Thesis and papers
When writing a thesis or paper you must make good use of the insights you have gained during your lectures and studies so far. You should also refer to relevant literature and carry out your own research on the topic.
One of the most important things you will learn during an academic study programme is how to write an interesting piece of work that meets the criteria of scientific quality, whilst also being accesible to the broader public.
Refer to our Study skills pages for more information on academic writing skills.
The M.Sc. thesis concludes the ICT in Business programme. Its primary aim is to allow students to acquire and demonstrate skills and knowledge to independently define, plan and execute a research project.
You can start your master thesis as soon as you have obtained 60ects and the approval of the Programme Coordinator.
Refer to our Study tips pages for more information on academic writing skills.
If you are looking for a topic you can use this link that leads to a google group. This group lists possible topics for students from LIACS.
A thesis starts with writing a Research Proposal. In order to find a suitable supervisor, please make sure that your Research Proposal meets the requirements. A template for a research proposal is available here.
Master Thesis
| Coverpage | There are some requirements for the cover page of the Master Thesis. A cover page is available in Word. |
| Guidelines for grading | https://liacs.leidenuniv.nl/assets/Guidelines-for-grading-MSc-theses-May2010.pdf |
| Assessment form | Assessment form (via the Board of Examiners website) |
The Thesis Defence
The thesis defence is almost always the last part of your master. It is organized separately from the Graduation Ceremony. Procedure:
- Set a date in cooperation with your thesis supervisors.
- Reserve a room for your defence in the Snellius building via the LIACS Education Office.
- Check the final version of your master thesis for plagiarism via the Brightspace Turnitin page HS LIACS Thesis Bachelor and Master. Discuss the similarity report with your first supervisor.
- Send a pdf of the final version of your master thesis to the programme co-ordinator
Unless otherwise stated, your defence is partially public. Family and friends are welcome.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is understood as presenting, intentionally or otherwise, someone else’s words, thoughts, analyses, argumentations, pictures, techniques, computer programmes, etc., as your own work.
All cases of (presumed) plagiarism will be communicated to the Board of Examiners, who can undertake several actions. Plagiarism may lead to forced de-registration from the university.
Theses are published on ICTiB Master theses, unless they are confidential.