Guidelines for doctoral theses in the PhD Programme in Engineering Science

These are recommended guidelines. In consultation with their supervisors, candidates can decide how to structure their thesis on the basis of the guidelines.

• The thesis shall be an independent piece of scientific work that meets international standards as regards ethical requirements, academic level and methodology.
• The thesis shall contribute to the development of new knowledge and be of a sufficiently high academic standard to merit publication as part of the scientific literature in the field.
• The thesis can consist of one large comprehensive work (monograph) or of several smaller works (article-based thesis).
• Most of the theses produced at the faculty are written in either English or Norwegian. If a PhD candidate wishes to write the thesis in a language other than Norwegian or English, he or she must apply for permission to do so when admitted to the PhD programme. The faculty decides in which languages a thesis may be written. A scientific abstract must be prepared in Norwegian if the thesis is written in English, and vice versa.
• The thesis must be written in the standard format that applies at all times at the Faculty of Technology, Art and Design at OsloMet. The purpose of this is to ensure uniform design and formatting when the thesis is printed.

Article-based thesis

Number of articles and their status

A thesis must comprise at least three articles. More articles can be required if the supervisors deem it necessary to include more than three articles to ensure the scope and quality of the thesis. 

A chapter published in a peer-reviewed book is considered equivalent to an article, but book chapters should not comprise more than one of three or two of four articles. 

On submission of the thesis, the articles that form the basis for the thesis must have been submitted to and accepted for review by a peer-reviewed publication. 

At least one of the articles must have been accepted for publication before the thesis can be submitted.

Co-authorship

At OsloMet's Faculty of Technology, Art and Design (TKD), all the part-works (articles) that form part of the thesis can be written in cooperation with co-authors. 

It is a condition that the candidate is the main author and that he/she has had extensive academic responsibility for the majority of the articles included in the thesis. 

The candidate must be the main author of at least two of the articles. Where the PhD candidate is not the first author, he/she should have made significant contributions to the data collection, interpretation of results and writing of the article. 

The candidate and supervisor must comply with the norms for co-authorship that are generally accepted in the academic community and are in line with international standards. 

A co-authorship form must be completed for each publication.

Introduction

The introduction (‘kappe’) must be produced and written by the PhD candidate alone, under supervision. 

Work on the introduction should commence at the earliest possible stage so that it can be used as a plan to guide the work on the thesis. 

The introduction is normally completed towards the end of the PhD period, often in the final semester. It will normally have a scope of 50–90 pages, not including references and appendices.

The introduction to an article-based thesis must be a scientific text that demonstrates a high academic level. It is intended to provide an overall perspective on the internal coherence between the articles, as well as to summarise and collate the research questions, results and conclusions presented in the articles. 

The introduction describes where in the thesis concepts are clarified or various topics elaborated on. It outlines and gives grounds for the theoretical perspectives, research questions and conclusions presented in the articles in such a manner that the individual components of the thesis can be understood as a unified whole.

The introduction should normally contain the following components:

Abstract, table of contents and list of articles

The thesis should begin with a Norwegian and an English abstract of about two pages where the principal research question is clearly presented, information is provided about the research methods, and the main results are presented systematically. 

The abstracts should not have page numbers, nor are they to be included in the table of contents. 

The abstracts should be followed by the table of contents, where the page numbering begins, right-justified. 

The table of contents is followed by a separate list of appendices to the thesis and the articles on which it is based. The list should clearly show which stage of the publication process each of the articles are at.

Introductory chapter, purpose and research question

The introductory chapter presents the purpose of the study and thesis' issue/research question. This chapter should provide the reader with the necessary background information about the thesis.

Literature review

In order to demonstrate that the thesis constitutes a significant contribution to the discipline, the candidate must document knowledge of the forefront of research in the field. 

The introduction must therefore contain a previous research section that presents the knowledge status in the field. 

This section should not simply summarise previous research, but also contain a critical review of research in the field in question. 

The candidate must place his/her own work in the context of previous research.

Theoretical framework

The theoretical framework describes the overriding theoretical approaches that connect the individual articles. This part of the introduction goes into greater detail about the theory presented in the individual articles. 

It is important in this respect to operationalise and specify how theory and key concepts are used in the thesis.

Methodology

Methodology should have a central place in the introduction, which should contain critical reflections on the validity, reliability and limitations of the study. 

The introduction should also highlight and discuss ethical aspects of the work.

Results

The results section must give a brief and systematic account of the thesis' main findings. The account must make clear the thread of the thesis and the internal coherence between the articles.

Discussion and conclusion

The discussion and conclusion should explicitly answer and discuss the overriding objective (research question/hypothesis) of the study. 

The introduction should contain scientific updates when necessary based on the time of publication/completion of the articles. It should also complement and elaborate on the analyses in the articles. 

However, the candidate should not introduce new empirical data that have not been mentioned in the articles. This section should discuss the theoretical implications of the findings and how they contribute to existing research in the field. 

The complexity and subtleties of findings are also discussed in light of methodological, theoretical and philosophy of science issues. Recommendations for further research are also useful here.

Reference list

The reference list pertaining to the introduction should follow the introduction's conclusion. It must comply with the standards used by the research community.

Appendices

Appendices are to be placed at the back of the thesis. The appendices must include full-text versions of all of the articles, each with a front page that states the article's publication status. If an article has been published, it is the published version that shall be included in the thesis.

The appendices must also include research tools such as interview guides, observation guides and questionnaires.

Finally, research ethical approvals must be included (such as approval from the Norwegian Centre for Research Data (NSD), information letters to participants etc.).