Writing the Final Thesis

The final thesis can also be completed outside of school (e.g. at the Czech Academy of Sciences, in a company, etc.). However, the thesis must also be "overseen" by a teacher from one of the UCT Prague departments.

The internal supervisor supervises whether the final thesis formally as well as in terms of content meets the demands and general requirements of the final thesis at UCT Prague. He or she also gives the credit for the final thesis. An external trainer (at the given workplace) then manages the content and experimental content of the thesis.

The individual parts of the thesis (chapters) and the structure of the document itself (paragraph division, font size, etc.) are fixed.

General guidelines for processing the final thesis are summarized in the Thesis Template (see documents below). It contains a font sample, tables, quotations, graphs and instructions for individual parts.

These are general principles. Individual departments may require specific formatting or citation styles. Always check with your department and supervisor for instructions. Each department may have its own rules and conventions, so consult your supervisor for details. 

The Thesis Database can be used to preview theses from previous years (thesis structure, style, etc.).

According to the rules of good scientific practice, you must cite everything that you have taken from external sources both word for word and in terms of content. 

Each external work (article, image, etc.) must be properly cited in the thesis i.e. the source must be indicated. It is useful to use citation programs, e.g. EndNote. The license for EndNote is offered by the university for free. Citation style guidelines, EndNote, and other information can be found on the intranet.

Without properly citing the source of someone else's work, the author commits plagiarism. More on this issue:

• Guide to the Legal Use of Images and Other Non-Textual Sources: How To Do It Correctly (free pdf download).

Not only with citations but also with searching for suitable sources or general writing of an academic text, the series of lectures/webinars "How to write a final thesis" (organized regularly and free of charge by the National Library of Technology) can help you. You can find the current program and listed dates on the library's website.

Notice as of March 20, 2023

The use of AI assistance tools when creating texts is not prohibited, ranging from simple assistance (such as spelling or grammar check - e.g. the Writefull tool) to complex artificial intelligence (e.g. open AI in the ChatGPT implementation). The author (student, researcher) of the text, seminar work or thesis is fully and unconditionally responsible for all texts created by the software tools since they are only materials that should be further processed and verified.

In particular, we point out that the outputs provided by artificial intelligence do not have a direct relationship to the known truth (in popular terms, "AI is sometimes mistaken and makes in fact incorrect statements"). Therefore, all claims including possible references must be separately verified which is the full responsibility of the author. We recommend all users of artificial intelligence to familiarize themselves with the issues of these tools in detail.

The materials prepared by the software themselves are not considered to be original work at this time, which would have to be cited directly. However, if you use assistance tools to process your work, you must mention in the appropriate part of the work which tools and to what extent they were used (e.g. by listing the chapters in which such materials were used).

We recommend you consult your supervisor about the intention of using AI when writing your thesis.

Some final theses might contain data for which the publication is required to be delayed by law. This is particularly the case when:

• The thesis is being developed in cooperation with a partner from the application field (the concluded contract contains a requirement to postpone publication).
• The work is being developed within the framework of the GAČR/TAČR project which requires a time delay in the publication of the results.
• If the protection of an object of industrial property (especially a patent or a utility or industrial design based on the results contained in the final thesis) is planned.

Postponement of publication is requested by the supervisor. The work marked in this way is then governed by special rules for submission (more information here), printing and defence.

For complete information and instructions, please refer to the Directive A/S/961/6/2018: Defence and storage of theses with deferred publishing (see documents below).

Each faculty/department has a different principle of listing topics, see below. In addition, it is possible to make individual arrangements with the supervisor from your department/faculty (or externally) on a specific topic, and the enrolment is then governed by the supervisor's instructions.

• FCHT – The students will receive an invitation to a meeting with the vice dean regarding the possible topics for the final thesis by the end of the 4^th semester. Based on the preferences and interests of the student, the vice dean will recommend a suitable topic and possible supervisor and guide the student in the following steps. 
• FTOP – Topics are listed in SIS – it is necessary to check them regularly. You can find more information about topics and research groups in SIS and on the websites of individual departments. Moreover, the student can also approach a supervisor with his/her own proposal for a topic during his/her studies (for example at the end of the 2nd year).
• FPBT – Students usually approach a supervisor with their own proposal for a topic during his/her studies (for example at the end of the 2nd year). The topic must be approved by the guarantee of the study programme. 
• FCHI – The student can approach a supervisor with his/her own proposal for a topic during his/her studies (for example at the end of the 2nd year). Nevertheless, at the beginning of the 3rd year, the Dean's office will present a selection of possible topics to the students and help them to contact the supervisors. Registration for the topic in SIS will be ensured by the Dean's Office in cooperation with the supervisor.
• SoB – Suggested topics are listed on the SoB website. The student usually agrees on the topic individually with the selected supervisor.

• Follow the instructions of the study office.
• After you have chosen a topic, contact the supervisor/trainer to agree on the details and to confirm that the topic has not already been assigned to someone else.
• Several students might be interested in one topic, therefore do not hesitate to contact the leader/trainer as soon as possible.
• If you work on an individual topic, you have to follow the special instructions given by the supervisor/ study office on how to apply for it in SIS. 

Each student must have the topic of the bachelor's thesis registered in SIS by the end of the winter semester in the final year of study, see Guidelines on Final Thesis (see documents below). After the student has progressed to the last semester, the study office will check the formal correctness of the assigned topic and confirm the final thesis assigned to the student. Subsequently, the final/official assignment is printed and given to the student.

Regarding the registering of the topic, always follow the instructions of your study officer or department.

The thesis must be uploaded to the Study Information System (SIS) and submitted in printed (bound) form to the designated location (study office, secretariat, etc.) by the specified date (Organization of the academic year) before the State final exams.

How to upload the thesis to SIS? 

Instructions for electronic submission can be found on the intranet, including visual instructions for submitting work.

The text of the thesis and an abstract in English (in PDF format) must be submitted separately.

When uploaded, the text is automatically checked by the Theses.cz anti-plagiarism system.

How to print the thesis correctly?

Instructions for the printed version of the thesis can be found on the intranet, including the mandatory set of sheets, type of binding, etc. (varies by type of work).

Generate the thesis cover according to the prescribed parameters in the online Thesis cover generator.

Printing is possible in the UCT Prague copy center (building B); follow the prescribed deadlines and instructions for sending documents. Of course, it is also possible to print outside UCT Prague, but in such cases, pay particular attention to observing the prescribed printing parameters.

The standard number of copies is 3 unless the faculty requires otherwise – always check with your supervisor in advance (e.g. only 1 copy is submitted at the FPBT).

The topic of the diploma thesis is usually chosen at the beginning of the master's studies:

• As a field project at the department that runs your master's program.
• During/after completion of branch laboratories, where the student learns about the topics and agrees with the supervisor on the processing of a specific topic.
• It is possible to continue with the topic from the bachelor's thesis.

The measurement/laboratory work for the diploma thesis takes place at the department that runs the master's program, in some cases at external workplaces.

You can find the offered topics of final diploma theses in SIS.

In addition to the listed available topics, individual topics might be agreed upon with the supervisors, depending on their time and other possibilities.

General principles:

• Find out about the offered master thesis topics at the beginning of your master's studies at the department that implements your master's program.
• After you have chosen a topic, contact the supervisor to agree on the details and to confirm that the topic has not already been assigned to someone else.
• Several students might be interested in one topic, therefore do not hesitate to contact the supervisor as soon as possible.
• If you work on an individually agreed topic, you have to follow the special instructions given by the supervisor/ study office on how to apply for it in SIS.

You register for the selected topic in SIS.

The student applies for the topic of master thesis in SIS in the winter semester of the last year of study, see the Guidelines on Final Thesis (see documents below).

The study office of the Faculty, after the student has progressed to the last semester of study, will check the formal correctness of the assignment and confirm the final thesis assigned to the student. Subsequently, the official assignment is printed and given to the student.

The student will receive the official assignment of the diploma thesis after registration for the last semester at the study office of the faculty or at the secretariat of the relevant department.

The master thesis must be uploaded to the Study Information System (SIS) and submitted in printed (bound) form to the secretariat of the relevant department by the specified date (see Studying - Organization of the academic year) before the State exams.

How to upload the thesis to SIS?

Instructions for electronic submission can be found on the intranet, including visual instructions for submitting work.

The text of the thesis and an abstract in English, pdf format, must be submitted separately.

When uploaded, the text is automatically checked by the Theses.cz anti-plagiarism system.

How to print the work correctly?

Instructions for the printed version of the thesis can be found on the intranet, including the mandatory set of sheets, type of binding, etc. (varies by type of work).

Generate the thesis cover according to the prescribed parameters in the online Thesis cover generator.

 Printing is possible in the UCT Prague copy center (building B) or in the KANAG company (building A); follow the prescribed deadlines and instructions for sending documents. Of course, it is also possible to print outside UCT Prague, but in such cases, pay particular attention to observing the prescribed printing parameters.

The standard number of copies is 1 hardcover and 3 paperbacks unless the faculty requires otherwise – check with your supervisor in advance.