Activity 2-unit 2-update 2024. English translation

1. Lesson:
Purposes and objetives of
the research: How to do a
doctoral thesis
ACTIVITY 2>SECTION 1
Common cross-curricular activities

2. Lecturer:
Carmen Pire Galiana
Academic secretary Doctoral School

3. Index
1. The decision to undertake a
doctoral thesis
2. What is a doctoral thesis?
3. The PhD process

4. 1. The decision to
undertake a
doctoral thesis

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 line with the doctoral candidate's preparation and
work possibilities. Accessibility of sources and bibliographies, as well as the
methods and techniques required, taking into account appropriate 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 on 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.
g) Capacity to promote open science and citizen science as a way of contributing to the
consideration of scientific knowledge as a common good.

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. Stay informed
• Training during the doctorate
• Record of activities and research plan
• Annual evaluation
• Defence of the doctoral thesis
• Research publication
- Journal Citation Reports
• International joint supervision
• International doctor mention
• Industrial doctor mention

12. Processes during the doctorate.
Duration of the doctorate
Permanence in the
doctoral programme
Students enrolled for the first time
before the academic year 23/24
Students enrolled for the first
time in the academic year 23/24
Full time
Ordinary period: maximum 3 years and
minimum 1 year.
Extension: 1 year +
Exceptional extension: 1 year
Ordinary period: maximum 4
years and minimum 1 year.
Extension: 1 year
Part-time
Ordinary period: maximum 5 years and
minimum 2 years
Extension 2 years +
Exceptional extension: 1 year
Ordinary period: maximum 5
years and minimum 2 years
Extension 2 years +
Exceptional extension: 1 year
Degree of disability equal
to or greater than 33%.
Maximum of six years full-time
and nine years part-time
Extension: 1 year
Maximum period of one year, extendable
Periods of temporary leave from

13. Processes during the doctorate.
Duration of the doctorate
• Applications for extension of the deadline
Requests to the Academic Committee: Using the established models
(https://eidua.ua.es/es/4-estudiantes-y-tesis/duracion-de-los-estudios.html)
-Extension requests
-Change of study mode
-Temporary suspension of studies
Requests to the EIDUA: Leave of absence due to temporary incapacity, birth,
adoption, foster care, risk of pregnancy, risk of breastfeeding, gender-based violence
or any other situation provided for in the current regulations.

14. 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
acceptance of the EIDUA Code of Good Practice and the Code of Good
Research Practice (Code of Good Research Practice )
The doctoral commitment document is signed electronically through the
"eAdministration" application by UACloud.

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. Training plan
• The PhD student's personal training plan will contain a forecast of
the different training activities to be carried out during the doctoral
thesis (courses, seminars, mobility activities, participation in
conferences, etc.). Both the research plan and the training plan,
can be improved and detailed throughout the stay in the program
and must be endorsed by the Supervisor and the Tutor.

18. 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.

19. Information resources. Stay informed
• Thematic alerts
❖ Web of science
❖ Scopus
❖ Google scholar
❖ Science Direct
❖ Alertas de editoriales y
revistas
• Receive recommendations
❖ Mendeley
❖ ResearchGate
❖ Google scholar
• Follow scientists
❖ ReserchGate
❖ Mendeley

20. Information resources. Stay informed

21. Information resources. Stay informed

22. Information resources. Stay informed

23. Information resources. Stay informed
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.

24. ResearchGate
Information Alerts
Information resources. Stay informed

25. ResearchGate
Information resources. Stay informed
Suggestions on
bibliography and
job offers,
according to your
history.

26. Information resources. Stay informed
You can ask
questions or answer
those of other
researchers

27. Jobs offers
Information resources. Stay informed

28. Training during the doctorate
• The Doctorate Programs do not have formal subjects but do
have training activities. Some are common to all doctorate
programs at EIDUA 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.

29. 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.

30. Record of activities and research and
training plan
To upload a new activity to RAPI
Three possible states:
-Registered: It is still editable. Not
viewed by either tutor or director
-In review: It is no longer editable. Tutor
and director can see it
-Accepted: The tutor has accepted the
activity

31. Record of activities and research and
training plan
Select the academic year,
modality and description.
Common training activities
do not have to be registered
in RAPI

32. Record of activities and research and
training plan
To upload the research and training plan or fill in the
progress
Only to fill in the second course and the following ones
Once the plan file has
been uploaded or the
progress has been
completed, it must be
changed to “In review”
Link to the training and research plan

33. Annual evaluation
• Tutor: Annually revises the training activities. Their acceptance is required. They issue a
report.
• Supervisor and tutor: Annually revises the research and training 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.

34. In the evaluation period, tutor and
supervisor will upload reports related
to the activity of the doctoral student
and then the academic commission
evaluates based on those reports
The evaluation will be carried out on every year

35. The thesis deposit must be made before
the deadline
A date extension can be request to the
Academic Commission if the conditions to
do it are fullfilled.

36. 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 will have a minimum of two reports issued by experts in the field, external to the
university, who may propose aspects for improvement. These experts may form part of the
examining board that assesses the thesis. Depending on the content of these reports, the
academic committee will give the doctoral student a deadline to respond and, if necessary,
include the relevant modifications in the doctoral thesis before it is deposited
• It must be deposited in the EIDUA, following the formats required, one month prior to the
anticipated date of defense. 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 assessed at the defence ceremony, which will take place in a
public session, and will consist of the presentation and defence of the research work by the
PhD student before the members of the examining board. .

37. • 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.
Research publication

38. Research publication
Compendium of
publications

39. 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.

40. 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.

41. 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.

42. 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.

43. More information:
• EIDUA: Doctoral School of Alicante University
• Contact:
• E-mail: doctorat@ua.es
• Phone: +34 965 90 3466
• Web EIDUA: https://eidua.ua.es/es/eidua.html

44. Carmen Pire Galiana
secret.eidua@ua.es
Academic Secretary of the Doctoral School