Cumulative thesis

A “cumulative thesis” includes published or submitted manuscripts, merged in a suitable framework text with introduction and summary.

Please read the DownloadDetailed stipulations regarding the Doctorate (PDF, 233 KB)vertical_align_bottom for further information.

D-MAVT stipulates following requirements for a cumulative thesis:

1. several (i.e., at least two) publications published or accepted in peer reviewed journals (ISI journals or comparable standard);
2. the doctoral candidate must be the first author of all publications. If there are multiple leading authors, then only one of the leading authors can use the paper in their thesis (agreement among all authors is required). No duplication (appearance in more than one thesis) is allowed for any paper. Proper crediting of the individual author contributions is required;
3. the contributions of each author must be highlighted for every paper;
4. the style of the doctoral thesis must be uniform. A succession of already-published articles in the various layouts of the respective publishers is not permitted;
5. an extended introduction chapter must be included, which covers:
   
   • the overriding research question;
     
   • the methodology used;
     
   • the relevance and the contribution of the thesis to specific subjects;
6. an extended conclusion chapter must be included, which integrates the results of the different publications and includes suggestions for future research, plus providing evidence for a coherent research framework of the thesis.

At the beginning of the organisation of the doctoral examination, the doctoral student informs the Department whether they have written a cumulative thesis and confirm that all Downloadrequirements (PDF, 119 KB)vertical_align_bottom have been met.