The language chosen for writing your thesis must be authorized by the CAPD when approving the latest Research and Training Plan.
Information regarding the language of the thesis can be found in articles 35, 38 and 40 of the Doctoral Studies Regulations
Language of the doctoral thesis
Permited languages
The thesis may be written in one of the following languages:
- Galician
- Spanish
- Portuguese (due to the linguistic and historical ties with Galicia)
Other Scientific, Technical, or Artistic Languages
The thesis may also be written in one of the commonly used languages of communication within the scientific, technical, or artistic fields relevant to the doctoral program. In such cases, the thesis must include:
- A summary in Galician, with a minimum length of 3,000 words (this requirement also applies to theses written in Portuguese).
- Additional summaries in other languages may also be included.
Authorization by the CAPD
- The chosen language must be approved by the CAPD through the Research and Training Plan.
Evaluation Guarantee
- If the thesis is not written in Galician or Spanish, the CAPD must ensure that external evaluators and board members are able to evaluate the thesis in the chosen language.
Mandatory Parts of the Thesis in the Selected Language
The following sections of the thesis must be written in the same language:
- Thesis Title
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Objectives and Hypotheses
- Methodology
- Results and Discussion
- Conclusions
- Bibliography
Appendices may be written in other languages if they were previously published in those languages.
Check the specific requirements for each thesis modality.
- Writing: At least 25% of the thesis must be written in a common scientific language within the field of study, other than the official or co-official languages of Spain. The language of the country where the research stay(s) took place (or where the majority were carried out) may also be used. This portion must include complete chapters or sections, as well as the summary and conclusions. Indexes, appendices, and bibliography will not be counted.
- Oral defense: At least 25% of the oral presentation during the defense must also be delivered in one of the languages mentioned above.
- Exception: These requirements do not apply if the research stays, reports, and expert evaluations come from an institution located in a Spanish-speaking country.
For defense requests submitted before 09/01/2025
At least part of your thesis —specifically the summary and conclusions— must be written and defended in one of the common scientific languages in your field, other than any of the official languages of Spain. This rule does not apply if the research stays, reports, and presence of experts are from a center or institution in a Spanish-speaking country.
In theses presented as a compendium of publications, the main body of the thesis must be written either in the predominant language of the publications included in the compendium, in Galician or in Spanish.
A thesis under co-supervision may be written in the commonly used scientific language of the thesis’s field of knowledge or in one of the official languages of the universities that are parties to the agreement.
The chosen language must be understandable to the CAPD, external experts, the EDIUS Executive Committee, and the thesis evaluation committee.