Requirements and regulations
You must familiarize yourself with the requirements for a thesis. The requirements for the thesis are outlined in:
- § 10.1 of the Regulations for the Degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at UiO
- The MN faculty's supplementary regulations to § 10.1
Criteria for assessment of the thesis
In addition to the requirements for a thesis, it is beneficial for you to familiarize yourself with how a doctoral thesis at UiO is assessed.
Co-authors and co-author declarations
If you have co-authors, it is crucial to adhere to both the generally accepted norms for co-authorship in your academic community and the specific guidelines for co-authorship set by the University of Oslo.
The co-author declaration, which will be sent to the evaluation committee along with your thesis, aim to clarify your specific contributions to the research in the various works. These declarations highlight your original contributions and the degree of independence you have demonstrated, enabling the committee to assess whether you have been responsible for a significant portion of the thesis. If multiple descriptions are shared among several co-authors, this must be elaborated to provide a clear understanding of each person's specific role and responsibilities in the research work.
A thesis that includes works by several authors must be accompanied by a signed declaration describing the candidate and the co-authors contribution of each work.
If an article has previously been used in a thesis or is planned for use in a future thesis, the degree of input by the different PhD candidates must be clarified. Contributions from Master’s degree candidates must be described.
Co-authors in a monograph
If a thesis that takes the form of a monograph is based on underlying publications with several co-authors, the thesis must be submitted with co-author declarations for all relevant publications.
Use of AI in your thesis
The use of generative AI in the thesis is permitted at the MN Faculty, but its usage must be documented. When it comes to using generative AI in published research articles, you must follow the rules provided by the journals you aim to publish in.
Language
The thesis must be written in English, except for the abstract, which should be in both English and Norwegian.
Viability of publishing
As a general rule, parts of your work should be submitted for publication in international journals and/or presented at international conferences. Your supervisors are responsible for assessing whether your research project is suitable for publication.
Use of articles/works published before starting the PhD programme
Articles/works that were published before you started your PhD programme cannot be included in the thesis if:
- They were part of or used in the assessment of other degrees.
- The publication date was more than 5 years old when you commenced the PhD programme.
Publicizing the thesis
Your thesis must be publicly available before the defence. Your department/unit will ensure that this happens at least two weeks prior to the defence date.
The form and composition of the thesis
The thesis is normally submitted in the form of a number of articles that are linked together to form a whole (superstructure or extended abstract), with an introduction to the work and a summary of the main findings and conclusions. The superstructure must also incorporate the questions and conclusions presented in the individual works into an overall perspective, thereby documenting the coherence of the thesis.
Summaries/abstracts
All PhD theses must have two scientific summaries/abstracts: a Norwegian and an English (it can be the same text). The summaries/abstracts should be up to 2 pages (400 - 1200 words) and must be included in the thesis at the time of submission.
If you need assistance for the Norwegian summary contact your supervisor/research group. As a last resort you could use Semantix Translations (semantix.no). Please contact Semantix in order to get a quote.
The superstructure (article-based thesis)
Writing the superstructure for an article-based thesis is an independent task that requires you to use your research expertise to integrate and present your scientific work clearly. It is important to start working on the summary early.
As the sole author of the superstructure, it is your responsibility to compile the research work into a structured whole. The summary gives you the opportunity to analyse the research questions, methods, and results from your articles, and demonstrate how they collectively address your research objectives.
You should evaluate and discuss your findings, placing them in the context of existing research and theory. In a personal yet critical manner, the summary should illuminate how your research contributes to the academic discourse.
You need to reflect on the research from a holistic perspective and show that your articles, although individual, constitute a coherent dissertation. The summary must be clear and convincing, demonstrating your ability for independent thinking and critical analysis.
In short, the superstructure is a task that requires you to integrate your work and present it as a significant contribution to your research field.
Layout
Graphic Centre specifies instructions for the layout that all theses at the University of Oslo must follow.
Forms
More information
- Submission and printing
- Adjudication of the thesis
- Trial lecture and public defence
- Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in the PhD thesis
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