Guidelines for Master Theses in Informatics (30 credits)

Jnkping International Business School Autumn 2012

INTRODUCTION

A master thesis should show the writers ability to use scientific methods learned during the compulsory methodology course. The authors of a thesis are expected to show, within the scope of the thesis, that they can apply scientific methods through a motivated selection and use of specific methods and techniques for data collection and analysis/interpretation. Moreover, the authors should in an effective way apply theoretical knowledge they have gathered in previous courses in Informatics (and other subjects) and complement this with additional studies in relevant literature. All formal requirements in reference handling have to be fulfilled according to JIBS writer, and the language of the thesis should be grammatically correct, clear and concise. A master thesis in informatics is normally written in groups of two and is usually reviewed by one opponent group. If students want to write their thesis on commission of an external party, e.g. a firm or an association, they should have in mind that the thesis is still graded based on its academic relevance and quality. Students should, therefore, make sure that the party providing the assignment is interested in an academic report treating a general problem. If this is not the case, the authors either have to abandon that assignment or write a separate report that satisfies the requirements of the external customer. 1.1 Requirements for writing a Master thesis Bachelor degree equal to 180 credits 45 credits advanced level courses with a minimum of 30 credits in Informatics including Research Methods in Informatics and Computer Science (or the equivalent). The structure of the course Introductory meeting Three mandatory PM (Promemoria) seminars Supervision time One final mandatory seminar (presentation and opposition) If not being a single author of the thesis, an individual reflection report written by the members of the thesis group together

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The course contains these components:

EXAM GOALS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES demonstrated knowledge and understanding in the main field of study, including both broad knowledge of the field and a considerable degree of specialised knowledge in certain areas of the field as well as insight into current research and development work (exam goal 1) demonstrated specialised methodological knowledge in the main field of study (exam goal 2) demonstrated the ability to critically and systematically integrate knowledge and analyse, assess and deal with complex phenomena, issues and situations even with limited information (exam goal 3) demonstrated the ability to identify and formulate issues critically, autonomously and creatively as well as to plan and, using appropriate methods, undertake specialised tasks within predetermined time frames and so contribute to the formation of knowledge as well as the ability to evaluate this work (exam goal 4) demonstrated the ability in speech and writing both nationally and internationally to report clearly and discuss his or her conclusions and the knowledge and arguments on which they are based in dialogue with different audiences (exam goal 5) demonstrated the ability to make assessments in the main field of study informed by relevant disciplinary, social and ethical considerations and also to demonstrate awareness of ethical aspects of research and development work (exam goal 6)

For a Master of Science (120 credits) the student shall have:

After having finished the master thesis, the student will be able to independently use scientific theories and methods in order to create and communicate knowledge about a phenomenon of relevance for the sub-discipline in which the student has chosen to specialise. Further, the student will develop his/her ability to grasp as well as critically, yet constructively, examine academically produced knowledge. On completion of the thesis course the student will be able to: Knowledge and understanding recognize current research issues in informatics and explain and discuss the core principles of informatics as they relate to dealing with those issues in a specialized topic area understand concepts related to thesis writing, like stipulative definitions, method approaches, theory and models write an academic thesis on a high theoretical level, with clear structure and stringency perform an opposition of good quality towards another thesis analyse issues in a specialized informatics topic from relevant scientific aspects, and from relevant societal and ethical aspects when appropriate validate results and conclusions from a thesis (or academic paper), and to position the thesis in a scientific context.

Skills and abilities

Judgement and approach

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SUPERVISION AND SEMINARS Supervision

Master theses are supervised via a series of group seminars. In addition to the supervision given by supervisors and opponents during these seminars, the thesis writer can also obtain individual tuition on his/her work, e.g. regarding critical choices. This has to be arranged with the supervisor, and be sure to prepare yourself carefully for such meetings so that you have formulated specific questions/problems that you want to address to the supervisor. The author may also seek advice and tuition from other teachers when it comes to specific issues but this is not to be taken for granted. Matters that could easily be solved by e.g. consulting the literature should not be brought forward to the supervisor/other teachers. The main forum for supervision is the group seminars. During the seminars, the groups receive feedback from the supervisor and from the other students. Students act as opponents on each others manuscripts. Usually, each seminar has a specific topic corresponding to parts of the thesis the group should have finished by then. Apart from the supervision seminars, the groups may also have individual supervision by appointment with their supervisor. On such occasions, the groups should come to the meeting fully prepared, i.e. with questions/queries prepared and submitted well in advance. Each thesis group can get 20 hours supervision during the whole course from an appointed supervisor. Note that the 20 hours also include the time that supervisors spend on seminars together with their student/student group. Due to the limited supervision time, refrain from consulting the supervisor on issues that could be resolved by self-study. 3.2 Seminars The students should within reasonable time before each seminar hand their manuscript to the assigned opponents, the supervisor and the course manager. The course manager will work out an opposition sequence and decide together with the student groups how the manuscripts should be made available to the others. 3.2.1 Course introduction/idea seminar This seminar will present the thesis course and the planning that lies ahead. The students should each prepare about a page with their preliminary ideas. The thesis topic should be approximately delimited. Each thesis writer will be assigned a supervisor at this meeting or shortly after it, based on research topic and supply of supervisors. The subsequent seminars will normally comprise of small groups, with only one or two thesis writers. 3.2.2 PM1 Seminar This seminar will cover the problem, purpose, preliminary literature review, as well as a proposed method, disposition and time plan. A five to eight pages long manuscript should be submitted to the supervisor no later than two days before the PM1 seminar. The thesis writer should also bring additional copies to the other seminar participants. The supervisor will act as opponent. 3.2.3 PM2 Seminar Discussion of the on-going work with a focus on frame of reference and methodology. The PM2-manuscript will be discussed, which should be 15-20 pages long, excluding appendices. It should contain a re-worked version of problem, purpose and research questions. It should also describe the frame of reference and make a detailed proposal for the method of empirical field work, containing e.g. sampling method, survey, interview guide, experimental design or the like. The authors should also present ideas of how to analyse their data. The PM2-manuscript is submitted no later than two whole working days before the PM2 seminar to the supervisor and

the opponent. The thesis writer should also bring additional copies to the other seminar participants. Normally, the PM2 seminar is a control point right before the authors start their empirical work. 3.2.4 PM3 Seminar The almost finished manuscript is presented. The analysis work should be finalised, and all parts of the thesis should be written, albeit not in a finally edited version. The PM3-manuscript is submitted no later than four whole working days before the PM3 seminar to the course manager, the supervisor and the opponent. The thesis writer should also bring additional copies of the analysis and conclusion sections to the other seminar participants. The thesis writers will act as opponents to each others manuscripts according. The opponents are expected to comprehensively scrutinise the entire manuscript in order to contribute to improvements before the final seminar. 3.2.5 Final seminar You must upload your master thesis to the assignment function in Ping Pong no less than five working days before the research seminar. The thesis will be automatically tested for illegal copying by the software Urkund. The final seminar is usually chaired by the course manager. The chairperson can decide on minor changes of the format. At the final seminar the authors - if needed - get the opportunity to make clarifications and corrections. Then the thesis is presented either by the authors or the opponents. After the summary, the opponents lead the seminar. The final seminar is about 60 minutes long, with the following approximate distribution of the allotted time: Clarifications and presentation of the thesis by the authors, 15 min. Opponent-author dialogue, led by the opponent, 20-30 min. Questions and comments from the audience, 5-10 min. Supervisors summary, evaluation of the opposition and a (preliminary) summary of the strengths and weaknesses of the thesis, 5 min.

The presentation The presentation should focus on the main things of the thesis, such as the most significant aspects of the problem, purpose, methods, results, analysis, conclusions and discussion. Dont get stuck into details. All authors should participate in the presentation. The opposition The opponents are responsible for ascertaining that the purposes of the seminar are fulfilled, by means of a dialogue with the author. These purposes are: that the seminar becomes an additional learning event for the author, the audience and the opponent as regards the art of evaluating works of research, and that the author receives in-depth feedback, in addition to that given by the supervisor and the examiner.

In the opposition, strengths and weaknesses should be discussed, and the opponent should be prepared to suggest alternative approaches, interpretations, etc. The opposition ideally should be presented in a dialogue with the author. The opponents should think of themselves as critical friends of the authors, not as enemies. What the opponents should focus upon mirrors what the authors should focus upon according to the guidelines. A fundamental issue is that the opponents should not go through the thesis page by page. Instead, most of the allotted time should be devoted to discussing the thesis as a whole and to the specifics which, according to the opponent are critically important in an evaluation of
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the thesis as a whole. This often has to do with how the different parts of the thesis are connected to each other. An example of an outline for an opposition is given below: 1. Short commentary/discussion about the relevance of the topic/problem. 2. Discussion about fundamental issues. Does the manuscript stick to the problem/purpose/research questions? Is there an internal logic? Is the choice of method suitable given the purpose? Do the authors develop a frame of reference that is a good tool for fulfilling the purpose? Are the authors aware of the consequences of the critical choices they have made? Are they aware of the major strengths and weaknesses of their work? 3. If there is time: discussion about details not previously treated. 4. Concluding evaluation. 5. Opponents who are overly enthusiastic and have no points of criticism signal that they have not been able to penetrate the authors work and do not help the authors to gain new insights. Opponents who aim to dismiss the thesis are no more constructive. Other common mistakes are to devote too much time to minor issues, and to fail to listen to the authors responses and thereby to create a lively dialogue. The defence Nobody knows the work better than the authors themselves and they have, therefore, an enormous advantage. Authors who realise this will find it much easier to control nervousness and thus to make themselves and their work justice during the defence. A second fundamental insight for the authors is that their work does have shortcomings worthy of criticism (all work has!). If one accepts this, it is much easier to avoid an unfruitful hedgehog defence coupled with emotional outbursts. The authors should try to anticipate points of criticism and go through shortcomings as well as strengths for themselves in advance. It may be advantageous to ask for a fellow students opinion beforehand, as it is very difficult to judge ones own work. A strong defence is characterised by the authors showing that they have given thought to the issues brought up by the opponents, and that they have handled them by carefully considered choices, reasoning and discussions in the text, etc. When the opponents are plain right, the authors should admit that rather than putting up a weak defence. Individual reflection report Each thesis group has to write a report where they reflect upon the thesis work, what they have learned etc., and how much time spent on the work. They must also describe what the individual students contributed, what parts have been written by each of the individuals. After the final seminar Update the thesis according to the comments you have got during the final seminar. Upload your thesis to Ping Pong. Save your thesis as an PDF-file, do the upload on Digital Scientific Archive (DIVA) on the following link: http://hj.se/bibl/publicering/diva/registrera-studentuppsats.html Hand in the Agreement on Electronic Publishing signed by all authors to Educational Center/Student Services. The Agreement can be found under the link mentioned above. NB! The process to register the grade in Ladok will not start until the signed agreement has been handed in. At the same time the thesis will be published.

Grading

Master theses are graded based upon the following criteria: 1. Background, problem, and purpose How well have they been motivated and described? What relevance do they have in comparison to previous studies? Do they result in research questions for the studies? Are the research questions clearly formulated and defined? Is the research needed in this field and if so how is it discussed? How well does the student succeed in positioning his/her research within the context of present research? To who/whom is the research relevant? How well have the references been chosen in relation to the research questions? How are the chosen theories motivated? How well has the student succeeded in integrating the references and discussing them in the frame of reference? How well is the theoretical frame of reference linked with other parts in the thesis: method, analysis, etc.? How is the chosen method motivated in relation to the aim of the thesis, research questions and frame of reference? How well is the empirical study designed? How is the validity and reliability reached? How was the generalization argued? How well is data collection, data analysis and results described? How well is the frame of reference used when analysing the data and discussion the result? How well is the analysis carried out in relation to the research questions and the purpose? Are the conclusions of the thesis articulately presented? How well were the conclusions prioritized with regard to their significance/importance? What contribution does the thesis have to previous theories/practices? How can the conclusion be generalized? How is it discussed? Is the thesis written in a consistent way? Are the different parts of the thesis coherent and in what ways? Is the thesis easy to read and understand?
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2. Research questions

3. Theoretical frame of reference

4. Design of study and choice of method

5. The implementation of the study and its results. 6. Analysis in relation to purpose and frame of reference

7. Conclusions

8. Structure/Quality of expression

Does the thesis form a coherent whole? Does the thesis provide evidence of originality? Is the presentation of the thesis exciting/interesting? How independent have the students been in their work? How much of their own initiative have they used? How much have the students contributed at PM-seminars? How well is the thesis defended and presented? How well is the opposition performed?

9. Originality/creativity

10. The process of working on the thesis

11. Final seminar

Your master thesis will be graded by the examiner of the master thesis course. The student will get an ECTS-grade (A, B, C, D, E, FX, F).

Grades ExcellenceA 5 EXCELLENT: new and innovative choice of problem, new and valuable contribution. Convincing scientific argumentation, relevant and comprehensive empirical data, relevant and wide range theoretical connections. Clear and logical structure, correct language, and correct handling of references. VERY GOOD: choice of interesting problem area and subject. Convincing scientificly GOOD: generally sound work with breadth use of theories and limited number of notable errors SATISFACTORY: fair but with significant shortcomings SUFFICIENT: performance meets the minimum criteria FAIL: some more work required before the credit can be awarded FAIL: considerable further work is required

B 4 Pass (G) C 3 D E FX F

Fail (U)

If you get so-called referral after the presentation, the grader will decide whether the resubmitted manuscript should be given a grade C-E (to pass). Writers of theses graded A-E may be requested to make typographical corrections before their theses are printed (library copy). Normally, this is not considered a referral. However, the fact that typographical corrections will be allowed after the final seminar does not mean that the

thesis writer should present a sloppy manuscript at this seminar. This will affect the grading of the thesis. In addition to pass on the thesis, the student also needs to actively participate in the seminar work (including acting as main opponent in a final seminar and acting as opponent according to what has been decided in the individual seminar groups). To pass the course the student has to show ability to make good opponent reports (main and seminar opponent reports). You can be either passed or failed on the reports. 5 SUGGESTED ELEMENTS OF A THESIS

There is not one particular structure/set of sections that suits every thesis. The uniqueness of each thesis should be reflected in its disposition. Below, you will find a set of suggested elements which refer to issues that in most cases should be treated in the thesis, whether in a separate subsection or not. The elements may differ depending on the topic, the design of the study, how you want to present your result, etc. For example: if you have to make a thorough literature study before you come up with your research questions, this have to be mirrored in your thesis. Then the literature review must be presented in the beginning of the thesis, at least before the method part. Title Abstract Table of contents Introduction (or Background) o Problem o Purpose o Research questions o Delimitation o Definitions Theory or Frame of references or Theoretical framework Methods Results Analysis, Interpretation (etc.) Discussion o Results discussion o Methods discussion o Implications for research o Implications for practice o Future research List of references Appendices Title

5.1

The title of the thesis should accurately describe the contents of the thesis. Hence, the title should be informative, while not being too short or too long. It should also hold the balance between being general and specific. The main concepts of the thesis should be included in the title. This is for reasons of clarity but also for reasons of indexing and literature search. It is quite common to have a main title and a subtitle. In that case, the main title is often general while the subtitle is more specific. These kind of titles could look something like this:

 Automotive Innovation: A Study of the Innovation Process at Volvo Electronic Health Records: Implementation in Three Swedish County Councils. Please note; a title of a thesis should not be witty or ambiguous. 5.2 Abstract The thesis should start with an abstract (summary) of -1 page. The abstract should give a clear image of the subject matter of the thesis, method and main results. The abstract should be fully understandable in its own right, without the reader having to read the main thesis text. The abstract precedes the Table of Contents and has an unnumbered heading. 5.3 Table of Contents A Table of Contents must be included. All numbered section headings and sub-section headings should appear with the associated page number. Following the Table of Contents, separate lists of tables and figures, with their associated headings, numbers and page number, may also be included. Use the Table of Contents function in Word to create the table of contents and update it as you go along. 5.4 Introduction or Background This section of the thesis should be used to introduce the reader to the broader context of the research problem. Via a funnel approach, the authors take the reader from a broader, general and international, context to the narrower issue in the problem statement. 5.5 Problem The problem statement should make clear what the subject matter of the thesis is, and why this topic deserves to be studied. A clear statement of the problem is an important ingredient in successful thesis writing. If the authors themselves are not very clear about what problem the thesis treats, no other strengths of the thesis will make up for that deficiency. The problem statement should guide everything that follows after it. Therefore, the authors should make a serious effort to achieve a clear problem statement early on in the process, discuss it with the supervisor and time and again go back to the problem statement (and purpose, cf. below) when other critical decisions are to be made. The above does not exclude that the problem statement be revised during the process. The authors may learn new things under way that provide a rational for doing so. If the problem statement is changed, it is imperative, however, that the final draft of other parts is guided by this new formulation and not coloured by the early detours. 5.6 Purpose Fulfilling the purpose is what thesis writing is all about. The purpose should logically follow from the problem statement. It should be stated clearly and concisely. The purpose denotes what specific aspects of the problem that the authors aim at treating in their investigation. There are different kinds of purposes. A descriptive purpose aims at a description of (some part of) reality. An evaluative (normative) purpose aims at telling how something ought to be, e.g., to give recommendations for some partys decisions and actions. An explanatory purpose goes further than a descriptive one in terms of an ambition not only to tell how something is, but also why. Finally, the purpose may aim at theory development. The aim is then to develop theory for a phenomenon or class of problems for which no satisfactory theory exists, or to adapt existing theory in order to make it more relevant for some specific purpose. An example would be to elaborate on a more general theory in order to make it more suitable for understanding a particular type of firms, e.g., small firms, retailing firms or knowledge-based firms. In practice, there are often combinations of different types of purposes, for example, all theses

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include elements of description of the research objects. Generally, a master thesis should strive towards making a theoretical contribution. This does not exclude that the authors generate other valuable knowledge as well, e.g. normative advice or a good description of a particular company. They should not hesitate to point this out. However, they should decide from case to case, and in dialogue with their supervisor, if it is wise to include such issues in the purpose. A purpose addressing too many side issues easily diverts the readers attention from what the authors mainly aim at doing. Authors should avoid vague purposes such as The purpose of this thesis is to increase our knowledge about.... The purpose should be more precise than that. 5.7 Research questions It is in some cases useful to further specify the (empirical) purpose in the form of specific research questions. This may be done either before or after the frame of reference is presented. Specific research questions should be mirrored by specific conclusions towards the end of the thesis. 5.8 Delimitation A delimitation sets the limits for what the authors claim to be able to say something about. A good strategy is to choose a relevant title for the thesis, and to use clear formulations of problem and purpose. By telling the reader what they intend to do, the authors also tell us what they do not claim to do (if you give it some thought, you will very soon find that a list of what you dont do in the thesis is very easy to expand). That is why a separate delimitation section is generally not a must. Sometimes, however, there is reason to separately point out some consideration which the reader cannot be assumed to understand the consequences of all by him/herself. If this can be suspected, clearly stating such a delimitation makes the work more valuable to the reader. 5.9 Definitions The reader can be assumed to have a grasp of theory and method equalling what the authors had before starting the thesis work. Concepts etc. which can be assumed to be familiar therefore do not have to be defined. Conversely, it is important that concepts that cannot be assumed to be familiar be carefully explained - otherwise the reader may lose interest or become frustrated. Concepts central to the thesis may need explicit definitions. This may concern concepts that are used in a more precise way than in everyday language, or concepts that are given differential definitions by other authors. Explicit definitions can be given sequentially as the concepts occur in the text, or be gathered together in a separate sub- section. This concerns theoretical definitions. Operational definitions, i.e. how some concept has been measured in the empirical study, are given in the method chapter. 5.10 Theory or Frame of Reference or Theoretical Framework One of the learning outcomes of the master thesis course is to acquire the ability to critically and systematically integrate knowledge and analyse empirical data. This is where theory plays an important part in thesis writing. The authors should search for literature including previous knowledge, theories and models about the concepts (research objects) that our focused in the thesis. That way, the authors create their own frame of reference for the empirical study. The frame of reference guides both design and analysis of the empirical study. Examiners put great emphasis on the students ability to use theory as a tool for creating and communicating knowledge. Theory can have different purposes in theses: The thesis could have a theory testing approach The thesis could have a theory building approach

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Theories and models are used for the design of the empirical data collection Theories are always used for interpreting the results of the empirical data collection.

It is required that the authors study previously published research within the problem area, and that they organise and summarise the main themes of this research in the frame of reference. The value of the thesis and the credibility of its conclusions are leveraged when related to the results of previous studies. The two main ways of finding relevant previous studies are: database and conventional library search, using relevant (combinations of) keywords. It is also possible to find references in various databases on the internet, such as for example Google Scholar. When writing about previous research, the author should show some ability to judge the quality of the studies and give more weight to studies of high quality. 5.11 Methods After the master thesis course, the student should demonstrate specialised methodological knowledge in the main field of study and to plan and use appropriate methods. The method section in the thesis should comprise a straightforward description of how the empirical work has been carried out. It should not be a miniature textbook on various methods, where general pros and cons of specific methods are discussed with little reference to the authors own empirical task. Strengths and weaknesses relevant with regard to the purpose shall of course be discussed. Most of the method part thus deals with the method the author has chosen. Other, alternative methods are discussed only in order to build a rationale for the choices the author has made. Methods that are clearly unsuitable for the purpose do not have to be mentioned at all. The authors should note that both methods of data collection and data analysis should be described and rationalized, e. g. it should be easy to understand for a reader of your thesis how you arrive to your conclusions based on the data collection, presentation of the data, and the analysis of the data. The description should be detailed enough to make it possible (in principle) for the reader to replicate the study. In order to avoid that the method section becomes too long, some of the illustrative materials may be put in appendices (questionnaire, interview guide, etc.). The authors should be able to discuss their chosen approach in these terms. The authors should also be able to give satisfactory answers to such questions during the defence. If there is a separate section of this kind in the thesis, it is not necessarily the case that it should be part of the Method chapter. Such issues can be treated earlier, and there may also be reason to revert to them towards the end of the manuscript. 5.12 Results The empirical part of the report may - but does not have to - start with a relatively pure reporting of empirical results. This may take somewhat different forms depending on what kind of approach and data collection method have been used. If the study is hypothesis testing, Results would report some statistical tests that logically follow from the stated hypotheses. For descriptive purposes it would mean the reporting of descriptive data. In investigations with a more qualitative orientation, the closest equivalent would be narrative case descriptions or interview summaries. The common theme is that the style here would be concise and directed towards sheer description, not deeper interpretation. A common mistake is that the authors want to give too much descriptive information that does not really answer the research questions (too many tables; too long case descriptions).

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The result can be presented in different ways. In order to present the interview data, you can extract key pieces of text, such as citations. Do not publish lengthy texts in the paper, there is no strength to read for long interviews. If you wish for longer text passages, it is better that you put this text in an appendix at the back of the paper and you can make references to it in the paper. The same goes for the presentation of statistical material. Pick out the interesting data to present, that are relevant to your research questions. The rest of the numerical material may be presented in tables in the appendices. 5.13 Analysis; Interpretation (or the like) A master thesis should be characterised by a deep and creative analysis. Results and Analysis can be combined, i.e., comments, interpretations and reasoning accompany the results as they are presented. But also in this case, it must be clear to the reader what is pure data and what is analysis of data. In the analysis, the concepts and models introduced in the frame of reference should be used in order to throw light on the empirical observations the authors have made. Furthermore, this should be done in a systematic manner, i.e. by application of the analysis method(s) chosen in the method section. Devote enough time for the analysis work! This is often where thesis authors fail to make their own work full justice. It is often suitable to summarise the output from the analysis in terms of a number of conclusions. If a number of research questions have been specified, it is often advisable that one conclusion mirrors each research question. The Conclusions section should be concise; rarely more than one or two pages long. The uncertainty associated with the conclusions are only communicated by means of expressions like ...when weighing the evidence, it appears relatively more likely that..., ...the most reasonable interpretation is..., etc. 5.14 Discussion Discussion sections in research publication often includes all or nearly all of the following elements: Results discussion: Were the results the ones that the authors expected? What do the results mean compared to previous knowledge? Methods discussion: What are the strengths and weaknesses of the methods chosen? Did the study reach a good level of credibility (reliability and validity)? Are the results generalizable? If so, how? Implications for research: What are the specific implications for research from the thesis? If you wrote a theory-testing thesis: What do your results mean for existing theories? If you wrote a theory-building thesis: What new concepts, models and theories seem to be relevant to your research area? Implications for practice: What advice could you give to practitioners based on the conclusions of your thesis? Future research: What future research needs to be done based on the conclusions of the thesis?

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5.15

References

All works that are quoted or cited in the text should be collected in a list of references. All references should be in one alphabetically ordered list. That is, no separate lists for books, journals, etc., should be compiled. However, the specific format differs between different types of publications. Please refer to JIBS Writer for guidelines on referencing. You always find the latest version of JIBS Writer on Ping Pong. 5.16 Appendices Information that is not central but nevertheless valuable to the reader may be given in appendices. This might concern background information (about the region, the industry, the firm), or details about method (interview guide, questionnaire, analysis of non-response), additional descriptive results that do not directly answer research questions). 6 ETHICS IN THESIS WRITING When authors collect data from individuals or firms, it is essential that they make clear that the finished thesis will be public. In surveys, the respondents are normally guaranteed confidentiality in an introductory letter. It is the authors responsibility to fulfil any promises given. If an informant of any kind, during or immediately after e.g. an interview, expresses the wish that the information be presented anonymously, the authors have the responsibility to respect that wish. As a rule, take always the possibility to actively check with the informant if he/she will allow you to present her/his information in your thesis. If authors wish to work with data that cannot be made public, they should immediately consult their supervisor. Firms are often willing to share with thesis authors such information that they would normally not want to share with their competitors or with the public. Unfortunately, there are the rare cases when thesis authors have abused this fact for personal gain. This should be strictly avoided. Conversely, a firm or organisation that financially supports the thesis work may try to abuse the authors ability to obtain information from competitors. The authors should refrain from being used in such a way and consult the supervisor if in doubt. The thesis authors have copyright according to Swedish copyright law. The fact that the thesis is used for obtaining academic credits, however, imposes certain restrictions in their exclusive right to the manuscript. When uploading your final version of your thesis it will be automatically tested for illegal copying by the software URKUND. It is of great importance that plagiarism is avoided! To know more about this issue an anti-plagiarism web-guide is available on request. Plagiarism is reported to the Disciplinary and Expulsion Committee of Jnkping University. 7 WRITING CONVENTIONS Writing conventions are there to make the job easier for readers, opponents and examiners. They also help the authors to be consistent and thereby make their work full justice. For writing conventions concerning master theses, you can refer to the JIBS thesis template and JIBS Writer. Important is the referencing to other sources. The Harvard reference system must be used. More information how to cite references could be found in JIBS Writer and on the website of the University Library. GOOD LUCK!

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Backman, J. (2008). Rapporter och uppsatser. Lund: Studentlitteratur. Glasman-Deal, H. (2010). Science research writing: For non-native speakers of English. London: Imperial College Press. Friberg, F. (ed.) (2006). Dags fr uppsats. Lund: Studentlitteratur. Jnkping International Business School. (2003). The JIBS Writer [Sv. Skrivredan]. Weyers, J. & McMillan, K. (2009). How to Write Essays and Assignments. Harlow: Prentice Hall.

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