Formats of the Doctoral Thesis
Monograph-Style (adapted from SGS guidelines)
The monograph-style format reflects the original conception of a thesis as a "book" presenting the candidate's research project. This format is organized as a single narrative describing the research problem, the argument, the context of the research, the methods used, the findings, and the conclusions. The organization of a monograph-style thesis is generally organic. If the thesis deals with empirical research, it may be structured with an introductory chapter, a theory chapter with literature review, a methods chapter, chapters presenting research findings, and a discussion/concluding chapter. A thesis in political theory typically develops a new framework or interpretation that engages and analyzes the work of political theorists within a normative or historical context. After doctoral studies are complete, a monograph-style thesis will often be revised into a scholarly book or several research articles, but the form in which it is presented for the final oral exam is not necessarily intended for publication. This style of thesis remains the norm in political science.
Article-Based Thesis (adapted and expanded from SGS guidelines)
Although the Monograph-Style is the standard in all subfields of political science, an Article-Based Thesis (ABT) may be more appropriate in some cases. The article-based thesis (ABT) is a coherent work consisting of several ready-to-publish articles focusing on the same research problem. The ABT includes an introductory section, the publishable/published manuscripts, and a cumulative discussion or conclusion chapter. The ABT format should meet the following criteria:
- The rationale and justification for an article-based thesis must be made at the outset, at the proposal stage. It should be based on careful assessment of the character of the research being undertaken and the need for this format. Students who decide to change the format of their theses during the course of their research – whether from a monograph to ABT or vice-versa – will be required to submit a new thesis proposal outlining the rationale and strong justification for the change in format. The proposal will require approval from the supervisory committee and the Director of Graduate Studies.
- To promote coherence, the introduction and cumulative concluding chapters must clearly explain how these separate manuscripts fit together into a unified body of research. The opening and closing chapters—which act as bookends to the publishable articles—are integral to the purpose of these theses. In these sections, the writer will set out the broad contours of the problem and its significance, review the relevant literature and contextualizing material, and draw the ultimate conclusions about the implications of the whole research project. Introductory and concluding chapters are therefore expected to be a very extensive elaboration of the rationale, scope, and justification of the thesis in relation to the broader literature in the field, as well as of the originality of the findings.
- The number of articles required for inclusion is usually three (at a minimum), although the number may depend on the articles’ scope, scientific quality and significance.
- The standard in several disciplines is for such a format to include published articles in highly respected journals. Although publication is not necessary, it should be the judgement of the committee that the papers are of a sufficient quality to be published in a highly respected journal. It should be noted that although students regularly publish articles based on coursework or analysis of secondary sources, they do not necessarily meet the standards of original contribution as specified in the guidelines for a doctoral thesis. As specified in SGS guidelines, publication of manuscripts, or acceptance for publication by a peer-reviewed journal, does not guarantee that the thesis will be found acceptable for the degree sought.
- In order to promote overall coherence, the article-based thesis should adapt the articles into a form more suitable for inclusion in the thesis.