2.1 – Proposal

Generally students write a detailed proposal, which contains an introduction to the research question (review of relevant literature), the research question itself, the methods, the references and a detailed time schedule. The proposal consists of 2-10 pages and has to be accepted by the supervisor before starting with the research. The proposal has to be presented within the research group of the supervisor in a short lecture with subsequent discussion.

2.2 – Ethical Issues

The supervisor is responsible for the fulfilment of ethical requirements.

2.3 – Presentation and Defence of the Master Thesis

Master theses in Food Science curriculum are presented twice a year (July and November). This presentation is graded and will contribute to the final grade of the thesis project. Subsequently, the thesis will be discussed with the student by the supervisors and by the whole audience. Presentation should last 15-20 minutes, and the entire defence in total 30 minutes.

2.4 – Completion of the Thesis projects

Two printed copies of the master thesis have to be submitted to the Study Administration Office for grading purposes (with external theses also to the responsible advisor). The supervisor can also ask for an electronic version of the thesis. The originals of the informed consent forms (if applicable) and all raw data has to be provided to the responsible supervisor for correct storage.

2.5 – Plagiarism

The theses must be authored by the students themselves, not copied from others’ texts without proper referencing. Plagiarism will be punished. https://www.ethz.ch/students/en/studies/performance-assessments/plagiarism.html

2.6 – Affiliation with Publications

If a thesis is expected to result in a publication in a peer-reviewed indexed journal, the authorship (including its order) has to be discussed and determined at an early stage. With execution outside ETH, the affiliation of the student should be that of the group of his or her internal advisor.