Colloquium 3

At the colloquium, a third-year doctoral candidate demonstrates that the dissertation project is at an advanced stage, that a substantial part of the research has already been carried out, and that the project has produced findings that can be interpreted in scholarly terms in relation to the aim of the study, the research questions or hypotheses, the theoretical framework, and the existing literature. At the same time, the candidate demonstrates the ability to translate those findings into publication outputs and to present a realistic and concrete plan for completing the dissertation, the pre-defence, and the subsequent steps leading to the final defence.

At this stage of study, the purpose of the colloquium is to verify whether the candidate:

  • has completed a substantial proportion of the dissertation research,
  • has obtained substantial findings that go beyond pilot or merely partial results,
  • can interpret those findings in a scholarly manner and assess them critically,
  • can relate the results obtained so far to the research objectives, theory, and the existing literature,
  • is advancing the dissertation project through publication, conference, international and project-related activities,
  • is prepared for the pre-defence and has a realistic plan for completing the dissertation.

The third-year colloquium therefore serves not merely as a presentation of progress, but as a means of verifying that the dissertation research has reached a stage at which its principal findings and future direction can be defended academically as a sound basis for completion of the dissertation.

At this stage, the candidate is expected to present not only partial empirical indications or pilot findings, but results that already represent a substantial substantive advance in the dissertation project and allow for an informed academic discussion of its contribution, quality, and completion.

Written submission for the colloquium

No later than 7 calendar days before the colloquium, the candidate shall submit a brief written document of approximately 3 to 5 pages, excluding appendices and the reference list.

The document should include in particular:

  1. the working title of the dissertation,
  2. a brief statement of the topic, the research problem, and the relevance of the project,
  3. the current formulation of the Research Aim and Research Objectives, and where relevant the research questions or hypotheses,
  4. a brief reminder of the theoretical framework,
  5. an overview of the parts of the research completed to date,
  6. a description of the data obtained and the analytical procedures used,
  7. a summary of the substantial results obtained to date from the dissertation research,
  8. a brief interpretation of those results in relation to the aim of the study, theory, and the literature,
  9. a brief assessment of the limitations and outstanding issues,
  10. information on publication, conference, project-related and international outputs connected with the dissertation project,
  11. information on the current state of completion of the dissertation,
  12. a plan for completing the dissertation, particularly in relation to the pre-defence and the final completion of the thesis.

The document should clearly show the relationship between the following levels:

  • which parts of the research have already been completed,
  • what main results have emerged from them,
  • what those results mean for the overall direction of the dissertation,
  • how they are reflected in publication and other scholarly outputs,
  • what still remains to be completed and within what timeframe.