phd theses uio

Doctoral Theses in DUO

For information to be useful, it must be accessible - this is part of the Open Access mindset. Open Access means unrestricted online access to articles published in scholarly journals. Making your research available in the DUO Research Archive, also makes you and your research available to research scenes nationally and internationally.

All doctoral theses in DUO .

There are three ways you can publish your doctoral thesis in DUO:

• Register your thesis in CRIStin and upload the file. This is the most preferred way, as your thesis is accessible in CRIStin, as well as in DUO.
• If you do not have access to CRIStin you can contact us directly at [email protected]
• If you have your thesis printed at the Graphic center , you can also have an electronic file sent to DUO A brief summary/abstract can be included as a separate file.

Article-based theses

If your thesis is article-based, we may need to remove some articles, depending on the various publishers' self archiving policies. We check all articles and remove the ones we do not have permission to publish. Link are provided to all published articles.

Unpublished manuscripts are removed awaiting publishing.

If your thesis is a monograph, and you do not have content which has been published elsewhere previously, the whole thesis can be made accessible in DUO. If you plan to publish the thesis as a book through a publisher, it is advisable to talk to the publisher in advance. Some publishers are interested in having theses in DUO as good advertising, others do not want the text available online until after the book is released.

Summary/abstract

It is an advantage to register an abstract in DUO, together with the fulltext file. The abstract increases the visibility of your thesis, and helps readers assess if the thesis is relevant for them. There are no formal requirements for abstracts in DUO, but we recommend a maximum length of around 600 words. You can register your abstract in several languages.

Publishing in DUO

When you make your thesis available in DUO, it involves duties and responsibilities for both UiO and you as the author .

Any questions?

Send an email to: [email protected]

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Doctoral thesis

PhD candidates’ faculty or department will cover the cost of printing a specific number of thesis copies. You can also order extra copies for private use in the same order without VAT.

Order printing

There are two different ways you can order the printing of your PhD thesis:

• Send the thesis as a PDF file to [email protected] .
• Hand in the PDF file on a USB flash drive to the Graphic Centre (opening times are Monday to Friday, 9 am to 3 pm). See map .

Requisition form

Candidates, together with the faculty or institute, need to complete a requisition form in order to print their doctoral thesis. You can download the requisition form from Graphic Centre's web store.

• The candidate must fill out all the fields marked green. The blue fields must be filled out by the faculty or institute. Submit the form in Excel format together with your PhD files. 

File format and dimensions

• The thesis and attachments must be submitted to the Graphic Centre as PDF files in A4 format.
• Note that most theses are printed in the format 17x24 cm. This corresponds to around 81% of A4. The Graphic Centre will scale down your files.
• LaTeX users: Please submit in A4 format.

Cover page, title page, summary, photo of the candidate and colophon page

• UiO uses standardised cover pages. Candidates are not permitted to use their own design for the cover page.
• Candidate's name
• Thesis title and subtitle
• The UiO unit of the candidate
• Year of public defence
• ISSN/ISBN number
• Abstract for the back page (max. 1200 characters including spaces)
• Photo of the candidate for the back page (formats: jpg/tiff/png/psd)
• If submission occurs in one year and the public defence follows the year after, the UiO cover will show year of defence.
• The Graphic Centre has the ISSN series for all faculties apart from Faculty of Dentistry and Medicine, who submits a unique number from their ISBN series on the requisition form.

Printing costs to be covered by candidate

Copies for private use can be ordered at the same time as the main order. Specify the number of private copies in the requisition form.

Printing costs to be invoiced

The printing of additional copies can be invoiced, but you must give all invoice details in the requisition form. 

Print time and delivery

• You need to submit the order 4–5 weeks before the public defence.
• You will receive the cover page and a print file via e-mail for approval. Send the approval to [email protected]
• The faculty/institute will receive the printed thesis 2 weeks before the public defence.
• Any private copies can be collected from the Graphic Centre.  See map .

The requisiton form will automatically calculate the total cost. 

Please note that VAT is added to all additional orders.

• The faculty/institute covers a specific number of copies. Contact your department to find out how many.
• Extra copies must be paid by card or Vipps upon collection, or you may request an invoice to be sent. Remember to give complete invoice information.

DUO Research Archive

• The University of Oslo recommends that all candidates upload their thesis digitally in the DUO Research Archive.
• When you make your thesis available in DUO, it involves duties and responsibilities for both UiO and you as the author .  
• The Graphic Centre can also upload the thesis upon request.
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Place your order

Orders covered by your unit, additional orders.

Private orders

If you have any questions, please contact the Graphic Centre: [email protected]

Thesis, evaluation and public defence - PhD

Thesis: guidelines.

• Scope, length, language, referencing, affiliation
• Article-based thesis
• Co-author(s)
• Regulations for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD)

Submission of the thesis

• Submitting the thesis
• Proofreading
• Application for a completion grant
• Resubmitting?
• Submitting a revised thesis?
• When and how is the adjudication committee appointed?
• How long does the assessment take?
• Unanimous positive recommendation
• Divided or negative recommendation
• The committee recommends a revision
• The appeals process

Printing before public defence

• Layout of thesis
• Submission deadline
• Requisition form
• Ordering printing

Trial lecture and public defence

Trial lecture.

• Trial lecture on an assigned topic
• Purpose and approval

Public defence

• What is a public defence?
• Procedure for the public defence
• Public defence lunch

Doctoral dinner and conferral of the PhD degree

• Doctoral dinner is optional
• Speeches and seating arrangements
• Tax deduction
• Conferment ceremony
• Doctoral diplomas
• Temporary documentation

Information for the adjudication committee

• Information for the adjudication committee

Information for the disputation moderator

• The committee administrator's tasks

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Thesis, evaluation and public defence - PhD

Thesis: requirements and guidelines.

• PhD Regulations
• Information on resources and library services
• Scope, length, language
• Article-based theses
• Requirements and duties in relation to supervision

Submission and printing of the thesis

• Before submission
• Where do you submit the thesis?
• What is the submission format?
• Template for submission
• Rejected thesis – resubmission
• What happens after you submit?
• Who performs the adjudication?
• How long does it take?
• When does the adjudication take place?
• The recommendation
• How and in what format do you receive the result?
• How do you appeal?

Trial lecture and public defence

• Preparations for trial lecture and public defence
• Trial lecture and information about adjudication
• Public defence and information about adjudication

Doctoral dinner and conferral of the PhD degree

• Tips on holding a PhD dinner
• Conferral and PhD diploma

Information for the chair of the defence and for the evaluation committee

• Information for the chair of the defence
• Information for the evaluation committee

Information for the evaluation committee

Members of an evaluation Committee evaluate whether a PhD thesis is worthy of a public defence.

This is a practical guide for members of an evaluation committee. The guide is based on the rules and regulations for the degree of PhD at the University of Oslo.

Important time frames

• Recommendation: You have 3 months to submit a recommendation.
• Revision of a submitted thesis: You must present your final recommendation within 1 month after a candidate has handed in a revision of a submitted thesis.
• Earliest date for trial lecture/public defence is 6 weeks after the recommendation has been approved by the faculty.

Committee composition

The committee consists of 3 members: 1 st and 2 nd opponent, and a committee chair who administers the committee’s work.

The evaluation  committee shall normally consist of 3 members and shall be composed so that:

• b oth genders are represented
• two members of the committee have no association with the University of Oslo and have, as a rule, no association with Oslo Univeristy Hospital and Akershus University Hospital
• at least one of the members ha s no association with Norwegian institutions
• all members have a doctoral degree or equivalent academic qualifications
• a member is from an institution abroad
• a member is from an institution other than UiO
• one of the committee members must, as a rule, be employed (as associate professor or professor) at the Faculty of Medicine, UiO, and shall be the committee chair 
• the candidate’s co-author(s) and/or previous and current supervisor(s) cannot sit on the committee
• committee members shall normally not have had any joint works with the candidate’s supervisors during the last 5 years.

As member of a committee you must sign a declaration of impartiality form. The principal supervisor will contact you regarding this matter and will hand in the form to the faculty along with the evaluation committee proposal. See information for the principal supervisor for more on evaluation committee and impartiality requirements .

From the time the committee is appointed until the candidate has taken the PhD examination there should be no contact between the supervisors and committee members regarding the candidate or the candidate's work.

The candidate and committee members should not have any contact before the trial lecture and public defence.

Opponents should ask general as well as more specific questions about the research area, questions about form and methods used and questions relating to the results found in the thesis.

The evaluation committee decides which of its members are to take the roles of first and second opponent respectively.

• 1 st opponent has 75 minutes to question the candidate at the public defence.
• 2 nd opponent has 60 minutes to question the candidate at the public defence.

Committee chair

As committee chair you must be employed at the faculty. You are responsible for initiating the committee’s evaluation work.

You coordinate the work, act as a link between the committee and the faculty, and should also compile and submit the committee’s recommendation. See Supplementary rules for information about the committee’s recommendation .

Evaluation of the thesis

The recommendation is your written report of the thesis. It must be written in the same language as the thesis. You have 3 months in which to submit your recommendation. If you should need more time you must submit a written application to the administrative officer in charge explaining the delay.

You should make sure the project has all necessary approvals, and should especially assess the ethical aspects of the project in light of its approvals.

Information about approvals .

Positive recommendation

The following information must be enclosed with the recommendation if it is a positive recommendation:

• Who will act as 1st and 2nd opponent.
• Topic for the trial lecture.
• Suggestions for alternative dates for the trial lecture and public defence.

The recommendation must be signed by all the committee members. The committee chair sends the recommendation by e-mail to [email protected] with the administrative officer in charge as copy recipient of the e-mail.

The public defence can take place at the earliest 6 weeks after the recommendation has been found worthy of defence by the faculty.

Revision of a submitted thesis

See Section 14.2 of the Regulations for the degree of PhD at the University of Oslo and the faculty’s Supplementary rules for the degree for information on minor revision of a thesis.

Rejection of a thesis

A thesis must be rejected if you do not find the thesis worthy of defence according to the requirements.

A candidate can re-submit a thesis at the earliest six months after the thesis was rejected.

Trial lecture and public defence

The candidate is ready for the trial lecture and public defence after the the dean has found the thesis worthy of defence. The committee members should suggest dates for the trial lecture and public defence . The dates, however, are not binding before they have been approved by the dean.

You must be present at the trial lecture and public defence. If one of you should be prevented from coming, the faculty will appoint a substitute member.

After the PhD examination you must sign attestation forms confirming whether the trial lecture and public defence are approved or not.

Trial lecture

The trial lecture is an independent part of the PhD examination and aims to test the candidate's ability to acquire knowledge and to impart this knowledge in a lecture setting. The lecture is normally given so that students, people without special knowledge and the informed public can benefit from it. The topic should not give the candidatate any possibility to refer to his/her own PhD work, nor should it aim to clarify any weak points in the thesis. The topic of the trial lecture should not be formulated as a question.

The title of the trial lecture will be announced to the candidate 10 working days before the trial lecture.

The trial lecture lasts 45 minutes, with an additional 15 minutes for any questions and comments after the lecture.

The evaluation committee suggests a topic for the trial lecture on the form Title of the trial lecture (docx) .

Travel expenses, hotels and fees

You must book your own tickets and hotel . Expenses will be reimbursed after the public defence. You will also get your fees after the defence.

As soon as the recommendation is approved by the dean you will get an e-mail with information about booking your trip and about the fees.

Rules and regulations

• Regulations for the degree of PhD at the University of Oslo
• Supplementary rules pertaining to the Regulations
• Guidelines for the evaluation of Norwegian doctoral degrees
• Title of the trial lecture (docx)
• Send the recommendation to [email protected] with the administrative officer in charge as copy recipient.
• Contact information
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Thesis, evaluation and public defense - PhD

The thesis: requirements and guidelines.

• Scope, lenght, language
• Article-based thesis
• Publication
• Regulations for the degree of PhD
• Research advisor

Submission of the thesis

• Where and how is the thesis submitted?
• Submitting a revised thesis
• Resubmitting
• When and how the adjudication committee is appointed
• How long the evaluation takes, and possible outcomes
• The recommendation

Printing the thesis and preparations for the public defence

• Preparations
• Printing of thesis

Trial lecture and public defence

Trial lecture

• Trial lecture on an assigned topic
• Purpose and approval

Public defence

• What is a public defense?
• How is a public defense carried out?

Doctoral dinner and conferral of the PhD degree

You can decide whether you want to host a doctoral dinner, and you are responsible for covering costs.

Conferral is the formal presentation of the doctoral diploma.

Information for the adjudication committee

Information to members of the adjudication committee who will act as an opponent.

Get your PhD thesis beach ready

Prepping for the beach requires planning, effort and time management – and so does writing a PhD thesis. John Sinclair offers advice for summer days and doctoral nights

John Sinclair

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Writing a PhD thesis can often feel like preparing for an ultimate beach day. Just as you plan your trip, pack your towels and sunblock, and ensure you have everything you need for a perfect day by the sea, PhD candidates must organise their research, structure their ideas and manage their time effectively to produce a well-organised and impactful thesis.

Packing your beach bag: initial planning and time management

The first step in getting ready for the beach is packing your beach bag with all the essentials. Similarly, effective time management and planning are crucial in the preliminary stages of your PhD journey. Begin by breaking down your thesis into manageable sections and setting achievable deadlines for each part. This way, you have a clear road map, preventing you from feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of the task.

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Also, know yourself as a writer and creator. The doctoral journey differs from bachelor’s and master’s, as we start to create our own theories. Just as swimmers at the beach need to know their strengths and limitations to be safe, we also must know ourselves as writers so we can manage our time. 

Creating a detailed timeline for your research and writing phases is akin to creating a packing list for your beach day. Allocate specific time blocks for literature review, data collection, analysis and writing. Regularly revisit and adjust your schedule as needed, much like you would adjust your plans based on weather conditions and beach activities.

Setting up your beach umbrella: structuring your thesis

Once your beach bag is packed, it is time to set up your beach umbrella. Structuring your thesis effectively is essential for creating a coherent flow of ideas, and it always helps to begin with the planning process, outlining the main chapters: introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion and conclusion. Each chapter should have a clear purpose and contribute to the overall narrative of your research.

The introduction serves as the opening to your beach day, inviting readers into your research landscape.  We all enjoy the sun as it glistens on the ocean, inviting us to dive in. The introduction should do the same for the readers – providing an overview of your research topic, objectives and significance. The literature review is akin to setting up your beach towel and laying out the foundation, demonstrating understanding of the existing knowledge and identifying gaps that your research will address.

The methodology section is the blueprint of your beach set-up, detailing the tools, techniques and processes you used to gather and analyse data. The results section presents the highlights of your beach day, displaying the data and findings in a clear and organised manner – this is where we want to show that we planned well, checking our beach checklist for quality. 

The discussion chapter is where you interpret your findings, much like reflecting on the best moments of your beach day, and the conclusion ties everything together, summarising the key insights and implications of your research (ideally finishing without a sunburn).

Enjoying the sun: writing and revising

Once your beach umbrella is set up and your towel in place, it’s time to sit back and relax – unlike writing a PhD thesis, when it’s important to stay on top of the work, consistently writing and revising. 

Writing a PhD thesis is not a one-time effort but an ongoing process, requiring regular attention and care.  We teach methods that can help with this in our Writing Center at CSU Global.

Dedicate specific time each day or week to writing, just as you set aside time to apply sunscreen and stay hydrated at the beach. Set achievable writing goals, such as completing a certain number of words or pages each session. This incremental approach helps keep momentum and prevents procrastination.

Revising and refining your work is like adjusting your beach set-up throughout the day. Regularly review your writing for clarity, coherence and logical flow – making sure that the plan you originally created is still on point. If there are changes, you are in control of where they are going. If, at the beach, the wind picks up and the sky clouds over, you’re in control of moving to a sheltered spot before the rain starts, and a PhD is no different.

I always encourage seeking feedback from peers, advisers or writing groups to gain fresh perspectives and show areas for improvement. Remember, even the best beach set-ups need occasional adjustments to stay comfortable and enjoyable.

Practical tips for a successful thesis journey

• Create a dedicated workspace: Just as you need a spot for your beach chair and umbrella, set up a dedicated workspace for your research and writing. This helps minimise distractions and fosters a productive environment.
• Harness productivity tools: Tools such as project management software, reference management systems and writing apps can help streamline your workflow and keep you organised.
• Take care of yourself: Remember that physical and mental well-being is crucial for sustained productivity. Take regular breaks, engage in physical activity and ensure you get enough rest.
• Seek support: Do not hesitate to reach out to advisers, peers or writing groups for guidance and encouragement. Collaboration and support from others can provide valuable insights and motivation.
• Adopt a growth mindset: Embrace challenges as opportunities to learn and grow. A growth mindset will help you stay resilient and motivated throughout your thesis journey.
• Foster meaningful connections: Build strong relationships with your advisors and peers. They can provide support, feedback and collaboration opportunities that enrich your research experience.

John Sinclair is a part-time faculty member at the MBA programme at CSU Global.

If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter .

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JPEE PhD candidate Crystal Zanders receives an AAUW American Dissertation Fellowship

The American Fellowship is the oldest non-institutional source of graduate funding for women in the United States. 

JPEE PhD candidate Crystal Zanders has been selected as a recipient of an American Association of University Women (AAUW) American Dissertation Fellowship . This prestigious award is highly competitive and selective.

The American Fellowship program began in 1888, a time when women were discouraged from pursuing an education. It is AAUW’s largest fellowship program and the oldest non-institutional source of graduate funding for women in the United States.

AAUW American Fellowships support women scholars who are pursuing full-time study to complete dissertations, conducting postdoctoral research full time, or preparing research for publication for eight consecutive weeks. Candidates are evaluated based on scholarly excellence; quality and originality of project design; and active commitment to helping women and girls through service in their communities, professions, or fields of research.

Zanders’ research focuses on disability, rhetoric, African American English, trauma informed-pedagogy, digital studies, literacy, and educational inequity in the writing classrooms. Her dissertation-in-progress is titled, “Unseen: Black Autistic Women's Masking Practices, Pressures, and Possibilities.”

Biostatistics Graduate Program

Jamie gudeon joseph dissertation defense – june 20.

Posted by duthip1 on Thursday, June 13, 2024 in News .

PhD candidate Jamie Gudeon Joseph will defend her dissertation on Thursday, June 20, at 11 a.m. Central Time. Her advisor is Andrew Spieker . All are invited and encouraged to attend.

The defense will be held in the department’s large conference room on the 11th floor (suite 1100, room 11105) at 2525 West End Avenue. It will also be streamed virtually on Zoom; for virtual access, contact the department at biostatistics[at]vumc[dot]org.

Causal Approaches to Quantifying the Role of Engagement in Studies of Mobile Health Interventions

Recent technological advancement has resulted in the proliferation of interactive text message-based interventions to support medication adherence in patients managing chronic illnesses. Several recent clinical trials have identified these interventions as a strategy to improve outcomes, particularly when used in combination with other interventions. In such settings, patient engagement with these text messages may drive the a portion of the intervention’s effects on key outcomes. Such trials typically include a control arm with no opportunity to engage with text messages. Nevertheless, the relationship between engagement and outcomes may be subject to unmeasured confounding. Quantifying treatment effects using engagement as a post-randomization variable is therefore challenging. In this dissertation, we develop approaches to handle these challenges and provide researchers with principled tools to understand the role of engagement with mobile health interventions. Our first focus involves methods to estimate and bound functional local average treatment effects (i.e., an effect of treatment at theoretical levels of engagement under the intervention), when the exclusion restriction cannot reasonably be assumed. We investigate these methods cross-sectionally and longitudinally in regression-based framework, and derive closed-form sandwich variance estimators for key contrasts of interest. We further show that this method accommodates multiple pathways from treatment to outcome, and consider how operationalizing engagement over time can affect these approaches. Our next focus involves direct investigation of engagement as a mediator, suitable for the setting in which we believe key common causes of engagement and the outcome have been measured. The first fundamental goal of of this aim is to delineate (and interpret) the mediation effects that are applicable to studies of mobile health interventions under strong access monotonicity, and the second is to formalize the assumptions under which they can be identified. We propose using a parametric g-computation based approach to estimating key effects, and evaluate finite-sample properties through simulation studies. We illustrate the utility of our proposed methods through application to a recent clinical trial of patients with type 2 diabetes that showed significant overall effects on key psychosocial outcome measures.

Tags: causal inference , chronic illness , clinical trials , dissertation defense , mobile health interventions

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