Instructions and guidelines for submitting the master’s degree thesis

The thesis is the outcome of original research summarized as a detailed scientific work. The thesis is to reflect knowledge and understanding in the selected area of research, use of relevant scientific tools, analytical abilities, original thinking and ability to express oneself well in writing.

Instructions and guidelines for submitting the master’s degree thesis

1. Students must be registered at Bar-Ilan University in the year they submit their thesis.
2. Students whose graduation is set for a particular academic year must complete all degree requirements by the final day of that academic year, including coursework, thesis, thesis final exam and submission of requested revisions.  Students who do not meet these requirements will be charged an additional year of tuition, per tuition policy.
3. To avoid incurring an additional year of tuition, the thesis should be submitted for approval to the departmental committee about three months before the start of the next academic year, to leave sufficient time for revisions as needed.
4. The department must ascertain that the thesis review and final exam be completed within 60 days of the date of thesis submission to the department.
     

Final exam

The exam is an oral one, before an examining committee appointed by the departmental committee. Students are to present their research outcome and demonstrate proficiency in topics related to their research and in supplementary material as determined by the departmental committee. The departmental committee may choose to hold a written exam on the supplementary material.

Eligibility to take the exam is contingent upon completion of all requirements, including availability of all final grades for required master’s degree coursework, which include Jewish studies and foreign language requirements, and registration for the academic year in which the exam is held. It is the responsibility of the departments to ascertain that students do not take their final exam before completing all their requirements. 

Writing a thesis in the English language

Students who wish to write their thesis in English are to submit a clearly justified request to the departmental committee together with a recommendation by their advisor. Students for whom the request has been approved by the departmental committee chair must include in their work an abstract in Hebrew and in English.

Guidelines for thesis submission in academic article format

The research proposal is to be  submitted and reviewed as accepted in the department.

The thesis is to include an academic article submitted for publication in a journal at a level of B or Q2 or above (a letter from the journal confirming submission is to be included).The article must include the student’s academic affiliation with the relevant department and to Bar-Ilan University.

The length of the academic article should be as accepted in journals within the particular discipline.

The student must be a central participant in the research conducted and in the writing of the academic article. A letter by the advisor attesting to the student’s contribution to each phase of the article’s work is to be attached to the thesis.

The limited word count of an academic article does not always allow for the necessary elaboration; the thesis should thus include additional sections conveying all aspects of the research topic:

• Expanded bibliographic survey as accepted in a thesis, with corresponding bibliography list. (This is not necessary if the academic article itself includes a broad survey).
• If the academic article does not present a broad, detailed presentation of methodology, this should be included as part of the thesis.
• Where necessary, an expanded summary may be included, with possible consequences of the study, future directions, etc.

The thesis is reviewed the same way all standard theses are reviewed in the department.

Research publication

Students are not to publish their thesis work or a portion of it without advisor approval.
Students who publish their thesis work or a portion of it must indicate that the research was conducted as part of their master’s degree requirements at Bar-Ilan University, referencing the name of the department and advisor.
 

Instructions for writing the thesis
  

1. The thesis is to be printed on A4 paper with line spacing of 1.5 and wide margins (2-3 cm on each side). The bibliography, footnotes and references may be single-spaced (line spacing of 1.0).
   We recommend David or Arial font of point size 12 in Hebrew, and Times New Roman or Arial font of point size 12 in English.
   Font and font size for the bibliography should be the same as in the remainder of the work. References may be printed in a smaller font size. Printing may be double-sided, so long as it is clear and legible.
    
2. The thesis shall not exceed 150 printed pages (or 75 double-sided pages). We recommended binding it only after it has been approved by the departmental examining committee.
    
3. A cover page in Hebrew and in English shall appear on the cardboard binding of the thesis. Each word of the English thesis title is to be capitalized (other than prepositions). Be sure to correctly specify department, faculty, school or unit (as indicated on the Bar-Ilan website) on the cover page and on the pages with advisor’s name, in both languages.
    
4. Following the binding, two interior cover pages are to be inserted identical to the exterior ones (as shown in the example below).
    
5. The page following the interior Hebrew cover page should indicate the name of the advisor(s) in the following format (where Hebrew is required, English translation is shown in square brackets for your convenience):

     עבודה זו נעשתה בהדרכתו/ה של פרופ' / ד”ר [This work was carried out under the supervision of Prof. / Dr.] ______________________

מהמחלקה / פקולטה / בית הספר / יחידה ל [from the Faculty / Department / School of / Interdisciplinary Unit]... (select the most appropriate) ________________________
של אוניברסיטת בר-אילן [at Bar Ilan University].

        

The page following the interior English cover page must include the name of the advisor in English in the following format:     

 

This work was carried out under the supervision of Prof. / Dr. _______________

 Faculty / Department / School of / Interdisciplinary Unit (select the most appropriate)
___________,  Bar-Ilan University.
 

6.     This should be followed by a table of contents, listing the chapters and appendices (if any). The table of content should also list the Hebrew and the English abstracts.

 7.     A thesis abstract, introduction, summary and bibliography in Hebrew is mandatory, as well as an English abstract (see examples below).

8.    The work should be written in keeping with accepted standards in the discipline, and should be properly edited. Special attention should be paid to references, quotations, footnotes and bibliography, to be formatted in keeping with professional publications in the area of research. In all cases, author names, publication name (article name), journal name, number of first page, book title and year of publication must be included.

9.    These regulations indicate minimum requirements; specific requirements in the particular discipline must also be adhered to.

10.  A thesis written in a language that is neither Hebrew nor English must also include a Hebrew and English abstract as well as an abstract in the language of the thesis. Each abstract should be 2-5 pages long.

11.  Deviation from this regulation requires prior approval by the School of Graduate Studies; such approval will be granted in exceptional cases only, by considering well-justified recommendations by the advisor and by the departmental committee before submission of the final work for review.

12.  For students of the Department of Music specializing in composition – please see instructions on the department website.

Sample thesis assembly

		Page number
1.	Hebrew cover page (on cardboard binding)	unnumbered
2.	Hebrew cover page (interior, identical to the one on the binding)	unnumbered
3.	Advisor(s) name	unnumbered
4.	Acknowledgments (optional)	unnumbered
5.	Table of contents	unnumbered
6.	List of acronyms and abbreviations	unnumbered
7.	List of figures, tables, maps (if present); page  numbers on which they appear should be indicated	unnumbered
8.	Hebrew abstract	in Hebrew letters (א, ב, ג...)
9.	Introduction	numbered
10.	Thesis body (by chapter)	numbered
11.	Discussion and conclusions	numbered
12.	Bibliography	numbered
13.	Appendices (if any)	numbered
14.	English abstract	in Roman numerals (i., ii., iii., ...)
15.	Advisor’s name in English	unnumbered
16.	English cover page (interior, identical to the one on the binding)	unnumbered
17.	English cover page (on the cardboard binding)	unnumbered

Be sure to correctly specify department, faculty, school or unit (as indicated on the Bar-Ilan website) on the cover page and on the pages with advisor’s name, in both languages.

Sample thesis front cover (Hebrew) (Hebrew required; English translation shown in square brackets for your convenience)

 

אוניברסיטת בר-אילן [Bar-Ilan University]

Title of work

שם הסטודנט [Student name]

(First name followed by last name)

 

עבודה זו מוגשת כחלק מהדרישות לשם קבלת תואר מוסמך [Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master's Degree]

במחלקה / פקולטה  / בית הספר / היחידה ל [in the Department / Faculty / School of / Interdisciplinary Studies Unit] ...... של אוניברסיטת בר-אילן [Bar Ilan University]

 

רמת גן                                                                   שנה עברית [Ramat Gan            Hebrew year]

 

Sample back cover page for thesis-equivalent work (English)

 

BAR-ILAN UNIVERSITY

Thesis title

Student name

(First name followed by last name)

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master's Degree

in the Department / Faculty / School of / Interdisciplinary Studies Unit ……,

Bar-Ilan University

Ramat-Gan, Israel                                                              Year

 

 

To obtain master’s degree eligibility certification the following steps must be carried out:

1. Submit copies of the temporarily-bound thesis to the departmental committee, who will then forward them to the departmental examining committee (2-4 copies, as determined by the department).
2. Undergo the final exam – the date of the final exam of the master’s thesis is set in coordination with the department.
3. Submit 2-5 bound copies of the thesis (as determined by the department) to the department.

Obtain written agreement from the departmental committee chair to submit the thesis to the central library.

Policy for submitting final copies of the thesis to the central library:

       Before submitting copies to the library:

1. Carefully read the regulations for how to write and edit the thesis on the School of Graduate Studies website.
2. Ask your advisor to check that your thesis meets these requirements.
3. Obtain departmental approval signed by your advisor for submitting your thesis to the central library.
4. Return all books borrowed from any Bar-Ilan libraries and pay any fines.
5. To deposit the thesis at the central library: an appointment must be made through the library services website. 

Make sure you receive an email confirmation for your appointment. Be sure to be there on time.

      Bring the following with you to the central library:

1. One printed copy of your thesis

An exception to this rule: Department of Information Science – the printed copy must be hard bound, with a laminated cover page glued onto the front binding.

2. One digital copy (on a flash drive, which will be returned to you). The digital copy must be a single file in pdf format, identical to the printed copy and arranged in reading order.

3. Departmental approval signed by the advisor, attesting that the thesis has been written per instructions and guidelines of the School of Graduate Studies.

The central library will send a digital copy to the National Library in Jerusalem. 

After depositing the thesis in accordance with instructions:

1. Students will receive from the central library proof of thesis submission. 
2.  Students must sign the form permitting use of the thesis (a printed copy and an electronic copy).
3. Students must submit a form to obtain master’s degree eligibility certification via the In-Bar portal. Students must notify the library after having done so, so that the library may confirm it in the student’s digital file.

 Students in the Faculty of Social Sciences must submit an additional copy of their thesis to their department. This copy will be sent by the department to the Henrietta Szold Institute.
Students in the School of Education must submit two copies directly to the School of Education library.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, timetables and policies may be subject to change. For updates, follow the announcements on the School of Graduate Studies website.