Thesis Regulations and Submission for Medical Doctoral Candidates

Congratulations on reaching the stage of submitting your dissertation! Please take a moment to read all the information on our website.

Please note that doctoral theses submitted by medical doctoral researchers registered with the GSLS must be prepared according to the regulations (Promotionsordnung) of the GSLS.

There are some key differences between the GSLS regulations and those of the Medical Faculty. Please read through the following guidelines, using the downloadable templates provided.

We hold monthly submission information sessions where key points for preparing and submitting your dissertation are presented. You are welcome to attend if, after reviewing the website, you still have questions or would like guidance on completing the pre-submission checklist. Book your spot here: Submission Info Session 

Thesis submission advisory talk presentation slides 09/2025

Before You Start: Checklist and Requirements

The following pre-submission checklist will help you prepare all necessary information and documents before starting the submission process: Pre-Submission Checklist

Before we can begin the submission process, all documents for the structured program must be uploaded in OpenCampus and the pre-submission checklist must be submitted.

Please contact us once you have read all the information and received a submission number after completing the pre-submission checklist.

Take your time to fill out everything carefully – this ensures a smooth dissertation submission.

Guidelines

Please refer to the Guidelines for the preparation of a doctoral thesis at the GSLS for details of thesis writing.

Before reaching out to us, please take a moment to check the following:

Please refer to the Guidelines for the preparation of a doctoral thesis at the GSLS for details of thesis writing.

Submitting Your Doctoral Thesis Without Authorship – Available Option

If you wish to submit your doctoral thesis but do not yet have a scientific first or co-author publication in a peer-reviewed international journal, there is a possible pathway:

Guarantee for a author publication by your primary supervisor
Your primary supervisor may issue a guarantee for your co-author publication. This allows you to submit your thesis and immediately begin the doctoral procedure, with access to the full grading spectrum.
Important: It is solely up to your primary supervisor to decide whether to provide such a guarantee – there is no entitlement to receive one. 

Guarantee for a co-author publication by your primary supervisor

If your primary supervisor decides to give you a guarantee for your co-author publication, we kindly ask that for the upcoming committee meeting, ask that the following documents (PDF or text files) be submitted no later than 14 days before the meeting date via the following link:

• Link: Guarantee request | Graduate School of Life Sciences

The committee kindly asks that in case of a guarantee request, both the dissertation and, ideally, the related publication are already at an advanced stage—this is also in the supervisor’s best interest.

Required documents:

• Manuscript for which the “guarantee” is being requested.

  • If the manuscript is not yet finalized, submit a detailed outline of the planned manuscript (e.g., including figures) that clearly indicates the doctoral candidate’s contributions.

  • Include any supplementary figures to help the committee assess the candidate’s role.

• Completed guarantee request forms:

  • Statement of individual author contributions and of legal second publication rights.

  • Statement of individual author contributions to figures/tables.

• The current version of the candidate’s dissertation (PDF) in a very advanced stage.

  • Incomplete dissertations will be returned, and resubmission with a completed version will be requested.

• A letter from the first supervisor describing:

  • The current state of the dissertation.

  • Confirmation that the doctoral candidate will be listed as first or co-author on the publication and that this authorship will remain throughout any revisions in the peer-review process.

  • A statement acknowledging that the supervisor is aware that the doctoral procedure can be initiated at any time with a guarantee and proceed without delay.

Information about the graduation committee, including meeting dates, can be found here:
https://www.graduateschools.uni-wuerzburg.de/life-sciences/about-us/contact/common-graduation-commission/

Fundamental formatting regulations:

Your thesis may also contain:

• Acknowledgements
• Annex

Please print your thesis on white high quality paper (any paper suitable for Laser Printer will do).

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Statements of Individual Author Contributions and Legal Rights

The following statements are mandatory components of every GSLS dissertation – including monographs:

• Statement of individual author contributions to figures/tables
• Statement of individual author contributions and of legal second publication rights

Background:
For admission and submission of a dissertation, at least one co-authorship in a peer-reviewed publication is required. If you do not yet have such a co-authorship but your first supervisor has submitted a guarantee, the statements must be provided accordingly.

Important notes:

• If no figures or tables from the publication are included in the dissertation, this should be clearly stated (e.g., “No figures included from the manuscript”).

• If figures or tables – even in altered or modified form – are included, this must be explicitly indicated both in the statements and in the figure legends within the dissertation.

Purpose of the forms:
These forms ensure that reviewers and examination committees can clearly identify your individual contributions and rights. They also guarantee compliance with copyright requirements.

Please note:
One form must be submitted per manuscript, regardless of whether you are a first author or co-author.

You can find a detailed overview of all requirements for submitting your dissertation in our checklist (Pre-Submission Checklist). Before we can begin the submission process, all documents for the structured program must be uploaded in OpenCampus and the pre-submission checklist must be submitted. Once you have received your submission number (after completing the checklist), please contact us by email. If you have any specific questions, include them in the same message. This should ideally be done 4-6 weeks before submission of the thesis.

Please note, the chairperson will be determined by the GSLS office and filled in by hand after thesis submission.

1. Make sure that you have fulfilled the requirements of the structured GSLS training programme.
2. Please upload all coursework and required certificates to OpenCampus, and notify us by email at least two weeks before submission. If you do not have certificates to upload, your primary supervisor must review and sign the study book. All study book entries must be approved by GSLS.
3. Check that your GSLS admission is valid at the time you submit your thesis.
4. Check your thesis for compliance with the formatting regulations (see above) before printing.
5. Prepare the following documents and forms which may take some time to complete and are required at submission:

   Application for Conferral of a Medical/Dental Doctorate Confirmation by the Thesis Committee Declaration Library

6. Diploma Suppplement:

1. Make an appointment with Luise Lesch for the submission of your thesis.
2. The following documents are required at the submission:

• ID card OR marriage certificate (Please provide a copy of ONE of the documents)
• "Immatrikulationsbescheinigung" (for semester of thesis submission)
• School leaving certificate, state exams 1 to 3 and licence to practice medicine (Approbationsurkunde) (If originals not yet have been shown, please bring them as well as a copy with you)
• Confirmation of the supervisor about the time spent in the laboratory (without a specific form)
• Form Application for Conferral of a Medical/Dental Doctorate
• Form Confirmation by the Thesis Committee
• Form Declaration Library
• 5 bound copies of your thesis 
• Electronic PDF version of your printed thesis and, if applicable, supplemental material (USB stick)

Upon successful thesis submission, you will receive a “Laufzettel”/process sheet, on which the process of graduation (starting with thesis submission) is documented by signatures.

You will need your Laufzettel again after your successful thesis defense when completing the publication of your thesis at the university library – so please don´t lose it!

After your submission, the thesis will be sent for evaluation. You should calculate approximately 10-12 weeks in total for the following steps (please be aware that a "summa cum laude" procedure may take considerably longer due to an additional evaluation step):

Doctoral Certificate

• Right after your successful defense you will receive your preliminary certificate/”Zeugnis”. This is not the final doctoral certificate and it does NOT grant you the right to carry the title "Dr. med." or "Dr. med. dent." yet.
• It takes approximately three weeks for the university to prepare the embossed final certificate signed by the president of the JMU and the Deans of the Medical Faculty and the GSLS, which will officially grant you the title. We will hand out your final certificate together with the diploma supplement signed by the GSLS Dean.
• Please note that we can only hand out your final certificate once we have received the notification from the university library that the publication of your thesis is complete (library signature on the “Laufzettel”/Process sheet).
• You will be informed by Luise Lesch when your final doctoral certificates (you will receive two copies, one in German, one in English) are ready to be collected. The receipt of these final certificates grants you the doctoral title.

Publication of the thesis via “OPUS” at the University Library

Please note: The publication via OPUS can only take place AFTER your successful defense!

The following steps are required (see information on the University library website):

1. Submit five bound copies of your thesis to the Central University Library at Hubland together with your “Laufzettel”/Process sheet. You are welcome to use any leftover copies from the graduation process. You can collect those at the GSLS office after your defense.

2. Complete the Publication Contract (Veröffentlichungsvertrag) and either send it to the university Library by email, or hand it in together with the five bound copies of your thesis.  You can find the different types of licenses on the License FAQ – please check with the library staff in case of questions. The most common licence is CC BY-SA.

3. Upload the electronic version of your final thesis in the OPUS system through the University library website.

   For data privacy reasons, please remove your CV from the thesis version to be published – insert blank pages instead Don´t include any electronic signatures in thesis version to be published You can complete the electronic submission from home Please note that the upload alone DOES NOT publish your thesis - the thesis is only published once all formalities (submission of five physical copies and publication contract) have been completed additionally

4. For doctoral theses which contain unpublished data or pending patent applications:
   If substantial reasons exist, you may additionally submit an application for temporary non-publication of a dissertation:
   Antrag auf vorläufige Nichtveröffentlichung  (German)
   Application for temporary non-publication (English)
   Please submit the completed form to the library either with the five physical copies of your thesis or by email.

5. Once all formalities are successfully completed, the library will sign for the receipt of your thesis on the “Laufzettel”/Process sheet and send it back to the GSLS office. 

Important: The GSLS office requires the signature of the responsible person at the University library to be able to hand out your doctoral certificate and diploma supplement.