INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS: THESIS WRITING & EXAMINATION

The IISL’s International Master’s in Sociology of Law consists of two components. First,
students attend intensive courses from generally the last week of September until the last week of
March. Second, students work on their Master´s thesis projects from usually beginning of April to
late July. The defence procedure takes place in early September.
The coursework period includes student participation in a thesis research seminar, in which
students receive support by the Scientific Director in finding a relevant research topic and
developing suitable research questions, putting together an appropriate research design and
writing a thesis research proposal of 2,500 words. In the thesis research period, students work on
their own, but with the support by academic supervisors, on their projects and submit, at the end,
a Master’s thesis of 15,000 words reporting on their research and findings.
This document provides guidance for students regarding the thesis research project and the related
requirements. See the last page for important dates!

Thesis requirements

The thesis contributes one-third of the credits for the degree (20 ECTS). It is graded separately,
and the grade for the thesis is stated on the certificate of the degree.
The thesis should be of the style and substance of a substantial journal article. It has a maximum
word length of 15,000 words, including footnotes and bibliography/list of references, but
excluding Appendices. You are strongly encouraged to adopt a condensed style of writing,
focusing on what is essential for the thesis. In practice this means, in many cases, that you will
have to cut down on lengthy parts, which reflect your earlier work in progress, but could be
reorganised and rewritten to more directly bring your message across. If your thesis exceeds the
word limit without good reasons, which are to be discussed with the Scientific Director
beforehand (e.g., minimum length requirements regarding the recognition of the degree in certain
countries of origin), this may negatively affect the grading process.
The thesis should normally be written in English. The use of other languages officially used at the
institute (e.g., Spanish, Basque, French) may be approved if appropriate supervision and
examination can be arranged.
The form of the Master thesis is an important criterium for assessment. Here are some examples
of relevant and frequently used styles to choose from in the writing of Master theses:
• the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) for reference entries and in-text citation
(https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-2.html)
• you may also consult the CMOS guidelines for manuscript preparations, if you plan to
use figures, tables and photos (https://press.uchicago.edu/resource/emsguide.html)
• American Sociological Association (ASA) style
(https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/asa_style/references_page_formatting.
html)
• American Psychological Association (APA) style (https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-
aids)
Obviously, the Master’s thesis has to comply with the standards of good academic practice,
especially as regards use and citation of sources. All sources must be properly cited, and any

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quotations must be clearly marked as such. Failure to mark quotations or cite sources may
be treated as plagiarism and lead to the Master’s thesis not being accepted. Serious cases of
plagiarism will be sanctioned by exclusion from the programme / expulsion from the university.
Moreover, the use of ChatGPT or other AI-based software by students in preparing any part
of their theses is generally considered as unauthorised aid and, hence, as cheating. Exceptions
may be made in specific individual cases, e.g., if the performance of AI-based text or data
generative software is subject of the thesis and its analysis methodologically framed and
explicated. Such exceptions always require prior authorisation.
A teacher or examiner who identifies or suspects bad academic practice or plagiarism should
report the matter to the Scientific Director, who may investigate by any means considered
appropriate. If a prima facie case is found, the student will be notified of the details and given an
opportunity to explain. The decision on the grade to be awarded or penalty will be taken by the
Scientific Director and, depending on circumstances and the severity of the case, reported to
relevant authorities, such as the Academic Committee of the Master’s programme and, in the case
of completed Master’s theses, to the Board of Examiners. These internal rules may be
complemented or superseded by procedural regulations by the University of the Basque Country.
Research for the Master thesis must comply with the ISA Code of Ethics (http://www.isa-
sociology.org/about/isa_code_of_ethics.htm). Consideration of ethical issues should be included
already in the outline of the thesis and research proposal, and where relevant, should be discussed
within the final version of the Master’s thesis.
For a Master’s thesis in the Sociology of Law the following aspects have to be observed:
• Identify a particular socio-legal problem or issue and formulate relevant research
questions on the basis of an extensive literature review and / or detailed empirical
observations;
• Translate the problem into a conceptual framework, involving key concepts and methods;
• Create a research design that allows for the operationalisation of the key concepts both in
the collection and interpretation of your data, and that provides a clear strategy of how to
answer your research questions;
• Start writing at an early stage of the research; rewriting and editing are integral parts of
the writing process;
• Reflect on the relevance of the research, your role as a researcher, and possible ethical
issues as well as how you approach them.

Thesis evaluation criteria

1. Choice of topic and title (relevance of topic for the field of socio-legal studies)
2. Style (reference entries, in-text citations, lay-out, page numbers
3. Language (spelling, grammar, punctuation, range of word use, readability)
4. Relevance and clarity of research question/s
5. Selection of relevant primary sources / data and literature review
6. Methodology / research design
7. Logical construction of argument / structuration of the Master thesis
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 8. Reflexivity (positioning of the argument in relevant debates) and self-reflexivity
(situating oneself as researcher and author, also in relation to ethical issues)
9. General and specific knowledge of the Master candidate
10. Master candidate’s own contribution in terms of new perspectives, synthesis, insights,
methodology / approach

Supervision of Master’s theses

Each student is appointed one or, exceptionally, two individual supervisors. The appointment will
take place in consultation with both the candidate and the supervisor(s) in question. The Scientific
Director is the main contact in this respect overseeing the process. Students may consult course
teachers for advice about their thesis topic, and may also ask a course teacher to act as supervisor
for the thesis. Consultation should start at least four weeks prior to the appointment. In many
cases, supervisors will be teachers of the IISL Master programme and related UPV/EHU faculty,
although students wishing to conduct research on a topic that falls outside the topic area of
courses taught and/or requires particular expertise may be assigned an external supervisor.
Supervision may entail helping students focus on a suitable topic, suggesting literature and other
sources, discussing the theoretical approach and methodology in relation to the research questions,
commenting on the student’s literature review and other draft chapters of the thesis, and
approving the final draft for submission. Students are asked to keep in regular contact with the
supervisors, usually by email/Skype/Zoom/WhatsApp, etc., and to agree with them on a timeline
for the various stages in accordance with the general deadlines below. The individual timeline
should allow sufficient time for the supervisor to comment on drafts according to their own
schedules. If students decide not to follow any of the advice given by the supervisor, they should
explain their reasons to the supervisor.
Supervisors are not asked to examine the thesis, which is the task of the Board of Examiners.
However, supervisors will be asked for a short report (one page maximum) once the thesis is
submitted. The report should include the supervisor’s view of the quality of the thesis (see thesis
evaluation criteria above), as well as any issues or circumstances that the supervisor feels relevant
to be considered in the defence (e.g., unforeseen problems in collecting data, which should be
mentioned in the thesis as well).

Submission of Master’s theses

According to general regulations applied by the University of the Basque Country, students shall
benefit from two assessment calls (convocatoria) per academic year to submit and defend their
Master’s theses. These two assessment calls are covered by the tuition fee for the academic year
they are enrolled in.
If students do not complete the Master´s thesis research module (20 ECTS) within one of these
calls (i.e., if you do not submit your thesis in time or if you do not successfully defend your
thesis), they will not be able to obtain the degree without incurring further costs, and finishing the
programme will be delayed. In practice, this means that students who do not submit and defend
their theses in the first year have to move to the second year and pay additional fees (for the
Master’s thesis research module only) in order to be able to make use of further assessment calls
(the earliest option being an additional assessment call towards the end of the calendar year).
As the Master’s thesis project is the final assignment after all the coursework is completed, the
two assessment calls we hold are targeted for thesis submission towards the end of the academic
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year, with thesis submission being due either in June (1st call) or July (2nd call) and defences
taking place right before the Spanish summer break (mid-July) or right after (early September).
If you take part in the 1st call (which is sort of the “fast track”), you have a few weeks less to
focus on your thesis project, but you will be able to defend your thesis already in July. You may
thus consider your studies as complete, and we may also provide you with a preliminary
certificate, before the Spanish summer holidays, even though the formal degree will only be
granted upon conclusion of the academic year end of September.
In case you make use of the 1st assessment call but do not successfully defend your thesis, you
will be able to take part in the 2nd call covered by your tuition fees. The submission deadline in
the 2nd call can be slightly adapted in this case, subject to approval by the Scientific Director and
agreement with all three examiners.
If you make use of the 2nd call only (which is the “main road”, which most students will take),
you will have a few weeks more to conclude your thesis research project and submit the thesis,
but you will only be able to defend your thesis in September. This is because we cannot organise
any defences in the month of August, when our staff is on holiday, and we also need to factor in
more time for internal examiners to read a greater number of Master’s theses to be defended at the
end of the academic year.
Please note that the thesis submission dates, in both calls, are hard deadlines. If a thesis is not
submitted by the indicated dates, students cannot expect the examination process to be organized
in time for them to graduate in July (1st call) or September (2nd call), respectively. If they miss the
deadline of the 2nd call, they would have to register again for the thesis module in the following
academic year, which would incur an additional fee to the UPV/EHU.
For organisational reasons, we will ask you early on which of the two regular calls you are aiming
at (1st call / “fast track” or 2nd call “main-road”) for first submitting and defending your thesis. If
you prefer to take the 2nd call with more time to complete your thesis project, the 1st call will be
formally registered as rejected (renuncia).
Importantly, this does not count as a “failed” try and it does not reduce the formal number of
chances you have to pass the Master’s thesis research module (four calls altogether). It just means
that you did not choose that call, and if you go for the 2nd call instead, it has no further
consequences. Only if you do not take (and pass) the 2nd call either, you will have to move to the
next academic year and pay additional fees to complete the Master’s thesis research module.
Students in the second academic year who want to finish their Master’s thesis project early on can
request an advance call, which allows them to defend their thesis towards the end of the calendar
year (thesis submission in November). Otherwise, the regular assessment calls apply, with thesis
submission being due in June/July and the defence taking place before or after the summer break.

Examination of Master’s theses

Apart from the Scientific Director, two additional examiners – an internal examiner of the
UPV/EHU and an external examiner – are appointed for grading each individual thesis. The
Scientific Director can be replaced by an UPV/EHU colleague in some cases (e.g., for
organisational reasons). An additional internal examiner will be nominated as a substitute (fourth
member of the Board of Examiners). The prerequisite for becoming an examiner is a doctoral
degree. The examiners will assess the thesis in question on the basis of the thesis evaluation
criteria listed above. Supervisors may attend the defence but are not jury members.

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The Master’s thesis defence takes place in the form of an oral defence (viva), which can be
organised face-to-face (on-site at the IISL), virtually (online, using a video-conferencing
platform), or in a dual mode (i.e., in hybrid form, with some participants being on-site and others
online). For the oral defence, a day and time will be arranged with the Master Coordination Team,
at which all parties are available, including the Board of Examiners, the candidate in question, as
well as IISL support staff. Two video-conference rooms will be used, one for the public act,
which the student will be able to share with up to twenty people (who have to remain silent
throughout the whole event), and a second, which will only be accessed by the Board of
Examiners for their deliberation.
The oral defence procedure will take approximately 90 minutes. The scheme will be as follows:
(1) words of welcome by the Scientific Director and decision on who is chairing the defence; (2)
summary of the most relevant aspects of the thesis by the candidate (ca. 15 minutes); (3)
interventions by examiners (no more than 10 minutes each); (4) candidate’s response to
examiners’ comments and remarks (up to 30 minutes and, if needed, additional but short
comments by examiners); (5) the examiner team withdraws to deliberate for no more than 15
minutes; (6) the examiner team returns to the room and the Scientific Director or the chair of the
defence communicates the result of the deliberation, i.e., the final grade of the thesis; (7) at the
end, the supervisor, if present, may be invited for a short statement on the candidate’s work.
With video-conferencing tools being widely available today, the oral defence is the default
mode even if candidates and examiners are in different countries at the time of the defence.
In the past, written defences were used as an alternative mode, which can still be resorted to in
exceptional, well-justified cases. In the case of a written defence, all examiners provide an
evaluation of the thesis in writing including comments and questions to be sent to the student.
Students are requested to give written replies to the examiners within one week of receiving their
comments. The reply should aim to succinctly answer to the questions and concerns raised by the
examiners. The reply should not restate the argument of the thesis. After reading the written
replies, or defence, the examiners assign a definitive grade.
As in the coursework, the Spanish grading scale is applied. Accordingly, the grade awarded to a
student should be a numerical grade out of 10, with 5.0 being the passing mark.

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IMPORTANT DATES 2024

January 27th, until 11:00pm Provisional thesis title and short outline (1,000 words) by
students submitted to Moodle

March 30th, until 11:00pm Thesis research proposal (2,500 words) by students
submitted to Moodle; students announce whether they
will take the 1st or 2nd call; based on this: appointment of
supervisors & examiners for the respective periods

May 15th, until 11:00pm First progress report by students submitted to Moodle
(supervisors download them from Moodle themselves)

June 15th, until 11:00pm Second progress report by students submitted to Moodle
(supervisors download them from Moodle themselves)

1st call: 27th June, until 11:00pm Final thesis submission by students who opted for the 1st call
to Moodle (supervisors and examiners can download the
theses from Moodle on their own, examiners begin reading);
no submission needed if students have opted for the 2nd call

1st call: 15th to 19th July For students in the 1st call only: oral defences in person or
online to be scheduled within this period; finalisation of the
grades by the examiners

2nd call: July 25th, until Final thesis submission by students in the 2nd call to
11:00pm Moodle (supervisors and examiners can download the
theses from Moodle on their own, examiners begin
reading)

1st call: July 29th IISL sends grades & documentation of the 1st call to
UPV/EHU administration, prepares preliminary certificates if
requested

September 2nd, until 11:00pm Comments and questions by examiners submitted to Moodle
(in case of written defences (examinees download them from Moodle themselves)
only)

September 9th, until 11:00pm (in Written replies by students Moodle; in the next three days:
case of written defences only) finalisation of the grades by the examiners

2nd call: September 2nd to 12th Oral defences in person or online to be scheduled within
(period for oral defences) this period; finalisation of the grades by the examiners

2nd call: September 13th IISL sends grades & documentation of the 2nd call to
UPV/EHU administration