PLYMOUTH UNIVERSITY
REGULATIONS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF CANDIDATES FOR HIGHER
DOCTORATE AWARDS
DOCTOR OF SCIENCE (DSc)
DOCTOR OF TECHNOLOGY (DTech)
DOCTOR OF LETTERS (DLitt)
and
DOCTOR OF LAWS (LLD)
(changes since 2014-5 in bold and underlined)
1.
A graduate of Plymouth University or its partner institutions or a past student
of one of the former institutions from which the University and its partners has
developed, or a member of the staff of Plymouth University and its partner
institutions may present him/herself as a candidate for the degree of DSc,
DTech, DLitt or LLD.
2.
A candidate for the degree shall submit specially composed or published work,
or a series of published papers within a field of work, or any combination of
these.
3.
A candidate who is a member of the staff of the University and its partner
institutions shall submit material of which a substantial and important part has
been carried out after the candidate joined the staff of the University.
4.
The work(s) submitted should be of high distinction, should constitute an
original and significant contribution to the advancement of knowledge or to the
application of knowledge or to both, and should establish that the candidate is
a leading authority in the field(s) of study concerned.
5.
The material submitted shall be accompanied by a declaration signed by the
candidate stating:
a)
b)
c)
that he/she is the author of the works submitted, and
that the work described therein has been carried out by him/herself,
and
those parts of the work which have previously been submitted for a
higher degree, the awarding body to which they were submitted and
the degree, if any, awarded.
6.
If any of the work submitted has been produced jointly with others, the
candidate must include a written statement indicating the share which he/she
personally took in the work.
7.
The candidate is required to submit a general title for the submitted works and
a statement that identifies the main theme or themes represented by the
submission. The candidate should clearly indicate those parts of the
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submission that are considered to contain a significant and clearly defined
contribution to knowledge or its application.
8.
Three examiners shall be appointed, all of whom will be external and wholly
independent of the University and its partner institutions.
9.
Each examiner shall report independently on the submission and shall
recommend whether the degree should be granted.
10.
The Higher Doctorates Sub-Committee of the Graduate Sub-Committee shall
consider the reports of the examiners and determine whether the degree
should be granted. In the event of conflicting or indecisive reports, the Higher
Doctorates Sub-Committee may wish to take further external advice.
Minor Amendments Approved by
the Vice-Chancellor
15 December 1993, and 20 March 2013 and 17 December 2015
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PLYMOUTH UNIVERSITY
HIGHER DOCTORATES
PROCEDURAL NOTES
1.
PROCEDURES
i)
An applicant should state in writing which higher doctorate is being sought
and submit this statement to the Head of the Graduate School.
ii)
An applicant should submit a full curriculum vitae and publication list
spanning their academic/research career.
iii)
An applicant should submit one electronic copy of the work on which the
application is based (“the submission”) to the Graduate School. The
submission should consist of a body of appropriate work at an appropriate
standard – this may take the form of books, contributions to journals, patent
specifications, reports, specifications and design studies and may also include
other relevant evidence of original work.
iv)
The contents of a submission should be in one of the official languages of the
United Kingdom unless specific permission to the contrary has been given by
the institution.
v)
The submission should contain:
a)
title;
b)
and contents page;
c)
a declaration of which part of the submission, if any, has been
submitted for another academic award.
d)
a statement of not more than two thousand five hundred (2500) words
setting out the applicant’s view of the nature and significance of the
work submitted;
e)
copies of up to 25 outputs of the main focus of the submission on
which the application is based;
f)
information on the outputs to include Journal Impact factors and
citations or other academic recognition of the standing of the
outputs;
g)
a full statement of the extent of the applicant’s contribution to all of the
outputs submitted which involves joint authorship or other types of
collaboration.
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vi)
On receipt of an application for a higher doctorate, the Higher Doctorates
Sub-Committee of Graduate Sub-Committee will consider whether a prima
facie case for proceeding to a formal examination of the submission has been
established, taking advice from senior staff where it is deemed
appropriate.
vii)
If satisfied that a prima facie case has been established, the Higher
Doctorates Sub-Committee will propose three examiners for formal approval
by Graduate Sub-Committee. The Secretary to the Higher Doctorates SubCommittee will submit the full application to the examiners each of whom will
be asked to make an independent report to the University via the Graduate
School. In the event of disagreement between the examiners, the University
will normally accept the majority recommendation but reserves the right to
seek further external examiner opinion.
viii)
For successful awardees, the Graduate School will invite the candidate
to a public lecture once the award has been conferred.
2.
FEES
There will be an initial fee for the preliminary consideration of an application
and a further fee for formal examination of the application.
Fees are published annually by the University.
15 December 1993, revised 20 March 2013 and March 2015
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