This appendix is written for those universities that do not yet allow article-based theses but are contemplating introducing them. If you decide on this alternative format, the discussion below may give you hints on what to add to the doctoral guidelines of your university.

Article-based theses vs. traditional monographs

In the article-based thesis, the accepted papers have “been scrutinized by international peer review, probably more prestigious than local committees” (Carlino, 2006). The article-based thesis gives students the opportunity to begin publishing early in their academic careers. One candidate put it this way: “You can graduate with a degree and a publication record. This is a wonderful kick-start to an academic career” (Kumpulainen, 2008). After all, one goal of a university is to produce scientific papers publishable in refereed journals.

After graduating with a traditional monograph, the graduates can be stricken with “Post-Dissertation Burnout,” meaning that few journal publications will eventually grow out of their thesis. Important research findings may therefore languish on the shelves of libraries. That does not happen after graduation with an article-based thesis, because most or all of its papers are already published, are in press, or have been submitted. Candidates who publish throughout their candidacy receive ongoing peer review, improving their writing skills.