tiTLE

Jyväskylä University

School of Business and Economics

Bachelor’s Thesis

2025

Author: Jane/Joe Doe

Subject: Add your discipline

Abstract

Author
Title
Subject/Discipline & Supervisor	Type of work Bachelor’s Thesis
Date	Number of pages
Abstract Template for English bachelor’s thesis at the JSBE. In the abstract you tell the main topics, concepts and findings of your thesis within one page and without using references. Note that the use of AI is forbidden when writing the abstract. This JSBE template has been updated on 20.8.2025.
Keywords
Place of storage Jyväskylä University Library

Tiivistelmä

Tekijä
Työn nimi
Oppiaine & ohjaaja	Työn laji Kandidaatintutkielma
Päivämäärä	Sivumäärä
Tiivistelmä Myös suomenkielinen tiivistelmä on tarpeen erityisesti suomenkielisille opiskelijoille maturiteetin suorittamiseksi ja jotta peruskäsitteet hallitaan myös suomen kielellä.
Asiasanat
Säilytyspaikka

This page (or the page after both abstracts) might include a list of tables and/or figures or important abbreviations used in the thesis. (The title, e.g. “LIST OF FIGURES” etc. with Book Antiqua font, capital letters, bolded 14 pt.) Note that the list example below is made and updated manually by adding full stops and page number after the Figure name.

List of figures

Figure 1 Word announcement ………………………………………………………11

Figure 2 Word announcement (JYU model)…….…………….……………………11

Remember to add an alternative text for the picture, table, graph or figure. To add alt text in MS Word, select the object to which you want to add the alternative text. Right-click the object. From the menu that appears, select “Edit Alt Text.”

You can find more information about MS Word accessibility from these sites: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/make-your-content-accessible-to-everyone-ecab0fcf-d143-4fe8-a2ff-6cd596bddc6d

Specifically for MS Word:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/make-your-word-documents-accessible-to-people-with-disabilities-d9bf3683-87ac-47ea-b91a-78dcacb3c66d

If necessary, this page or some other page (or pages) before the main text may be left intentionally blank (or a blank page removed) in order to start the main text from an odd page.

This guideline is intended to help you with your thesis project but note that there may also be other JY/JSBE guidelines (e.g. regarding the use of AI). Note also the JY/JSBE additional instructions for turning in the final work, first in the Turnitin check (in Moodle) and then in the Vasara system (for grading and for the library copy). Ask you supervisor for additional instructions.

Contents

Abstract	2

Tiivistelmä	4

List of figures	5

Contents	6

1	Introduction	8

1.1	Heading 2	8

1.1.1	Heading 3	8

1.1.1.1	Heading 4	9

2	Theoretical framework	10

3	Another possible theory chapter	11

3.1	Company/managerial/marketing etc. performance	11

3.2	Performance measurement	11

3.3	A Word specialty that may appear	11

4	Data and methodology	13

4.1	Data	13

4.2	Method	13

5	Findings	14

5.1	General	14

5.2	Results	14

6	Conclusions	16

References	17

Appendices	18

Appendix 1. Declaration of AI use in the thesis	18

Appendix 2. “Appendix title”	19

Appendix 3. Guidelines for joint bachelor theses	20

Completing and evaluation:	20

Differentiated assessment and individual thesis	20

Rights in joint and individual theses	21

Further instructions are available on the University of Jyväskylä website:	21

Introduction

This topic / This thesis discusses / Recently etc. … Note that the main text should start at an odd page, e.g. page 5. You may have a beginning paragraph here before the heading 1.1, but you can also start straight from heading 1.1 if there is no need for some first words or aphorism here.

Heading 2

In earlier research… Lately however…

The research questions can be specified as: … The data and methodology used include… This thesis is structured as follows. This is an example of the way to mark a longer citation or quote (Anonymous et al., 2008, 42):

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Maecenas porttitor congue massa. Fusce posuere, magna sed pulvinar ultricies, purus lectus malesuada libero.

Heading 3

Here are examples of the table and figure captions. If you use styles properly, the texts and titles might be updated to contents. Use 10,5 pt font and only TABLE and FIGURE titles. A table caption is above the table but the captions for figures are below the figures in question.

TABLE 1	The title here

FIGURE 1	The title here

Remember to add an alternative text for the picture, table, graph or figure. To add alt text in MS Word, select the object to which you want to add the alternative text. Right-click the object. From the menu that appears, select “Edit Alt Text.”

The following pages provide good instructions for using the template and ensuring accessibility.:
https://www.jyu.fi/en/file-download/download/public/40258
https://www.jyu.fi/en/for-students/instructions-for-bachelors-and-masters-students/thesis-guide/accessibility-of-theses-and-online-publications

You can find more information about MS Word accessibility from these sites: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/make-your-content-accessible-to-everyone-ecab0fcf-d143-4fe8-a2ff-6cd596bddc6d

Specifically for MS Word:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/make-your-word-documents-accessible-to-people-with-disabilities-d9bf3683-87ac-47ea-b91a-78dcacb3c66d

Heading 4

Often fourth level headings are not be needed at all but this is just an example of a fourth level heading.

At the end of the introduction, you mention about the use of AI tools in the work and specify this in Appendix 1 (see Appendix 1 and see also additional JSBE instructions if necessary). The use of AI is forbidden in the abstract of the thesis because the language skills are judged e.g. based on the abstract.

Theoretical framework

The topic of this thesis belongs, for example, to the field of accounting, or whatever it may be, but it typically cannot be all disciplines and all topics at the same time, so you need to focus. Often you start by giving a general view of the field based on earlier research or a general theory. For example, many topics have been viewed in the light of agency theory… (see e.g. Jensen and Meckling, 1976, 310–311). The theory section also guides and gives focus to your work.

Another possible theory chapter

Company/managerial/marketing etc. performance

The text typically starts only after the sub-chapter heading, here sub-chapter 3.1, which could be for example about company performance (see e.g. Dechow, 1994, 3). It is good to know the classics, but also more recent references should be found about your topic area, try for example the Google Scholar search engine.

Performance measurement

If there is one sub-chapter (3.1) there should also be sub-chapter 3.2. Typically, you go from a general first theory chapter towards your specific research topic.

A Word specialty that may appear

Sometimes when saving your work for the first time, and occasionally even after that, an announcement may appear, see Figure 1.

FIGURE 1	Word announcement.

This is nothing to be worried about, just select ”No” (”Ei”). Another almost similar announcement may be the following, see Figure 2.

FIGURE 2	Word announcement (JYU model).

This is nothing to be worried about either, just select ”Don’t save” (”Älä tallenna”). These announcements relate to this master’s thesis template being partly based on the JYU dissertation template.

Data and methodology

Data

The empirical data typically provides you with an answer to your research question but note that there can be various types and sources of data. Here (or at the beginning of the empirical part) you may have for example data or variable descriptions or information about the interviewees.

Method

At the introduction you typically say something general about the methodology. Yet, there can be various research methods available for business studies. The methodological choices made, and the detailed methods used in your data collection and data analysis are presented here. (see e.g. Smith, p. 3–6, 65–166.)

Findings

General

Sometimes the empirical section starts with some general information about your case or descriptives of your data. It is good to note the readability and understandability of the results, see e.g. font size in tables and accessibility in general, see Thesis accessibility | University of Jyväskylä.

Results

Here you go through the empirical findings. You may use empirical illustrations, interview excerpts, tables of correlations etc., of course depending on your subject, data and methods.

Additional information, for example about the interviews or case companies may be presented in an appendix (e.g. see Appendix 2). Remember that all tables, figures or appendices need to be referred to in text. Further, the name of a table (or table title, e.g. TABLE 1 Correlations) is presented with font size 10,5 and above the table. Instead, figure titles are presented below the figure.

Further, respondent X noted that

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Maecenas porttitor congue massa. Fusce posuere, magna sed pulvinar ultricies, purus lectus malesuada libero

This (and if you are relatively sure, you can briefly say e.g. that like/unlike Dechow, 1994, p. 32) suggests that …

Remember to add an alternative text for the picture, table, graph or figure. To add alt text in MS Word, select the object to which you want to add the alternative text. Right-click the object. From the menu that appears, select “Edit Alt Text.”

Sometimes you may have a separate discussion as an additional chapter. Remember that you can also name the chapter titles differently if they provide a better view of the chapter content.

Conclusions

In this bachelor’s thesis the focus was on … It was found that … which indicates… that like/unlike Dechow (1994) … Thus, this research suggests that … in Finnish context … at this time … and if you are very sure, you may say that it is argued that…based on the evidence of this research.

When your work is getting ready, remember that in JY there is the Turnitin-system and the official Vasara system for returning your work. Your supervisor will instruct you about the details of Turnitin and Vasara.

Finally, in the conclusions you not only compare your results with the earlier literature but you also typically try find some managerial or practical implications of your results. You also say something about the possible limitations of the study and suggest avenues for further research. Best of luck for your research!

References

Anonymous, A., Efficient, E. & Ingenious, I. (2008). How to Write References Properly. Jyväskylä University Press.

Dechow, P. (1994). Accounting earnings and cash flows as measures of firm performance: The role of accounting accruals. Journal of Accounting and Economics 18(1), 3-42.

Jensen, M. & Meckling, W. (1976). Theory of the firm: managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure. Journal of Financial Economics 3, 305-360.

Smith, M. (2015) Research Methods in Accounting. 3rd ed. Sage.

The first reference example is imaginary example on purpose. The reference style of JYU Dissertations is basically used in all university series, typically APA referencing in practice (see instructions: Näin viittaat! — Avoin tiede ja tutkimus (jyu.fi)). However, to ensure accurate referencing the page numbers are required at the JSBE to be mentioned in the main text in all references where applicable, meaning that for example in e-book chapters the chapter number is mentioned instead. You may also create citations and a reference list in accordance to this style with a bibliographic management tool of your choosing.

Appendices

Appendix 1. Declaration of AI use in the thesis

In this thesis, AI tools have been used for… , i.e. here you report how you have used the AI tools or large language models (e.g. ChatGPT for editing some text parts). Careful declaration of AI use also protects you if there is any doubt of the research integrity. If no AI tools have been used, there is no need for this appendix but the declaration, e.g. “No AI tools were used in this thesis”, is given in the introduction. The following table may be used for reporting:

Tool used:	Topics/uses:	The prompt used:
- ChatGPT, - Microsoft Copilot - Others	For example: • Finding ideas and articles • Finding key themes/topics of articles etc. • Polishing your own text • Shortening your own text • Other? E.G. asking for comments “The AI tool was used to edit and shorten my own original text so that my original text was used as part of the prompt given to the AI tool” “The AI tool was used to produce images” ”The AI tool was used to combine the findings of various articles into a table” “The AI tools was asked to provide feedback of my own text.” Be as clear and transparent as possible in the description!	For example: “Shorten the following text” “Tell what the main findings of this given text are”

Appendix 2. “Appendix title”

The appendix titles are changed according to the content. For example, additional information such as large statistical tables might be presented in appendices. Appendices need to be numbered but if you only have one appendix then no number is needed. Note that you may not need appendices at all. Therefore check, change or remove, if necessary, the page numbering or other appendix related information in the table of contents (CONTENTS) using the “update fields” function (use mouse right button over the table or contents – or adjust manually if necessary).

Below you can find some imaginary tips for referencing are presented. The APA referencing style is used but in order to boost careful referencing page numbers are always used where applicable. Ask your supervisor for more detailed instructions if needed.

If the reference relates to one sentence the reference is as follows:

... blaa “blaa and blaa” blaa (Smith, 2015, p. 42). Blaa blaa blaa. OR

... Smith (2015, p. 42) notes that ….

If the reference has been used in multiple sentences the reference is marked at the end of the text paragraph as follows:

... According to the international practices … blaa blaa blaa. The reporting is thus based on principles such as … blaa blaa. This suggests that… blaa blaa. (Anonymous et al., 2008, p. 14–55.)

In the Finnish literature however ….

Appendix 3. Guidelines for joint bachelor theses

In a joint BA thesis, a pair of students works together on a chosen topic to produce the research material and the final thesis to be graded. The pair thesis is graded jointly, and the workload must be divided evenly between both parties. If required by the supervisor, students must submit a report on their contributions and how the 50/50 workload has been achieved when returning the pair thesis. Students can divide the various tasks involved in writing the thesis as they wish. (e.g., student A writes sections 1 and 3 of the pair thesis, while student B writes sections 4 and 5. Together, they draft the structure of the thesis and write the conclusions and the introduction.) Pair theses may have specific requirements related to the field of study, such as a greater scope of content or an empirical section than individual theses. Always check these with your supervisor!

Completing and evaluation:

Article 45 of the University of Jyväskylä's degree regulations allows students to complete their Master's thesis as a joint project, and this practice is also applied to JSBE's Bachelor's theses. In this case, students commit to working equally on the thesis. The thesis is in default assessed jointly, and the assessment is not differentiated. The workload must be divided equally between both parties (50/50), and the assessment is based on this assumed division of labor.

If the supervisor requires the pair to explain how the 50/50 work input has been achieved when submitting the thesis, the student pair must submit a report on the matter. The report must clearly show the work input and amount of both students so that the contributions can be independently assessed.

The students are responsible for the originality and content of the pair thesis. If equal work input is not achieved in practice, the situation must be brought to the supervisor's attention immediately. The supervisor may take the imbalance in performance into account in the assessment.

Students undertake to comply with the university's general guidelines and rules when writing a pair thesis, including those relating to good scientific practice, plagiarism, the use of artificial intelligence, and referencing.

Differentiated assessment and individual thesis

If necessary, the teacher may differentiate the assessment of performance. When differentiating grades, the teacher takes into account any imbalance in performance and uses this as a basis for assessment. Students must be able to demonstrate their own contribution to the thesis.

The student has the right to discontinue the collaboration, after which both parties will return their individual work for assessment. If the collaboration is discontinued, students may use material produced before the collaboration ended in their individual work. Students must agree with the supervisor on the necessary actions and the parts that need to be rewritten in order to complete the individual work. If necessary, the supervisor has the right to separate the assessment of the joint thesis and determine the necessary actions to complete the work.

It is not recommended to discontinue cooperation at an advanced stage, as the individual work must pass a plagiarism check. In addition, students may be required to rewrite parts of their thesis as required by the supervisor.

Rights in joint and individual theses

The copyrights to material produced in joint projects belong jointly to the students. The students must agree separately on the further use of the work or the use of new works or other intangible rights arising from the work.

The joint thesis is a public thesis and will be stored in the JYX publication archive. In individual work, students have copyright to their own work and to material produced after the end of the collaboration. Both students have the right to use material produced before the end of the collaboration in their own individual work. In this case, however, they must provide an explanation of their own contribution to the joint material.

Further instructions are available on the University of Jyväskylä website:

Instructions for bachelor's and master's students, Thesis guide: https://www.jyu.fi/en/for-students/instructions-for-bachelors-and-masters-students/thesis-guide.

Short quotations are often presented with quotation marks “” but longer quotations are typically presented as indented. Note that, despite this example, typically with a reference with over two authors (three to five authors), the first time it is used in the text, all the author names are mentioned, and then later in the text “et al.” is used.