Academic Honesty and Integrity
On the following page you will find all important information on good academic practice at the
University of Vienna and on writing academic papers at the Department of Philosophy.
Starting in the winter semester 2020, support in writing academic papers will also be offered in the
form of weekly writing mentoring for philosophy students.
Legal Guidelines
All students are obliged to use the citation rules that are valid in the respective department and to
comply with the other formal criteria when preparing written work of all kinds (seminar papers,
proseminar papers, bachelor's theses, diploma theses, master's theses and dissertations). Non-
compliance can have consequences under study law, civil law and criminal law. Please enquire with
your course supervisor if necessary.
Plagiarism declaration template
"I hereby declare that I have written this thesis independently and have used only the sources and aids
indicated. All text passages and lines of thought taken verbatim or in spirit from other works are
identified by precise indication of the source in the form of annotations or in-text citations. This also
applies to sources from the Internet, where the URL and date of access are also given. I am aware that
any case of plagiarism will result in the non-assessment of the entire course and must be reported to
the Director of Studies. Furthermore, I confirm that I have not already submitted this work for
assessment elsewhere."
Seminar Papers and Bachelor’s Theses
The Department of Philosophy has created a guideline for the preparation of academic papers, which
contains rough guidelines (in German). Specific requirements and examination modalities will be
announced by the course instructors.
The guidelines are based on the following script, which is recommended for all students of Philosophy:
Flatscher, Matthias; Posselt, Gerald; Weiberg, Anja: Einführung in das wissenschaftliche Arbeiten für
PhilosophInnen. 2nd, corr. ed., Vienna: Facultas 2007
Bachelor's theses are seminar papers with special work requirements (according to the 5 ECTS that are
additionally awarded for a BA thesis). Accordingly, the purpose of a Bachelor's thesis is analogous to
the purpose of a seminar paper: the problem-oriented presentation of a clearly defined philosophical
topic, on which a position is taken with the critical inclusion of research literature.
The thesis is written in accordance with the standards of academic work.
Please note:
- Bachelor's theses must always be written in a course that is coded for the BA Philosophy module 7-15 or in the teaching programme ethics for module .
- Before writing the thesis, a 1-2 page concept must be prepared and submitted to the seminar leader. You are expected to independently develop a viable research question with the inclusion of additional self-researched literature.
- The scope of the BA thesis is 40,000-50,000 characters.
- The final possible submission deadlines correspond to those for seminar papers, i.e. April 30 in the winter semester and September 30 in the summer semester - however, course instructors may set an earlier deadline. A Bachelor's thesis cannot be written retrospectively for a seminar.
Master's thesis
The Master's thesis serves as proof of the ability to work independently on scientific topics in accordance with current scientific standards in terms of content and methodology. The topic of the Master's thesis must be chosen in such a way that it is possible and reasonable for students to complete it within six months.
You must announce the topic before you start working on it. The announcement includes:
- the form "Announcement of the topic of the Master's thesis", signed by the supervisor and the head of the study program,
- a 2 - 4-page abstract
- the signed form "Rules of good scientific practice"
- Please note that the topic of the Master's thesis must be submitted electronically. Please send us all the necessary forms including the supervisor's signature via Servicedesk.
Assistance
The SPL Philosophy has created an information document for you on writing an academic exposé. In it
you will find guiding questions on the working and writing process as well as information on the
organizational procedure regarding the topic and supervision of Master's theses. This document
should help you to present your topic clearly in an exposé so that you can contact potential supervisors.
You also have free access to various online resources via the University Library catalog.
Please note: The MA thesis itself should not include a declaration of independence. The form "Rules
of good scientific practice" and the confirmation via the HOPLA upload replace the declaration of
independence.
Formal criteria
| Time frame | Topic and scope should be chosen in a way that allows for completion of the thesis within six months time |
| Title page (appendices, images, etc.) | As specified in the title page template (in English and German, font size and style as specified in the template) |
| Font | - |
| Font size | - |
| Line spacing | 1,5-spaced |
| Single-sided/double-sided | Double-sided |
| Declaration of authorship | Please append such a declaration to your thesis |
| Digital/hard copy | Digital and hard copy versions of the thesis need to be handed in |
| Quantity | Two hard copies (hardbound) and one digital version (PDF) have to be handed in |
| Other specifications | DIN-A4 portrait format, an abstract has to be included in the appendix, hardcover binding |
You can contact the SSC in case you are unsure about your title page layout
Master's thesis title page template
Regulations relating to good scientific practice
Doctoral thesis
All information regarding doctoral theses can be found at the website of the Center for Doctoral Studies.