Universitat Rovira i Virgili

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.

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:

(*) 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:

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

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.