FAQs for Students

There are two ways to find a thesis topic:

1. Develop your own topic: Create your own research proposal and upload it to the Business Theses Market
2. Apply for posted topics: Browse and apply for specific topics published by supervisors on the platform

Since supervisor-posted topics are limited, we recommend developing your own topic proactively to increase your chances of finding a supervisor.

Yes, you can submit multiple proposals to increase your chances of finding a supervisor.

Important: Once you have found a supervisor, please delete your remaining proposals from the platform. If you cannot delete them yourself, email us at theses@business.uzh.ch and we will remove them for you.

Write your proposal in the language you plan to use for your thesis. When uploading, you can indicate your preferred language.

Tip: If you are flexible about language, we recommend writing your proposal in English, as some supervisors only supervise theses in English. This may increase your chances of finding a supervisor.

Yes, this is generally possible. However, you must have one internal supervisor from the Department of Business Administration (as required by the program regulations).

Here are some steps you can take:

1. Review your proposal: Is the research question clear and feasible? Can you improve it?
2. Submit an additional proposal: Consider developing a second research idea to increase your options
3. Check the timeline: Make sure to upload your proposal at least 1 month before you want to start your thesis

For urgent cases, contact us at theses@business.uzh.ch

Formatting requirements depend on your supervisor.

1. First, check the Theses Market landing page to see if your supervisor has uploaded specific guidelines in the "Remarks" column
2. Review your thesis assignment for any explicit instructions
3. If no guidelines are provided, discuss formatting with your supervisor directly

The citation standard depends on your supervisor.

1. Check the Theses Market landing page for guidelines from your supervisor ("Remarks" column)
2. If no specific standard is required, you may choose any recognized citation style (APA, Harvard, Chicago, etc.) Important: Use your chosen standard consistently throughout the entire paper
3. If your thesis assignment specifies a citation style, use that one

Do not cite:

• Non-public or unverified sources
• Forums or discussion boards
• Public encyclopedias (e.g., Wikipedia) – use these only as a starting point to find primary sources
• AI-generated text

Best practice: Always cite the primary (original) source whenever possible.

Whether you need to defend your thesis depends on your supervisor. Clarify this with your supervisor at the beginning of your thesis. If they require a defense, they will inform you about the format and expectations.

Unless otherwise specified by your supervisor, please submit the following documents as a ZIP file:

• Executive Summary (PDF): Maximum 3 pages
• Complete thesis (both LaTeX/Word file AND PDF document)
• Data materials (if applicable): Full data used for the paper
• Code (if applicable): Computer code for replication of your results
• References (if applicable): Electronically saved papers in PDF format

For complete information about the OLAT submission process and deadlines, please refer to the "Manual for Final Theses in OLAT" available at: https://www.oec.uzh.ch/en/studies/theses.html

The specific wording for the declaration of independence may vary depending on your supervisor's requirements. Please ask your supervisor which formulation they require for your thesis.

If your supervisor does not specify a particular wording, you may use the following:

"I hereby declare that I have composed this work independently and without the use of any aids other than those declared. I accept full liability for the scientific integrity of this text, irrespective of potential use of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT. All instances of direct quotes or paraphrasing from published or unpublished sources are properly attributed. This work, in its current form or any similar version, has not been previously submitted, in whole or in part, as part of any other examination."

If you have questions that aren't answered here, contact us at theses@business.uzh.ch