Guidelines on Format and Structure of the Master's Thesis

Recommended structure

1. Title page
2. Summary
   No more than one page, to appear at the front or back of the thesis.
3. Foreword
   Every master's thesis should have a foreword. This should include, among other things, the name of your supervisor. It is good scholarly etiquette to use the foreword to thank people who have contributed to completing your master's thesis.
4. Table of contents
5. Main text
6. End notes (if relevant)
7. List of sources and bibliography
8. Appendices (if relevant)

Title page

You can use the title page template for master theses from the University of Oslo:

• Master's and Bachelor's theses, doctor degrees and compendiums

The title page should include the following:

• Thesis title
• The UiO logo - the Apollo seal
• Student's full name
• Master's thesis in [course code + title]
• The name of the program/program option
• Number of credits, 30 or 60.
• Semester and year
• Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages (IKOS), University of Oslo

Suggested total number of pages

• 60-credit thesis: 70-100 pages 
• 30-credit thesis: 35-50 pages

A standard page is approximately 2300 characters without spaces, including references. The bibliography and appendices are not included in the page count.

NB! Refer to the course description for more precise information about the total number of pages.

Font

Use the same font throughout your document. The font must be easily legible.

Recommended font: Times New Roman in 12 points with 1.5 line spacing.

Margins

2.5 cm on each side.

Left alignment, do not justify-align the text.

Referencing system

You are free to decide whether to provide references in parentheses within the main text or as footnotes. Whichever system you choose, you must use it consistently.

All students should familiarise themselves with the university library's webpage on the correct use of citations and referencing of source materials.

Footnotes

Should appear at the bottom of the same page as the numeric reference in the text. This is more reader-friendly than putting all the footnotes either at the end of each chapter or the end of the main text.

List of sources and bibliography

Should appear at the end of the thesis, but before any appendices.

The bibliography should only include texts that are referred to in the thesis.

See also UiO's Graphic Centre for further information about styles and layout.