The Process of Writing a Thesis

The information on this page should be understood as tips and comments and does not claim to be legally binding.
Always clarify any open questions with your supervisor and consult your ASPO (general academic regulations) and FSB (subject-specific provisions).
We make every effort to ensure accuracy and up-to-dateness, but we cannot guarantee it.

If you have suggestions or feedback regarding this service, please share them with your supervisor.

1. Timeline

The following illustration outlines the key steps involved in the thesis writing process.

2. Exposé and Propaedeutics Course

The Exposé and Propaedeutics serve as written agreements on the thesis topic between the student and the supervisor. The Propaedeutics is a special course offered only in the 2024 FSB of the Bachelor’s program in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). Therefore, only students in this program are required to complete it. For all other students, the Exposé applies. In terms of content, the two formats are very similar. The Propaedeutics can be seen as a more detailed version of the Exposé.

The main difference between the two formats is the expected length of the result:

Propaedeutics: 10 pages
Exposé: 1–3 pages

Once the Exposé has been approved by both the student and the supervisor, or the Propaedeutics has been passed, the thesis can be registered. These documents serve as the foundation for the actual thesis.

2.1 Content

Name, date, version, intended degree, study program
Motivation/Objectives
State of the art/Preliminary work
Planned methods/concepts
Work plan

2.2 Format

The formatting requirements for the Exposé and Propaedeutics are identical to those of the final thesis.
Formatting templates from the HCI chair can be found here.
Files exchanged with the supervisor during the supervision process must meet the following criteria:

Submitted in PDF format
Clear file naming using the following format:
<year><month><day>-<lastname>-<firstname>-<degree>-<program>-<type>[-<version>].pdf

Examples of valid file names:

20161012-mueller-peter-ba-mcs-exposee-v1.pdf
20161101-wienke-petra-msc-hci-v2.pdf
20150610-strand-monika-dr-info-exposee-v2.pdf
20160114-zuse-konstantin-bsc-ge-exposee-v3.pdf

2.3 Web Content

The Exposé will also be published as web content here.
Therefore, in addition to the PDF file, submit your Exposé as a Markdown text file, along with any images used—each with a width of 730 pixels.

The result of a Propaedeutics is usually too long to be published on the website in full. If you are completing a Propaedeutics, you must create a shortened version of your text (approx. 2 pages) for publication on the website. This short version needs to be submitted in Markdown.

Additionally, a teaser image is required.

2.4 Teaser Image

A teaser image must be submitted along with the Exposé/Propaedeutics, meeting the following criteria:

JPG format
File naming using the following format:
<year><month><day>-<lastname>-<firstname>-<degree>-<program>-<type>[-<version>].jpg
Only self-created images or images licensed under Creative Commons Zero (CC0).
CC0-licensed images can be found, for example, on unsplash.com.

3. Registration

Registration is handled through the Examination Office of the Faculty of Human Sciences.
You are responsible for organizing your own registration, according to the requirements of your degree program and the format of your thesis.
Relevant forms can be found on the Examination Office website.

4. Submission

Details regarding the submission process and related formal requirements can be found on the program’s website: