Tallinn University
Law School
COMPILING, FORMATTING, AND DEFENDING STUDENT WORKS
Guidelines for law students
Tallinn
2013
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................. 3
I. TYPES OF STUDENT WORKS AND
FORMATTING..................................................................................................................... 4
1.1. Types of student works....................................................................................... 4
1.1.1. Essay…………………………………………………..…....... 4
1.1.2. Term paper….……………………..……………….……...…. 4
1.1.3. Automatic term paper….……………………..…………...…. 5
1.1.4 Research….……………………..…….…….……………....….5
1.1.5. Bachelor’s thesis….……………………..………………....… 5
1.1.6. Master’s thesis…………………………………………..……. 6
1.2. General principles of writing final theses…………………………..…….……. 7
1.3. Work structure..................................................................................................... 8
1.3.1 General structure of scientific work…………………………… 8
1.3.2 Structure of Bachelor’s and Master’s theses…………….…… 13
1.4. The general principles of formatting................................................................... 13
1.5. Quotes, references, referencing........................................................................... 15
1.5.1 About referencing in general………………………………..… 15
1.5.2 Referencing in Tallinn University Law School………………. 18
1.6. References list..................................................................................................... 21
1.7. Regulatory materials list………………………………………......................... 23
1.8. List of used judicial decisions............................................................................. 23
II. PROCEDURE FOR THE PRE-DEFENCE AND DEFENCE OF FINAL THESES...... 25
2.1. Selecting and confirming final theses topics....................................................... 25
2.2. Pre-defence and submitting final theses for pre-defence.................................... 25
2.3. Submitting final theses for defence.................................................................... 26
2.4. Defending and assessing final theses……………………………………….….. 27
2.5. Contestation of defence results............................................................................ 30
REFERENCES AND USED LEGISLATION..................................................................... 31
ANNEXES............................................................................................................................. 31
Annex 1 Title page sample......................................................................................... 32
Annex 2 Author’s declaration sample........................................................................ 33
Annex 3 Bachelor’s thesis subject confirmation application sample......................... 34
Annex 4 Master’s thesis subject confirmation application sample............................. 35
Annex 5 Final thesis supervision diary sample........................................................... 36
Annex 6 Final thesis supervisor comment sample....................................................... 40
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Annex 7 Final thesis review form sample...................................................... 42
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INTRODUCTION
This material is compiled for Tallinn University Law School law students in order to better
understand and perceive the general requirements for formatting written works. These
guidelines are largely based on Tartu University’s collection published in 2011: Writing and
formatting student works. Guidelines for law students (Juura publishing house, Tallinn
2011) in order to summarise the formatting guidelines. Moreover, the guidelines have also
relied on sources that were previously used in Akadeemia Nord and Tallinn University:
“Guidelines for written submissions” and “Tips for written submissions” and article
formatting requirements for articles published in Juridica.
The guidelines deal only with the formatting of student works, setting research methodology
questions aside. These guidelines are not a detailed handbook for writing a final thesis. Their
goal is rather pointing out important matters related to writing a thesis, frequent problems,
possible deficiencies in the work and how to avoid them. The guidelines do not deal with
formatting and defending doctoral theses, such guidelines are included in the document
“Regulations on Tallinn University doctoral studies and defending doctoral theses”
(regulation no 10 of Tallinn University’s Senate of 17 October 2011).
The guidelines consist of two parts, the first part focuses on the general requirements of
formatting written submissions, the second on the prerequisites of defending final theses,
defence regulations, and evaluation criteria.
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I. TYPES OF STUDENT WORKS AND FORMATTING
1.1 Types of student works
1.1.1 An essay is a writing of scientific content covering a certain problem or phenomenon.
The essay is characterised by an author-centred approach to the subject, problems,
phenomena, and things. The essay demands from its writer maturity of thought and a good
command of language tools. Although the author has quite a bit of freedom when expressing
his thoughts (he could write with an individual style, use means of expression characteristic to
public affairs and literary style), the essay still has to reflect its writer’s proficiency and
perception of reality. An essay has an analytical nature, i.e. the author’s thoughts have to be
unidirectional and clear, and help in understanding the contents of the writing. An essay is the
student’s independent work, it is not supervised. An essay is not a term paper, therefore,
paraphrasing the standpoints of different authors should be avoided.
Essay:
1) the title refers to a problem, is figurative and irritating;
2) the introduction could be based on a fact, memory image, emotion, event;
3) subject development is analytical, the shift is from a particular phenomenon to general
problems;
4) the conclusion is a generalisation of the written part; the essay could end with a punch line.
A longer essay should be structured with subheadings, while a shorter essay can be left
unstructured. The volume of a scientific essay is five to ten pages of main text (from
introduction to conclusion); the number of resources is free or determined by the lecturer. An
essay may be a pre-requisite for the exam. An essay does not have to be bound.
1.1.2 The aim of a term paper is to assemble and generalise already existing information,
summarise the contents of source texts or scientific research results of a problem or topic.
Compiling a term paper deepens the ability to gather information from special literature,
generalise it, and shape it into a scientific text, while at the same time developing the writer’s
expressiveness. A term paper is the student’s independent work, it is not supervised. A term
paper does not comment on the standpoints of the authors’ works, but gives an authentic
overview of them.
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Term paper structure:
1) table of contents;
2) introduction, in which the topic, problem(s), and issues to be addressed are phrased;
3) subject development, where an overview of handled issues is provided; depending on the
subject, the text can be divided into chapters that analyse the different facets of the subject;
4) conclusion that summarises the main arguments presented in the development;
5) references list.
A term paper is up to 10-12 pages of main text (from introduction to conclusion) and is
structured with subheadings. A term paper written as a group assignment can be longer and
this is determined by the lecturer. The number of required resources is generally determined
by the lecturer. A term paper may be a pre-requisite for the exam, as specified in the course
programme. A term paper does not have to be bound.
1.1.3 An automatic term paper is an author’s short summary of a work, generally a research
(e.g. thesis). An automatic term paper is a pre-introduction of a research, including its main
theses and results.
1.1.4 Research is a written submission on a subject chosen by a student and supervised by a
lecturer, in which a student presents the results of his empirical or theoretical research.
Research has to meet the requirements applied to research work. Its volume is 20-25 pages of
main text that includes the introduction and conclusion. The objective is to acquire a scientific
approach, the rules of using sources critically and format correctly. The work is based mainly
on standpoints from literature or on an analysis of empirical material (e.g. crime statistics or
administrative and judicial practice) and finding and analysing reasoned solutions for the
problem. Research is submitted in one copy in a file folder or in a ring binder. Research is
defended in front of a defence committee.
1.1.5 A Bachelor’s thesis is an analysis of a legal problem based on scientific literature and
compliant with research requirements. The objective is to deepen the student’s professional
knowledge and gain experience for future independent research. A Bachelor’s thesis indicates
that the student is familiar with scientific-methodological literature, legislation and
administrative practice, and judicial decisions, can analyse and generalise them, state his
viewpoints and submit them in the required form. A Bachelor’s thesis shall be written in the
curriculum language (Estonian or English if the curriculum is in English).
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In justified exceptional cases (working abroad, publishing the thesis in a foreign magazine,
thesis supervisor is from a foreign university), the thesis for Estonian Bachelor’s studies can
be in a foreign language (English) as decided by the Council of the Law School. The abstract
of an Estonian work has to be in a foreign language and the abstract of a foreign language
work in English. The volume of a Bachelor’s thesis is on average 1.5–2 author’s quires, i.e.
about 45 -50 pages (including introduction and conclusion), references of about 1,000 pages,
the foreign–language abstract is generally 10% of the volume of the main part of the work.
A Bachelor’s thesis is submitted in three identical copies: two bound paper versions (at least
one hardbound) and one electronic version. The reverse of the title page of the hardbound
paper version has to include the supervisor’s signature that certifies that the final thesis is
compliant with requirements, and the signature of the defence committee chairman proving
that the thesis is allowed to proceed to defence. The electronic version of the thesis cannot
differ from the bound version submitted on paper.
The head of study programme and the supervisor assign a reviewer for the Bachelor’s thesis.
The reviewer must have at least a Master’s degree or equivalent qualification. The review
includes an evaluation on the final thesis meeting the requirements. The reviewer does not
grade the thesis.
The Bachelor’s thesis is publicly defended in front of a committee which evaluates verbally
(excellent, very good, good, satisfactory, sufficient, and fail) and with letters (A, B, C, D, E,
F).
1.1.6 A Master’s thesis is a complex theoretical research work with an applied aspect, written
independently under the guidance of a supervisor, in which the student determines the
research object and problem clearly and finds a specific solution for the latter. Besides
analysing specialist literature, the student also studies the problem empirically, if the specifics
of the work anticipate this, and then presents his reasoned standpoints. In addition to an
academic supervisor, the final thesis could also have a consultant.
A Master’s thesis shall be written in the curriculum language (in Estonian if the curriculum is
in Estonian or in English if the curriculum is in English). In justified exceptional cases
(working abroad, publishing the thesis in a foreign magazine, thesis supervisor is from a
foreign university), the thesis for Estonian Master’s studies can be in a foreign language
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(English) as decided by the Council of the Law School. The abstract of an Estonian work has
to be in a foreign language and the abstract of a foreign language work in English. The
volume of a Master’s thesis is on average 60-70 pages of main text (including introduction
and conclusion), references of about 3,000-3,500 pages, the foreign–language abstract is
generally 10% of the volume of the main part of the work.
A Master’s thesis is submitted in three identical copies: two bound paper versions (at least
one hardbound) and one electronic version. The reverse of the title page of the hardbound
paper version has to include the supervisor’s signature that certifies that the final thesis is
compliant with requirements, and the signature of the defence committee chairman proving
that the thesis is allowed to proceed to defence. The electronic version of the thesis cannot
differ from the bound version submitted on paper.
The head of study programme and the supervisor assign a reviewer for the Master’s thesis.
The reviewer must have at least a Master’s degree or equivalent qualification, but preferably a
Doctoral degree. The review includes an evaluation on the final thesis meeting the
requirements. The reviewer does not grade the thesis.
A Master’s thesis is defended in front of a defence committee as a public academic discussion
and only if the graduate applicant and generally also supervisor and reviewer are present. The
defence committee grades a Master’s thesis in a closed sitting, the result is reached in a secret
ballot of the committee. To make a decision, at least half of the committee has to support the
decision. The committee evaluates the Master’s thesis verbally (excellent, very good, good,
satisfactory, sufficient, and fail) and with letters (A, B, C, D, E, F).
1.2. General principles of writing final theses
If the student has chosen a topic for his final thesis (Bachelor’s or Master’s thesis), he
consults with the possible supervisor and then submits an application with the supervisor’s
agreement to the academic unit in order to confirm the topic. When choosing the topic, it is
vital to consider its topicality in society (e.g. number of persons involved, etc.); novelty;
elaboration level in legal literature; whether there is enough special literature on it (depending
on the specifics, also empirical material); the possibility of giving new legal value; one’s own
interest and abilities. The topic of the work has to be worded precisely.
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At the same time, the work must have an objective, i.e. what it aims for. When choosing a
topic for the Bachelor’s thesis, it should be considered whether this could be developed into a
Master’s thesis, in the latter case into a Doctoral thesis, i.e. the opportunity to develop the
topic in further works should be borne in mind.
If the author has worded an objective that he wants to reach and designated a problem that he
is going to solve, a preliminary design consisting of possible chapters and their subsections
should be compiled. The preliminary design may change, but this stage is the basis for the
work’s logical structure.
The research process is the following:
1) selecting the topic and explaining it;
2) establishing the main problem;
3) determining the research status of the main problem (elaboration level in literature, whether
it has been researched, who has researched it – schools, authors, used research methods, etc.);
4) establishing the objective of the research;
5) establishing hypotheses;
6) formulating main tasks and research questions;
7) in a Bachelor’s thesis, outlining the methodology and in a Master’s thesis outlining
theoretical-methodological attitude (ontology, epistemology, methodology);
8) description of the work’s comprehensive structure – whether the author uses a deductive or
inductive approach;
9) determining the possible target group for the work (at whom this research is directed, who
can use it in their work, etc.);
10) assessing the need for further research.
The text should also be written regarding the topic choice (generally, the text paragraph
structure has to be deductive, meaning that general points should be justified with arguments
that are less general, moving from general to individual, etc.). In some cases, inductive
approach is also justified, the method of choice should definitely be explained in the
introduction.
A final thesis cannot contain plagiarism – using standpoints published in special literature
without referring to their authors and scientific works (scientific articles, monographs,
collections, and other works).
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A final thesis cannot be a compilation – combining viewpoints from legal literature, materials
for law preparation, letters of explanation, legal analysis, administrative and judicial practice
decision without analysing their content and presenting one’s own viewpoint.
1.3. Work structure
1.3.1 General structure of scientific work
Scientific text consists of a title page, introduction, topic development (substantive or
constructive part structured as chapters or paragraphs), conclusion, foreign language abstract,
and references list.
The title page is the first page of the submission, on which the educational institution (in
capital letters), curriculum name, author’s name and surname, submission’s title (in capital
and bold letters), submission type (research, Bachelor’s or Master’s thesis), supervisor’s
professional or academic degree, name and surname, place (Tallinn) and year of submission
are marked (see title page sample in Annex 1). Words are not hyphenated on the title page and
no full stop is added to the title, etc.
The title has to be informative and worded precisely and unambiguously. In later database
searches, this should give as precise information on the work as possible and elaborate on its
contents adequately. Often, changes occur during the writing process (e.g. expanding or
narrowing the used materials) and the work’s title may not be updated according to the
substantial changes. If the work is ready, the author should once again think about the title
and correct it if necessary.
In terms of structure, the title has to correspond with the text structure (either deductive or
inductive). For example:
1) Money laundering as a crime (the title expresses the text’s idea or main idea justified in the
research);
2) Estonia’s sovereignty – lost power? (the title highlights a relevant detail or question, the
elaborating of which opens the main idea of the text);
3) Modern public university (the title presents the idea in general terms and is solved in the
text).
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The reverse of the title page includes the author’s declaration: “I have written the
...work/thesis independently. All the works and principled positions of other authors and data
from other sources used in this work have references,” the supervisor’s confirmation on the
thesis complying with the requirements and the date of allowing it to proceed to defence with
the signature of the defence committee chairman (see Annex 2).
The table of contents includes all the exact titles with their beginning page numbers for all
the subheadings (also lists, annexes, and abstract) in the work (see the table of contents of
these guidelines). The title is followed by a dotted line or a line with the page number at the
end (the abbreviation “p.” not included). The table of contents has to be comprehensive not
only substantially, but also visually, the chapter headings should be clearly distinguishable.
The following subheading is separated from the previous with an indent. The title page and
the table of contents are not included in the table of contents. The table of contents can be
generated automatically by using the relevant option in a word processor.
The introduction includes the justified topicality of the research subject and the reasoning for
the topic selection (personal interest cannot be the only argument for selecting the topic).
Simply stating the topicality is not sufficient, it has to be justified. The research status often
indicates the topicality, so the introduction or introductory paragraph of the Master’s thesis
should also mention whether and in which works the relevant problems have been previously
handled and what results they reached. The novelty of the research both theoretically and
practically in terms of law has to be explained.
The main problem and the objectives and specific research questions of the thesis are derived
from the topicality of the subject. The problem shall be worded precisely and clearly. If the
research is structured quantitatively or deductively, hypotheses (the author’s statements about
something), research material (research questions), methods used to achieve the objective, and
expected results (whether the hypothesis was proved or not) should definitely be established.
The introduction also refers to the level of topic elaboration in legal literature, previous
research, and sources relied on in the work. The introduction has to establish whether it is
theoretical research, empirical material, legal analysis, etc.
The introduction also gives a short overview of the thesis structure (what a certain part
handles). At the same time, the introduction cannot become a paraphrase of the thesis table of
contents.
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The selection of used resources should also be justified and they require an initial overall
assessment. The introduction cannot be divided into titled parts. The introduction is about 510% of the total thesis volume (research and Bachelor’s thesis 2-3 pages, Master’s thesis 3-6
pages). If a small amount of key terms need to be explained in the thesis, this can be done in
the introduction or in the main text, where they are used for the first time. If there are many
terms like this, the introduction can be followed by a separate part explaining the key terms.
The structure of the main part depends on the chosen topic as well as the set problem and
objective and tasks. For a clearer overview, the text is divided into main and subsections, the
number of which depends on the chosen topic, set objectives, and tasks. The main parts form
a single unit and are presented in a logical sequence. The content parts have to give an
overview of the presented problems, their solutions, results, conclusions, and proposals. This
part presents the principal positions and research results and analyses and interprets them. The
development should be precise in wording and facts. The statements are justified and
illustrated with facts, citations, and abstracts for which their frequency, linguistic accuracy,
clarity of thought, relevance, and preciseness are primary. Citations and abstracts should not
be too long because the student’s own thoughts and viewpoints could otherwise be left in the
background. The chapters have to be meaningful wholes that are ruled by the thesis topic, but
each one handles its specific problem. The parts of the thesis have to be presented in a logical
sequence, also depending on whether the research moves from general to individual or vice
versa. The chapters of a more voluminous thesis can end with a summarising paragraph that
can be entitled as an interim summary.
The main part is about 70-90% of the thesis volume and it is structured as chapters, subchapters, and sections, the former being marked with Roman or Arabic numbers, the
following parts with letters or Arabic numbers. All the parts have to be numbered. No full
stop is used at the end of a title. As a rule, a chapter title cannot include abbreviations,
symbols, paragraph numbers. A chapter begins on a new page. The chapter order depends on
how to handle the questions efficiently in order to elaborate on the topic. It is important to
consider the volume balance of the subheadings in the main part of the thesis, i.e. the
subheadings of the thesis have to be proportional (e.g. one chapter cannot be three and another
20 pages). Too much division of the main part of the thesis and dividing the entire thesis into
multiple chapters that contain a few pages is not allowed. The number of chapters is not
regulated, for research 2-3 and for a Master’s thesis 2-4 are recommended.
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Chapters and sub-chapters have to be logically connected and form a whole according to the
topic. There has to be more than one sub-chapter, i.e. part 1.1. has to be followed by part 1.2.
The conclusion (5-10% of the thesis volume) gives answers to the question(s) asked in the
introduction. All the more important conclusions must logically derive from the previous
handling. These cannot be fiction nor presumptions. Conclusions can be presented as theses
and be enumerated as points. In the conclusion, arguments justify whether the hypotheses
established in the introduction were confirmed or disproved. The end of the conclusion could
also include a reference to problems that could not be solved in the work and that should be
researched further. Exaggerations should be avoided – it may seem that the author has not
completed the thesis. No new viewpoints are presented, but the previous information is
summarised. If chapters had conclusions at their end, referring to them and summarising them
briefly is enough. The conclusion can include proposals for applying the thesis results, e.g. act
amendment proposal de lege ferenda, proposal to amend legal regulation or administrative
and judicial practice. The conclusion does not include viewpoints and conclusions for
questions that were not handled in the main part of the thesis, neither does it refer to previous
text, literature, nor legislation.
The list of references and other information sources is placed at the end of the thesis, so that
the reader could get a precise overview of primary sources and could check the references.
This includes only referenced literature. The references list contains bibliographic records of
books, Master’s and Doctoral theses, methodology materials, etc. listed alphabetically; the list
of laws and acts is compiled separately. All these are different and entitled accordingly, but
with a uniform successive numeration (the list of abbreviations can be left unnumbered).
Electronic sources are listed according to the contents of the material (legislation, literature,
etc.), these do not form a separate list. Used sources that are not referred to in the thesis (for
example, viewed judicial records) are mentioned in the introduction in a general way (e.g.
criminal files of Tartu County Court 2005-2010, 100 files). Abbreviations are presented as a
list only when they are unfamiliar. The abbreviations list is not separately highlighted when it
contains well-known legal abbreviations or when these were spelled out in the text upon their
first mention (e.g. HMS, KarS, TsÜS, etc.). The list of abbreviations does not contain
abbreviations that are usually not spelled out as a whole (e.g. USA, UN, etc.). Depending on
the peculiarity of the work,, the used material could be systematised differently, for example,
form separate lists of legislations and their comments, primary and secondary literature,
international agreements, etc.
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The abstract is followed by annexes (if necessary). When compiling the main parts, it is
necessary to also think about what material shall remain in the main text and what could be
put into the annexes. The main text includes these parts that are directly needed to develop the
main idea of the work. Material that contains additional information (e.g. primary data) is best
placed in the annexes. The annexes are numbered and titled. Each annex starts on a new page;
the numbers and titles of the annexes are included in the table of contents. Each annex should
have a reference in the work. All used resources should be referenced in the annexes.
Acknowledgements to supervisor, consultant, contributors, sponsors, and others can be
placed in the introduction, conclusion, or as a separate paragraph after the conclusion.
The foreign–language abstract is not a translation of the Estonian conclusion, but a
synthesis of the research’s introduction and conclusion. It gives an overview of the objective
of the thesis, researched problem, its solving methods, and results. The abstract has a foreignlanguage title (the exact translation of the research topic) and under it the explanation
“Abstract” in the respective foreign language. The abstract is most commonly written in
English. French, German, or Russian abstracts can be considered, if the subject area is such
that it could be of particular interest for a readership speaking the respective language. If the
research is not in Estonian, the abstract has to be in English.
1.3.2 Structure of Bachelor’s and Master’s theses
1) title page;
2) author’s declaration;
3) table of contents;
4) introduction;
5) text;
6) conclusion;
7) references list;
8) annexes (if necessary);
9) foreign-language abstract.
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1.4. The general principles of formatting
The objective of a scientific text is to mediate the results of either theoretical or empirical
research, i.e. showcase the data and problems of some discipline, based on specialist literature
and/or one’s own research results. The text could also be applied research. Scientific text is
characterised by objectivity and precision. This imposes certain restrictions on scientific texts
in terms of structure, style, and referencing: the text may not be effusive (does not mean it is
boring) and all references must be verifiable. A scientific style is used when presenting the
subject matter, i.e. the text has a logical structure and is broken down into main sections and
subsections based on the researched subject matter, these in turn into paragraphs. The final
thesis has to be written in correct language and be neutral in style. On the one hand,
linguistic neutrality means preferring impersonal voice (handled, analysed in the thesis) or the
forms of third person (the thesis views, analyses) that are spread in Estonian tradition, while
the use of first person is not disapproved of either (e.g. I research, analyse).
Written submissions are submitted in a standard format (A4) on one side of white paper;
Master’s and Bachelor’s theses hardbound; research in a ring binder or file folder; essay, term
paper, practice report, home case solution, and non-auditory (home) quiz either in a file
folder, stapled, or electronically according to the requirements of the particular course or
conditions set by the course lecturer. Student works are submitted as computer printouts with
a line spacing of 1.5 (12 point font), about 3,000 characters on a page, in Times New Roman.
The pages should have the following margins: 3 cm at the left and 2 cm at the top, bottom,
right.
Paragraphs that express separate thoughts are separated with one empty line, title and text are
separated by at least one empty line, two numbered sub-paragraphs are separated by two
empty lines. The text has to be justified, meaning that every line reaches from the left margin
to the right (Justify option on the computer). If this causes long spaces between words in lines,
hyphenating the words could also be used (not compulsory).
Words are not hyphenated in the title and no full stop is added to it. The title is transferred to
the next page if less than three lines of the following text fit at the end of the page.
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As a rule, using bold or italics is not allowed in scientific works; the latter is allowed as an
exception for barbarisms and terms, important and less important has to be separated by the
expression and contents of the text.
Points of a list inside the text are marked either with Arabic numbers, lower case letters,
dashes, or other symbols (choose Format and Numbering or gul/ets). The list is mostly
numbered (a letter or Arabic number and the following parenthesis are used) when the order
has a substantial meaning; the list numeration cannot coincide with that of subheadings. Parts
of the list can begin on a new line or be positioned in the text one after another. If a part of the
list contains only one sentence, it starts with a lower case letter; if there are at least two
sentences, then with a capital letter. Using lower case or capital initials also depends on
whether the list is a continuation of the previous sentence or contains independent sentences.
The list is ended with a comma or semicolon. A list must be preceded or followed by an
explanation; a chapter, sub-chapter, etc. is not begun nor ended with a list.
Thesis pages are numbered at the bottom centre. When numbering the pages, all the pages are
included (from the title page until the end of the paper), including those with figures and
charts. The title page is included in numbering, but no page number is written on it. The first
page number is marked on the first page of the table of contents. At the beginning and end of
the final thesis there has to be a white sheet (a so-called binding page) that is not considered
upon numbering.
The references list includes all sources used and referred to while writing the thesis.
Numerical data and materials that help to understand the text, complement it, or confirm the
conclusions in the text are presented as annexes. Each annex starts on a new page; the annexes
are numbered and the titles are included in the table of contents. Charts can be put onto bigger
sheets, but they have to be folded to the same size with other pages.
A foreign-language abstract must be included in the final theses of students and on works to
be published. The abstract is not a short version of the conclusion, but gives a brief overview
of the thesis objective and the problems handled.
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1.5. Quotes, references, referencing
1.5.1 About referencing in general
When using texts from other authors as well as the author’s own previously published works
and other source materials (judicial practice, archive materials), they have to be referenced.
The author can agree with these previously published viewpoints and present them in order to
affirm his viewpoints or the author could also confute them in his thesis. A neutral approach
to them is also possible, e.g. to describe the previous research in this field or to guide the
reader towards a more elaborate approach for this topic.
Correct referencing is also vital if using literature is not necessary, but the author has still
done it. The viewpoints and data from previously mentioned other authors that the author has
not established himself are presented as quotes or references.
A quote is a literal excerpt from the text, usually used if a reference cannot convey the exact
thought or if it is an especially expressive, interesting example or if quoted material is
substantially important, rebuttable, or analysable in terms of the thesis. A quote has to be
literal and fully coincide with the original. All quotes have to be in quotation marks. Only a
particular text that is a few sentences long is used from the text as a quote. It is recommended
not to overdo quotes because otherwise the thesis may become a collection of quotes with no
room for the author’s own thoughts and for creating new knowledge. Spelling mistakes are
not corrected in a quote, but they can be highlighted. Usually a quote is one sentence or a
paragraph, sometimes passages specified in different places. If something in the quote is
shortened by leaving out text when compared to the original, the omission can be highlighted
in several different ways: /.../ or (...) or [---] or ... Shortenings cannot be made in a way that
changes the idea of the original text. Moreover, it is not recommended to quote a source by
some other work, except in a case when the initial source cannot be used. Short, one- and twosentence, quotes are distinguished from the main text with quotation marks. Longer quotes are
separated from the main text with one line spacing and the entire quote/quote paragraph with
an indent line. The line spacing for a quote is one interval. Additions or emphases of the
thesis author in the quote are separated from the quote with a slash.
17
A reference is communicating the contents of the original text briefly in one’s own words.
When referencing a text in a foreign language, the translation should be careful, so the
original thought would not change. The reference has to be close to the original, own
viewpoints cannot be added to this and its tone cannot be changed.
Upon referencing a previously published work and quoting the text, the author’s name,
work’s title, and the publication source are referred to (see more in the sub-chapter focusing
separately on referencing technique). References to generally known information, i.e.
information known to a person with upper secondary education or people active in the field
are not included. In case of doubt, it is recommended to always refer to a source.
If the referenced or quoted work is not available, it is allowed to reference/quote indirectly,
i.e. both the details of the work to be referenced/quoted as well as the details of the work
through which the primary source is referenced/quoted are specified. It is not permitted to
directly refer to a work that could not be acquired. For example, if A. Kalvi’s article handles
the viewpoints of A. Piip’s work “Kaubandusõigus ja -protsess”, but the latter is not available
for the author, it is correct to reference it as follows:
Piip, A. Kaubandusõigus ja -protsess. Tallinn: Ministry of Justice, 1995. page 167 (referenced
in Kalvi, A. Problems of agency in protection of industrial property. – via Juridica 1996, no
10, p. 567).
In the case of indirect references, it has to be considered that these are not justified when
using journals available through EBSCO or other environments and when the referenced book
can be borrowed from Estonian libraries or its pages are available for browsing in on-line
libraries.
There are several referencing techniques. In general, referencing can be divided into
footnotes and inline referencing. Inline references are divided into name and number
references, of which scientific texts today mainly use name reference. Upon writing a
scientific work, it is important to note which referencing style is required for the particular
work or publication, also, the rule of referencing that the entire work would systematically use
the same referencing system applies.
Name reference is presented in parentheses. It includes the surname of the referred author,
the publication year of the work or article (if the same author has published several works
18
within one year, letters a, b, c, etc. are added) and a page number after a colon and space, e.g.:
(Kallas 2010: 135). In the case of two authors, they are separated with a comma (Kerge, Vider
2004: 35-38); in the case of three or more authors, use abbreviating (Cruse, et al. 2004: 9-15).
If the reference presents more than one source, separate them with a semicolon, e.g.: (Kallas
2010: 135; Pais 2010: 24). If the author’s name is a part of the text, it does not have to be
repeated in parentheses, e.g.: “... Kallas (2010: 135) has said that ...”. When referring to a
voluminous publication, add the volume number before the page number.
A number reference is generally marked in angle brackets [1], number, or in upper-case [1].
List of numbered references is included in the end of the thesis by the order of referencing.
For more specific referencing, the source’s page number [1, page 24] is also added.
In the case of a footnote reference, the reference number is added at the end of the quote or
reference as an upper script and the same numeration is used throughout the thesis. More
rarely, the references are numbered on each page separately. Reference data is included at the
bottom of the page and separated from the rest of the text with a line of about a third or half a
page wide. For better legibility, it is not recommended to include the references at the end of
the thesis. All details are included in the first reference.
A reference number follows the reference or a quote placed in quotation marks. The work’s
bibliographic record with a page number from which the reference or quote originates from is
referenced at the bottom of the page under the line. For example:
_________________________
1
2-
[1] Heyerdahl, Thor 2004. The Kon-Tiki Expedition. Tallinn, Tänapäev, p. 15.
Sitchin, Zecharia. Genesis Revisited. Tallinn, Olion, 2004, pp. 77–79.
When working with a computer (in Microsoft Word), you can create a footnote reference by
using: insert – footnote – footnote – OK or in Estonian version: lisa – viide – allmärkus.
In the case of a repeated reference if the same source is repeatedly referred to on the same
page, a note, such as Ibid., page (abbreviation from Latin word ibidem – in the same place) or
Op. cit. (abbreviation from Latin word opus citatum – referenced work), is added as well as
the page number. If the following references are to the same work’s same page, then ibidem.
If the following reference is then to the same author’s same work’s new page, then it should
state: Ibid., p.; Latin abbreviations should be written in italics. When working with a
19
computer, the author can rearrange paragraphs during the process and later it is not easy to
ascertain what the reference ibid. was about. Therefore, you should be extra careful here.
1.5.2 Referencing in Tallinn University Law School
In order to unify referencing techniques in legal research, Tallinn University Law School uses
the same (footnote) referencing system as used by the journal Juridica. The stated rules have
been highlighted here.
General rule: use footnote references. If a source has already appeared, its reference is not
written in its full form again, but there is a reference to the reference, in which the source was
first mentioned.
1.5.2.1 Referencing used literature
When referencing used literature, the following are outlined: the author of the source (first
name initial and last name); work’s title in original language; the edition number; volume,
book, etc. number; publisher of the work (if not known, the place of publication); year of
publication; page number; also the column number, etc. if the author wishes.
Example: G. Hager, et al. Private Law. Part I. Ministry of Justice 2001, p. 312, footnote.
If the work was published in a foreign language, all the details up to (but not including) the
page number are outlined in the original language.
Example: I. F. Fletcher. The Law of Insolvency. 3. ed. London 2002, pp. 699–703.
If the same source has already been referenced in the article, then only the author’s name is
given upon referencing to the source for the second time and the number of the reference that
includes the source’s complete reference is given in parentheses.
Example: I. F. Fletcher (reference 1), p. 700.
If two references to the same source follow each other immediately, then Ibid is written for
the second one (see the principles of repeated referencing mentioned previously).
Example: I. F. Fletcher (reference 1), p. 700.
Ibid., p. 701.
20
1.5.2.2 Referencing journals and collections
Journals are referenced analogously with used literature, considering the peculiarities of
referring to journals, i.e. details on the article title, journal publication year, and number are
added.
Example (journal): T. Tiivel. The loyalty duty of members of the management board of limited
liability companies. – Juridica 2001/4, pp. 225–233.
Collections are referred to analogously with journals.
Example (collection): J. A. Schumpeter. Two concepts of democracy. – Kaasaegne poliitiline
filosoofia. J. Lipping (ed.). Tartu 2002, p. 63.
When referencing journals and collections, we refer to a specific page, on which the
referenced or quoted text is located. In the case of referencing an article as a whole, references
to the article’s start and end page are made (e.g. pp. 1–12).
1.5.2.3 Referencing Internet sources
In the case of a source published on the Internet, the following details are included: the
material is available on-line, the full Internet address reference and date, on which the author
last viewed the material on this page.
Example: Letter of Explanation for the Draft of General Part of the Civil Code Act, section 5.4.5. Online: http://web.riigikogu.ee/ems/plsql/motions.form (12.12.2003).
1.5.2.4 Referencing Estonian legislation
In text, the names of legislation are written in upper case and, as a rule, without quotation
marks. Quotation marks are used, if this is necessary, in order to facilitate text
comprehension.
Upon first mentioning the legislation, a reference is added after the name of the legislation
about its publication in Riigi Teataja. The reference is given as a footnote, without writing out
the name of the legislation again. In case the time of approving the legislation (time of entry
into force) requires highlighting due to the contents of the article, these details are also
included in the reference. As a rule, these are not highlighted in other cases.
When referring to legislation, details on publishing the initial wording of the law and on
publishing the last correction are indicated, separating references from different issues of
Riigi Teataja with a semicolon. We abbreviate the name of Riigi Teataja.
Example: RT I 1993, 50, 695; 2003, 13, 67.
21
When referring to a particular wording of the legislation, the details of the wording are
highlighted.
When abbreviating the names of legislation, we use the list of law abbreviations developed by
the Ministry of Justice.
(see https://www.riigiteataja.ee/lyhendid.html?sorteeri=pealkiri&kasvav=true)
If the legislation is first mentioned in the footnote text of an article, a reference to its
publishing place is added in parentheses after the legislation name.
Example: Sections 346 and 362 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (RT I 2003, 27, 166) establish the
same bases for cassation.
1.5.2.5 Referencing foreign legislation
When referencing, we use the same principles that are used for referring to legislation iin that
country. Abbreviations can be used, but upon their first mention, they have to be spelled out.
If there are many abbreviations, they are presented as a separate list of abbreviations.
Example: BVerGE (Entscheidungen des Bundesverfassungsgerichts) vol 20, p. 56; vol 2, p. 63
Example for following references: BVerGE 20, 56; 52, 63.
1.5.2.6 Referencing Estonian judicial decisions
The following are included: type of the decision (resolution or regulation), the court which
made the decision (preferably abbreviated), decision date, case number, upon author’s wish
also the short title of the decision. If it is a decision of the Supreme Court, the publication
details of the decision in Riigi Teataja are also added. In the case of lower courts, the
publication place is not referred to.
Example: RKTKo 3-2-1-104-96. – RT III 1996, 26, 350.
TrtRgKo II-2-140/98.
If some of the details are also included in the main text of the article, they are not added as a
footnote for the second time.
For example, in the text: The Civil Chamber of the Supreme Court acquired this
viewpoint in the decision of the case 3-2-1-104-96.
As a footnote: RT III 1996, 26, 350.
22
Upon referencing the same decision for the second time, we refer back to the previous
reference. If the author wishes, he can also include the section numbers of the decision in the
reference.
Example: RKTKo 3-2-1-104-96, section 1. – RT III 1996, 26, 350.
1.5.2.7 Referencing foreign judicial decisions
The same system is used as for Estonian decisions, i.e., the reference must include the name
of the court which made the decision and the case number. The decision date is included if the
decision making year does not appear in the decision number. A reference to the decision
publication place must be included.
1.6. References list
The references list includes sources used and referenced while compiling the work – the list
includes only sources referenced in the work and each source in the list must have a reference
in the work. The sources can be books, articles, research reports, dissertations, legislative acts,
instructive and methodological materials, manuscripts, interviews, lecture notes, etc.
Information included in the entry must be sufficient to identify the referenced source. All
details are taken from the work’s title page; if these details have deficiencies or there is no
title page, the details are acquired from other parts of the work. A bibliographic record is
compiled in the language of the referenced source and it consists of several elements that are
presented in a particular order. It includes a minimum but necessary amount of details that
allow the work to be found from the library, database, or Internet.
The references list is formatted according to the referencing system used in the work. A
bibliographic record generally includes name(s) of the author(s), the work’s title, place of
publication, year of publication, and publishing house details.
Unlike a footnote reference, the author’s surname is detailed before the initial in the
references list, using the following scheme:
For a book or monograph
Author’s surname, initial(s). Title. Subtitle (if exists). Edition or reprint details. Place of
publication: publishing house, year of publication.
For example: Hager, G. et al. Private Law. Part I. Ministry of Justice 2001
23
For Master’s and Bachelor’s theses
Author’s surname, initial(s). Title. Subtitle (if exists). University name and chair, department
or faculty. Place of publication, year of publication [The general name of the work]
For example: Tamm, K. The Economic Rights of Spouses, Tallinn University.
Department of Private Law, Tallinn 2011. [Bachelor’s thesis]
Articles published in a collection, journal, serial, and newspaper
For example (journal): Tiivel, T. The loyalty duty of members of the management
board of limited liability companies. – Juridica 2001/4, pp. 225–233.
The records are presented alphabetically (by the author’s last name) and they can be
numbered with Arabic numbers. If the author of the source is an institution/organisation or the
author is not included at all, the source is ordered alphabetically in the references list by the
first word of the title. As the reference record is in the same language as the publication, the
abbreviations are also in the respective foreign language, for example, page, edition, and
volume are in English p., Ed., Vol, and in German S., Aufl., Bd.
Works from one author are ranked by the year of publication, starting from the earliest. If the
references list has works from the same author published in the same year, lower case letters
are used, e.g. 1993a, 1993b. In the case of several authors, all the names are included based on
the title page (“and” or a comma can be used for distinguishing). If the year of publication of
the work is unknown, the abbreviation s.a. (sine anno) is used.
If there is more than one author, all the names are written down in the same order as they are
on the title page. If there are more than three authors, only the name of the first author is
included and, et. al. is added (if the work was published in a foreign language, the
abbreviation is in the respective language). In the case of indirect references, the references
list shall include a work via which the other work has been referenced.
In legal works, references list, regulatory materials, judicial practice (judicial,
investigation, expertise materials, etc.), and archive materials form separate lists with
respective titles. Used sources that are not referred to in the work (for example, general
judicial records) are generally mentioned in the introduction, e.g. criminal files of Harju
County Court 1991-1997, 400 files.
24
1.7. Regulatory materials list
The references list is followed by regulatory materials, entitled Regulatory materials list.
Legislative acts are not numbered (except in case this is required for inline referencing). If the
list includes legislative acts of several organs, they are grouped by organs, considering their
entry into force. The acts of the same state body are presented alphabetically. When referring
to legislation, it is again necessary to bear in mind to include details on publishing the initial
wording of the law and on publishing the last correction, separating references from different
issues of Riigi Teataja with a semicolon.
For example:
Administrative Procedure Act, 6 July 2001 – RT I 2001, 58, 354; RT I, 23.02.2011, 3
Government of the Republic Act, 13 December 1995 – RT I 1995, 94, 1628; RT I,
11.06.2013, 1
Government of the Republic regulation no 417 of 29 December 1993 on “The exchange of
official publications and government documents”
1.8. List of used judicial decisions
The list of regulatory materials is followed by the List of used judicial decisions. The
sources are systematised alphabetically by the courts, within courts in temporal sequence
according to the judicial decision. By years, judicial practice can also be grouped by file
numbers. The list includes the source (printed work), based on which the judicial decision has
been referred to in the footnote. If the work generalises judicial practice that has not been
referred to, it will not be included in the list, but mentioned in the introduction.
Example:
Regulation of the Supreme Court of 1 November 1995 in the action of RAS Kiviter against
AS Nitrofert,
claiming 55,409 kroons, III-211-72195. – RT II 1995, 17,211.
Regulation of the Civil Chamber of the Supreme Court of 9 June 2003 in Kaie Valter’s action
against Kaido Paaslepp and housing association Mast in order to approve loan agreement,
contribution transfer, and the nullity of the resolution of the board meeting and to approve the
right for the contribution, 3-2-1-71-03. – RT III 2003, 21, 211.
25
In the references list, judicial decisions could also appear in their abbreviated forms. For
example, when compiling a source record for a Supreme Court decision, the court
abbreviation from which the type of decision, case number, and, if necessary, the decision
date can be derived have to be included. As all Supreme Court decisions have been published
on the Supreme Court website and are easily accessible there, including their place of
publication (RT III) is no longer compulsory. The sentence introducing the case can be
included in parentheses, but this is also no longer compulsory.
Example:
RKÜKo 2-1-062-10
RKPJKo 3-4-1-17-08
RKHKo 3-3-1-51-11 (Complaint of Romeo Kalda to repeal a directive no 6.-3/311-D of the
director of Viru prison from 19 February 2010)
RKPJKo 3-4-1-2-05e1 The dissenting opinion of judges Tõnu Anton, Indrek Koolmeister,
Julia Laffranque, Jüri Põld, and Harri Salmann
26
II. PROCEDURE FOR THE PRE-DEFENCE AND DEFENCE OF FINAL THESES
2.1. Selecting and confirming final theses topics
The student shall primarily select the final thesis topic from own preferred subject in which
has a great interest in. Upon selecting the topic, student works written on the same or similar
topics need to be considered. Their existence does not exclude writing on the topic if the
thesis examines the problem from another viewpoint or if new knowledge is created in some
other way. The list of possible final thesis topics and supervisors for Bachelor’s (AKLB) and
Master’s theses in law, compiled by the Law School including the list of final theses defended
in the Law School is available on the website.
After the selection the student shall submit the application for confirming the Bachelor’s or
Master’s thesis topic on a form (see Annex 3 and Annex 4). The topic can be specified later
depending on the contents of the final thesis.
The student can also choose a supervisor with a relevant academic degree (Master, Doctor)
from another institute or outside the university. In this case, the supervisor’s CV and a copy of
his diploma have to be attached to the topic selection application. BA and MA theses require
the elaboration of the contents according to the requirements of research with legal contents.
2.2. Pre-defence and submitting final theses for pre-defence
The pre-defence of final theses (Bachelor’s and Master’s theses) is organised twice per
academic year according to the approved exam schedule.
For the final thesis pre-defence deadline, at least 80% of the Bachelor’s or Master’s thesis has
to be complete. The student submits the final thesis to the pre-defence committee in the
required amount, attaches the previously filled final thesis supervision diary with the
supervisor’s evaluation for the completed work. The pre-defence committee previously reads
the thesis submitted for pre-defence. During the pre-defence, the committee listens to the
student’s explanations about the thesis, gives recommendations for improving the thesis, and
makes a decision on allowing the thesis to proceed to defence without conditions or with
conditions or not allowing it to proceed to defence.
27
All remarks, suggestions, and recommendations from the pre-defence committee are to be
considered by the student and the supervisor shall check their performance before allowing
the thesis to proceed to defence.
Theses allowed to proceed to defence with conditions are examined by the supervisor and the
committee thoroughly before allowing them to proceed to defence in order to detect:

whether the remarks, suggestions, and recommendations of the committee have been
considered;

whether the work contains plagiarism.
The chairman of the defence committee makes a final decision on allowing the thesis to
proceed to defence. The student shall be notified of not being allowed to proceed to defence.
2. 3. Submitting final theses for defence
The defence of final theses (Bachelor’s and Master’s theses) is organised twice per academic
year according to the approved academic calendar. The final theses have to be submitted to
the Law School in two copies by the time determined by the defence committee, about ten up
to 15 days before the beginning of the defence session. Along with paper copies, the thesis
should also be submitted in electronic form in order to be stored in the database. The reverse
of the title page has to include the supervisor’s approval (signature) that certifies that the final
thesis is compliant with the requirements and is allowed to proceed to defence. Moreover, the
thesis should include the student’s signed confirmation, certifying that the thesis was written
independently and all the used sources have been referenced. The thesis is registered by a
study assistant and it is forwarded to reviewers for compiling a review. The reviewers are
assigned by the head of study programme.
A Bachelor’s thesis supervisor and reviewer must have at least a Master’s degree in the field
of the thesis or an equivalent qualification or be renowned practitioners-experts in the field.
A Master’s thesis supervisor and reviewer must meet at least one of the following
requirements:
1) Doctoral degree or equivalent qualification;
28
2) Master’s degree or equivalent qualification and at least five years of research and
development activities in the field of the Master’s thesis;
3) Master’s degree or equivalent qualification and renowned expert in his field.
2.4. Defending and assessing final theses
The President of the Law School shall form final theses defence committees for one academic
year. The committee includes at least three members, including the committee chairman who
has a doctoral degree or an equivalent qualification. The defence committee for Bachelor’s
theses includes 50 percent and the committee for Master’s theses 75 percent of lecturers with
a doctoral degree or its equivalent qualification.
The student submits the final thesis signed by the supervisor to the academic unit and
registers himself in SIS (ÕIS) as a final thesis defender. The supervisor’s signature on the title
page certifies the final thesis being allowed to proceed to defence.
A written review that includes an evaluation of the thesis according to the requirements
established in the academic unit is required for defending the final thesis. The written review
has to be submitted to the academic unit at least three working days before the defence. The
student has the right to previously read the final thesis review at least one working day before
the defence.
Defending final theses and final exams are public and organised in front of a defence
committee in a room and order announced by the academic unit. Preferably, both the student’s
reviewer and supervisor participate in the defence. Defending a final thesis can be closed if
the thesis contains information for internal use about the bases for declaring according to the
Public Information Act. The written application for declaring the defence closed is submitted
to the head of the academic unit by the final thesis submission deadline by the student or a
third person with justified interests. The President of the Law School shall decide whether to
declare the defence closed based on the proposal of the chairman of the defence committee
within five working days from making the relevant proposal.
The main stages of defence are:
1) a short presentation (lectio praecursoria) by the final thesis author (defender);
29
2) academic discussion between the defender and reviewer (if present); if the reviewer is
not present, then answering to the reviewer’s questions;
3) the defender’s answers to questions asked on the spot;
4) final words from the defender.
It is recommended to illustrate the final thesis defender’s oral presentation with exemplary
support material (e.g. PowerPoint slides, overhead transparencies, audiovisual or other
means). The presentation with questions and discussion lasts 30 minutes for Bachelor’s
theses, of which the defence speech of the Bachelor’s thesis lasts about 5-7 minutes.
Defending a Master’s thesis lasts 30 minutes, of which the defence speech of the Master’s
thesis is about 7-10 minutes. Then the final thesis defender answers the reviewer’s and
committee’s questions and gives his final remarks. The study assistant should be notified of
the necessity of technical appliances upon submitting the thesis to the Law School.
Master’s and Bachelor’s theses are graded. The theses are graded by a committee of Law
School lecturers. The defence committee is competent if at least 2/3 of its members (including
the chairman) participate in the defence.
The following principles are followed when evaluating the defence of Bachelor’s and
Master’s theses:
1. clarity and justification of the problem established in the work, clearly worded
objective;
2. novelty and topicality of legal theoretical problems and law practice (administrative
and judicial practice) and the adequacy of their presentation;
3. the novelty of the thesis, the author’s ability to create new legal value, own original
intellectual contribution;
4. thesis structure and the connectedness and balance of the parts (content’s compliance
with the title, method’s compliance with thesis objectives, conclusion’s compliance
with the topic handling in the thesis, etc.);
5. knowing the special literature and legal theoretical treatments relevant to the topic;
6. knowing the research methods used in the thesis;
7. thesis formatting (compliance with the requirements);
8. the linguistic (grammatical, orthographic, and terminological) level of the thesis;
30
9. thesis volume (whether the length of the thesis is justified, whether the thesis meets
the volume of required working hours);
10. presenting the viewpoints described in the thesis and argumentation and answering to
questions during public defence;
11. appropriate presentation of the thesis contents by using modern IT or other technical
tools.
The evaluation is based on the volume of the Bachelor’s and Master’s thesis and the
differences in the requirements due to the academic level that are accordingly presented in the
course programmes of Bachelor’s and Master’s thesis.
The aforementioned criteria have to be followed when compiling a review for final thesis. The
review must include critical analysis and a general evaluation of the research. The written
review is presented upon defending the thesis orally by outlining the main legal issues related
to the thesis. In addition, the reviewer asks the thesis author substantive questions related to
the topic (one to three questions). Sample of final thesis review form attached (see Annex 6).
Upon receiving discreditable information (plagiarism, submitting falsified data, etc.), the
defence committee may ban the student from defence already before the final thesis defence.
Written evidence is the basis for the ban. The defence committee’s decision for banning the
student from the final thesis defence is submitted in writing. The study assistant informs the
student about the committee’s decision by email at least one working day before the defence.
The final theses minutes of defence shall denote no show, NS.
The defence committee shall decide the final grade and the grade is based on the written final
thesis and the academic discussion held at defence. The final thesis grade is formed as a total
grade of the defence committee members, considering the level of the written thesis and the
success and effectiveness of the public defence. The defence committee grades the Bachelor’s
or Master’s thesis in a closed sitting, the result is reached in a secret ballot of the committee.
To make a decision, at least half of the committee has to support the decision. The committee
evaluates the final thesis defence results verbally (excellent, very good, good, satisfactory,
sufficient, and fail) and with letters (A, B, C, D, E, F). The grades are recorded in the minutes
in accordance with the form and these are signed by the defence committee chairman and the
minutes secretary. The results of final thesis defence and oral final exam are announced to the
students on the defence day immediately after formalising the minutes.
31
2.5. Contestation of defence results
The student has the right to contest the defence committee’s decision within three working
days after the final thesis defence date by submitting a written application to the President of
the Law School. The President of the Law School shall form a three-member committee, the
members of which are not members of the defence committee. The appeals committee shall
review the complaint and shall notify the President of the Law School of the decision within
ten working days from the submission of the protest. The President of the Law School notifies
the parties and defence committee of the decision in writing.
32
REFERENCES
1. Referencing principles for authors of journal Juridica.
2. Tips for written submissions, Tallinn University Law School, 2010.
3. Sepp, Ene. Guidelines for written submissions. Akadeemia Nord, 2001.
4. Sootak, Jaan, et. al. Writing and formatting student works. Guidelines for law students,
Juura publishing house, Tallinn, 2011.
USED LEGISLATION
Tallinn University Study Regulations (Tallinn University Senate regulation no 7 of 15 April
2013)
33
Annex 1 Title page sample
TALLINN UNIVERSITY
Law School
Law curriculum
Name Surname
TITLE
Work type (Essay/Term paper/Research/Bachelor’s thesis/Master’s thesis)
Supervisor
Occupation or academic degree Name Surname
Place of submission
Year
34
Annex 2 Author’s declaration sample
I have written the Bachelor’s thesis independently. All the works of other authors, relevant
viewpoints, literary sources, and information from other sources have been referenced.
Author: name and surname ..........................................
(signature)
...........................................
(date)
I agree with publishing my thesis electronically in Tallinn University’s Academic Library’s
repository.
Author: name and surname ..........................................
(signature)
...........................................
(date)
The thesis is in compliance with the valid requirements.
Supervisor: name and surname
..........................................
(signature)
..........................................
(date)
Allowed to defence ......... …..................................... 20...
Defence committee chairman: name and surname ......... ….....................................
(signature)
35
Annex 3 Bachelor’s thesis subject confirmation application sample
Tallinn University
Law School
Name and surname:...........................................
Specialty:.............................................................
Number of credit points at the time of
submission:.........................................................
Date of final thesis defence:................................
Application
Please confirm my Bachelor’s thesis topic
………………………………………………………………………………………………...
…………………………………………………………………..........….…(in Estonian and English)
and supervisor (supervisor’s name and surname, email)...........................................
The Bachelor’s thesis shall be written in the curriculum language.
Regards
I am willing to supervise:
……………………………………..……
……………………………………………
Student’s signature and date
Supervisor’s signature and date
For a supervisor with an authorisation agreement
I am willing to supervise:
……………………………………………
Head of study programme’s name, signature, and date
36
Annex 4 Master’s thesis subject confirmation application sample
Tallinn University
Law School
Name and surname:................................................
Specialty:................................................................
Number of credit points at the time of
submission:.............................................................
Date of final thesis defence:...................................
Application
Please confirm my Master’s thesis topic
………………………………………………………………………………………………...
…………………………………………………………………..........….…(in Estonian and English)
and supervisor (supervisor’s name and surname, email).........................................................................
The Master’s thesis shall be written in the curriculum language.
Regards
I am willing to supervise:
……………………………………..……
…………………………………………
Student’s signature and date
Supervisor’s signature and date
For a supervisor with an authorisation agreement
I am willing to supervise:
……………………………………………
Head of study programme’s name, signature, and date
37
Annex 5 Final thesis supervision diary sample
Tallinn University
Law School
Final thesis supervision diary
Dear thesis supervisors and students!
We are all interested in the final theses of Tallinn University Law School being of good
quality. Ensuring this depends on both the thesis writer and the supervisor and their mutual
cooperation. Both parties have their expectations, rights, and obligations related to this
cooperation. For the cooperation to be regular and smooth, we ask you to record this activity
in the following supervision diary.
The student shall submit the filled supervision diary during pre-defence.
Final thesis topic
.........………………………………………………………….………………………………….
………………....................…………………………………………………………………...…
Final thesis author
.........………………………………………………………….…………………………………
Supervisor
………....……………………………………..………………………………….........................
Approved .........……………………20.....
Changed......................................20……...
Planned pre-defence deadline:….............................................……………………....….……
Specified pre-defence deadline (80% of the final thesis is
completed)...................…....…..……..……..
Pre-defence committee decision on allowing the thesis to be defended: ...................................
Planned defence deadline: ..........................................................................................................
Specified defence deadline: ........................................................................................................
Deadline for submitting the bound final thesis to the department:
in autumn semester ...................;
in spring semester ...................
Defence committee (notes made upon defence)*:
.......................................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................................
* completed by the defence committee secretary
38
Fill each contact separately by adding rows
No.
Contact
Date
Contact
form (email, phone
call, meeting, etc.)
Brief contact overview*
Supervisor’s signature:
Student’s signature:
* Examples of brief contact overview: specifying the topic, specifying the thesis time schedule,
discussing the primary thesis outline, discussing related literature, discussing a finished
chapter, discussing the first draft, discussing the final version, etc.
39
THE RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE SUPERVISED and SUPERVISOR
Supervised
Supervisor
¤ must be active;
¤ must contact the supervisor to arrange consultation times;
¤ must prepare materials and questions;
¤ must regularly submit interim thesis versions to the
supervisor.
¤ must give the student his contact information (as a rule,
the supervisor can be contacted via email);
¤ does not have to disclose his personal mobile nor home
number;
¤ does not have to search for contact with the supervised
nor require submitting of materials.
¤ it cannot be presumed that the supervisor can reply
immediately;
¤ if the supervisor has not answered within a week, the
student can contact the study assistant or head of studies;
¤ if the supervisor cannot be contacted repeatedly or the
feedback is systematically late, it is possible to contact the
head of study programme.
¤ must give the student feedback within one week after
the student contacted him. In exceptional cases (e.g.
foreign mission, illness, etc.), a longer feedback deadline
is agreed upon;
¤ must consider supervision volume of at least three hours
per one credit point for a BA thesis and at least two hours
per credit point for an MA thesis.
¤ must check spelling and grammar before submitting the
thesis or part of it to the supervisor;
¤ is responsible for the spelling and style of the final text;
¤ knows that many spelling mistakes or poor readability of the
text or inadequate style are definite reasons for lowering the
grade.
¤ does not have to correct spelling and grammar mistakes,
but still has to point out possible stylistic errors in the text
and, if necessary, give recommendations on improving the
readability of the text.
¤ must highlight changes and additions compared to the
previous version upon submitting a new version in order to
facilitate the supervisor’s job.
¤ may refuse feedback if improvements and additions
(compared to an already commented version) are not
highlighted by the student.
¤ in exceptional cases can change the supervisor and/or topic
within a reasonable amount of time by submitting to the head
of study programme a new reasoned application for the
approval of a new topic and/or supervisor.
¤ can terminate cooperation with the supervised, by
submitting an application to the head of study programme
if the supervised has not contacted the supervisor nor
submitted any materials within one month after approving
the topic and supervisor.
¤ must submit a thesis that is 80% ready to pre-defence, also
signed by the supervisor;
¤ must submit the final version of the thesis (loose-leaf) to the
supervisor at least one week before the final thesis submission
deadline marked in the Tallinn University academic calendar.
¤ may not sign the thesis submitted for pre-defence if 80%
of the thesis is not completed;
¤ may not allow the thesis to proceed to defence, the final
version of which has not been submitted to him one week
before the assigned thesis submission deadline;
¤ cannot allow the thesis to proceed to defence if he has
not read the thesis or is not convinced that the thesis
complies with the requirements of final theses.
¤ if necessary, must introduce an outside supervisor to the
¤ must be familiar with the requirements for Tallinn
rules and documents related to Tallinn University Law School University Law School final theses and follow them upon
final theses.
supervising.
¤ is responsible for independently compiling the thesis by
avoiding plagiarism;
¤ knows the consequences of using plagiarism.
¤ must use a plagiarism detection programme or other
means in order to detect plagiarism in the thesis.
40
Supervisor’s rating for the supervised
Mark the appropriate option with X
The topicality of the chosen subject
very topical
relatively topical
ordinary
lacks topicality
The supervised’s skill to word the research problem, research objective
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
Insufficient
The supervised’s independence in finding related literature
very independent, did
not require guidance
sometimes required
guidance
required lots of
guidance
could not find related
literature independently
The supervised’s skill to choose and explain the research method
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
Insufficient
Average
below average
very weak
Fair
Poor
Insufficient
The supervised’s analytical skills
very strong
above average
The supervised’s skill to interpret results
Excellent
Good
The supervised’s skill to present the results according to the requirements
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
Insufficient
The supervised’s readiness to consider suggestions
always considered
mostly considered
sometimes did not
consider
did not consider at all
Rating for the cooperation with the supervised
Excellent
Good
Average
was sometimes
poor
was often poor
Suggestions and thoughts related to supervising final theses (from the supervisor and the
supervised)....................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................................
Thank you!
41
ANNEX 6 Final thesis supervisor comment sample
Tallinn University
Law School
Final thesis supervisor’s comment (student submits with bound final thesis)
Final thesis author
Final thesis title
Supervisor’s name, personal identification code (required for inserting to SIS), academic degree and job
1. Mark the appropriate option with X
The topicality of the subject
very topical
relatively topical
ordinary
lacks topicality
The author’s skill to word the research problem
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
Insufficient
The practicability of research methods used
very practical
appropriate
questionable
inappropriate
sometimes questionable
inappropriate
The relevance of references
very relevant
relevant
The reliability of research result(s) (consider used academic literature, number of cases, etc.)
very reliable
reliable above
average
averagely reliable
reliable below
average
not reliable
Average
below average
very weak
Strength of analytical skills
very strong
above average
42
The balance and coherence of structural parts of the thesis
acceptable
optimal
sometimes problematic
incomprehensible
Compliance with The Guidelines for compiling, formatting, and defending student works
complies fully
mostly complies
average
mostly does not
comply
does not comply
at all
Propose to grade the thesis with:
2. SUPERVISOR’S RATING FOR THE FINAL THESIS
The supervisor points out the strengths and weaknesses of the thesis, including topicality,
objective, research questions, compared countries, connection with practice, author’s
contribution and proposals, especially including de lege ferenda, etc.
[text]
3. SUPERVISOR’S RATING FOR COOPERATION WITH THE STUDENT
[text]
…………………………………
supervisor’s signature
…..……………………..……...
date
43
Annex 7 Final thesis review form sample
Tallinn University
Law School
Student’s final thesis review
The signed review has to be submitted to the academic unit in two copies at least three
working days before the defence, the defence is on………………20.......
Final thesis author
Final thesis title
Reviewer’s name, personal identification code (required for inserting to SIS), academic degree and job
1. We require a brief explanation of the chosen rating (write the text into the cell)
The topicality of the subject
very topical
relatively topical
ordinary
lacks topicality
The author’s skill to determine the research problem
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
Insufficient
The practicability of research methods used
very practical
appropriate
questionable
inappropriate
sometimes
questionable
inappropriate
The relevance of references
very relevant
relevant
The reliability of research result(s) (consider used academic literature, number of cases, etc.)
very reliable
reliable above
average
averagely reliable
44
reliable below
average
not reliable
Strength of analytical skills
very strong
above average
Average
below average
very weak
The balance and coherence of structural parts of the thesis
optimal
acceptable
sometimes problematic incomprehensible
Compliance with The Guidelines for compiling, formatting, and defending student works (the
guidelines are available on Tallinn University Law School’s website under Study process)
complies fully
mostly complies
average
mostly does not
does not comply
comply
at all
The reviewer’s general rating for the final thesis
Excellent
very good
Good
Fair
sufficient
2. The strengths and weaknesses of the thesis to be highlighted separately:
[text]
3. Questions to the thesis author:
1.
2.
3.
…………………………………
reviewer’s signature
…..……………………..……...
date
45
fail