OTAK thesis regulations

General deadlines related to thesis writing

DELP DEADLINES	Who to turn to	Submission deadline for the Official Thesis Proposal form (címbejelentő) at the Registrar (TH)	Thesis submission deadline at the Registrar
one week before the registrar's (TH) deadline	Szesztay Margit	mid-March mid-October (a year before submission of thesis)	Next April Next November

*Please note that our internal deadline is aligned with the deadlines of other theses administered by DELP in order to distribute supervision evenly among colleagues. 

Choosing your subject

OTAK students do not have to write a thesis in each of their subjects. If your chosen subject is English, the regulations below should be followed.  

Getting supervision  

The OTAK program requires that all thesis writers seek the assistance of a supervisor. The thesis must be written in English and topics are preferably connected to ELT methodology, English applied linguistics, or the English speaking world, so the supervisor may come from the  Department of English Language Pedagogy (DELP) or the Department of English Applied Linguistics (DEAL). Students are free to approach any member of the faculty. If you need help finding a supervisor, you can turn to the instructors in charge of the program: the ’szakfelelős’ at SEAS, Dr. Lázár Ildikó, and the ’szakfelelős’ for DELP, Szesztay Margit. Should you find it necessary, you can also request a new supervisor by handing in a written request to the SEAS ’szakfelelős’. The supervisor may also come from outside the School of English and American Studies (SEAS) (e.g., a mentor or head teacher who should be familiar with the requirements), but in this case the SEAS ’szakfelelős’ needs to approve the choice.  

If the student chooses a topic more closely related to literature, culture or linguistics than to the teaching and learning of English, the supervisor should be an instructor from the Department of English Studies, the Department of American Studies, or the Department of English Linguistics. In such cases, the specific guidelines for MA theses of these departments apply, but the thesis must include a chapter that discusses teaching aspects and implications.  

The supervisor will provide guidance in the following areas:

• clarification of the topic and title of the thesis;  
• overseeing the writing of the thesis proposal;  
• discussion of the appropriate research questions;  
• suggestions for a reading list;  
• advice on possible approaches to the analysis;  
• advice on the writing process.  

Note: The supervisor is not responsible for editing and proofreading the final draft. 

Initial procedures

1. After the supervisee has first met their supervisor, they produce a Statement of Intent (Proposal/Synopsis) that is discussed and eventually accepted by the supervisor. The Statement of Intent is kept by both the student and the supervisor for future reference. Please find the form in Forms.

2. Based on the Statement of Intent, the official thesis title form is submitted to Neptun by the student and then accepted by the supervisor and the coordinator.  

3. At least 4 consultations should take place between the student and their consultant before the thesis is submitted.  

4. When the thesis is uploaded to Neptun, the supervisor needs to accept it in Neptun. 

Topics for the thesis  

The thesis may be written on any topic relevant to the teaching of English (i.e., ELT methodology, applied linguistics, or areas of English and/or American studies with implications for teaching English). The thesis should demonstrate a systematic approach to analysis, either theoretical or empirical, which reflects a deep understanding of the language teaching and learning process.  

Suggested thesis topics contributed by potential supervisors are listed on each tutor's profile in Staff. The list is not comprehensive and should not be treated as a final list. The title of your thesis should be the outcome of negotiation with your supervisor.   

Starting procedures: selecting and registering a topic

(Applies to thesis writers at DEAL and DELP) 

Your thesis topic and title must be approved by the supervisor two weeks before the deadline for the official „Szakdolgozati témabejelentő”. For this you need to put together a one-page proposal which should contain:   
1. the title and topic of the thesis 
2. how the thesis topic is relevant to English language teaching 
3. what specific questions will be researched 
4. how the research will be carried out (method) 
5. a list of sources already consulted (in APA format) 

A thesis proposal form can be downnloaded from this link.

Schedule for submitting the thesis proposal

• for those who plan to defend their thesis in the autumn term: October 15 of the preceding academic year  
• for those who plan to defend their thesis in the spring term: March 16 of the preceding academic year.  

You need to submit your thesis title electronically via Neptun. You will receive information about how to do this from the Tanulmányi Hivatal.  

Should a student find it necessary to change the submitted title and topic, they need to hand in a modification of the title to the Tanulmányi Hivatal. The following deadlines apply:

• If you plan to defend your thesis in the autumn term: 15 April of the preceding spring term  
• If you plan to defend yout thesis in the spring term: 15 October of the preceding autumn term

Formal thesis requirements  

The length of the thesis should be 75-80,000 characters without spaces, not including appendices, the title page, declarations, table of contents, references, etc. This length is roughly equivalent to about 40 pages, with a +10% margin of tolerance. The layout should be single or double sided A4 pages printed 1.5 spaced in Times New Roman 12pt font. Margins: 2.5 cm on three sides, at the gutter: 3.0 cm.
For citations and referencing use a documentation system approved by the host department (for DELP, use the APA 7 citation format).  

Thesis content at DELP and DEAL  

The thesis should be an independent piece of research displaying some original elements, however small in scope. The aim of conducting research and writing a research paper is to find and present the solution to a problem related to English language teaching. The quality of the research should be supported by a coherent research design that has a clear focus. It should demonstrate the writer’s familiarity with the literature, and should have a clear line of argumentation. It should be written in academic English. Overall, it should demonstrate an enhanced understanding of the field.  

There are two main types of research papers: empirical and theoretical.

Empirical research aims to explore an issue, generate or test hypotheses through gathering and analysing primary data (i.e., data gained by observation, through interviews, questionnaires, discourse analysis). The focus of empirical research can be on behaviour (e.g., teacher, student or school practices, actions, cognitive processes, perceptions) or products (e.g., various types of student output, texts, films, pieces of art). Empirical research is of two main types: qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative research studies an individual case or a limited number of cases closely with the purpose of exploring or understanding the particular phenomenon/phenomena from the perspective of the participants, including the researcher. Quantitative studies usually take an outsider's perspective and involve a sufficient number of participants or samples so that the findings might allow generalisations about the population or product (e.g., teaching material) investigated.  Below are a few examples for questions that can be researched through empirical research in the field of ELT:  

• What kinds of mistakes do elementary learners make when learning the simple present?  
• How do teachers see the role of reading skills in the English classroom?  
• How can content-based instruction improve the effectiveness of communication in a foreign language?
• How does the use of ICT affect learners' motivation?  

An empirical research project applies various research tools, preferably a combination of the following:  Questionnaires / Interviews / Observation / Diaries, journals /Tests / Discourse analysis / Spoken interaction analysis / Analysis of methods, experiments.  

Theoretical research aims to answer a question through the review and critique of existing theories about various issues or notions. It is based on a sound understanding and a coherent synthesis of the relevant literature, which enables the writer to arrive at a solution representing a novel approach to or view of a problem.  Below are a few examples of questions that can be researched through theoretical research in the field of ELT:  

• How do existing constructs contribute to identifying the elements of test-taking skills?  
• How does short-term memory influence language learning in young and mature learners?  
• What kind of  communicative competence model would be the most suitable for ELT in the English as a lingua franca era?  
• How can the simplification of the issue of the ‘Stolen Generation’ in Australia be justified for the purposes of ELT?  

The main aim of a theoretical thesis is to show various treatments of the particular problem and to provide a new understanding of or a new perspective on the issue. The paper starts with the comparison of what different authors have said about the same topic, that is, a survey of the relevant literature arranged into some logical framework created by the writer. The overview should be critical, and should be followed by an argumentative proposal of the writer's own opinion and solution to the problem. The author does not use a database gathered specifically for this research but relies on already existing materials including the findings of both theoretical and empirical investigations. This could also take the form of a document analysis, e.g. focusing on a coursebook or other teaching resources.   

To learn more about the structure of each type of thesis, scroll down to the bottom of this page.

Submission of the thesis  

The deadline for submitting the OTAK thesis for a defence in the autumn term is November, for a defence in the spring term is April. For the exact dates in a specific year please consult the Faculty of Arts website.  

The thesis is to be submitted electronically via Neptun. The students will receive specific information regarding the exact deadline and the steps involved in submitting their work.  

The assessment of the thesis  

The assessment of the thesis is the responsibility of SEAS. The thesis is double marked by the assessor and the supervisor. The assessment of the thesis will be based on a set of analytical criteria that focus on the following features:  

• The quality of research (research methods, focus, analytical framework, etc.)  
• The theoretical and experiential basis of the research (quality and number of sources, familiarity with the literature, synthesis of knowledge and skills, etc.)  
• Interpretation of findings (implications, enhanced awareness, etc.)  
• Independence (contribution to the field, originality, etc.)  
• Quality of writing (structuring, argumentation, etc.)  
• Quality of language (accuracy and range of English)  
• Formal requirements (layout, citation conventions, length)  

The scores, with a maximum of 28 are converted to a mark on the familiar 1 to 5 scale on the basis of the following bands: 5= 25 points or above, 4= 18-24 points, 3= 11-17 points, 2= 7-10 points, 1= 6 or below.  

Assessment procedures

1. A referee (reader/bíráló) is appointed by the Head of Department of the supervisor (e.g., a supervisor from DEAL will have a referee from DEAL, or a supervisor from DELG will have a referee from DELG, etc.) in the case of SEAS theses. (For DELP or non-SEAS external supervisors, a referee is appointed by DELP).  
2. Both the supervisor and the referee should rate the thesis independently on the rating scales (link) sent to them by DELP coordinators upon receiving the appropriate information from the Registrar’s Office (Tanulmányi Hivatal). The scores are returned to the DELP coordinators by the specified deadline.  
3. The coordinators at DELP will compare the referee’s and supervisor’s grades. The referee and the supervisor are notified about the result of the comparison:  
   • The referee and supervisor are asked to negotiate a final grade, if there is a one-grade difference in their grades.  
   • If there is a two-grade difference, the final grade is likely to be the average.  
   • A third reader will be asked to rate the thesis if the difference between the reader’s and supervisor’s grades is larger than two, if one of the graders disagrees with the average grade or according to at least one of the raters (referee or supervisor) the thesis is a fail.  
4. Once the final grade is obtained, the referee can go on to write the final review of the thesis. It is appreciated if the supervisor can read and give their opinion before it is uploaded into Neptun.  
5. As a last step of this procedure, the referee uploads the review (bírálat) with questions for the final exam into Neptun.  
6. The referee may be asked to be present at the defense part of the final exam to ask their questions from the candidate.  As part of the final examination for the OTAK programme, the thesis writer has to defend the thesis in front of a committee.  

The structure of the thesis: an empirical research paper

The structure of the thesis: a theoretical thesis paper