About the doctoral thesis
The thesis must be an independent, scholarly work that meets international standards in terms of academic quality, methodology and ethical requirements.
It must contribute to the development of new scholarly knowledge and be of a standard that makes it suitable for publication as part of the discipline’s academic literature.
Requirements for the thesis
It is useful to look at what the evaluation committees focus on when they prepare their recommendation on the thesis:
- The PhD regulations
- Evaluation of PhD theses
- Guidelines for the evaluation of Norwegian doctoral degrees
- Programme plan for the PhD programme in the Humanities: About the thesis
Scope
The scope of the PhD thesis must be such that it can be completed within the framework of the PhD programme, which is nominally three years net time.
- The thesis may consist of one continuous work (a monograph) or several smaller works (an article-based thesis).
- A monograph will normally be 200–250 pages.
- A thesis based on several smaller works or articles will normally consist of at least three works, in addition to an introductory chapter (kappe).
- In cases of co-authorship, the thesis will normally consist of more than three works. The candidate will normally be sole author of at least one of the contributions.
Article-based theses
A compilation of several smaller works may be approved as a thesis provided that there is a clear connection between the parts, and that this connection is explained in an introductory chapter, or in an introduction and a conclusion (kappe).
The introductory chapter/kappe of the thesis must not only summarise but also bring together the research questions and conclusions presented in the articles in a holistic perspective.
Co-authorship
If your thesis is article-based, you may have co-authors on one or more of the articles. In this case you must document the extent of the co-authorship and your own contribution to each work through declarations from the co-authors.
When you submit your thesis for evaluation, you must at the same time submit completed and signed co-author declarations (odt-file).
Language
You are encouraged to write the doctoral thesis in English or in the language considered most academically relevant. The Faculty decides which languages may be used in a thesis.
If you wish to write your thesis in a language other than Norwegian or English, you must apply for permission to do so when you are admitted to the PhD programme.
Referencing and reference tools
It is important to give accurate information about the sources you have used. Here you will find useful resources and reference tools:
- The University Library’s resource pages on referencing
- PhD on track (phdontrack.net), with information about different reference management tools
Affiliation
All theses and other scholarly publications must state the University of Oslo as the author’s affiliation. This also applies to PhD candidates with external funding.