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Literature Thesis

Literature Thesis Protocol

All students of the Master Brain and Cognitive Sciences have to write a 10 EC Literature Thesis. This is a mandatory part of the Master programme.  

Objective Thesis

Through writing the thesis the student demonstrates that he/she:

  • can formulate a clear question in the field of Brain and Cognitive Sciences;
  • can develop a well argued problem definition;
  • can select and organise the pertinent literature so as to provide a convincing response to the questions posed in the thesis;
  • can write in English in a coherent and reflective way.

Topic

Students may choose a thesis topic in which they have a special interest within the field of brain and cognitive sciences. The content of the thesis should be sufficiently different from the issues addressed in the research project(s). Preferably but not mandatory the topic has an interdisciplinary focus. 

Supervisor and co-assessor

Students need a supervisor and co-assessor for their literature thesis. During the writing of the thesis the supervisor should be available for discussion and guidance.The student can approach a lecturer of the UvA ((assistant) professor, post doc) who has expertise in the subject matter of the thesis. In case a supervisor with appropriate expertise in the selected topic is not available within the UvA, the student may find a supervisor outside the UvA. It should be noted, however, that in the last case the co-assessor always has to be an UvA employee – e.g. (assistant) professor, post-doc. The supervisor and student should select the co-assessor together. 

Roles of the supervisor and co-assessor

1. Supervisor:
The supervisor grades the literature thesis and provides feedback and guidance during the process of writing. The supervisor decides on the final grade based on his/her own assessment and the evaluation of the co-assessor. The supervisor is responsible for signing the examinations slip and handing it in at the secretary’s office of the IIS.

2. Co-assessor:
The co-assessor reads and grades the thesis after it is finished and is not involved in the process before and during the writing phase. If the supervisor is outside the UvA, the co-assessor is responsible for signing the examination slip and handing it in at the secretary’s office of the IIS.  Please make sure you provide your supervisor with the thesis supervisor manual. This contains information of use for the supervisor on the rules and regulations of the master for the literature thesis. This form can be found at and downloaded from here  

Approval

You need to submit your ‘literature thesis information form’ to the study advisors at the start of the writing process. Students should submit this so the advisors are informed about the supervisor, topic and time plan. Especially the last aspect is important for your study plan. The form can be downloaded here    

Students can submit their thesis information form at any time to studieadviseur-iis@uva.nl or by regular mail to: Study advisors MBCS, Sarphatistraat 104, 1018 GV, Amsterdam. The study advisors will report you on receiving the form.   

Planning and Grading

The student prepares a detailed planning and time schedule from the outset of the thesis project. This involves:

  1. the time needed for a literature search and preliminary reading of key references,
  2. the time needed for the actual writing of the thesis
  3. the timing of intermediate steps—first draft, integrating feedback, final version
Student and supervisor should agree on this planning before an extensive literature search or the actual writing is started. The student and supervisor should meet at least three times during the course of the writing: (1) to discuss the outline of the thesis, (2) to discuss the first draft, and (3) to discuss the final version. The student is responsible for making these appointments.  The grading of the thesis is based on:
  • Problem statement
  • Relevance of questions posed vis-à-vis the pertinent literature
  • Organisation of the literature and argumentation
  • Academic writing skills
  • Independence / initiative / individuality
  • Ability to finish the thesis in accordance with the time schedule 

You can download the literature thesis grading form here 

 

Size


The literature thesis should be around 5000-6000 words (approximately 20 pages of text, double spaced, excl. reference list). The thesis is written in English. 

 

Lay-out

The following information should be stated on the front page of the thesis:

  • Title of the thesis
  • Date
  • Name of student and student ID
  • Name of supervisor and co-assessor
  • MSc in Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Amsterdam and specific track

More information

If you need more information please contact the study advisors, studieadviseur-iis@uva.nl  

For a possible subject for you literature thesis, please click here.