UNIVERSITY OF TARTU

School of Economics and Business Administration

STUDENTS’ WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

Methodological guideline

Tartu 2022
 STUDENTS’ WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

Table of contents

Contents
Table of contents ............................................................................................................................ 2
Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 3
1. Composing the written assignment .......................................................................................... 4
1.1. Types of students’ written assignments ................................................................................... 4
1.2. Choosing the topic ................................................................................................................... 5
1.3. Structure of the assignment ...................................................................................................... 6
1.4. Working with academic literature .......................................................................................... 12
1.5. Ethics considerations and avoiding plagiarism ...................................................................... 12
1.6. Cooperation between the student and supervisor................................................................... 13
2. Formatting the assignment ..................................................................................................... 14
2.1. General requirements ............................................................................................................. 14
2.2. In-text citation ........................................................................................................................ 14
2.3. The language of the written assignment ................................................................................ 15
2.4. Tables, appendices, figures, formulas and lists...................................................................... 16
3. Submitting, defending and assessing the written assignment ................................................ 17
3.1. Submitting the assignment ..................................................................................................... 17
3.2. Defending the written assignment ......................................................................................... 18
3.3. Assessing the assignment ....................................................................................................... 20
Appendix A. OPINION OF THE REVIEWER ........................................................................... 25
STUDENTS’ WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS 3
Introduction
This guideline contains recommendations and requirements for the students of the
University of Tartu School of Economics and Business Administration (hereinafter SEBA)
for composing and formatting written assignments. It also contains information about the
submission, defence and assessment of the assignments.
Most points from this guideline apply to all written assignments undertaken by
students. The general term “assignment” has been used to refer to them in this document. If
necessary, differences in requirements have been emphasised.
This guideline on students’ written assignments contains more information about the
following types of assignments:
• bachelor’s level:
- research paper
- bachelor’s thesis
• master’s level:
- master’s thesis as a monograph
- master’s thesis in the form of an article1
- case study of economic problems2
In the first chapter, the types of students’ written assignments from different curricula
are listed first, including the general requirements that have been established. Next,
recommendations are given for choosing a topic for the written assignment. The guideline
provides information about the requirements for the structure of the assignment, how to work
with academic literature and which ethical requirements the assignment has to meet (incl.
avoiding plagiarism). When writing the assignment, it is important to cooperate with a
supervisor3. It is not possible to submit research paper or thesis without having formal
supervisor from university. This guideline also contains suggestions about this. In the second
chapter, requirements for formatting the assignments are given, including how to cite sources
correctly, how to compile tables, appendices, figures etc. The third chapter gives an overview
of the submission, defence and assessment of assignments.

1
The specific requirements are available on SEBA’s homepage under the materials of the relevant curriculum.
2
The specific requirements are available under the course materials of the respective course.
3
A written assignment can have several supervisors but for the sake of the reading experience, the singular form
has been used in this guideline.
STUDENTS’ WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS 4
1. Composing the written assignment
1.1. Types of students’ written assignments
In this section, the written assignments that students need to write during their studies
in both the bachelor’s and master’s programmes are described.
A research paper, case study of economic problems and thesis (bachelor’s and
master’s theses) are academic works written independently by the student. These need to be
in accordance with the requirements given in this methodological guideline and are written
on topics assigned by the supervisor or suggested by the student, if the topic is accepted by
the supervisor. When writing the assignment, students shall demonstrate their skills in
formulating and establishing limitations to the research problem, finding and using the
relevant scientific literature, setting a specific research aim and research tasks, selecting an
appropriate research methodology and empirical material for completing the tasks, analysing
data based on the relevant theoretical or conceptual frameworks, finding answers to the
research tasks set in the assignment as well as analysing and generalising the findings of the
research. It is important for the student’s contribution in solving the research problem,
synthesising the scientific literature, applying the research methodology and analysing as well
as generalising the findings of the research to be clearly presented.
The completed written assignment also needs to demonstrate that the student has
acquired the use of language and formatting skills necessary for undertaking scientific
research.
During the bachelor’s programme, all students need to write a research paper in the
autumn semester of their third nominal year, as this will be developed into a bachelor’s thesis
in spring (taking the bachelor’s graduation exam is an alternative to the thesis). The first step
of composing the research paper is choosing the topic of the bachelor’s thesis and submitting
a graduation thesis application about the topic by the date marked in the academic calendar.
The schedule for writing the research paper, the deadlines for submitting parts of the work,
and the form as well as the time of receiving feedback from the supervisor are agreed
between the student and the supervisor.
The essence of the research paper is to compose an overview of earlier empirical
research (scientific journal articles, reports on policies) on the topic chosen for the bachelor’s
thesis, at first defining the key concepts related to the topic. In addition to this, it is necessary
to formulate the research problem of the bachelor’s thesis, to select the appropriate
methodology for solving the problem and to justify it, and to describe the data intended to be
STUDENTS’ WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS 5
used. Thus, during the process of writing the research paper, the student needs to acquire the
skills of working with academic literature, setting a research problem, choosing an
appropriate methodology and data for addressing it. In addition, the aim of writing the
research paper is to acquire the skills of correct written self-expression (scientific use of
language and academic terminology) and formatting (following the requirements set in this
guideline).
A thesis (both on the bachelor’s and master’s levels) is an analytical assignment with
a clearly defined problem where scientific methods are applied in order to address a specific
object of research. The bachelor’s thesis is a development of the research paper in two ways:
1) adding a theoretical approach to the work and 2) conducting an empirical analysis based
on the methodology and data from the research paper.
The aim of the case study of economic problems is to compose and defend a more
practical assignment. The case study is to be written by a master’s student as an independent
research project under the guidance of a supervisor. The structure, methodology and research
problems of the case study are coordinated and discussed with the supervisor of the case
study.
The approximate volumes and requirements for the content of students’ written
assignments depend on the curriculum and level of study (see Table 1). The higher the level,
the smaller the part presenting other authors’ views and the greater the synthesising
part offering new knowledge need to be.
The bachelor’s level research paper, the bachelor’s thesis and the master’s level case
study of economic problems are to be written independently, the master’s thesis can have two
authors.
1.2. Choosing the topic
The topics offered by potential supervisors are listed on SEBA’s homepage at the
beginning of each academic year. The deadlines for choosing a topic are given in the
academic calendar and the relevant graduation thesis application forms are available on
SEBA’s homepage. Students need to choose something from the provided topics or suggest
their own topic.
When choosing the topic, it is advisable for the student to mind the following:
• how topical and original the topic is
• how specific and defined the topic is
• access to the scientific literature and empirical information
STUDENTS’ WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS 6
• their interests and abilities

Table 1
The volume and number of authors in students’ written assignments
Type of assignment Credit Volume of the No. of In use in the
points content (chapters) in authors of following
(ECTS) pages the programmes
assignment
Bachelor’s level research 3 8-12 One BA, BBA
paper
Bachelor’s thesis 6 25-30 One BA, BBA
Master’s thesis as a 20 35-40 One or two TUFI, SJ, ETJ
monograph
Master’s thesis as a 30 45-60 One CAMES
monograph
Master’s thesis in the form 20 25-40 One or two TUFI, SJ, ETJ,
of an article (preferably in MTM, ITM
English)4
Case study of economic 10 20-25 (incl. the One TUFI, SJ, ETJ
problems 5
theoretical section
8-10 pp., the
empirical section
12-15 pp.)
Note: BA – Business Administration (bachelor’s program in Estonian), BBA – bachelor’s
programme in English, TUFI – master’s programme in Marketing and Financial
Management, SJ – master’s programme in Strategic Management, ETJ – master’s programme
in Entrepreneurship and Technology Management, MTM – master’s programme in
Quantitative Economics, ITM – master’s programme in Innovation and Technology
Management; CAMES- Contemporary Asian and Middle Eastern Studies

Before making the final choice, the topic and content of the written assignment need
to be discussed and agreed with the potential supervisor. It is advisable to start the process of
choosing the topic early since there might be competition for the more popular topics and
supervisors.
1.3. Structure of the assignment
Table 2 shows the individual parts that the assignment consists of in the order in
which they appear in the work. Please note that an abstract only needs to be written for a
master’s thesis written in the form of an article. A foreign-language summary (up to 500
words) needs to be written in English in the case of bachelor’s and master’s theses written in

4
The guideline for writing a master’s thesis in the form of an academic research article can be found on
SEBA’s homepage under the course materials of the relevant curriculum.
5
The guideline for the case study of economic problems is available under the course materials of the relevant
course.
STUDENTS’ WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS 7
Estonian, and in Estonian in the case of theses written in English. A foreign-language
summary is not necessary in the case of research papers and case studies of economic
problems. Submitting a non-exclusive licence is necessary in the case of bachelor’s and
master’s theses (for monographs and articles both).
The title page of the students’ written assignments needs to contain the following items:
• the name of the university and the School of Economics and Business Administration;
• the first and last name(s) of the author(s);
• the title of the assignment;
• the type of the assignment (e.g. research paper, bachelor’s thesis, master’s thesis etc.);
• the supervisor’s name together with their position (professor, lecturer etc.);
• the place (Tartu) and year of defending the assignment.
With the author’s declaration on the overleaf of the title page, the student confirms
that they have completed the assignment independently and that all other authors’ works and
data used in that assignment are cited.

Table 2
Structure of different types of assignments
Bachelor’s level Master’s level
Research Bachelor’s Master’s Master’s Case study
paper thesis thesis as a thesis in of economic
monograph the form problems
of an
article6
Title page x x x x x
The author’s declaration x x x x x
about writing the
assignment independently
(on the overleaf of the
title page)
Table of contents x x x x
Abstract x
Introduction x x x x x
Content x x x x x
Conclusion x x x x x
List of references x x x x x
Appendices (if necessary) x x x x x
Foreign-language x x x
summary (résumé)

6
A specific guideline regarding the structure of a thesis written in the form of an article can be found in the
guideline of writing theses in the form of academic research articles, which is available under the materials
of the relevant curriculum.
STUDENTS’ WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS 8
Non-exclusive licence x x x

In the table of contents, it is necessary to list all subheadings of the written

assignment which are in exact accordance with the headings and page numbers where the
relevant subsections actually start within the work. Hence, the table of contents consists of
the serial numbers in front of the subsections, the headings and page numbers of the
subsections. Only the content chapters and their subsections are marked with serial numbers
(Arabic numerals in the decimal system, e.g. 1.; 1.2 etc.). All appendices are to be listed in
the table of contents separately together with their headings.
If heading styles (Heading1, Heading2 ...) are used for formatting the headings
throughout the written assignment, the word processor will compose the table of contents
automatically. The advantage of an automatically composed table of contents is that the
formatted headings and page numbers within the document and the table of contents match.
However, it needs to be checked that the font of the automatically produced table of contents
would also be Times New Roman, font size 12 pt. and line spacing 1.5.
The aim of the introduction is to:
• Justify the relevance of the topic and why it was chosen. To explain why addressing
this problem is important for you as a researcher, but first and foremost for society.
Substantive argumentation is the best form for the reasoning, not appealing to the
opinions of third parties. The research problem needs to be presented as specifically as
possible, analysing its background and research gap.
• Set the aim and limitations of the assignment: what and why will be discussed in the
written assignment and what solutions are searched for; why setting such a research
problem is necessary and where the findings of the research could find application and
development. The aim of the assignment needs to state clearly what the desired results
of the research are.
• Formulate the research tasks: this helps to specify the stages that need to be passed to
achieve the set aim. The final research task needs to lead to achieving the aim and be
in accordance with it. The research tasks cannot surpass the aim that was set or deviate
from the direction of the aim.
• Explain the structure of the written assignment: which parts the content consists of (a
couple of sentences about each subchapter) and how the parts of the assignment are
related in order to achieve the aim.
STUDENTS’ WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS 9
• Briefly introduce the theoretical background, the data and methods used.
• At the end of the introduction, you can point out people or institutions who helped you
in composing the assignment. If the assignment is based on some of the student’s
previous assignments to a significant extent, it needs to be noted in the introduction
(except for the research paper that was developed into the bachelor’s thesis). It is also
necessary to point out if the assignment was composed in relation to performing work
duties (e.g. if the author uses text, data etc. from a report they composed for work
purposes).
• The volume of the introduction is 5-10% of the volume of the content (except for
master’s theses written in the form of an article).
• List keywords characterising the written assignment at the end of the introduction. You
can use the English version of the Estonian Subject Thesaurus for finding up to five
keywords. In case suitable keywords are missing, it is allowed for the author to suggest
the keywords.
• In the case of master’s theses, list research classification code(s) (CERCS) at the end
of the introduction.
In the content section, the student is completing the research tasks necessary for
achieving the aim set at the end of the introduction. As a rule, the content section of a thesis
needs to contain both the theoretical as well as the empirical parts (not in the case of research
papers). The ratio of the theoretical and empirical analyses depends on the topic under
research and the aim that was set. When structuring the chapters, it is recommended to opt for
two-level subdivisions (1.1, 1.2 etc.). At that, it needs to be observed that the chapters and
subchapters of the assignment would be proportionate in terms of the volume.
Generally, in the theoretical part of the assignment first the key concepts of the
research problem are defined, then the basic theoretical positions are presented on the basis of
scientific literature, and an overview of the findings of similar earlier empirical research is
given.
In the empirical part of the written assignment, first the data used for conducting the
analysis are introduced, also describing how they were collected. In case an organisation was
studied, this also needs to be introduced. It is advisable to describe the research process as in
much detail as possible, followed by a substantive data analysis, presenting the findings and
conclusions of the analysis together with relevant tables and figures. The good practice is that
the description of the research process should be detailed enough in order for somebody else
STUDENTS’ WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS 10
to be able to repeat the research. Depending on the research problem, the availability and
nature of the data etc., the decision is made for using a quantitative or qualitative method, or a
combination of both. The selection of the method(s) needs to be justified substantially, also
outlining which approach has been used in similar assignments previously.
In the case of quantitative research, it is not necessary to describe common methods
(e.g. correlation or regression analysis), but the software for data processing used in the
analysis needs to be noted (e.g. SPSS, STATA etc.). The results of the empirical analysis
need to be related to the theoretical perspectives that were presented earlier – how the results
received resemble and differ from what was claimed in theoretical chapter.
In the case of the qualitative approach, the research process needs to be described in
depth (e.g. how the interviewees were selected, how long the interviews were, in which
format and when they were conducted, how the analysis was conducted, adding coding tables
etc.). Presenting qualitative findings cannot be a retelling but a logical analysis, relating the
findings with what was stated in the theoretical chapter and confirming the key messages
with short quotes from the interview, for example.
Although students’ written assignments do not usually bring about fundamental
innovation in economic theory, each assignment needs to have a clear personal contribution
of the student to addressing the problem. This can be indicated in the form of comparing the
evidence provided by different authors in combination with the student’s own view and
assessments; in generalisations, conclusions or operational suggestions relying on the
researched material; in evaluating the applicability of some theories or models under specific
conditions (based on specific data) etc. Additionally, it could be a generalisation of the
findings of the empirical analysis, combining the theoretical part with the findings of earlier
research etc.
The conclusion serves to provide answers to the questions raised in the introduction,
to indicate the opportunities for completing the set research tasks and to reveal the findings.
The main aim of the conclusion is to:
• present the theoretical basis that was described in the content section of the
assignment, the main results of the empirical analysis, assessments etc.;
• point out the conclusions or suggestions arrived at in the course of the assignment as
well as possible areas for further research. The conclusions or suggestions need to be
derived directly from the analysis conducted during the writing of the assignment.
STUDENTS’ WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS 11
In the conclusion, the student’s contribution to achieving the aim and to completing
the research tasks mentioned in the introductory section need to be displayed. In the
conclusion, the aim is not to be repeated, new research problems are not set, new sources are
not included, positions are not presented or conclusions drawn in matters that have not been
discussed in earlier sections. In the conclusion, equal attention needs to be paid to all content
sections of the assignment. However, the conclusion cannot be a mechanical compilation
(copying and pasting) of paragraphs from previous sections. The volume of the conclusion is,
similarly to the introduction, approx. 5-10% of the volume of the content (except for if the
master’s thesis was written in the form of an article).
The list of references has to contain all sources that were cited in the written
assignment (incl. the interviews the author conducted, enquiries via e-mail etc.) and all
sources that appear in the list of references need to be cited within the text of the assignment.
The sources need to be numbered and ordered alphabetically based on the surnames of the
authors. If there are no authors’ names, then on the basis of the first word of the title.
In the case of written assignments at SEBA, the APA (American Psychological
Association) version 6.0 needs to be followed for in-text citations and the list of references. It
is necessary to include the DOI number, or in case of its absence the URL link, of scientific
journal articles and serial publications taken from online databases. It is advisable to use the
reference management software Zotero as a tool for managing references.
Appendices are for presenting numerical data and other materials that are important
for addressing the research problem, but which do not need to be included in the text itself, or
if they are too voluminous to be included in the main text. Appendices and their headings
(without measurement units) are to be listed in the table of contents as well. The appendices
need to be listed in the order in which they appeared in the text. Including appendices that are
weakly related to the main text of the written assignment should be avoided. Tables and
figures placed in the appendices are not numbered. Each figure or table that is included as an
appendix is to be an independent appendix. Several small appendices can be placed on one
page. The survey questionnaire used in the assignment needs to be presented as an appendix
and if (rating)scales were used together with it, a description of the scales needs to be
presented in the questionnaire as well as the figures and tables compiled on the basis of it. If
necessary, the font size in appendices can be smaller than 12 pt.
A short foreign-language summary or résumé of up to 500 words long is placed at the
end of bachelor’s and master’s theses. If the assignment was in English, the résumé is
STUDENTS’ WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS 12
expected to be in Estonian and vice versa. The résumé needs to provide a generalised and
sufficient overview of the written assignment and an exact translation of the assignment’s
title needs to be presented.
Bachelor’s and master’s theses are to be submitted together with an electronic non-
exclusive licence (permission) allowing the preservation and publication of the thesis in the
digital archives of the University of Tartu Library. The non-exclusive licence needs to be at
the end of the document in the same file as the electronic thesis (in a PDF format) and it is a
prerequisite for the author to be allowed to defend the thesis. The non-exclusive licence does
not need to be signed. See more: Publication Procedure of Graduation Theses.
1.4. Working with academic literature
Finding the literature necessary for writing the assignment, processing it, analysing
and synthesising it is the student’s responsibility. Via the online consolidated directory
ESTER, users have access to the directories of all major libraries in Estonia. The databases
most used at SEBA are, for instance, EBSCO, Emerald Insight, Science Direct, Sage Journals
Online, Scopus etc. There are several search engines available for finding materials online,
e.g. Google Scholar etc. When first starting to work with the literature, attention needs to be
paid to getting to know the key concepts related to the topic. The literature chosen for in-
depth analysis needs to be as versatile as possible, covering different authors. Basing the
written assignment only on the texts of one author is not appropriate. Primarily, the research
of renowned scientists in the relevant field of study should be used as literature sources.
Popular science materials, journalistic articles, textbooks and course materials can only be
used in exceptional circumstances when comparing the points of view presented in them with
the empirical information from scientific sources. Caution is advised when using earlier
bachelor’s and master’s theses as their quality can vary.
In the case of some topics, there is a vast amount of material available. Should this
occur, the aim should not be to use as many sources written on the topic as possible when
composing the assignment. Rather, the ones with the highest quality and relevance should be
chosen.
1.5. Ethics considerations and avoiding plagiarism
When composing written assignments, research ethics principles need to be observed
in full. Thereby, the main principles always need to be observed: as it is scientific work,
scientific sources need to be relied on in the writing process, and other authors’ thoughts need
to be cited correctly. All viewpoints of other authors, the research problems they set,
STUDENTS’ WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS 13
quotations, numerical data, schemes etc. need to be cited accurately as a citation or by
paraphrasing. The sources that the author actually used need to be cited. If it is not possible
to get access to the original source, secondary source citation has to be used. Citing sources
correctly means that the reader has to be able to find the original source from which the
according excerpt or reasoning was taken using the information provided in the reference so
that the text can be checked or more can be found out about it.
If one of the author’s earlier written assignments was relied on when writing the
thesis, this also needs to be cited according to the rules and the original text has to be either
paraphrased or presented as a quotation, not copied again verbatim (except for the research
paper that was developed into a bachelor’s thesis and thus constitutes a part of the thesis).
Plagiarism or the theft of intellectual property is presenting other authors’ work, parts
or sentences from them, ideas or key concepts contained in them in your own written
assignment so that without proper academic referencing, other authors’ ideas are attributed to
the author of the assignment. There are various forms of plagiarism and their level of severity
differs. Nevertheless, plagiarism is still plagiarism. The idea that adding a reference to a text
excerpt solves the issue of plagiarism is wrong.
Before submitting the thesis for defence, it is advisable to first check for any
possibilities of plagiarism. The plagiarism detection system Ouriginal enables to check how
original written assignments are, meaning that you can compare them with publications that
are online, in the databases of the University of Tartu Library and other student assignments.
Ouriginal can be used via Moodle. NB! Ouriginal and other plagiarism detection systems
only have a supportive role and cannot guarantee that there is no plagiarism in the assignment
at all as they cannot recognise all mistakes. Eventually, the responsibility lies with the author
of the written assignment.
1.6. Cooperation between the student and supervisor
The cooperation between the student and supervisor starts with choosing the topic and
ends with defending the work. The supervisor will advise the student when specifying the
topic, establishing the main problems, wording the aim and research tasks, choosing the
research method and will give recommendations for finding appropriate sources. At the
beginning of the cooperation, the supervisor and supervisee will establish mutual
expectations and cooperation rules, e.g. the most important deadlines, preferred
communication channels, means of providing feedback to the assignment etc.
STUDENTS’ WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS 14
The student will keep the supervisor up to date with the work process and will turn to
the supervisor or other members of the teaching staff for advice, explanations or consultation.
In order to finish the assignment on time, any possible obstacles and delays need to be taken
into account which might occur in the period of composing the assignment. The student
needs to inform the supervisor of any difficulties that have occurred, any possible changes in
the set research problem, wording the topic and other similar matters.
The supervisor will point out any mistakes and shortcomings in the assignment, to
weaknesses in argumentation and structure, will evaluate the research methodology and
terminology. The supervisor is not the co-author or editor of the student’s assignment, their
task is not to correct the content of the assignment, not to mention linguistic and stylistic
errors. The student is responsible for the accuracy of their written assignment’s data and
viewpoints.
The supervisor’s role is specified in the good practice of supervising approved in
Social Sciences.
2. Formatting the assignment7
2.1. General requirements
The assignment needs to be formatted according to the requirements of APA
(American Psychological Association). In comparison to the rules of APA, SEBA has the
following exceptions:
• instead of double spacing, 1.5 spacing needs to be used;
• when formatting tables, figures and appendices, instead of double spacing, the text
needs to be single spaced;
• the headings of chapters and subchapters need to be numbered;
• the list of references needs to be numbered;
• all pages of the assignment need to be numbered (except for the title page).
2.2. In-text citation
At SEBA, in-text citations are used, in the case of which the reference needs to be
written in parentheses after the text that is cited. There are two types of in-text citations: 1)
paraphrasing, 2) direct quotation.
Paraphrasing presents the viewpoints or some parts of the text that another author
presented in their work by rewording it, using the student’s own words. It is very important to

7
All technical examples regarding the formatting of the written assignment are available in the assignment
template that can be found on SEBA’s homepage under the materials of the relevant curriculum.
STUDENTS’ WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS 15
observe that the original would be paraphrased sufficiently. In the case of paraphrasing,
quotation marks are not used, but it is necessary to cite the relevant source or author and the
year when the work was published. Also, adding page numbers in the case of paraphrasing is
not necessary. If the assignment contains a verbatim translation, a complete or close
representation of text from the original source and it is not formatted as a quotation, it
is a case of plagiarism even if it is cited correctly. In the case of lists, a reference to the
source needs to be placed at the beginning so that it would be clear that this is not the
author’s creation. Sometimes, paraphrasing can rely on the different works of several authors,
in the case of which all of them need to be cited. When writing the assignment, attention
needs to be paid that the ratio of paraphrased text would not predominate. It is unacceptable if
in some subsection there is no contribution of the author at all and the text consists
completely of paraphrased material.
A direct quotation needs to be a precise match of the original in wording,
orthography, punctuation as well as special features (spacing between letters etc.). In the case
of a quotation, own words are not added, words changing the author’s point are not omitted,
in a quotation it is not allowed to join excerpts of different sentences into one sentence. Any
parts of the sentence or words that are omitted by the author (since they are consider
unnecessary) are to be replaced with three dots. A quotation needs to be presented using
quotation marks. The reference is placed directly after the quotation marks. Quotations are
used in exceptional circumstances when it is necessary to reproduce the exact wording (it is
important, for instance, when comparing definitions). In the case of a quotation, in addition to
stating the author(s) and the year of publication, the page number from which the quotation
was taken also needs to be given.
2.3. The language of the written assignment
The text of the assignment needs to be logical and coherent as well as unambiguous.
In Estonian curricula, the language of the written assignments is usually Estonian but as an
exception theses can be written in English as well. If the master’s thesis is written in the form
of an article, English is preferable. When writing the assignment, it is important for it to be in
correct language and style so that the author’s discussion of problems, reasoning and
conclusions could be followed easily. Here are some tips for achieving this.
The use of language needs to be strictly academic. Wordiness and repetition need to
be avoided. Using the style of lecture notes and slang, journalistic, populist, daily and poetic
STUDENTS’ WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS 16
phrases have no place in students’ writing. Additionally, the use of (over)emotional
adjectives when characterising phenomena or processes needs to be avoided.
After having adopted some terms and symbols, these need to be used consistently
throughout the whole assignment. Synonyms should be avoided when presenting scientific
terms.
The grammatical mood and voice in which the text is written needs to be consistent
throughout the text. Using the personal voice (“I found” or “we found”) as well as the passive
voice (“the author found”) is allowed. The indicative mood is preferable because using
mostly conditional speech can leave the impression that the author is not quite convinced by
the accuracy of their own standpoints.
Orthography. You can check the meaning of words and phrases as well as the
spelling from online dictionaries, e.g. Dictionary.com, Oxford, Merriam-Webster or others.
You can find out more about academic phrases and use of language from the Academic
Phrasebank of the University of Manchester.
2.4. Tables, appendices, figures, formulas and lists
In tables, data need to be presented in a systematic and generalised manner. Tables
that are placed in the text of the written assignment should be as short and simple as possible.
Usually, tables that are shorter than one page can be presented within the text. If the table is
longer than one page, it should be placed in an appendix. The header or notes of the table
need to contain all information that is necessary for the reader to understand the table (what
the abbreviations stand for, the measurement units for numerical data etc.).
Figures. This term includes all illustrations that appear in the text, e.g. diagrams,
graphs, geographical maps, drawings, schemes or photos. All figures need to have a title
(placed under the figure) with a concise description of what is depicted in the figure. When
designing a figure, it is necessary to bear in mind that the information there would be
presented so that it can be differentiated and followed. For these purposes, use a suitable
indication style.
Figures and tables are to be numbered. Each table and figure needs to have a title.
Also, the source of each table and figure needs to be indicated. If the table has been compiled
on the basis of published data, the source needs to be cited; if it is based on the author’s
calculations or data, this needs to be noted as such. Similarly, in the case of figures the source
needs to be noted, or that the figure was compiled by the author.
STUDENTS’ WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS 17
Formulas are differentiated from the rest of the text with punctuation marks that obey
the general rules of the English language. All symbols, numbers and letters need to be
correctly placed within the formula and so that they are in accordance with the content of the
formula. When formatting formulas, a formula editor needs to be used. Formulas need to be
presented in a consistent style throughout the text. If there are several formulas within the
text, they need to be numbered. The number of the formula is placed on the same line as the
formula (preferably on the left) in parentheses. Measurement units are not marked within
formulas, these are to be listed after the formula in the list of symbol explanations.
Items on a list are usually numbered when the order in which they occur is important
or if any of the points is referred to within the text. Otherwise, the order indicators (numbers
or letters) can be omitted and substituted with a dash or another symbol. Examples about
punctuation in lists can be found here. Each level of the list needs to have at least two
subpoints. All lists throughout the text need to be presented in a consistent manner and using
various styles is to be avoided.
3. Submitting, defending and assessing the written assignment
3.1. Submitting the assignment
The finalised electronic version of the research paper, bachelor’s and master’s thesis
or case study is to be uploaded in Moodle as a PDF-file by the deadline set in the academic
calendar of the School of Economics and Business Administration. Assignments will not be
accepted after the deadline has passed. In the case of bachelor’s and master’s theses, the
supervisor will either approve the submission of the thesis for defence or decline the
submission (in case the thesis does not meet the minimum requirements) in Moodle within
three workdays after it was uploaded. In the case of both bachelor’s and master’s theses, a
reviewer will be assigned after the supervisor has approved the thesis for defence. Only
students, who have completed the rest of the curriculum in full and whose supervisor has
approved the submission, are allowed to defend their thesis.
In the case of a master’s thesis (both as a monograph and an article), there will be a
preliminary discussion before the final defence during a period set in the academic
calendar of the School of Economics and Business Administration. The complete version
of the assignment that has been reviewed by the supervisor has to be submitted for
discussion via Moodle by the deadline set in the academic calendar. No submissions will
be accepted after the deadline has passed. The version of the thesis that is submitted for
discussion, needs to contain all the main components (title page, table of contents,
introduction, chapters, summary, list of references and annexes if applicable). The
discussion is held between the author(s), supervisor and reviewer. The author(s) will be
advised on how to improve the final version of the thesis, if necessary.
STUDENTS’ WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS 18

3.2. Defending the written assignment

A short overview of the defence procedure based on the levels and types of written
assignments are presented in Table 3.
Table 3
The procedure for defending the assignment
Bachelor’s level Master’s level
Research Bachelor’s Master’s thesis as a Case
paper thesis monograph or an study
article
Preliminary discussion x
Reviewer’s written opinion x x
Defence in front of the
committee:
- Presentation by the author(s) x x x
- Discussion with the reviewer x x
- Discussion with the defence x x x
committee

The research paper will be assessed by the supervisor, there will be no defence in
front of a committee. In case of the research paper, a reviewer will not be assigned.

In the case of bachelor’s and master’s theses, the defence will take place in front of
a defence committee according to the previously published schedule. A written review (see
Appendix A) will be submitted via Moodle two days before the defence at the latest so that
the author of the assignment can get acquainted with the reviewer’s questions and
assessment, and prepare for the defence.
In the case of a case study of economic problems, the defence will consist of the
student’s presentation and questions from the defence committee members. No reviewers will
be assigned to a case study.
The defence procedure of bachelor’s and master’s theses is the following:
• a presentation by the author(s) of the thesis;
• the opinion of the reviewer;
• debating with the reviewer;
• questions from the defence committee members;
• statements, the opinion of the supervisor;
• closing statement from the student.
When preparing for the defence, the author(s) needs to make a presentation. In the
case of bachelor’s theses, the length of the defence will be up to 10 minutes, and in the case
of master’s theses and case studies of economic problems up to 15 minutes. The presentation
and slides should contain the following:
• title slide with the name(s) of the author(s) and supervisor(s);
STUDENTS’ WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS 19
• the choice and topicality of the research problem;
• the aim and research tasks;
• a short overview of the theoretical part and an introduction of the key concepts;
• an introduction of the methodology of the empirical research;
• the findings of the empirical research;
• conclusions, generalisations.
The presentation needs to show the student’s own contribution to discussing the
addressed research problems. The defended assignment and written presentation can be used
at the defence, but they cannot be read off the paper/screen. It is advisable to illustrate the
presentation with illustrative materials (schemes, figures). When using illustrative materials,
they have to be compiled in such a manner that they are visible and unambiguous enough to
be followed (e.g. the font size in regular text should be at least 22 pt., at least 28 pt. in
headings) and appropriate in the academic context.
If the assignment has a reviewer, the student’s presentation will be followed by the
reviewer’s assessment to the assignment. The task of the reviewer is to give an objective
assessment to the work. The assignment needs to be assessed based on the criteria for content
and formatting (see Table 4) which have been established for this type of assignments and
have been given as requirements in this guideline. The reviewer will present their written
assessment based on all assessment criteria separately. After that, the student will get the
opportunity to answer the reviewer’s questions.
After the debate between the reviewer and the author of the assignment, the members
of the defence committee and any other participants in the public defence will have an
opportunity to ask questions. The members of the defence committee and other participants in
the defence can have a say about the assignment. At the end of the defence, the student will
have the chance to make a concluding statement (also to thank advisers, the reviewer,
supervisor and others).
The results of the defence are announced immediately after the minutes have been
finalised, usually on the same day. When determining a grade, the defence committee will
take into account the content and formatting of the assignment, the student’s presentation, the
assessment of the reviewer and how the questions were answered.
If a student disagrees with the grade they got for defending their thesis, they have the
right to write an appeal to the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs within three workdays after
the grade has been announced. The Vice Dean will summon a new committee to review the
appeal within seven days from receiving the letter. This appeals committee will handle the
STUDENTS’ WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS 20
appeal within seven days from when the committee was summoned. The committee’s
meeting will be recorded and the results can be disputed by submitting an appeal to the
committee within 30 days.
3.3. Assessing the assignment
Research papers are assessed by supervisors according to the criteria below and
have non-differentiated assessment: “pass”/”fail”. The supervisors add in Moodle their
reasoning to the grade and suggestions for improving the paper. Research papers that meet
the following criteria will get a “pass”:
• the assignment’s title, aim, research tasks, structure and content are consistent;
• the assignment’s structure is characteristic to that of a scientific work, all compulsory
parts of the assignment stated in this guideline exist;
• the number and quality of sources used in the overview of earlier empirical research
enable to address the problem with sufficient thoroughness, methodological
approaches common for academic assignments are used (in the case of the
description, analysis as well as synthesis, generalising results), the sources have been
properly cited;
• the suggested methodology and data are appropriate for solving the research problem,
choosing them has been reasoned well;
• in the research, the author’s contribution in analysing and synthesising information
from different sources is evident;
• there is no plagiarism in the written assignment and the assignment does not
contradict other research ethics principles;
• the language use and terminology are correct in general, the mistakes that occur do
not hinder understanding the written assignment;
• the technical formatting is in accordance with the requirements for students’ written
assignments at SEBA;
• when submitting the assignment, the relevant regulations and deadlines have been
observed.
The case study of economic problems has non-differentiated assessment and the
defence committee will assign “pass”/”fail”. The more specific requirements for the
assignment have been presented in the syllabus of the course “Economic Problems: a Case
Analysis” in the respective curriculum.
The defence committee will assess the bachelor’s and master’s theses on the scale
of A-F. Upon determining a grade, the following aspects will be taken into account:
• setting and achieving the research aim;
STUDENTS’ WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS 21
• the theoretical approach;
• the empirical approach;
• the written version of the assignment;
• the performance at the defence, including answering the questions of the reviewer and
the defence committee members.
The more specific criteria for getting a positive grade for the theses are given in Table
4. A thesis cannot get a positive grade if there are any of the following shortcomings:
• there is theft of intellectual property (plagiarism) in the assignment or it contradicts
other research ethics principles
• the assignment is not submitted by the deadline
• at least one of the five criteria given in Table 4 is below the requirements for the
lowest positive grade (E).
STUDENTS’ WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS 22
Table 4. Criteria for getting a positive grade for bachelor’s and master’s theses (both as a monograph and an article).
• At the assessment, the learning outcomes of the programme of the relevant study level are taken into account, on the basis of this also the
student’s level of preparation and the volume of the written assignment in ECTS are considered.
• When the final grade is determined based on the grades of the separate criteria, the ones that have more weight are setting the research
aim, achieving it and the theoretical and empirical approaches. In the case of theses defended in the form of monographs and articles,
there are certain differences (e.g. structural differences and usually research tasks are not set in the case of articles) that are taken into
account at the assessment. If the theoretical or empirical contribution significantly exceed the criteria for the grade A, the committee will
take it into account when determining the final grade.
E D C B A
Setting and • the title, aim, research tasks, structure and content are consistent
achieving the • the conclusions drawn in the written assignment are derived relying on the conducted analysis
research aim • the length of the content part does not diverge significantly from the suggested length
The aim of the thesis The research aim of the The assignment has a The assignment has an The assignment has a
and research tasks are thesis and tasks are sufficiently clear aim appropriate and topical very appropriate and
set vaguely, the aim is sufficiently clear. The and research tasks. aim and reasonable topical aim and
only partially achieved. aim is achieved The aim has been research tasks. The aim is reasonable research
The structure of the partially, the achieved, but the achieved, the results, tasks. The author
thesis enables to conclusions are conclusions are conclusions and achieved the aim, the
generally follow how disputable. The disputable. The generalisations are results, conclusions and
the problem was structure of the structure of the sufficiently good. The generalisations are on a
addressed and the assignment is generally assignment is logical, structure of the high level. The structure
process of achieving logical, some parts are all parts are assignment is logical, all of the assignment is
the aim. weakly related with the sufficiently related to parts are related to the logical, all parts are
research problem. the topic. topic and are in good related to the topic very
balance. well and are in good
balance.
Theoretical It is mainly descriptive, Mainly descriptive The information from The used literature has The used literature has
approach the information taken with a few various sources has been sufficiently analysed been skilfully analysed
from different sources comparisons, been compared, the and synthesised and and synthesised, the
has not been compared. conclusions and author’s illustrated with tables author has composed
Little scientific generalisations. Little generalisations and and/or figures compiled synthesising tables
literature has been scientific literature has conclusions are by the author. When and/or figures. When
STUDENTS’ WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS 23
E D C B A
used, but it enables to been used, but it sufficient. Sufficient addressing the problem, discussing the problem,
create a minimally enables to address the relevant scientific sufficient relevant relevant scientific
acceptable theoretical problem at an literature has been scientific literature has literature has been relied
basis. acceptable theoretical used for addressing been used. on.
level. the problem.
Empirical The method of analysis The method of analysis The method of The method of analysis The method of analysis
approach has not been clearly has been described analysis has been has been presented and is presented and
presented, but it is with sufficient clarity, presented and reasoned clearly, there are reasoned clearly, there
recognisable from the but its use has been reasoned clearly, sufficient data for are sufficient data for
discussion. Data for poorly reasoned. There there are sufficient addressing the problem, addressing the problem,
addressing the problem are sufficient data for data for addressing the analysis has been the analysis has been
are insufficient, the addressing the the problem, the conducted correctly. The conducted very well.
analysis is mainly problem, the analysis is analysis has been findings have been While interpreting the
descriptive and/or there mainly descriptive conducted correctly, interpreted sufficiently findings, generalisations
are significant and/or there are some in general. The and are sufficiently were reached, the results
methodological shortcomings in the findings have been related to the scientific are related with the
shortcomings. Findings methodology. The interpreted literature. scientific literature well.
have been presented. results have been sufficiently and
presented and they related to the
have been interpreted scientific literature to
to a small extent. a small extent.

Presentation in The text is generally The text is The text is logical The text is logical and The text is logical and
written form understandable but understandable but and coherent, there coherent, the terminology coherent, on a high
difficult to read. difficult to read in are some occasional is correct. Citations are academic level, the
Citations are generally places. Citations are mistakes. Citations correct. The formatting of terminology is correct.
correct. The formatting generally correct. The are correct. The the assignment is in Citations are correct.
guideline has been formatting guideline formatting has been accordance with the The formatting of the
followed, but there are has been followed, but done according to requirements, a few assignment is in
considerable mistakes. there are several requirements, but occasional mistakes can accordance with the
mistakes. occur. requirements.
STUDENTS’ WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS 24
E D C B A
some mistakes can
occur.
Performance at the The presentation The presentation gives The presentation The presentation has been The presentation has
defence enables to follow the a sufficient overview gives a sufficiently structured well, it is been structured well, is
content of the of the assignment and meaningful overview presented fluently and presented masterfully
assignment, but it does findings. At the of the assignment and gives a substantial and gives a great
not give a sufficiently defence, the student findings. At the overview of the findings. overview of the findings.
clear overview of the can answer most defence, the student At the defence, the At the defence, the
findings. At the questions about their can give substantial student gives thorough student gives thorough
defence, the student work. answers to most and meaningful answers and substantial answers
can give at least partial questions about the to all questions about the to all questions and can
answers to most work. work. conduct an academic
questions about the discussion with the
work. reviewer and defence
committee.
STUDENTS’ WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS 25

Appendix A.
Form for reviewing bachelor’s and master’s theses

OPINION OF THE REVIEWER

About the bachelor’s/master’s thesis by the student/students of the University of Tartu School
of Economics and Business Administration ............................................................. titled
“……….…………………………………………..……………………………...……”.

1. Setting the research aim and fulfilling it

…………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
Specific grade (based on the table of grading criteria) ……………

2. Theoretical discussion
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
Specific grade (based on the table of grading criteria)……………

3. Empirical approach
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
Specific grade (based on the table of grading criteria)……………

4. Written submission
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
Specific grade (based on the table of grading criteria)……………

5. Questions and comments

…………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………

6. General assessment to the written assignment (the reviewer does not suggest a final grade
in the written review. The final grade will be suggested by the reviewer after the discussion
with the author of the assignment at the defence)
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………

Reviewer ……………………………
(name and signature)
Date: