APPROVED

at Rīga Stradiņš University

Senate meeting of 22 February 2022,
Minutes No. 2-S-1/2/2022

REGULATIONS ON WRITING AND DEFENCE OF QUALIFICATION

PAPER, STUDENT’S RESEARCH PAPER, BACHELOR’S THESIS AND
MASTER’S THESIS
Issued in accordance with
Section 4, Paragraph Three, Clause 4 and Clause 9, and Section 15, Paragraph One
of the Law on Higher Education Institutions

I GENERAL PROVISIONS
1. Regulations on Writing and Defence of Qualification Paper, Student’s Research Paper
(Research Project), Bachelor’s Thesis and Master’s Thesis (hereinafter - the Regulations)
shall establish general rules for writing and defence of a qualification paper, a student’s
research paper, a Bachelor’s thesis and a Master’s thesis in the relevant first level
professional higher education programmes, second level professional higher education
programmes (except the residency in medicine), academic and professional Bachelor’s study
programmes, and academic and professional Master’s study programmes (hereinafter - the
Study Programme) implemented at Rīga Stradiņš University (hereinafter - RSU).
2. The goal of the qualification paper, student’s research paper, Bachelor’s thesis and Master’s
thesis (hereinafter - the Final Papers) shall be to enhance the students’ ability to draft a
research plan, to write research aims, a hypothesis and objectives, to select and apply
methods of data capture, processing and analysis relevant to the research, to independently
formulate and justify their conclusions and to demonstrate their readiness to use the acquired
knowledge, skills and competences independently in addressing academic and professional
issues.
3. The objectives of the Final Paper shall be the following:
3.1. extend and increase the student’s theoretical knowledge of the chosen topic;
3.2. promote the development of the student’s practical skills while carrying out research;
3.3. promote the student’s involvement in the work of RSU research laboratories and
research institutes;
3.4. develop the skill of reading in foreign languages and of analysing the literature related
to the sector, of conducting research, carrying out statistical data processing and
analysing the results obtained;
3.5. draw up the Final Paper according to technical, bibliographic and literary requirements.
4. Students who have fulfilled all the academic and financial commitments shall be permitted
to write their Final Paper. Students of the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Dentistry
who have successfully defended their research work shall be allowed to take the National
Degree Examination.
5. Faculties shall develop and the Faculty Council shall approve methodological guidelines on
the specific provisions for writing and defending the Final Papers in the study programmes
implemented at the Faculty; shall set the deadlines and organisational measures insofar as
they are not in conflict with these Regulations. Faculties shall be obliged to regularly review
and update the methodological guidelines.
6. Writing and defence of the Final Papers in the joint study programmes shall be carried out in
accordance with these Regulations, unless otherwise specified in the Agreement on the
implementation of the joint study programme.

II. FINAL PAPER SUPERVISOR, TOPIC SELECTION AND APPROVAL

7. The Final Paper shall be supervised by one supervisor, but in certain cases (for example, in
interdisciplinary research) a second supervisor or advisor may be brought in.
8. The Final Paper supervisor (hereinafter - the Supervisor) may be a representative of RSU
academic and research staff or an invited lecturer. A Bachelor’s thesis supervisor shall have
at least a Master’s degree or education equivalent to the Master’s degree. It is recommended
that a Master’s thesis supervisor shall be a candidate for a doctoral degree or shall have a
doctoral degree.
9. The Final Paper supervisor shall be responsible for providing competent and regular advisory
support on the following issues:
9.1. drafting the research plan and methodology;
9.2. defining the research aim and objectives;
9.3. planning research and setting deadlines;
9.4. selecting and analysing methods, literature and sources;
9.5. obtaining, processing and analysing empirical data;
9.6. interpreting the results, drawing conclusions and bringing forward proposals.
10. The Final Paper advisor (hereinafter - the Advisor) shall be a recognised professional in their
sector, shall have the required education and at least three years of professional experience in
the thematic area or related areas of the Final Paper.
11. Selection of the topic and the Supervisor for the Final Paper shall be carried out in cooperation
between the student, potential Supervisor and/or the Head of the study programme, and/or the
Head of the academic department. The Head of the programme (or any other employee

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 appointed by the Dean) shall, if necessary, advise the student on the choice of the topic and
obtaining of the necessary permits.
12. At least 9 months prior to the scheduled defence of the Final Paper, the Faculty Council shall
approve the list of recommended topics (thematic areas) for Final Papers in Latvian and
English and the potential Supervisors; and the Faculty shall inform students thereof by
publishing the list in RSU e-learning environment within 2 weeks after the Council meeting.
The student shall have the right to offer their own research topic for the development.
13. The Faculty shall organise an informative meeting for students, send explanatory electronic
letters and take other informative measures as necessary.
14. At least 7 months prior to the scheduled defence of papers, students shall submit a written
proposal for the topic of the Final Paper, signed by the Supervisor (if two Supervisors are
required - signatures of both Supervisors or a signature of the Advisor) to the Head of the
study programme (or to the Head of the academic department in particular faculties). In the
proposal, students shall justify the topicality and scientific significance of the topic, define
the aims and objectives of the research, the hypothesis or the research question and shall
specify the methods and sources to be used in the Paper, and shall indicate or attach the
necessary authorisations (if already received).
15. Topics for Final Paper, Supervisors, if necessary, the involved Advisors and the deadlines
for submission of permits, as well as the deadlines for submitting the Final Papers shall be
approved by the corresponding Faculty Council (or at the meeting of the academic department
in particular faculties) at least 6 months prior to the scheduled defence of the Papers.
16. The receipt of a written authorisation (consent) for conducting research for the Final Paper,
specified in laws and regulations or in these Regulations shall be required in the following
cases:
16.1. for biomedical research, research with the use of identified or identifiable personal data:
the authorisation of RSU Research Ethics Committee shall be obtained, if necessary, the
authorisation of the competent national authority (e.g. the Central Medical Ethics
Committee, the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control); the authorisation of the
relevant medical institution, social care institution where the research will take place;
16.2. for studies related to commercial secrets, know-how, the use of trade marks, the use of
patented or patentable inventions: the authorisation of the holder of that right shall be
obtained;
16.3. for research related to the state secret: the permit of the relevant category to the author
regarding the access to the objects of the state secret shall be obtained;

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 16.4. for research related to other restricted access information: the authorisation of the persons
or institutions concerned shall be obtained.
17. If research requires special permits, the student shall initiate an authorisation procedure or
consultations on receipt thereof as early as possible, before submitting the proposal, but not
later than immediately after approval of the topic for the Final Paper. Receipt of permits shall
take place in accordance with Paragraph 16 of the Regulations and the procedures specified by
the relevant natural or legal person.
18. At least 2 weeks prior to the scheduled defence of Final Papers, the list of the reviewers of Final
Papers shall be approved by the corresponding Faculty Council (or at the meeting of the
academic department in particular faculties).
19. The Head of the study programme (or the meeting of the academic department in particular
faculties) shall be responsible for ensuring that for at least 2 weeks prior to the scheduled
defence of Final Papers, the information on the time and place of the defence is publicly
available at the departments, faculties and on e-studies.

III. WRITING AND SUBMISSION OF FINAL PAPER

20. The content and quality of the Final Paper must confirm that the student has achieved the
learning outcomes specified in the study programme, which comply with the Table 2 given
in the Annex 1 of the Cabinet Regulations No. 322 of 13 June 2017 “Regulations on the
Education Classification in Latvia” that define the knowledge, skills and competence relevant
to the level of the Latvian Qualification Framework (LQF) at the following levels:
20.1. for a qualification paper: Level 5 (able to define, describe and analyse practical
problems in their profession, select the necessary information and use it to address
clearly defined problems; participate in the development of the relevant professional
area, demonstrate that they understand the place of the relevant profession in a wider
social context);
20.2. for a Bachelor’s thesis: Level 6 (able to obtain, select and analyse information
independently and use it, make decisions and address problems in the relevant science
sector or profession; demonstrate that they understand professional ethics, evaluate the
impact of their professional activity on the environment and society and participate in
the development of the relevant professional area);
20.3. for a Master’s thesis and for a student’s Research Paper: Level 7 (able to independently
define and critically analyse complex scientific and professional issues, justify their
decisions and, if necessary, carry out additional analysis; able to integrate knowledge
of various areas, contribute to the creation of new knowledge and to the development

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 of methods used in research or professional activity, demonstrate understanding and
ethical responsibility for the possible impact of the research results or professional
activity on the environment and society).
21. The student shall write the Final Paper in accordance with the Academic Integrity Policy in
force in the higher education institution, i.e., independently, in good faith and respecting the
rights and interests of third parties: all references to the sources used in the Paper shall be
duly indicated; the information shall be used only to the extent necessary for the research;
personal data and the names of legal persons, places of residence or location shall be usually
used in an anonymous or coded way (pseudonymous way). The student shall follow the
instructions of the Supervisor.
22. The Supervisor or the student shall immediately inform the Head of the study programme or
the Head of the academic department if the cooperation is unsuccessful or any other
difficulties arise.
23. The length of the Final Paper (minimum and maximum limits) shall depend on the field of
study (health care or social sciences) and shall be specified in the methodological guidelines
for the development of Final Papers of each faculty. Appendices, as well as the title page, the
table of contents, abstracts and a list of terms and abbreviations used in the Paper shall not be
included in the length of the Final Paper. If a drawing, photo, table or chart exceeds a third of
the page, it must be appended to the appendix, not more than one on a page. The Final Paper
must be typewritten in the language in which the study programme is implemented (A4
format, Times New Roman font, font size: 12; line spacing: 1.5), and it must comply with the
requirements for a literally edited written text, using the terminology of the relevant sector.
Papers that do not meet the formal requirements shall not be proposed for defence.
24. If a student conducts quantitative research in the Final Paper, they must use at least the
following methods of statistical data processing (the use of methods depends on the field of
study: health care or social sciences, in which the use of these methods may vary/is not
considered mandatory):
24.1. in a Qualification Paper: descriptive statistics;
24.2. in a Bachelor’s thesis: descriptive statistics and methods of inferential statistics for
estimating differences;
24.3. in the student’s Research Paper and the Master’s thesis: descriptive statistics, methods
of inferential statistics for estimating differences and statistical methods of analysis.
25. The Final Paper shall include the following parts:
25.1. a title-page;

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 25.2. an abstract and keywords in Latvian and English. A student may also prepare an
additional abstract in another language of the European Union Member State, in
agreement with the Head of the study programme.
25.3. a table of contents;
25.4. a list of terms and abbreviations;
25.5. an introduction;
25.6. a literature review;
25.7. research methods used;
25.8. research results;
25.9. an analysis of research results (a discussion);
25.10. conclusions, which may be supplemented by recommendations or proposals;
25.11. bibliography;
25.12. appendices, including:
25.12.1. a statement about the Final Paper;
25.12.2. if necessary, copies of permits for carrying out the research;
25.12.3. if necessary, other documents.
26. The Final Paper shall be submitted only in electronic format, except in the cases specified in
Paragraph 27 of the Regulations. It shall be uploaded in electronic format in accordance with
RSU internal rule “On procedure for submission and storage of electronic versions of the
student Qualification Papers, Bachelor's theses, Master's theses or other Final Papers” in RSU
institutional open access e-resource repository. The Final Paper shall be considered to have
been submitted by the student upon an upload of the Final Paper and approval of the statement
within the specified term.
27. If the mastering of the study programme envisages the secret status for the development and
defence of students' Final Papers, the students of this programme shall submit the Final Paper
to the academic department only in a printed version, in one hardcover copy, which conforms
to the rules for the protection of a state secret.
28. Electronic versions of successfully defended Final Papers shall be sent to RSU institutional
open access e-resource repository not earlier than 14 days and not later than 30 days after the
issuance of the decree on the exclusion of the student having obtained the diploma. In the
cases specified in Paragraph 27 of the Regulations, the bound copy of the successfully
defended Final Paper shall be returned to the student.
29. The Final Paper in electronic format shall be submitted in accordance with the deadlines
approved at the meeting of the Faculty Council.

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30. In the cases specified in Paragraph 27 of the Regulations, the student shall submit the printed
version of the Final Paper, having the signatures of the author and Supervisor (both
Supervisors and the Advisor, if appointed) on the title page, to the academic department
within the term specified by the faculty, which complies with the rules for the protection of a
state secret. The aforementioned academic department shall inform the Head of the study
programme thereof, organise the handing over of the Paper to the Reviewer and the receipt of
the review.
31. If the Final Paper contains restricted access information, the student shall submit a request to
the Dean for a possibility to defend the Paper in a closed meeting and not to publicise it. The
student’s application shall be endorsed by the Final Paper Supervisor. The Final Paper shall
be stored having limited rights of access to the content of the Paper.
32. The Supervisor (both Supervisors and the Advisor, if appointed) shall confirm their consent
to the defence of the Final Paper electronically, using the electronic means of communication
available at RSU. A review regarding the student’s work, cooperation with the Supervisor
and compliance with the deadlines may be attached to the statement. In the case referred to in
Paragraph 27 of the Regulations, the review shall be attached to the Paper submitted and
stored in the relevant academic department in compliance with the rules for the protection of
a state secret.
33. If the Supervisor does not agree with, i.e., does not approve of the compliance of the form,
content and length of the Final Paper with the requirements of these Regulations and the
methodological guidelines approved by the Faculty Council, the Supervisor shall provide an
explanation regarding the reasons for non-approval of the Paper to the Head of the academic
department, the Dean of the Faculty and the Head of the study programme. If the student does
not agree with the opinion of the Supervisor, the Faculty Council shall approve an additional
Reviewer recommended by the Head of the study programme or the Head of the academic
department.
34. If a poster presentation or an oral report corresponds to the agreed topic, and it has won an
award in an international scientific conference, it shall be considered as a Research Paper
developed and defended by the student who is the first author. The student shall submit the
proof of the award in an international scientific conference (for example, a copy of a
certificate or diploma) to the Dean of the relevant faculty.
35. If a scientific publication that corresponds to the topic agreed, is published in one of the peer-
reviewed international journals of the sector and is found in a scientific database, the
following shall apply:

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 35.1. In case of a student’s Research Paper, it shall be considered as a Research Paper
developed and defended by the student who is the first author of the article. The student
shall submit a copy of the published article to the Dean of the relevant faculty.
35.2. In case of the Master’s thesis, if the quality and the scope of the publication correspond
to the requirements specified for the Master’s thesis, it shall be considered as a Final
Paper developed and defended by the student who is the first author of the publication.
The evaluation of the publication shall be carried out by the Faculty Council. The
student must submit a copy of the publication to the Dean of the relevant faculty. The
Faculty Council may additionally prescribe the procedure and requirements for
referencing the publication to the defended Master’s thesis, insofar as they do not
contradict the Regulations.
36. If a student has participated in a study course of Vertically Integrated Projects (hereinafter -
VIP) for two academic years (four semesters), has successfully defended the VIP research
paper and has participated in an international conference with this paper, it may be considered
as a Research Paper developed and defended by the student. The student shall submit a
statement on his/her involvement in the VIP study course, approved by RSU Vice-Rector for
Science to the Dean.
37. In order to make the comparability of the Final Paper, the student shall write an application
addressed to the Dean of the Faculty, accompanied by information and/or documents about
the Paper, as well as a copy of the Paper, which he or she wants to be compared. The Dean of
the Faculty, the Vice-Dean or the Faculty Council shall evaluate the compliance of the
information referred to in the application and the documents appended thereto with the
previously agreed topic and the requirements specified in Paragraphs 34, 35 and 36 of these
Regulations. In case of approval of the comparability (Paragraphs 34, 35 and 36 of the
Regulations), the student's contact person shall draw up a Statement of Comparability of the
Final Paper with the assessment “excellent” (10 points) on the Academic Portal. The
Statement of Comparability shall be signed by the Dean or Vice-Dean of the Faculty and the
drafter of the Statement in the Document Management System (hereinafter - the DMS), using
a DMS signature. After signing the Statement, the assessment shall enter the Student
Information System.
38. The validated award-winning poster presentation, oral report or publication must be submitted
for storage in electronic format to RSU institutional open access e-resource repository using
the Final Paper upload e-service.
39. If the student's participation in the VIP is validated as a Research Paper, nothing shall be
submitted to RSU institutional open access e-resource repository.

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 IV CHECKING AND REVIEWING OF FINAL PAPER
40. The Final Paper shall be checked by methods of verifying the originality of the content,
including the use of automated systems existing at RSU. If plagiarism is detected, the
Procedure for Checking Originality of RSU Students' Final Papers and Doctoral Theses shall
be followed.
41. The Reviewer may be an employee of RSU academic and research staff, a recognised
professional in his/her field, and his/her level of education shall be equal to or higher than the
level of education of the Supervisor of the respective Final Paper. The Reviewer shall be
approved by a resolution of the Faculty Council or at a meeting of the academic department.
42. The Reviewer shall evaluate the compliance of the Final Paper with the requirements of these
Regulations, as well as with the methodological guidelines prescribed by the Faculty
regarding its form and content, and shall recommend the assessment of the Final Paper on a
10-point grading scale to the Final Paper Defence Committee. At least 3 (three) working days
prior to the defence of the Final Paper, the Reviewer shall submit a written review
electronically using electronic means of communication or to the academic department, in
case of the situation described in Paragraph 27 of the Regulations, and shall inform the Head
of the study programme thereof.
43. If the Supervisor has not approved the Paper and the evaluations of two Reviewers regarding
the non-compliance of the Paper with the requirements for the Final Paper have been received,
the student shall not be allowed to defend the Final Paper.
44. The student shall have the right to acquaint himself/herself with a review or reviews, in case
of the situation described in Paragraph 33 of the Regulations, at least 2 (two) working days
prior to the defence.
45. If the Supervisor has approved the Paper but according to the assessment of the Reviewer,
the Paper does not meet the requirements for the Final Paper, the student shall have the right
to:
45.1. defend the Final Paper during the scheduled defence;
45.2. refuse to defend the Final Paper by notifying the Dean of the Faculty in writing
(electronically) prior to the scheduled defence. The defence of the revised or redrafted
Final Paper may not be earlier than during the following period for the defence of Final
Papers.
46. If the National Degree examination consists of two parts - the defence of the Final Paper and
the examination, and the student receives a grade lower than 4 (almost satisfactory) in one
of the parts, the student may take the second part of the National Degree examination.

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 V DEFENCE AND ASSESSMENT OF FINAL PAPER
47. The composition of the Final Paper Defence Committee (including the dates of the
examinations) for the relevant academic year following the proposal of the Head of the study
programme shall be agreed by the Faculty Council or the meeting of the academic
department during the first month of each semester, and it shall be approved by the Rector’s
Decree. The Supervisor and Reviewers may be on the Committee, but they shall not
participate in the assessment of the students’ Final Papers they have supervised or reviewed.
48. The defence of the Final Paper may be held on site or remotely. The defence of the Final
Paper shall be open, except in cases where the Paper is related to the interests of third persons
or a state secret. During the defence, a student shall outline the topicality of the research
conducted, its aims and objectives, research results, conclusions and proposals in about 10
to15 minutes. The total time devoted to the defence of one Final Paper must not exceed 30
minutes.
49. The Final Paper Defence Committee shall evaluate the Final Paper according to the
following criteria:
49.1. the correspondence of the content of the submitted Final Paper to the chosen topic (on
a 10-point grading scale);
49.2. the correspondence of the content of the Final Paper to the qualification level of
education (on a 10-point grading scale);
49.3. conformity of the conclusions to the aims and objectives of the Paper (on a 10-point
grading scale);
49.4. compliance of the submitted Paper with the main formal requirements specified in the
Regulations (visual design, volume, style, grammar, etc.) (on a 10-point grading scale);
49.5. comprehensibility of the presentation, its structure and compliance with the time limit
set (on a 10-point grading scale);
49.6. ability to answer the questions and participate in a discussion (on a 10-point grading
scale);
49.7. the participation of a student in an international scientific conference without obtaining
an award-winning place or co-authorship (for the second and subsequent authors) for the
publication, if that activity conforms to the agreed topic, shall increase the resultant
assessment by 1 point.
50. The resultant assessment for the Final Paper shall be made by the Final Paper Defence
Committee, taking into consideration the assessment of the Reviewer and the Supervisor’s
review.

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51. After having listened to the student’s report, getting acquainted with the Supervisor’s review
and a written evaluation of the Reviewer/-s, having listened to the answers to the questions
asked, and after the discussion, the Final Paper Defence Committee shall take its decision in
a closed meeting, by open voting. The Paper shall be assessed according to a 10-point grading
scale.
52. The assessment of the Final Paper shall be notified to the student on the same day after the
meeting, ensuring the confidentiality of the assessment.
53. The Secretary of the Final Paper Defence Committee shall complete an individual Final Paper
defence records form for each student. All individual records forms shall be sent electronically
to the DMS for signing with a secure electronic signature.
54. If the student’s research work has been validated, the defence of the Final Paper shall not take
place.
55. In the event of comparability of the Final Paper, the contact person for the students of the
respective programme shall complete the individual statement of comparability of the
student’s Final Paper on the Academic Portal, which shall be sent to the DMS for signing with
a secure electronic signature.
56. If information regarding plagiarism (also self-plagiarism), a violation of other principles of academic
integrity or a possible violation of the interests of third parties becomes available to the Final Paper
Defence Committee, the Committee shall act in accordance with the procedures specified in the
Academic Regulations I and the Procedure for Checking Originality of Students’ Final Papers,
Scientific Research Papers of Medical Residents and Doctoral Theses.
57. The appeal procedure is determined by “RSU Academic Regulations I”. The Final Paper
Defence Committee shall act in accordance with the Regulations for National Examination
Board, insofar as it is not specified otherwise in these Regulations.

VI. FINAL PROVISIONS

58. The proposal form for the Final Paper, the statement form and other forms necessary for the
completion and defence of the Final Paper shall be approved by the Rector’s Decree.
59. These Regulations shall apply from the spring semester of the academic year 2021/2022.

Chairperson of the Senate J.Gardovskis

T. Koķe, 67409065

AGREED:
at the meeting of the Council of Deans of 24 January 2022,
Minutes No. 4-SD.1-2/3/2022;
at the Rectorate meeting of 31 January 2022,
Minutes No. 1-PB-1/4/2022

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