Templates & Checklists
Use these working documents to prepare for supervision. They count as assignments only if your program or supervisor requires them.
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How To Use These
Pick the template that fits where you are, and keep it short enough for your supervisor to read before a meeting.
- Research Question Memo while you are still choosing a topic
- Thesis Proposal Outline once the project takes shape
- Literature Review Matrix while you are reading but not yet writing
- Data / Corpus Plan when you collect sources, data, or texts
- Supervision Meeting Packet before each meeting
- Feedback and Revision Log after you receive comments
- GenAI Methods Note if you use approved AI or code tools
- Corpus and LLM Request if you need help with OCR, an LLM, or a GPU
- Final Submission Checklist before you submit
Research Question Memo
Purpose: Narrow a topic into a puzzle and a researchable question before an early supervision meeting.
| Field | Working Answer |
|---|---|
| Topic area | |
| Case, region, corpus, or population | |
| Time period | |
| Puzzle (why x despite y?) | |
| Provisional research question | |
| Rival answers from the literature | |
| Likely sources or data | |
| Likely method | |
| Main feasibility concern | |
| Decision needed from supervisor |
Quality check:
- It is one simple question, with the answer kept out of it
- It can be answered within the word count and deadline
- It names a clear object of analysis
- It can be answered with sources or data you can realistically access
- It implies a method as well as a topic
- The answer is not already obvious
Thesis Proposal Outline
Purpose: Turn the memo into a proposal draft.
- Tentative title
- Research question
- Puzzle and motivation
- Academic debate The literature and disagreement your thesis enters, with the rival answers.
- Contribution What your thesis may add, such as a case, source base, comparison, interpretation, method, or empirical finding.
- Research design Case selection, corpus boundaries, source selection, and method.
- Materials The primary and secondary sources, datasets, archives, interviews, or other evidence you will use.
- Ethics and data considerations Human participants, sensitive or protected material, privacy risks, data storage, and any planned AI or code assistance.
- Chapter outline A provisional structure, one sentence per chapter.
- Timeline Work backward from your program deadline.
- Questions for supervision The 2–4 decisions where you need guidance.
Before sending it: Check the proposal requirements on your program page and in Brightspace.
Literature Review Matrix
Purpose: Keep your reading tied to the research question and its rival answers, in a form you can draw on when writing.
| Source | Answer It Supports or Challenges | Main Claim | Method / Evidence | How It Helps My Thesis | Limitation / Question |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Synthesis prompts:
- Which sources define the main answers?
- Which sources disagree with one another, and why?
- Which concepts, theories, or methods recur?
- What are the strengths and weaknesses of each answer?
- What does my thesis need to show before the reader will accept my argument?
Data / Corpus Plan
Purpose: Make source collection transparent before analysis begins.
| Field | Working Answer |
|---|---|
| Research question | |
| Unit of analysis | |
| Corpus/data type | |
| Source locations | |
| Inclusion criteria | |
| Exclusion criteria | |
| Expected size | |
| Language(s) | |
| File naming convention | |
| Metadata fields | |
| Storage and backup plan | |
| Quality checks | |
| Ethical/privacy risks | |
| AI/code tools planned | |
| Disclosure needed |
Minimum metadata fields:
| Field | Example |
|---|---|
id |
kr_news_2026_001 |
title |
|
author_or_source |
|
date |
|
language |
|
source_url_or_archive |
|
collection_date |
|
document_type |
news article, speech, policy document, interview transcript |
included |
yes / no |
exclusion_reason |
duplicate, outside date range, inaccessible, not relevant |
notes |
Quality checks:
- Check a sample of collected files against the original sources
- Look for empty, duplicate, corrupted, or mislabeled files
- Record every filter, search query, and exclusion rule
- Keep raw files separate from cleaned or translated versions
- Discuss any planned machine translation, scraping, AI, or coding assistance with your supervisor
Supervision Meeting Packet
Purpose: Make supervision meetings decision-focused. Send it ahead if your supervisor wants materials in advance.
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Meeting date | |
| Current thesis stage | topic / proposal / literature review / data collection / analysis / drafting / revision |
| Work completed since last meeting | |
| Main problem to discuss | |
| Decisions needed | |
| Material attached or linked | |
| Specific feedback requested | |
| Deadline pressure or risk |
Good supervision questions:
- Is the research question narrow enough for this thesis?
- Is this source base sufficient and appropriate?
- Does the method match the question?
- Which part of the literature review is still too descriptive?
- Which claim in this draft needs stronger evidence?
- What should I prioritize before the next deadline?
Feedback and Revision Log
Purpose: Track what changed after feedback and what still needs a decision.
| Date | Feedback / Issue | Source | Action Taken | Status | Follow-up Question |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| supervisor / peer / self-review | open / done / deferred | ||||
| supervisor / peer / self-review | open / done / deferred |
Use it when you receive detailed comments on a draft, need to show how you handled earlier feedback, or are deciding what to revise first before a resubmission or final revision.
GenAI Methods Note
Purpose: Keep a record of approved AI or code assistance. Use it only for uses your supervisor has agreed to in advance (see the Working with AI).
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Tool and version | |
| Date(s) used | |
| Task | file organization / conversion / cleaning / coding support / grammar support / translation / documentation |
| Why the task was appropriate | |
| What material was entered into the tool | |
| Protected material excluded | |
| Prompt or script location | |
| Output location | |
| Manual checks performed | |
| Errors corrected | |
| What was not delegated | interpretation, argument, final claims, source evaluation |
The Working with AI also requires an AI-use statement before the bibliography, even if you used no AI tools, and gives a template for it. Follow the Faculty GenAI guidance on disclosure and citation.
Final Submission Checklist
Purpose: Catch avoidable submission problems before the deadline.
Program Requirements
- Confirm the final deadline, time, and submission route in Brightspace or your program materials
- Confirm the word-count rule and any file format or naming rules
- Confirm who must receive the final version
- Confirm whether a Student Thesis Repository upload is required before or after assessment
Thesis File
- Title page includes required student and thesis information
- Word count is stated and calculated according to program rules
- Table of contents matches headings and page numbers
- Citations and bibliography use one style consistently
- Figures, tables, appendices, and translations are labeled clearly
- The AI-use statement is included and lists any AI, code, or tool assistance
- Any ethics, consent, anonymization, or data-storage commitments are reflected in the methods section
- PDF opens correctly and is not a scanned image unless explicitly required
- File size is below the program limit, if one is stated
Before Sending
- Search the document for comments, tracked changes, placeholders, and missing references
- Check quotations against the original source
- Check that all bibliography entries are cited, and all cited works appear in the bibliography
- Check page numbers, captions, appendix labels, and cross-references
- Keep a local copy of exactly what you submitted
Program-Specific Reminders
| Program | Submission Reminder |
|---|---|
| BAIS | Upload via Brightspace or email your supervisor (ask which they prefer), and send the file to bathesis@hum.leidenuniv.nl the same day or in CC. After a passing grade, upload it to the Student Thesis Repository |
| BAKS | Submit both Word and PDF versions to the supervisor by email with bathesis@hum.leidenuniv.nl in CC, unless Brightspace gives updated instructions |
| MAAS | Email the final thesis to your supervisor, second reader, and MAthesis@hum.leidenuniv.nl |
| MAIR | Email the final thesis to your supervisor with your second reader in CC and ask for confirmation of receipt |
After Sending
- Save the sent email or upload confirmation
- If confirmation is required and does not arrive, follow up
- After a passing grade, complete any Student Thesis Repository upload required for graduation