Structure and Format

General Structure of the Thesis

• Cover page
• Abstract (both sets of guidelines for Master's Thesis and Main Thesis at PSI offer good outlines for the abstract)
• Introduction
• Theory (if your thesis is theory-heavy, you should make this a separate chapter. Alternatively, it can be incorporated into the introduction.)
• Method
• Results
• Discussion (Results and Discussion can be written together or separately, depending on what suits your thesis)
• Conclusion

Formal Requirements

Master thesis: Times New Roman 12-point font, 1.5 line spacing, 2.5 cm (approximately 1 inch) margins. The thesis should follow APA 7th Edition. Theoretical studies must not exceed 70 pages of body text. Empirical studies must not exceed 50 pages of body text, preferably 30-40 pages.

Formal Requirements for Main Thesis (Proffesional studies): Use Times New Roman 12-point font, 1.5 line spacing, with 2.5 cm margins. 40-50 pages excluding figures and tables, but not exceeding 55 pages if including figures and tables. The body text is what counts.

• Please refer to these websites for updated formatting requirements under F) Form and Structure: Master's Thesis at PSI: Guidelines and Requirements and the clinical studies guidelines and requirements
• It's wise to review previously submitted master's theses within similar subjects/methods to your project: Previous Master's Theses at PSI, UiO

Note! When writing together the length requirements of the assignment are not affected, but the task should reflect that two people have worked on it (for example, through more data or a more thorough analysis). You are entitled to 50 hours of guidance, instead of the usual 40 hours for those writing alone

The thesis should be written in accordance to APA 7th Edition. APA (American Psychological Association) has specific guidelines for referencing, citation, writing style, and phrasing that are used worldwide. More information about APA can be found here. The official APA 7th Edition manual provides detailed information about almost everything one might wonder (e.g., structuring of headings, placement of page numbers, front cover appearance). At PSI, it is not required to follow each of their guidelines to the letter, but the minimum requirement is adhering to their citation and referencing guidelines.

Useful websites for references

• Referencing Guide for Humanities and Social Sciences
• The Citation Compass
• Search & Write

Reference tools: You may use reference management tools to streamline the referencing process. Here are some common tools:

• Zotero
• EndNote

Useful websites for academic writing

• https://www.sokogskriv.no/en/writing/organising-a-thesis.html
• https://www.sokogskriv.no/en/writing/the-imrad-format.html
• https://www.sokogskriv.no/en/writing/formal-requirements.html
• https://www.sokogskriv.no/en/writing/language-and-style.html
• https://www.ub.uio.no/english/libraries/writing-centre/