MANUAL FOR WRITING A THESIS

1 - INTRODUCTION............................................................................................ 2
2 - AIMS AND OBJECTIVES .............................................................................. 2
3 - THESIS PROPOSAL AND PROBLEM FORMULATION.............................. 2
4 - SUPERVISORS ............................................................................................... 4
5 - RESEARCH PERIOD...................................................................................... 4
6 - WRITING YOUR THESIS .............................................................................. 5
Introduction ....................................................................................................... 6
Build-up of the argument ................................................................................... 6
Conclusion(s) .................................................................................................... 7
Bibliography...................................................................................................... 7
Quotes and Annotations..................................................................................... 9
7 - STYLE AND FORMAT ................................................................................ 10
8 - GENERAL ADVICE ..................................................................................... 10
9 - CRITERIA FOR JUDGING A THESIS ......................................................... 11
10 - PLAGIARISM ............................................................................................. 12
11 – HANDING IN YOUR THESIS AND THE GRADUATION ....................... 12
12 - EXTRA READING FOR GOOD TIPS ON WRITING ................................ 13
DISCLAIMER: ................................................................................................... 14

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1 - INTRODUCTION

The thesis is not just a long paper.

It may seem that way, but the scope is quite different. Writing a thesis is the final
process for the completion of your Master’s degree. Therefore, it must reflect a
thorough understanding of the theories relevant to your topic and be based on original
research. Your thesis should show your ability to carry out research in your field of
study. It is an academic project, but for most students it turns out to be a personal
project as well. Next to academic skills it will take self-discipline and good planning
to complete your thesis in a satisfactory way.

Writing a thesis is a way to enhance and display your knowledge of and insight into a
particular area. Moreover, it will give you the opportunity to practise one of the skills
that will be of great importance for your later career: setting up and writing a clear,
systematic argument. This makes the thesis the most important, challenging, and
difficult part of a Master’s study.

There is no one-way of writing a good thesis. Different programmes have different

aims, objectives and rules for thesis writing and the content of your thesis. You are
therefore strongly advised to also check the course description for a thesis in your
specific programme. These course descriptions are published in the digital course
catalogue (http://www.coursecatalogue.uva.nl). Also, don’t hesitate to contact your
programme director/manager and/or academic advisor if you have questions regarding
your thesis. In this information booklet we try to give a general overview of what a
thesis should consist of and on how to write a thesis at the ISHSS.

2 - AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

Generally speaking, a thesis has the following aims and objectives:

• To formulate and limit a research question and independently set up a research
plan, including a clear research strategy and time planning.
• To creatively use theoretical insights relevant to the problem at hand.
• To independently conduct social-scientific research targeted to a certain
problem, whereby sound methodological principles and research techniques
are used, so that the reliability and validity of the research are guaranteed.
• To be able to draw conclusions from your own research, that is the generation
of new knowledge about the issues addressed.
• To report the research, and the results, clearly and systematically.
• To be able to phrase the theoretical-scientific and the practical-social meaning
(and relevance) of the research results.

3 - THESIS PROPOSAL AND PROBLEM FORMULATION

The Thesis Proposal

The thesis proposal forms the basis of your thesis and should be written with extreme
care. Students often think they cannot write a proposal before they have read a lot of
literature. For some people that may be true, but mostly, through writing you will
clear your mind and get a much better idea of how your thesis project should be
organised.

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A good proposal will not only help you to think about the structure of your arguments
but also about the kind of information you need to gather before being able to start
writing.

The proposal should be around 10 to 15 pages and should include:

- Provisional title.
- Brief introduction: why this topic? What is its relevance?
- Problem formulation (see below).
- Brief literature review.
- Brief outline of the way you expect to develop your argument.
- Provisional table of contents.
- Data gathering methods.
- Methods of analysis/sources.
- Short bibliography.
- Time frame (please include planned graduation date)

You have to hand in your thesis proposal and Thesis Proposal Form or Thesis
Agreement to the registrar’s office at least three months before the planned graduation
date. The thesis proposal must be approved by both supervisors and the academic
advisor. Never start writing your thesis without having your proposal approved and
your thesis proposal form signed!
Please take into consideration that different programmes have different proposal
forms so make sure you fill in the correct one. Also keep in mind that some
programmes also request a thesis contract attached to the thesis proposal form (for
more information on the requirements for your programme please contact your
programme manager). Remember: The better your proposal, the easier the thesis
writing process will be! You can pick up the Thesis Proposal Forms or Thesis
Agreement at the ISHSS Information desk or download them from the ISHSS website.
(http://www.ishss.uva.nl (current students/thesis and graduation))

Problem formulation
The crucial part of the proposal is the problem formulation. The problem formulation
entails a specification of the topic, and makes clear exactly what your thesis will
discuss or what you will be researching. In your problem formulation you can also
indicate why it is important to write a thesis about and/or research the topic of your
choice, i.e. the social and scientific relevance of your thesis and/or research. The
problem formulation generally consists of a research question and a number of
operational sub-questions that are derived from the research questions. The
questions should be phrased in a way that it is possible to answer them within the
scope of the thesis.
• Your research questions will often change during the writing process, but you
should be able at all times to formulate what you are looking for. Your
research questions will become more concrete through researching and
writing.
• Make sure that you can cover the question you have asked. Time is quite short
to finish your thesis. The Master’s thesis is not a dissertation for a PhD! Don’t
try to solve world poverty or global migration in a master’s thesis. Make sure
your topic is specific and time bound.

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 • It should be clear what the aim of the thesis is: what topic will be dealt with?
And why it is worth dealing with? Which specific question will be answered?
• Special attention should be paid to the delineation of the topic and problem
formulation on the one hand, and the broader framework within which these
should be seen on the other. For that purpose it is important to inform oneself
well about research that has already been done on the topic at hand, or related
topics. This information can, for example, be found in recent editions of
relevant journals.
• A research question can be for instance explorative, descriptive or
explanatory. Each type of question asks for a different approach within your
research and thesis. Make sure your research and thesis fit the type of research
question you have chosen.

4 - SUPERVISORS

Your supervisor(s) will guide you through the process of conducting your research
and/or writing your thesis. You can choose your supervisor(s) yourself, but your
choice should always be in agreement with your academic advisor or programme
director. They will also be able to help you to find a suitable supervisor(s). Generally
speaking, a student has two supervisors. Your first supervisor will be the one
responsible for working with you throughout the process of research and writing the
thesis. The second supervisor, or second reader, will participate mainly in the
approval of the thesis proposal and the final grading of the thesis.

It is important to discuss openly with your first supervisor your expectations about the
thesis supervision. How often will (s)he read your preliminary chapters and what kind
of comments will (s)he give you? Generally speaking, you will meet your supervisor
at least once every three weeks. Remember to ask for his/her schedule (specially if
(s)he is planning to travel during the time you will be working on your thesis). If any
problems arise, always contact your academic advisor and/or programme manager.

If you expect to graduate with honours make this clear to your supervisors.

5 - RESEARCH PERIOD

During the research period you gather all the necessary information and empirical
data that you will need in order to write your thesis. Depending on the programme
that you are following, you will either have to conduct a literature research or carry
out research during fieldwork.

In the case that your thesis is mainly based on literature research, relatively high
standards will be demanded of the thoroughness and originality of the study and the
precision and creativity with which you have processed the literature. It can be of
significance to check whether the theories dealt with have been, or can be, used in
empirical research.

If your programme requires empirical research/fieldwork, you are expected to collect

data following one or a combination of research methodologies. Depending on your
programme, you will be able to conduct your research in the Netherlands or in a
foreign country.

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Successful research depends mostly on good planning. It is central to set a clear
calendar in which you include not only the amount of time invested in doing literature
research, but also (if possible/necessary) alternative methods for gathering
information including interviews, questionnaires, through focus groups or
observations among many others.

Before starting, you should always pay attention to three central issues:
• The translation of theoretical insights and concepts into research steps (the
operationalisation of concepts, problems of validity and reliability).
• The nature of the empirical material (defining and delineating the research
population, the selection of cases, representativeness of the data).
• The nature of the research techniques. Your choice will always have
shortcomings or problems related to their nature and these should be
accounted for as good as possible.

In the case that your program includes the requisite of fieldwork, make sure that you
plan well in advance practical issues like housing (both in the country you are going
as well as in The Netherlands when you come back), visas, local supervisor, health
insurance, vaccines, etc. The more prepared you are, the more time you will have for
your research. It is also very important to have a clear idea of the possible dangers or
difficulties that you may face in the country you are visiting.

6 - WRITING YOUR THESIS

After your research period, you will start writing your thesis. Before doing so, discuss
with your supervisor the main findings and ideas that you have developed during your
research. Take into consideration whether you have the necessary information and if
there are any holes in it. If so, discuss with your supervisor possible alternatives to
overcome this problem. In case you find it difficult to start writing, go back to your
proposal and try to start building your thesis from there.

The length of a thesis and amount of credits to be obtained vary per programme.
Please make sure you check the requirements for a thesis within your specific
programme in the course descriptions. These course descriptions are published in the
digital course catalogue (http://www.coursecatalogue.uva.nl).

A thesis should include at least the following elements:

• Title page (title, and if applicable subtitle; your name; UvA ID number; the name
of the programme; the name of your supervisors; date and place of submission).
• Table of contents.
• Introduction.
• Body of the thesis (divided into chapters, in which the theoretical framework is
presented, the research method is explained, the argument is elaborated and the
research results are analysed).
• Conclusion (where your theoretical and empirical findings come together).
• References (footnotes, endnotes or references in the text).
• Bibliography.
• Possibly, one or more Annexes.

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It will help the structure of the thesis and its readability if the body of the thesis is
divided into chapters and sub-chapters. A thesis which has a heading or sub-
heading on almost every page is usually the most pleasant to read.

Introduction
• Always try to keep your introduction concise. Whatever your choices, the
introduction should always have a clear statement of what your topic is, why it is
relevant and how you are planning to develop your argument(s). Try to argue why
you have chosen a particular approach and not an alternative route. Always
remember the larger theoretical framework which your particular research is part
of.
• The introduction should tell the reader straight away what the thesis is about. This
can be done in many different ways. You can immediately ‘fall with the door in
house’, as the Dutch would say, or you can do it in a more playful way, by starting
with an anecdote, a citation or anything else that leads to the subject, and then
state the problem that you want to deal with.
• History: You can furthermore explain why you have chosen this particular topic,
why it is a challenge and how you got interested in it. This can also motivate the
reader to go on.
• Central Concepts: Give a short explanation of your approach and try to argue why
this approach has been taken and not an alternative route. Why have specific
aspects been left out? What does explain the focus of the thesis? How is it situated
in the field? What are the central concepts?
• Problem Formulation: State your questions and sub-questions clearly.
• Method: If you do not plan to have an extra “method-chapter”, you can also
describe the methods used in the introductory chapter although usually the
methodology is presented in a separate chapter.

DO NOT use the introduction to describe in a lengthy way what you have not done
and why. This is not interesting for the reader. Everybody knows that in a piece of
work that had to be written in a limited time and with limited space, you cannot
include everything. Forget the excuses. “Qui s’excuse, s’accuse”. Readers are
interested in your achievements, not in the shortcomings. In any case, the reader will
find many more than you dare to mention in the introduction.

Build-up of the argument

You should strive for a systematically elaborated argument. Problem formulation,
literature review, theory and empirical results should be understandably and usefully
related to each other. The thesis should have a clear line of argumentation, with
explicit “thinking steps” and clear and logical transitions from one paragraph and
chapter to the next.

In the body of your thesis you should generally include a literature and theoretical
review where you present what other researchers have said about the topic of your
work. In this review you can express which problems arise from existing approaches
or subscribe to one. Always remember that your work should try to expand existing
knowledge; if you only present other people’s ideas without critical thinking your
work will be incomplete. Try to be creative, and although it is not expected from you
to develop a completely new theory, the originality of your arguments is crucial. In all

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cases, theories have to be clearly portrayed in a way that shows understanding of your
topic. Theoretical choices have to be accounted for.

Another important part of your thesis is the presentation of your findings and its
analysis. Here you are expected not only to present the data you gathered during your
research period, but also how the data is gathered and analysed or processed. You also
need to clearly indicate how the data can be linked to the theoretical section of your
thesis/research.

Always try to keep your reader interested and guided. Present your arguments in a
cohesive and organised manner. Because you have been working on your thesis for a
long time your arguments might seem very clear to you, but remember that you are
writing for others. An interested reader should be able to understand your work
despite the fact that (s)he may not be a specialist in the subject.

Conclusion(s)
After the portrayal of the arguments and results of the research come the conclusions.
Here the questions asked in the problem formulation are explicitly answered. In the
case that you posed hypotheses, this is the place to present whether the research
results confirm or refute these.

In addition, you may consider to answer the following questions:

• How far are the research results generalisable to other cases than those
researched?
• How do the research results relate to the findings and conclusions of other
authors? Where do results match, where do they differ, and how is this explained?
• What has the research added to the knowledge about the topic at hand?
• What future line of research does your work open?

Depending on the aim of the thesis, it may also be valuable to provide an answer to
(one or more) of the following questions:
• What does the research say about the adequacy of the methods followed and the
materials chosen? Can any methodological recommendations for future research
be derived from this? How could future researchers do a better job?
• Which policy recommendations can be made on the basis of the research?
• Which predictions can be made on the basis of the research?

Bibliography
An academic work should always include a bibliography where you list all the
sources of your secondary data. The list should be ordered alphabetically following
the authors’ surnames. Articles from web pages without listed author should be
included in the end. In the case that the document and/or web page comes from an
organisation without listing the authors, the name of the organisation is considered the
author.

Although there is no ONE correct way of doing it, here we present some examples of
complete biographical references according to different sources.

Books:

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Surname author, first name or initials, year of publication, Title of book (publisher,
place of publication).
Example:
Ignatieff, Michael. (1999). The Warrior’s Honour: Ethnic War and the Modern
Conscience, (Random House, London).

Book chapters:
Surname author, first name or initials, year of publication, “Title of article”, in name(s)
of editors, Title of book, (publisher, place of publication).
Example:
Salomons, Dirk. (2003). “Probing the successful application of leverage in support of
Mozambique’s quest for peace”, in Jean Krasno, Donald Daniel and Bradd Hayes
(eds.), Leveraging for Success in United Nations Peace Operations, (Greenwood
Publishing Group, Wesport).

Magazine articles:
Surname author, first name or initials, year of publication, “Title of article”, in Title of
journal, Vol., No., pages.
Example:
Fogg, Richard Wendell. (1985). “Dealing with Conflict: A Repertoire of Creative,
Peaceful Approaches”, in The Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vol. 29, No. 2, pp. 330-
358.

Newspaper articles with author:

Surname author, first name or initials, year and date of publication, “Title of the
article”, newspaper (and section) name)
Example:
Rijn, T. van, (2007, 27 April). “PvdA party leadership steps down.” The Hague
Amsterdam Times.

Newspaper articles without authors:

Newspaper (and section) name, year and date of publication, “Title of the article.”
Example:
The Hague Amsterdam Times (2007, 27 April). “Early dry conditions cause
widespread fears.”

Web page with author:

Surname, first name or initials, year of publication, title of the article, complete URL
and date you visited the site.
Example:
Carr, S.J. (1999). The last glacial maximum in the North Sea.
http://www.brookers.ac.uk/charion/fakewebsite. (visited on 13 May 2004)

Web page not listing the author:

Title, date, complete URL and date you visited the site.
Example:
Global warming and its effects on Antarctic Coast. (2003).
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/health/story_13583.asp. (visited on 25 June 2004).

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Web page from an organisation, not listing the author:
Name organisation, title (if known), (date (if known)). complete URL and date you
visited the site.
Example:
Universiteit van Amsterdam, http://www.uva.nl, (visited on 5 May 2007)

Quotes and Annotations

Annotation is the mentioning in your text of the source from which you have taken a
quote, information or ideas. We prefer that you use the ‘Harvard Method’ of in-text
annotation. In this style, you add between brackets the author’s surname, year of
publication, and page number(s) from which your quote or idea(s) came from. When
using annotations and quotes in your papers and thesis make sure it is always clear to
the reader who is speaking, you the writer or an other author you are referring to or are
quoting. Even though you are required to use sources in your thesis it should be clear
that in your thesis you need to state your argument! So, a good written paper and thesis
is not just a repetition and listing of quotes from others. Try to say things in your own
words as much as possible, but keep indicating where your ideas have come from.

If there is only one author, the annotation should be: (Becker, 1987: 66).
If there are two authors: (Long & Jones, 2004: 89-94).
More than two authors: (Lyons et al, 2001: 45).

If you are referring to a text on a website from an organisation or another publication of

an organisation without an author listed, the organisation is generally considered to be
the author: (UvA: website 2007)

Generally a quote longer than three lines should have smaller margins than the general
text and have italic fonts. Example:

World politics today is a matter of life and death –not just for soldiers or
citizens in the path of war, but for the whole human race. Nuclear holocaust
remains a continual threat. At a less apocalyptical level, world politics has
a daily impact on the lives of people throughout the globe: political forces
and decisions affect patterns of international trade, investment and
production (Keohane, 1986 : 1).

If you want to add something or slightly modify the quote you can do it between
brackets. And if you want to cut some part of the quote you add three points. Example:

World politics today is a matter of life and death … for the whole human
race. Nuclear holocaust remains a continual threat. At a less apocalyptical
level, world politics has a daily impact on the lives of people [by modifying
economic structures] throughout the globe (Keohane, 1986 : 1).

If your quote is shorter than three lines, you can place it as part of the main body of
your work, in that case you do not have to use italics but start and finish the quote with
inverted commas. Example:

Neorealist analysts usually centre their explanations of international relations in

the sphere of security and force. As Keohane states in his work, “world politics today is

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a matter of life and death” (Keohane, 1986: 1). While acknowledging the importance of
Keohane’s argument, this thesis will present an alternative approach that will consider
security and force as well as other variables including principles and values.

In any case, all kind of documents that have been sources of quotes for your work
should be included in your bibliography. In the case of our example the
bibliographical note should be:

Keohane, Robert. (1986). “Realism, Neorealism and the study of World Politics”, in
Keohane, R. (ed.) Neorealism and its Critics. (Columbia University Press, New
York).

7 - STYLE AND FORMAT

• The thesis should have a title page which states: title, name of author, name of the
programme, name of the supervisors, student number and place and date of
submission.
• Type with 1,5 line distance on A4-sized paper, with sufficient margins to the left
and right of the page.
• Write for a reader. Remember that your thesis demands the attention of another
and that you will be responsible for someone's reading experience. Try to
formulate clearly and avoid making style, grammar or spelling errors. Avoid using
sentences that are longer than three lines.
• Use a readable, consistent and clear layout and letter type, most students use Times
New Roman, Arial, Tahoma or Garamond 11 pt.
• Include page numbers.
• Make sure your typography with respect to chapter- and paragraph headings is
consistent.
• Check and re-check spelling, grammar and punctuation. If you are not an English
native speaker, it might be a good idea to have your thesis read by one.
• The final version of your thesis should be bound, which can be done at any copy-
shop. Both supervisors must receive a bound version. A digital version of your
thesis needs to be handed in with the registrar of the ISHSS. Be aware that a
digital version of your thesis must always be available for your supervisors and/or
registrar upon request.

8 - GENERAL ADVICE

• Narrow the focus of your topic so that you will be able to devote careful attention
to all aspects of your argument.
• Your thesis should be logical, consistent and comprehensive, in principle even
without quotes, annotations, figures and tables.
• Please ensure that you support all statements with arguments and evidence. Try to
draw logical conclusions from your sources or theoretical reasoning. Also ensure
that the build-up of your argument is structured and your argument is easy to
follow.
• Keep the principle focus of your thesis in mind at all times. Whether or not you
state your hypothesis explicitly, the whole of your thesis should be geared towards

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 its elaboration and substantiation – towards answering the question(s) you posed
in your introduction.
• This does NOT mean that you should leave out information that counters your
hypothesis, and only select information that supports it. Instead, try to deal with
various arguments and opinions, compare them, and explain carefully why you
think some arguments are better than others.
• As the Guidelines for writing an academic essay state, revise deliberately and
fully. It is up to you to select structure and diction appropriate to your goal, but
these are unlikely to come together in a first draft. Always remember that writing
is re-writing, so even as you write your first draft, be prepared to undertake
genuine re-vision. When you revise, make sure that you have not repeated points
unnecessarily and that you have not left your reader uncertain of your purpose and
direction. (source: Guidelines for writing an academic essay
http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~marinaj/guidelin.htm, visited on 08-01-08)
• Always keep your deadline in mind, try to be organised while doing your work
and always keep backups.
• Check the rules and regulations and the course descriptions of your programme
for specific requirements regarding your thesis, like length, empirical research
requirements and deadlines!
(http://www.ishss.uva.nl (current students/rules and regulations) and
http://www.coursecatalogue.uva.nl)

9 - CRITERIA FOR JUDGING A THESIS

• Problem formulation: clarity and precision, originality, argumentation and

delineation; how is the problem formulation operationalised?
• Purpose and relevance of the research: is the purpose of the research clear;
does the research have scientific and/or social relevance.
• Build-up of argument: systematic elaboration of the problem formulation,
logical consistencies, interrelatedness of separate parts of the thesis, clear line
of argumentation, well-founded conclusions.
• Knowledge of the topic of the thesis, partly shown in the way and extent to
which the literature is used.
• Scientific insight: how are scientific theories and methodologies used,
justification of theoretical assumptions, description and application of
theoretical concepts (consistency in use; relating to common understanding of
concepts, unless there are pressing arguments not to).
• Quality of the research: way of material collection (operationalisation of
concepts, research techniques, choice of empirical field), accounting for
methods used and choices made, analysis of data.
• Policy and/or research recommendations: are the recommendations well
formulated and sufficiently sustained?
• Controllability: precise references, correct quotation, literature list.
• Language: precision, clarity, readability.
• Style: layout, spelling, punctuation, clear structure, headings, etc.
• Measure of independence in achieving points mentioned above.
• Measure of creativity in achieving points mentioned above.

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10 - PLAGIARISM

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, to plagiarise is to take the work or an

idea of someone else and pass it off as one’s own. This means that if you copy,
paraphrase or translate materials from websites, books, magazines or any other source
in your thesis without giving full and proper credit to the original author(s), you are
committing plagiarism. If you do so, you may be facing the possibility of expulsion
from your programme and the Universiteit van Amsterdam, not to mention having to
live with the reputation of dishonesty.
The fair use of evidence from primary and secondary sources is the basis of academic
discourse. The abuse of this fairness undermines the very nature of scholarly research.
Plagiarism is a form of theft and fraud and should be avoided at all costs. If you find
yourself in doubt about quotation or correct use of a source, it is always a good idea to
provide full information. Your supervisor or academic advisor can help you if you
have doubts.

On the ISHSS website you can download more information on the rules and
regulations regarding plagiarism and academic fraud (http://www.ishss.uva.nl (current
students/rules and regulations))

11 – HANDING IN YOUR THESIS AND THE GRADUATION

On the ISHSS website you can find the planned graduation dates per academic year.
Make sure when writing your thesis and planning your graduation to keep in mind
when you need to deliver your thesis in order to be in time for the next graduation
session. Each of your supervisors should receive a paper copy of the thesis from you.
Please concur with your supervisors when they need the thesis be submitted in order
for them to have enough time to assess the thesis since the thesis grade needs to be
handed in at the Registrar’s Office by your supervisors at least three weeks before the
graduation date.
Approximately 3 weeks before the graduation, you should have delivered a digital
copy of your thesis at the Registrar’s Office on USB-stick or CD-rom (the USB-stick
can be returned to you). The digital version of your thesis will be uploaded into the
thesis archive of the UvA library (DARE). If you do not want your thesis to be
published here (due to the privacy or sensitivity of the data in your thesis), please
inform the Registrars. You will then still need to hand in a digital version, but it will
not be made public.
For a detailed description of the graduation procedure, please check the ISHSS
website (current students/ thesis and graduation)

Make sure when handing in the final version of your thesis to hand in at least one
digital copy of your thesis with the ISHSS registrar. You still need to hand in a bound
copy of your thesis with your supervisor(s). Always make sure you have a digital
copy of your thesis available upon request. The date you hand in the final version of
your thesis at the ISHSS information desk will be the ‘closing’ of your studies. Please
note that the payment of tuition fees is related to the date that we receive your final
grade (either the thesis grade or the grade for your final course) and not to the actual

12
date of your graduation ceremony. The registrar will inform you about the procedure
to get a (partial) refund of your tuition fees.

The ISHSS organises about 5 graduation sessions per academic year. During these
sessions you sign your diploma, your supervisor gives a speech, pictures will be
taken, and then you are officially graduated from your programme. The registrar of
the ISHSS organises the graduation sessions. Graduates are cordially invited to invite
their relatives and friends to their graduation session (up to five people. If you want to
bring more people, please check with the Registrar’s Office because of the limited
amount of space available). About eight to six weeks before your planned graduation
date the registrar will inform you of the upcoming graduation and of the
administrative procedures that need to be taken care of before you can graduate.

If you cannot attend your own graduation session your diploma can also be picked up
at the Registrar’s office or can be sent via courier mail. The costs of sending your
diploma (€ 25) need to be paid in advance with the ISHSS registrar.

If you have any questions regarding your graduation please contact the registrar of the
ISHSS.

12 - EXTRA READING FOR GOOD TIPS ON WRITING

• Becker, H.S. (1986). Writing for Social Scientists. How to start and finish your
thesis, book, or article. (The University of Chicago Press, Chicago)
• Elbow, P. (1981). Writing with power. Techniques for mastering the writing
process. (Oxford University Press, New York)
• Harvey, G., (1998). Writing with sources: A guide for students. (Hackett
Publishing Company, Indianapolis)
• Schultz, John. (1982). Writing from start to finish. (Boynton/Cook Publishers,
Upper Montclaire NJ)
• Guidelines for writing an academic essay on
http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~marinaj/guidelin.htm (visited on 04-05-07)

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DISCLAIMER:

We have tried to make the ISHSS Manual for Writing a Thesis as accurate as
possible, but nevertheless the information may not be exhaustive.
The ISHSS cannot be held responsible for the contents of the information in the
Manual for Writing a Thesis or for any consequences from its use.
No rights can be obtained from the information in the Manual for Writing a Thesis.

Date of printing January 2008.

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