Aalto Doctoral Programme in Science
Doctoral thesis
Forms of doctoral theses in the School of Science
An article-based doctoral thesis consists of a set of publications on a related set of problems, and a summary of the findings.
The articles included in the doctoral thesis are published or submitted for publication in an acknowledged peer-reviewed forum in the discipline (for example, a scientific publication series, conference proceedings or other work). Articles not yet accepted for publication can also be included in the doctoral thesis.
The articles may also include co-authored publications if the author's independent contribution to them can be demonstrated. An article can be included in several doctoral theses if the separate contribution of the doctoral student can be demonstrated.
There are no formal requirements on the number of articles included in a thesis, as it depends on their extent, scientific significance, and quality as well as on the weight of the independent contribution of the doctoral student to the publications. This will depend on the conventions of your field and the specific nature of your research and should be discussed with your supervising professor. You can see examples of previous theses from all departments below.
The summary of the article-based doctoral thesis is an independent entity, which provides an overview of the thesis contents. The summary shall describe the research problem, research goals and methods, and presents a summary of the key findings. The summary shall assess the significance of the study for the discipline. The summary shall contain a list of the publications included in the thesis and describe the independent contribution of the student in each publication separately. In the summary one has to list clearly the specific scientific contribution of the thesis.
A monograph is a coherent writing based on the work of the doctoral student and written by the student. The monograph may contain references to previous works by the doctoral student on the same topic.
The doctoral thesis describes the research problem, the research goals, the used methods and results, and presents a summary of the key findings. The summary shall assess the significance of the study for the discipline.
A research paper-based doctoral thesis consists of scientific essays and a summary. The essays and the summary shall deal with a single research problem or set of problems so that, when viewed as a whole, the independent contribution of the author meets the requirements set for a doctoral thesis.
Each of the essays shall contain new results and viewpoints, and shall primarily be based on independent research by the author, but also collaboratively written essays may be accepted as part of the doctoral thesis if the independent contribution of the author can be clearly demonstrated.
The number of essays required depends on their extent, scientific significance and quality as well as on the weight of the independent contribution of the author to the essays.
The summary describes the research problem, research goals and methods, and presents a summary of the key findings. The summary shall assess the significance of the study for the discipline. The summary contains a description of the independent contribution of the author in each of the essays.
Instructions
The topic of your doctoral thesis is approved by the Doctoral Programme Committee of the School when you are accepted to the doctoral programme. Your research plan is the basis for your thesis work.
Read more on page
Doctoral thesis at Aalto University
Doctoral thesis awards since 2011
Aalto University School of Science awards annually doctoral thesis awards for exceptionally distinguished theses. Decisions on the thesis awards are made by the Dean based on the proposals from Doctoral Programme Committee and the departments. Value of the doctoral thesis award is 3000 euros.
Instructions for finalising the doctoral thesis
Before pre-examination
When you are approaching pre-examination, please familiarize yourself with the materials below.
During pre-examination
While your manuscript is being pre-examined, familiarize yourself with the next steps and read at least the materials listed below. You can also prepare for media coverage for your thesis, and make a draft of your lectio praecursoria.
Next public defences at the School of Science
Public defence in the field of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, MID Gloria Mendoza-Franco
Decoding dynamic neural patterns of intergroup emotional responses (Title of the thesis)
Public defence, Engineering Physics, MSc Elizabeth Pereira
Engineering optical loss to create robust topological states in programmable photonic systems.
Public defence, Engineering Physics, MSc Jiali Sheng
Finding a catalyst structure that works is only part of the challenge—understanding what shapes it as the catalyst forms is another.