Bachelor’s / Master’s Programme in xxxx

Thesis title

Thesis subtitle

First_name Last_name

Bachelor’s / Master’s thesis 2022

Copyright ©2022 First name Last name

Author Write your name
Title of thesis Title of your thesis
Programme Name of your degree programme
Major Name of your major
Thesis supervisor Add their title: Prof. Susan Supervisor etc.
Thesis advisor(s) Add their title: Dr Alan Advisor and Elsa Expert, MSc
Collaborative partner If you did your thesis work in a company or institute, fill in this part. Otherwise, remove it.
Date dd.mm.yyyy	Number of pages Add page numbers	Language Add text language
Abstract The abstract is a short description of the essential contents of the thesis: what was studied and how, and what were the main findings. For a Finnish thesis, the abstract should be written in both Finnish and English; for a Swedish thesis, in Swedish and English. The abstracts for English theses written by Finnish or Swedish speakers should be written in English and in either Finnish or Swedish, depending on the student’s language of basic education. Students educated in languages other than Finnish or Swedish write the abstract only in English. Students may include a second or third abstract in their native language, if they wish.
Keywords For keywords, choose concepts that are central to your thesis.

Tekijä Kirjoita tekstiä napsauttamalla tätä.
Työn nimi Työn otsikko tiivistelmän kielellä.
Koulutusohjelma Kirjoita tekstiä napsauttamalla tätä.
Pääaine Jos sinulla on pääaine, kirjoita se tähän.
Vastuuopettaja/valvoja Kirjoita valvojan titteli nimen eteen.
Työn ohjaaja(t) Kirjoita ohjaajan titteli nimen eteen.
Yhteistyötaho Täytä tämä, jos teit työsi johonkin yritykseen.
Päivämäärä pp.kk.vvvv	Sivumäärä Kirjoita tekstiä napsauttamalla tätä.	Kieli Kirjoita tekstiä napsauttamalla tätä.
Tiivistelmä Tiivistelmä on lyhyt kuvaus opinnäytetyön olennaisista sisällöistä: mitä tutkittiin ja miten, ja mitkä olivat tärkeimmät havainnot. Suomenkielisen opinnäytetyön tiivistelmä on kirjoitettava sekä suomeksi että englanniksi; ruotsinkieliseen tutkielmaan ruotsiksi ja englanniksi. Suomenkielisten tai ruotsinkielisten kirjoittamien englanninkielisten opinnäytetteiden tiivistelmät on kirjoitettava englanniksi ja joko suomeksi tai ruotsiksi opiskelijan perusopetuksen kielestä riippuen. Muilla kielillä kuin suomen tai ruotsin kielellä koulutetut opiskelijat kirjoittavat tiivistelmän vain englanniksi. Opiskelija voi halutessaan sisällyttää toisen tai kolmannen abstraktin äidinkielellään.
Avainsanat Valitse avainsanoiksi opinnäytteen keskeistä sisältöä kuvaavia sanoja.

Författare Skriv ditt namn här.
Titel Arbetets rubrik på samma språk som sammandraget.
Utbildningsprogram Lägg till text genom att trycka här.
Huvudämne Skriv ditt huvudämne här, om du har ett.
Ansvarslärare Skriv ansvarslärarens titel före namnet.
Handledare Skriv handledarens/handledarnas titel före namnet.
Medarbetare Fyll i det här fältet om du skrev ditt arbete för ett företag.
Datum dd.mm.åååå	Sidantal Lägg in text genom att trycka här.	Språk Lägg in text genom att trycka här.
Sammandrag Sammandraget är en kort beskrivning av arbetets centrala innehåll: vad undersöktes, hur undersöktes det och vilka var de viktigaste resultaten? I lärdomsprov som skrivs på svenska skrivs sammandraget på svenska och engelska. På motsvarande sätt skrivs sammandraget på finska och engelska i lärdomsprov på finska. Finsk- eller svenskspråkiga studerande som skriver sitt lärdomsprov på engelska ska skriva sammandraget på engelska och på antingen finska eller svenska beroende på den studerandes skolutbildningsspråk. Studerande vars skolutbildningsspråk inte är svenska eller finska skriver sammandraget endast på engelska. Den studerande kan om hen så önskar lägga till ett andra eller tredje sammandrag på sitt eget modersmål.
Nyckelord Välj nyckelord som är centrala för ditt lärdomsprov.

Table of contents

Preface and acknowledgements	7

Symbols and abbreviations	8

Symbols	8

Operators	8

Abbreviations	8

Initial steps	9

Document language, hyphenation, contrast	9

Ensure sufficient contrast between text and background	9

1	Introduction	10

2	Literature review	11

2.1	Structure of the thesis	11

2.2	Page numbering	12

3	Research material and methods	13

4	Results	14

5	Summary/Conclusions	15

5.1	Putting the finishing touches on your document	15

5.2	The final stage: check accessibility	15

References	16

A. Page layout and typographical design	17

B. Reference and in-text citation guidelines	18

Preface and acknowledgements

I want to thank Professor Pirjo Lahti and my thesis advisor Dr Olli Ranta for their good advice and guidance.

I also want to thank my partner for their support.

Otaniemi, 29 March 2022

Siegfried Student

Symbols and abbreviations

Symbols

B	magnetic flux density
c	speed of light in vacuum ≈ 3×108 [m/s]
ωD	Debye frequency
ωlatt	average phonon frequency of lattice
↑	electron spin direction up
↓	electron spin direction down

Operators

∇ × A	curl of vector A
derivative with respect to variable t
partial derivative with respect to variable t
Σi	sum over index i
A・B	dot product of vectors A and B

Abbreviations

AC	alternating current
APLAC	an object-oriented analog circuit simulator and design tool (originally Analysis Program for Linear Active Circuits)
BCS	Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer
DC	direct current
TEM	transverse electromagnetic

Initial steps

Document language, hyphenation, contrast

When you begin, set the main language for the document: Review > Language > Language Preferences > Office authoring languages and proofing > English (United Kingdom) This should be enough if the checkbox ‘Detect language automatically’ is selected. If much of the text contains some other language(s), you may set the language settings separately for those parts of the text.

Set hyphenation for the document: Layout > Hyphenation > Automatic

Ensure sufficient contrast between text and background

Word documents usually have black text on a white background. Black on white provides the greatest possible contrast. If you use other colours in your text or background, check to see that you have enough contrast between them. If the background is white or has a light colour, the text needs to be dark enough to make it stand out clearly. Yellow text on a white background, for example, is a poor combination. If you use a dark background and light text, also make sure that the font is big enough so that readers can easily see it.

NOTE: Get familiar with the other accessibility guidelines by reading the instructions for using the thesis template: Guidelines for thesis writing and using the thesis template (master’s/bachelor’s level)

Introduction

This is the template file for writing your bachelor’s or master’s thesis. As the template covers both bachelor’s and master’s theses, some parts may not be relevant to your thesis. If so, simply delete those parts in the thesis that you do not need. This applies particularly to the abstract pages, the list of symbols, the list of abbreviations, and the appendices. You may also want to adjust the template section titles to better suit your work.

For instructions on using the template and general tips on thesis writing, read Guidelines for thesis writing and using the thesis template (master’s/bachelor’s level). Please read the guidelines carefully. Ask your thesis advisor or supervisor for more specific instructions. Other writing guides are also available.

Thesis texts begin with an introduction. The introduction is a general description of the study. Be concise. The introduction needs no subsections. The introduction generally describes the following:

the background of the field of study in general and an overview of your thesis in particular

the goals of the study

the primary research question and its related subordinate questions

the scope and limits of the study along with the main concepts involved

the structure of the study

Literature review

Structure of the thesis

The thesis comprises the front matter, the main matter (body text) and possible appendices. The front matter in the required order is:

a cover page

a page containing copyright information

the abstract page(s)

an optional preface

a table of contents

If the thesis contains mathematical equations, give the list of symbols used to represent various quantities along with the mathematical operators used. The list must contain all the abbreviations used as well. If your thesis has many images (figures, tables etc.), include a List of Images as an appendix.

The main matter, i.e. the actual thesis, begins after the list of symbols and abbreviations. Its structure usually follows the standard structure used in scientific writing, in which case it divides into sections as follows:

Introduction (research objectives and questions)

Literature review (earlier research in the area)

Research material and methods

Results / Findings

Discussion

Summary / Conclusions

References

Often the discussion and summary (or conclusions) are combined in a single chapter. The wording of the titles suggested above may differ, as the titles above refer simply to the type of content. A literature review in a thesis on electromagnetics might be titled ‘Electromagnetic theory and FDTD’, for example. The background to the methodology used—FDTD here—could also be in this chapter. Note that the chapters and sections within are numbered, and that they appear in the table of contents. The table of contents includes a list of references, but without a number labelling it.

Theses that are literature studies are typical in many fields and they are more common in bachelor’s theses. Their basic structures differs from the above in that the discussion section is divided into sections according to subject themes or perspectives. The discussion proceeds from the background material reviewed towards greater detail and depth. Effective sectionnumbering gives information to the reader in a natural sequence, helping them to make sense of it, perceive the connections between the phenomena studied, and know what information is necessary in order to answer the research question.

The appendix or appendices, when necessary, are presented in the last part of the thesis. They contain things like questionnaires used in the study, extracts from the research material, extended solutions to mathematical equations, a more detailed exposition of some aspect in the thesis, and lists of codes, figures or images. In the table of contents, label your appendices using letters. For example:

An example appendix

Another appendix

Refer to a suitable guide on writing a thesis for a comprehensive description; there are plenty of them around. The instructions here are not exhaustive, and they concentrate more on how to use this template.

A bachelor’s thesis is ideally about 20 pages long, excluding the appendices, whereas a master’s thesis is about 60 pages long, again, not counting the pages in the appendices. The numbers pertaining to the length of your thesis given here are mere rules of thumb. Consult your school’s thesis guidelines and your thesis advisor or supervisor for the appropriate length in your case.

Page numbering

Number the pages using Arabic numerals, placed in the centre of the page footer. The numbering begins from the cover page and runs continuously to the end of the thesis. Enter the total number of pages in the thesis—front matter and main matter—in the appropriate field on the abstract page. Enter also the number of pages in the appendices, if present, in the same field on the abstract page as follows: total number of thesis pages + number of pages in the appendices.

Do not print the page numbers on the cover and the copyright pages; number all the other pages. So, the first page with a page number printed on it—the first abstract page—is ‘3’. The page numbering of appendices continues from that on the previous page.

Research material and methods

This is the core part of the thesis, which details your methodological choices and their constraints, the principles behind the selection the research data or the human subjects, the implementation of the research, and the methods used. This section shows the strengths and limitations of your thesis. As the background for your method, it is enough to simply say how other researhcers have used the method earlier. Here you tell your reader what you have done.

Theses that are literature studies do not have a ‘Research material and methods’ section. Instead, the discussion of theory is sectioned according to subject theme or perspective.

Results

This chapter presents the results of your empirical or artistic study and answers the research questions asked earlier in the thesis (e.g. in the Introduction). The academic value of your work is measured by the results you obtain along with the arguments you give to back the answers to your research questions.

Be critically cautious about the significance of your results. You may critically review the results and your interpretation of them here, or in a later section containing your conclusions.

The Results chapter should also discuss the reliability of the material used in the study. Theses that are literature studies typically do not have a Results chapter, but instead a Summary section that has conclusions, their evaluation and their significance.

Summary/Conclusions

This is where you tie up any loose ends. Tell your reader briefly and clearly what you have done, what you have discovered, and the value of your discovery in the context of similar work done earlier. Draw clear conclusions regarding the research problem, subproblems or hypotheses. You also discuss future lines of enquiry and new questions your study may have posed.

As the author of the thesis, you alone are responsible for ensuring that the layout, form and structure of your thesis adheres to the guidelines outlined by your school. This template aims to help you meet these requirements.

Putting the finishing touches on your document

When the content of your thesis is finished, finalise the document by setting its file properties. This is particularly important when you convert a Word file to PDF format and you want to ensure the accessibility of the PDF file. Write a title for a Word document by going to: File / Info / Properties / Advanced Properties / Summary / Title.

The final stage: check accessibility

Word has a feature for checking text accessibility. When your document is ready, select ‘Check for Issues’ from the Info option under the File tab. Select ‘Check Accessibility’.

The latest versions of Word have ‘Check Accessibility’ function directly under the Review tab. A pane opens on the right side for inspecting accessibility. The results of the inspection show possible errors and warnings. For more information about a result, click on the element’s name. Word gives information on the reason why an element should be fixed as well as instructions on how to fix it. Correct all the errors.

Please note: the accessibility inspection does not necessarily find all the errors nor does it inspect for quality! What it does do is check whether there is alternative text for images. It does not evaluate how good an alternative text is. Therefore, a human test of the text is also needed. This is because Word will not alert you if your text skips over a heading, for example.

When you save your thesis, name the file so that readers know what its content is about. Avoid giving it an abbreviated name that only persons within your organisation can readily understand. For instance, a document named ‘Celia2020_01.docx’ gives no relevant information to outsiders about the contents of the document.

If you have made your thesis accessible and have run an accessibility inspection on it, you can then convert the thesis into an accessible PDF file.

References

The references section lists information about the sources and research material on which the thesis is based. Read more: Guidelines for thesis writing and using the thesis template (master’s/bachelor’s level), Appendix B

A. Page layout and typographical design

The thesis template has readymade page layout settings. There is no need to put in the settings yourself. However, do read the more detailed instructions in the template guidelines, Appendix A: Guidelines for thesis writing and using the thesis template (master’s/bachelor’s level).

B. Reference and in-text citation guidelines

Appendix B, Guidelines for thesis writing and using the thesis template (master’s/bachelor’s level), gives instructions about citations and how to construct a reference list.