Thesis project & confirmation of supervision
Doctoral thesis project
Choosing a research topic, area of interest and methodology are important decisions that contribute significantly to the success of a research project. It is therefore essential that you work together with your supervisor and mentors to agree them.
Who can supervise my thesis project?
Before starting your programme of study, find out who would be able to supervise your proposed thesis project. From the winter semester 2018/19, admission onto the doctoral programme is dependent upon providing a provisional letter of support from a qualified internal member of staff. Therefore you must find a provisional supervisor in advance. In accordance with § 19 (2) Part B of the University of Klagenfurt Statute your supervisor must be a qualified professor who has completed a Habilitation, i.e. a venia docendi (authorisation to teach) in your thesis area. (Further information on qualified supervision staff at the University of Klagenfurt can be found on the homepage of the relevant department or institute).
When making contact with a potential supervisor, it is important and helpful to provide them with a brief summary in writing of your thesis topic and main research question.
You should also find an additional qualified supervisor for your thesis as it is a requirement that doctoral students at the University of Klagenfurt are supervised or advised by a minimum of two people in the interests of transparency and quality. The second supervisor must have a venia docendi in a relevant subject, but does not have to be employed at the University of Klagenfurt. The most important thing is that they have expertise in a subject relevant to your thesis project. Alternatively or in addition to a second supervisor, you can also propose a mentor. In accordance with Curriculum 18W, mentors must be appointed from AAU academic staff; they do not have to have authorisation to teach, however they must hold a doctorate. If the mentor is to be a member of academic staff not authorised to teach, their area of research must align with your proposed research topic.
Have thesis project approved (curriculum 12W)
As outlined in Curriculum 12W, students submit an electronic DISS1 thesis project acceptance form.
Have thesis project approved (curriculum 18W)
As outlined in Curriculum 18W, students submit an electronic thesis project acceptance form (DISS1).
Further information
Do you want to work on a cumulative thesis?
A cumulative thesis is when the results of research are submitted as a collection of publications or manuscripts for publication rather than as a monograph. The entirety of the cumulative thesis must be commensurate with the academic contribution made by a monograph thesis. Further information can be found within the guidelines on cumulative doctoral theses issued by the rector of studies.
Guidelines issued by the rector of studies on cumulative doctoral theses
1. Scope
These guidelines provide a framework for writing cumulative doctoral theses. They can be defined more precisely by the relevant doctorate advisory committees.
2. Definition and requirements in terms of content
A cumulative doctoral thesis is when the results of research are submitted as a collection of publications or manuscripts for publication (‘manuscripts’) rather than as a monograph. The entirety of the cumulative doctoral thesis must be commensurate with a monograph thesis in terms of the academic contribution made by the doctoral thesis student.
The publications/manuscripts used in the doctoral thesis may be written in different languages with the approval of the supervisor/adviser.
The publications or manuscripts must share a common research theme; the inclusion of publications/manuscripts on unrelated topics does not fulfil the requirements of a cumulative doctoral thesis.
3. Formal criteria on the structure of the thesis
The cumulative doctoral thesis must be submitted electronically and in print in bound form. All pages must be printed on A4, regardless of the format of the original publications. The pages must have continuous numbering; the page numbers of publications should also be printed.
a. Cover page
The cover page should follow the presentation guidelines for doctoral theses issued by Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt.
b. Contents
Page references on the contents page correspond with the page numbers on the thesis. Publications/manuscripts included in the doctoral thesis are listed as chapters with a page reference, and the following categories must be specified:
- Published in specialist magazine/book/anthology
- Accepted for publication by a specialist magazine/book/anthology
- Submitted to a specialist magazine/book/anthology for publication
- Manuscript yet to be submitted
Additional material pertinent to the thesis and not intended for publication can be presented in separate chapters.
c. Introduction
In the doctoral thesis, the publications or manuscripts must be preceded by an introduction, written solely by the doctoral thesis student, describing the research project. The introduction must clarify the overarching theme(s) connecting the individual publications or manuscripts and what aspects are covered in each. Parallels and connections must be drawn between each individual publication or manuscript.
d. Summary of the publications or manuscripts
All of the publications (peer-reviewed) and manuscripts included in the doctoral thesis must be accompanied by the names of the authors, title, information on their publication status and information on each doctoral student’s individual contribution to co-authored publications or manuscripts.
Information on publications and manuscripts:
- released publications → full citation of the publication
- accepted manuscripts → acceptance confirmation date
- submitted manuscripts → submission confirmation date
- manuscripts not yet submitted → information on planned submission
e. Concluding discussion within the cumulative doctoral thesis
The concluding discussion – which must also be authored solely by the doctoral thesis student – relates to all publications/manuscripts and chapters as a whole and must bring together the results from the publications/manuscripts to show that all elements of the doctoral thesis project have a common theme. The concluding discussion is essential for the expert review of a cumulative doctoral thesis, as it documents the doctoral student’s ability to present, and where applicable to reflect on, the key points of the research independently. The students must also clearly demonstrate what contribution the publications or manuscripts have made to answering the research question(s) outlined in the introduction. It also includes an in-depth discussion of the applied methodology and must also describe the contribution that the project makes to a specific research area.
NB: If appropriate for the topic, the introduction, parallels, connections (see c) and concluding discussion can be combined.
f. Abstract
The cumulative doctoral thesis must include an abstract in English and German. This abstract must be written in accordance with the requirements of Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt. The abstract must contain the key points of the introduction and overall discussion.
4. Publication requirement
In accordance with Section 86 of the Universities Act, doctoral theses that have been given a pass must be published before the academic degree is awarded. To this end, a complete copy is submitted to the library of Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt and the Austrian National Library. In addition, Section 19, Paragraph 10, Part B of the Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt Statute states that doctoral theses awarded a pass must be submitted to both libraries in electronic form only, and that they must be published in an open electronic repository.
This legal publication requirement is mandatory; it cannot be met ‘partially’, e.g. by citing literature instead of including the original publication in the cumulative doctoral thesis, and it cannot be overridden by an agreement with a company, institution or third party either.
To protect the legal and financial interests of the author of the doctoral thesis, restricted access to the submitted copies of doctoral theses published by a professional publisher is possible for a maximum of three years, or up to five years where justified on a case-by-case basis, in accordance with Section 86, Paragraph 4 of the Universities Act in conjunction with Section 19, Paragraph 10, Part B of the Statute. An application to restrict access in this way must be made online via the Campus Portal within two weeks of the pass grade being awarded. Applications made after this time will not be accepted. Reasons must be given for both the restricted access and the requested duration of the restriction.
If parts of the cumulative doctoral thesis, e.g. publications, are subject to restricted use due to a contractual agreement entered into by the author with a third party, such as a publisher, the author, ideally before, or if need be after an agreement has been signed, must obtain the publisher’s written approval for their publication as part of a cumulative doctoral thesis, including in combination with restricted access. Usually, publishers impose a 12 to 36-month embargo in such cases depending on the subject.
5. Submission of a cumulative doctoral thesis
The applicable regulations are Section 19, Paragraph 6, Part B of the Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt Statute and those listed on the website for doctoral programmes.
The co-authors’ consent to use of the articles in the cumulative doctoral thesis must be enclosed in writing when the doctoral thesis is submitted.
6. Assessment of a cumulative doctoral thesis
Section 19, Paragraph 7ff, Part B of the Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt Statute also applies to the assessment of a cumulative doctoral thesis, with the following additions:
- The two expert reviewers will each provide a report on the entire doctoral thesis and give it a grade (five-point scale). The acceptance of one or more publications in peer-reviewed journals will not influence the expert reviewers’ decision.
- At least one of the expert reviewers must not have co-authored the publications or manuscripts contained in the cumulative doctoral thesis.
- If one of the two expert reviewers fails the doctoral thesis, a third expert reviewer, who must not be a co-author, must be consulted and must prepare a report on the entire doctoral thesis.
Do you want to work on a joint thesis?
The rector of studies may allow several students to work on a thesis topic jointly, provided that the contribution of each individual student can be assessed separately (§ 83 (2) of the Universities Act) and their individual achievements are commensurate with the requirements of a thesis. To ensure each student’s contribution can be assessed separately, each individual part of the paper must be written by one student, who must be explicitly named. However, the overall topic must be treated jointly, and the nature of the collaboration between the students must be explained. This also applies if work is submitted separately (Statute B § 19 (5)).
Do you have more questions about the thesis project/letter of support?
Please contact:
- Studienrektorat
- +43 463 2700 1006
- Ulrike [dot] Eder [at] aau [dot] at
- Z.1.23a
- Studienrektorat
- +43 463 2700 1007
- Claudia [dot] Wald [at] aau [dot] at
- Z.1.23a
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