Faculty of Health Sciences' instructions on requirements and examination of a doctoral dissertation
Last modified: 16.05.2025
PrintRequirements for Doctoral Dissertation
The doctoral dissertation shall demonstrate that the doctoral researcher has in-depth knowledge of their field of research, related disciplines and the general theory of science. Moreover, the dissertation shall demonstrate the author’s skills in applying scientific research methods independently and critically in their field of research and their skills in producing new scientific knowledge independently. The dissertation must demonstrate the author’s ability to carry out independent research and be a coherent entity, be based on an original idea and goals, and present new results/concepts.
According to the Recommendation of the Finnish Council of University Rectors (7 December 1998), a dissertation shall:
- show the doctoral abilities in independent research work,
- form a coherent whole
- be based on original idea and aims; and
- present new results or ideas.
In the Faculty of Health Sciences, a dissertation can be:
- Monograph
- Article-based dissertation, which comprises a sufficient number of publications, or manuscripts accepted for publication dealing with the same set of problems. In addition to the articles, the dissertation includes a summary (article-based dissertation).
The faculty’s working group of doctoral programmes has made a decision that the chapter based dissertation (compilation dissertation) is no longer an accepted form for a dissertation. If you have already started writing a chapter-based dissertation, you can finalise your dissertation in that format. New chapter-based dissertations should no longer be started.
An article-based dissertation consists of peer-reviewed scientific publications. If the number of original articles is small (1–2), particular attention must be paid to high scientific quality, the amount of work carried out and the importance of the doctoral researcher’s own contribution in the publications. In such a case, the doctoral researcher and the main supervisor must draw up a written report justifying the sufficiency of the doctoral researcher’s contribution to the original articles. The director of the doctoral programme will assess the adequacy of the justifications. The Dean of the faculty will make a decision in the matter based on the proposal of the director of the doctoral programme. High-quality systematic reviews can be accepted as articles. At least half of the articles (50%) must have been published or approved for publication in scientific peer-review series.
The doctoral researcher must be the first author (main author) in at least half (50%) of the articles included in the dissertation. Shared first authorship is interpreted as the first authorship. For justifiable reasons, the same publication can be used as a part of another doctoral thesis if a sufficiently significant and independent contribution of each doctoral researcher in the publication can be demonstrated. If the same article is used in more than one dissertation, the doctoral researcher and the main supervisor must draw up a report on the division of the doctoral researchers’ work in the publication justifying their separate and independent roles. The director of the doctoral programme will assess the adequacy of the justifications. The Dean of the faculty will make a decision in the matter based on the proposal of the director of the doctoral programme.
The Faculty of Health Sciences has outlined length and time recommendations for doctoral dissertation. The recommended maximum length of a summary part of an article dissertation is 50 pages (chapters 1. Introduction – 7. Conclusions) and the recommended time is 1/5 person-years.
The summary part of article based thesis presents the background, aims, methods, results, discussion and conclusions of the study. It’s important to avoid unnecessary repetition of content already presented in publications. Additionally, the abstract should engage in a deeper examination of previously published research, compare it with the author’s research data, and raise questions related to the research topic.
The recommended maximum length of a monograph is 200 pages (produced text). A monograph is a coherent and independent work written by the doctoral researcher about their own research. It should contain a comprehensive description of the data, methods and research results used in the study. Additionally, monograph contains discussion and conclusions.
If any AI application is used in thesis preparation, the application used and the manner in which it was used must be specified in writing. Writing of the thesis must not be done entirely by using an AI application. See the Rector’s decision for more detailed guidelines on the use of AI.
Permission for public examination and proposal of examiners for the dissertation
Plagiarism detection
Once the doctoral candidate and the supervisors agree that the doctoral dissertation is ready for the pre-examination, the doctoral candidate will submit it to the plagiarism detection.
Applying for a permission for public examination
Once the doctoral dissertation manuscript has passed the plagiarism detection, you may submit it for preliminary examination and apply for permission for public examination of your dissertation by using the faculty’s official application form permission for public examination.
The application must include the following information:
- Your contact details
- Doctoral programme, department and/or institute, and, if applicable, the discipline
- Dissertation-related information:
- Title of the dissertation
- Date on which the main supervisor reviewed the plagiarism detection report
- Description of the dissertation as a whole (number of publications and other relevant details, if it is an article-based or compilation dissertation)
The following documents must be attached to the application:
Finalized dissertation manuscript including all sub-publications (PDF)
- Unpublished manuscripts must also be included in the file. The dissertation must be formatted using the Faculty of Health Sciences’ template.
Clarification of the doctoral researcher’s contribution to the publications (PDF)
- Use the provided model template for this clarification. Note: If your preliminary examiners or opponent are international, the sclarification must be written in English.
Consent from the first author of a sub-publication (PDF)
- If the first author is someone other than the doctoral researcher, or if the first authorship is shared, a signed written consent must be included.
Statement from the main supervisor (PDF)
- If a sub-publication has been or will be used in another dissertation, a free-form statement from the main supervisor must be included. This statement must clarify the independent and separate roles of the doctoral researchers involved in the shared publication. It must also explain how the perspective of the dissertation differs from any other dissertation using the same publication. The statement must confirm that no two dissertations with identical content are or will be based on the same article.
Copy of the acceptance letter (PDF)
- Required if the dissertation includes peer-reviewed articles that have been accepted for publication.
Additionally, the application must include the details of all supervisors and propose preliminary examiners, and possibly also the opponent and custos. For each of these individuals, the following information must be provided:
- Full name
- Academic title
- Affiliation
- Email address
- Mobile phone number
Note: Please ensure that all contact information is accurate before submitting the application.
The doctoral researcher can also deliver main supervisors propose for opponent, and a custos separately to the faculty. The doctoral researcher can express their potential objections against the selections.
Preliminary examination
The Dean shall appoint two persons from outside their own university as the preliminary examiners of the doctoral dissertation, who must hold at least a doctoral degree. The supervisor of the doctoral dissertation cannot be appointed as its preliminary examiner. The preliminary examiners are appointed based on a proposal from the main supervisor. The Dean’s decision on the appointment of the preliminary examiners is sent to the doctoral researcher, the main supervisor and the preliminary examiners for information. In addition to the decision, the faculty sends the dissertation manuscript, evaluation instructions for the dissertation and the clarification of the doctoral researcher’s contribution to the publications for the preliminary examiners.
Maximum time for the preliminary examination is two months (for holiday times or some other particular reasons evaluation may occasionally last longer). Preliminary examiners give their statements to the faculty from where they are delivered to the doctoral candidate. Examiners may contact you for any notifications before writing their statements. You have the opportunity to submit a free-form rejoinder to the preliminary examiners’ statements to the faculty.
Dissertation evaluation instructions for preliminary examiners (pdf)
Dissertation permission and appointing the opponent and custos
After the preliminary examination, the Dean decides whether permission for public examination is granted based on the statements of the preliminary examiners, and appoints the opponent(s) and the custos based on the main supervisor’s proposal. The opponent must be a professor of another university or have the scientific merits required from a docent. The opponent may not be employed by the University of Eastern Finland.
The custos of the public examination of a doctoral dissertation represents the university. A person who holds the qualification of a docent may act as a custos. The faculty recommends a professor or an associate professor of the University of Eastern Finland as the custos, but also the main supervisor who holds the qualification of a docent can supervise the public examination of the doctoral dissertation.
Dissertation evaluation instructions for opponents (pdf)
On the disqualification of the preliminary examiners and opponent
The Degree regulations in the Faculty of Health Sciences (appendix 5, valid from August 1 2023) outlines the pre-examiner’s and opponent’s disqualifications as follows:
Approval of doctoral thesis
Opponent must send a written statement to the faculty within two weeks after the public examination of a doctoral dissertation. In the statement, the opponent presents a proposal to accept the doctoral dissertation on the grading scale of ‘approved’ or ‘approved with distinction’.
The Faculty will hear the doctoral candidate on the statement. If the doctoral candidate has no remarks to the statement, the doctoral thesis evaluation will be processed in the next Faculty Council. The Faculty Council decides the grade of the doctoral thesis on the basis of the opponent’s grade proposal (if thesis is submitted to the preliminary examination on 1 August 2024 or later). The Faculty Council has delegated to the Dean the right to grade dissertations between the last Faculty Council meeting of academic semester and the first meeting of next academic semester.