ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses that the purpose of the narrative is to demonstrate ‘doctorateness’. Despite the emphasis on ‘publication’ in the thesis by publication, the mere ability to publish articles in journals in itself does not constitute doctorateness, which is what makes the narrative more important. The four other criteria — cohesiveness, originality, independence, and disciplinary belonging — are equally important, and constitute the focus of the rest of the chapter. The narrative needs to demonstrate thematic and topical cohesiveness. The most important element of doctorateness is demonstrating that one has become a ‘steward of the discipline’. In sum, the narrative involves far more than simply summarizing one's articles, but rather represents an opportunity for one to demonstrate the aspects of doctorateness one feel are important to communicate to the readers. The relative importance of each of the dimensional elements of doctorateness varies between institutional contexts.
