Attitudes towards the PhD thesis ‘kappa’ at different departments of Lund University - an interview study

Abstract

In a compilation PhD thesis, the summary chapters (“kappa”, Eng. coat or cover) is an important part of the PhD defense in Sweden. It is one of the main tools which opponents build their discussions around, as well as for the examination committees to evaluate the student capabilities. Due to the importance of the matter and lack of resources about the kappa and its requirements, the topic has been selected for more investigation. This report touches the understanding of the kappa in a very brief format. Interviews were conducted among five (5) final stage PhD students in the process of writing their kappa and five (5) supervisors who have supervised PhD students who wrote a compilation thesis including a kappa. Analyzing the response from both sides were interesting in the sense that how much students and supervisors’ perspectives can be different from each other when it comes to such an important issue.