The articles

The thesis, the introduction excluded, will normally extend to three normal-size articles in academic journals. It is required for assessment of a PhD-thesis that the candidate is the main
author and has an extended academic responsibility for a majority of the articles that are included in the PhD thesis.

Publication of articles

By the date of submission of the PhD thesis, at least one of the articles should be accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed publication channel. The articles should be of a quality that allows them to be published or made public as part of the field’s research-based knowledge development.

The introduction and summary (coat)

The introduction and summary will recapitulate, but also collocate the research questions, problems and conclusions that are presented in the articles and parts of the work, and in such a way that the thesis as a whole comes up as a research unit. The summary will demonstrate the connection between the articles and parts and justify how taken together they form a coherently designed research project.

Furthermore, the introduction and summary (coat) will indicate and motivate research questions and/or hypotheses, and the research design of the PhD thesis as a whole and its
individual parts. It will give relevant overview summary of current research in the area, and it will present and discuss various theoretical, methodological and ethical questions and
questions of theory of science that are connected to the thesis as a whole. The introduction and summary may also account for historical, contextual and other relevant aspects.
Moreover, the introduction and summary will demonstrate and discuss the contribution of the PhD thesis to the research area in question. It will contain academic and research updates if necessary compared to the date of publication of the articles or their completion.

The introduction and summary (coat) will normally have an extent up to 90 pages maximum, references and attachments excluded. It will be authored by the doctoral candidate alone.

Guidelines for declarations of co-authorship

Declarations of co-authorship will contribute to identify and evaluate the individual contributions of the candidate related to the academic requirements of a PhD degree. All publications included in a PhD thesis will follow research ethical standards and conventions for academic quality assurance of research. These obligations apply to all contributors involved in a PhD thesis. When multiple authorship is involved, the Vancouver regulations are applied, with a couple of minor reformulations. Authorship will be based solely upon:

1. Substantial contribution to idea and formulation, or development and analysis of theoretical model, or collection of data, or analysis and interpretation of data.
2. Preparation and completion of the manuscript itself or critical revision of thematerial contents of the article.
3. Approval of the version of the article which is to be published

All criteria (1, 2 and 3) must be met if co-authorship is to be acknowledged

If co-authorship with supervisor(s) comes into question, this will be clarified as early as possible with the candidate and for each individual article separately.

Related to the completion of each individual article the candidate will send electronic form of declaration of independent research and co-authorship to all co-authors. The candidate must also fill in this form. The forms are then submitted collectively by the candidate to the research administration.

An article-based PhD thesis may not be submitted before the candidate has submitted all the forms correctly filled in from all co-authors to all articles with shared authorship.

When all the forms for one article are returned, the research administration will send the completed forms to the co-authors to have a confirmation that the descriptions are in
accordance with their understanding of the co-authorship and co-operation on the article

The completed forms with confirmations are handed over to the examination committee, and follow the procedures of the case.