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My role as doctoral student

  • You ensure the thorough execution of your doctoral research so that it can result in a dissertation.
  • As a researcher, you adhere to the ALLEA Code of Conduct for Scientific Integrity. This code is explained during the mandatory introductory course for doctoral students.
  • Every year, you (re-)enrol as a doctoral student, including the academic year in which you submit and defend your dissertation. Your enrolment can be refused if you receive negative feedback on your annual self-reflection report or, in the case of a joint doctorate, if the contractual provisions of the joint doctorate are no longer met. Only at the first and last enrolment will you owe a tuition fee.
  • Once enrolled, you can make use of the courses offered by the Doctoral School. Where appropriate, you discuss the curriculum of your doctoral training programme with your doctoral advisory committee (DBC).
  • You put together your Data Management Plan (DMP) and make sure that (if necessary) you dispose of your ethical approval. You keep your Data Management Plan (DMP) up to date.
  • Good cooperation with your supervisor(s) is important. Possible arragements can be found in the ‘charter for doctoral students and supervisors’.
  • You report regularly, at your own initiative or when requested, on the progress of your research to the doctoral advisory committee (DBC) and/or your supervisor(s), and you submit a self-reflection report annually (between 1 April and 30 June) to the doctoral advisory committee (DBC). Based on the self-reflection report, the doctoral advisory committee (DBC) formulates a report on your doctoral activities. In case of a favourable (i.e. positive) report, you are invited to re-enrol for the following academic year. In case of an unfavourable (i.e. negative) report, you cannot re-enrol or you cannot re-enrol immediately before additional talks have been held. If you enrol for the doctorate and the doctoral training programme for the first time after 31 May, you are exempted from this self-reflection report for the first year and you can re-enrol for the following academic year without additional conditions. Your first self-reflection report includes at least an action plan for your doctoral research.
  • Make sure you meet the additional publication condition in a timely fashion. For an article-based doctorate, you have to comply with these conditions.
  • When your dissertation is finished and you want to submit your dissertation to the Faculty Council, you need a recommendation from the doctoral advisory committee (DBC). To this end, your administrative supervisor responsible takes the initiative.
  • You submit your doctoral dissertation to the Faculty Council:
    • In advance, check in Oasis whether you are enrolled for the current academic year. You need to enrol to and including the academic year in which your public defence takes place. Also check whether you are enrolled for the correct discipline. If this is not the case, mail the form ‘change the intended doctoral degree’ to fsa.lw@ugent.be, after which the FSA will present this change to the Faculty Council.
    • Submitting your doctoral dissertation and the entire ‘submit dissertation’ process goes through Plato. All communication also takes place through Plato.
    • Make sure that all details are completed and that your dissertation is uploaded digitally in Plato. Add a summary in Dutch and English, whether or not in the dissertation itself (300 to maximum 500 words), written in an accessible language, without jargon. Both you and your supervisor(s) need to sign the details for approval in Plato (without this, your application cannot be processed). The deadline for all this is the final date for submission of preparatory documents to the Faculty Council.
    • If your dissertation is based on articles, all your accepted publications should be uploaded in Biblio (Ghent University Academic Bibliography). Not yet accepted publications may not be uploaded in Biblio. For publications with multiple authors, also upload the authorship protocol form in Plato. 
    • If requested, paper copies of your dissertation should be submitted to the Faculty Student Administration (FSA) by 16:00 the day before the meeting of the Faculty Council. The number of copies will be communicated by the Faculty Student Administration (FSA). If you want the Faculty Student Administration (FSA) to send the copy for your supervisor(s), you also submit these additional copies at that time.
    • Joint PhD. Even if you defend your dissertation at a partner institution as part of a joint doctorate, you need to submit the dissertation prior to the Faculty Council meeting of the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy at Ghent University before the start of the doctoral examination. If you defend your dissertation at Ghent University, the full Ghent University regulations apply, and the stipulations specified in the co-operation agreement are taken into account.
  • When the Faculty Council declares the doctoral dissertation admissible, the Council also confirms your Examination Board and the date of the first deliberation. The Faculty Student Administration (FSA) will communicate the time, date and place of the first deliberation.
  • You prepare for and you attend the first deliberation on the dissertation. For the preparation, you can use the written reports of the Examination Board members, which are provided to you by the Faculty Student Administration (FSA) at least four working days in advance. During the first deliberation (that occurs behind closed doors), a substantive discussion will take place between you and the Examination Board members.
  • Depending on the result of the first deliberation by the Examination Board, you update your dissertation and/or prepare for the public defence of said dissertation. Following the first deliberation, a time, date and place for the public defence will be determined with you. If you are asked to make corrections to the dissertation, you need to resubmit your dissertation in Plato within the period imposed and add a document detailing how and where the requested corrections were made (or why certain corrections were not made).
  • Together with your administrative supervisor responsible, you are responsible for the practical organisation of the first deliberation and the public defence.
  • After you have been admitted to the public defence of the dissertation, you are invited to pay the remaining tuition fee. Make sure you pay promptly: this will increase your chances of receiving your doctoral certificate immediately after the successful public defence of your dissertation.
  • At least two calendar days prior to the public defence, you upload the final version of your dissertation to Plato. Add the Dutch and English summary again, whether or not in the dissertation itself (300 to maximum 500 words).
  • During the public defence, you first give a short presentation of your doctoral research, which lasts no more than 20 minutes. After this, the members of the Examination Board ask you questions.
  • If required, you can present a paper version of your final dissertation to the members of the Examination Board.
  • Following the public defence, the result of the deliberation will be publicly announced. Ghent University does not grant grades of merit within the context of a doctorate, nor does it ‘congratulate’ the student. You pass or you do not pass.
  • If you pass, you will be invited to make a pledge of scientific integrity during the public defence (although this is not obliged).
  • After obtaining your doctoral title, you receive the diploma, a beret and a gift from the faculty.