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

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)