What makes a good PhD thesis? Norms of science as reflected in written assessments of PhD theses
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What makes a good PhD thesis? Norms of science as reflected in written assessments of PhD theses. / Kobayashi, Sofie; Emmeche, Claus.
In: Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, Vol. 48, No. 8, 2023, p. 1310-1324.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - What makes a good PhD thesis? Norms of science as reflected in written assessments of PhD theses
AU - Kobayashi, Sofie
AU - Emmeche, Claus
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - This study looks at assessment of PhD theses from two perspectives: criteria in use in assessment reports at a science faculty and norms of science. Fifty assessment reports were analysed inductively, resulting in thirteen categories that examiners consider when assessing a thesis. These categories were compared with norms of science as described in the sociology of science. The study shows a high congruence between the two perspectives, but also new categories worthy of further discussion and research. Relevance of the thesis research and quality by proxy (that publication is an indicator of quality) stand out very clearly in this study compared with earlier assessment research. These two categories are both relatively new categories in assessment research and indicate that the classical norms of science are changing with an increasing influence of post-academic norms in academia.
AB - This study looks at assessment of PhD theses from two perspectives: criteria in use in assessment reports at a science faculty and norms of science. Fifty assessment reports were analysed inductively, resulting in thirteen categories that examiners consider when assessing a thesis. These categories were compared with norms of science as described in the sociology of science. The study shows a high congruence between the two perspectives, but also new categories worthy of further discussion and research. Relevance of the thesis research and quality by proxy (that publication is an indicator of quality) stand out very clearly in this study compared with earlier assessment research. These two categories are both relatively new categories in assessment research and indicate that the classical norms of science are changing with an increasing influence of post-academic norms in academia.
KW - Faculty of Science
KW - research evaluation
KW - Doctoral education
KW - PhD dissertations
KW - assessment criteria
KW - Faculty of Social Sciences
KW - sociology of science
KW - norms of science
KW - evaluation culture
U2 - 10.1080/02602938.2023.2200917
DO - 10.1080/02602938.2023.2200917
M3 - Journal article
VL - 48
SP - 1310
EP - 1324
JO - Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education
JF - Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education
SN - 0260-2938
IS - 8
ER -
ID: 344492797