Monographic and cumulative theses

Monographic thesis

A monograph is a written doctoral thesis that must not contain any previous theses or articles which have already been published. Parts of the thesis may be published in advance provided this is clearly stated. However, care must be taken to ensure that contractual agreements with the publisher do not prohibit publication during the doctorate procedure.

Cumulative thesis

Cumulative theses are a collection of articles which have been published in recognised scientific journals or accepted for publication and are submitted as an alternative to a mongraphic thesis.
Details of the minimum number of publications required and other criteria which must be met by cumulative theses vary from faculty to faculty.

At the Faculty of Business, Economics, and Law, the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Theology at the School of Theology, cumulative theses are not permitted.

A cumulative thesis is permitted at the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Theology for the following doctoral degree programmes: Psychology, Psychogerontology and Sports Science.
These programmes require at least three papers to have been published or accepted for publication in reputable academic journals and the candidate must be the leading author for at least one of the publications.
In addition, a cumulative thesis must include an exposition at least 30 pages in length which illustrates the contextual links between the various papers and shows that their contents are indicative of a broader knowledge of the subject.

A cumulative thesis at the Faculty of Medicine requires at least two publications or two papers to have been accepted for publication in reputable academic journals, with the candidate being the leading author in both. The versions of the articles that form part of the cumulative thesis that are published in the academic journal must include a note indicating that they are part of a thesis. The contextual links between the various papers must also be illustrated.

A cumulative thesis is permitted at the Faculty of Sciences in consultation with the supervisor. The candidate must be the sole or leading author of at least one of the publications. For co-authored contributions, the authorship of the individual parts of the publication must be clearly stated and confirmed in writing by the candidate and co-authors. In addition, a cumulative thesis must include a roughly 25-page exposition which illustrates the contextual links between the various papers and shows that their contents are indicative of a broader knowledge of the subject.