Proposal Guideline

Seminar - Practical - Bachelor thesis - Diploma/Master thesis - PhD thesis

At the beginning of a seminar, practical, bachelor, master, or PhD thesis project, a research proposal needs to be written (in English).

Content

The following rough structure describes the required content elements of a proposal. For official submission to the dean of studies the order and captions of the sections printed in bold need to be exactly as shown below.

• Cover Page (internal only -- for diploma/master, and PhD thesis only: use official guidelines, template, and forms for submission to dean of studies, see below)

  • Title
  • Date
  • Name, Matr. Nr., Kennzahl
  • Course Nr. and title (e.g., 188.414 PR - Informatikpraktikum 1) - not needed in case of Dissertation or  Diplomarbeit
  • Type of work (Dissertation, Diplomarbeit, Bakkalaureatsarbeit, Praktikum, Seminar)
  • Supervision and Assistance

0. Abstract (for bachelor, diploma/master, and PhD thesis only)

   • approx. 200 words

1. Problem Description (Why?)

   • Introduction
   • Context
   • Status Quo
   • What is the problem?
   • Why is it a problem?
   • What is unknown?
   • What could be improved?
   • What is the goal of the project?
   • Research questions/hypotheses (PhD, diploma/master, and bachelor thesis only)
     • What are the hypotheses that are to be investigated?
     • Main hypothesis & sub hypotheses

2. Expected Results

   • Which results should be achieved with the project?
     • What will be known afterwards that is not known now?
     • What will be created that does not exist now?

3. Method (How?)

   • How should the expected results be achieved?
   • What method(s) will be applied? (e.g., empirical study, user-centered design, prototype implementation,...)
   • What are the planned steps?

4. State of the Art (for bachelor, diploma/master, and PhD thesis only)

   • What results and approaches have already been presented in this or related areas?
   • Description and critical discussion of related scientific work

5. Topic Match (for diploma/master thesis only)

   • Explanatory statement describing why the chosen topic fits to the study program

6. References

   • List of cited literature
     • PhD thesis: at least 10 relevant references
     • all others: at least 4 relevant references

• Appendix

1. Rough work plan

   • Work packages (title, goal, description, expected results)
   • Time plan including milestones
     • realistic estimation of dates

2. Preliminary thesis structure (for PhD/diploma/MASTER/bachelor thesis only)

   • preliminary table of contents

Approximate length

• Seminar, Practical: 2-5 pages
• Bachelor thesis: 3-7 pages
• Diploma/Master thesis: 4-15 pages
• PhD thesis: 5-20 pages

Using Generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT):

Academic Integrity: Students must learn that any use of generative AI must be clearly and transparently labeled, the prompts used must be disclosed, and links to the results must be provided.

It is important to understand that undisclosed use of generative AI in a student's work amounts to plagiarism.

More Information about TU Regulation:

https://www.tuwien.at/studium/lehren-an-der-tuw/digital-gestuetzte-lehre/kuenstliche-intelligenz-in-der-lehre

Related Links

• Official guidelines page of the faculty of informatics
  • guidelines and templates for bachelor thesis        
  • guidelines and templates for diploma/master thesis, diploma/Master poster, etc.
  • guidelines and templates for PhD thesis
• Official forms of the Dekanat
  (proposal/abstract for diploma/master thesis and PhD theses, etc.)

Examples

• Example of a correct official abstract (according to the regulations of the dean of studies)