The doctoral thesis
The doctoral thesis constitutes the main component of the PhD education and must document the candidate’s independent research contribution. The thesis work is normally equivalent to two and a half years of full-time study and should result in a scientific work of a standard that fulfils the requirements for the award of a Norwegian doctoral degree.
Thesis
A PhD thesis must be an independent scientific work of a high international standard that contributes new knowledge to the field. It may take the form of a monograph or an article-based thesis. The candidate's independent contribution must be clearly documented. The thesis is assessed according to the national requirements set out in UHR's guidelin
Requirements for the thesis
The thesis must be an independent scientific work of a high standard, in line with international standards in the field. The work must contribute to the development of new knowledge and be of a quality that would allow it to be included in the scientific literature in the field. The thesis must demonstrate the candidate's ability to formulate research questions, carry out research in a scientifically sound manner, and present the results in an academic context.
The requirements for the thesis are described in the Guidelines for the assessment of Norwegian doctoral degrees from the Norwegian Association of Higher Education Institutions (UHR). These guidelines form the basis for assessing whether the thesis meets the requirements for a Norwegian doctoral degree.
Summary
The thesis must include a summary in English and a summary in Norwegian.
Choosing the format of the thesis
The thesis can be submitted as:
- A monograph
- An article-based thesis
You should discuss the choice of thesis format with your supervisor early in your PhD.
Monograph
A monograph is a single, coherent scientific work written as one unified thesis.
For a monograph, the candidate is expected to be the sole author.
Article-based thesis
An article-based thesis consists of scientific articles linked together through a synopsis.
Together, the articles must form a coherent body of research. The synopsis must show how the different parts relate to each other and place the results in a broader academic context.
The candidate must be the sole author of the synopsis.
Requirements for article-based theses
Scientific articles
The articles must meet a standard equivalent to the requirements for publication in recognised peer-reviewed journals.
No specific number of articles is required. The overall scope of the thesis is assessed as a whole and should correspond to a research effort equivalent to three years of full-time work, including completion of the training component.
The synopsis
The article-based thesis must include an independent synopsis of the research work.
The synopsis must:
- present the thesis' overall research questions and aims
- place the work in an academic context
- provide an overall presentation of the results
- include an up-to-date, critical discussion of the research
The synopsis must demonstrate the candidate's scientific overview, academic independence, and ability to analyse and discuss specialised research questions.
Co-authorship and collaboration
Research work is often carried out in collaboration with other researchers.
If the thesis includes work with several authors, the candidate's independent contribution must be identifiable and assessable.
In such cases, co-author statements describing each author's contribution must be provided.
Thesis template
The University of Bergen has developed a recommended template for the layout and structure of the thesis.
You can find the template and guidance in the Thesis Portal.
Regulations and assessment basis
The requirements for the PhD thesis are based on:
- Regulations for the degree of philosophiae doctor (PhD) at the University of Bergen
- Programme description for the PhD programme at the Faculty of Science and Technology
- Guidelines for the assessment of Norwegian doctoral degrees from the Norwegian Association of Higher Education Institutions (UHR)
These documents form the basis for the assessment committee's evaluation of whether the thesis meets the requirements for a Norwegian doctoral degree.