Publicizing your doctoral defence

At any point during the research process

• Publicly communicating on your research efforts helps build a profile as an expert in the field. Related communication should begin well in advance of the thesis being completed and its public examination. Publicly describing the research process, such as material collection or observations related to the topic, can engender new cooperation opportunities or contacts from the media. You can talk about your research topic on social media or, say, in a blog. Read the University of Helsinki’s instructions on communicating about science and the social media guidelines. 

At least three to four weeks before your public examination, or even earlier

• Individual doctoral theses do not automatically constitute a news topic to be published in the University’s communication channels, as the same news criteria apply to theses and other research-related communication. These criteria include topicality, impact and the topic having a relevance to the general public. More information about the media release criteria pertaining to the University’s research communications is available on Flamma.
• If you think your doctoral thesis is relevant to the public and has societal significance, please contact the on-site communications team of your campus and offer your topic for release through University channels. In this case, remember to indicate your public examination details: the topic, the faculty and the date. Explain why the topic should be communicated and list findings or viewpoints included in your doctoral thesis that the public could find interesting. You do not need to wait until a month before your public examination before contacting the communications team – starting early will provide more time for planning and execution.
• If you have completed your doctoral thesis as a member of a research group, please verify with your supervisor and other members of the group which results and data can be published before communicating about your thesis. Read more about research ethics in Flamma.
• A communications specialist will assess the best way to communicate about your thesis through University channels. The most common way is to publicise information on the research on social media. Other ways include tipping off interested parties about the topic, such as individual journalists, as well as distributing a media release or publishing a news piece on the University website. If a decision is made to publish a media release, you will be asked to provide a separate background text, on the basis of which a media release will be drawn up in cooperation with a communications specialist. The communications specialist will draw up the headline and the lead for the release as well as determine the style and structure of the text. You must check the facts and your quotes in the release.
• You may also be asked to provide a photo related to your research topic. It must be provided as a high resolution JPG file. Please also include the photographer’s details and make sure you have the right to provide the photo for open publication related to communications on your thesis.
• The success of communications will be monitored, and the doctoral candidate will be provided with a summary of media hits related to the thesis. 

No less than three weeks before your public examination 

• Fill out the doctoral thesis form. If your event is also available online, don't forget to include the audience participation link.
• Details on the public examination and the doctoral thesis are requested on the Form, which will be simultaneously submitted to the University’s Communications unit and Helsinki University Library. This way, the information will also be included in the University’s calendar of events. In case of problems, please contact helda@helsinki.fi.

Roughly one week before your public examination 

• Before your public examination, you can share a link to the media release or your doctoral thesis on your personal social media accounts, as well as a link to the virtual public examination if you wish to invite people to attend it.
• If a decision has been made to publicise your thesis on the University’s social media accounts, social media texts will be published at this time. If a decision has been made to publish a media release on your thesis, the release will be sent to editorial offices and will be published on the University website.
• Please be prepared for contacts from the media by making yourself available by phone or email. Please note that the media may also take up the topic at a later date, and that journalists can contact you weeks or even months after your public examination.

• City Centre communications team: comms-citycentre@helsinki.fi
• Kumpula communications team: comms-kumpula@helsinki.fi
• Meilahti communications team: comms-meilahti@helsinki.fi
• Viikki communications team: comms-viikki@helsinki.fi