Examining committee

The members of the Examining committee for dissertations at the University of Borås should be researchers with formal merits such as associate professor or professor. The examining committee can be composed of 3 or 5 members. Committee members must be researchers employed at other universities.

The constituents of the doctoral thesis (i.e. publications in scientific journals) or, when relevant, the manuscript of a monograph, should be sent to the examining committee 3 months (during the academic semester time) before scheduled defence of the thesis. The Examining committee has 3 weeks to evaluate whether or not the scientific work meets the academic standards nationally and internationally. By the end of the assessment period the committee has to decide if the scientific work is adequate for defence. If standards are met the REC is notified and the date for the defence is ascertained.  The approval of the scientific work is sent to the doctoral student and the Principal supervisor by e-mail.

Uncertainties regarding constituents of the thesis

When questions arise, inconsistencies appear or matters of criticism occur from members of the Examining committee, the Chairman of the committee should be addressed. The Chairman then takes charge and leads the discussion in the committee. If matters in the thesis still remain unintelligible, the Chairman of the Examining Committee will address the Chairman of the Research Education Committee (REC). The latter will initiate a discussion within the REC. 

Note! In case the Examining committee finds the congregated scientific work in the thesis (or monograph) of poor academic standard and insufficient for public defence as a doctoral thesis, the defence must be postponed. 

A decision to postpone a defence must be followed by suggestions of improvement.

Distinctive efforts

Two PhD students can write their doctoral thesis based on the same scientific work, or almost the same material in compilation dissertations. However, their efforts must be possible to define distinctively. The principal supervisor(s) must describe explicitly who has done what in the scientific work. This guarantee is referred to as "Supervisors' certificate" and must be signed in order to be valid.

Communication with the Examining committee

The principal supervisor should confirm participation by personally communicating with each member of the Examining committee to ascertain that the members have not misinterpreted the date for the defence of the thesis, and thus risk being absent from the event. If a member of the committee fails to attend the event, the appointed substitute member from the University of Borås will fill the vacancy. 

Information that must be sent to the Examining committee by the Research Education Committee (by e-mail): 

• Delarbeten/monografi
• Handledarintyg
• Disputationsbeslut

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