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Guide for writing a Master Thesis
Faculty of Bioscience Engineering
(translation of Dutch version)
1. Introduction
The purpose of this guide is to provide guidelines that will serve as guiding principle for all those required
to write or commissioning a master thesis. This concerns recommendations and not binding instructions,
given that each scientific domain has its own conventions regarding publication and that different practices
exist even between research groups. There is a number of binding faculty instructions with regard to the
layout of the cover and to submitting a master thesis in digital form. They can be consulted at “Current
student/faculty guidelines for submission of the master of Science Thesis” on the website.
2. Structure and Content
2.1. General
The freedom to decide for oneself which sections a Master thesis may contain is limited. These sections
have already been defined rather strictly. Nonetheless, there are some slight variations in the structure of a
master thesis depending on the research group for which it is being written. Always remember to inquire
about the directions followed in your research group.
The most common structure of a Master Thesis at the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering is the following:
1. The Cover, the page containing a note about the author's rights and the title page (see binding
instructions on the faculty website)
2. Foreword (optional)
3. Scientific Summary (an English translation is recommended) of maximum 1 page
4. List of Abbreviations and Symbols Used
5. List of Tables (optional)
6. List of Figures (optional)
7. Table of Contents
8. Context and Aims
9. The various chapters
10. General Discussion and Conclusion
11. Bibliography/References
12. Appendixes (optional)
13. Popularised Summary (this summary is included in the meta data; strict maximum: 1 A4)
Each of these sections will now be discussed in brief.
2.2. Structure
Foreword
This can contain a courteous description of the relations between the author and those who have
contributed to the accomplishment of the master thesis. This is where persons or institutions who have
been helpful should be thanked. This is the only non-scientific part of the work and should precede the
1 This guide is based on “Gids bij het opstellen van een eindwerk” by Verachtert, H., Mertens, J., Tobback, P., Peeters, C., Coppin, P.
& Van Pelt, J. under supervision of the Permanent Education Committee of the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering (2002).
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other parts. It should be ensured that the names, positions and/or titles of the persons mentioned are
correct.
Summary
The summary or “abstract” of maximum 1 page (Din A4 format) of 400-500 words should contain a short
formulation of the problem and the aims and context of the research. This will allow the reader to assess
beforehand the results of the research conducted. References to the literature, tables or figures do not
belong in this section.
List of Abbreviations and Symbols Used
A list of abbreviations is useful when a number of abbreviations and symbols are used which are unknown
to the reader. All abbreviations, along with their respective complete texts, should be listed here in
alphabetical order. Each abbreviation should be written in full the first time it appears in the text, followed
by the abbreviation in brackets. Abbreviations for weights and measures and the use of physical units
should be in conformity with the International System of Units (SI Base Units). Avoid the use of
abbreviations for items that only occur infrequently in the text.
List of Tables
A list of all the tables including title and page number can be useful. Most word processing programs can
generate a list of tables on condition that the tables have been inserted correctly. The advantage is that no
table will be overlooked and that page numbers will be automatically adjusted when the text is changed.
List of Illustrations
A list of figures including title and page number can be useful. As is the case for the list of tables, most word
processing programs can automatically adjust this list when changes are made to the text.
Table of Contents
Most word processing programs can automatically generate a table of contents, on condition that the
correct styles and layout profiles were used in the document. The advantage is that no titles will be
overlooked and that page numbers and titles will be automatically adjusted when changes are made to the
text.
Chapters, sections and paragraphs should be numbered decimally (1, 1.1, 1.1.1 ... 2, 2.1, ...). Lists of
abbreviations, tables, figures and references should not be numbered. Appendixes should be numbered
separately (Appendix 1, Appendix 2, etc.) Try to avoid using subdivisions beyond the fourth level. This will
make your table of contents orderly and uncluttered.
Context and Aims
“Context and Aims” contains a concrete formulation and contextualisation of the problem along with an
outline of the general aims. The area of research should also be stipulated along with its possible social
and/or economic benefits. The problem being researched should then be described as accurately as
possible; some references from the literature can be mentioned in doing so but preferably as few as
possible. These references actually belong in the literature review.
The structure of the work and more particularly the cohesion of its various parts should be outlined next,
while paying special attention to its logical order. The purpose is to give the reader an insight into the
problem under examination as well as into the work being done and to invite him or her to read further.
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If the Master thesis has been written by two students, which student is responsible for which part should
be stated here, including the relation between these parts.
It is recommended to discuss the “Context and Aims” only after completing the main text, for only then will
it become clear how to best present to the reader the problem being postulated and the logical structure of
the work.
The Various Chapters
“Context and Aims” is usually not considered a chapter but it is still given a number in the Table of
Contents. The first true chapter is “Literature Review”. This is followed by the chapters related to the parts
of the experimental work.
Literature Review
This part provides an overview of what has been published in the literature on the subject till then and of
where the lacunae in the knowledge lie. More particularly, this study should also contain a summary of the
various approaches to the problem as presented in the literature, along with a critical appraisal of previous
research on the problem being examined in the Master thesis and/or in other related research. If published
tables and figures are used for this purpose, they should be clear and sufficiently understandable. If terms
and symbols are in a foreign language, they should be translated into Dutch in the legend. The references
consulted for the literary review should be listed correctly and in full.
“Context and Aims” and “Literary Review” are followed by the various chapters related to one's own work.
Variation is allowed in the way one presents one's experimental work:

Either one dedicates a chapter to “Material and Methods”. This is recommended when the same
methods are used throughout the whole work. This chapter is followed by the various chapters
relating to the experimental work (each with an introduction, the various experiments, the
“Results” and “Discussion of the Results”);

Or each chapter can be sub-divided in at least three parts: one part on “Materials and Methods”,
one on “Results” and one on “Discussion of the Results”.
Remark: The results and their discussion can also be combined.
Material and Methods
This part contains a detailed description of all the materials and methods that were used to conduct the
experiments for the Master thesis. All necessary data should also be provided in order to allow others to
repeat the experiment. If the materials and methods are the same as those used by other authors, then a
reference to these sources will suffice, even though a short outline of the essence of the method can prove
useful for the reader. A description of the design of the experiment and of how the data was collected
should allow one to check whether the conducted statistical analyses are correct. When mentioning
apparatus, micro-organisms, biological material or chemical products, their sources should be indicated as
accurately as possible. No results or conclusions should be discussed here.
Results
Results should be presented completely yet as concisely as possible. This is not the place for providing
interpretations or for discussing the results. In presenting results, tables and figures are also often used
along with the text. A figure or a table often tells us much more than words. Justify and explain the most
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important trends to emerge from the tables and/or figures. Further explanation is needed but please avoid
repeating data firstly in the text, then in the tables and yet again in the figures. Only the most important
tables and figures should accompany the description of the results. Other tables and figures that form the
background to the study should be included in the appendixes. Figures and tables should be given a unique
number in keeping with the chapter they appear in (e.g. Table 2.1 and Fig. 3.1) When a table or figure is
referred to in the running text, the reference should precede that table or figure. The legends of figures and
tables should be sufficiently clear and easy to understand without further reference to the chapter.
Discussion of the Results
This part contains an interpretation of the results of the experiments and may also contain a discussion.
The discussion can also be integrated into the part on results, usually indicated as “Results and Discussion”.
There is also room in interpreting the results for comparisons with the literature and with other
experiments that were conducted, along with one's own opinions. This is where one can formulate remarks
in relation to the analytical approach used in one's work (experimental design, methods of analysis and
data), make critical observations and conduct reasoning in relation to one's data, can contrast one's
findings with those in the literature, can point out shortcomings and make suggestions for the future.
General Discussion and Conclusion
This discussion forms an essential part of the Master thesis whereby the creative thought and action and
synthetic insight of the author are used to the fullest. This is where one demonstrates to which extent the
goal of the work as a whole has been reached, to which extent the results have lead to new insights, which
hypotheses can be put forward and which concrete suggestions can be made for further research. One
should avoid at all times conducting a superficial discussion at this stage, whether this be because of a lack
of time or as a result of a lack of insight or powers of reasoning.
Conclusions should best be limited to a few points issuing from the discussion the importance of which
need not be further underlined. It is important not to provide any new information. The conclusion should
contain a brief résumé of the most important findings of the Master thesis. A clear distinction should be
made, however, between it and the summary at the beginning of the Master thesis. The summary should
preferably be written after the general discussion has been conducted and the conclusion(s) made. The
focus in the conclusion should be on the interpretation and relevance of the results as well as on future
perspectives, whereas the summary should strive to present the results as clearly as possible while also
sketching the initial situation. One should be able to read the conclusion as separate from the rest of the
text. Indeed, some readers read only the “Context and Aims” and the “Conclusion” and decide on that basis
whether they will read the whole Master thesis.
References
All sources consulted in writing the Master thesis should be mentioned in the references or bibliography.
All listed references should be quoted in the text and vice versa. How references are quoted and how the
bibliography is structured, strongly depends on the scientific domain or research group concerned. Yet, two
main systems can be noted:
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The name-year system: This involves quoting the authors' family names followed by the year of
publication in the running text, e.g. Janssens (2010) or Peters and Janssens (2011). If there are
more than three authors one usually uses “et al”, e.g. Janssens et al. (2012). The list of references
in alphabetical order, including the names of all the authors, is inserted at the end of the Master
thesis.
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The number system: This involves inserting a number to refer to the literature, either between
brackets or in superscript. The list of references is included at the end of the Master thesis based
on these numbers, the first reference being the one belonging to number 1.
A source is referred to in the text each time an idea, fact, piece of data, etc., is mentioned. When a text is
quoted literally from a source, this is indeed a quote and quotes are made according to the rules of the
game: Quoted texts are placed between inverted commas and are immediately followed by a reference to
their source.
Appendixes
Only the most important tables and figures are provided in the Master thesis. Other tables and figures are
inserted in separate appendixes at the back of the Master thesis. Other tables and figures that serve as a
background to the study can be included in separate appendixes at the back of the Master thesis. The
appendixes can also include extra explanatory documents that are not essential to the argumentation in
the work. Appendixes are numbered and named separately. Their titles should also be included in the table
of contents and in the running text in which they are referred to.
Popularised Summary
This is a popularised scientific summary designed for a broader audience in which the central message of
the research is summarised and placed in a broader framework and in which attention is paid to
applications in and implications for daily life.
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