OTAK theses

Key deadlines

Submit thesis proposal to supervisor (DELP)	Submit thesis title (címbejelentő) via Neptun	Submit thesis via Neptun
two weeks before official title submission	mid-March mid-October (the year before thesis submission)	April November (the year following thesis title submission)

Submit thesis proposal to supervisor (DELP)

Submit thesis title (címbejelentő) via Neptun

Submit thesis via Neptun

two weeks before official title submission

mid-March
mid-October

(the year before thesis submission)

April
November

(the year following thesis title submission)

Choosing your subject

OTAK students are not required to write a thesis in both their subjects. If you have chosen English as your subject, please follow the regulations outlined below.

Working with a supervisor

In the OTAK programme, all thesis writers are required to work with a supervisor. The thesis must be written in English, and topics should ideally be related to ELT methodology, applied linguistics, or the English-speaking world. Supervisors are typically from the Department of English Language Pedagogy (DELP) or the Department of English Applied Linguistics (DEAL), but students may approach any faculty member.

If you need help finding a supervisor, you can consult the programme coordinators: Dr. Ildikó Lázár (SEAS programme coordinator ‘szakfelelős’) or Monika Ford (DELP programme coordinator ‘szakfelelős’). Should you wish to change supervisors, you may submit a written request to the SEAS szakfelelős.

Supervisors may also come from outside the School of English and American Studies (SEAS) (e.g., a mentor or head teacher with relevant expertise), but in such cases, approval from the SEAS szakfelelős is required.

If your chosen topic is more closely related to literature, culture, or linguistics than to the teaching and learning of English, your supervisor should come from the Department of English Studies (DES), the Department of American Studies (DAS), or the Department of English Linguistics (DELG). In these cases, the MA thesis guidelines of the respective department apply. However, the thesis must include a chapter discussing teaching aspects and implications.

Role of the supervisor

The supervisor will provide guidance in the following areas:

clarifying the topic and title of the thesis
overseeing the development of the thesis proposal
discussing appropriate research questions
suggesting relevant readings
advising on possible analytical approaches
offering guidance on the writing process

Note: The supervisor is not responsible for editing or proofreading drafts.

Writing a proposal and submitting the thesis title

Following the first meeting with their supervisor, the student prepares a Statement of Intent (Proposal/Synopsis), which is reviewed and approved by the supervisor two weeks before the official deadline for uploading the topic and the title (‘Szakdolgozati témabejelentő’). The template for the Statement of Intent can be accessed in Forms.

The proposal should include the following:

Title and topic of the thesis
Relevance of the topic to English language teaching
Research questions
Research method (how the research will be carried out)
Preliminary list of sources (APA format)

A copy of the Statement of Intent is kept by both the student and the supervisor for future reference.

Once the Statement of Intent is finalised, the student submits the official thesis title electronically via Neptun, where it is subject to approval by both the supervisor and the DELP ‘szakfelelős’).

Deadlines for submitting the thesis title are as follows:

For autumn-term defence: October 15 of the preceding academic year
For spring-term defence: March 15 of the preceding academic year

Instructions on how to submit the thesis title will be provided by the Tanulmányi Hivatal.

Thesis topics

The thesis can focus on any topic related to English language teaching, including ELT methodology, applied linguistics, or aspects of English and/or American studies with relevance to teaching English. It should demonstrate a systematic approach to analysis, whether theoretical or empirical, and reflect a deep understanding of the language teaching and learning process.

Potential supervisors have suggested thesis topics, which can be found on their profiles under Staff. However, this list is not exhaustive and should be used as a starting point rather than a definitive selection.

Thesis content at DELP and DEAL

The thesis should be an independent research project that includes some original elements, even if limited in scope. Its primary objective is to identify and address a problem related to English language teaching through research and analysis.

A high-quality thesis should:

be supported by a coherent research design with a clear focus
demonstrate familiarity with relevant literature
present a clear and well-structured argument
be written in academic English
reflect a deep understanding of the field

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

Empirical research investigates a specific issue by generating or testing hypotheses through the collection and analysis of primary data (e.g., observations, interviews, questionnaires, discourse analysis).The focus of empirical research can be on behavior (e.g., teacher, student, or school practices, actions, cognitive processes, and perceptions, or products (e.g., student output, texts, films, and artistic works).

Empirical research is generally classified into two main types: qualitative research and quantitative research.

Qualitative research examines individual cases or a small number of cases in depth, aiming to explore or understand a particular phenomenon from the perspective of the participants, including the researcher. It focuses on rich, detailed insights rather than numerical data.

Quantitative research takes an outsider’s perspective and involves a larger sample size, allowing for statistical analysis and generalisations about the population or product being investigated (e.g., teaching materials). It typically seeks to identify patterns and measurable outcomes.

Examples of empirical research questions in ELT:

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

Research tools in empirical studies:

A well-designed empirical study often combines multiple research methods, including: Questionnaires/ Interviews/ Observations/ Diaries and journals/ Tests/ Discourse analysis/ Spoken interaction analysis/ Analysis of teaching methods and experiments

Theoretical research seeks to answer a question by reviewing and critically analyzing existing theories related to a particular issue or concept. It relies on a thorough understanding and a well-structured synthesis of relevant literature, allowing the writer to develop a new perspective or approach to a problem. It begins with a critical review of existing literature, comparing what various authors have said on the topic and organizing these perspectives within a logical framework developed by the writer. Rather than simply summarizing sources, the literature review should be analytical and critical. This is followed by an argumentative section where the author presents their own viewpoint and proposed solution to the problem. Unlike empirical research, a theoretical thesis does not rely on data collected specifically for the study but instead draws on existing materials, including findings from both theoretical and empirical investigations. In some cases, this may take the form of document analysis, such as an in-depth examination of a coursebook or other teaching resources or of policy papers and curricula.

Examples of research 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?

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

Thesis submission

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

The deadline for submitting the OTAK thesis is November for an autumn-term defence and April for a spring-term defence. Exact dates for each academic year can be found on the Faculty of Arts website (look for the "Határidős jegyzék" of the current semester). The thesis must be submitted electronically via Neptun, and students will receive detailed information about the submission process, including the exact deadline and necessary steps.

The supervisor accepts the thesis uploaded in Neptun if it meets all the basic requirements and at least 4 consultations took place prior to submission.

Formal thesis requirements

The body of the thesis should be 75,000–80,000 characters (without spaces), excluding appendices, the title page, declarations, table of contents, and references.
This corresponds to approximately 40 pages, with a +10% tolerance.
The document should be formatted on A4 pages, either single- or double-sided, using Arial or Calibri, 12pt, with 1.5 line spacing.
Margins: 2.5 cm on three sides, with a 3.0 cm gutter margin.

For citations and referencing, follow a documentation system approved by the host department. For DELP, use the APA 7 citation conventions.

Assessment of the thesis

The assessment of the thesis is conducted by SEAS and involves double marking by both the referee and the supervisor. Evaluation is based on a set of analytical criteria, which include:

Quality of research (research methods, focus, analytical framework)
Theoretical and experiential foundation (quality and number of sources, familiarity with the literature, synthesis of knowledge and skills)
Interpretation of findings (implications, depth of analysis, critical awareness )
Independence (originality, contribution to the field)
Quality of writing (organisation, coherence, argumentation)
Quality of language (accuracy and range of English)
Formal requirements (layout, citation conventions,, length)

The thesis is scored on a 28-point scale, which is then converted into the standard 1–5 grading system as follows: 24-28 points = 5 ; 18-23 points = 4; 11-17 points = 3; 7-10 points = 2; 1-6 points = 1.

Assessment procedures

A referee (‘bíráló’) is appointed by the Head of Department of the supervisor. For SEAS theses, this means that a supervisor from DEAL will have a referee from DEAL, a supervisor from DELG will have a referee from DELG, and a supervisor from DELP will have a referee from DELP. If the thesis is supervised by DAS, DELG or DES, the chapter on teaching methodology - a mandatory component of OTAK theses - will be reviewed by a language pedagogy or applied linguistics expert from DELP or DEAL. Their evaluation will contribute to the final report submitted by DAS, DELG or DES colleagues. For theses supervised externally (non-SEAS), a referee from DELP will be appointed.
Both the supervisor and the referee rate the thesis independently, using the rating scales sent to them by DELP coordinators.The completed scores must be returned to the DELP coordinators by a specific deadline.
The DELP coordinators compare the grades given by the referee and the supervisor and inform both of the results.
If there is a discrepancy between the grades, the referee and the supervisor are asked to negotiate a final grade.
Once the final grade has been determined, the referee writes the final review of the thesis. It is appreciated if the supervisor reviews the report and gives their opinion before it is uploaded to Neptun.
The referee uploads the review along with a set of defence questions for the final exam into Neptun.
As part of the OTAK programme’s final examination, the thesis writer must defend the thesis before a committee.

The structure of the thesis: an empirical research paper

Preliminary pages: a title page in English and Hungarian and a certificate of originality in Hungarian. (You can find all thesis related documents and forms in Hungarian here)

Abstract: A short summary detailing the purpose, the relevance, the approach and the results of the paper (100-150 words).

Table of Contents: including the chapters of the paper and also the materials in the Appendices.

Introduction: This should introduce the reader to the specific issue under analysis and describe the research approach/strategy.

The introduction should:

• specify the point/topic of the study
• explain why the topic is relevant/interesting
• specify the exact research questions/hypotheses and their relevance
• explain how the study relates to previous work in the field and how it is expected to benefit the profession
• preview the structure/chapters of the thesis.

Review of the literature: The purpose of the review is to develop the theoretical background, that is, to discuss the relevant literature in order to give the reader knowledge of the field (specifically relating to the research question), which the writer is researching + establish the research niche. Ultimately, this part of the thesis should inform the reader of the theoretical and experiential basis of the research by synthesizing the relevant literature.

The review of literature must

• define the key terms and concepts,
• describe relevant theories,
• present earlier research concerning the issue.
The literature review can be organized around concepts or the relevant earlier research, but in any case, must be focused to suit the purposes of the research. It should be a very thorough and well-structured overview, presented on the basis of an original organising principle. That is, the writer has to make a unique presentation of the existing literature relevant to the topic. This means, for instance, that a mere summary of what different authors have said about the same topic does not constitute a proper review of the literature. Earlier research results should be evaluated and related to the purpose of the current research. A good overview is relevant, looks at all the aspects of the given topic, uses a minimum of 15 serious reliable and relevant academic sources, and presents the topic in a new light with evidence of the writer’s critical judgement, explicitly and appropriately formulated. As regards materials downloaded from the Internet, only sources that have an author and publication data will normally be accepted. The use of other documents, without an author or publication data, for example, has to be justified.

Research design and method: The Introduction and the Review of the literature are typically followed by a section in which the writer describes in detail how the analysis was conducted, that is, the technical aspects of the study. There is room for variation depending on the qualitative or quantitative nature of the thesis. Either way, the research design should be coherent and complete. In order to meet these criteria, this chapter should include consideration of the following:
Re-statement /refinement of the research Question(s) (What questions arise based on the lit. rev. and the researcher’s focus/interest?)
The approach of the research (qualitative or quantitative)
Reference to earlier research to justify the approach and method.
Description of the method of data collection: What? Why? How?
Setting (a description of the context, e.g., the place, general and specific background, etc.) Participants or set of materials(texts) analysed (rationale for selection, variables,)
Instruments (questionnaires, interviews, observation protocol, diaries, document analysis, framework for discourse analysis, retrospection, etc.)
Procedures (What happened, how long did the processes last?)
Method of data analysis (a description of procedures and methods applied in the analysis)
Quality of research (validity, reliability, generalisability/credibility, trustworthiness, transferability)

The use of the particular methods must be justified and be an important part of the line of argumentation presented in the thesis. In the justification, reference must be made to literature on research methodology. A good method section describes the procedures in such a detailed way that anyone wishing to replicate the study would be able to do so. Samples of all the data collection materials (e.g., questionnaires, interview protocols, tasks, and observation sheets) need to be provided in the appendix. If a data collection instrument is not in English, it has to be translated into English and included in the appendices. (N.B. In line with research conventions and common sense, if the mother tongue of the researcher and the participant(s) is the same, interviews and questionnaires are conducted in the mother tongue even if the research is to be written up in English in order to cut down on possible distortions caused by the use of a foreign language.)

Results and discussion: The Results section will normally contain the data collected (summarized if appropriate) and the results of the analysis, which will detail and justify the conclusion. This section is often merged together with the Discussion section, which includes the writer's discussion (i.e. explanation and interpretation) of the results with respect to the original questions/hypotheses and the consequence of the results, without making overgeneralizations. The explanations should be convincing. Overall, this part of the thesis should demonstrate an enhanced awareness of the field

Conclusion with limitations: This section briefly summarizes the main findings of the analysis, and applies them to the original question(s), discusses possible alternative interpretations and views, examines the pedagogical implications (where appropriate), mentions the limitations of the research, and proposes directions for future investigations. All the conclusions have to be drawn on the basis of the data and not subjective speculations.

References: In this section, the writer lists all the references that were cited in the text (and only those!). See the DELP’s websites on APA citation guidelines for details: http://delp.elte.hu/APAguidelines.htm.

Appendices: The following materials can be included: blank questionnaires and their English translations, interview questions, observation schedules, information brochures, sample handouts, teaching materials used or designed, raw data, visual aids, scales, tests, less important tables or figures, practical examples, or other kinds of illustrative materials. Appendices need to contain only a short sample of the data (e.g., examples of filled-in questionnaires, extracts from transcripts of interviews, and parts of texts produced by the participants). Any material not in English must be translated into English. All the other data have to be made available upon request.

Suggested length and proportion of chapters
The review of the literature should typically be around one-quarter of the total length of the thesis. The research design and method section will typically be around one-quarter of the total length of the complete thesis. The results and discussion section should be around one-half of the complete thesis.

The structure of the thesis: a theoretical thesis paper

Theoretical thesis papers usually follow an argumentative pattern and are organised around the solution of a problem. Questions that are normally addressed in such papers include:
• What is the point/topic of the study?
• Why is this topic interesting/relevant?
• What has been done in the field so far?
• Is there any problem with/is there something missing from what has been done/said so far?
• What is the problem with/What is missing from what has been done/said?
• What solution may be offered?
• Why is this solution good, or not so good?
Depending on the nature of the problem, such papers may be structured in different ways. A typical pattern of organisation is presented below:
Preliminary pages: a title page in English and Hungarian, and a certificate of originality in Hungarian

Abstract: A short summary detailing the purpose, the relevance, the approach and the results of the paper (100-150 words)

Table of Contents: including the chapters of the paper and also the materials in the Appendices.

Introduction: The introduction normally starts by introducing the subject of the paper and its relevance, that is, the reason why it is considered an interesting issue to explore. This is followed by the statement of the problem related to the issue (i.e., the situation presented) and the author's position regarding the solution to this problem. The exact aim of the paper and the main research question(s) should be clearly formulated. (In theoretical papers, research questions relate to finding possible solutions to the problem.) The introduction generally ends with a brief overview of the analytical approach/strategy to be pursued and the outline of the thesis.

Review of literature: The aim of the literature review is to provide a theoretical background to the solution of the problem anticipated in the Introduction. It offers a critical review of the various treatments of the problem under investigation, enumerating arguments representing the body of literature both opposing and supporting the author's position. The survey should be organized into a logical framework invented by the writer. Ultimately, this part of the thesis should inform the reader of the theoretical and experiential basis of the research.

Analysis (Solution): The analysis (i.e., solution) section offers a thorough and disciplined presentation of the possible solution(s) as envisaged by the writer. It should build upon the work of other researchers in the field, but authors are expected to come up with an original solution. All arguments/claims put forward by the author must be accompanied by some form of supporting evidence (e.g., examples, figures, facts, documents, views of other researchers). The criteria of the analysis (e.g., the set of concepts along which the issue is examined) and the choice of earlier research to be included in the study must be explained and justified. This section ends with an evaluation of the proposed solution(s), showing that it is (or they are) exempt from the weaknesses identified in the opposing view(s). This section is often not presented in a single chapter but in several chapters reflecting the concepts of the framework of the analysis.

Conclusion: Theoretical papers normally end with a restatement of the problem under investigation and a brief summary of the proposed solution(s) discussed. In the conclusion section, authors may indicate in what ways the study contributes to current achievements in the field, examine the pedagogical implications (where appropriate), refer to the limitations of the paper, and point to possible areas for further investigation.

References: See empirical research papers.

Appendices: See empirical research papers.