You also need to edit the final version of your text. Pay attention to the arrangement and layout, language accuracy and style. The most common points worth checking are listed below.
Layout
There should be at least two blank lines on top and bottom of each page. Check that the heading is never left alone on a different page from the rest of the text.
The line spacing is 1.5. On the title page, abstract(s) and contents, line spacing 1 is used.
Use alignment on both sides of the page (justified layout). You can use hyphenation but make sure that you have English as your default language.
Check page numbering. Page numbers must be on the upper right-hand corner of the page. Page numbering starts from the title page, but it is visible only from the Introduction onward until the last page of References.
Abstract(s)
Check that the abstract(s) follows the reporting conventions of Karelia UAS and that there are no typing, language or other types of errors.
Check that the keywords (3-4) describe the main contents of your thesis. Avoid overly generic terms, such as development, but use more informative and specific terms and concepts.
Headings
The title of your report should be short and informative. Format and edit your title at the final stage of reporting so that your text is exactly about what the title indicates.
In the same way, check all headings and subheadings. Each chapter should correspond to the title.
Before and after the heading, leave two empty lines. Similarly, leave two blank lines before a subhead, but only one line after it.
Chapter, Paragraph and Sentence
Each chapter should have more than one paragraph.
Chapters should never begin with a list, figure, picture or table. There should always be introductory text after the heading.
Each paragraph has more than one sentence. Your paragraphs are balanced when the so-called topic sentence is supported by other sentences. Paragraph structure helps the reader understand when the author moves from one topic to the next. It is also more interesting if the length of the paragraphs varies a little.
Long and complex sentences make reading tedious and are difficult to understand.
Every sentence should express a complete thought. Therefore, make sure that your sentences include at least a subject and a predicate verb. Avoid sentence fragments and run-on sentences. Make sure that there is number agreement between the subject and the predicate verb.
Avoid also other ambiguous or illogical grammatical structures, such as misplaced participle clauses or dangling modifiers. Try to place your modifier next to whatever it is meant to modify. Make sure that punctuation and the use of articles and pronouns support the logic of your text.
Choice of Words, Spelling and Style
Avoid colloquial wording unless you are, for example, directly quoting someone’s interview.
Avoid unnecessary repetition. Repeating can occasionally be effective, but tautology needs to be avoided.
Write the names of companies and associations in the same way as they appear in the trade register or in the register of associations.
Check pronoun reference and agreement: The pronoun that refers to the preceding noun, while pronoun what refers to the preceding clause as a whole.
Prefer the most common standard spelling conventions of either American or British English. Check the spelling of compound nouns.
The style of the thesis report should be objective and informative. The purpose of formal style if to convey factual information and/ or give instructions.
When writing the report, follow academic and scientific register. You should avoid expressions, such as “in our company” or “the way we do it”, even if you are working in the company you are researching.
Punctuation
Avoid the use of exclamation points and the three dots for ellipsis. They are not acceptable in academic reports. Ellipsis can only be used when leaving something out from the quoted data extracts.
Check that you use the comma correctly. As a general rule, the comma is used before independent clauses and to separate different elements in lists. Do not use a comma instead of a conjunction. This mistake is called a comma splice.
Although not always necessary, you may use the comma after an introductory phrase. For example, an initial adverbial phrase can be separated from the rest of the sentence with a comma.
Clauses starting with that are usually restrictive (defining) and add essential information to the main clause. Therefore, there is no comma before them. With other relative clauses, always consider if they are restrictive or not. Non-restrictive (non-defining) clauses starting with which or who add further information and are preceded with a comma.
Hyphens and Dashes
A hyphen (-) is sometimes used to join words or parts of words, such as in compound word self-restraint. If you are not sure whether a compound word should be hyphenated, check a dictionary or style guide. Hyphenated words tend to become closed compounds over time. For example, you should rather write email instead of e-mail or cooperation instead of co-operation.
A dash is longer than a hyphen and is commonly used to indicate a range or a pause. A dash is used, for example, when you refer to the pages in the journal articles (Kotler et al. 2020, 10–22) or a time period, as in 2020–2021.
Lists
Sentences that include a list after a colon require an introductory part with an appropriate superordinate term that accurately describes the items in the list. The superordinate term can, for example, be “the following principles:”. The list ends with a full stop (period). If the items on the list are independent sentences, each of them ends with a full stop.
Examples:
The report consists of five sections: introduction, theoretical background, experiment, analysis and discussion.
Job applicants will need to provide the evidence of
The author can refer to the sources
If the list contains complete sentences, they begin with capital initials and conclude with a full stop (period) or a question mark.
The author should check the following points:
Pictures, Figures and Tables
Pictures, figures and tables are numbered consecutively and they all have a caption or title. Such information is given below the picture, figure or table using line spacing 1.
Check that you have referred to and commented each table, figure or picture in the text. The data commentary should include the main information of the illustration.
Add a citation to the caption if necessary and notify about the permission to use the picture, figure or table, if it is not your own.
Sources
Make sure that all your sources are mentioned within the text (in-text citation) and in the list of references.
In-text citations include the author (a person, organisation or group) + year + page(s) as, for example, in (Patel 2014, 22).
Check the punctuation in all in-text citations. When the reference applies to only one sentence, the full stop (period) comes after the last bracket. When referring to a longer text passage, there is a full stop at the end of the last sentence and also after the citation inside the brackets.
Use direct quotations sparingly. If you, however, quote the exact words from the source, include quotation marks at the beginning and end of the quoted phrase. When the direct quotation is longer than three lines, indent it and use line spacing 1. In that case, there is no need for quotations marks. Such direct quotations are common in qualitative studies.
If you want to explain an unfamiliar or rare term, you can use a footnote.
The list of references includes the exact information of each source that is cited in the text.
Put the references in alphabetical order according to the author’s last name. If the same author has published several publications in one year, refer to them using letters of the alphabet and put them in the order they appear in the text: 2009a and 2009b.
Academic writing:
Grammar:
General skills: