Formats and content-related guidelines for the thesis

A monograph is usually 150-250 pages long and does not usually exceed approx. 100,000 words, including footnotes, endnotes, and captions. The word count does not include bibliography, table of content, abstracts, indexes, image inventory, appendices, etc. However, PhD projects, dissertations and fields of research vary, and these word counts should be taken as a rule of thumb rather than a hard limit.

In addition to the research and analysis in each chapter, the monograph should include:

• An introduction detailing the objectives and research questions of the thesis.
• A comprehensive review of the international state of the art.
• An account and explanation of key theories, concepts and methods used in the thesis.
• A description of the empirical material and criteria for its selection (if applicable).
• A conclusion summarizing the thesis and a discussion of its contribution to the advancement of the research field(s).

It is perfectly acceptable for parts of the monograph (e.g. a chapter, or parts of a chapter) to be published in the same form or in a different form as an article or a contribution to an anthology before handing in the thesis. The publication status of chapters in question should be clearly stated in the thesis, and the reprinted or edited/rewritten parts clearly marked.

See further guidelines on research integrity (UCPH intranet)

An article-based thesis consists of a number of articles related in content, tied together and framed by an introductory chapter (a ‘cape’). The articles must cohere in terms of subject matter, theory or methodology and may be single- or co-authored. An article-based thesis is usually shorter than a monograph.

Articles included in a PhD thesis adhere to general academic standards for articles published with peer review. However, it is not necessary for the articles to have been published, undergone peer review, or submitted for publication before the thesis submission. The publication status of the articles will not impact the assessment of the thesis.

The introductory chapter, for which the PhD student must be the sole author, serves as an introductory and summarizing text approximating a major review article. In addition to presenting the objectives and overall research questions of the thesis, the chapter should include the following:

• An introduction detailing the objectives and research questions of the thesis.
• A review of the international state of the art.
• An account and explanation of key theories, concepts and methods used in the thesis.
• A description of the empirical material and criteria used for its selection (if applicable).
• A synopsis for each of the articles, outlining their results and elucidating their interrelationships and cohesion.
• A conclusion summarizing the thesis and a discussion of its contribution to the advancement of the research field(s).

In cases where the PhD thesis includes co-authored articles, the introductory chapter should also provide a detailed account of the PhD student's role in and independent contributions to each article for which they are not the sole author.

If one or more of the above subjects is adequately met in the individual articles (e.g. international state-of-the-art, definition of central concepts etc.) it does not need to be repeated in the introductory chapter, which may be shortened accordingly.

For published articles or articles accepted for publication, the name and date of the publication must be listed.

See guidelines for article-based PhD theses on the right side