Writing your thesis at HAAGA-HELIA
Report Guidelines Working Group
Guidelines
2009
Abstract
Date of presentation of thesis
Degree programme
AuthorsIndicate here the authors, one after the other.Place the first name before the surname, and list the names in alphabetical order by surname. / Group
X
The title of your thesis
Place here the title of your thesis.If your title has two parts, place it on two rows as shown below:
Open communications during a publicity crisis
Case study:The Finnish Ski Association / Number of pages and appendices
27 + 1
Supervisors
Indicate here the names of your thesis supervisor/s, one after the other.Give the first name before the surname.Place the primary supervisor first.
These guidelines show you how to prepare a coherent thesis, and gives instructions on the layout.The layout of this page is that of the thesis abstract form.The remaining pages follow the layout to be used for the other parts of the thesis, so use this document as your thesis template.
HAAGA-HELIA students are to prepare their theses using these guidelines, which are to be followed by students in all degree programmes.These guidelines replace previous guidelines in force at HAAGA-HELIA, the Haaga Institute and the Helsinki Business Polytechnic (HELIA).
The thesis abstract is to present key topics/findings in such a way that the reader gets a good understanding of what the thesis contains.In addition to presenting key facts, the abstract is to briefly present the background context for the thesis, as well as objectives, scope, implementation, methods (if applicable), timeframe of research (if applicable), and also analysis, results and conclusions.
The abstract is not to be longer than one page.Use standard English, and be concise and objective so that all target readers will understand what your thesis is about.Use complete clauses and sentences.Partition your text into paragraphs and separate them with an extra line break.Start a new paragraph for each new topic.The abstract must not contain source references.Never use the first person singular.
Key words
The abstract ends with a list of key words, i.e. 3-6 words that best describe the contents of your thesis. Place the words in order of importance and make effort to formulate them so that your thesis will be found if a key word is entered as a search term in a library database.
Table of contents
1Introduction
1.1Writing your thesis is good practice for life after graduation
1.2The thesis – research-oriented or project-oriented?
2Thesis structure and contents
2.1The cover
2.2Abstract
2.3Table of contents
2.4Introduction
2.5The presentation
2.6Summary and conclusion
2.7Bibliography
2.7.1Source criticism
2.7.2References
2.7.3Footnotes
2.7.4Bibliography
2.8Attachments
3Layout
3.1The cover
3.2Abstract
3.3Table of contents
3.4Headings
3.5Text
3.6Tables and figures
3.7Lists
3.8Bibliography
3.9Attachments
Bibliography
Appendices
Appendix 1. The structure of the thesis report
1Introduction
As a HAAGA-HELIA student, you are to prepare your thesis using these guidelines. This is required of students in all degree programmes.These guidelines replace previous guidelines in force at HAAGA-HELIA, the Haaga Institute and the Helsinki Business Polytechnic (HELIA).
These guidelines show you how to compile a well-structured thesis, including instructions on the layout.This document follows the layout to be used in your thesis, so use the document as your thesis template.Familiarise yourself also with further advice and resources made available on the HAAGA-HELIA website. These guidelines also provide information about the kind of style and language you should use to ensure that your text serves its purpose and the needs of the reader. Here you will also find tips on how to use Microsoft Word when writing your thesis.
These guidelines are based on the guidelines that were previously in use at HAAGA and HELIA.The guidelines have been prepared by the Report Guidelines Working Group, whose members were Tommi Immonen, Juha Lindstedt, Sirke Lohtaja, Helena Mansio, Pirjo Nuotio and Elizabeth San Miguel.Other participants were Irina Hokkonen, Kristiina Huff, Saija Laitinen, Raisa-Liisa Moilanen, Helena Mustonen, Raija Niemelä, Anja Rosenström, Kati Selvenius, Vuokko Vanhala, Kaija Varjola-Vahvelainen and Timo Vuorimaa.
1.1Writing your thesis is good practice for life after graduation
Thesis work provides students with lots of practice in skills required from all people in business management and professional jobs.These include, for example, information retrieval skills, information analysis skills, creative problem solving skills, as well as the ability to act on the basis of reliable information.
The thesis is a mandatory part of studies in universities of applied sciences in Finland, as given in the decree on studies in universities of applied sciences (Decree on Polytechnics 352/2003).At HAAGA-HELIA, the thesis covers 15 ECTS, which covers independent study, and participation in methodology counselling and a thesis seminar.
“The purpose of the thesis is to build and indicate the student’s ability to apply his or her knowledge and skills in a practical task relating to the student’s professional studies” (Decree on Polytechnics 352/2003).Planning, writing and presenting the thesis familiarises the student with how knowledge is produced in the student’s chosen field of expertise.
Your thesis indicates your ability to successfully complete a large-scale assignment on your own, including familiarisation with your topic and a command of your chosen methods.The overall objective is that you learn to successfully search for information, process this information independently, present the results clearly and logically, and assess your work as well as the work of fellow students.Your thesis shows your ability to engage in independent and critical thinking,as well as your abilityto organise your findings in a clear and logical manner.In your thesis work, you also gain valuable practice in seeking for and making successful use of information relevant to your thesis topic.You also gain valuable practice in organising your thoughts and completing the actual job of writing a comprehensive report with a predetermined scope.
When completing your thesis, you gain practice in producing information for professional use.At universities of applied sciences, emphasis is placed on the practical nature of the thesis and its applicability to practical problem-solving situations.In addition to promoting your professional growth, the aim is that you can make use of your thesis in job search or in your future job.
All completed theses are made available to the public and stored in the library.The thesis includes the thesis grade, which means that the grade is also public information.The thesis supervisor attaches his or her assessment (grade) to the thesis before the thesis is bound.Material that involves business or professional secrets is placed aside as background material (not made available to the public), and is not assessed.Please familiarise yourself with more detailed guidelines in this regard, which you can find on our Extranet under Studies >Thesis.
1.2The thesis – research-oriented or project-oriented?
A thesis at HAAGA-HELIA can be a research study, a product development assignment, or an event, training, planning or development project.In other words, the thesis can be either research-oriented or project-oriented.In a research-oriented thesis, the student investigates a chosen topic and writes a report on the findings.In a project-oriented thesis, the student produces andachieves an outcome, and describes the outcome in a report.The length of a standard thesis is 40–60 pages, exclusive of appendices. The length of theses completed in pairs or groups is 60–100 pages.The minimum length of a project-oriented thesis (report) is 20 pages.The thesis structure is presented in appendix 1.
2Thesis structure and contents
The thesis always contains a written part (report part), including an introduction, a theoretical framework, a process description and a concluding analysis.The thesis and other HAAGA-HELIA reports are always to include an abstract.The thesis always begins with an introduction and ends with a concluding analysis, the perusal of which will give the reader a clear understanding of what were the objectives and conclusions.For people in working life, the information provided in the abstract and conclusion is often sufficient, and for this reason it is important to write these with special care.The thesis is divided into main chapters and sections (also called as subchapters), the contents of which are determined by the topic chosen and methodology employed.Organise your thesis logically, and divide your text into paragraphs.Make references to your sources, and indicate these using the proper reference format.
This chapter shows you how to prepare a well-structured thesis, which serves its key target audiences, i.e. students, teachers and business community representatives.
2.1The cover
Supply your thesis with a cover page.The thesis cover differs somewhat from the covers of other reports.The thesis cover should include:
the school logo
the thesis title
the author/s: Firstname Last name
the document type, i.e. thesis
the degree programme
the year of completion.
You can edit your thesis title also after you have completed your work to ensure that the title matches the contents. The template file for the cover page is on the Extranet (Studies >Thesis).
2.2Abstract
The thesis must always contain an abstract.The abstract is one-page long, and is placed after the cover page and before the table of contents.The abstract will be the most often read part of your thesis, and therefore it is important that you write it with care.The abstract provides a clear overview of your thesis, and as such describes the key contents of your thesis.The abstract must not contain source references.Never use the first person singular.
The abstract presents in brief:
the background or points of departure for the topic
the scope and objectives of the thesis
the thesis implementation and methodology employed
the timeframe for the study
the results and conclusions.
The abstract ends with a list of key words, usually 3–6 words, that best describe the thesis topic and contents.Use commonly used reference or search terms as your key words.Place the words in order of importance.All theses should include an abstract in English. Following the English abstract, your thesis can include an abstract in Finnish or in a language used by the company that commissioned the thesis. The template file for the abstract is on the Extranet.
2.3Table of contents
Your thesis is also to include a table of contents, which is to be placed after the abstract.The page is to have the heading “Table of contents”. The table of contents provides a quick overview of the structure of the work, as well as the relationships between its parts. In other words, it shows the order in which topics are discussed, as well as the relationships between the chapters, sections and subsections.
Enumerate your chapters, sections and subsections.Chapters start from the left margin, and the sections and subsections are indented.Each section at a higher hierarchical level is always to have at least two subsections at a lower level.For example, if you wish to establish sections for chapter 2, you should have at least two of them, i.e. sections 2.1 and 2.2.Please remember, however, that too many divisions into subsections (e.g. section 2.1.1.4) can become confusing.To ensure that the structure of your work remains as easy to comprehend as possible, strive to enumerate all headings in your work.The table of contents should only include headings that have been enumerated.
2.4Introduction
Start the text proper with an introduction.The introduction has two primary tasks:to raise the reader’s interest and to provide the reader with background information about your topic.Make your introduction interesting and concise.Your introduction has been successful if it provides a good understanding of what your thesis is about.
The introduction begins with some background information about your topic in such a way that the reader will get an idea of the larger framework and relationships of the work.In order to raise interest, the introduction can also call into question an old belief or understanding about your topic.You can also inform the reader about why your topic is important, of current interest or otherwise interesting.
If your thesis is a project-based one, your introduction is also to explain the main objectives and secondary objectives of the project, and if your thesis is a research-based one, it should explain the main research and secondary research questions, as well as the scope of the work and the methodology employed.Furthermore, the introduction can present the commissioning party and the key concepts employed, as well as provide a description of key factors affecting the work’s structure.A description of the work's structure should not be a mere repetition of the table of contents, but rather provide a deeper explanation of the headings.
It is best that you finalise your introduction only after you have completed the remainder of your thesis, and know the results of your inquiry (even if you decide not to give the results this early in the work).Nevertheless, it is good to write a tentative introduction when you start writing your thesis, as this helps you to get an overall understanding of your topic.A good introduction is short; for a thesis 2-4 pages.
2.5The presentation
After the introduction comes the presentation, which consists of a theoretical part and an empirical part.The theoretical part provides the theoretical background of your thesis.It is based on reference literature and earlier research, and places your thesis within a more general context (e.g. phenomenon studied).If you have not presented and defined your key concepts in the introduction, you should do this as early as possible in the presentation.The concepts are to be defined within a conceptual scheme that is known, established and accepted by experts.This ensures, for example, that concepts like "business idea" and "professional competence" are understood in the conventional way.The theory or theories you employ must always be presented with sufficient detail, and you must also indicate how the theory relates to the empirical part.
The theoretical part is followed by the empirical part, which presents the findings of your own research.In research-based theses, the empirical part is further divided into four parts:collection and handling of data, presentation of methods, description of results, and interpretation of results.Similarly, a project-based thesis is divided into project plan, project implementation, results and assessment.Present your results in the order that the research questions were presented.Each part should be described with the level of detail required, i.e. that the reader understands what you did, how you did it, and what the result was.A project-based thesis should be precise enough that the reader would be able toreproduce the results achieved on the basis of the information provided.
2.6Summary and conclusion
The readers of your thesis, especially if they are the commissioning party, are interested in your summary and conclusion.This section reviews the key results, and the conclusions that can be made from them.It also discusses the significance and reliability of the results, and their value with regard to both theory and practice.The section proceeds from the presentation of the results to a general discussion.(See also appendix 1.)
It is good to begin the summary and conclusion with a review of the work’s primary objective and purpose, followed by a review of the key results.The summary and conclusion should indicate how successfully the thesis questions were solved.This can include mention of any paradoxes or similar that you have discovered during the course of your work.
In the summary and conclusion, it is also advisable to mention if there were any limitations in your research method, and if so, what they were and how they could be further improved upon in further research.In addition, the summary and conclusion should make note of how your thesis contributed to the topic under study, and the extent to which your results can be generalised.This section also often makes recommendations and gives examples of how your findings can be utilised in practice.And finally, it is advisable to give any recommendations or suggestions for further research.
2.7Bibliography
The theoretical part of your thesis, i.e. the research framework, is based on your references.These include research studies, books, articles, interviews, the Internet, professional seminars, lectures, as well as reports produced by companies, associations or the public sector.You are to indicate all your sources both in the text proper and in the bibliography, which is to be placed at the end of your thesis.This allows the reader to check from where you have obtained the information you present.In addition, your sources allow the reader to determine the quality and reliability of your work.