With the statutory declaration in accordance with the APO/RaPO you confirm that you wrote the thesis independently and that you have not previously submitted it elsewhere for examination purposes. In addition, you guarantee that you used no sources or aids other than those stated, and that you marked verbatim and paraphrased quotations as such.

You must mark the statutory declaration in accordance with the APO/RaPO with the current date and sign it.

It is legally required under examination regulations for all theses and is even requested by some instructors for term papers.

The statutory declaration in accordance with the APO/RaPO is a mandatory part of The Structure of a Thesis in Engineering and Natural Sciences.

Frequently Asked Questions

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With the statutory declaration, you confirm that you have written the paper yourself, used only the sources listed, and properly cited any sources used. You also confirm that you have not submitted the work for any other course or to any other examination office.

The statutory declaration must be dated and signed.

It is legally required for final theses and is sometimes requested by instructors for term papers as well.

The statutory declaration is usually a mandatory part of the structure of an academic paper.

Frequently asked questions

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In some papers, you present the results of your own empirical research, while in others you may, for example, develop a concept for a social institution. Your task is always to develop a comprehensible argumentation. More information on the different types of scientific papers can be found in this article: The different types of scientific papers.

In addition to these general features, there are further evaluation criteria for scientific papers, which the supervising lecturers set depending on the nature of your work. So, first ask the lecturers supervising your term paper or final thesis about specific requirements. The OWL can clarify formal aspects, but it does not replace a conversation with your lecturers.

Be proactive and prepare for the meeting! First, read the seminar plan, as it often describes the expectations for the term paper. Some lecturers have also created their own guides, e.g. for supervising the bachelor’s thesis. You should read these guides before a meeting. See also the article: Preparing for the first meeting with your lecturers.

What you should clarify with your supervising lecturer

• Topic and research question of the paper
• Individual or group work
• Form of marking individual contributions (for group work)
• Suitable (research) methodological approach
• Timeline and submission date
• Type and extent of supervision, if applicable support from tutors
• Formal requirements, e.g. word or page count, formatting
• Form of submission, e.g. printed version, Moodle, by email, file format
• The most important evaluation criteria
• The use of gender-neutral language

Lecturers usually use an evaluation grid to assess your scientific paper. We have been provided with the following two examples – depending on the type, purpose, and method of the paper, the evaluation criteria for your work may differ from these examples. Discuss the expectations for your specific paper with your supervising lecturers.

Evaluation grid example 1

We thank Wolfgang Wahl for this example of evaluation criteria for a term paper in module 1.1.

Evaluation grid example 2

Exclusion criteria for a positive assessment:

Structure and organization of the work:

Contents:

Literature base and evaluation:

Language:

Further criteria:

(++ = very good | + = good | 0 = satisfactory | – = sufficient | –– = insufficient)

We thank Susanne Heidenreich for this example of the evaluation criteria for a bachelor’s thesis.

Frequently asked questions

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Contents of the title page

A title page or cover page does not have a page number. It contains:

• Your first and last name and your student ID number
• Title, possibly with subtitle – this does not necessarily have to be the research question or task description
• Semester and year of completion
• Submission date
• First examiner
• Faculty and university
• Type of work, e.g., Bachelor’s/Master’s thesis
• Keywords (max. five)

Example of a title page

Here you can see what a title page could look like:

You can download the Ohm’s university logo from the intranet (Ohm Portal), on the homepage under “Ohm Corporate Design for Students.”

The title page is a mandatory part of the structure of an academic paper.

Frequently asked questions

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Information on the cover

The following information must not be missing from the cover page of your thesis:

• Name of the university
• Name of the faculty
• Name of the degree program
• Type of thesis
• Your first and last name
• Short version of the title
• Semester in which the thesis was submitted

In exceptional cases, the thesis may be restricted from public access – usually for up to two years. This must also be indicated on the cover page with a clearly legible note.

Confidentiality clause

If the thesis has a confidentiality clause, it may neither be nominated for awards nor used for scientific conferences and symposia, and it also may not be submitted with applications (e.g., for a doctoral position).

The copyright to your thesis remains with you – with or without a confidentiality clause.

Example of a cover

Here you can see what a cover with a confidentiality clause could look like:

Restricted until DD.MM.YYYY: In exceptional cases, the thesis may be restricted from public access.

The cover is a mandatory part of the structure of a scientific paper.

Frequently asked questions

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Steps in writing a thesis

The following tasks are typically involved in writing a thesis:

1. Develop a topic
2. Create an outline
3. Research academic literature
4. Prepare and conduct the research or development
5. Record and analyze results
6. Write
7. Revise and submit the text

In practice, these tasks are usually not completed one after the other, but overlap or occur multiple times during the process.

This list is therefore not to be understood as a linear sequence that you can simply tick off. However, you can use it as a guide. The structure of this guide largely follows this sequence.

Conducting research

For projects involving research, the following activities are typically necessary:

• Design an research-specific application of the methods
• Determine the parameters that need to be measured, observed, or calculated
• Collect data: work in the laboratory, measurements, simulations or calculations on the computer, or evaluation of academic literature

Take into account the procedures and methods from VDI2221 and VDI2206 where applicable.

You should also keep the following in mind:

• Allow enough time – especially for data collection – to be able to compensate for unforeseen difficulties
• Check which materials, equipment, and facilities you need and can use, as well as their availability
• Clarify whether external persons, laboratories, or workshops are necessary and available
• Consider delivery or waiting times in your planning
• Find out about opening hours and rules for workshops, laboratories, and research facilities
• Include in your planning the time and appointments needed for training and familiarization, e.g. for facilities, software tools etc.

Developing a system

For projects that involve developing a system, the following is typically required:

• Requirements management
• Selection of environment, frameworks, tools
• Implementation or development
• Create tests to validate results

Working methods and goals

During the practical work, you should document interim results, failures, newly raised questions, and ideas immediately, even if you might not use them later.

If these records are missing when you want to address them in the writing phase, it is often very time-consuming to reconstruct the corresponding processes.

It is not the end of the world if you do not achieve the goal of your thesis. In technical theses, something is often built, developed, simulated, or calculated. Since these are usually new, previously unexamined questions, unforeseen problems can arise. However, the time available for the thesis is limited, so it may not be possible to fully address all problems within the timeframe, or the goal of the work may not be achieved at all. This is not important for the evaluation of a thesis!

You will be evaluated on your working method and how you deal with the problems that arise, not on whether the original goal was achieved.

What matters is that these problems, attempted solutions, and gained insights are documented. They can form an important basis for subsequent work. Every scientific work has a summary, and many also have a conclusion. Especially when things did not work out, this reflection at the end of the work is important for future similar projects.

Helpful tips for efficient work

Frequently asked questions

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Deadlines for your thesis

There are deadlines you need to meet for your final thesis. Clarify the following points:

• Date of registration at the student office
• Latest possible submission date
• If applicable, date for your own presentation in the seminar on the final thesis
• Possible or necessary preliminary work before officially starting work on your thesis
• If applicable, formalities for extending the time available for working on your thesis, see also: Granting of extensions in the APO (e.g. in case of illness)

If specific equipment or aids are needed for your thesis, they should ideally be available before registration. Materials delivered too late are usually not a valid reason for an extension.

Detailed task description

A detailed task description is practically half of the table of contents. The following points are important:

• Expectations and goals that your supervisor and you associate with the thesis project
• Content to be covered by your thesis

Subject and method of the research

Once you have defined the subject of your research, you should also discuss the following with your supervisor:

• Methodology (e.g. experiment, observation, measurement, development, construction, simulation, etc.)
• Approach you plan to take to realize your project

Expectations and next steps

It is worthwhile clarifying each other’s expectations beforehand:

• Preferred communication channels: phone, email etc.
• Dates for regular meetings to discuss interim results and next steps
• Submitting text samples or a first outline to receive feedback, e.g. on your style of working

Creating a project outline

After your first meeting with your supervisor, it may be helpful to create a project outline – also called an exposé, requirements specification, or specification sheet. Sometimes your supervisor will request this even before the first meeting.

Such a project outline can be around five pages and contains:

• Title page
• (Preliminary) outline of the thesis
• Topic, research question & objectives
• Methodology
• Schedule
• Key sources for your thesis

Some instructors prefer to see a project outline in advance to have a clear idea about your project before agreeing to be your supervisor. The project outline then serves as a basis to be padded out with further details as the project progresses.

You should register your thesis at the student office at the latest after your supervisor has approved the project outline.

Scope and standards

Find out which requirements apply to your thesis:

• Text length and tolerance ranges
• If applicable, length of individual chapters
• Formal standards and formatting
• Possibly grading scheme

“Don’t expect your supervisor to give you a statement on the ‘required page count’ – a good thesis is as long as necessary, no shorter and no longer. A typical thesis (without appendices but including all indexes) ranges from 50 to 90 pages, although rarely longer than 70 pages. An extremely theoretical thesis could be only 20 pages long and still be excellent. A short, concise thesis will be read more willingly and graded better than a rambling one. Of course, essential parts shouldn’t be omitted just to shorten the thesis. So: write your thesis without worrying about page numbers; even if the numbers seem daunting at first (‘I’ll never manage that much’), you will quickly realize that your content will easily fill this space.”

– Prof. Dr. Matthias Hopf

Further aspects

Depending on the type of your academic work, additional aspects may need to be clarified, such as:

• Work contracts, safety instructions, access authorizations etc.
• Internal faculty regulations on confidentiality agreements and embargo notices

“Arrange further meetings. Often, instructors assume it is the student’s responsibility to seek help rather than the instructor’s responsibility to provide it. Actively approach your supervisor to submit reading samples. Two to four pages from the methods or results section are particularly suitable, as these best represent your writing style and scientific work. Your instructor can then provide feedback which you can consider in your further writing.”

– Prof. Dr. Christine Niebler

Frequently asked questions

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Finding a topic

Use techniques such as Freewriting or Clustering if you are still at the very beginning of finding a topic for your academic paper. Once topics begin to emerge that you are genuinely interested in, you should proceed more systematically so that you can choose one.

You can use the following questions for this purpose. Try to answer the questions in the table below for each topic that interests you.

You will quickly notice:

• What truly interests you
• What is feasible
• What you still need to narrow down
• Which points still require research

Even if you have already made your choice, you should still use these questions.

Your answers will then form an exposé or your project outline – essentially the roadmap for your work. You can change the route along the way, but starting a journey without any plan rarely gets you to the right place on time.

Topics from lecturers

You can get topics for final theses from professors as well as from lecturers. Alternatively, you can suggest a topic to your professor.

If you cannot find a topic for a final thesis, contact the thesis coordinators of the relevant examination board or its chairperson.

External final theses

For external final theses in companies, you should contact your contact persons there. Please note the information sheet for external theses.

Final theses are often advertised on job fairs, notice boards, or company websites.

Direct applications to companies are also possible. For work offered to you directly by companies, you must find your own supervisor at the university who works in a closely related subject area. You can find the subject areas of the faculty members on the faculty website.

In the case of an external assignment, the title, content, and conditions of the work must be agreed upon between the examiners and the external organization before the work begins.

Never sign a contract with the company before your university supervisor has approved the topic of your thesis.

From a legal perspective, the topic is not set by the company but by the university and must therefore be approved by it.

Registering your thesis

When registering your thesis, you must also state the title. The title of your thesis will appear on your degree certificate and will therefore accompany you for the rest of your life. It should therefore be understandable to a broad audience and not too awkward or long.

Avoid company or product names, as well as abbreviations that are not widely known, in the title.

After registration, only editorial changes are possible. However, the changes must not be so significant that they appear to be a change of topic. More extensive changes will only be approved by the examination boards in exceptional cases.

Narrowing down your topic

To be able to formulate your thesis topic precisely and address it in sufficient depth, you should narrow it down.

Elevator Pitch: Imagine you meet an executive in the elevator. You have three minutes to present your current project as convincingly as possible.

Formulating the topic

When narrowing down and formulating your topic, you should keep asking yourself the following questions:

• What belongs to my topic, and what does not?
• Which considerations would go too far in addressing the topic?
• Which details can I leave out?

Patent considerations

Academic papers should be as freely accessible as possible. However, an embargo period may be desired, for example, due to patent considerations.

If such a request arises during an external project, you must discuss it with your supervisor before registering your thesis.

University faculty members are not obligated to sign a non-disclosure agreement. In such cases, they may refuse to supervise the work.

Frequently asked questions

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How much time should I plan for?

Generally speaking, you will be expected to complete work on your Bachelor’s thesis within a period of six months, with the actual workload expected to correspond to about three to four months (after all, you still have to do a few other things at the same time). If you would like to submit your thesis earlier you can.

Around the submission time – typically one month before or after submission – you will also be expected to hold a presentation on your thesis.

Regarding this: Arrange the date for the presentation after consulting with your supervisors. Please make an appointment directly with the secretary’s office.

When should I start?

For many students, the date for starting work on their thesis is a critical issue – but generally speaking, there is no need to squeeze a thesis into a rigid semester calendar. To avoid extending your studies, it can make sense to submit a thesis so that it is completed within the semester rather than waiting for the end of the semester.

For legal reasons, a thesis must be submitted at the latest eight weeks before the end of the semester (mid January or early August) in order to be corrected in time.

If these eight weeks are no longer fully available, definitely talk to your supervisors. Also note that the seminars for the thesis either do not take place at all or only very irregularly during the lecture-free period and can be overcrowded.

If you do not have such time restrictions, you make it significantly easier for yourself and your supervisor.

Submission of the Bachelor’s thesis

As a rule, the Bachelor’s thesis must be completed no later than in the 9th semester.

The submission deadline is calculated according to the registration date. If your submission deadline exceeds the limit of the 9th semester, you should definitely submit an application for an extension to the examination board.

Students affected by the Covid pandemic have an “extended individual standard period of study”, namely by the number of Covid semesters they experienced during their studies (maximum 3). Thus, the latest possible submission date is also postponed without them having to submit an application to the examination board.

Time management

It is advisable to create a schedule for planning the time available for the individual tasks, i.e., to roughly divide the available time before starting the project. Here you should:

• estimate how much time each task will take,
• consider which external and personal factors could influence your work,
• and record all these considerations in a schedule.

If this is your first major scientific work, writing will probably take longer than expected, so:

Plan at least one month just for writing up the text.

“Regularly monitor compliance with the schedule. You will probably have to adjust the schedule to reflect actual progress.”

– Prof. Dr. Ulrich Kornnagel

People involved in an engineering thesis

An engineering thesis is not written alone – in the truest sense of the word. Besides yourself, quite a number of other people are involved.

Who is involved in a thesis?

• Primary examiners supervise and grade the thesis
• Secondary examiners or lecturers help with supervision and grade the thesis
• External supervisors, e.g. from companies, do not grade the thesis but issue an independent reference and ideally stay in contact with university supervisors
• Technical staff support the work (if you’re lucky)
• Writers – that is, yourself
• Fellow students, friends, family members, and the writing center can support you and give feedback: Finding Support During the Writing Process.

Frequently asked questions

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