Annual research and evaluation plan
The research/training plan is a document which the doctoral student prepares, supported by the thesis supervisor and the tutor. It consists of two sections with the following content:
- The research plan will include at least the methodology to be used and the objectives to be achieved, as well as the means and timeframe to achieve them.
- The doctoral student’s personal training plan will contain a plan of the different training activities to be undertaken during the doctoral thesis (courses, seminars, participation in conferences, mobility activities, etc.)
The research and personal training plan will be uploaded to the academic record of the student through Academic Management – Doctorate in “Doctoral Management”.
Its submission deadline is set out in the academic calendar of each academic year, in the section “annual ordinary evaluation”. In general, it must be uploaded to the application by the end of August.
If you have any queries, please check the following guide: SIGMA guide for doctoral students (PDF)
In the first year, you have a template that you can use or adapt by following the indications of your tutor and thesis supervisor in the “First-year research and training plan form”.
From the second and subsequent years, there is another template that you can adapt, and whose aim is to improve and add detail to the former document: “Research and training plan form (second and subsequent years follow-up)”.
The tutor and supervisor of the doctoral thesis provide an annual report about the research and training plan within the period established in each year’s academic calendar. In general, this must be done in the first days of September.
Annual evaluation
Each academic year, the academic committees of the doctoral programmes will evaluate each PhD student’s progress. For this purpose, they will take into account:
- The research and training plan of the academic year
- The doctoral activities document, which will contain the activities completed by the student and validated by the tutor or supervisor
- The reports issued by the supervisor and the tutor in this regard
The evaluation deadline is established by the academic calendar of each academic year. As a general rule, evaluation reports are usually closed in mid-September.
Should the academic committee identify major shortcomings and therefore report this in its evaluation, the doctoral student must be re-evaluated within a maximum period of six months. To this aim:
- The doctoral student must enrol for the following academic year within the usual deadlines established.
- The doctoral student must upload a new research and training plan to their academic record and report on the completion of activities of interest for their thesis in their doctoral activities document. The submission deadline for this is established in the academic calendar of each academic year. Generally, it must be uploaded to the platform by the end of January.
- The tutor and thesis supervisor must issue a report on the new research and training plan. The deadline for issuing their report is established in the academic calendar of each academic year. In general, it must be uploaded to the platform by the end of February.
- The academic committee will evaluate the progress of the doctoral student and will consider:
- The new research and training plan for the academic year.
- The activities document with all the completed activities, already validated by the tutor or supervisor.
- The reports issued for this purpose by the supervisor and tutor.
The deadline for evaluation is established in the academic calendar of each academic year. As a general rule, the reports are usually closed in mid-March.
Should there still be shortcomings, the academic committee will issue a reasoned report -after hearing the interested party- subsequent to which the doctoral student will be withdrawn permanently from the doctoral programme.