Reflections on Submitting My Doctoral Dissertation for Pre-examination

Uncertainty and excitement, satisfaction and wonder. The final weeks before submitting my dissertation for pre-examination were filled with these emotions—and many more. One moment I was questioning the results of my research; the next, I found myself actually feeling rather satisfied with the work. According to my supervisor’s reassuring words, such feelings are completely normal.

This spring, I finalized the summary part of my doctoral dissertation, which is based on three sub-studies. Writing the summary has been both meaningful and rewarding. It has been wonderful to realize how the uncertain ideas I had at the beginning of my dissertation process have developed first into scientific publications and then into a coherent, unified, and logical summary. While writing it, I found myself reflecting back on those very first thoughts: would I want to pursue a PhD, and what phenomenon might I study? Although the summary and my very first research plan are now like night and day, a common thread has remained—my interest in communal learning, social interaction, and how we as a group direct and steer our actions toward shared goals.

I especially noticed that writing at this stage felt different—and in some ways even easier—than writing the individual sub-articles. Those articles have already been published, and I could lean on the findings they presented. Now, I was able to view the results from a broader perspective, as one large, integrated whole. For me, this was the most valuable part: being able to conceptualize the phenomenon I studied from different viewpoints and on multiple levels. I also noticed how my thinking and expertise have naturally evolved since I wrote the first sub-study more than three years ago. In fact, I believe that writing the summary is one of the most important phases of the dissertation journey—one that takes your thinking to a broader, more societal level.

Of course, the process had its challenges. At the beginning, I thought I knew what the summary should include and how it should look—but in truth, I only figured that out through the actual writing process. The biggest question was probably how to bring together the contents of the sub-studies into one meaningful and engaging whole. The summary must stay firmly rooted in the core of the sub-studies and not stray too far, even if the temptation is there. At the same time, the summary shouldn’t be just a repetition of the articles—it needs to stand on its own and explain what new knowledge the dissertation, as a whole, offers. While writing, I found myself returning to one of the most fundamental research skills: delimiting. Even in the summary, one can’t address everything, even though there’s more room to elaborate on methodological choices and the theoretical framework than in the individual sub-studies.

In my case, I had a clear deadline due to the requirements of my research funder. This turned out to be a good source of motivation—alongside a strong personal desire to complete the work. Still, such a major and clearly defined time limit also brought challenges. Usually, there’s more flexibility in submitting a dissertation for pre-examination, and it’s possible to take a week or two longer for the final edits. This time, however, the last few weeks were incredibly intense, with long working days from morning to night. I guess that’s how it always goes with big projects: no matter how much time you plan for in advance, things still get hectic in the end. Near the finish line, it became difficult to read the text with fresh eyes—I already knew many of the sentences by heart. I had read the manuscript so many times that spotting typos or inconsistencies was nearly impossible. At the same time, I felt like I should read through it just one more time. My supervisors’ support was invaluable during this phase, and their encouragement in the final days was just what I needed.

In the final stages of writing, as I flipped through dozens and dozens of pages of my own text, I kept wondering: at what point over the past winter and spring did I actually manage to write all of this? Maybe the answer lies in those small moments, in consistency, persistence, and not giving up—even when writing felt uncertain. After all the emotional ups and downs of the final weeks, I submitted the dissertation for pre-examination with a sense of contentment. Now I plan to take a couple of months off from the summary—and to consciously try not to think about that text. From following the journeys of other PhD candidates, I also knew to expect a feeling of emptiness after submission. And that’s exactly what happened to me too. But after the well-deserved toasts, that feeling quickly turned into relief. Submitting the dissertation for pre-examination is a major milestone, one to be proud of. I’ve worked hard for this over the past few years. Now, the work is out of my hands, and I can focus on other things for a while and let my thoughts rest. My long-awaited summer holiday begins in just a couple of days—perfect timing. After the break, I can expect to receive feedback from the pre-examiners. And that, if anything, is going to be exciting.

Sara Keronen, Doctoral Researcher, JATKOT Research Group