Procedure for the submission and defense of the thesis

Once the doctoral thesis has been written, the student must present the thesis to the Academic Committee of the doctoral program with the authorization of the director(s).

The Academic Committee will request two external reports on the thesis. For this purpose, the Director may propose names of specialists, who must meet the following requirements:

• To be in possession of the title of doctor.
• Have accredited research experience of at least 1 six-year period in the last 7 years or 2 in previous periods or publications indicating the impact index and the indexing bases used (art. 5.1b) of the Regulations for the presentation and defense of the doctoral thesis at UVa).
• Belong to universities or institutions of higher education or research external to the University of Valladolid and its Doctoral School. In the case of applying for the mention "International Doctor", these institutions cannot be Spanish.
• To have a research profile related to the topic of the doctoral thesis.

They may not issue a report prior to the admission of the defense:

• The co-authors of the contribution presented as a guarantee of quality.
• The co-authors of the publications presented, in the case of theses by compendium of publications.
• Researchers belonging to the institution with which the co-supervision agreement has been signed.
• Professors from other universities who are part of the memory of the Doctoral Program.
• Researchers belonging to the Institution in which the doctoral student has made the stay to apply for the "International Mention".
• Professors or Researchers belonging to Universities or Institutions that have a collaboration agreement with the Doctoral Program.
• Researchers belonging to health institutions, except if they also belong to Universities (Associate Professors) or Institutions of Higher Education.

The external reports will be sent to the Doctoral Candidate and his/her Director, so that he/she can take them into account and, if necessary, modify the original text.

The Doctoral Candidate must prepare a decision document, justifying the aspects taken into account in the external reports.

The Director may present a list of doctors who may form the thesis committee.

The Academic Committee will submit to the Doctoral Committee a proposal for a tribunal composed of three members and two substitutes, justifying their suitability.

It must be taken into account that:

• All proposed members must have a PhD, accredited research experience and a research profile appropriate to the subject of the thesis.
• No more than one member of the panel may belong to the same university.
• Emeritus and honorary emeritus professors, appointed as such at the University of Valladolid, may form part of the examining board.
• For the purposes of being part of the panel, they will be counted as belonging to the University of Valladolid:
  • Researchers belonging to the institution where the doctoral student has made the stay to apply for the "International Mention".
  • Professors or Researchers belonging to Universities or Institutions that have a collaboration agreement with the Doctoral Program.

• With due justification, up to a maximum of one incumbent and one alternate may practice their professions outside universities or institutions of higher education. In any case, a majority of the members of the examining board shall always be from universities or institutions of higher education or research.
• In theses with the mention "International Doctor", it must be guaranteed that a doctor from a non-Spanish higher education institution or research center will be a member of the examining board. This member of the examining board may not be the person in charge of the stay.
• In theses under international co-supervision and when the thesis is defended at the other university, the composition of the examining board may be different from the one indicated above if so established in the agreement.

They may not form part of the tribunal:

• The tutor and the director of the thesis, except in those presented in the framework of bilateral co-supervision agreements with foreign universities that so provide and only if the thesis is defended at the other university.
• For ordinary theses, the co-authors of the contribution related to the thesis that is incorporated to accredit the quality of the thesis.
• For theses by compendium of publications, the co-authors of the publications that make up the doctoral thesis.

The Academic Committee will give its authorization for the thesis to be deposited before the Doctoral Thesis Committee of the EsDUVa.

This authorization will be accompanied by:

• The external reports obtained.
• Authorization of the director/s.
• Proposal of the examining board.
• Justification of the suitability of the doctors who have issued the external reports and those proposed to integrate the tribunal.
• Positive evaluation of the activities document, through Sigma Doctorado, of the academic year in which the thesis is deposited.

Once the thesis has been deposited with the Doctoral Thesis Committee, a public exhibition period of 10 working days will be opened so that any doctor who so requests may consult the thesis and the external reports and, where appropriate, make any allegations he/she deems necessary in writing to the Doctoral Thesis Committee.

The Doctoral Thesis Committee will authorize the defense of the thesis, and will submit the proposal for the appointment of the examining board to the Rector of the University.

In those cases where it considers it necessary, it may request additional reports from other doctors to issue a reasoned evaluation of the thesis, in which it expressly concludes on the appropriateness or otherwise of its defense.

In this case, the doctoral candidate may be required to carry out the modifications he/she considers necessary, granting him/her a period of three months to deposit a new version of the thesis, which must include:

• The modified copy of the thesis, accompanied by a document detailing the improvements introduced.
• A new authorization from the Academic Committee of the Doctoral Program for the presentation of the thesis to the Thesis Committee.
• A new reasoned report from the director(s)

Once the thesis has been admitted for defence and the examining board has been appointed by the Rector, the Administrative Secretariat of the Doctoral School will notify the members of the examining board and the PhD student:

• the members of the examining board and the PhD student will be notified of the appointment of the examining board.
• a copy of the thesis, the appendix containing the reports obtained and the doctoral student's activities document will be sent to the members of the examining board in electronic format.

Without prejudice to the above, and in order to make it easier for the members of the examining board to consult them, the PhD student may send them a hard copy of the thesis, the curriculum vitae and the activities document.