Instructions for thesis-equivalent work submission
A thesis-equivalent assignment is the outcome of original research summarized as a detailed scientific work. The work must reflect knowledge and comprehension in the selected area of research, use of appropriate scientific tools, analytical abilities, original thinking and ability to express oneself well in writing.
- Students submitting thesis-equivalent work must be registered at Bar-Ilan University in the year of submission.
- 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, their thesis-equivalent assignment and corresponding exam and submission of requested revisions. Students who do not meet these requirements will be charged an additional year of tuition, per tuition policy.
- To avoid incurring an additional year of tuition, the thesis-equivalent assignment 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.
- 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 all coursework specified as required upon admission, 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 the thesis-equivalent work in English
Students who wish to write their thesis-equivalent work in English must submit a letter clearly explaining why to the departmental committee, and include a recommendation by their advisor. Students whose request has been approved by the departmental committee chair must include an abstract in Hebrew and in English in their work.
Regulations for thesis-equivalent work submission in format of an academic article
The research proposal is submitted and reviewed as accepted in the department.
The thesis-equivalent work includes one 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-writing process is to be attached to the thesis-equivalent work.
The limited word count of an academic article does not always allow for the necessary elaboration; the thesis-equivalent work 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 article does not provide a broad, detailed presentation of methodology, this should be included as part of the thesis-equivalent work.
- Where necessary, an expanded summary may be included, with possible consequences of the study, future directions, etc.
The thesis-equivalent work is to be reviewed in the same way that standard theses are reviewed in the department.
Publication of research
Students may not publish their research work or a portion of it without advisor approval.
Students who publish their research work or a portion of it, must indicate the department name, the advisor’s name and that the research was conducted at Bar-Ilan University, as part of background completion work toward doctoral studies.
Instructions for writing a thesis-equivalent work
1. The thesis-equivalent work is to be printed on quarto paper or 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.
Font size for the bibliography should be the same as in the remainder of the work. Footnotes may be printed using a smaller font size.
Printing may be double-sided, so long as it is clear and legible.
2. The work should 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 should appear on the cardboard binding of the thesis.
4. Following the exterior cover pages on the binding should be two interior cover pages identical to the exterior ones (as shown in the example below).
5. The page following the interior cover page must include the name of the advisor(s) in the following format: (Note: Content which must be presented in Hebrew is shown below with the English translation in square brackets for your convenience.)
עבודה זו נעשתה בהדרכתו/ם 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]... (יש לבחור במתאים) ________________________ של אוניברסיטת בר-אילן. [(choose the most appropriate), 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 / Interdisciplinary Unit of (choose 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. An 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 of the article, book title, etc.) 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-equivalent work must include a Hebrew and an English abstract.
(Or, if the work has been written in a language which is neither Hebrew nor English, an abstract in the language of the assignment is to be included instead of the English one). Each abstract should be 3-5 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.
Policy for submitting copies of the final thesis-equivalent work to the central library:
To deposit the thesis-equivalent work 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 work
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, indicating that the assignment has been written per instructions and regulations of the School of Graduate Studies.
After depositing the assignment in accordance with regulations, a confirmation of the deposit is sent by the central library to the student. The confirmation should be forwarded to the department. The department shall file the confirmation in the student’s digital file.
The student shall sign the form permitting use of their work (a printed copy and an electronic copy).
Sample layout of thesis-equivalent work
Suggested layout 1 |
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); indicate page numbers on which they appear |
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 |
|
|
|
|
Suggested layout 2 |
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. |
Hebrew abstract |
in Hebrew letters (א, ב, ג...) |
|
7. |
Introduction |
numbered |
|
8. |
Theoretical framework |
numbered |
|
9. |
Research, experiment(s) and outcomes |
numbered |
|
10. |
Discussion, conclusions and recommendations |
numbered |
|
11. |
Bibliography |
numbered |
|
12. |
Appendices (if any) |
numbered |
|
13. |
English abstract |
in Roman numerals (i., ii., iii...) |
|
14. |
Advisor’s name in English |
unnumbered |
|
15. |
English cover page (interior, identical to the one on the binding) |
unnumbered |
|
16. |
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 pages and on the pages indicating advisor’s name in both languages.
Sample front cover page of assignment (Hebrew)
אוניברסיטת בר-אילן [Bar-Ilan University]
Title of work
שם הסטודנט [Student name]
(First name followed by last name)
עבודה שוות ערך לתזה מוגשת כחלק מדרישות קבלה ללימודים לתואר שלישי [Thesis-equivalent work submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for admission to doctoral study]
מהמחלקה / פקולטה / בית הספר / יחידה ל... [from the Department / Faculty / School / Interdisciplinary Unit of ...] 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
Title of work
Student name
(First name followed by last name)
A master’s thesis-equivalent work, submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the completion program for Ph.D. of the Department/ Faculty/ School/ Interdisciplinary Studies Unit of.........., Bar-Ilan University
Ramat-Gan, Israel Year
Last Updated Date : 25/01/2024
