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Guidelines for Writing Bachelor’s and Master’s Theses at the Faculty of Informatics, Masaryk University
This page brings together in one place the essential information to help you successfully complete and subsequently defend your Bachelor’s (BP) or Master’s (DP) thesis; it consists of five chapters (tabs):
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Choosing a Topic and Types of Theses
The first section covers the first step in writing a final thesis: choosing a topic. -
Formal requirements
This section contains mandatory instructions which you must follow. -
Writing advice
In this section, you will find recommendations on style, formatting and citations, including relevant sources. -
Assessment
Here you will find out what is expected of your thesis. -
Defences
The final section contains guidelines for the defence of your final thesis and for preparing for it.
A Bachelor’s or Master’s thesis is a compulsory component of Bachelor’s (Master’s) degree programmes. Its aim is to develop specialist knowledge and skills and to provide training in independent work whilst tackling an extensive project. It demonstrates mastery of the knowledge prescribed by the Bachelor’s (Master’s) degree programme and the student’s ability to apply it when addressing a specific problem. The Bachelor’s and Master’s theses follow the same basic principles; the difference lies in the scope of the work, its level of difficulty and the degree of independence required.
In the case of a Bachelor’s thesis, the student is primarily expected to demonstrate the ability to undertake an extensive project (for example, to create a useful programme) and to be able to place their work in context and describe it in the form of a specialist text. In the case of a Master’s thesis, in addition to the use of more advanced technologies and concepts, greater independence and a creative approach to the problem are also expected.
1.1 How to choose a thesis topic?
The standard duration for completing both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s thesis at the Faculty of Informatics, Masaryk University, is two semesters. The first semester is usually devoted to research and addressing the problem set out in the assignment. The second semester is most often focused on finalising the work, addressing any shortcomings and drafting the text. It is therefore advisable to select a topic ideally two semesters before the planned completion of your studies. You can select a topic using one of the methods listed below:
Pre-defined topic
A list of current topics is available in the IS, separately for undergraduate theses and separately for master’s theses. Please note! Selecting a topic does not end simply by ticking it in the IS. It is important that you contact the supervisor who has advertised the topic immediately afterwards, either by email or in person, and agree on the next steps with them.
Your own topic
If you have come up with your own topic (from the company where you work; from an interest group in which you are involved; from your local area, etc.), contact one of the academic staff at the Faculty of Informatics (FI), whose research or teaching activities lead you to believe that the topic you are proposing might be of interest to them, or that they have previously supervised a similar topic, and discuss with them whether the topic is suitable as a final thesis at the Faculty of Informatics.
This academic supervisor will, first and foremost, oversee the content and formal requirements of the thesis and ensure that the topic is registered in the list of topics on the MU Information System. To find a suitable supervisor, you may also ask the programme coordinator for advice; however, it is not their responsibility to find a supervisor for you.
For topics involving work for a commercial company, it is essential to carefully consider and agree on the terms of the thesis. In cases where it is not possible to disclose certain information (e.g. source codes, the company’s know-how), this must be clarified in advance. Only the submitted final thesis, which will be published in accordance with the law, can be assessed. Any supplementary material to the thesis that remains unpublished cannot be assessed. For a successful defence, it is not necessary to include in the bachelor’s or master’s thesis all the source codes produced whilst working for the company (in the case of proprietary software, we recommend including illustrative sections of the code in the thesis, thereby making them public). It is important that the submitted thesis contains sufficient information to enable the external examiners and the examination board to assess the quality and evaluate the thesis. If the specific circumstances within the company or the intended topic do not allow for this, a different topic for the final thesis must be chosen.
A bespoke topic
If none of the listed topics that have not yet been selected suit you, try contacting one of the potential supervisors working in the field that interests you and ask them to suggest a topic they would be willing to supervise.
You are sure to find inspiration for a range of interesting topics if you take an interest in the activities of the FI or ÚVT laboratories, become a member of them, undertake a project-based module, or if a lecture on an interesting topic catches your attention.
In any case, when choosing a topic, pay attention to the supervisor as well. Find out what theses the supervisor has supervised so far, read their reports, and see what marks the students ultimately received. Based on this, you can get an idea of what to expect from the supervisor. Before your first consultation with your supervisor, make sure you are well prepared – look up the relevant terminology, think of some questions and be clear about what you actually want to do (what type of thesis, what timetable).
1.2 Basic types of final theses at the Faculty of Informatics
At the Faculty of Informatics, there are many different types of final theses, which differ from one another in terms of what is expected of them. Here is a description of several basic categories. This is merely an indicative list; not all theses can be easily classified into the categories listed. Often, theses may, for example, fall on the borderline between the categories listed (such as a combination of implementation and experimental work).
Implementation projects
This is probably the most common type of final project at the Faculty of Informatics. The practical outcome of the project is an implementation, preferably one that is in use by others as well as the author at the time of submission. An important part of the assessment is the quality of the code produced, including the documentation.
The text of the thesis describes the overall design and key aspects of the implementation, i.e. those that are specific to the problem in question (rather than procedures that are standard in the field). The text section of the project may be slightly shorter than the recommended length, particularly if the quality of the implementation ‘speaks for itself’. The bibliography may be shorter than in other types of projects; however, even here, a high-quality overview of related solutions is expected.
Only include source code examples in the text of the project if justified (a key component of the solution, analysis of special syntax). When describing the technologies used, do not go into detail about standard technologies (there is no need to state that Java is an object-oriented language). Discuss the reasons for choosing specific technologies and, where appropriate, describe new technologies (less than two years old) and specialised technologies (not covered in any course at the Faculty of Informatics).
For this type of final thesis, it is expected that an integral part of the electronic appendix will be the complete source code, including documentation. Please bear in mind that all electronic appendices must always be uploaded to the IS MU Archive. Uploading them to publicly accessible or private cloud services (GitLab, GitHub, etc.) does not replace storage in the IS MU Archive.
Experimental and evaluation theses
Here, too, the practical part of the thesis plays an important role; however, the aim is not to create a new system, but primarily to compare existing approaches (algorithms, techniques, systems, implementations). The implementation part may therefore be relatively simple (e.g. using existing implementations or libraries, installing programmes); the emphasis is on the quality of the experimental or evaluation part, e.g. on data selection, the methodology for conducting experiments, and the processing of analyses.
The text section focuses on explaining the approaches being compared and, above all, on describing the experiments carried out, analysing the results and drawing conclusions from these experiments. In this case, a longer text is expected, which is usually natural for this type of thesis.
For this type of final project, it is expected that the electronic appendices will include all measured data and the scripts used to analyse them.
Concept design, prototype implementation
The thesis addresses a practical problem (it does not contain theoretical results), but does not include an implementation section; or, if it does, the implementation section consists solely of a prototype which, at the time of submission, was used only by the author. If the thesis is of this type, it must be clearly evident from the official assignment that the thesis was intended in this way by the supervisor (it is not permissible for the thesis to change from an implementation to a concept proposal due to a lack of time).
Compared to other types of work, a particularly high-quality and relatively lengthy text is expected, which analyses and justifies the proposed design, e.g. an explicit analysis of what is non-trivial about the design, an analysis of possible alternatives, and a justification of the choices made. High-quality use of the literature is expected (e.g. an overview of relevant concepts, sources of information underpinning the choices made).
Theoretical work
This type of thesis is found primarily in the Theoretical Computer Science programme. The paper contains no practical section (or only a very rough ‘proof-of-concept’ implementation), but contains theoretical results, e.g. the formulation and proof of a statement, the design of an algorithm and a proof of its correctness.
Review paper
The thesis provides an overview of existing approaches (algorithms, techniques, systems, methodologies); it does not include an implementation section, nor is it theoretically demanding. Such a thesis can be very valuable, but it is challenging to produce one that is truly good (it is certainly not an easier option compared to an implementation-based thesis).
For this type of thesis, a thorough review of the literature is particularly important. The thesis must not merely be a ‘cut-and-paste’ compilation; it must, for example, include a synthesis of findings from various sources and a comparison of these findings. The thesis must clearly state how it adds value compared to a simple compilation.
Theses with an artistic focus
This type of dissertation is only available to students on the Bachelor’s degree programme in Computer Science with a specialisation in Graphic Design, or to students on the subsequent Master’s degree programme in Visual Informatics with a specialisation in Graphic Design. In the IS, these topics are labelled AGDM. Students of the Graphic Design specialisation may also choose other topics, but these must be approved as suitable by the specialisation supervisor.
The Bachelor’s thesis addresses an artistic problem in conjunction with computer science and information technologies. The scope of the thesis complies with the prescribed standard, with the main text describing the theoretical foundations for the artistic component of the thesis. The text also contains a description of the work process for the artistic component, including its key creative phases (concept, sketches, execution, variations, etc.). The thesis is thoroughly documented both in the text and in the appendices. The visual design is an integral part of the text of the thesis and is included in its scope. The thesis may also include a separate appendix outside the main body of the thesis, provided that this is required by the assignment, the type and scope of the visual component of the thesis, for example a book design, a graphic design manual, a film, a photobook, a mock-up of printed materials, or a website design.
For this type of thesis, in addition to the implicitly expected quality of the text and visual appendices, an original solution to the visual problem and its professional artistic standard are of great importance, including the typographical quality of the presentation during the defence.
A Master’s thesis focusing on a visual arts topic must also comprise at least one third of its content as an IT component. In the IT component, the student describes the IT tools used in addressing the visual arts topic and, where applicable, further theoretical insights. Collaboration with a specialist advisor is recommended; during the assessment, a separate external examiner’s report is drawn up for the IT section.
For Master’s theses with an art focus, a deeper understanding of artistic principles, a more substantial topic and a greater scope of work are expected; artistic professionalism closely linked to demonstrated knowledge of computer science is a given in this context.
2.1 Preparation and submissionprocess
The creation, submission, publication and assessment of final theses are subject to Dean’s Directive No. 4/2025. As you progress with your thesis, you must adhere to the specified deadlines for each stage, which are published on the website by the Student Affairs Office for the relevant semester in the end-of-study timetable, separately for undergraduate programmes and for postgraduate programmes. The following table provides a general overview of deadlines without specific dates:
| Official assignment in the IS | Submission of the thesis | Thesis defence | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn semester | October | mid-December | Early February |
| Spring term | March | end of May | End of June |
Click here for further information on the formal requirements for final theses at the Faculty of Informatics:
Choice of topic and its relevance to the degree programme
An overview of the topics available for Bachelor’s and Master’s theses is published in the Masaryk University Information System (IS MU). You can register for a topic here, but in all cases you must also contact your supervisor to agree on the exact terms of reference and the procedure for the thesis. You may also propose your own topic (see Tab 1: Choice of Topic and Types of Theses).
The thesis topic should be broadly related to your degree programme. If you are interested in a topic that is significantly outside the scope of your programme, please consult the programme coordinator.
Rules for students on combined programmes
Students on joint programmes may write their final thesis within either their main or secondary programme. The conditions for selecting a topic, writing the thesis and defending it are governed by the rules applicable to the main study plan.
Students on joint programmes who are primarily affiliated with the Faculty of Informatics (FI) may therefore undertake a topic whose content falls within the remit of their second faculty. The thesis should still have at least some computer science content relevant to the programme being studied. Students may, instead of the course SBAPR/SDIPR, enrol in an equivalent course at the other faculty, and the requirements regarding content and formatting shall be governed by the guidelines of the relevant faculty. However, it is necessary to adhere to all deadlines and formal procedures for the submission of the thesis in accordance with the Faculty of Informatics’ guidelines.
Students from other faculties who are studying a minor at the Faculty of Informatics (typically IVVMIN Informatics in Education or INFMIN Informatics) must enrol on the SBAPR/SDIPR course at the Faculty of Informatics and follow the Faculty of Informatics’ guidelines when writing their thesis. Approval of the official thesis proposal lies with the programme coordinator of the main degree programme at their home faculty, and it is also necessary to adhere to the formal guidelines and deadlines of their home faculty.
The course SBAPR/SDIPR
When undertaking your Bachelor’s (Master’s) thesis, you must enrol on the SBAPR (SDIPR) course; this course may be taken repeatedly. In total, you must obtain 10 (20) credits for the BP (DP); when enrolling, you choose the number of credits with which you wish to complete the module in the given semester. You can therefore spread your work on the topic over several semesters or, conversely, concentrate it into a single one. It is strongly recommended that the thesis be spread over at least two semesters.
Credit for this module is awarded by the thesis supervisor. As a general rule, the amount of work completed should correspond to the number of credits taken. Please consult your specific supervisor regarding the exact conditions for awarding credit. You must have been awarded credit for this module before the deadline for submitting your final thesis. (See the graduation timetable, separately for undergraduate programmes and for postgraduate programmes).
The SOBHA course and official assignment
In the semester in which you wish to defend your thesis, you must enrol on the SOBHA course. This course is worth 0 credits and enrolment on it is considered as an application to defend your thesis. By this semester at the latest, you must already be registered for your BP/DP topic in the topic package within IS MU (the ‘Topic Lists’ application). Please check that the title and text of the official thesis brief are correct. In the event of any discrepancies, contact your supervisor and ask them to amend the text.
The official assignment is an important document, against which the thesis is subsequently assessed by the examination board during the defence. By the deadline specified in the timetable for the relevant semester (see the Student Affairs Office website) the official thesis proposal must be confirmed in the IS by you, your supervisor and the programme coordinator. After that, it cannot be changed. The supervisor is responsible for the proposal and its relevance. Thesis topics are reviewed by the programme supervisors, who have the right to reject unsuitable topics. You may, of course, play an active role in formulating the official thesis topic (and in the case of a final year project, this is even expected); however, your primary responsibility is to fulfil the terms of the official thesis topic as set out.
Language of the thesis
The title of the thesis in the MU Information System must match the title stated in the official thesis proposal and must be in the language in which the thesis will be written. The text of the thesis proposal may be in Czech, Slovak or English. For theses written in English, it is recommended that the assignment be written in English. The thesis may be written in Czech, Slovak or English. Regardless of the language used, high-quality language editing is expected. The defence takes place in the same language in which the thesis is written. A thesis written in English may also be defended in Czech or Slovak.
Submission and publication of the thesis
Before submitting your final thesis, you must have been awarded a pass with the full credit value for the SBAPR/SDIPR modules (i.e. you must have a total of 10 credits for SBAPR and a total of 20 credits for SDIPR). You must submit only an electronic version of the thesis to the IS MU Archive; the thesis does not need to be printed. Not only the text but also all appendices—which typically include the practical part of the dissertation—must be submitted electronically. The archive must be sufficiently completed before the dissertation is accepted by the Student Affairs Office. When submitting the dissertation, you must confirm the following in the IS: the Author’s Declaration for an Academic Thesis and the Declaration of Authorship. The submitted version of the final thesis cannot be amended. The defence must take place in its submitted form during the final examination.
The electronic version of the thesis and its appendices are made publicly available immediately upon submission. The author of the thesis may choose a licence for their thesis and for any software created as part of it, specifying the terms of use for the thesis and the software; guidance on choosing licences is provided on the Faculty of Informatics website. In general, we recommend liberal licences such as BSD or Apache.
Final theses are public by law. If a thesis or part of it cannot be published immediately (e.g. due to a patent application), the law permits postponing the publication of the thesis for a maximum period of 5 years. At the Faculty of Informatics, theses are frequently carried out in collaboration with commercial firms, which often have issues with the publication of certain parts of the thesis. Any potential conflicts must be addressed at the topic-selection stage and thoroughly discussed when drafting the thesis brief (see Sheet 1: Selection of the Assignment). If the company with which you are collaborating is interested in patenting the results of your final thesis, it is advisable to consult the Centre for Technology Transfer about this in good time (when drafting the assignment).
2.2 Scope of the thesis
The guidelines from spring 2025 define the minimum, recommended and maximum lengths of the written part of final theses at the Faculty of Informatics, Masaryk University. Only the part of the text beginning with the introduction and ending with the conclusion is included in the calculated length. Conversely, automatically inserted pages (title page, keywords, abstract, declaration, acknowledgements, table of contents), the bibliography and appendices are not included in the word count.
| Bachelor’s thesis | Master’s thesis | |
|---|---|---|
| Recommended length | 40 standard pages | 50 standard pages |
| Minimum length | 20 standard pages | 30 standard pages |
| Maximum length | 60 standard pages | 70 standard pages |
Papers shorter than the specified minimum length or longer than the maximum length will be marked as fail . One standard page comprises 1,800 characters; images included in the text are counted towards the length of the written assignment on the basis of an estimate of the amount of text they would – however, only your own images are counted, not images taken from elsewhere. For images taken from elsewhere, the source must be cited. An image that has merely been redrawn is considered to have been taken from elsewhere.
2.3 Structure of the thesis
The thesis has the following structure, the parts of which are described in more detail below. For typesetting, it is recommended to use the LaTeX template ‘fithesis’, which allows for the consistent typesetting of all necessary mandatory and optional sections specified in the guidelines:
Title page
The title page must include the following details: Masaryk University, Faculty of Informatics, Master’s / Bachelor’s thesis, title as specified in the thesis assignment (not compulsory), the student’s first name and surname, year of submission. The information listed is arranged appropriately on the title page.
Declaration of Authorship
The title page is followed by a page containing the student’s declaration of authorship and list of references:
| Czech | English |
|---|---|
| Prohlašuji, že tato práce je mým původním autorským dílem, které jsem vypracoval(a) samostatně. Všechny zdroje, prameny a literaturu, které jsem při vypracování používal(a) nebo z nich čerpal(a), v práci řádně cituji s uvedením úplného odkazu na příslušný zdroj. | Hereby I declare that this thesis is my original authorial work, which I have worked out on my own. All sources, references, and literature used or excerpted during elaboration of this work are properly cited and listed in complete reference to the due source. |
You will be required to confirm this declaration in the MU IS when submitting your thesis. You should therefore read the declaration carefully and ensure that you have indeed adhered to it whilst writing your thesis. Plagiarism is a serious offence which is not only grounds for the thesis defence to be deemed unsuccessful (fail mark), but may also result in disciplinary action. Any text quoted verbatim must be presented in such a way that it is clear from the context that it is a direct quotation (e.g. by placing the text in quotation marks) and must be immediately followed by a citation of the source. It is also necessary to cite the sources of paraphrased or translated texts, and likewise, you must properly reference the sources of images, tables, datasets or libraries – in short, everything you use in your thesis that was created by someone else. Do not take this matter lightly and find out what you can do to avoid plagiarism.
On this page, or on the next page if necessary, you may optionally include acknowledgements to those who have provided you with expert assistance in preparing your work.
Declaration on the use of artificial intelligence
In light of the growing prevalence of artificial intelligence (AI) services, it is only natural to make use of these services when producing final theses, both when writing the text and when creating electronic appendices. In accordance with the university’s position on the use of artificial intelligence in teaching and the recommendations on the use of artificial intelligence tools in fulfilling study obligations, the Faculty of Informatics also supports activities aimed at streamlining students’ work and the appropriate use of resources. However, it is important to bear in mind that even artificial intelligence can provide limited or incorrect information. Therefore, if you decide to use AI services whilst working on your final-year project, please remember the following:
- Think critically and do not accept information (texts or source codes) provided by artificial intelligence without careful consideration.
- Indicate which parts of the thesis have been generated by AI. Be aware that, particularly when reading the text, it is easy to notice that different sections have been written by different authors, as everyone (including artificial intelligence) uses their own distinctive style of expression and favourite words.
- Also state any other uses of AI services, e.g. for literary research, structuring your work, rephrasing your own ideas, generating source code, etc.
- Remember that you will be publishing both the text and any electronic attachments; this means that you are personally responsible for all the content of your work – including that generated by artificial intelligence.
There is no strictly prescribed format for a declaration on the use of artificial intelligence tools. However, you may draw inspiration from the following examples:
| In preparing this work, I used ChatGPT (https://chat.openai.com/) for spell-checking and the Claude tool (https://claude.ai) to speed up the creation of source code. After using these tools, I checked the content and accept full responsibility for it. |
During the preparation of this thesis, I used the following AI tools:
|
Artificial intelligence tools are changing very rapidly, which is why this document does not list them. The reasons for using such tools may also increase; typically, these include: text proofreading, style editing, abstract generation, generation of chapter and section headings, faster code generation, and literature reviews.
It is advisable to place the declaration regarding the use of artificial intelligence tools on the same page as the declaration of authorship.
Summary and keywords
The summary of the thesis (abstract) should not exceed one page in length, followed by a list of keywords separated by commas (usually 5 to 10). A keyword may also be a concept expressed using several words (a collocation). Keywords should reflect the subject matter addressed in the thesis and not merely list the technologies used.
Table of Contents
Table of contents, which summarises the titles of the individual chapters of the thesis.
Main text of the thesis
The first chapter of the thesis is an introduction serving to place the topic under discussion within a broader context. The introductory chapter must clearly state the objectives of the thesis; it may also outline the structure of the thesis in the form of a brief description of the content of the individual chapters. This is followed by an analysis of the problem and a description of the solution. The concluding chapter contains an evaluation of the results achieved, with particular emphasis on the thesis’s own contribution and an assessment of the issue under consideration from a broader perspective. In the conclusion, it is also advisable to suggest possible directions for further research or development.
Bibliography
Consistent referencing of sources is an important element of an academic text. One of the aims of final theses is precisely to practise working with the literature, and therefore emphasis is placed on this aspect during the assessment of the thesis. It is absolutely essential to cite any text or images taken from other sources (see the expandable box regarding the Declaration of Authorship on this tab). Furthermore, it may be appropriate to cite, for example: the original sources of terms used, similar systems, sources of statements or data used, and literature providing a more in-depth analysis of terms, methodologies or algorithms mentioned in the thesis (see also the overview of types of work on Tab 1: Choice of Topic and Types of Work). Pay attention to the selection of suitable sources (in particular, it is not advisable for a large proportion or even all of the sources to be websites or articles from Wikipedia); see the chapter on References and Citations on Tab 3: Writing Advice. Every entry in the reference list must be cited in the text.
Appendices
Place in the appendices those parts of the thesis that are not essential to its main idea, e.g. a user guide for the developed system, fragments of source text, detailed diagrams and detailed descriptions of the project sections addressed.
An important part of the thesis consists of appendices representing the implementation phase of the work. These appendices should comprise all materials produced as part of the thesis, which should be appropriately organised and adequately annotated (they form part of the assessment). The appendices must be stored in the Archive within the MU Information System. The thesis must include a list of appendices and a brief descriptive comment, usually included in the text section ‘Appendices’.
Index (optional)
An optional section of the thesis containing an alphabetical list of terms, which is particularly relevant for master’s theses.
The following compulsory modules assist with the drafting of bachelor’s theses at the Faculty of Informatics, Masaryk University: VB000 Fundamentals of Academic Style or VB000Eng Introduction to Academic Writing.
The following books, which are available in MU libraries, are also excellent sources of advice on writing:
Světla Čmejrková, František Daneš, and Jindra Světlá. Jak napsat odborný text. LEDA, 1999.Lyn Dupré. Bugs in Writing: A Guide to Debugging Your Prose. Addison-Wesley, 2nd edition, 1998Justin Zobel. Writing for Computer Science. Springer, 2nd edition, 2004.The Online Language Guide or the grammar checker Opravidlo will certainly help you with writing in Czech. Information on spelling rules and standard forms of Slovak words can be found on the website of the Dictionary Portal of the L. Štúr Institute of Linguistics. Here, we particularly recommend the Rules of Slovak Spelling, the Concise Dictionary of the Slovak Language and the Noun Paradigms. The Grammarly tool will help you with writing in English; the faculty provides limited access to this via the Grammarly for Education licence.
Do not be afraid to have parts of your text rewritten by artificial intelligence. Try out various prompts for proofreading, text shortening and academic style. Let it suggest section headings. When using artificial intelligence, however, always follow the guidelines regarding the Declaration on the Use of Artificial Intelligence on the ‘Formal Requirements’ tab.
3.1 Style
The final thesis must be written in an academic style. The key characteristics that distinguish it from other functional styles (e.g. journalistic or literary) are precision, clarity, emotional neutrality and logical argumentation.
By precision, we mean, above all, the choice of appropriate vocabulary. Identify the specialist terms relevant to your topic, define them (preferably with reference to specialist literature) and use them wherever necessary. Stick to a single term, even if several exist (you may, of course, mention them). Every term must have a definition, with the sole exception of terms that are already familiar to the IT community, such as ‘command’ or ‘programme’. Every abbreviation must be defined on its first occurrence, with the sole exception of commonly known abbreviations (e.g. USA, IBM). Accuracy also involves providing verifiable data (which is a significant departure from journalistic practice).
Clarity is important to help the reader navigate a complex text. For greater clarity, use decimal numbering (i.e. Chapter 1, Section 1.1, Subsection 1.1.1), cross-references (“as mentioned in section 1.2”), footnotes, and numbered figures, tables, diagrams and equations referenced in the text. Do not hesitate to refer to other parts of the text within individual sections; bear in mind that a technical text is rarely read continuously from start to finish.
An academic text is emotionally neutral, i.e. it does not contain expressions of joy, regret or surprise. Nor does it contain any evaluation of the author’s own work or direct addresses to the reader.
Proper logical argumentation begins with the coherence of the individual sections of the text. The basic unit of an academic text is the paragraph; however, the text must also be coherent at the level of sentences and clauses (be wary of long clauses that deal with multiple topics). Individual paragraphs lead to the logical development of arguments with which you support your claims. It must be clear for each paragraph why it is included in the text at all.
Typical errors and problems found in final theses are as follows:
- the use of slang and non-standard expressions (like ‘after all’, ‘also’),
- a shift from an academic style to a journalistic one (use of metaphors),
- replacing technical terminology with marketing jargon (e.g. frequent use of ‘technology’ and ‘solutions’ where a more precise term exists),
- word repetition (precisely, that is, relative pronouns),
- the mangling and incorrect use of technical terms,
- the use of Slovakised Czech words in a Slovak text (dotaz, doporúčanie),
- an overuse of verbal nouns, i.e. forms ending in ‘ní’ or ‘tí’ (ukončení, zavedení, řízení, rozhodnutí),
- errors in word order and clumsy phrasing,
- poor structure of the thesis (too many short chapters, uneven distribution of text across chapters),
- the presence of redundant sections; for example, in the theoretical part of the thesis, concepts are analysed which are not subsequently used in any way.
3.2 Bibliography and citations
A bibliographic citation is a summary of details about a cited publication or part thereof, enabling its identification. A bibliographic citation is distinct from a reference to a citation, which is understood to mean a reference in the text to a citation given elsewhere. The rules for creating bibliographic citations and their presentation in academic publications are set out in ČSN ISO 690:2022. A detailed analysis of how to create citations is provided, for example, in a publication on Elportál. In computer science, it is common to cite using serial numbers (e.g. [1]) , but it is also possible to use references by author’s name and year of publication (e.g. [Gruber, 1969]) or by abbreviation (e.g. [Gru68]), provided this is done consistently throughout.
The most common errors when working with the literature include:
- an insufficient scope of the literature review, or sources of insufficient quality or variety (e.g. over-reliance on Wikipedia – see below on this tab),
- inconsistency in citations (e.g. some citations include the author’s first name whilst others do not, or varying formatting across individual entries),
- missing information in citations (e.g. the name of the conference for a conference paper, the date for electronic sources),
- failure to reference citations in the text.
A typical problem is the excessive use of online sources, specifically Wikipedia. A few comments on this issue:
- One of the aims of your final thesis is to demonstrate that you can work with specialist sources. If (almost) all your references are to Wikipedia, then you are not really demonstrating this ability.
- High-quality Wikipedia articles usually contain links to original sources. Try to find a relevant primary source and cite it directly.
- There are cases where it may be appropriate to cite Wikipedia (e.g. if you wish to direct the reader to a well-written analysis of a concept that is important for understanding the thesis), however, in most cases it is more appropriate to cite, for example, an original academic article, a technical standard or a standard textbook on the subject.
3.3 Typesetting
The recommended method of typesetting is to use the LaTeX system and the fithesis style. Naturally, this allows you to focus on the content, as the style separates form from content. The design has been devised to ensure compliance with basic typographical conventions. If you are unsure of your knowledge in this area, consider enrolling on the course PB029 Electronic Document Preparation, the aim of which is precisely to provide guidance on typography when writing technical and structured texts such as final theses.
If you wish to use a different typesetting system, follow these basic guidelines: the page size is A4; choose a font and the width of the typesetting area so that the number of characters per line does not exceed 75 characters. Leave more white space on the outer spine and at the bottom; use headers and footers for orientation and navigation within the text. For the main text, we recommend a sans-serif font (such as Palatino) at 12 points, with line spacing of 120 per cent of the size of the main font used (for example, 15 points).
Pay attention to typographical principles; common errors include:
- incorrect typesetting of quotation marks,
- failing to distinguish between a dash and a hyphen, or a separator,
- inappropriate line and page breaks (widows and orphans),
- incorrect spacing around punctuation marks and quotations,
- inconsistent use of punctuation in lists and captions for figures or tables.
To refresh your memory of the rules, we recommend the following typographical guides:
Vladimír Beran, František Štorm, Vladimır Kolenský, and T. Fassatti. Aktualizovaný typografický manuál. Kafka design jako zvláštní příloha časopisu Font, čtvrté vydání, 2005.Robert Bringhurst. Elements of typographic style. Hartley & Marks, Vancouver, BC, 1992.This section describes the expectations placed on final theses at the Faculty of Informatics and outlines the assessment criteria. These are basic guidelines, not exhaustive or precise regulations – each thesis is unique and assessment cannot be mechanical.
When assessing a thesis, the examination board primarily considers whether and how the submitted work meets the assignment requirements. The board naturally takes into account differences in the level of difficulty of individual assignments. In the case of a simple assignment, it is required that the brief be fulfilled in detail, and the scope of the work carried out will be given significant weight. A minimalist approach to a simple assignment will almost certainly lead to the work being rejected. In the case of an ambitious assignment, minor shortcomings and deviations from the brief may be tolerated.
Three key components then contribute to the assessment:
- the work itself (what this means depends on the type of work – see Sheet 1: Choice of Assignment and Types of Work; this may, for example, relate to the usability of the implementation, the quality of the design or the originality of the proposed algorithm),
- the preparation of the written part of the work (logical structure of the text, use of references, adherence to spelling rules and technical terminology, typographical layout),
- defence of the thesis before the examination board.
In order to successfully defend your thesis, all three core components must meet a certain basic standard. Even an excellent implementation will not be recognised if the text of the thesis is completely slapdash, contains a large number of grammatical errors, or if you have not prepared for the defence.
To a lesser extent, your approach to completing the thesis also contributes to the assessment (e.g. whether you worked on it continuously, or communicated with your supervisor).
Before you start writing your own thesis, you may also draw inspiration from previously defended theses whose authors have in the past received the Dean’s Award for their work.
The defence of a Bachelor’s or Master’s thesis forms part of the final state examination and takes place before the state examination board. You may defend your thesis provided you have fulfilled the requirements set by your degree programme (number of credits, completed modules). As the defence is usually a stressful event, we have tried to summarise the most important information and guidelines here so that you know what to expect. Many laboratories organise mock defences or targeted workshops (such as this one), which you should definitely make the most of.
Click through the individual tips on thesis defences and how to prepare for them:
Choose the language in which you will defend your thesis
The defence usually takes place in the same language asthe thesis, but this is not a strict rule. A thesis written in English can also be defended in Czech or Slovak. However, bear terminology in mind. If you think in English whilst speaking Czech or Slovak, it will be harder to express your ideas. And it’s likely that an English word will slip into every sentence, which won’t come across very well.
Read the reviews of your thesis
Your supervisor and one external examiner will prepare a report on your thesis. You have the right to review the reports from your supervisor and the external examiner at least 5 working days before the defence takes place. Bear in mind that, for an implementation thesis, you may be asked to demonstrate the functionality of your application (see Article 11, paragraph 3 of the Dean’s Directive No. 04/2025).
Any consultant on the thesis may draft a statement; however, this is not considered a separate and independent assessment and is merely attached as an appendix to the supervisor’s assessment.
Prepare your presentation
At the defence, you are expected to have a presentation prepared in PDF format with embedded fonts, or in PPS or PPSX formats. You may use the ready-made templates for PowerPoint or for LaTeX (for presentations in classrooms at the Faculty of Informatics, we recommend the 16:9 aspect ratio, which both templates offer). Presentations are collected in advance and copied onto a computer set up in the lecture theatre where the defences are taking place. Before the defence, you will receive an email from the Studies Office with explicit instructions on how to proceed.
Using your own laptop (e.g. to demonstrate a programme you have created) is possible, but is not recommended and is at your own risk (time spent resolving technical issues will be at the expense of your presentation time). Please discuss the use of your own laptop with your supervisor or the chair of the examination board.
Prepare your presentation aids
As well as slides, you can also prepare a handout with an outline or index cards to flip through. These aids will help you stay on track and manage your time during the presentation. However, do not overdo it with the number of aids, so that you do not get lost in them during the presentation. Also bear in mind that notes on paper are fine, but a mobile phone or tablet is not.
Bear in mind the time limit
In total, you have 15 minutes for the BP defence and 30 minutes for the DP defence. For the opening presentation, you have 8 minutes for the BP defence and 15 minutes for the DP defence. The remainder of the time is devoted to familiarising the committee with the supervisor’s and external examiner’s reports, your responses to the comments made in those reports, and your responses to comments and questions from committee members (and any other guests).
Sell your work
There is plenty of general advice on preparing presentations in books and on the internet, so we will mention only the most important points specific to defences (and common mistakes). The aim of the defence is not to (i.e. the examination board) with a detailed presentation of the topic and the results of your work (which is usually not even possible within the time limit), but primarily to ‘sell your thesis’, that is, to convince the examination board that you have fulfilled what is expected of a final thesis. In the case of team projects (e.g. within a laboratory), clearly define what you did and what someone else did.
Plan the content of your presentation
The introduction should not take longer than a minute; do not waste time on general small talk. Focus on what problem you addressed (and why it is a problem in the first place), what you did, and what the benefits of your work are (who will benefit from your results), and, where applicable, where you have managed to publish your results. Your presentation must make it clear just how challenging it was to solve the problem.
The committee members are not necessarily experts in the specific field of your work, but they do have a general understanding of computer science. Carefully consider which aspects of the topic are commonly known (do not go into these in detail) and which are specific to and important for your topic (present these). Explain any abbreviations that are not widely known, or avoid them altogether.
Follow the guidelines for creating presentations
Keep text on slides to a minimum; follow the 6x6 rule (a maximum of 6 bullet points, each with a maximum of 6 words). You want the committee members to focus primarily on listening to your presentation and not be distracted by reading the slides. The content of the slides should complement your presentation, so make use primarily of images, graphs and tables. Present text only in bullet points and highlight important information in bold. Properly cite all images, tables, graphs, etc. that you have used.
Follow the principles of effective presentation
Speak loudly and clearly during the presentation. Use the intonation of your voice and pauses during your presentation. Also, be mindful of filler words. Try to maintain eye contact with the members of the panel, but do not feel uncomfortable if they are not looking at you. They probably have your work open on their laptop and are scrolling through it. If you get stuck or make a mistake, don’t let it throw you off and try to carry on. Being too nervous would only lead to further mistakes.
Practise your timing
A common mistake is poor time management – you might finish halfway through your allotted time, making it seem as though you don’t have much to say, or, conversely, run out of time halfway through your presentation and fail to get to the most important part (namely, the work you carried out yourself). Be sure to practise your defence several times, ideally in front of at least one person and with a stopwatch. You can record your presentation whilst doing this so that you can assess your time management, use of filler words, or verbal transitions between slides.
Prepare your responses to questions from the reviews
The committee is not familiar with the reviews of your work in advance; these will only be read out after your presentation. Therefore, do not include responses to the comments in your main presentation; present them only after the reviews have been read out. In your presentation, prepare slides with answers to the questions, to be placed after the final slide. Ideally, place one question and one answer (or supporting material for the answer you will give verbally) on each slide.
Watch someone else’s defence
We strongly recommend attending someone else’s defence so that you know what to expect. Rather than attending during the week when you’re sitting your own final exams – and will therefore have other things on your mind – it’s less stressful to go and watch a defence a term or more in advance. The final state examination is open to the public, with the exception of the examination board’s deliberations on the final assessment, during which you will simply leave the room temporarily. The presence of a few ‘spectators’ is nothing out of the ordinary at the Faculty of Informatics.
This page was created by converting PDF documents produced by the Student Affairs Office into a web format, specifically to enable them to be indexed by search engines, automatically translated into English and made available in one place. The original documents were produced in collaboration with the faculty management and the Teaching Lab course tutors.
Last update of the document: 4 May 2026.