Thesis Handbook

The thesis development process begins in Brussels with the selection of a topic and the pairing of students with supervisors. You will present an elaborated thesis proposal in Vienna, a scientific poster featuring first results from field work in Copenhagen, and the connection between your empirical results and theoretical assertions in Madrid. The final draft of your thesis is due in June after the fourth semester, with a public defense held in Vienna in early July. Along the way, various deliverables and feedback from your supervisor will keep you on track. 4CITIES students consistently produce excellent theses. The 4CITIES Thesis Handbook is here to help make the process a little bit easier.

Quicklinks

Thesis Content
Formal Requirements
Supervision
Thesis Timeline
The Research Process
Semester 01 – Choosing Your Topic
Semester 02 – Designing Your Research
Semester 03 – Conducting Your Research
Semester 04 – Writing Your Research
Thesis Submission
Thesis Defense
Marking Procedure
Thesis FAQs
Thesis Resources: Videos, Articles, Books, Websites, and More

Thesis Content

The 4CITIES master’s thesis is a well-structured, scientifically elaborated written document that presents an original piece of research in the field of urban studies. The thesis should be built upon a balanced mix of theoretical and empirical developments. It should address a clearly stated research question that has emerged from a careful review of relevant academic literature, and it should add to ongoing debates within and beyond academia.

Typical Research Paper Structure (source)

Furthermore, in accordance with the interdisciplinary and international character of the 4CITIES program, students are strongly encouraged to include insights from different disciplines as well as a consistent transnational comparative dimension. Different ways and formats are open to develop this comparative dimension; students are not restricted to the “2 parallel case-studies in 2 cities of 2 different countries“ format. The point here is to transcend national contexts and to learn from the comparison of national / regional / urban contexts and different disciplinary perspectives.

Formal Requirements

Authorship

The master’s thesis is an original piece of work by a single author or two joint authors. In joint theses, primary authorship of each section of the thesis must be noted and additional rules may apply. Joint theses must be approved by the 4CITIES board before the end of the Vienna semester.

The thesis must be free of any kind of plagiarism. Any content not originally written by the author(s) must be visually presented as a quote and referenced appropriately. The final thesis will be assessed by a plagiarism-check system and final approval of the thesis and eligibility to defend will be contingent on it being plagiarism-free.

Length

The thesis should be approximately 30,000 words (references and annexes not included). This is the equivalent of a core text of about 60 pages. Please note that it is the word count that matters, not the number of pages. We accept a deviation from the word limit of +/- 5%. A thesis with a word count outside this range will not be accepted. For joint theses co-written by two students, a multiplier of 1.5 is applied. This increases the word limit to 45,000 words. Again, with an accepted deviation of +/- 5%.

Format

There are no formal restrictions on the layout / format of your 4CITIES thesis. You are free to design the thesis document as you see fit. However, the University of Vienna will only accept standard A4 size PDFs with standard Microsoft Word layouts. In practice, many 4CITIES students prepare two versions of their thesis: one adhering to Vienna’s standards, and one in accordance with their own design vision. This is perfectly fine to do, but is in no way required. More information on the special requirements of the University of Vienna is provided below in the “Thesis Submission” section.

Referencing

4CITIES does not require a specific referencing system. You are free to choose among the several major accepted systems (MLA, APA, Chicago, Harvard, Vancouver, MHRA, etc.), however you must be consistent in your usage. Select one and only one system and use it properly. Keep in mind that if the plagiarism check system in Vienna identifies too many formatting mistakes in your referencing / citing, you may be required to resubmit your thesis after making the necessary corrections. Formatting everything correctly the first time will make your life easier.

Images

The author must have written permission to use all images included in the thesis, and all images and graphics (including charts and tables) must be given captions and proper attribution. The inclusion of images without permission and attribution is considered plagiarism.

Consent

All research participants (for example, interviewees) must be aware of the aims of the research project, the role their participation will play, and the ways in which the data produced by their participation will be used. In some cases, consent forms may be necessary. All students should clarify questions concerning consent forms with their supervisor.

Typos

Please make sure that the thesis is free of spelling mistakes and typos. We recognize that many students will be writing the thesis in their second or third language, but make sure you leave time before submission to edit the document to the best of your ability.

Security

While not a formal requirement, we thought it necessary to point here the importance of backing up all of your data, including notes and written drafts. There have been students in the past who suffered computer meltdowns and/or theft that forced them to redo much of their work. Don’t let this happen to you! Back up your work, back up your backups.

Supervision

Each student will have their thesis development process supervised by a member of the 4CITIES teaching staff. Student-supervisor pairings will be made after the Brussels semester and will be based on the preferred research topics of each student and a fair distribution amongst supervising staff. In addition to providing general guidance and answering questions, supervisors are expected to assess deliverables and presentations associated with thesis seminars during the second, third, and fourth semesters. More information is included in the Timeline section below. There are many ways supervisors contribute to the thesis development process: by sharing their knowledge of the topic or their experience with the methods used, or by assisting students in understanding the process of academic research and writing. Keep in mind, though, that the 4CITIES thesis is an independent research project. Supervisors are not thesis co-creators.

Students will also be assigned a second reader before the submission deadline. Second readers are staff members not involved in the development of the student’s thesis, and thus at least to some extent able to read the thesis manuscript “blind”. Second readers do not provide any supervisory guidance, they simply serve as additional evaluators of the written thesis and participate in the oral thesis defense.

CLASSICAL TRACK students can be supervised by 4CITIES teaching staff from all six universities in all four cities: Brussels, Vienna, Copenhagen, and Madrid.

RESEARCH & PRACTICE TRACK students will only be supervised by staff from VUB and the University of Vienna.

Thesis Timeline

SEMESTER 01  /  Choosing Your Topic

  • NOV – Introductory seminar in Brussels
  • JAN – Submit 2-3 preferred topics with one-paragraph-per-topic motivation statement

Between Semester 01-02

  • FEB – Research topics are “finalized” and supervisors assigned to students

SEMESTER 02  /  Designing Your Research

  • MAR – Urban Analysis 3 begins; development of research proposal is central task
  • JUN – Submit written thesis research proposal one week before thesis seminar
  • JUL – Present research proposal during the Vienna thesis seminar

Between Semester 02-03

  • JUL-AUG – Begin empirical work and testing of proposed methods
  • JUL-AUG – Continue academic reading and work on literature review

SEMESTER 03  /  Conducting Your Research

  • SEP-DEC – Continue to test and refine your research design
  • NOV – Submit a rough draft of your literature review one week before thesis seminar
  • NOV – Present a scientific poster of your progress during the Copenhagen thesis seminar

Between Semester 03-04

  • DEC-JAN – Continue empirical work and begin analysis of data
  • DEC-JAN – Complete your literature review, begin work on results section

SEMESTER 04  /  Writing Your Research

  • FEB-MAR – Submit rough draft of results section one week before thesis seminar
  • MAR – Present first results & interpretations, connection to literature, during the Madrid thesis seminar
  • MAR-JUN – Complete all empirical work and empirical / theoretical analysis
  • MAR- JUN – Write up complete thesis draft, leaving time for edits

After Semester 04

  • JUN – Submit final thesis document and clear plagiarism check
  • JUL – Defend thesis at Vienna thesis seminar
  • SEP – Graduate in Brussels

The Research Process

The steps and structure of the research process can be explained in two ways: there’s the ideal, and there’s the real. The ideal-type research process is described by the graphic below. You start with an idea or topic that draws your attention. The next step is reading through the existing academic literature to learn more about what is already known concerning the topic. This enables you to narrow your focus, identify a “problem” that calls for additional research, formulate that problem in theoretical (explanatory) terms, and articulate a research question(s) that, when answered, should help resolve the problem. After developing your research design (your research roadmap and rationale), you employ selected methods to first collect data and then to analyze the data you’ve collected. Your data analysis produces answers to your empirical research question(s) and helps you interpret the results of your data collection in relation to your theoretical problem formulation. You then compare your findings with those of previously conducted research to confirm, refute, or refine the state of the art. Finally, you wrap up the process by drawing conclusions from your research and perhaps recommending additional research or practical responses (such as new public policy).

(source)

It would be oh so lovely if research worked in such a neat, step-by-step, linear fashion. But it rarely, if ever, does. A description of the research process representative of actually conducted research would include all of the steps above, and might even unfold in a similar progression, but it would be far more recursive, reflective, and dialogic. Each stage remains in conversation with all others throughout the process. You don’t write a research paper so much as rewrite it until all the parts learn to sing the same song. The research process is more immersive than it is neat and tidy. In all probability, your thesis will be a living, breathing creature that will morph and evolve until the moment you submit the final draft.

We recommend spending a bit of time on your own familiarizing yourself with the principles and practices of research. The Thesis Resources section at the end of this online handbook includes videos and readings on every stage of the process. In particular, start with this short video and read this book (it is a quick read and very helpful).

Semester 01 – Choosing Your Topic

Coming up with a research topic

A small seminar will be provided during the first semester to introduce students to the thesis development process, including expectations and timeline, and to help get them thinking about what they might like to focus on when conducting thesis research. The choice of thesis research topic is wide open, with a couple of of caveats: the topic must be “urban”, and it must include both theoretical and empirical components.

What qualifies as an urban topic? Students should consider the different conceptualizations of the urban that they’ve been introduced to: a bounded built environment; a form of spatial organization (usually contrasted with “the rural”); a way of life; an administrative unit; an economic system; a node in spatial processes; the process itself (urbanization). Any topic aimed at explaining or better understanding some aspect of these (and other) conceptualizations is probably sufficiently “urban”. Students should, however, make sure to go beyond a simple “well, this thing happens in cities so I guess it’s urban” sort of justification. Additionally, students must combine theoretical knowledge with more “hands-on” research. Empirical work generates data that either tests existing theory or helps generate new theory (new explanations). Whether as place or process, the urban manifests in material transformations and social practices. The interplay between theory and empirical work is therefore central to urban studies.

Another thing for students to consider is the kind of research that interests them. Urban studies predominantly employs social science research perspectives and approaches, but humanities also play an important role. While a strictly arts-based thesis (one that produces a model or a performance instead of a written academic thesis) is not allowed, humanities adds a wide range of methodologies, questions, and analytical approaches to urban studies. Classical Track students will be exposed to humanities perspectives on urban studies during the Copenhagen semester. Practice and Research Track students can also employ such perspectives, but they will have to independently explore them. Because a number of decisions central to thesis research must be made before the third semester, all students are encouraged to look into humanities and arts research to decide for themselves whether they might be of interest.

Supervisors and their preferred research topics

In order to help students find a topic they might like to research, a list of available supervisors and their preferred research topics is provided. Some of the interests listed are focused and specific, some are quite broad. Students are recommended to choose a topic from the list, or to locate their topic within a topic from the list, but they are not required to. Students can also find some help in selecting a topic in chapter 3 of The Craft of Research.

Declaring thesis research interests

Each student will be asked to submit 2-3 topics of interest along with a one-paragraph “statement of interest” explaining their aims and motivations (e.g. what about this topic interests you? why do you want to research it? why do you think this research is important?) for each topic to the thesis coordinator () by 30 January. Two samples are provided below. In addition, students should name at least one potential supervisor for each topic. Potential supervisors should be selected from the list of supervisors and preferred topics.

THESIS TOPIC PROPOSAL SAMPLE #01
Topic: Transnational migration and neighbourhood dynamics
Potential Supervisor: XXXXX
Based on my great interest in migration discourses and my practical work with migrants and community building, I would like to deal with the effects of circular (work) migration on home communities in my Master’s thesis. While there are already comprehensive studies on the significance of remittances as well as seasonal migration in different national contexts, the social aspect of this temporarily oriented – often male-dominated – migration for the neighbourhood networks and family members ‘left behind’ (and here in particular the role of women in the migration process) is often less considered. In my Master’s thesis I would therefore like to deal with these effects of circular labour migration on home communities and investigate how community building and solidarity are influenced and changed by circular migration. I would like to use the example of an informal neighbourhood in Durres / Albania, which, due to its informality, is particularly characterized by social relations and networks that contribute to the promotion of circular labour migration to Greece. Since in this context mainly female family members stay in the home communities, I find it particularly interesting to contrast this neighbourhood community and dynamics with a neighbourhood in which mainly female persons (e.g. care workers) migrate temporarily (e.g. from Eastern European countries).

THESIS TOPIC PROPOSAL SAMPLE #02
Topic: Psychogeography
Potential Supervisors: XXXXX or XXXX
I would like to write my master’s thesis on the fencing and gating of public parks and squares, which is less researched than the gating of residential properties. There is some research from the U.S that discusses the psychological barriers fencing can create to keep out criminals, homeless, anti-social behaviour but also people of different ethnicity (Nieburg, 1974; Jerolmack, 2005; Trouille, 2014). Kates and Wohlwill (1966) first discussed that the physical environment stimulates other human senses and has psychological impacts which have so far been ignored. Symbols acquire meaning through previous experiences and future expectations. Design is creating a function and a symbol at the same time (Kates, 1966). Fencing is now understood as a means of control which blocks accessibility, instead of being a means of guidance (Malko, 2013; Hensel, 2018). Other research however has shown how fencing can create a sense of ownership and community (Habeck and Belolyubskaya, 2016). Essentially, I would like to understand how fencing impacts on human behaviour, feelings and movements. I was thinking to do this using psychogeography theories. I would like to gain a more European perspective as most of the current research (found so far) is based on U.S experience, and some experience from Asia.

Student-Supervisor Pairings

The relevance and feasibility of the proposed topic, as well as the capacity of the staff to supervise it, will then be discussed by the 4CITIES board and all eligible supervisors in order to create student-supervisor pairings, which will be communicated to students by 15 February before the second semester begins. Please keep in mind that pairings are made with more than just the research topic in mind. We aim for an even distribution of students and must also take into consideration the current activities of teaching staff. From experience, we can say that this initial pairing works out well over 90% of the time. If for whatever reason a student-supervisor pairing does not work, every attempt is made to find a more suitable pairing.

Scanning Academic Literature

For those new to academic literature, there are some important differences between it and more popular sources, even those written by scientists and academics. Firstly, what we call academic literature is typically published by specialized academic journals. Published articles go through a rigorous peer-review process in which experts on the topic review the paper and provide extensive remarks for improvement. Editors usually insist on at least one round of corrections before finally accepting the paper for publication. Also, academic papers almost invariably follow the same basic format (introduction, methods & materials, results, and discussion – also known as IMRAD) and at least attempt to be systematic in their approach. For these reasons, peer-reviewed academic literature is considered to be more reliable than books or other publications not subject to the same level of scrutiny. The vast majority of literature referenced in the thesis (>80%) should be academic.

Accessing University Library Databases

The easiest way to start exploring academic literature is through online university libraries. All 4CITIES students are registered at both the VUB and the University of Vienna for the entire two years of the program and thus have access to all university resources, including libraries, for the normal duration of 4CITIES. The VUB library can be found at biblio.vub.ac.be. The University of Vienna, however, which can be accessed at usearch.univie.ac.at, has a much larger collection. For step-by-step instructions on using the University of Vienna’s online library to scan the academic literature, have a look at these (hopefully) helpful slides.

Semester 02 – Designing Your Research

Writing the Research Proposal

The semester-long Urban Analysis 3 course in Vienna is focused on research design and culminates with the first major thesis seminar, during which students present a complete research proposal. The course is intended to enable all students to make the leap from topic to proposal.

The RESEARCH PROPOSAL is a document of max. 10 pages that includes all the major elements of research:

  • title (make it communicate);
  • abstract (need for research, Qs and assumptions, how research will be done, expected impact, in 500 words);
  • context and rationale (a concise literature review and theoretical foundation);
  • problematization and research questions (both theoretical and empirical);
  • research design (methodology and methods, argumentation);
  • practical information (work plan and fieldwork schedule, costs, necessary software, etc.);
  • bibliography-in-progress (sources you’ve used, sources you expect to use).

ALL students are required to submit a research proposal to their supervisor in June, one week before the 4CITIES thesis seminar. ALL students will then present their research proposal during the thesis seminar at the end of the semester (early July).

(source)

 

Vienna Thesis Seminar: (JUL)

The purpose of the seminar is to assess thesis research proposals and identify areas for improvement. Each student will give a 5 minute presentation of their proposal, which will then be followed by 15 minutes of questions and discussion. Presentation format is up to each student, but all the major elements of the proposal should be covered. Students will present their proposals in parallel sessions. Presentations must be submitted in PDF to the 4CITIES thesis coordinator no later than one day before the presentation day.

Students will also meet with their supervisor the following day. By the end of the thesis seminar, students should have a plan for the work they will need to accomplish before the next thesis seminar in November. For an introduction to research design, check out Designing an Urban Research Project by Kevin Ward and Writing the Research Proposal by Michael Watts.

Semester 03 – Conducting Your Research

Advancing the research with first empirical results

It will be necessary to continue reading throughout the entire thesis development process, but during the phase between the end of the second semester and the thesis seminar in November of the third semester, data collection and perhaps simultaneous analysis should be incorporated. Get into “the field” as soon as possible, test your selected methods, get your hands dirty. For the Copenhagen thesis seminar, you will produce a scientific poster of your work that will be presented to and discussed with 4CITIES teaching staff (more on that below). You will also submit a rough draft of your literature review to your supervisor at least one week before the seminar begins.

Copenhagen Thesis Seminar: (NOV)

The scientific poster is an excellent method for: (1) “unpacking” the research proposal to make the components visible; (2) demonstrating how the research components connect and shape one another; and (3) exploring first empirical results to make sure that the proposed empirical methods and cases are able to answer the research question(s). Posters should be printed on size A1 or A2 paper and include the following:

  • your name
  • preliminary title of thesis
  • problem statement (short version)
  • research question
  • research design (short version)

When designing the poster, focus on visual information instead of text blocks. Think graphically! Give priority to conciseness, precision, clarity, and connectedness. Students will present their posters to a variety of 4CITIES staff members, which should help identify strengths, weaknesses, and issues of “fit” between problems and questions, questions and methods. Afterwards, students should have a better idea of the adjustments they will need to make in taking the next steps of their thesis research. See here for some tips on making a scientific (conference) poster.

If the cost of printing is an issue, students are welcome to work freehand (drawing, writing) or collage-style (pasting printed elements). Our concern is the thinking you employ and your ability to communicate your ideas and process; we are not evaluating your skills as a graphic designer.

Students in the Practice and Research Tracks are encouraged (but not required) to join the Copenhagen thesis seminar. They are kindly asked to notify their supervisor and the 4CITIES thesis coordination team () as to whether they will attend at least two weeks before the seminar begins.

Semester 04 – Writing Your Research

Securing a foundation and weaving a red thread

Following the Copenhagen thesis seminar, students have 2-3 months to complete their literature review and as much data collection and analysis as possible. All students are to then submit a rough draft of their results section at least one week before the Madrid thesis seminar, to be held in late February or early March. Students who schedule much of their empirical work for the fourth semester should instead submit a close-to-final draft of the literature review and research design. More than simply demonstrating awareness of the relevant academic discourses, the literature review should lay the foundation for problematization and both the empirical approach and theoretical framing of the thesis research, which are then detailed in the research design chapter.

Madrid Thesis Seminar: (MAR)

In parallel sessions, each student will be given a total of 20 minutes for presenting and discussing empirical results and their interpretation, with reference to the literature review.

Presentations should not exceed 10 minutes so that ample time is left for questions and discussion. The goal is to establish links between literature, theory, and empirics – to weave a red thread through the research results – analyzing results at empirical and theoretical levels. Presentation PDFs must be emailed to the 4CITIES thesis coordinator no later than one day before the presentation day.

While the official Madrid semester continues until June, courses will close at the end of April. This gives students about a month without coursework so that they can finish the thesis by the 01 June deadline.

Thesis Submission

Deadline and Formatting

Your final thesis should be submitted via email by 23:59 on 01 June after the fourth semester. Please name your file using this format: MScThesis_4CITIES_FAMILYNAME_FIRSTNAME

and submit your thesis as a single PDF document to:

The front cover page of the master thesis must include all of the following (see here for example):

  • Erasmus Mundus Master Course in Urban Studies [4CITIES]
  • Family name, first name
  • Title of the thesis
  • Name of the supervisor
  • Name of the second reader
  • Date of submission (01 June, Year)

University of Vienna Requirements

Additionally, the University of Vienna has a separate submission process that requires you to complete (including all necessary signatures) and submit the following forms:

These three forms are usually submitted before the end of the Vienna semester. However, if you change your research topic substantially or change supervisors, then the Registration and Disposition forms must be updated and sent to the thesis coordinators.

The thesis itself must be submitted, by 23:59 on 01 June, for a plagiarism check via uspace.univie.ac.at. In practice, this means preparing a separate PDF version of your thesis for Vienna. Instead of the front cover information listed above, it must contain:

  • A standardized bilingual cover page (German & English)
  • An abstract in both languages (German & English)

The standardized cover must be the very first page of the PDF. The abstract must be the next page (or two, if necessary). During the submission process in u:space you will be able to generate a cover page. Please do so, then include it as the first page of your final submission.

To submit your thesis for the plagiarism check, please do the following:

  • login at uspace.univie.ac.at;
  • go to graduation > plagiarism check;
  • follow the steps as described in uspace

Please be aware that this process can take some time to complete. Do not plan to start the process at 23:55 on 01 June 🙂 If the plagiarism check raises any red flags, you will be notified within a week or so. Only then will your participation in the thesis defense at the beginning of July be confirmed.

NOTE: no thesis defense is possible until the plagiarism-check is cleared!

Don’t worry, more information and guidance will be provided by the Vienna teaching staff during the second semester. If you have any questions, feel free to contact the thesis coordinators.

Thesis Defense

Thesis defenses will take place in Vienna in early July after submission of your thesis. All defending students are expected to attend. Defenses consist of a 10-minute presentation followed by 20 minutes of questions and feedback from the supervisor, second reader, and (possibly) other members of the 4CITIES staff. Please be aware that the defense can include discussions of issues not strictly related to the content of your manuscript – i.e. questions directly connected to your thesis subject but aimed at enlarging the scope of the discussion on broader or related urban issues.

Marking Procedure

You will receive one final mark for the thesis. In coming to that mark, however, the following will be taken into consideration::

Thesis Process (20%)

  • 10% – Combined mark given to 3 thesis seminar deliverables (written research proposal, scientific poster, literature review) and 3 seminar presentations
  • 10% – Mark given by the supervisor to the overall development process

Written Text (70%)

  • 35% – Mark given by the supervisor on content and form
  • 35% – Mark given by the second reader on content and form

Thesis Defense (10%)

  •  10% – Mark given by the board to the thesis presentation and defense

All thesis marks are given in the Belgian (20 pt) scale, which is the official system for all final marks in 4CITIES.

Thesis FAQs

What if I want to change my thesis subject?

Please send a written request to your supervisor and the 4CITIES thesis coordinators suggesting an alternative topic. Your request will then be considered collectively by the 4CITIES board. We discourage a change of topic after the Vienna semester, due simply to time constraints, but are willing to hear arguments on a case-by-case basis.

What if I want to change to a different supervisor?

You will be assigned a supervisor before the start of the second semester. It is then up to you to reach out to your supervisor and have initial conversations about your research interests. If for some reason you then believe that a positive and productive working relationship is not possible, please contact the thesis coordinator (). As with research topics, we discourage changes in supervisor after the Vienna thesis seminar but will hear arguments on a case-by-case basis.

What if I have never conducted academic research or written an academic paper?

We understand that 4CITIES students come from many different academic backgrounds and may have very different levels of experience with academic work. Urban Analysis 3 in Vienna is a semester-long course designed to help all 4CITIES students, no matter their academic background, to write a 4CITIES master’s thesis.

What if I’m not ready with the thesis seminar deliverables or presentations?

Please inform your supervisor and the thesis coordinator () in advance. Be aware that you will then lose the opportunity to get feedback on the advancement of your work and that this will obviously negatively influence your mark for the process component.

What if I do not attend a thesis seminar?

See the answer to the previous question. The exception to this is if you are ill or otherwise legitimately unable to attend. Please make sure to inform your supervisor and the thesis coordinator () as far in advance as possible. Exceptions are dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

What if I fail to submit my thesis by the 01 June deadline?

Students who fail to meet this deadline will not be able to defend their thesis in Vienna. A “re-sit” deadline of 01 September for the written thesis then comes into effect, with the possibility of defending in Brussels in late September. Students who miss the 01 September re-sit deadline, for whatever reason, must re-enroll for a third year. This can incur substantial costs! For re-enrolled students, the 01 June and 01 September deadlines once again apply.

What if I submit my thesis on time but my work is considered insufficient?

You will be informed about the decision of your supervisor and second reader before the defenses in Vienna. The same “re-sit” deadline and process as explained above will then be applied.

What if my thesis is given a failing mark?

If the final thesis mark, after the September “re-sit” period, is below the minimum acceptable level, or if the thesis does not pass the plagiarism-check, then graduation that year is not possible. You must then re-enroll, submit a new draft of the thesis, and defend in Vienna the following June/July. So you know, it is extremely rare that a thesis is given a failing mark. The deliverables and feedback associated with thesis seminars, plus regular communication with your supervisor, generally ensure that students who submit a thesis are able to do so satisfactorily.

Any additional questions should be directed towards either your thesis supervisor or the 4CITIES thesis coordinators: ().

Thesis Resources

There are thousands of good papers, books, talks, blogs, websites, and videos out there that address the various elements of academic research and thesis writing. Below are a few selected resources that should help you along the way.

History and Philosophy of Science

A General Guide to Writing Research Papers

The Research Process

The Research Proposal

Research Problems & Questions

Literature Review

Research Design

Data Collection & Analysis

Discussion / Conclusions / Recommendations

Ethics in Research

Handling References

Avoiding Plagiarism