Procedures
Procedures until the thesis is submitted
Step 1_Turnitin originality report
Description: Prior to submission, the originality of the thesis must be accredited with the presentation of the Turnitin originality report, reviewed by the coordinator of the Global Classroom.
Procedure and documentation:
The student uploads the final thesis document to Turnitin through the Global Classroom, and generates a thesis originality report, which is then emailed to the PhD secretary ([email protected]) (see instructions).
The Secretary then notifies the coordinator of the Global Classroom, who will review the reports and send the student an e-mail with the analysis of the thesis. The result can be:
- Negative: Non-significant similarity percentages. The coordinator confirms that the thesis can be sent for external evaluation and the procedure is followed.
- Positive: There are significant similarity percentages. The thesis cannot be submitted for external evaluation yet. The coordinator informs the author and the supervisor that a new copy is required in which the parts that generate the positive result have been changed.
Regulations:
Agreement of the Doctoral Academic Committee (CAD) of 17 May, 2016, on measures against plagiarism.
CAD Agreement of 17 January, 2017, on the procedure for obtaining the Turnitin originality report.
CAD agreement of 4 December, 2018, on establishing the procedure for obtaining the Turnitin originality report.
Step 2_Two External assessment reports (for all PhD student who deposit on/from the 2024-2025 course)
Description:
Before the thesis is submitted, two external assessments must be accredited with the report of two doctors externals to the Pompeu Fabra University (UPF).
Externals evaluators must be doctors with accredited research experience, preferably in accordance with the requirements established by the thesis supervisor, regardless of the university, centre or institution where they provides services.
Procedure and documentation:
The student and the thesis supervisor must email the following documentation to the PhD secretary ([email protected]):
- Supervisor: duly completed form and a curriculum vitae of proposed evaluators.
- Student: A final copy of the thesis in pdf. (In case evaluators want a printed copy, PhD Secretary will contact the student to prepare it and student will handle it to he secretary)
The Secretary will request reports, with the prior authorization of the programme coordinator.
Evaluators will have one month to make the report and send it by email to the PhD secretary, who will send them to the president of the Doctoral Academic Committee (CAD). If reports are accepted, the Secretary will inform the student and the thesis supervisor so that they can request the assessment of the doctoral thesis by CAD.
Regulations: Article 5 of the Academic Regulations for submitting and defending doctoral theses of the Department of Communication
Step 3_Application for thesis assessment by the Doctoral Academic Committee
Description: Once completed, the student must request the assessment of the thesis by CAD.
Procedure and documentation:
The student and the thesis supervisor must email the following documentation to the PhD secretary ([email protected]):
- PhD student:
- Request for assessment.
- A final pdf copy of the doctoral thesis.
- Declaration of authorship of the thesis.
- Proof of having presented the partial results of the thesis in any of the ways established in the regulations on applying quality mechanisms of the Department of Communication.
- Supervisor:
- Request for assessment.
- Exhaustive and signed, favourable report on the thesis.
- Board Proposal for the Doctoral thesis (Word) .
- IMPORTANT: Supervisor will contact board members to ask them if they will want a printed copy of the thesis. Supervisor will send an e-mail to PhD Secretary to notify it, and Secretary will contact the student who must provide the copies when submitting the thesis.
- The secretary will complement this documentation with:
- External assessment report.
- Activities document.
CAD will evaluate the documentation received and, if appropriate, will reply favourably to the application. Once the thesis has been assessed, the Secretary will notify the student to submit the thesis. In the event that CAD does not evaluate the thesis favourably, it will communicate the reasons for its decision in writing to the doctoral student and to the thesis supervisor.
Regulations:
Article 6 of the Academic Regulations for submitting and defending doctoral theses of the Department of Communication
Regulations for applying quality mechanisms for doctoral theses of the Department of Communication
Step 4_Submit the doctoral thesis
Description:
Once CAD has evaluated the doctoral thesis favourably, the student provides the final copies in order to complete the public information procedure. This is the step before defending the doctoral thesis.
Before submitting the thesis, the student must have completed the three previous procedures.
Procedure and documentation:
CAD, or its coordinator, will authorize the submission and defence of the doctoral thesis and give a favourable report to the thesis tribunal, subject to the favourable resolution of the public information period.
Once the period of seven working days of public information has elapsed, the secretary will send, if no considerations have been submitted, all the documentation to the Steering Committee of the Doctoral School, who will appoint the thesis assessment board.
In the event that considerations have been made during the public information period, CAD will review the agreement.
The student must submit to the Secretariat:
- Doctoral thesis submission and defence form.
- A bound printed copy of the doctoral thesis (Depending on the Board members decission student will bring more printed copies when submitting) . Check the information on the thesis extension (regulation for doctoral theses) and format and cover instructions).
- A USB with a copy of the doctoral thesis (complete with the official cover). It is also necessary to attach a Word file with:
- A summary of the thesis in Catalan and/or Spanish and a summary in English (with a maximum of 150 words per summary).
- A list of keywords on the thesis content in Catalan and/or Spanish and English (with a maximum of 200 characters).
Important: You can submit all documents by e-mail to [email protected] (submission form, complete pdf of the thesis, with cover, word with abstract and word with keywords) to do the on-line deposit and then you just have to bring the printed copy for the register to the secretary, and also if needed the printed copies for the board.
Regulations:
Article 7 of the Academic Regulations for submitting and defending doctoral theses of the Department of Communication
Other procedures
Defence of the doctoral thesis
Description:
Once the Steering Committee of the Doctoral School has appointed the thesis assessment board, the Postgraduate and Doctoral Office will communicate the appointment to the members of the assessment board within one week, with a copy to the Secretary of the UGA.
Once the assessment board members have been notified, the Secretary of the Department will send them the thesis and will contact the president of the assessment board to plan the act of the thesis defence (reserving the room, notifications, travel and accommodation, eventual remote connections, record of the act of reading, etc.).
The date of reading the thesis should be later than three weeks from the receipt of the thesis and the call notification should be made at least fifteen calendar days in advance.
Procedure and documentation:
The thesis defence act must be carried out in a public session during the academic year. The month of August is unfit for academic procedures.
The event must consist of the student presenting the research work carried out, the methodology used, the content and the conclusions, in particular mentioning the original contributions of the work.
The assessment board members may ask the student any questions they deem appropriate. Likewise, the doctors present at the public act of defending the thesis may ask questions at the time and in the manner indicated by the president of the assessment board.
The maximum term to defend the thesis is six months from the appointment of the thesis assessment board (extendable by the Doctoral Academic Committee for unforeseeable and unforeseen justified reasons).
- TESEO file of the Spanish Ministry of Education
Once authorized by the assessment board, the Postgraduate and Doctoral Office (OPD) sends the student by e-mail the instructions to fill in the TESEO form of the Ministry of Education, the approval of the thesis assessment board, and the form for the student to pay the thesis reading exam fees.
The student must connect to the Ministry's website (http://www.educacion.es/teseo) in order to access the TESEO application and fill in the data requested. The student is registered with their DNI or passport number and password. The DNI or passport numbers of the thesis supervisor(s) and the members of the assessment board are also necessary.
If there is any problem with the TESEO file, the student must contact the OPD.
The student must bring proof of having paid the examination fees (which must be paid with the form sent to them by the OPD). It must be taken to the secretary before the reading date or on the same day.
- Grading the doctoral thesis
The doctoral thesis can be graded as "fail", "pass", "good" or "excellent". The assessment board can propose that the thesis be awarded the distinction of cum laude, if the secret vote is unanimous in this regard. Within one week, the programme coordinator will count the votes for the cum laude mention. The secretary will communicate the result to the student, the assessment board members, the thesis supervisor and the Steering Committee of the Doctoral School.
The theses that have obtained cum laude will participate in the Extraordinary Doctoral Thesis Awards.
- Thesis reading certificate
Fifteen days after reading the thesis, the doctoral student can obtain, upon request to the PIE, a certificate stating the day of reading and the grade obtained, which must be collected at the Postgraduate and Doctorate Office. This certificate is free.
Regulations:
Article 16 of the Academic Regulations for Doctoral Studies
Article 7 of the Academic Regulations for submitting and defending doctoral theses of the Department of Communication
Application for the doctoral degree
Description: Once the student has defended the thesis, they can apply for the doctoral degree certificate.
Procedure and documentation: apply for the doctoral degree certificate. It is advisable to start this procedure as soon as possible.
Co-direction of the doctoral thesis
Description:
The student can request to CAD that the thesis be co-tutored by more than one supervisor, as long as there are academic reasons for this, such as thematic interdisciplinarity.
The co-supervisor of the thesis must be a doctor with accredited research experience according to the requirements established for thesis supervisors.
Procedure and documentation:
The student must fill in the doctoral thesis co-tutorship form and send it by email with the following documentation to the PhD Secretary ([email protected]):
- in case of a co-supervision with UPF Communication Department researchers:
- Completed form for the doctoral thesis co-tutorship application.
- Written explanation of the academic reasons for co-supervision.
- Report of the thesis supervisor in which he/she accepts the incorporation of another supervisor.
- Acceptance of the new supervisor of the doctoral thesis.
- in case of a co-supervision with external researchers, in addition to the above documentation, must be provided:
- Curriculum vitae of the new supervisor of the doctoral thesis.
- Accreditations of the new supervisor of the doctoral thesis.
- Copy of DNI or passport (to be registered in the the Thesis module)
It should be noted that the Doctoral Academic Committee must authorize the co-tutorship of a doctoral thesis. This authorization may be revoked later if, in the CAD’s opinion, the co-tutorship does not benefit the progress of the thesis.
Regulations:
Article 3 of the Academic Regulations for submitting and defending doctoral theses of the Department of Communication
Article 6 of the Academic Regulations for Doctoral Studies
Change in thesis direction
Description:
The student can request a change of thesis tutorship from CAD as long as there are justified reasons.
The thesis supervisor must be a doctor with accredited research experience according to the Academic Regulations for submitting and defending doctoral theses of the Department of Communication.
Procedure and documentation:
The student must fill out the form for changing the supervisor of the doctoral thesis and send it by email with the following documentation to the PhD Secretary ([email protected]):
- Application form.
- Resignation of the initial supervisor of the doctoral thesis.
- Acceptance of the new supervisor of the doctoral thesis.
Regulations:
Article 2 of the Academic Regulations for submitting and defending doctoral theses of the Department of Communication
Article 5 of the Academic Regulations for Doctoral Studies
Extension to defend the doctoral thesis (ONLY for PhD Students enrolled for first time before course 2023-2024)
The CAD of the Communication Doctoral Programme does not allow additional extensions (2nd extension).
Regulations:
Article 15 of the Academic Regulations for Doctoral Studies
Criterion of the CAD of the Communication Doctoral Programme
Exceptional extension for theses affected by the covid-19 situation (valid for students courses 2019-20 and 2020-21)
Description:
If the thesis has been affected by the situation caused by the covid-19 pandemic, students may apply to CAD for an extraordinary extension to submit the thesis after the 4th year.
This extension is only valid for students that began PhD the 2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 courses who, once they have finished their term to submit their thesis (3 ordinary courses + 1 optional year of extension), need this extension due to the situation caused by the pandemic.
Procedure and documentation:
The student must complete the application and send it by email with the following documentation to the PhD Secretary ([email protected]):
- Application form.
- Justification report signed by the supervisor or co-supervisors of the doctoral thesis.
The deadline to apply for the extension is from 15 to 26 January 2024, both inclusive (deadline for 4th year doctoral students who have completed the 1st extension).
Regulations: CAD Agreement, 1 December, 2020
Temporary voluntary interruption of programme studies
Description:
Students may request temporary voluntary interruption in the programme for a maximum period of one year, extendable up to one more year. This application may be approved by the Doctoral Academic Committee based on justification from the doctoral student.
Procedure and documentation:
The student must complete the application and send it by email with the following documentation to the PhD Secretary ([email protected]):
- Application form.
- Justification documentation.
Regulations: Article 15.3 of the Academic Regulations for Doctoral Studies
Interruption of studies due to other special situations
Description:
Students may request the interruption of studies due to the following special situations:
- Temporary disability
- Risk during pregnancy
- Motherhood
- Fatherhood
- Adoption or foster care
- Risk during lactation
Procedure and documentation:
In the case of disability due to health reasons (including risk during pregnancy) the period will be extended in the following terms:
- With an employment contract: it will be extended during the time the student is on sick leave.
- No employment contract: it will be extended for the time established by a committee created specifically for each situation. In no case will the programme coordinator or any related person be a part of this committee.
In the case of maternity, paternity, adoption or foster care, the period will be extended during the maximum period that labour regulations recognize as a “period of rest or leave for employees”.
The application must be completed and submitted to the Secretary of the Department of Communication, accompanied by supporting documents justifying this interruption.
In addition, in the case of applications for disability without an employment contract, a report from the thesis supervisor and another from the coordination of the doctoral programme must be attached.
The Secretariat will communicate this situation to the Postgraduate and Doctoral Office and, in the case of applications for disability without an employment contract, a committee will be created to decide the relevance of the application.
- Application form.
- Documentary justification and reports, if applicable.
Regulations: Article 15.2 of the Academic Regulations for Doctoral Studies
International Mention for the doctoral degree
Description: The International Mention for a doctoral thesis is an honorary qualification that is awarded in addition to the doctoral degree. The qualification includes the mention "international doctor", provided that the requirements established in RD 99/2011 are met.
Procedure and documentation:
To apply for the International Mention, the doctoral student must meet the following requirements:
1. a) Students enroled before course 2023-2024: That, during the period of training necessary to obtain the doctoral degree, the student has made a minimum stay of three months outside Spain in a prestigious higher education institution or research centre, studying or carrying out research work (important: although the stay can be made continuously or in different periods, the institution where it is carried out must always be the same). The stay and the activities must be endorsed by the supervisor and authorized by the Academic Committee, and must be included in the student's activity document. (See the application procedure “Authorization of stays for Mention”).
b) Students enroled from course 2023-2024: That, during the period of training necessary to obtain the doctoral degree, the student has carried out one or more stays for at least three months outside Spain in one or more higher education institutions or research centers with the aim of complementing and reinforcing their research training. If you make several stays, at least one of them will have a minimum duration of one month. The stays and activities must be endorsed by the Director and authorized by the Academic Committee and once carried out and validated by the host entity, certificates must be included in the student's activity document. (See the application procedure “Authorization of stays for Mention").
2. That a part of the doctoral thesis, at least the summary and the conclusions, has been written and presented in one of the usual languages for scientific communication in the specific field of knowledge, different from any of the official languages of Spain. This rule does not apply when the stays, reports and experts come from a Spanish-speaking country.
3. That a minimum of two doctoral experts belonging to a non-Spanish higher education institution or research institute have issued a report on the thesis. (Report template).
4. That at least one expert belonging to a non-Spanish higher education institution or research centre, with a doctoral degree, and other than the person in charge of the stay mentioned in section a), was part of the thesis assessment board.
5. Authorization from the Doctoral Academic Committee for the stay and activities. This authorization must be part of the student's activity document.
6. The thesis must be defended at the same Spanish university in which the student is enrolled.
Procedure: When requesting the deposit of the thesis, it must be indicated in the deposit form that the international mention is also requested and the reports for obtaining the mention must be delivered also to the secretariat. Secretary will check that the documentation, thesis writing requirements and composition of the tribunal correspond to what is established by the regulations and will send the documentation to the OPD, which will submit it to the Management Committee of the Doctorate School.
The Management Committee of the Doctorate School may agree to grant the International Mention to the title conditionally on the fact that at the time of the defense the doctoral candidate submits the thesis according to the regulations and that the composition of the tribunal corresponds to the legal requirements, or the Committee can deny the International Mention to the title. The OPD will send the Committee's agreement to the doctoral student and / or the UGA of the doctoral program and a copy of this agreement to the Grants and Degrees Unit. Once the thesis has been defended, the OPD will verify that it has been presented in accordance with the regulations of the mention and will proceed to close the file so that the doctoral student can apply for the title online
Term: Students wishing to request international doctor recognition must do so at the time of deposit, indicating it on the deposit form.
Documents to submit with the deposit:
- Certificate/es of the stay/s acoording to the regulations and previously authorized by the Doctoral Academic Committee.
- Two favourable reports from two experts belonging to a non-Spanish higher education institution or research institute.
Regulations: Article 15 of the RD99/2011 modified by RD576/2023
Application for authorization for stays for the International Mention
Description: The stay and activities must be endorsed by the thesis supervisor, authorized by CAD, and the student must include them in his/her activity document.
Procedure and documentation:
The student must present the completed form and send it by email with the following documentation to the PhD Secretary ([email protected])::
- Application form.
- Letter from the researcher who invites/accepts the student.
- Report signed by the supervisor or co-supervisors of the doctoral thesis in favour of the stay proposed by the student.
At the end of the stay, the student must obtain the corresponding certificate of having completed the stay.
Regulations: Article 15 of the RD99/2011 modified by RD576/2023
Application for a personal academic certificate
Description: The This is a certificate just to detail your degrees, but it does'nt detail the PhD AF (for this kind of certificates select the "other certificates"). This personal academic certificate can be obtained by paying the corresponding issuance fee in advance. It must be specified in which language you want the certificate: Catalan, Spanish or English.
Procedure and documentation:
The personal academic certificate can be requested using a form at the Student Information Point (PIE), upon payment of the corresponding issuance fee, or by e-mail to the Postgraduate and Doctoral Office ([email protected]).
It can be applied for throughout the academic year and, once processed, the Postgraduate and Doctoral Office will issue it within seven days.
Other Certificates
Description: This procedure must be carried out when the student needs to certify circumstances not included in the personal academic certificate (for example if you want to certify the AF done, your enrolment, you're a regular PhD student or other circumstances for Visa renovation or so on....).
Procedure and documentation:
A face-to-face application must be made at the Student Information Point (PIE). The student must present two copies of the form.
Payment for the application (15€) must be made by credit/debit card to the PIE.
Exceptionally, when this cannot be done in person, the student must send an email to [email protected], and the Secretariat will provide an account number to make the bank transfer. The completed and signed form must be sent together with proof of payment.
The student can request this certificate at any time and the Secretariat will issue it within ten days.
If the student wishes to certify a circumstance that is not certifiable, the Secretariat will notify him/her and the student must request a refund of the fees from the PIE, enclosing the written communication from the Secretariat.
Regulations: Agreement of the Economic Committee of the Social Council of 22 May, 2014
Commitment documentation for supervising doctoral theses
Description:
The student, the University, the tutor and the thesis supervisor must sign a commitment document in which the student supervision functions are established.
This commitment must be signed as soon as possible after the thesis supervisor has been assigned.
Procedure and documentation:
The Secretary of the UGA of Communication will communicate to the student the name of the thesis supervisor assigned by CAD and will ask him/her to present a signed copy of the commitment document to the Secretariat. The Secretariat of the Department will process the rest of the signatures.
Once signed by all parties, the Secretariat will return the signed commitment document to the student.
In the event of a change of thesis supervisor or the inclusion or deletion of a co-supervisor, it is necessary to sign a new commitment document.
Regulations:
Article 9 of the Academic Regulations for Doctoral Studies
Requirements for being a thesis supervisor, article 2 of the Academic Regulations for submitting and defending doctoral theses of the Department of Communication
Extraordinary Doctoral Thesis Awards
Description:
The Academic Committee of the Doctoral Programme may submit a proposal for an Extraordinary Doctoral Thesis Award to the Management Committee of the Doctoral School.
An extraordinary thesis award call can be opened for every ten doctoral theses defended. Students who have obtained an excellent cum laude may be nominated for the award.
Procedure and documentation:
The call will be launched eighteen months after the defence and approval of the tenth thesis, so that during this period there is time to check the impact of the works in their fields of study arising from academic and scientific publications in the eighteen months following the defence of the thesis or the enrolment in the programme.
CAD will set a deadline for each edition of the award. The Secretariat of the Department of Communication will communicate the application submission period to the candidates.
Regulations:
Article 22 of the Academic Regulations for Doctoral Studies
Article 8.2 of the Academic Regulations for submitting and defending doctoral theses of the Department of Communication
Co-supervision For UPF PhD students with foreign universities
Description:
The student can request the Academic Doctorate Committee to be able to prepare the doctoral thesis in a regime of co-tutorship with other foreign universities.
Once the authorization for co-tutorship of the thesis has been obtained, the corresponding agreement must be processed, which must also be approved by CAD.
Procedure and documentation:
In order to obtain authorization from CAD for co-tutorship of the thesis, the student must fill in the co-supervision authorization form for the doctoral thesis and present it together with the following documentation to the Secretariat of the UGA of Communication:
- Completed application form for co-supervision.
- Letter from the doctoral thesis supervisor explaining the reasons for the co-tutorship and accepting the incorporation of a thesis supervisor from the other university (this letter must be signed by the supervisors of both universities).
- Copy of the passport and curriculum vitae of the supervisor from the foreign university.
- Students outside UPF must also attach the following documents:
- Copy of the registration in the programme of the current academic year.
- Copy of the certificate of admission to the programme.
- Copy of their passport.
Following the authorization, the agreement must be processed. The Secretariat will contact the student and provide a model agreement. The student and the thesis supervisor coordinate the final wording of the agreement with the other university and deliver the final proposal to the Secretary of the UGA. The Doctoral Academic Committee approves, if necessary, the specific agreement.
Regulations: Regulations on co-supervision of doctoral theses (agreement of the Governing Council of 19 June 2013)
Dedication
Description:
The ordinary supervision regime for doctoral Communication studies is full-time.
Other applications
Description: Any other request can be addressed to CAD using the general application form.
Procedure and documentation:
The student must fill in the form detailing their application and send it by email with the documentation (if applicable) to the PhD Secretary ([email protected]):.
- General application form.
Regulations: Academic regulations for submitting and defending doctoral theses of the Department of Communication