This chapter is a review of the article-based thesis, also called compilation thesis. The compilation is increasingly encouraged, especially in the hard sciences such as biology, medicine, and technology.

Compilations

Compilations are of two types. In one, the reprinted articles are appended to an overall summary of their content, here called the Scandinavian model. In the other, the reprinted articles are sandwiched between introductory and concluding chapters, here called the sandwich format.

Scandinavian model

Common to theses of the Scandinavian model is that an overall summary (overview) is followed by research papers – bound together in a single volume. Published articles are reproduced as exact copies of the articles as they appear in the publishing journal (including title pages with original letterheads, logotypes, typefaces, and so on) – in short, as reprints; papers in press are reproduced as preprints.

In contrast with the research papers, which are highly structured, the overview of the Scandinavian type of compilation has no formula for arranging its various parts, not even regarding which parts to include.