Dissertation Thesis

Dissertation Thesis

The thesis presents the results of work carried out by a student in the course of his/her studies. It must contain original results which have been either published or accepted for publication.

Formal requirements are defined in Measure No. 8/2019 of the Dean of the Faculty of Science, Masaryk University.

According to the Doctoral study programme accreditation, the dissertation can be processed in two different formats (must be agreed upon by the supervisor):

1. A collection of papers with a comprehensive introduction and commentary (preferred form, applicable only in case of meeting study requirements for publications*)

• This type of dissertation is based on at least two publications; one of them must be the first author publication. If this publication has not IF in Q1 in the given field of study, there should be two more co-author publications with IF in Q1 or Q2. The review articles can also be part of the collection, but these articles cannot be included in the limit of two publications. Only published articles or manuscripts accepted for publication with a letter of acceptance can be included.
• The publications have to be factually, or disciplinarily related in regard to the topic of the thesis.
• The expected length of the commented part should be at least 20 pages of text (not including a list of pictures, list of tables, references, CV, the list of publications, and the supplement of publications) using standard formatting, spacing 1.5, letter size 11.
• The thesis should include Introduction that puts individual papers into a current context, Hypothesis and aims of the thesis project, Methodology (optional), Commentary on the published papers (unpublished work might also be included), Specification of the student own contribution to the work on all results included in publications, Summary of the student’s outcomes and how they expand knowledge in the related discipline,    Discussion that gives the context and comments on the outcomes, Conclusion, References. The exact structuring of the Experimental part is at the student's discretion. A student’s CV and a summary of publication activity in the form of a list of own publications and presentations at conferences are included at the end of the dissertation. Publications related to the thesis should be included within the dissertation in the form, which is permitted by the publisher. 

2. A monography with experimental results (in case of not meeting the formal study requirements for publications* then prior approval by the Doctoral Board is required)

• This type of dissertation contains a full description of the thesis project, and it can be written as an extended version of the publication.
• The thesis should be enough detailed to allow the referee to evaluate the scientific, methodological and critical thinking of the student, however, it should not exceed 120 pages of text (not including compulsory initial pages defined in the Dean Measure 8/2019, a list of pictures, list of tables, references, CV and the list of publications) with standard formatting spacing 1.5, letter size 11.
• ​The thesis is divided into Introduction, Hypothesis, and aims of the thesis project, Methods, Results, Discussion that gives the context and comments on the outcomes, Conclusion, Specification of the student's own contribution to the work on all results included, and References. A student’s CV and a summary of publication activity in the form of a list of own publications and presentations at conferences are included at the end of the dissertation. Publications related to the thesis should be included within the dissertation in the form, which is permitted by the publisher.

Additionally, the dissertation can be processed in a combined format, incorporating both approaches above. For instance, one chapter could be written as a commentary on the significant paper, while other chapters could be written in an extended version with a full description. This type of combined format should be consulted with the Chair of the Doctoral Board. 

*The format of the dissertation is related to the following formal study requirements for publications:

• ​The student has to be the first author of at least one publication in a journal with IF Q1 (1st quartile in the given field of study by WOS).

• If the first-author paper is not in the Q1 journal, there should be two more publications in journals with IF Q1 or Q2 of which the student should be a co-author.

• For projects on which more scientific teams collaborate (and each is, for example, responsible for a different part of the expertise), shared first-authorship is eligible. In such a case, the student should clearly declare his/her contribution to the work and the results included. 
  

• In case a student plans to publish an article in an open-access journal without an impact factor, he/she should consult this intention with the Chair of the Doctoral Board. The specific situation and quality of the journal will be reviewed and it will be decided whether such output will meet the requirements for completing studies.

The dissertation thesis is submitted in electronic form through the application in IS MU and in paper form - in A4 or B5 format (B5 is recommended). Printed copies for opponents are subject to agreement, one copy shall be available during the defence - it is intended for archiving at CEITEC MU, and no printed copy is archived at the Faculty of Science.

The Dissertation Thesis template can be downloaded here.

The Reviewer´s Thesis Report template can be downloaded here.