Supervision and evaluation of doctoral students

The work carried out by doctoral students during the process of writing their doctoral thesis will be evaluated every year. The “SAD – Supervision and Assessment of Doctoral Students” is the online platform that will allow doctoral students to complete their Doctoral Student Activities Document (DAD) and Research Plan (PLAINV) online and which will enable thesis supervisors and the academic committees to supervise and assess their doctoral students. Students must receive a positive evaluation to be able to continue with their doctoral studies and to register for the following academic year.

Students can access the SAD online platform, in non-editable consultation mode, as long as they have a valid registration for the doctoral programme. Students need to introduce their PLAINV and DAD into the SAD online platform when the period for doing so is open (see the assessment calendar).

Students whose deadline for depositing the thesis has expired, or students that have already deposited their thesis, can access the SAD online platform but are not allowed to edit or introduce information.

• Research Plan and Document of Doctoral Activities 

The Research Plan (PLAINV) defines the objectives, tools and methodology, schedule and any other means students use to produce their doctoral thesis.

This PLAINV is required for first-year students and is going to be updated at any time during the doctoral programme with any improvements, progress and/or modifications deemed to be necessary.

When filling in the PLAINV, be aware that only certain formats are accepted. Therefore, you have to introduce text without format. If needed, you will be able to format the text using the SAD's text editor.

In this document, in the first year, students should include the following information:

• Title of the thesis
• Objectives
• Methodology
• Tools and Techniques
• The thesis project planning
• ORCID identifier: take a look at the 10 reasons for having an ORCID at the URV and ask for it on this web.
• SCOPUS Author Identifier: see the CRAI website, which contains information about the Digital Identity of Researchers and explains what this identifier is. If you have some articles indexed in SCOPUS, state your ScopusID in this section. If not, then indicate "I do not have a ScopusID yet". - NEW 2022-23!
• Self-assessment questionnaire for ethical aspects of the doctoral thesis: visit the Ethics in research and innovation section on the Research tab on the Intranet (introduce your keys), where you can download the template for the Ethics self-assessment questionnaire. Your thesis supervisor can help you to filling in this questionnaire. You have to upload it into the corresponding section of the PLAINV. Moreover, in case you did not send it before, you also need to follow the instructions at the bottom of the questionnaire and send it to the CERI Technical Secretariat so that they can advise you about which one of the ethics committees has to evaluate your doctoral thesis - NEW 2022-23(*)!
• Annex: if you have tables, forms, images, questionnaires, articles, or other documents related to the research plan, you can upload them in PDF in the PLAINV annex.

(*) Only for new doctoral students 2022-23.

The Document of Doctoral Activities (DAD) is a record of all the relevant activities carried out during the doctoral thesis. For example:

• Attendance and/or talks given at courses, conferences, symposia, seminars, etc.
• Publications (articles, books, etc.)
• Industrial protection and/or intellectual property rights (patents, etc.)
• Mobility
• Participation in projects
• Teaching
• Work experience in companies
• Awards, subsidies or other prizes
• Open Learning Programme – URV

The evaluation must be positive if students are to be allowed to continue on the doctoral programme and enrol for the next academic year

• Assessment

When the period for introducing and/or modifying the DAD and the PLAINV is over, the process of evaluation will begin:

1. The supervisor/s will issue a favourable or unfavourable or absent report on the content added by the doctoral student.
2. On the basis of the report issued by the thesis supervisor, and of the DAD and PLAINV presented by the student, the Academic Committee will evaluate the work by giving one of four possible qualifications: pass or fail or absent or absent due to a temporary leave.
3. Finally, the Steering Committee of the Doctoral School will aprove the Act of Results of the evaluation issued by the Academic Committee.

• Students must pass if they are to continue on the programme.
• If they do not pass (fail or absent) or are absent due to a temporary leave, they will be re-evaluated in a second exam session where a new PLAINV and DAD will be submitted to the SAD platform. If they fail to pass (fail or absent) a second time, they will be required to withdraw from the programme.
• First-year doctoral students, even having an authorized temporary leave, need to submit their PLAINV and DAD, and pass the annual assessment. Obtaining a favourable evaluation (pass) is necessary to resume studies and register for the next academic year.
• Those non-first-year doctoral students who are on a duly authorized temporary leave that coincides with the second exam session, would receive a grade of absent due to a temporary leave. When requesting to resume studies, the favourable assessment (pass) of the previous academic year will be taken as a reference.