How to Write a Thesis Declaration: Template and Guide

What is a thesis declaration

A thesis declaration is a short section near the beginning of your thesis in which you confirm that you completed the work, presented the data and results honestly, and acknowledged your sources according to the applicable rules. It is a statement of academic responsibility. It is not an introduction to the topic and it is not an acknowledgement page.

Write this section after you have completed the main content. At that point, you know which sources the thesis uses, where the data came from, which studies you consulted and which limitations you must take responsibility for. For a quantitative thesis, the declaration should also accurately reflect your use of a questionnaire, .sav or .csv data, SPSS or SmartPLS when those tools appear in your research method.

The declaration is usually one paragraph of about 100 to 180 words, depending on your department's requirements. Some institutions require a separate page, a centred heading and placement before the table of contents. Follow your department or supervisor's template first, because the required position, font and signing format can differ between institutions. If you are completing the opening pages of your thesis, you can also compare the guidance on the table of contents and the abstract.

The declaration does not replace the methodology chapter. You still need to describe sample selection, data collection, data cleaning and analysis in the appropriate chapters. The declaration only confirms that those activities are reported according to what you actually did in the research.

Standard structure of a thesis declaration

Your declaration should be short but cover the necessary points. You do not need to describe the writing process, thank your supervisor or include research findings. Use the table below to check each component before you finalize the Word file.

This structure works for most undergraduate theses. If your institution provides a compulsory template, retain the required wording and only complete blanks such as the title, field of study, name or location. Avoid broad statements that you cannot verify, such as claiming that no part of the thesis has ever appeared anywhere on the Internet.

A thesis declaration and an acknowledgement page serve different purposes. The declaration concerns honesty and academic responsibility. The acknowledgement page recognises support from your supervisor, the survey organisation, questionnaire respondents or your family. Keep these pages separate instead of combining them into one long paragraph.

You should also distinguish the declaration from the appendices. A questionnaire, variable coding table and selected output tables may belong in the appendices according to your department's instructions. When checking the order of these sections, you can also read what an appendix is.

Steps for writing a thesis declaration

Step 1: Check your department's requirements

Open the thesis proposal, thesis handbook or template file provided by your department. Check four points: the name of the section, its position in the thesis, its length and the signing requirements. Some departments use “Declaration”, while others use “Author's Declaration”. Use the exact name required in the instructions so that you do not have to correct the formatting at the final stage.

If no template is available, look at theses from the same field for layout ideas only. Do not copy a declaration word for word when it still contains another student's topic, institution or academic year. If you need to review the overall thesis structure, you can also visit the Undergraduate Thesis topic page.

Step 2: Enter the correct title and personal information

Put the thesis title in quotation marks if your department's template requires them. The title must match the cover page, the approved topic decision and the introduction. Check details that are often missed, such as capitalization of proper names, the name of the field, company names, survey year and geographical scope.

At the bottom of the page, enter the location and signing date in the same format used in the other front matter. Write your full name correctly. If the electronic version does not contain a signature, ask your supervisor or department secretary whether you need to sign the printed copy by hand, insert an image of your signature or only type your name.

Step 3: Write the commitment about sources and data

For a quantitative thesis, check the data before writing the commitment sentence. You should know which target group received the questionnaire, how many observations were used in the analysis, whether the data went through cleaning and which software produced the result tables. If some responses were invalid, describe that accurately in the methodology chapter. You do not need to put the details in the declaration.

The commitment should state that the data and results are presented honestly according to your research process. This does not mean that the results must look good or that every hypothesis must be accepted. A model with a large p-value, low R² or a removed variable can still be reported honestly in a thesis.

Check the citations in the main text and the reference list as well. The guidance on how to cite references can help you review sources placed after an idea, table or model taken from another study. Then compare the list with the guidance on how to write references so that every reference entry matches a citation in the thesis.

Step 4: Write a short draft and compare it with the institutional template

Start with a paragraph of four or five sentences, with each sentence handling one point. Read it again and remove material that only repeats the thesis title or describes the writing process. A strong declaration usually does not need phrases such as “after a long period of research” or “with my greatest effort”.

If the thesis has several authors, change the pronouns accordingly. An individual thesis usually uses “I” or “the author”. A group thesis may use “we” or “the authors”, but the choice must remain consistent throughout the document. Do not use an informal student pronoun when the department requires administrative academic wording, unless your supervisor has instructed you to do so.

Step 5: Place the declaration in the Word file and complete the final check

Create a separate page after the cover page or follow the order specified by your department. Check the font, font size, line spacing, page margins, heading position and space reserved for the signature. Do not let the declaration move to the next page because of a few unnecessary blank lines.

Finally, use Word's search function to check the thesis title, your name and the year. Check the PDF after exporting it, because Vietnamese diacritics, paragraph spacing and the signature position can change during conversion. If the front matter still lacks an abstract or table of contents, review each section before submitting rather than checking only the declaration.

Usable sample sentences

You can select a sample sentence below and replace the text in brackets. These are reference templates, not compulsory wording for every institution. Before submitting, compare them with the official template and adjust the pronouns for an individual or group thesis.

How to write this in your thesis

You can write the paragraph directly as follows: “I declare that the thesis entitled ‘[THESIS TITLE]’ is a research project completed by me under the supervision of [SUPERVISOR'S NAME]. The data and research results are presented honestly within the scope of the collected data. All materials and ideas from other authors have been fully cited and acknowledged. I take responsibility for the content of this thesis.”

Replace the bracketed sections, then remove the brackets before submitting. If your institution requires a sentence stating that the thesis has not been used for another degree, add it after the commitment about sources. If it is not required, use it only when its wording fits the approved institutional template.

Short thesis declaration example

Suppose the topic is “Factors affecting students' intention to use e-wallets in Ho Chi Minh City”. The student conducted a questionnaire survey, cleaned the data and analysed it using SPSS. A shortened version could be presented as follows:

DECLARATION

I declare that the undergraduate thesis entitled “Factors affecting students' intention to use e-wallets in Ho Chi Minh City” is a research project completed by me under the supervision of Dr. [Supervisor's full name]. The content, data and results presented in this thesis were produced and compiled honestly within the scope of the study. Materials, results and ideas taken from other studies have been fully cited and acknowledged. I take responsibility for the content of this thesis.

Ho Chi Minh City, [ ] [ ] [ ]
Declarant
[Signature and full name]

In this example, the wording does not claim that every hypothesis was accepted, that every scale met the required criteria or that the model produced strong results. Those conclusions belong in the results and discussion chapters, where you present the output tables and explain them. The declaration only confirms the process and your responsibility for the content.

If a company or survey organisation provided the data, do not write that you collected all the data yourself when that is not accurate. Use wording such as “the data used in this research were collected and processed within the permitted scope”. The methodology chapter should explain the data source and permission to use it. Keep the declaration brief.

Common mistakes that make the committee ask questions

Combining the declaration with the acknowledgement page. These sections serve different purposes. When you thank your supervisor, questionnaire respondents and family on the same page as your academic commitment, the reader may not be able to tell which statements represent the author's responsibility.

Using the wrong thesis title. This error is easy to detect because the committee can compare the cover page, approved topic decision and declaration. Copy the title from the approved version instead of typing it again manually.

Making an excessive declaration. Statements such as “all information in this thesis is completely new” or “I did not consult any previous study” do not fit academic research. A thesis necessarily uses existing theories, scales, methods and sources. The important point is to acknowledge those sources correctly.

Claiming that the data are honest but being unable to explain them. If the committee asks about the initial number of responses, the number of valid responses, the rules used to remove observations or the treatment of reverse-coded variables, your answer must match the methodology chapter and the data file. The declaration does not replace data checking procedures.

Copying an online template without replacing the details. Institution names, fields, pronouns, supervisor names and locations often remain in copied templates. Search the file for words such as “institution”, “topic”, “student” and “supervisor” for a final check.

Putting results into the declaration. Statements such as “the research proves that the model is significant” or “all factors have positive effects” must be checked against the output and hypotheses. They do not belong in the declaration and can create a contradiction if the actual results differ from your expectations.

Leaving out the signature or date. Some departments treat the signature as compulsory. Ask your supervisor how to sign the electronic and printed versions, especially when the thesis is submitted through an online system.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a thesis declaration be?

Usually, one paragraph of about 100 to 180 words is enough to state authorship, sources, data integrity and the writer's responsibility. If your institution has its own template, follow that length first. Writing more does not give the declaration greater value. It may only make the section repeat the methodology chapter.

Does a thesis declaration need academic citations?

Usually, you do not need to include academic citations in the declaration because it is the author's statement rather than a presentation of the theoretical foundation. You should still state that referenced materials and ideas have been cited in the thesis. Specific citations belong in the theory and methodology chapters and in the reference list.

Can I use a thesis declaration template from the Internet?

You can use an online template to understand the structure, but rewrite it according to your institution's requirements and the actual situation of your research. Do not retain another institution's name, topic, pronouns or commitments that do not match your data. Your department's template and your supervisor's instructions take priority over an unattributed online template.

Is a thesis declaration the same as an acknowledgement page?

The two sections serve different purposes. A declaration confirms independence, sources, data and the author's responsibility. An acknowledgement page recognises support received during the thesis. Place them on separate pages or under separate headings according to your department's formatting template.

Should a group thesis use “I” or “we”?

An individual thesis usually uses “I”, while a group thesis usually uses “we” or “the authors”. Check the wording in the approved topic decision and the other sections of the thesis so that the pronouns remain consistent. If the department's template already uses one pronoun, keep that pronoun.

Do I need to state that the thesis has not been used for another degree?

Add this sentence only when your institution or supervisor requires it, or when its wording fits your academic regulations. If you include it, use a limited and clear statement rather than making a legal commitment beyond the scope of the thesis. Check with your department before signing the final version.

Open your Word file, compare the thesis title with your department's template, then replace the bracketed sections with the correct information before exporting the PDF. If you need to check consistency from the data file through chapter writing, use M5 for writing chapters and completing your thesis.