Writing up publications and your thesis

Faculty of Life Sciences | Writing up publications and your thesis

Writing up publications and your thesis

Publishing in scientific journals

Please ensure that your publication comply with Humboldt-Universität's affiliation guidelines.

Please also inform yourself about the different types of publication in academic journals, legal principles and funding opportunities for publications. Useful information and advice can be found on the website of the University Library of the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.

Formal guidelines for writing up your thesis

There are only a few formal guidelines that apply when you are writing up your thesis. The thesis must:

include a title page (please leave the name of the examiners and the date of the oral exam blank).

include a statement of authorship.

be submitted as a bound copy.

Apart from the above, there are no formal specifications regarding the font size or typeface, nor as to whether the thesis is printed single or double-sided etc.

Please ensure that you comply with Humboldt-Universität's affiliation guidelines for publications written as part of your doctoral project - even if you will write your dissertation as a monograph.

Cumulative thesis

Please discuss with your supervisor whether you intend to write a monograph or a cumulative thesis.

The doctoral degree procedure will be initiated based on the doctoral degree regulations valid at the time of your admission as a doctoral candidate or those you have switched to during your doctoral project. The applicable doctoral regulations determine the guidelines for your entire procedure.

Currently, the most common doctoral degree regulations of the Faculty of Life Sciences are the doctoral degree regulations of 05 March 2015 and the doctoral degree regulations of 10 October 2022. Depending on which doctoral degree regulations apply to your procedure, different regulations regarding cumulative dissertations apply. Below are the guidelines regarding cumulative dissertations in addition to the respective doctoral degree regulations:

For cumulative theses, please note:

Regulations in addition to the doctoral degree regulations of 10 October 2022

Guidelines for submitting a cumulative dissertation can be found in the Regulations of the Faculty of Life Sciences in addition to the Doctoral Degree Regulations of 10 October 2022.

Regulations in addition to the doctoral degree regulations of 05 March 2015

The Faculty committee has determined the following subject-specific regulations with regards to co-authorship of cumulative theses:

The chairman of the Doctoral Degrees Committee cannot be a co-author.
One reviewer can be co-author of a paper.
The majority of the members of the Doctoral Degrees Committee are not allowed to be co-author.
The two pieces of original work required with the candidate as lead author must have been accepted for publication by the publisher as a minimum requirement.
Review articles and commentaries are not accepted as original work.
Cumulative doctoral theses require at least two original works in peer-reviewed journals. The doctoral student must be the first author in at least two of the works. The Institute Council decides on the approval of publications with shared first authorship. The Institute Council can assign this to the Doctoral Degree Board of the Department or Institute. The doctoral student and the supervising professor are invited to attend the meeting concerning this. Doctoral students completing cumulative doctoral theses must clearly indicate the works which they have completed independently. The co-authors must confirm this in writing.

The above rules are valid for the following Doctoral Degree Regulations:

Faculty of Life Sciences from 5th March 2015
Faculty of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences from 31st March 2014
Faculty of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences from 14th July 2005
Faculty of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences from 7th August 2002
Faculty of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences from 16th August 1994

Co-authors

If parts of your doctor's thesis are co-authored, you must submit a declaration of your own contribution that has been signed by all co-authors. You may use the form which can found under "Forms, regulations."

Publication

Following successful defence of your thesis, you must make your work available to the academic community. The technical and formal standards of the University Library are available here:

Electronic publication

Document templates

It may be convenient to ensure that your work already conforms to the technical standards of University Library when you are preparing copies of the thesis for the initiation of the doctoral degree procedure.

You can find various publication options in the doctoral degree regulations.

Additional information regarding publication is available on the webpages of the University Library.