Dissertation process

Starting from 1.4.2026 all new dissertation processes will be coordinated in the DOCIS-system according to the current instructions in eLUT. NOTE! Emails from DOCIS to the student are sent to the student.lut.fi address only. If your dissertation process has been started before that, you may find the previous process instructions applicable to you from the Dissertation process booklet (for processes before 1.4.26) in the Files section.

Important! Log in to DOCIS and confirm having sent your dissertation to your supervisors for final check (Progess tab à Dissertation intro progress à Dissertation intro sent to supervisors for final check). After confirming, you and your supervisors will receive further instructions regarding the start of the dissertation process.

The dissertation process begins when the Dissertation Committee decides to start the process and appoints the preliminary examiners and ends when the Academic Council accepts and assesses the dissertation.

Planning the dissertation process

When you start planning your dissertation process check ”Dissertation process important dates”, ie. Dissertation Committee and Academic Council meetings and deadlines (see Files below. Note! Schools have different schedules). The document also includes examples of how the dissertation process could proceed.

You have to be enrolled as an attending student when you start the dissertation process as well as when you graduate. Enrolment is obligatory even if you do not take any courses during the academic year. Enrolment is open during May-August, please see further information.

LUT University Dissertation Regulations, dissertation template and language check

Please check that your dissertation manuscript is in accordance with the LUT dissertation regulations, see Files below. Dissertation regulations dated June 1, 2024 replace all previous LUT dissertation regulations.

Please note that before submitting the manuscript to the Dissertation Committee, the content and layout of the manuscript should be in its final form. This means for example that the language check by a professional linguist must already be done by the deadline date. More information about the university's cooperation partners, please see LUT Universities intra (restricted access). Your own school is responsible for the costs of the language check, so discuss it with your supervisor.

You should use the dissertation templates (Word and LaTeX), maintained by LUT Academic Library. In the templates the layout and other specifications are already as they should be. You are also responsible for ensuring the accessibility of the dissertation document. Please check that you are using the most recent template and see further instructions on the accessibility from the LUT Academic Library website, see Links section.

Final check of studies for graduation

The final check of studies is done at LUT Doctoral School by the latest when you start the dissertation process. The DOCIS system will send an automated message to LUT Doctoral School once the required credits have been completed and after that study programme coordinator Sari Damstén will contact you regarding the final check of studies.

If you have been assigned any supplementary studies (extra studies required), they have to be completed when you submit your manuscript to the Dissertation Committee.

All studies to be included in the doctoral degree have to be completed before the permission to print is given by the Academic Council.

Make sure that also the personal study plan in Sisu is in order.

Note! From January 1, 2022 onward the study attainments included in a doctoral degree may not date back more than seven years. If any of your studies have expired or will expire before you graduate, see further information on extending the validity of studies on Planning your studies.

Turnitin, AI and commercial software

Turnitin

The manuscript of the dissertation must be checked with Turnitin (a web-based service for checking the similarity of the text) early enough before starting the dissertation process.
You need to join the Moodle course Turnitin check for doctoral students year (https://moodle.lut.fi/). This course is available by self-enrolment. The enrolment key is Doctoralturnitincourse2026.
Your coordinating supervisor is responsible for the interpretation of the similarity report. It is not necessary to deliver the report to the Dissertation Committee, the supervisor’s confirmation in DOCIS serves as a proof of the Turnitin-check.
Further information and technical support for the Moodle course: opetushelp@lut.fi.
Turnitin check must be mentioned in the declarations part of the dissertation.

AI cannot be used to generate text but it can be utilized as a tool in improving grammar, text and style.
The use of AI must be mentioned in the declarations part of the dissertation and its role must be clearly described. It must also be mentioned if AI has not been used.

Commercial licensed software

If licensed commercial software is used in the dissertation research, it must be mentioned in the declarations part of the dissertation according to the license terms. If the terms do not stipulate that the license needs to be mentioned, the information can be left out.

Publishers' permissions for the articles

Make sure that you have publishers' permissions to include the articles in your dissertation. The permissions are needed when you make the publishing agreement with LUT Academic Library concerning publishing your dissertation in the ACTA Universitatis Lappeenrantaensis series. Additionally, if your dissertation includes parts previously published elsewhere (images, tables, maps, etc.) you need to get the original publisher’s permission to use them. More information about permissions for articles and other copyrighted elements (such as figures, tables, charts) can be found from the LUT Academic Library.