5. The decision to undertake a doctoral
thesis
SCIENTIFIC VOCATION
This is an important decision. A meditated reflection.
It is a journey: time must be invested to plan the route. It is convenient to collect
information from former doctoral candidates in order to get a rough idea and to keep
ahead of the obstacles.
It is a long and difficult journey. All of the obstacles can be overcome, but to reach
the final goal requires effort and sacrifice.
The "psychological baggage": will power, motivation, perseverance, excitement,
discipline, faith in yourself, determination, positive attitude, patience...
Your attitude is above your aptitude.
What mentality do you need to undertake the research? An open mind, a critical yet
constructive eye.
6. 2. What is a
doctoral thesis?
Concept and purpose
Choosing the topic. Justification
Skills, capacities and expertise
7. What is a doctoral thesis?
Concept and purpose
• Research work: consideration of a problem, analysis and satisfactory
solution of the same. Reflexive, systematic and methodical work.
• Generation of new knowledge: the work must be characterised by its
originality and innovation. It must provide new knowledge to that
already existing on the topic.
8. Choosing the topic. Justification
- There must be a reason that justifies the performance of the research work.
- Think about how your research can:
• Resolve theoretical issues
• Develop better models
• Improve knowledge on the topic
• Resolve scientific conflicts
• Improve industrial processes
- The research topic must be in accordance with the preparation of the doctoral
candidate and the work possibilities. Accessibility of the sources and bibliography and
of the methods and techniques necessary, availing of adequate management, prior
knowledge, languages and time available.
- The research must say something that has not yet been said about the object of
study or review a different point of view of something that has already been said.
9. Skills, capacities and expertise
Skills that the doctoral candidate must acquire:
• a) Systematic understanding of a field of study and proficiency in the
research methods and skills related to said field.
• b) Capacity to conceive, design or create, to implement and adopt a
substantial research or creation process.
• c) Capacity to contribute to the extension of the borders of knowledge through
original research.
• d) Capacity to undertake critical analysis and evaluation and synthesis of new
and complex ideas.
• e) Capacity to communicate with the academic and scientific community and
with society in general with regards to the scopes of knowledge in the usual
manners and languages in the international scientific community.
• f) Capacity to promote, in academic and professional contexts, the scientific,
technological, social, artistic or cultural progress within a society based on
knowledge.
10. Skills, capacities and expertise
Capacities and expertise
• a) To work well in contexts where there is little specific information.
• b) To find the key questions that must be answered to resolve a complex
problem.
• c) To design, create, develop and launch new and innovative projects in
the scope of knowledge.
• d) To work both in a team and individually in an international or
multidisciplinary context.
• e) To integrate knowledge, face the complexity and create opinions with
limited information.
• f) Intellectual defence and criticism of solutions.
11. 3. The PhD
process
Duration of the doctorate
Doctoral commitment
Research plan
Information resources
- ResearchGate
Training during the doctorate
Record of activities and research plan
Annual evaluation
Defence of the doctoral thesis
International doctor mention
International joint supervision
Industrial doctor mention
12. Processes during the doctorate.
Duration of the doctorate
• Duration
Applications for a later deadline
• Application for prolongation .
• Change in study modality.
• Suspension of the term calculation: leave due to illness, pregnancy,
paternity or maternity leave or any other reason established in the
regulation.
• Temporary suspension of studies: maximum one year, can be extended to
another year.
MODALITY DURATION PROLONGATION
EXCEPTIONAL
PROLONGATION
Full time 3 years 1 year 1 year
Half time 5 years 2 years 1 year
13. Doctoral commitment
Establishes the rights and obligations of the doctoral candidate, the thesis
director, the thesis tutor and the coordinator of the doctorate program, the
latter in the name of the University of Alicante, with the objective of ensuring
achievement of the objectives stated during the elaboration of the doctoral
thesis.
• The parties sign this document at the time of assignment of the thesis
director to the doctoral candidate. It contemplates understanding by the
parties of the Code of good practice of the EDUA.
• The doctoral commitment document is signed electronically through the
"eAdministration" application by UACloud.
14. Research plan
During the first year, the Research plan is elaborated.
• 1. Background and current status of the topic.
• 2. Most relevant bibliography.
• 3. Objective of the research.
• 4. Hypothesis, methodology and time planning.
• 5. Anticipated impact.
• 6. Ethical or biosecurity implications.
15. Research plan
• The research plan shows the suitable nature, or not, of the topic chosen
and its relationship to the methods and objectives proposed.
• It permits detection of inconsistencies.
• It allows for the introduction of clarifications, modifications.
• It shows the feasibility of the research.
• This plan can be improved and detailed throughout the development of
the research, therefore each year it should be included again in the
application.
• The director guarantees the research plan.
16. Research plan
• Development of the research plan
CONTEXT OBSERVATION
BACKGROUND
QUESTION
HYPOTHESIS
OBTAINING
INFORMATION/
EXPERIMENTATION
ANALYSIS OF DATA
AND RESULTS
SCIENTIFIC
COMMUNICATION
False hypothesisTrue hypothesis
17. Information resources
Search, collection and reading of bibliography
• Historical and chronological panorama of how knowledge has evolved
in a specific area.
• Relevance of knowing languages.
• Practical utility:
Current status of the knowledge in this area.
Influences the direction that will be adopted by the research.
Permits visualisation of various approaches.
Permits identification of unresolved problems.
Prevents the proposal of questions that have already been
answered.
21. Information resources ResearchGate
ResearchGate
• ResearchGate is a scientific social network for scientists and researchers
with the objective of connecting researchers and allowing them to share
and access their publications, knowledge and experience.
It permits:
Share your publications and gain visibility.
Connect and collaborate with other researchers.
Obtain statistics and metrics on your profile and your publications.
Resolve issues in a joint manner.
25. Training during the doctorate
• The Doctorate Programs do not have formal subjects but do
have educational activities. Some are common to all
doctorate programs at EDUA and others are specific to each
program. These activities are carried out throughout the
doctorate and are included in the activities document of the
doctoral program.
26. Training during the doctorate
Common transversal activities
Specific activities (These vary depending on the program).
• Attendance at conferences, congresses, seminars.
• Presentation of communications at congresses.
• Publication of scientific articles.
• Stays at other institutions.
• …
The document of doctoral candidate activities is the individualised record
of control of the activities that the doctoral candidate carries out throughout
the program, which will be reviewed annually by the tutor of the thesis.
The UA has a platform for computer registration of activities and
research plans (RAPI), which facilitates control without the need for the
student to be present.
31. Record of activities and research plan
While the activity is "registered",
a file can be attached and
edited, but the tutor cannot
revise it.
It must be changed to "under
review". In this status, no
changes can be made.
32. Annual evaluation
• Tutor: Annually revises the education activities. Their acceptance is required. They
issue a report.
• Director: Annually revises the research plan. Their acceptance is required. They issue a
report.
• In the month of July each academic year, the Academic committee of the program
will evaluate the research plan and the document of activities in view of the reports
that must be issued by the director and the tutor for this purpose. Evaluates as PASS
or FAIL.
• In the case of the Academic committee detect significant shortcomings, they can
request that the doctoral candidate present a new research plan in a period of six
months.
• In the case that the shortcomings continue, the Academic committee must issue a
justified report and the doctoral candidate which definitively leave the program.
33. Defence of the doctoral thesis
• The studies conclude with the elaboration and defence of a doctoral thesis with a tribunal
consisting of 3 doctors of recognised prestige in the area of research.
• The doctoral thesis will consist of an original research work elaborated by the candidate in
any area of knowledge. It can also be presented by a compendium of publications.
The thesis must prepare the doctoral candidate for autonomous work in the field of R&D&i.
• It must be deposited in the EDUA, following the formats required, one month prior to the
anticipated date of reading. Previously, the Academic committee of the doctorate will have
given final approval of the doctoral candidate's record and have requested approval from the
proposed tribunal.
• The doctoral thesis will be evaluated in the defence, which will take place in a public session
and will consist of the presentation and defence by the doctoral candidate for the members of
the tribunal of their research work. The doctors present in the public act may formulate
questions at the time and in the manner indicated by the chairperson of the tribunal.
34. • Compendium of publications: Indexed publications
• Specialised international database. Scopus, Web of Science…
• Analysis and Evaluation Tool: Journal Citations Report
This is an analysis tool that presents citation statistical data from 1997
onward, providing a vision of the importance of the journals within
their topic categories (journal impact factor). It is presented in a
Science edition and a Social Sciences edition. It offers a systematic and
objective means to evaluate the principal research methods in the world,
providing the number of citations and articles of practically all of the
specialities of science, technology and social sciences.
Defence of the doctoral thesis
35. Journal Citation Reports shows:
• The most frequently cited journals in a field
• The principal journals in a field
• The journals with greatest impact in a field
• The most published articles in a field
• The topic category data to carry out comparative tests
Access from the Library website. Database
Defence of the doctoral thesis
36. International doctor mention
• The title of Doctor may include the mention of "International doctor" on the reverse,
provided that the following circumstances are met:
• That, during the education period necessary to obtain the title of doctor, the doctoral student carries out a
minimum period of three months outside Spain, in an institute of higher education or research centre of prestige,
completing studies or research work. The stay and activities must be guaranteed by the director and authorised by
the Academic Committee, and will be included in the doctoral candidate's document of activities.
• That part of the doctoral thesis, at least the summary and conclusions, have been written and presented in one of
the habitual languages for scientific communication in the field of knowledge, different to any of the official
languages in Spain. This regulation will not be applicable when the stays, reports and experts come from a country
where Spanish is spoken.
• That the thesis has been informed by a minimum of two expert doctors pertaining to an institute of higher
education or institute of research that is not Spanish.
• That at least one expert pertaining to an institute of higher education or institute of research that is not Spanish,
with the title of doctor, and other than the person responsible for the stay mentioned in section a), has formed part
of the evaluation tribunal for the thesis.
• The defence of the thesis must be carried out in the Spanish university where the doctoral candidate was registered.
37. International joint supervision
• The title of Doctor will include, on the reverse, the statement “Thesis under joint
supervision with the University U”, provided that the following conditions are met:
• a) That the doctoral thesis is supervised by two or more Doctors from two Universities,
one Spanish and another foreign, which must formalise a joint supervision agreement.
• b) That during the period of education necessary to obtain the title of Doctor, the
doctoral candidate has carried out a minimum stay of six months in the institution with
which the joint supervision agreement is established, carrying out research work,
either in one single period or several. The stays and activities will be reflected in the
joint supervision agreement.
38. International joint supervision
• The doctoral candidate must register their doctoral thesis project in both
Universities.
• The thesis will be subject to storage in both institutions as required by the
respectively applicable regulations for the purposes of publicity.
• The thesis will be subject to a single defence, which will be recognised by
both institutions.
• The doctoral thesis under joint supervision with another university permits
obtaining the title of Doctor from both Universities.
39. Industrial doctor mention
Performance of strategic research projects within a company where the doctoral candidate develops their research
education in collaboration with a university.
The mention of “Industrial Doctorate” will be granted provided that the following circumstances are met:
• a) The existence of an employment or commercial contract with the doctoral candidate. The contract can be
signed with a company from the private sector or the public sector, as well as by a Public Administration.
• b) The doctoral candidate must participate in a project of industrial research or experimental development
carried out in the company or Public Administration where the service is provided, which cannot be a
University. The project of industrial research or experimental development in which the doctoral candidate
participates must have a direct relationship with the thesis being carried out. This direct relationship must be
accredited through a report that will be approved by the University.
In the case that the project of industrial research or experimental development is carried out in collaboration
with the University and the company or Public Administration where the doctoral candidate provides the service, a
framework collaboration agreement will be signed between the parties. This agreement will indicate the obligations of
the University and the obligations of the company or Public Administration, as well as the procedure for selecting the
doctoral candidates.
The doctoral candidate will have a tutor designated by the University and a manager designated by the company or
Public Administration, who may be, where applicable, a Director of the thesis in accordance with the regulations of the
Doctorate.
40. More information:
• EDUA: Doctoral School of Alicante University
• Contact:
• E-mail: doctorat@ua.es
• Phone: +34 965 90 3466
• Web EDUA: http://edua.ua.es
