Thesis and papers
When writing a thesis or paper you must make good use of the insights you have gained during your lectures and studies so far. You should also refer to relevant literature and carry out your own research on the topic.
One of the most important things you will learn during an academic study programme is how to write an interesting piece of work that meets the criteria of scientific quality, whilst also being accesible to the broader public.
Refer to our Study skills pages for more information on academic writing skills.
Faculty regulations
The thesis regulations are outlined in appendices of the Faculty’s Course and Examination Regulations. For both papers as well as thesis the rules on plagiarism and academic integrity apply. This means that you must also adhere to the Faculty’s rules regarding the use of GenAI in assessment.
Request for appointing thesis supervisor
The study programme ensures that each student is assigned a supervisor for their bachelor's or master’s thesis. The Board of Examiners is responsible for appointing the supervisor as an examiner for the thesis. Every study programme has its own procedure for appointing supervisors. Please consult the course description of the bachelor’s or master’s thesis in the Prospectus.
Need help with your writing assignment? Come to the Writing Lab!
Want to discuss your academic writing assignment (thesis, paper or other) with a trained peer tutor? Turn to the Writing Lab!
The Writing Lab also organises interactive, hands-on (and free!) workshops and thesis events every semester to help you improve your academic writing skills and/or make writing your thesis a success!
For more information or a free appointment, see: Writing Lab.
Thesis assessment
Your bachelor's or master's thesis will be assessed according to Faculty standards.
Bachelor's thesis
The requirements for the bachelor’s thesis are included in the faculty’s Course and Examination Regulations (OER) and the study guide.
Deadlines
15 May: FIRST DRAFT
- This is the ‘first complete’ draft version, including footnotes, bibliography, images and other appendices, to be discussed with the supervisor (= first reader); no grade/assessment yet. The student will receive feedback.
15 June: FINAL VERSION
- This version will be reviewed by the supervisor and second reader. They will determine if it is a pass or a fail. If the bachelor’s thesis is a fail the student will be given the chance to do a retake. Generally, there is no thesis supervision from the 1st of July until mid-August.
15 August: RESIT
- This version will be reviewed again by the supervisor and second reader (cursory by the second reader) and they will determine the mark.
If the student cannot meet the deadline of the 15 June due to special circumstances, the student will contact the supervisor in good time prior to this date. The supervisor has to discuss an alternative submission deadline, which needs to be approved by the Board of Examiners.
Theses that are written during the summer without any supervision will not be graded.
Procedure
- Submit your thesis by e-mailing it as a PDF with your uMail-address to your thesis supervisor and second reader. Put the faculty’s mail address BAthesis@hum.leidenuniv.nl in CC.
- Upload your thesis to the university’s Student Repository to add it to the archive.
Student Repository
The Student Repository provides a digital archive for all theses from Leiden University. If possible, theses will be made publicly available. Students have to upload their thesis to the Student Repository and submit a Thesis Publication Consent Form to the education administration office in the Arsenaal building.
Assessment
As a student you have the right to view the forms completed by the first reader/supervisor and second reader.
Please note: students who take the resit in August, receive their result usually in September. Keep this in mind if you have applied for a master's programme starting in September.