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Guidelines for the preparation of Bachelor’s and Master’s Theses
at AEH
1. Authorship of the Work
1.1. A Bachelor’s/Master’s thesis is prepared by a single student. The thesis may be
empirical or, with the Supervisor’s consent, theoretical, if the subject allows it.
1.2. During studies in Polish, the thesis shall be written in Polish or – after consultation
with the supervisor – in English. In English-language studies, the thesis is written in
English. The translation of a work must be of high quality with specialized
terminology and meet the standards of professional editing. Appropriate grammar and
spelling checks must also be completed professionally. While software can be used
for such grammar checks, it should not be the only method.
2. Paper and Electronic Form of Work
2.1. After the final version of the thesis has been approved by the Supervisor, the student
(either Master’s or Bachelor’s) submits two copies of the paper version of the
manuscript to the Students Affairs Office. One copy will be kept in the University
archives, the other is for the Reviewer. An additional copy for the Supervisor is
provided by the student directly to him/her in the form in which the Supervisor wishes.
The Supervisor and Reviewer have the right to keep their copies.
2.2. The student attaches an electronic version of the thesis on CD-R or CD-RW to each of
the paper copies of the manuscript. Signed with the name and surname, the CD is placed
in an envelope attached to the inside of the back cover of the manuscript. The electronic
version should contain the text of the thesis in * , * x (MS Word), or *.rtf (with
all the work in one file), attachments (except for cases when the attachments are
copyrighted by third parties). For dissertations reporting results of an empirical study,
the database in an Excel format should also be pasted to the CD.
3. Work Format
3.1. The manuscript is typed on a computer in an A4 format, The copies submitted to the
Students Affairs Office should be printed on both sides of each page bound with a thin
transparent cover (to reduce weight), using a slip strip. The copy of the manuscript for
the Supervisor can be prepared according to the Supervisor’s guidelines.
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4. Text Editor
The preferred text editor for writing the thesis is Microsoft Word or OpenOffice. The
working draft should be prepared in one of the following formats: * , * x, *.odt.
5. Page Layout
Margins: Left margin: 3-3.5 cm (for binding)
Right margin: 2.5 cm
Top and bottom margins: 2.5 cm
Margin type: On two-sided printed copies: Mirror.
For one-sided printed copies: ordinary.
Alignment: To both margins (‘justified’ text)
Spacing: 1.5 lines
Indentation: Paragraphs indented 0.5 cm. The line after the title or subtitle begins
without indentation.
Footnotes: Footnotes are placed at the bottom of the page and numbered so that
they can be referenced in the text.
6. Font
Font type: Times New Roman
Basic text font size: 12 points
Chapter titles font size: 14 points. Bold
Font size of main headings: 12 points. Bold
Subheadings font: 12 points. Bold or underlined
Footnote font at the bottom of the page: 10 points
7. Manuscript Volume
All MA theses (with all its components) should not exceed 80 pages of text prepared
according to the above standards. Suggested range of the desired work is 50 to 80 pages. All
BA theses, on the other hand, should not exceed 50 pages of text prepared according to the
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above standards. Suggested range of desired work in a BA thesis is 30 to 50 pages. The lower
limit of acceptable volume in both study types depends on the Supervisor.
8. Work Structure
8.1. The necessary parts of the manuscript are:
• Title page;
• Statement on compliance with ethical requirements and non-violation of legal norms
(current statement should be downloaded from the extranet);
• Table of Contents;
• Abstract;
• Keywords;
• Introduction;
• Chapters discussing the main concepts and the theoretical framework of the research
problem which is the main focus of the thesis (Theoretical part)
• Chapter(s) presenting the methodology of the study (Methodological part), including:
1) The statement of the research goal and/ or research problem
2) Research questions and research hypotheses
3) Research methods / protocol
4) Description of the studied sample and study procedure
5) Statistical analyses (if applicable)
Chapter(s) presenting results of the study (Empirical part) and discussion of
results (including study limitations)
• Conclusion
• References
• Supplementary materials should also be included, wherever applicable.
8.2. The description of the methods and the course of the study should provide enough
details to allow someone else to replicate the study. This section should present
research questions or research hypotheses, precisely describe the research methods
used, list the variables and their indicators, describe the subjects (number, age, sex,
environment), and present the course of the research step by step.
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8.3. In general, it is encouraged to report the results obtained in the corresponding order of
the research questions or research hypotheses. The statistical description of the results
should follow the scientific principles accepted in the presentation of the various
types of statistical analysis.
8.4. The student may, if he deems it relevant, add a section such as Dedication, or
Acknowledgment. The names of these optional sections may be different, the student
agrees to them with the Supervisor.
9. Title Page
9.1. The title page should contain the information of the University, they can be found in
attachments;
a. full name of the school (
UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS AND HUMAN SCIENCES
in Warsaw) and the field of the study;
b. school logo, first name and surname of the student;
c. the student attendance modality (part-time vs full-time);
d. student identification number;
e. thesis title;
f. a notice that states that it is a master’s thesis written under the guidance of a particular
Supervisor;
i. abbreviation of the supervisor title / degree;
j. the name of the supervisor;
k. name of the town of the University (Warsaw) and
l. the year of completion of the work.
9.2. A template of the title page of the master’s thesis can be found in the annexes (Annex
1).
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10. Statement of Compliance towards the Ethical Requirements and the non-violation of
Legal Norms
This statement should be placed on the title page before the table of contents. The current
statement is available on the extranet. You should print the statement, make a legible
signature and attach it as per the instructions above.
11. Table of Contents
The table of contents comes after the Statement (see section 10). It contains the titles of all
chapters, their subsections including other elements of the work (Bibliography, lists,
attachments) with the inclusion of the page number reflecting the beginning of a given
section.
The page number should be aligned to the right margin.
12. Abstract
– The purpose of the abstract is to quickly orientate the reader on what are the aims of the
work and the results.
– The abstract should be divided into 4 parts (in the case of empirical work: Objective,
Method, Results, and Conclusions).
– In the case of empirical work, please state who was examined (number of subjects and
their characteristics relevant to the purpose of the study), what are the research methods.
– If it is impossible to briefly synthesize all research questions or research hypotheses and
the results obtained, the student may provide those considered of particular relevance.
– In the case of a theoretical work, the abstract must contains (Aim of the work, Analysed
sources, Conclusions)
– The abstract should not duplicate the table of contents
– The abstract should fit in one page together with the so-called ‘Keywords’ (see section
13). The optimal size of the abstract is about half a page.
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– No matter in what language the thesis is written, the abstract should be provided in both
English and Polish. As you will see in the next section, each abstract should provide the
keywords in the corresponding language under it.
13. Keywords
– Keywords are some of the most important terms (from two to five) that describe in more
details the field to which the work relates. Keywords should be both in Polish and English.
They should be placed under the abstract.
Example of Keywords in English:
Keywords: Generalized Anxiety, Pathological fears, systematic information processing,
anxiety disorders
14. Numbering of Chapters, Subsections and the Distribution of the Titles
– Arabic numbers are used in the numbering of individual work components.
– Chapters start on a new page.
– Chapter numbers (Chapter 1, Chapter 2, etc.) are above their titles, both are centred.
– Sub-chapters can be introduced when there are at least two sub-chapters in a given
chapter, similarly for all subsections.
– The subsections have the numbering in the form of two digits separated by a dot (e.g.,
1.1; 1.2; 2.1; 2.2 etc.) The first number indicates the chapter, the second indicates the order
number of the subchapter.
– Further subsections have number in the form of three digits separated by periods (e.g.
1.1.1; 1.1.2; 1.2.1; 1.2.2, etc.) The first number indicates the chapter, the second indicates the
order number of the first level of subsection, and the third number indicates a further
subsection.
– We do not put a dot after the numbers of chapters or subsections, just like their titles.
The title of the subsection should be placed on the same line as its number. The subsection
designations (i.e. their numbers and titles) are centred.
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15. Tables and Figures
– Tables and figures are announced in the text of the work.
– The tables have continuous numbering throughout the whole work (Table 1; Table 2; …
Table 15), they are not devised by chapters. The same applies to figures (Figure 1; Figure 2;
… Figure 15).
– Tables and figures are centred.
– The table number and its title are located above the table, the figure number and its title
below the figure.
– Unless the table or figure was made based on own data, its source should be given.
Titles of tables should be placed above the table.
Titles of figures and figures should be placed underneath.
16. Bibliographic References in the Text
16.1. One author
The author’s name and date of publication should always be included in the text.
When the author’s name appears in a sentence:
Goleman (1999) distinguished five competences that are expressions of emotional
intelligence.
If the author’s name is not given in the sentence:
Emotions are information carriers (Mayer, 2001).
In the bibliography:
Goleman, D. (1999). Emotional intelligence in practice. Poznan: Media Family.
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Mayer, J. D. (2001). A field guide to emotional intelligence. In: J. Ciarrochi, J.
Forgas, J. D. Mayer (ed.), Emotional intelligence in everyday life (pp. 3-24).
Philadelphia:
Psychology Press.
16.2. Two Authors
• The text always gives the names of both authors and the date of publication. Names of
authors are always connected by the conjunction “and”
When the authors’ names appear in the sentence:
According to Mayer and Salovey (1999), emotional intelligence is an intellectual ability.
When the authors’ surnames are not given in the sentence:
The results of the conducted research indicate a relationship between emotional intelligence
and physiological responses to stress (Woolery and Salovey, 2004).
In the bibliography:
Mayer, J. D., Salovey, P. (1999). What is emotional intelligence? In: P. Salovey, D.
J. Sluyter (ed.), Emotional development and emotional intelligence (pp. 21-69).
Poznań: Rebis Publishing
House.
Woolery, A., Salovey, P. (2004). Emotional intelligence and physical health. In: I.
Nyclicek, L. R. Temoshok, A. Vingerhoers (ed.), Biobehavioral perspectives on
health and disease prevention (vol. 6, pp. 154-168). New York: Harward Academic.
16.3. From 3 to 5 authors
• When citing for the first time, mention all authors and the date of publication. The names of
the authors are separated by commas, and the last two are separated by the conjunction “and”.
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When the authors give their names in the sentence:
According to Mayer, Salovey and Caruso (2000), emotional intelligence can prevent
pathological behaviour.
When the authors’ surnames are not given in the sentence:
Gender differences in emotional intelligence may be the result of different educational
methods and experiences of women and men (Ciarrochi, Chan and Caputi, 2000).
Repeating the same reference with 3-5 authors, we give only the first surname, adding “et al.”
to it, and in the structure of the sentence
“and colleagues”.
In the bibliography:
Ciarrochi, J. V., Chan, A, Y., Caputi, P. (2000). A critical evaluation of the emotional
intelligence construct. Personality and Individual Differences, 36, 1781-1795.
16.4. More than 5 authors
• The text always gives the name of the first author and adds “et al.”, and the structure
“and colleagues”.
When the authors give their names in the sentence:
Schutte et al. (1998) stated on the basis of research that women compared to men are
characterized by a higher level of emotional intelligence.
When the authors’ surnames are not given in the sentence:
Research results indicate that women have a higher level of emotional intelligence
compared to men (Schutte et al., 1998).
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In the bibliography:
Schutte, N. S., Malouf, J. M., Hall, L. E., Haggerty, D. J., Cooper, J. T., Golden, C. J.,
Dornheim, L. (1998). Development and validation of a measure of emotional intelligence.
Personality and Individual Differences, 37, 1059-1068.
16.5. Extraordinary Cases
If we cite more than one reference of the same author (same authors) published in the
same year, we add the letter a, b, c etc. to the year of publication, both in the text and in the
bibliography.
In the text: Naukowicz (1995a, 1995b)
In the bibliography:
Naukowicz, A. (1995a). How not to ignore good sources?
Kolbuszowa: Niebanalne Publishing House.
Scientist (1995b). How to ignore bad sources. Kolbuszowa: Niebanalne
Publishing House.
When citing several sources, each source is separated by a semicolon and each source
is given in accordance with the rules given above and in alphabetical order.
Research results indicate that women compared to men are characterized by a higher level
of emotional intelligence (Ciarrochi, Chan and Caputi, 2000; Jaworowska and Matczak,
2001; Matczak, Piekarska and Studniarek, 2005; Schutte et al., 1998).
When we literally quote the words of a given author (authors’ data), they should be
enclosed in quotation marks, and providing the source in the text of the paper, also provide
the number of the page on which the quoted fragment is located.
“Lithuania, my fatherland, you are like health” (Mickiewicz, 1834, p. 4).
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When we use a collective work prepared under the editorship, and individual chapters
were written by various authors.
• The text of the work should refer to the author (authors) of the collective work chapter
prepared under the editorship, and not to the editor (s) of the collection.
Emotional intelligence is an intellectual ability (Mayer and Salovey, 1999).
In the bibliography:
Mayer, J. D., Salovey, P. (1999). What is emotional intelligence? In: P. Salovey, D.
J. Sluyter (ed.), Emotional development and emotional intelligence (pp. 21-69).
Poznań: Rebis Publishing House.
The specific information was taken not from the original source, but from another
publication to which the student had access.
Example:
A graduate student reads an article by Susan Dash, in which the author provides
information from the work of Thomas Borkovec. It is recommended that there be as few
references of this type as possible at work. If possible, reach directly for the sources.
(Borkovec, 1989, after: Dash, 1999)
In the bibliography: Dash, S. R. & Davey, G. C. L. (2012). An experimental investigation
of the role of negative mood in worry: The role of appraisals that facilitate systematic
information processing. Journal of Behavior Therapy & Experimental Psychiatry, 43, 823-
831.
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17. Rules for Making a Bibliography
Detailed rules for preparing a Bibliography, including the distinction between books, journals
and other sources, are provided in the Annexes (Annex 2).
It is highly recommended that the author base his theoretical part of the work in
scientific sources like e.g. scientific journals, academic books. It is not recommended
that the student use common internet sources (e.g. Wikipedia, sciaga.pl).
18. Approval of the topic of the work
Bachelor’s/Master’s thesis title is approved by the Supervisor. The supervisor of the planned
work may ask for advice to ……………………………………. on the possibility of accepting a
specific topic of work (e.g. if he is not sure whether a specific interdisciplinary work will be
considered a in a given area).
19. List of Attachments
Annex 1. Example of a master’s thesis title page.
Annex 2. Rules for making Bibliography.
Annex 1.
UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS AND HUMAN SCIENCES
IN WARSAW
PSYCHOLOGY
Jan Kowalski
Part-time study
Identification number 55555
APPLICATION OF ALGORITHMIC AND HEURISTIC THINKING AND THE
MOOD AT THE TIME OF DECISION MAKING: PSYCHOLOGICAL EMPIRICAL
STUDIES
Master thesis
Written under the guidance
Dr. Jan Janowicz
Warsaw2019
20. Annex 2 – Rules for Making Bibliography in Psychological Works
20.1. Books
Description: Author / Authors (Year). Book title in italics. Place of
publication: Publisher.
Examples:
Goleman, D. (1999). Emotional intelligence in practice. Poznań: Media Family.Leary, M.,
Kowalski, R. M. (2001). Social anxiety. Gdańsk: Gdańsk Psychological Publishing
House.
20.2. Chapter in a collective work prepared by the editors:
Description: Author / Authors of the article 1. (Year). Chapter title. In: Editor (ed.),
Collection title (books) in italics (page numbers on which the chapter is located). Place of
publication: Publisher.
Examples:
Mayer, J. D. (2001). A field guide to emotional intelligence. In: J. Ciarrochi, J. Forgas, J.
D. Mayer (ed.), Emotional intelligence in everyday life (pp. 3-24). Philadelphia:
Psychology Press.
Woolery, A., Salovey, P. (2004). Emotional intelligence and physical health. In: I.
Nyclicek, L. R. Temoshok, A. Vingerhoers (ed.), Biobehavioral perspectives on
health and disease prevention (vol. 6, pp. 154-168). New York: Harward Academic.
20.3. Article from a Journal
Description:
Author 1, Author 2. (Year). Title of the article. Magazine name in italics, volume number in
italics, page numbers on which the article appears.
Example:
Schutte, N. S., Malouf, J. M., Hall, L. E., Haggerty, D. J., Cooper, J. T., Golden, C. J.,
Dornheim, L. (1998). Development and validation of a measure of emotional
intelligence. Personality and Individual Differences, 37, 1059-1068.
20.4. Internet Sources
Provide the full web address and date of access.
Example:
Starostka, E. (no date). Occupational burnout – causes, symptoms and consequences for the
social functioning of the individual [Online]. Access protocol:
http://www.psychologia.net.pl/artykul.php?level=245 (obtained on 16.05.2015).
20.5. Unpublished dissertations and diploma theses
Description:
Author. (Year). Article title in italics (Unpublished work type). City: Scientific unit.
Examples:
Świętochowski, K. (1988). Non-specific conditions of non-verbal communication in direct
social interactions (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Warsaw: Institute of
Psychology of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
Żarnecka, A. (1988). Patterns of skin conductance and heart rate response to an ambiguous
message (Unpublished master’s thesis). Warsaw: Faculty of Psychology, University
of Warsaw.
20.6. Rules for making bibliographies
– Individual bibliographical items must be written according to the rules described above.
– These rules are commonly known as the APA style referencing, many resources are
available for further information.
– Only references referred to in the work should be included in the bibliography, also all
references presented in the work must be included in the bibliography.
– Individual bibliographic references shall not be numbered.
– Individual bibliographic references are presented in alphabetical and chronological order
if publications of the same author (authors) from different years are given.
– Bibliography should be prepared in a way that allows quick and easy finding of
individual bibliographic items. The first line of the bibliographic entry has no indentation, but
the next lines have an indentation of 1 cm.
Example:
Ciarrochi, J. V., Chan, A, Y., Caputi, P. (2000). A critical evaluation of the emotional
intelligence construct. Personality and Individual Differences, 36, 1781-1795.
Goleman, D. (1999). Emotional intelligence in practice. Poznań: Media Family.
Leary, M., Kowalski, R. M. (2001). Social anxiety. Gdańsk: Gdańsk Psychological
Publishing House.
Mayer, J. D. (2001). A field guide to emotional intelligence. In: J. Ciarrochi, J. Forgas, J.
D. Mayer (ed.), Emotional intelligence in everyday life (pp. 3-24). Philadelphia:
Psychology Press
Developed by Dr. Jacek Gierus
Dr. Joanna Piekarska
October 2019
English version edited by: Charles Etienne Benoit, PhD
February 2020
