Writing Assignment step-by-step

Completing a Writing Assignment as part of your Master’s programme at the Graduate School of Life Sciences (GSLS) involves several important steps. To help you navigate the process, we have outlined a clear, four-step guide:
 

Step 1. Finding an assignment


The first step is to identify a suitable topic and find a supervisor who can guide you through the assignment. Start by discussing your ideas with potential examiners and supervisors from the UU/UMC Utrecht or affiliated institutes. Make sure the topic aligns with your interests and academic goals. Once you have defined a clear research question or problem, agree on the scope, supervision plan, and timeline with your chosen supervisor.

Step 2. Application 


Once you have agreed on your assignment, it’s time to submit your application. Gather all necessary information and documents, including a clear outline of your assignment, the agreed timeline*, and any specific requirements from your supervisor. Use Osiris Case via Osiris Student to create a new case for your Writing Assignment. 

* The standard duration of your Writing Assignment is 7.5 EC (1 EC = 28 hours). When applying, you must indicate the weeks you will spend on courses, holidays, or other planned activities. The system will then calculate your project end date automatically. You are entitled to the public holidays listed as non-teaching days in the GSLS academic calendar; these do not affect your project deadline and therefore do not need to be indicated when applying. The summer holidays and Christmas break are exceptions to this rule. We strongly advise you to discuss your holiday plans with your supervisor at the start of the project and to plan them well in advance. This will help you maintain a healthy work-life balance and ensure smooth scheduling of your experiments.

We recommend using the SEED tool throughout your trajectory. The start of the Writing Assignment is an ideal time for an expectations meeting.

Application procedure and approval  

The application must be submitted at least 20 working days before the start date. Your application will be reviewed by the Board of Examiners, and you will receive an email confirmation once it is approved. Only after receiving this confirmation can you begin with your Writing Assignment. 

External projects

For external projects, an internship contract is required. In step 3 of your Osiris Case application the standard GSLS internship contract is embedded. If the host institute does not accept this contract, there are some alternative contracts you can use:

  1. UNL contract (NL/EN) for all projects within the Netherlands
  2. EAIE contract for projects abroad

It can also happen that the host institute provides their own contract. In that case, ask them to use one of the suggested contracts above. If that is not an option, send the host contract to science.internshipcontracts@uu.nl before you sign it! They can check and advice you on the contract.

When you do not use the internship contract embedded in Osiris Case, send the signed internship contract to science.internshipcontracts@uu.nl, they must sign it in name of the UU. Your examiner or programme coordinator are not mandated to sign the contract.

More information about external projects abroad can be found in the section on the Projects Abroad page.

Step 3. Final Assessment


After completing your Writing Assignment, the examiner will assess your work, considering your ability to conduct independent literature research, critical analysis, and synthesis of information. Your examiner and the second reviewer register your grade after completing the assessment. Now you must submit your final report digitally via Osiris Case and you will receive a confirmation from the Master’s Administration Office.

Plagiarism check 

Your examiner will check your written report for plagiarism by uploading the final Word version (without the reference list) to the Turnitin plagiarism software. They need to access the plagiarism report to determine of plagiarism is suspected or not and upload the Turnitin report in the final assessment form in Osiris Case. 

If there are publication restrictions, the examiner should upload the report under embargo. Detailed information about the plagiarism software (and confidentiality) is available on the GSLS Teachers' Guide . 

To check for source code plagiarism, you can use tools like MOSS, Marble, or JPlag. The examiner must review all written versions, and the use of contract cheating sites is considered plagiarism by the Board of Examiners.

Rubrics

Your examiner must provide a rationale for the final grades and upload this justification to Osiris Case during the final assessment. The following rubrics can be used:

Assessment form and procedure

Your examiner must complete the final assessment form in Osiris Case within 10 working days of your report submission, including the plagiarism report and justification for the grades. For more details, refer to the Osiris Case examiner manual. The second reviewer or host institute supervisor will be notified once the form is completed and must approve the final assessment.

After receiving approval, you’ll get an email with instructions to upload your final report to Osiris Case. Once uploaded, your grade will be registered in Osiris Student.

Osiris Thesis Archive

All written reports will be archived in the Osiris Thesis Archive. After completing the final assessment in Osiris Case, you will receive an email prompting you to upload your report.

You can also choose to publish your thesis, including the timing and version. Once published, theses become open access and can be found through search engines like Google and WorldCat. You, along with your examiner and supervisor, will decide if, when, and how your thesis will be published.

Please note that the title of your report is copied exactly to your international diploma supplement, so ensure proper use of capitals in the title. For more information, visit the Osiris Thesis Archive site.

Assessment in case of confidentiality

  • Your examiner must have constant access to the report, and you should be able to give your final presentation at their research group. The Board of Examiners and any third parties involved in the evaluation or accreditation of Master's Degrees can access your report upon request.
  • Reports are archived in the Osiris Thesis Archive. If confidentiality is a concern, the examiner can specify in the assessment form (or via Osiris Case, if applicable) whether a version of the report should be published. If a formal confidentiality agreement prohibits archiving, you may upload only the title page, which should include the contact details of your supervisor, examiner, and institute, along with your name and student ID.
  • The examiner must check the final report for plagiarism. The option to upload a file 'under embargo' is only available when your examiner uploads it to Ouriginal, and the information in the report will not be stored in the Ouriginal database.

Conversion table international grades

Marks will be rounded as follows: if the second decimal is 5 or higher, the first decimal will be rounded up; if the second decimal is 4 or lower, the first decimal will be rounded down. This rounding does not apply to grades between 5.45 and 5.50, which will round to 5.4, and grades between 3.95 and 4.00, which will round to 3.9. In Osiris, final grades between 5.0 and 5.4 will round down to 5.0, while grades from 5.5 to 5.9 will round up to 6.0. Other grades will not be rounded in Osiris.