The printed version of an article-based or research paper-based doctoral thesis contains a summary part as well as the constituent articles. You must obtain permission from the copyright holders to republish your articles or previously published research papers in your printed thesis. However, if those articles were published open access under a Creative Commons (CC) license, no additional permission is required.

The doctoral student is responsible for obtaining all necessary permissions for copyrighted images, tables, figures, and other third‑party materials included in the published doctoral thesis. 

• Using published figures in the thesis summary part: Obtain reprint permission from the copyright holder (typically the publisher) before using published figures or images. Always credit the original source.
• Reusing content from your own articles: Many publishers allow authors to reuse their own figures or images under certain conditions. Check each journal’s author rights and reuse policies.

How to obtain the permission to republish the articles/research papers in the printed thesis?

Publishers’ agreements or webpages usually state whether authors may reuse their articles or research papers for scholarly purposes, including inclusion in doctoral thesis. Remember to keep a copy of your publishing agreement and any instructions provided by the publisher for later use. These documents specify your usage rights for your published articles or research papers.

If the information is not available in the publishing agreement or publisher’s instructions, you can use the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service to request permissions from publishers. The service is typically provided free of charge; however, this may vary by publisher. Alternatively, you may contact the publisher directly. An email template for contacting your publisher is provided below for your convenience.

If you have questions or difficulties in interpreting the publishing agreement or the publisher’s instructions, you may forward the relevant text to the Aalto publication series at  julkaisusarjat@aalto.fi.

Please note that doctoral students are responsible for retaining their agreements with the publisher and, if needed, obtaining and  retaining  permissions to republish.

Email template

Dear Sir/Madam [or Mr/Ms and last name, if known]

I am writing to request permission to include my article published in [Journal name] as part of my doctoral thesis at Aalto University, Finland. In Finland, a doctoral thesis typically consists of a summary and several articles published in scientific journals (at Aalto University, usually 3­–6 articles). A thesis is published both as a printed book and as an electronic version made available on Aalto University's online repository.

The articles I seek your permission to include in my doctoral thesis are as follows:

[Author, author…,author. Name of the article. Journal nro (vol): pages, year]

I cordially request your permission to include the articles (above) in the printed [XX] copies and online versions of my thesis. The doctoral thesis will be published by Aalto University. Kindly inform me if [publisher] has any policies on the reuse of articles in a doctoral thesis that may apply.

I would greatly appreciate a reply by [dd Month 20xx] at the latest.

Looking forward to your favourable reply.

Yours sincerely

Name

Address

tel., email

You should always have the language of your manuscript checked before pre-examination. Fluent language makes your thesis more readable for the examiners. When planning your timeline, reserve time for language editing; professional language revision is recommended, especially if you are not writing in your native language. The purpose of language review before pre-examination is to enable the pre-examiners to focus on the substance of the thesis rather than being distracted by language issues.

The Doctoral Programme Committee may, at its discretion, require evidence of professional language revision, particularly in cases where the thesis exhibits significant readability issues due to language quality.

The doctoral programmes do not cover the cost of the language revision; however, in some cases the research group or the department may cover the costs.

BIZ: Doctoral students can apply for grant for language revision from the Helsinki School of Economics Support Foundation (this application can be submitted anytime). Please note that HSE Support Foundation can fund language revisions only up to a certain sum. Please check the details from the foundation

Scientific writing situates your own contribution and research findings within existing knowledge and scholarly literature. Write in your own words and credit all sources - this is both a core skill and an ethical requirement. Plagiarism, including unacknowledged borrowing, is not accepted in doctoral work. Practice good academic writing and use Turnitin to detect and prevent unintentional plagiarism.

The title of the doctoral thesis should be written with only the first letter capitalised (this is also reflected in the Word thesis template).

At a minimum, this formatting rule should apply to the title on the title page and in the abstract. The cover design can allow for creative liberties (e.g., for ARTS theses) or case-specific exceptions as needed.

The official name should match the one in the passport.

The name used in the publications/artistic name (used in the publications) can appear on the cover and title page of the thesis, while both names should be included on the reverse side of the title page and in the abstracts. On the reverse side of the title page, in the "Copyright Author's Name" section, the name used in the publications/artistic name should be included, along with the official name below it. Optionally, the "List of Publications" page may also be used to clarify naming details. If desired, the doctoral student may also include their ORCID number on the “list of Publications” page.

The recommended place for the abstracts is at the beginning of the thesis. The thesis includes 1-3 abstracts:

• Abstract option 1: Include one abstract in English if you did not complete your first-cycle degree in Finnish or Swedish;
• Abstract option 2: Include two abstracts - one in English and another in Finnish or Swedish if you completed your first-cycle degree in Finnish or Swedish;
• Abstract option 3: It is possible to include one abstract in English, one in Finnish, and one in Swedish. NB. Cotutelle cases

Ensure that your abstract fits the one-page format of the Word abstract template. You must not stretch the abstract to exceed one page.

If relevant in your doctoral thesis, list the abbreviations and symbols in alphabetical order. Group the symbols with Latin letters (PDF) in one group, symbols with Greek letters (PDF) in another group and other symbols in a third group.

The list of publications is an important part of an article-based thesis. It shows which publications are included in the thesis. All necessary bibliographic data concerning these publications must be included in the list. Do not list publications that are not part of the thesis. Do not include any other information (e.g. best paper awards). Only bibliographic information should be provided.

Required bibliographic information for published articles

Article in a peer-reviewed journal:

• All author names in the correct order, title of publication, full journal name (not abbreviated), volume, issue, pages, month, year.
• Follow the reference style that you have chosen for your manuscript.
• In some cases the publications do not carry issue number or the month of the publication is not given. In certain journal series, the page numbers are replaced by article number.

The digital object identifier (doi) can also be included for the benefit of the reader. Example: doi:10.1109/TAP.2019.2963587

Publication in peer-reviewed conference proceedings:

• All author names in the correct order, title of publication, "in Proceedings of the" and the full name of the conference, venue, dates, page numbers/number of pages.
• Follow the reference style that you have chosen for your manuscript.

Required bibliographic information for journal-submitted manuscripts

• All author names in the correct order, title of publication, number of pages, "submitted to publication forum XX", month and year (time when the manuscript was submitted to a journal). Example: Publication IV: A. Author and B. Author: “Interesting paper worthy of publication" 8 pages, Submitted to Nature Communications, October 2022.
• ELEC: Or you can opt to not mention the journal/conference of submitted publications in your thesis. If so: Mention all author names in the correct order, the title of the publication, number of pages, "submitted for publication to a journal/conference", month and year (time when the manuscript was submitted for publication). Example: Publication IV: A. Author and B. Author: “Interesting paper worthy of publication" 8 pages, Submitted to a scientific journal, June 2025. In addition, you need to make a separate PDF document for the Doctoral Programme Committee, where you provide all relevant bibliographic information (also the journal/conference name) as requested in the first bullet point. Please attached this PDF document to your pre-examination application.
• Follow the reference style that you have chosen for your manuscript.

To determine the doctoral student’s independent contribution to the research and writing of the thesis, the doctoral student must prepare an author's contribution statement. This statement specifies the exact contribution of each author for every publication included. You can find below generic guidelines, but please also check your School's guidance.

Quick checklist:

1. Draft a contribution text for each publication (or one monograph statement).
2. Specify each author’s contribution to the research idea, design, data, analysis, results/sections, and writing.
3. Align with publisher statements if any.
4. Get supervising professor’s and required co-author approvals; keep records.
5. Incorporate as part of the thesis manuscript.

Purpose

• To make doctoral student’s independent contribution clear for each included publication with joint authorship; significant co-authors are acknowledged when relevant.
• Always review the text with the supervising professor and obtain approval from the co-authors.

When required

• Article- or research paper-based doctoral theses: for every co-authored publication.
• Monographs: if others contributed materially (e.g., data, experiments, figures, writing).

Placement 

• Place this directly after the list of publications in the compilation section, or as a subchapter in the introduction (chapter) of a monograph.
• Also submit as a separate PDF for pre-examination if your School requires.

How to refer to authors

• Doctoral student: use your own initials.
• Co-authors: indicate them with initials or A, B, C…. Keep consistent.
• Monograph: List any contributors with affiliations and roles.

What to include (per publication; 2–5 sentences)

• The author’s contribution outlines the extent of the contribution and roles of all authors including the doctoral student and all co-authors of the publications. 
• Idea/scope: who proposed the research idea/questions.
• Design/methods: empirical/theoretical design, protocols.
• Research data/material: collection, experiments.
• Data analysis: processing, modeling, statistics, theory checks.
• Results/visualisation: figures, tables, etc.
• Writing: drafting/reviewing/editing (use rough percentages only if customary).

Articles submitted to pre-examination may be submitted, in review process, or published; co‑authored pieces are allowed if the doctoral student’s independent contribution is clear (see author’s contribution above).