How to apply for a PhD in Germany – Online course

Aim The aim is the target of your doctoral project.It is the

immediate result you expect to have at hand when your
doctoral project is done.Synonyms for ‘aim’ are, for example,
‘goal’, ‘overall finding’ and ‘general objective’.

Aim and objectives Aim and objectives is a section in a grant proposal or a research
proposal that consists of the statement of aim and the
objectives which are the steps taken to achieve the aim.

Applied research Applied research is aiming to solve particular life problems (by
developing a service to society, a product etc.), based on
reliable scientific knowledge, generated by basic scientific
research.

Basic scientific research Basic scientific research is meant to expand current scientific
knowledge.

Doctoral supervisor A doctoral supervisor (also termed ‘PhD supervisor’ or ‘doctoral

advisor’) is normally a university professor. The supervisor acts
as a mentor of the candidate. Apart from that the supervisor
will take responsibility before the faculty for the orderly
conduct of the doctoral project.

Eligibility The term ‘eligibility’ refers to the qualification of a doctoral

candidate for a grant from a funding agency or for a doctoral
post. The qualifications of the candidate have to match the
requirements of the potential funder or employer to be
eligible. The term ‘qualification’ is used here in its broadest
sense: It comprises the scientific qualification of a candidate,
the quality of the research idea and the topical focus of the
doctoral thesis. ‘Eligibility’ may also include criteria like age,
gender, religion, nationality of the candidate.

Funding agency A funding agency’s purpose is to finance projects. In terms of

doctoral candidates, the agency will fund doctoral projects,

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 mostly with a scholarship over a period of 2 to 3 years. To
receive funding the doctoral candidate has to successfully hand
in a grant proposal and other application documents, which
have to be set up according to the guidelines of the agency.

Graduate school The graduate school (Graduiertenschule) is one category of a

structured doctoral programme. By that programme doctoral
candidates from various disciplines are firmly bound in a
structure, which consists of training lessons and space to write
a doctoral thesis under close supervision of senior lecturers.
Graduate schools are, other than research training groups,
focused on one broad scientific topic, which the doctoral
theses have to reflect. By having to interact with their
interdisciplinary environment the candidates train to consider
their doctoral topic from various disciplinary perspectives.

Grant proposal A grant proposal is a research proposal that constitutes either a

funding request for a research project or a scholarship request
for the person conducting the project.

Addressee:
Reviewers appointed by the funding agency > experts and non-
experts

Grant proposal - General A grant proposal is a research proposal that constitutes either a
funding request for a research project or a scholarship request
for the person conducting the project.

Guidelines Guidelines, for example issued by a funding agency or a

structured doctoral programme, comprise the rules for
awarding scholarships, doctoral posts etc. to doctoral
candidates. These rules determine the eligibility of the
candidate, a deadline for submitting the application, as well as
specifications for the application documents’ structure, length
and format (e.g. of the grant proposal or the research exposé).

Higher education Higher education institutions offer an optional final stage of the
institutions formal learning process (e.g. doctoral studies). In Germany
higher education institutions comprise universities, technical
universities, universities of applied sciences and research
organisations not affiliated to universities (like Fraunhofer or

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 Max Planck). Private companies cannot be regarded as higher
education institutions, though they might offer vacancies for
doctoral candidates.

Hypothesis A hypothesis is a statement in the form of a declarative

sentence. It is predictive in nature.A hypothesis is suitable if
there is already a significant body of knowledge on your topic
available that allows you to make a prediction about the
expected result.

Example: Research gap: The effect of copper oxide

nanoparticles as feed additives on Red Tilapia hasn’t been
tested yet.
Prediction: Related studies give strong evidence that the effect
will be a positive growth rate.
Hypothesis: The effect of copper oxide nanoparticles as feed
additives on Red Tilapia will be a positive growth rate.

Individual doctorate An individual doctorate involves a doctoral thesis that is

written under the supervision of one professor. Doctoral
candidates will manage their own time and will meet their
supervisor for consultation in regular intervals. However, the
candidate will be expected to work largely independently.

Innovative training The Innovative Training Network (ITN) is one category of a

network structured doctoral programme. It is funded by the EU’s ‘Marie
Skłodowska-Curie Actions’ Each ITN involves a network of
several academic and non-academic institutions across the EU
and beyond. An ITN recruits and trains researchers. The
recruited researchers are expected to visit other host
organisations in the network for short exchange visits and/or
longer stays.

Introduction of the The introduction of the scientific background in a research

scientific background (of exposé serves to give evidence that there is actually a research
the research idea) gap and a need for this gap to be filled. This will be provided
briefly in just a few sentences.

The introduction of the scientific background in a grant

proposal or research proposal is the first structural element in
the summary section.

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 Just like in the research exposé it serves to briefly provide
evidence in just a few sentences that there is a research gap
and a need for this gap to be filled. It is a condensed version of
the state of research-section in a grant proposal or a research
proposal.

Letter of motivation A letter of motivation (also termed ‘statement of purpose’) is

one of the doctoral candidate’s basic documents, when
applying for the assistance of a doctoral supervisor or for a
place in a structured doctoral programme. In the letter the
candidate explains the reasons for having chosen that potential
doctoral supervisor or structured doctoral programme. The
candidate also explains, what the supervisor or the programme
can expect from her/him.

Letter of support The letter of support (also termed ‘letter of recommendation’)

is one of the doctoral candidate’s basic documents, when
applying for the assistance of a doctoral supervisor, for a place
in a structured doctoral programme or for funding. It is written
by the candidate’s academic referee who knows him/her well
enough to make qualified assertions. Purpose of the letter of
support is to support the claims the candidate made about
herself/himself in the CV.

Objectives Objectives are steps that need to be taken in order to achieve

the aim.

For each objective state the result you will have at hand after
having accomplished the objective to make apparent how
every step contributes to the achievement of the aim.

Synonyms for ‘objective’ are, for example, ‘sub-aim’ and

‘specific objective’.

Procedure (for achieving The procedure in a research exposé is a brief step-by-step

the aim) outline on how you intend to achieve the aim. You do this by
briefly explaining the objectives.

The procedure in a research proposal or grant proposal is the

third structural element in the summary-section.

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 Just like in the research exposé it serves to briefly outline step-
by-step how you intend to achieve the aim. You do this by
briefly explaining the objectives. The procedure in a grant
proposal or in a research exposé is a condensed version of the
work plan-section in a grant proposal or a research proposal.

Referee The referee is a member of the academia, who will testify (in a
letter of support) the claims made by a doctoral candidate in
his/her CV, when it comes to an application for funding or for a
doctoral post. The referee will be in most cases the supervisor
of the candidate’s master thesis or any academic teacher who
knows the candidate well enough to make qualified assertions.

References References is a section in a research exposé, a grant proposal

or a research proposal where all sources referred to in the
research exposé need to be listed.Whenever referring to
another author’s idea, it is a must to give credit for his/her idea
by giving references. Avoid plagiarism!

Research associate A research associate is a researcher, for example a doctoral

candidate, who usually holds a master’s degree. The research
associate position is normally a regular staff position with
appointment letters issued by the human resources
department of a higher education institution. Doctoral
candidates in Germany are entitled to fill a part-time position
of a research associate.

Research exposé A research exposé is a brief document outlining your research

idea for your doctoral thesis. (Short version)

Addressee:
Potential doctoral supervisor or structured doctoral
programme> experts in your field

Research exposé - A research exposé is a brief document outlining your research

General idea for your doctoral thesis.

Research gap A research gap is something that is missing in the current state
of research (more precisely: the current state of scientific
knowledge in your topical field).

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 A research gap is a problem that has not yet been resolved,
that can be, for example,

• a question that hasn’t been addressed before (see research

question)
• a hypothesis that hasn’t been tested before (see hypothesis)
• a new method or a new application or a new technique that
has not been considered before.The research gap is the
justification why your research idea and thus your doctoral
project is needed and significant.

Research idea A research idea is an idea on how to fill a research gap. That
can be, for example, an idea on how to solve a problem that
hasn’t been addressed before in your field of research.

Research proposal A research proposal is a document proposing a research

project.
(Long version)

Same addressee: Potential doctoral supervisor or structured

doctoral programme> experts in your field

Structure
Like grant proposal

Research proposal - A research proposal is a document proposing a research

General project. In case your research exposé has successfully created
interest you might be asked by your potential doctoral
supervisor or the structured doctoral programme to hand in a
longer, more comprehensive version. This is what we call
‘research proposal’. Such a research proposal comprises the
same basic structural elements like a grant proposal. The
addressee for a research proposal is your supervisor or the
structured doctoral programme you are applying to.

Research question A research question is written in the form of a question. It is

exploratory in nature. A research question is suitable if you
cannot make a prediction but only presume an expected result.

Example: Research gap: The effect of copper oxide

nanoparticles as feed additives on Red Tilapia is not

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 known.Research question: What is the effect of copper oxide
nanoparticles as feed additives on Red Tilapia?

Research Training Group The Research Training Group (Graduiertenkolleg) is one

category of a structured doctoral programme. By that
programme doctoral candidates from various disciplines are
firmly bound in a structure, which consists of training lessons
and space to write a doctoral thesis under close supervision of
senior lecturers. Research training groups are focused, other
than graduate schools, on a relatively narrow scientific topic,
which the doctoral theses have to reflect. By having to interact
with their interdisciplinary environment the candidates train to
consider their doctoral topic from various disciplinary
perspectives.

Scholarship A scholarship is principally a grant paid by funding agencies or

higher education institutions to cover the daily living costs of a
researcher, for example a doctoral candidate. With such a
scholarship the candidate is expected to fully concentrate on
the doctoral thesis and exams. The monthly amount varies
between 800 and 1.500 Euro, is tax-free and paid on the
candidate’s personal German account.

Significance of the The significance of the research result in a research exposé is a

research result brief statement of the possible results’ benefits for science and
for fields other than science.

The significance in a research proposal or grant proposal is the

fourth structural element in the summary-section.

Just like in the research exposé it serves to briefly state the

possible benefits of the research results for science and for
fields other than science.

State of research The state of research is a section in a grant proposal or a

research proposal where you give evidence that there is
actually a research gap and a need for this gap to be filled. The
state of research is a critical consideration of what has already
been done by other researchers in its direct relationship to the
research gap you intend to address in your doctoral project.
You do this by referring to scientific literature.

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 Synonyms for ‘state of research’ are, for example, ‘state of the
art’ and ‘literature review’.

Statement of aim The statement of aim is a general statement that describes

what you intend to achieve as immediate result of your
doctoral project.

Structured doctoral Structured doctoral programmes are training programmes for

programme doctoral candidates and are established for a particular topical
focus in research. Doctoral candidates from various disciplines
are invited to create an interdisciplinary area of research.
These candidates complete their doctoral thesis in this
programme and, at the same time, participate in an
accompanying (structured) study programme.

Summary The summary is a section in a grant proposal or a research

proposal and a concise outline of the intended research
project.

Synonyms for ‘summary’ are, for example, ‘abstract’,

‘introduction’, and ‘executive summary’.
The structural elements of a summary represent all the grant
proposal or research proposal sections in a highly condensed
form.
The structural elements are:

1) Introduction of the scientific background of your research

idea
2) Statement of the project’s aim
3) Procedure for achieving the aim
4) Significance of the research result

Title The title is the first impression the reader will have of your
research exposé or grant / research proposal and your first
chance to inform and impress. The title therefore needs to
indicate the research gap (e.g. a problem) and, at the same
time, the filling of this gap (i.e. the solution to the problem) –
which is the aim of your doctoral project.

Work plan The work plan is a section in a grant proposal or a research

proposal that provides detailed information on the activities

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 you intend to undertake for achieving the aim.

Synonyms for ‘work plan’ are, for example, ‘programme’,

‘methodology’ and ‘research design’.

Working definition A working definition is an explanation of a term.

As terms often have multiple meanings a working definition
helps the reader to understand which meaning you have in
mind when using the term.

Example:‘X’ in this context means …