Term Papers

In line with the Procedure for Writing Theses and Term Papers for Degree Students at HSE University, a student is required to select a topic for their term paper within the deadlines set by the faculty.

For the 2024/2025 academic year, the following deadlines apply^*:

The choice of the term paper topic takes place in the Learning Management System (LMS) under the "Paper/Thesis Topic" module.

The topic is assigned to the student, and a supervisor is appointed no later than 15th December of the current academic year. Students who fail to choose a topic by the deadline will earn an academic failure, which can be cleared during the additional period from the start of Module 3 to 15 February. If the topic is chosen within this period, the academic failure is rectified. Otherwise, the student will face dismissal, irrespective of other pending failures, pursuant to the Procedures for Student Dismissal at the Initiative of HSE (Annex.5 to Student Internal Regulations at HSE University).

Furthermore, students who fail to select a term paper topic on time and have more than two failed academic components for Modules 1 and 2 of the current academic year will not be eligible for the additional period to select a topic and will be dismissed for failing to fulfil their responsibility to diligently master their educational programme.

^* In specific cases, degree programmes may set their own timelines for proposing and selecting term paper topics. Detailed information can be found in the Internship programme on the degree programme's website or clarified with its programme office.

Failure to complete the work by the deadline set by the faculty is considered an academic failure.

An academic failure related to the term paper arises in cases of:

• Not completing the term paper within the timeframe set by the faculty: the text has not been submitted correctly and/or not uploaded to the LMS for plagiarism check as per Regulations on Checking Student Papers for Plagiarism;
• Proven facts of plagiarism are uncovered in a term paper, the consequence of which may be disciplinary action in the form of expulsion pursuant to the Procedure for Taking Disciplinary Actions for Violations of Academic Standards in Student Papers at HSE University (Annex. 7 to Student Internal Regulations at HSE University);
• Receiving an unsatisfactory grade, or failing to attend the term paper's defence (if one was scheduled) without a valid reason.

Like any other academic failure, it can be settled in accordance with the Regulations for Interim and Ongoing Assessments of Students at HSE University.

A student has the right to propose an initiative topic for the term paper, naturally adhering to the deadline for topic selection specified in the Practical Training Programme of their educational programme.

There are no prohibitions on the choice of a term paper supervisor, including those representing a different department/unit. One should suggest the term paper topic, the proposed supervisor, and the rationale for the selection in the "Term/Thesis Topic" module in the LMS.

Yes, they can – in accordance with the Procedure for Writing Theses and Term Papers for Degree Students at HSE University.

For this purpose, one needs to write a personal application addressed to the head of the faculty with a brief justification for their request. The application must have the endorsement of the term paper supervisor and the academic supervisor. The application is submitted to the study office, which makes the corresponding changes. It is essential to remember that the application must be submitted to the office no later than one calendar month before the established deadline for presenting the final version of the term paper.

Yes, they can – in accordance with the Procedure for Writing Theses and Term Papers for Degree Students at HSE University.

For this purpose, one needs to write a personal application addressed to the dean of the faculty with a brief justification for their request. The dean has the right to decline the student's request to change the supervisor, providing reasons for their decision. If agreed upon, the endorsed application is forwarded to the study office. It is essential to remember that the application must be submitted to the office no later than one calendar month before the established deadline for presenting the final version of the term paper.

In line with the rules set in the Practical Training Programme of the respective educational programme, the assessment of the paper can be conducted in two forms:

• The supervisor reviews the work, assigns a grade in the examination sheet, and informs the student of it.
• A mandatory defence of the work by the student is organised.

In general, writing a thesis based on a term paper is permissible.

The decision on the feasibility of using the text of one's term paper when writing the thesis should be made with the assistance of the research supervisor. According to the Regulations on Checking Student Papers for Plagiarism, the Use of Generative Models, and the Publication of Bachelor's, Specialist, and Master's Theses on the HSE University Corporate Website: "The final decision as to whether or not copied material in student term paper/thesis/final examination papers were used appropriately, as it appears from reports provided by programme coordinators, shall be made by the academic supervisor of each paper, respectively."

Moreover, to avoid self-plagiarism and duplicating previously published information, one should cite their own works and list them in the bibliography.

All students must upload the final version of their term paper to a special LMS module by the stipulated deadline (set by each degree programme). 

The guidelines for submitting papers to the LMS clearly outline the procedures for upload. Please ensure you review these thoroughly before uploading your paper.

Term papers are subject to mandatory checks for plagiarism — uploading them to LMS is a must. A special system is used to determine plagiarism. For more information, please see the Regulations on Checking Student Papers for Plagiarism, the Use of Generative Models, and the Publication of Bachelor's, Specialist, and Master's Theses on the HSE University Corporate Website.

The system determines the percentage of unoriginal content in a given work. At the same time, the final decision as to whether or not copied material in a student thesis was used appropriately, shall be made by the academic supervisor of each paper, respectively. Read more about checks for plagiarism in written assignments here. 

Important: The use of generative models without properly acknowledging it is a violation of academic norms. Students who use artificial intelligence in creating their term paper must disclose this fact, detail the purposes for which AI was used, indicate the specific technology implemented, and evaluate its effectiveness. In January 2024, the plagiarism detection system was enhanced with a plugin that identifies text produced by generative models. Detailed guidance on properly reporting AI use is included in the instructions for submitting assignments to the LMS.