Information about Bachelor's and Master's Theses at UiS

Before you can begin writing your thesis, you must first meet all the prerequisite requirements specified in the course description. It is important that you familiarize yourself with the regulations for completing the thesis. These regulations can be found in the course description, any additional faculty-specific rules, and the Regulations on Studies and Examinations at the University of Stavanger.

Both students and staff are required to adhere to the ethical guidelines at UiS. The student guidelines outline the moral and ethical standards expected of you as a student. These guidelines reflect UiS's core values, define the standards the university upholds, and specify which actions are not accepted.

Ethical guidelines for students (PDF)

The library offers both guidance and courses in academic writing, citation and source evaluation. It is recommended that you take advantage of these resources, especially in the early stages of your thesis writing.

If you are processing personal data in your thesis, you must comply with the applicable regulations in the Data Protection Act and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Personal data is all information that can be linked to an individual, such as:

• name, personal indentification number, e-mail address, and phone number
• IP addresses
• Images and audio recordings if an individual can be identified

Will you be processing personal data in your thesis?

You must notify Sikt if you plan to collect or process personal data at any point in connection with your thesis, even if the data is anonymized in the final thesis.

Notification to Sikt should only be submitted in agreement with your supervisor, and the notification form must always be shared with your supervisor.

If you are processing health information, you must apply for ethical approval from the Regional Committees for Medical and Health Research Ethics (REK). You need to plan ahead. You cannot start the project before you have received approval from Sikt and an approval decision from REK for medical and health-related projects. This process can take around 30 days.

If you are processing personal data in connection with your thesis, you must familiarize yourself with the requirements for secure storage in bachelor's and master's theses at UiS, as well as the information about the notification form for personal data on Sikt's website.

Bachelor's and master's theses are normally required to be open. Delayed publication may, in some cases, be agreed upon before submission. This can occur through a cooperation agreement with an external organization or other agreements involving UiS. Common reasons for delayed publication may include the intention to use the thesis in later work for publication or if you are collaborating with a company in a competitive market.

It is important to consider whether delayed publication is necessary at an early stage. Delayed publication should be clarified early as possible, preferably before work on the thesis begins. You can read more about the conditions for, and the impact of, delayed publication under "delayed publication."

All students writing a bachelor's or master's thesis must have a supervisor. There are no specific requirements regarding the supervisor's education, but the supervisor must have relevant expertise through education and/or professional experience to provide guidance related to the specific thesis.

The role of the supervisor is to support and guide you in the thesis writing process. The supervisor should provide academic feedback but is not responsible for proofreading, language editing, or citation techniques, although advice may be given.

The scope of supervision may vary between bachelor's and master's theses, both in terms of the number of hours and intensity. The number of supervision hours for your thesis will be specified in the course description or in additional regulations at your faculty.

You are responsible for initiating contact with your supervisor and scheduling supervision sessions. A draft of your thesis should be sent to the supervisor well in advance of the scheduled session, allowing them time to prepare and provide constructive feedback. It is recommended to create a progress plan for your thesis to ensure that the work process is structured and organized. You are responsible for the content and quality of the thesis and are free to follow or disregard the supervisor's advice.

It is important to always reference the sources you use when writing an academic text. Transparency in source usage is essential for academic integrity, and lack of transparency can be considered plagiarism. Therefore, you must:

• cite sources within the running text
• provide a complete list of references in the reference list

If you reuse your own previously submitted work, you must also reference it.

For more information on source usage and referencing, visit the library's website. The library also offers courses in academic writing, where you will receive valuable tips on structure, discussion, and citation techniques. You can learn more about source usage and referencing in the Source Compass.

It is not allowed to copy images, illustrations, graphs, or similar works (referred to as "artwork") without permission from the copyright holder. It is not enough to provide a source reference—you must ensure that you have the right to use the work.

If the artwork is published under an open license (Creative Commons), it can be reused according to the terms set in the license. You must investigate the specific rights associated with the Creative Commons license for each work you wish to use.

The digital dissemination of artworks in theses is largely covered by the BONO agreement, which has been established between the Visual Artists' Copyright Organization in Norway and the Norwegian Association of Higher Education Institutions. To check whether the artwork you wish to use is covered by the agreement, you can search in BONO's database. If you wish to use artworks not covered by the agreement, you must seek permission from the copyright holder for each individual case.

As the creator of the thesis, you are responsible for ensuring that the thesis does not violate the copyright of others. If you use artwork in your thesis without permission from the copyright holder, this may result in claims for compensation from the copyright holder. Any compensation claims must be covered by you.

AI tools can support your learning when used properly. This means you can receive help with brainstorming and writing support, but AI tools cannot replace your own thinking and writing. You may miss out on valuable learning if you allow AI tools to take over your tasks and development as a student. You should have academic insight and a good overview of the curriculum to gain the most benefit from using tools like writing bots.

All assignments at UiS must be your own, independent work and a result of your own learning and effort. AI tools such as ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot are permissible aids unless otherwise specified.

It is considered cheating to submit text, calculations, or other content as your own if it is directly copied from an AI tool and not the result of your own effort. It should be clearly indicated what are your ideas and what belong to others.

If you plan to use AI in your thesis work, you must familiarize yourself with the current information regarding the use of AI tools in thesis writing and exams.

If permitted by the faculty, theses may be written in collaboration between multiple students. In some cases, co-writing will be mandatory. Students working together on a thesis share joint responsibility for both the writing process and the final submitted work, unless otherwise specified in the course description. They are collectively responsible for ensuring that the thesis meets the requirements for referencing and citations.

In co-writing, a group contract must be signed, outlining the work process, division of responsibilities, and rights to the thesis.

Every year, companies, municipalities, and organisations submit thesis topics they would like UiS students to work on. This allows you to tackle real-world challenges directly from the professional field. You also get the opportunity to make industry connections and impress a potential future employer. Explore thesis proposals from academic communities and the job market.

Remember that the thesis must align with your study program. Consult with a supervisor, academic advisor, or other faculty members at UiS who are familiar with your academic path before applying for a thesis topic.

If your thesis is to be written in collaboration with an external organisation, it is important to agree on how your rights and the organisation's rights will be protected. Students writing a thesis in collaboration with an external organisation must therefore complete and sign an agreement for thesis writing in collaboration with an external organisation. If the thesis is written in collaboration between multiple students, they must all sign the agreement together.

It is important that you thoroughly review the agreement and any attachments, such as a confidentiality agreement or other supplementary agreements with the organisation, so that you understand your rights and obligations in the collaboration.

The thesis must be submitted digitally in Inspera by the deadline set by the faculty. In the case of co-writing, each student must submit a copy. It is recommended that you begin the submission process well in advance of the deadline, as unforeseen challenges or issues may arise during the process.

It is important that the title of the thesis is registered correctly, as it will appear on the diploma. The title must be registered in both Norwegian and English.

When submitting your thesis, you will be asked to decide whether you want the thesis to be published and whether you require delayed publication. You can read more about this under "Publishing" and "delayed publication".

It is possible to apply for an extended deadline for submission on the following grounds:

• Unforseen obstacles that arise during the thesis period that make an extension necessary
• Accommodations for students with disabilities or other special needs

You can apply for an extension if unforeseen circumstances prevent you from submitting by the deadline. This may include sudden illness, a death in the immediate family, or other issues that arise during the thesis period. To have your application approved, you must meet the conditions for valid absence (pdf) and provide documentation. The application should be submitted via Digital Student Services using the form "Application for Extension of Deadline for Submission of Home Exam, Bachelor's or Master's Thesis."

Students with the right to individual accommodations can also apply for an extended submission deadline. The application deadline for accommodations is September 1st for the autumn semester and February 1st for the spring semester. The application should be submitted via Digital Student Services using the form "Accommodation for Exams."

As a general rule, you are allowed only one attempt for the bachelor's or master's thesis. You may apply for a new attempt if you:

1. have not passed the thesis
2. with to improve your grade

The application should be submitted via Digital Student Services using the form "Application for a Second Attempt at the Bachelor's or Master's Thesis."

If you are granted a new attempt to improve your grade, you must write a new thesis based on a new topic. If you have not passed, you will either submit a new thesis or you will have to revise the original thesis before resubmitting.

As a student, you hold the copyright to the thesis you create. Copyright is divided into two types:

• Moral rights: The right to be acknowledged as the author of the work, as well as the right to object to changes to the work that could harm your reputation or integrity.
• Economic rights: This gives you the right to control the use of the work and to profit from it. Economic rights include the rights to reproduce, distribute, and display the work, as well as the right to enter licensing agreements and receive payment for the use of the work.

As the creator of the thesis, you hold both the economic and moral rights to your thesis. However, you can enter into agreements where you waive the economic rights, for example, to an external organisation. The moral rights, on the other hand, cannot be waived.

Co-authorship

If students write a thesis together, they will typically have joint authorship. UiS adheres to the Vancouver guidelines for co-authorship. These guidelines state that in order to be a co-author, all students must:

• have made a substantial contricution to the concept and idea, or the collection of data, or the analysis and interpretation of data
• have participated in the development of the thesis
• have approved their own contribution to the thesis and the final submitted verion of the thesis

UiS' use

The submitted files of the thesis with attachments, which are necessary for grading and archiving at UiS, belong to UiS. UiS can publish the thesis if you consent to publication. UiS can use the submitted files of a published thesis for educational and research purposes. The thesis may not be used for commercial purposes unless an agreement is made with you regarding this.

For your thesis to be published, you must provide consent. If the thesis is written by multiple students, all co-authors must agree to its publication.

UiS strongly encourages the publication of all bachelor's and master's theses. Publishing helps show the university's academic output and foster transparency in academic achievements.

Publication means that the thesis and any attachments will be made openly available in Brage, UiS’s institutional repository. Once published, the thesis will be searchable and accessible for download by anyone.

Before publication can take place, the following three requirements must be met:

1. The thesis must be approved
2. The thesis must not contain confidential information
3. You must consent to publication through submission in Inspera

The terms for publication must be accepted as part of the submission process, and publication will occur automatically if you consent to it in Inspera.

On the library's website, you can find more information about the terms of publication for your thesis and the steps to follow in Inspera to publish it.

DIf you change your mind and wish to withdraw a previously published thesis, you can contact eksamen@uis.no to request its removal.

Bachelor's and master's theses are normally open. Delayed publication may, in some cases, be agreed upon before submission. This can happen through a cooperation agreement with an external company or other agreements involving UiS. The thesis will be kept on hold until the delayed publication date has passed and will be automatically published thereafter.

Common reasons for delayed publication may include the intention to use the thesis in future work for publication or collaboration with a company in a competitive market.

If delayed publication is needed for a thesis written in collaboration with an external organization, this must be established as early as possible, preferably before starting the work on the thesis. An agreement for the bachelor’s or master’s thesis in collaboration with the external organization should be used.

During the embargo period, neither the thesis title nor the abstract will be available in UiS-Brage.

UiS has its own rules regarding what is considered cheating in exams (including bachelor’s and master’s theses) and compulsory activities, and it is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with these. The rules are set out in the Regulations on Studies and Exams at the University of Stavanger §6-1 1. Additionally, you must become familiar with the rules and guidelines for carrying out the thesis. These are outlined in the course description and any supplementary regulations at your faculty.

Cheating is considered a serious violation of the rules that can have significant consequences for the student. If you are caught cheating, you risk having your thesis annulled and being banned from all universities and colleges in Norway for up to two years.

For more information on what is considered cheating and how such cases are handled, visit the university's website on academic misconduct.