5. One s own opinion shall be separated from facts and logical conclusions as well as from the opinions of cited authors.

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1 Orientation guide for theses Chair for Public Finance and Macroeconomics Prof. Dr. Dr. Josef Falkinger Version: March 2013 Theses (Bachelor s and Master's thesis) at our Chair must meet certain basic requirements. The items listed below are considered to be important criteria for the evaluation of theses of any type. Hence, prior to the submission it should be checked for whether all points are adequately satisfied. General information 1. In principle, it makes little sense to write a Bachelor's or Master's thesis in subjects, in which you have not yet acquired knowledge by attending lectures and / or seminars. Therefore, it is expected of students who wish to write their thesis with us, that they have already attended a course of our chair that covered the thesis topic. 2. Theses can be supervised by either an assistant or by the professor. Interested students should initially send an informal inquiry by to the potential supervisor. It makes sense to express wishes about specific subject areas. Moreover, it helps to attach a current transcript of grades so that the supervisor can consider the student s strengths. After the selection of the supervisor there is usually a kick-off meeting. It should be noted that the preparation of a thesis is an examination, which must be provided by each student independently. The mentoring is therefore limited to general inquiries (and the support for specific problems). 3. The goal is not to treat of a subject exhaustively, but rather to work out the details of the specified problem and to write down only the most important things. The problem, therefore, should be broken down into a few, consistent and answerable questions. Modifications of the research question must be mentioned in the introduction and conclusion. 4. The accuracy of linguistic expression and methodical precision is highly important. 5. One s own opinion shall be separated from facts and logical conclusions as well as from the opinions of cited authors. Schematic sketch The structure of the thesis is as follows: 1. Title page (see example in the appendix, note: no additional mentioning of the supervisor) 2. Short summary of the main findings (no more than half a page) 3. Table of content (possibly: glossary, list of figures and tables) 4. Text of the work (introduction, main part, conclusions) 5. References 6. Appendix 7. Statutory Declaration, binding for Bachelor's or Master's thesis (see example in the appendix)

2 Criteria regarding the content Introduction 1. Motivation of the research question and discussion of its relevance, classification of the subject in a larger context and differentiation from related issues. 2. Sketching of the thematic structure. Main part 3. Presentation of the problem and outline of the initial situation. 4. For empirical theses: introduction of the data available, the particular difficulties (availability, reliability, etc.) and possible consequences for the work. 5. Presenting and commenting of the respective research steps and the results obtained; consideration, usage and citation of the relevant literature; consistency in the argumentation. 6. Consequent perseverance of thematic structure and focus on the research question throughout the main part (do not lose the "central theme"). Conclusions 1. Summary if the main results. 2. Note on open questions. Formal criteria 1. In general, the author has a certain freedom in the choice of formatting - points 2-9 must be considered. Furthermore, a consequent and consistent formatting must be applied. 2. Excessively long explanations should be avoided. The length of a Bachelor s thesis (introduction, main part, conclusion) should be between 25 and 35 pages. A Master's thesis should be bounded between pages line spacing, font size: 12 pt. and 10 pt. in the main text and in the footnotes, respectively. 4. With the introduction of variables it needs to be defined what they represent. 5. For formulas and variables a unified format shall be chosen: italic or not italic, font size, etc. 6. Charts and tables are to be integrated either in the text or in the appendix. 7. Sources from the literature are to be revealed in a transparent way and to be quoted carefully. Data and diagrams are always (!) to be provided with clear references. 8. The paper concludes with a bibliography. In the body, reference to the literature used must be made explicitly. An Anglo-Saxon citation standard should be selected. If there is ambiguity concerning the citation, the journal American Economic Review should be used as a reference. 9. The table of content and the bibliography are to be checked for completeness and accuracy.

3 Special hints for Bachelor s and Master s theses 7. The finished work must be filed in duplicate and in due time at the deanery. Likewise, it must be delivered electronically (on USB flash drive or ) to the Chair. 8. Otherwise, the regulations (study regulations and guidance) of each program are mandatory. Appendix 2 pages 1. Title page (example) for Master s theses (for Bachelor s theses please replace the word Master s by Bachelor s ). 2. Affidavit (example)

4 Internationaler Steuerwettbewerb und die Standortwahl multinationaler Unternehmen Master s thesis Department of Economics University of Zürich Chair Prof. Dr. Dr. Josef Falkinger Author: Sabine Musterfrau Field of study: Economics Student ID: Address: Mustergasse Zürich s.musterfrau@access.unizh.ch Date: DD.MM.YYYY

5 Statutory Declaration I hereby declare that the thesis with title Internationaler Steuerwettbewerb und die Standortwahl multinationaler Unternehmen has been composed by myself autonomously and that no means other than those declared were used. In every single case, I have indicated parts that were taken out of published or unpublished work, either verbatim or in a paraphrased manner, as such through a quotation. This thesis has not been handed in or published before in the same or similar form. Zürich, DD.MM.YYYY (Signature)