quote means to copy. That means that you precisely repeat a text from a source in your own text. It is completely legitimate to do this. In this way you are showing something important that others have written and that it is so well formulated that you could not have formulated it better. Quotes can therefore be regarded as gems that perfect your text. However, you must be economical when giving gems as they can become tarnished. Your text can also become tarnished. You must in a precise manner demonstrate that it is a quotation and not a summary by using quotation marks (”…”) and stating the source of the quotation (author, year of publication and page number) after the quotation. The reader may find the complete source in the reference list. Consequently, a quotation is original text (you do not translate a quotation from English to Norwegian or vice versa!). It is important to provide a precise indication of the page number so the reader may check that it is an accurate copy.
8.3 Summarize
To summarize means using your own words. Discussions of literature in Master’s theses are to a high degree summaries of original sources. How close your summary is to the original determines whether you are quoting or summarizing. Summarizing is repetition in your own words of what you have read from a source and it must be as correct as possible. Problems arise if you do not dare to change the wording from the original too much. Otherwise, you are getting close to a quotation instead of a slightly less precise summary – without you quoting. Therefore, the difference between quoting and summarizing can be subtle and difficult for the reader to discover. However, it is the author’s responsibility to deal with sources in the correct manner and the reader must be able to rely on the author. For you as an author if it is a question of language and translation, use your own words.
Summarizing may also result in many repetitions if it is done in a mechanical manner. On the one hand you can have the same reference 10 times. That will be the cause of suspicion and one will wonder whether they are quotations or summaries. The author’s task is to summarize in such a good way that you manage to refer to the source maybe three times instead of 10 times. In other words: avoid the triple summarizing trap: 1) that you plagiarize instead of quote, 2) that you refer in a way that is so close to the original that you actually quote and 3) that you stack reference upon reference in a mechanical manner. You may avoid falling into this trap by reflecting.
8.4 Reflect
To reflect means that you think twice and that you let your thoughts reflect against other thoughts. Reflection means that to the extent possible you write in your own words while at the same time you refer to or summarize another text. This concerns how well you understand the text, how you view yourself, your ability to formulate and a rich vocabulary. Reflection is also part of the basis on which your Master’s thesis is judged.
9 Searching for literatureUiT has specific subject paces for economics. These pages contain a lot of advice about searching for literature. See: http://uit.no/ub/8472/. The University Library of Tromsø offers courses dealing with how to search for literature, as well as organise searches. This is recommended. Always keep in mind what type of information you are using as sources. Is it books, published articles (peer reviewed), newspapers, discussion papers, internet sources, old or new information? The type of information is of significance for how you apply it in the text. We recommend the following search services:
For published articles:Ofelaŝ (link via http://www.ub.uit.no/)Open J-Gate (http://www.openj-gate.com/)
For published articles, discussion papers, summaries and thesesGoogle Scholar (http://scholar.google.no/)Norwegian Open Research Archive (NORA) (http://www.ub.uio.no/nora/noaister/search.html)
For booksBIBSYS(+ electronic journals, UB selection of journals, PhD dissertations, Master’s theses): (http://ask.bibsys.no/ask/action/stdsearch?kilde=biblio:UBT%C3%98&lang=nb)Google Books: http://books.google.com/Ebrary and NetLibrary (http://site.ebrary.com/lib/tromsoub og http://www.netlibrary.com/Search/BasicSearch.aspx
For newsNewspaper articles (http://www.atekst.no)Google News (http://news.google.com/)
10 Travel grant for Master’s degree students at the Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics
Travel grants may be approved for the following purposes: data collection/field work, lectures or presentations at conferences. Applicants must prepare a budget for the proposed trip, including a brief description of the proposed travel. The form, cf. appendix 6, must be signed by the applicant, supervisor and Head of Department before being submitted to the administration at HHT. Financial support may be granted for travel that your supervisor deems as relevant for your thesis (for data collection connected to the compiling of your thesis or presentation of the results of the thesis at a conference). The supervisor must carefully consider the relevance of the travel in relation to the thesis that is being written. The Head of Department approves the academic content with his/her signature. The travel grant for Master’s degree students is currently up to a maximum of NOK 4000 (and it is only possible to apply for such funding on one occasion during the Master’s degree programme). You must complete a travel and subsistence claim form after completion of the travel. Original documentation of expenses (flights, bus tickets, hotel etc.) must be attached.
11 Exemption from being made publicly available
Section 15 of the Regulations for examinations at the UiT The Arctic University of Norway states:
Section 15: Exemption from being made publicly availableThe starting point is that all Master’s theses or similar are public.Theses containing information subject to statutory non-disclosure of confidential information shall be exempted from being made public.If sound reasons exist, the faculties may also agree to the thesis being exempted from being made public for up to five years. In special circumstances, the thesis may gain an exemption for a longer period.
Candidates writing theses that they wish to be exempted from being made publicly available must apply for this, cf. appendix 6.
12 Electronic submissionThe student submits their thesis by uploading it to the UiT The Arctic University of Norway’s repository for scientific and research-related material Munin by the submission deadline of 3pm on the date of submission. The method for electronic publication in Munin is outlined on the university’s website.
The thesis shall be submitted in PDF format as a complete document (title page, abstract, foreword, text, reference list and any appendices in one document). Ensure that all links are clickable when the document is converted. If you are uploading your thesis outside the IT network on the UiT campus you will need to download VPN client on a computer you have administrator privileges for to in order to upload your thesis in Munin. All theses shall be published in Munin, but not all theses need to be made public/published there.
Theses subject to confidentiality clauses or which owing to other special grounds shall not be published may be exempted from digital publishing by agreement with HHT. The right to publish illustrations and other material subject to copyright must be clarified prior to publishing.
The title page must be submitted for approval by a student adviser no later than five days before submission. Pay particular attention to the correct programme option, name of department etc. Errors on the title page may lead to the thesis not being able to be presented for assessment.
In order for the thesis to be searchable in Munin it must contain key words. These key words should follow after the abstract.
HHT will print 12 copies of the thesis and distribute it to the examination committee.
13 Application for postponed submission A written application stating the grounds must be submitted by May 1 in the spring semester and November 1 in the autumn semester. A three-month extension of the submission deadline may then be granted. In case of absence due to illness of 1-3 weeks, the submission deadline is postponed for an equivalent period of time. A medical certificate is required. For students who do not have a medical certificate or compelling grounds, the submission deadline will be postponed for one semester at a time. This means that the earliest opportunity to submit the thesis will be six months after the ordinary submission deadline.
14 GradingMaster’s theses are graded on the scale from A-F, with A-E indicating pass and F fail. The grades have the following designations and general qualitative descriptions:
Symbol Designation General, qualitative descriptions of the assessment criteria
A Excellent An excellent performance, which gains distinction. The candidate demonstrates excellent judgement and an extremely high level of independent thinking.
B Very goodA very good performance, certainly above average. The candidate demonstrates a certain degree of judgement and independent thinking.
C GoodA good overall performance, which is satisfactory in most areas. The candidate demonstrates a reasonable degree of judgement and independent thinking in the most important areas.
D Fair An acceptable, but below average performance with some significant shortcomings. The candidate demonstrates a limited degree of judgement and independent thinking.
E Satisfactory A performance that meets the minimum requirements. The candidate demonstrates a very limited degree of judgement and independent thinking.
F FailAn effort that does not meet the minimum academic requirements. The candidate demonstrates an absence of both judgement and independent thinking.
The diploma will be sent to the student by registered letter as soon as it is ready. It can take some time, particularly during the summer (allow a minimum of five weeks). The diploma will be sent to the student’s current address, as registered on the internet-based Studentweb. Consequently, it is important that this address is correct.
15 Appendices
Appendix 1 – Supervision contract for Master’s thesis
FACULTY OF BIOSCIENCES, FISHERIES AND ECONOMICS THE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS
SUPERVISION CONTRACT FOR MASTER’S THESISThe student must submit the supervision contract for approval by HHT in the semester BEFORE the work of the Master’s Thesis beginsChanges in the supervision contract, e.g. curriculum, supervision, leave-of-absence, extension etc, shall be processed by HHT
1. Students personaliaName: Address:DOB: E-mail: Mobile:
2. SupervisorsFill in the main supervisor’s name and any co-supervisor’s or external supervisor’s names. The main supervisor has overall responsibility for the department’s role in the contract. Students have the right to supervision during the time he/she will write their thesis according to the accepted study plan. If the supervisor plans to have research sabbatical during the contract period, the student must be informed of this when the contract is signed. The supervisor and the department are responsible for ensuring student supervision throughout the contract period.Main supervisor:
Department:
Co-supervisor I:
Office address:
Co-supervisor II:
Office address:
3. Study programStudy program: 2-years/120 credits
(ECTS) 2,5-years/90 credits (ECTS)Major/specialization: Department:
4. Master’s Thesisa) Working title:
A thesis proposal must also be submitted on a separate sheet. The proposal must contain: Problem for discussion Method Schedule/milestones Goals
Prospective partners of either technical or scientific typeb) Completion of the master thesisAll master students have the right to write the master dissertation alone. Students can choose to write as a group providing that the students have themselves determined the groups and the supervisor accepts this. In this case, the supervision contracts should be submitted together..
Individual dissertation
Group dissertation with individual evaluation. The contribution of each group member must be able to be documented.
Fellow students in group thesis:
c) Time schedule for the thesisThe Master’s thesis must be completed within the scheduled deadline. The thesis will normally be handed in by the 1st of June or the 15th of November.Starting date: Date for hand-in:
d) Planed progressionFor part-time students the progression of study must be at least 50 %. Master thesis of 30 credits (ECTS) shall normally be completed as a full-time student. Master students who are engaged as tutors/teaching assistants may apply for an extension of the study period.
Full-time student
Part-time student _ _ %
5. Comments
6. SignaturesStudent, main supervisor and co- supervisors agree on all points of the contract
Student/date:Main supervisor/date:Co-supervisor/date:Co-supervisor/date:
Head of department/date:
Appendix 2 – Ethical guidelines for supervision at the UiT The Arctic University of Norway
Adopted on 13.04.2004 by the University Board (S 13-04 - DL 200305499-15).
The supervisor is to ensure that the student/PhD candidate receives good academic support in his/her work.
The academic competence of the supervisor shall be made available to the student/PhD candidate.
The supervisor shall follow the work of the student/PhD candidate, and keep up to date with his/her progress.
The supervisor shall help the student/PhD candidate to establish contact with other researchers and research groups with special competence in the relevant field of research.
The supervisor and the student/PhD candidate shall both do their best to ensure a qualitatively good result.
The supervisor shall provide constructive, relevant and thorough feedback. The supervisor shall, at an early stage, become aware and act if a project seems
unrealisable, or if there are signs to indicate that the student/PhD candidate will have problems completing it.
The student/PhD candidate shall be prepared to invest the maximum time and effort that the project requires.
The student/PhD candidate shall be open and receptive to suggestions from the supervisor.
The student/PhD candidate shall give the supervisor complete access to information about the work and its progress, and accept advice from the supervisor at an early stage if problems arise.
The supervisor and the student/PhD candidate have a mutual responsibility for ensuring that the supervision to takes place in an acceptable manner.
The supervisor shall give the cooperation with the student/PhD candidate the priority that results from accepting the supervision responsibilities.
The supervisor shall maintain regular contact with the student/PhD candidate as agreed between the two parties.
The supervisor shall endeavour to read all texts submitted by the student/PhD candidate as soon as possible.
If the supervisor does not have time to read a text immediately, he/she shall inform the student/PhD candidate of this and notify him/her when the text will be read.
The supervisor shall be well prepared for tutorials with the student/PhD candidate. The supervisor shall keep to the agreed times for tutorials with the student/PhD
candidate, and ensure that the tutorial is undisturbed (by turning off his/her telephone etc.).
The supervisor shall make the necessary arrangements to provide for satisfactory academic support and supervision for the student/PhD candidate in his/her absence (during sabbaticals etc).
The student/PhD candidate shall maintain regular contact with the supervisor as agreed between the two parties.
The student/PhD candidate shall endeavour to meet all deadlines and complete all tasks as agreed during the tutorial.
The student/PhD candidate shall submit texts for reading within a reasonable time before the tutorial.
The student/PhD candidate shall be well prepared for tutorials with the supervisor.
It is the responsibility of the supervisor to impart the basic ethical rules of research relevant to the field.
If the supervisor wishes to use the student's/PhD candidate's data or research results in his/her own publications or research, he/she must get permission from the student/PhD candidate and follow the accepted practice for source referencing and crediting of other people's work.
Both parties shall show respect for the academic and personal integrity of the other party, and refrain from any action or statement that may be perceived as offensive.
The supervisor has the main responsibility for ensuring that supervision takes place in an objective and professional manner, and should be aware of the authority the role of supervisor entails in relation to the student/PhD candidate.
The supervisor should refrain from making any comments about the student/PhD candidate personally, physically or relating to gender. The student/PhD candidate should show the same respect for the supervisor as a person.
The supervisor must not use his/her position of authority to take advantage of the student/PhD candidate, or to attain personal favours or services.
Personal and confidential information imparted in connection with supervision shall be treated with discretion by both parties.
The supervisor shall avoid discussing internal, collegial matters with the student/PhD candidate.
The supervisor should not discuss the student's/PhD candidate's affairs with other students/PhD candidates. The student/PhD candidate should show the same consideration towards the supervisor.
Private relations that are incompatible with the academic relationship should not occur. It is the responsibility of the supervisor to ensure that the necessary professional
distance is maintained, and to avoid situations that can lead to it being disturbed. The supervisor and the student/PhD candidate shall not be related, romantically
involved, or have common private economic interests. If a romantic relationship should arise, the head of department shall be notified and the
supervision contract be terminated. If the supervisor and the student/PhD candidate are friends, both parties shall be aware
of the importance of clear boundaries between the professional and the private domain.
The supervisor shall not accept any form of payment for the supervision apart from that agreed with the university.
The supervisor and the student/PhD candidate have a mutual responsibility to solve conflicts. Both parties should be able to raise problems concerning the professional cooperation
or the progress of the work, and endeavour to contribute to finding a constructive solution.
If a conflict has arisen between the supervisor and the student/PhD candidate that the two parties are unable to solve, an independent third party should become involved as a mediator. The position of the person who performs this function – head of department, research coordinator, vice-dean or dean – varies from department to department.
If the supervisor and the student/PhD candidate feel compelled to terminate the supervision contract, the faculty shall take responsibility to handle the change of supervisor in an orderly and satisfactory manner.
Appendix 3 – Agreement regarding participation in research project
A G R E E M E N T
Agreement between student……….……………………………born….…….……, andthe UiT The Arctic University of Norway (UiT) via the project manager …………………………….……... concerning the student’s participation in the research project……………………………
1. Purpose of the agreementThe purpose of this agreement is to regulate the terms of agreement between UiT and the student regarding the student’s participation in the above-mentioned research project. This concerns the rights to the project results and copyright to the Master’s thesis and/or other works the student writes as part of the project, amongst other things.
2. Project resultsThe project manager, or others in accordance with the project agreement, is the owner of the project results that the student produces alone or in collaboration with others in the project, and has exclusive rights to utilize these.
The term project manager means the faculty, department or person who is responsible for ensuring that the project is implemented in accordance with the project agreement.
If the student makes an invention alone or in collaboration with others during the project and the invention is exploited commercially by one or more of the project partners, the student has the right to reasonable remuneration. When settling on the amount of such remuneration, particular consideration shall be given to the value of the invention and the significance of the student to the invention.
The project manager may, in a separate agreement, return to the student the rights to the project results that the student has produced.
3. Master’s thesisThe student shall write his/her Master’s thesis at: ………………………. …………(faculty)within the Master’s degree programme in ………………………………………………..
The title of the thesis is: …………..……………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………………………...
The supervisor is:…………………………………………………………………………..
Prior to submission of the Master’s thesis for assessment at UiT, the student shall in consultation with his/her supervisor make a decision about whether the thesis contains research data that must be kept secret. If this is the case, the supervisor or student must notify the faculty that the Master’s thesis shall be exempted from being made publicly available, cf. Section 15 of the Regulations for examinations at the UiT The Arctic University of Norway. The faculty must make a decision about whether the Master’s thesis may be exempted from being made publicly available and, if so, for how long.
The student has copyright to the Master’s thesis, with the limitations resulting from this agreement. The project partners have the right to receive a copy of the Master’s thesis including any appendices, and to be familiarized with the grade awarded by UiT and the reasons for determining the grade.
4. Publishing and other publicationThe student has the right to publish his/her Master’s thesis or parts of it, providing it is not exempt from being made publicly available, cf. point 3. For publishing of other project works from the relevant project, written consent is required from the project manager.
For other forms of making public the research results from the project, e.g. information through teaching, seminars or conferences, written consent is also required from the project manager.
When the student has concluded his/her relationship with the project, and the Master’s thesis is no longer exempt from being made publicly available, the student may publish new works based on data from the Master’s thesis without consent from the project manager.
5. Co-authorshipThe criteria of the Vancouver Protocol shall form the basis of what is required to be a co-author of the student’s works.
The project manager shall at an early stage in the project raise the matter of co-authorship with the student. It needs to be clarified, to the extent possible, which articles shall be co-authored, which shall be written individually and, if relevant, the order of authorship. Minutes should be kept of such conversations. Any agreements shall be confirmed in writing and signed by the relevant participants.
Only the student shall be the author of the Master’s thesis or other student works the student writes as part of his/her studies at UiT.
5. Duty of confidentialityThe student is obliged to treat confidentially any information he/she obtains about the project participants’ technical appliances and methods as well as operational and
commercial conditions, which may be confidential owing to the their competitive significance.
Confidential information must not be transferred to others or published without written consent from the project manager.
6. DisputesThis agreement is regulated by Norwegian law. The parties shall attempt to resolve any disputes which may arise through negotiations. Disputes that have not been resolved within 30 days of one of the parties requesting negotiations may be brought by either party before an ordinary court of law. The Nord Troms District Court is the legal venue for such disputes.
7. SignatureIf the supervisor for the Master’s thesis is a person other than the project manager, or the person signing on behalf of the project manager, the supervisor must also sign this contract.
This contract is entered into in two copies, one of which is to be retained by each party.
Place, date: Place, date:
Student For the project manager
Place, date:
Supervisor
Appendix 4 – Method for page numbering (Office Word 2010)
Place your cursor on the title page Choose Insert, then Bottom of Page, then normal numbers 2
Page numbers are now set automatically in the centre at the bottom of the page. The following menu also appears:
Select Different First Page. No page number will appear on the title page. Place your cursor on one of the page numbers then double click Mark a page number then click on Format Page Number. Then choose the right
number format (small Roman numerals for the first pages) Place your cursor at the bottom of the page before the core text starts Choose Page Layout, then Breaks, and then Section Breaks Next Page
Word then inserts a Section Break and you can then begin a completely new footer text that you can format.
Double click on the page number on the page on which the core text starts Mark the page number with your cursor, rick click and choose Format Page
Number Choose normal Arabic numbers and start on 1
Appendix 5 – Application for financial support for an individual trip connected with a Master’s thesis
FACULTY OF BIOSCIENCES, FISHERIES AND ECONOMICSTHE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS
APPLICATION FOR FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR AN INDIVIDUAL TRIP CONNECTED TO A MASTER’S THESIS Enter your name Enter your e-mail address Enter your Norwegian
personal identification number
Brief description of destination, purpose and duration
Budget:Travel expenses NOK Travel covered by:Accommodation NOK Own share NOKSubsistence allowance NOK Student travel funds NOKOther expenses NOK Other funding
(specify)NOK
TOTAL NOK TOTAL NOK
Of this, I hereby apply for BFE to cover: NOK
(Currently, a maximum of NOK 4000 may be granted.)
Programme option: Start semester:
Date: Applicant’s signature:
Supervisor’s recommendation:
Date: Supervisor’s signature:
Date: Head of Department’s approval:
Grant approved of up to: NOK
Date: Programme Coordinator:
FACULTY OF BIOSCIENCES, FISHERIES AND ECONOMICSTHE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS
GUIDANCE
Application for financial support for an individual trip connected to a Master’s thesis
You need to prepare a budget for the proposed trip, including a brief travel description. You need to sign the form, and get it signed by your supervisor and the Head of Department, before submitting it to the Academic administration.
Financial support may be allocated for travel that your supervisor confirms is related to your thesis project (for data collection connected to the compiling of your thesis or presentation of the results of the thesis at a conference). Your supervisor must carefully consider the relevance of the travel in relation to the thesis that is being written. The Head of Department approves the academic content with his/her signature.
Travel to UiT in connection with your supervision and final examination may not be covered under this item.
If your application applies to a trip for which financial support may be granted in accordance with the current guidelines, you may receive an advance of up to 75% of the amount. As soon as possible, and no later than one month, after completion of the trip, you must complete a travel and subsistence claim form, including original copies of the receipts of the expenses you have had and want us to reimburse. For airline tickets, a boarding pass and the original ticket receipt are required.
The School of Business and Economics
Appendix 6 – Application for exemption of thesis from being made publicly available
Application for exemption of Master’s thesis from being made publicly available shall be submitted using the template below:
To The School of Business and Economics, UITAcademic administration
From Surname, given name(s) Place, dateSurname, given name(s) (if more than one)
APPLICATION FOR MASTER’S THESIS TO BE EXEMPTED FROM BEING MADE PUBLICLY AVAILABILE
The undersigned hereby apply for my/our Master’s thesis entitled
Enter name of Master’s thesis
to be exempted from being made publicly available for a period of x years (maximum of five years) calculated from the date of submission pursuant to Section 15 of the Regulations relating to examinations at the UiT The Arctic University of Norway.
The reason that the thesis shall be exempted from public availability is:
Write the reason here (e.g. that the respondents/companies have made this a requirement for being willing to act as informants). A reason is necessary for the Academic administration to be able to make a decision about the matter.
Kindest regards
_____________________Candidate
_____________________Candidate
The letter must be signed by the applicant(s).
