General rules and guidelines for the PhD programme at the Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen
Table of content
On completion of the PhD programme, a PhD thesis is submitted. The PhD thesis must be submitted in a number of copies laid down by the faculty, and, to the extent possible, an electronic version for use in connection with the assessment. Further requirements of the PhD thesis are laid down by the faculty. Upon the submission of the PhD thesis, the author is given a receipt documenting that the PhD thesis has been submitted for assessment.
The PhD thesis can not be submitted for assessment by two or more authors jointly. The thesis must include abstracts in Danish and English. In addition, the thesis may include abstracts in other languages than Danish and English. If the thesis includes articles or draft articles prepared in collaboration with others, there must be enclosed written declarations from each of the co-authors stating the contribution of the author of the PhD thesis to the work (cf. section 12 of the PhD order).
The front page of the PhD thesis must state that the thesis has been submitted at the University of Copenhagen as well as state the name of the faculty. The University of Copenhagen’s faculty-specific front page for PhD thesis may be attached to the PhD thesis
The PhD student’s enrolment at the University of Copenhagen expires upon the submission of the thesis (cf. section 13 of the PhD order). The supervisor and the department are, however, expected to assist the PhD student in the period up until the defence. (Back to table of content)
Supplementary rules and guidelines at LIFE: PhD theses at LIFE
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The PhD thesis must be submitted electronically to the department in six copies. Form F16 must be used.
The PhD thesis must be written in Danish, English or in another major language approved by the principal supervisor and must, in addition to the above, usually contain the following elements:
- Purpose
- Description of the project’s academic area related to the existing knowledge within the discipline
- Description of the research activities conducted (including material, methodologies and findings), including any manuscripts and already published articles
- List of any articles and/or manuscripts forming part of the thesis
- Summary discussion
- Conclusion and account of further research perspectives
If the PhD thesis is based on manuscripts for publication or already published articles which do not contain a wider description of the discipline and the research conducted, an overview must be prepared of the findings of the articles, and the content of the articles must be related to the theoretical basis and to each other.
Dissertations and other theses which have previously formed the basis for the award of academic degrees in Denmark or abroad, cannot be included in the PhD thesis.
For each manuscript or published article with co-authors forming part of the thesis, a co-author statement must be completed and signed by the PhD student and all co-authors. Form F15 must be used.
If manuscripts and/or published articles are included, approval for parallel publication must be obtained from the journals in case a general approval for this does not already exist. The library’s information about and application form for parallel publication appear from Form F22, which must be used. (Back to table of content)
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The PhD thesis and the defence are assessed by an assessment committee. A three-member assessment committee is appointed no later than immediately following the submission of the PhD thesis (cf. section 16 of the PhD Order). The members must be at least at the level of associate professor or senior researcher within the relevant field of study. Two of the members must be external researchers, i.e. they must not be employed at the University of Copenhagen.
At least one of the members must be from outside Denmark, unless this is not practicable considering the subject in question (cf. section 16(2) of the PhD order). The third member is usually from the relevant faculty and is appointed as chair of the assessment committee by the faculty. Efforts should be made to ensure that both genders are represented on the committee. Persons who are co-authors of articles included in the PhD thesis may not be on the assessment committee.
The PhD student’s supervisors may not be on the assessment committee; however the principal supervisor assists the committee without voting rights (cf. section 16(2) of the PhD order). As assistant, the principal supervisor must be available for answering questions to clarify the underlying PhD programme and the academic progression of the PhD student’s research project. The principal supervisor may be invited to any meetings held by the assessment committee for this purpose. The supervisor can not act as secretary to the committee.
For PhD students with a scholarship financed by the Danish Council for Technology and Innovation (industrial PhD students), at least one of the members of the assessment committee must have company-relevant research experience within the field of study (cf. section 26 of the PhD order), but may not be employed with the company where the PhD student is employed.
The PhD Study Board must propose the composition of the assessment committee to the Dean (cf. section 16b(7)(2) of the Danish University Act) upon having obtained proposals from the relevant head of department, who may consult the supervisor. Immediately after the members of the assessment committee have been appointed, the author must be notified thereof. The author may object to the members appointed within a period of one week. (Back to table of content)
Supplementary rules and guidelines at LIFE: Assessment committee at LIFE
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The principal supervisor is responsible for requesting that an assessment committee be appointed as soon as possible and no later than two months before the expected submission of the thesis (Form F14). (Back to table of content) |
Within two months of the submission of the PhD thesis, the assessment committee must make its recommendation to the faculty as to whether the PhD thesis fulfils the requirements for the award of the PhD degree. This recommendation must be written and reasoned and, in case of disagreement, it must be based on a majority vote. The author must receive a copy of the recommendation. If the assessment committee’s assessment is favourable, the thesis may be defended (cf. section 18 of the PhD order).
If the assessment committee’s assessment is not favourable, the assessment committee must state whether the PhD thesis may be resubmitted in a revised version, and it must set a deadline for resubmission (cf. section 18(3) of the PhD order). A not favourable recommendation from the assessment committee must be clearly reasoned.
If the recommendation is not favourable, the author and the principal supervisor, who are heard separately, may submit their comments on the recommendation within a period of two weeks.
If the assessment committee does not find the thesis acceptable for defence, the head of the PhD school must, on the basis of the recommendation of the assessment committee and the comments of the author and the principal supervisor, make one of the following decisions (cf. section 18(4)(1)-(3)):
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That the defence of the thesis may not take place.
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That the PhD thesis may be resubmitted in a revised version within a deadline of at least three months. If the PhD thesis is resubmitted, it shall be assessed by the same assessment committee unless special circumstances apply.
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That the PhD thesis shall be submitted for assessment by a new assessment committee.
The author may appeal the decision by the head of the PhD school to the Dean within a period of two weeks from the day the author was informed of the decision. All complaints must be submitted in writing and be reasoned. (Back to table of content)
Supplementary rules and guidelines at LIFE: Preliminary assessment at LIFE
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The assessment committee’s preliminary assessment must be submitted to Study and Students’ Affairs by the chairman of the committee (Form F18 must be used).
If the preliminary recommendation is negative, and the thesis is found to be acceptable for resubmission in a revised version, the author must be given a deadline of at least three months and a maximum of twelve months by the head of the PhD school to resubmit the PhD thesis in a revised version. (Back to table of content) |
All PhD defences at the University of Copenhagen are public and are usually announced on the University of Copenhagen’s website (http://www.ku.dk/phd/), on the faculty’s website and, if possible, in the publication Universitetsavisen.
Prior to the announcement of the defence, the author must prepare an abstract of 10-20 lines in both Danish and English which presents in plain language the main findings of the PhD thesis. These abstracts will be used in connection with the announcement of the defence. (Back to table of content)
Supplementary rules and guidelines at LIFE: Organisation of the PhD defence at LIFE
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Press story
In connection with the announcement of the PhD defence, the PhD student must write a brief press story which can be used to publish the main findings of the thesis. The press story contributes to raising the profile of the PhD defence, while also increasing the chances of the thesis being mentioned in the media. Form F17 must be used.
Required agreements
The principal supervisor
- At least one month before the PhD defence, the supervisor and the PhD student must agree on the title of the defence, usually the title of the PhD thesis
- Agrees on venue and time with the PhD student, any co-supervisors and the assessment committee and books the room. This cannot be announced until the assessment committee has submitted its preliminary recommendation to Study and Students’ Affairs
The department
- Is responsible for ensuring that at least one copy of the PhD thesis is available for review and that a summary can be obtained from the department in case the entire PhD thesis cannot be handed out
- Must announce the defence internally, among others to the other PhD students, and externally to relevant collaboration partners
Study and Students’ Affairs
- Once Study and Students’ Affairs has received the positive preliminary recommendation, the time of the defence must be officially announced and the notice must be sent to those officially involved
- The announcement must also be posted on LIFE’s website, in LIFE’s electronic newsletter etc. (Back to table of content)
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The defence must take place no earlier than two weeks after the assessment committee’s submission of its preliminary recommendation and no later than three months after the submission of the PhD thesis (cf. section 20 of the PhD order). However, in special circumstances, the head of the PhD school may postpone the defence. Postponement of the defence is subject to written agreement between the author and the faculty, including on the date and time arranged for the defence (cf. section 20(3) of the PhD order). (Back to table of content)
The PhD thesis is defended publicly. At the defence, the author must have the opportunity to explain his or her work and defend the PhD thesis before the members of the assessment committee. The PhD thesis must be available to the public in due time before the defence (cf. section 19 of the PhD order). Due time will usually be at least two weeks.
A PhD defence cannot be confidential and any confidential parts of the research project cannot be included in the basis for the award of the PhD degree.
If, for substantial personal reasons, the author requests an exemption from defending his or her PhD thesis in public, he or she must submit an application through the Rector to the Danish University and Property Agency requesting this (cf. section 27 of the PhD order).
A permanently employed academic staff member with knowledge of the PhD programme at the University of Copenhagen will moderate the defence on behalf of the head of the PhD school.
The entire defence should not take more than three hours, including any break. The author is given up to 45 minutes to present the main findings of the PhD thesis, and the assessment committee will then ask the author questions based on the thesis and the presentation. At the end of the defence, the audience will be given the opportunity to ask the author questions based on the thesis and the presentation. The moderator of the defence must ensure that the defence proceeds in a dignified manner and may, if necessary, interrupt or prolong the defence. (Back to table of content)
Following the defence, the assessment committee makes its final recommendation as to whether the author should be awarded the PhD degree. Irrespective of the result of the discussion, the committee must immediately notify the author orally of the final recommendation, or, if this is not possible, the author must be informed of when the final recommendation will be available. A final written recommendation must be available no later than one week after the defence. This recommendation must be written and reasoned, and, in case of disagreement, must be based on a majority vote.
The PhD degree is awarded if the assessment committee submits a recommendation to that effect (cf. section 22 of the PhD order). The PhD degree is awarded by the Academic Council (cf. section 15(2)(4) of the Danish University Act).
If the assessment committee’s recommendation is not favourable, the author has two weeks after receiving the final recommendation in writing in which to comment on the recommendation and request that the thesis be accepted for assessment by a new assessment committee.
If the recommendation of the assessment committee is negative, the head of the PhD school may decide to allow the thesis be reassessed by a new assessment committee, if so requested by the author. The author may appeal the decision of the head of the PhD school to the Dean within a period of two weeks from the day the author was informed of the decision. All complaints must be submitted in writing and be reasoned. (Back to table of content)
Supplementary rules and guidelines at LIFE: Final recommendation for the award of the PhD degree at LIFE
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The recommendation of the assessment committee for the award of the PhD degree must be submitted to Study and Students’ Affairs by the chairman of the committee (Form F19 must be used). |
In special cases, the faculties may decide that a thesis may be accepted for assessment without the author having completed a PhD programme, if the PhD Study Board assesses that the author has in other ways acquired other comparable qualifications (cf. section 15(2) of the PhD order). When submitting the thesis, it must be stated whether it has been assessed before. Whether the author has a documented affiliation with the University of Copenhagen will form part of the consideration of the application for submission of the thesis without prior enrolment.
In connection with the assessment of a PhD thesis at the University of Copenhagen without prior enrolment, the faculty may ask the author to pay all expenses associated with such assessment, defence etc. These fees are fixed by the faculty. The author may be exempted from these expenses subject to application. (Back to table of content)
Supplementary rules and guidelines at LIFE: Submission of thesis without prior enrolment at LIFE
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In the assessment of the qualifications, LIFE places special emphasis on a documented study programme corresponding to PhD courses of at least 30 ECTS points as well as teaching and dissemination experience. Applicants whose PhD thesis is approved for defence without prior enrolment may be charged a fee. (Back to table of content) |
5.9 Documentation for the PhD programme and the PhD degree
If a PhD degree is awarded, a PhD certificate is issued in Danish and English which is signed by the Rector and the Dean of the relevant faculty.
The certificate must contain information on the field of study, the topic of the thesis and the PhD programme (cf. section 23 of the PhD order). The certificate must also include an appendix in Danish and English containing information on the approved PhD courses, extended stays abroad, any cooperation partners and other relevant information.
PhD students who are not awarded a PhD degree may request documentation in Danish and English concerning the elements of the PhD programme which were satisfactorily completed (cf. section 24 of the PhD order). (Back to table of content)
The University of Copenhagen is obliged to keep a copy of the submitted thesis in its archives. This task is undertaken by each individual faculty.
The thesis is in all other respects the property of the author and may not – apart from the requirement in the PhD order stipulating that it must be publicly available in due time before the defence – be lent, sold or made available to others without the written permission of the author. If, for example, the thesis is uploaded to the Internet prior to the defence, it should be uploaded in such a manner that prevents it from being copied (apart from when it is read) or printed. Copies made available for review at the University or libraries etc. must be removed after the defence, unless the author has agreed in writing to wider distribution, e.g. digital publication, sale or making it available for lending at public libraries. (Back to table of content)
Jeppe Berggreen Høj , - last update:15 February 2011