Rights and responsibilities of doctoral students and supervisors during a thesis process

Doctoral students are expected to:

prepare a supervision agreement with their supervisor(s)
keep the supervision agreement and personal study plan up-to-date
stay on the schedule agreed with the supervisor
inform the supervisor of all changes that may significantly affect the progress and schedule of their research
take responsibility for the progress of their research
ensure that they complete the mandatory and optional studies counted towards their doctoral degree in accordance with the study plan besides conducting dissertation research
Discuss the overall progress of their dissertation and the achieved results with their main supervisor on an annual basis The other supervisors are also advised to attend these annual meetings.
To ensure that licentiate/doctoral students make effective progress towards their degree, supervisors are encouraged to discuss progress with full-time students at least once a month and with part-time students at least four times a year.

be familiar with and adhere to the principles of academic integrity and research ethics
become familiar with and comply the principles of good scientific practice during the thesis process (such as learn how to identify violations of good scientific practice)

prepare carefully for each meeting with their supervisor
send excerpts of their thesis to the supervisor well in advance before a meeting
write a short memo of the points discussed at the meeting and send it to the supervisor
contact the supervisor through mutually agreed upon channels to request guidance and support but work independently and show initiative

maintain active contact with their supervisor while writing their research papers
agree on the principles concerning co-authored publications in advance with the supervisor
The author of a dissertation is responsible for the language and content of the final dissertation (including text, images, tables and references) and for the research data, results and conclusions presented in the dissertation.

seek to build professional relationships with international partners as agreed upon with the supervisor
look into potential funding opportunities and actively seek funding for their research

Doctoral students who meet the above requirements are entitled to receive active supervision.

Prepare a supervision agreement with the student. The agreement must at least specify the topic of the thesis and the target completion time, identify the supervisors and their mutual division of duties, and describe the practical supervisory arrangements.
guide and support the student in the choice of research topic and with defining research questions, mapping out existing body of knowledge, preparing a detailed research plan and conducting the research
advice the student on how to agree on the use of research data and store data
monitor that the manuscript satisfies the scientific and formal
requirements for doctoral dissertations
Discuss the overall progress of their dissertation and the achieved results with the student on an annual basis. The other supervisors are also advised to attend these annual meetings.
To ensure that licentiate/doctoral students make effective progress towards their degree, supervisors are encouraged to discuss progress with full-time students at least once a month and with part-time students at least four times a year.
participates in the preparation of a supervision agreement and the student’s personal study plan and in updating the documents
supports the students in exploring potential future employment and career options in and outside academia

prepare carefully for each meeting with the student
look into the materials submitted by the student before each meeting
stay on the schedule agreed with the student and respond to the student’s questions and feedback requests within a reasonable time
inform the student of any changes that may significantly affect the supervisor’s ability to provide supervision to the student
make peer support available to the doctoral student, if possible (such as regular research seminars, group meetings between students and their supervisor, etc.)
attend events where the student presents his or her work, if possible

adhere to the principles of academic integrity and research ethics and ensure that the student becomes familiar and complies with the principles of good scientific practice (such as learn to identify violations of these practices)
ensure that a manuscript intended as a doctoral dissertation undergoes an originality check and examine the originality report produced by the plagiarism detection software together with the student from the perspective of good scientific practice

at their own discretion, write letters of recommendations and statements related to, for example, research funding awarded to the licentiate/doctoral student or the building of professional contacts in Finland and abroad
support the student in the acquisition of research funding, if possible
encourages the student to seek international experience and offers advice on the timing and other arrangements concerning a study period abroad
If a student is pursuing a double degree, the supervisor and members of administrative staff are responsible for preparing the required agreement and agreeing on the management of the double degree with the partner university.

participate in refining the student's research papers and identifying relevant publication channels
agree on the principles concerning co-authored publications in advance with the student
the main supervisor decides when a manuscript intended as a doctoral dissertation is ready to be submitted for preliminary examination

agrees on and maintains a clear division of work between the student's other supervisors
informs the student and other supervisors if the prerequisites for being a supervisor change significantly.

When supervisors meet these requirements, they are entitled to expect their students to make progress towards their degree according to plan.

Published: 15.4.2019

Updated: 4.7.2023