• The doctoral dissertation presents the candidate's general theoretical knowledge in a discipline or disciplines and the ability to independently conduct scientific or artistic work.
• The subject of the doctoral dissertation is an original solution to a scientific problem, an original solution in the field of applying the results of scientific research in the economic or social sphere, or an original artistic achievement.
• A doctoral dissertation may take a form of written work, including:

1. a scientific monograph,
2. a collection of published and thematically related scientific articles,
3. design, construction, technological, implementation or artistic work, as well as
4. independent and separate part of a collective work.

• An abstract in English is attached to the doctoral dissertation, and an abstract in Polish to the doctoral dissertation in a foreign language.
• If the doctoral dissertation does not have the form of written work, a description in Polish and English is attached.
• If the doctoral dissertation does have the form of written work, the chair of the scientific discipline council makes the doctoral dissertation available at BIP not later than 30 days before the scheduled date of defence.
• In the case of a doctoral dissertation, the subject of which is legally protected and confidential, only reviews are made available, excluding the confidential content.

Template for the title page of the doctoral dissertation

Recommendations for a doctoral dissertation in the form of a thematically coherent set of published articles:

• It should contain at least 2 original scientific papers published in the journals of the Journal Citation Reports [Web of Science, the so-called core collection]. In these articles, the doctoral candidate should be the first or corresponding author.
• this collection may be extended to include results that have not yet been published

Recommended format of a doctoral dissertation in the form of a thematically coherent set of articles published:

• Title page (available: http://www.wb.uj.edu.pl/stopnie-tytuly/doktoraty)
• Summary
• Introduction containing the aims, hypotheses, research tasks up to 15 printed pages
• Published scientific articles (the amount of published results contained in the dissertation should exceed the amount of unpublished results)
• Unpublished scientific articles (if the articles have already been submitted to a journal, such manuscript should be accompanied by a confirmation from the editorial office about receipt of the manuscript)
• Statements by the co-authors specifying the individual percentage contribution and a brief substantive justification.
• Discussion of up to 15 printed pages
• Bibliography used in the introduction and discussion

Before submitting the doctoral dissertation, the doctoral candidate submits to the dean's office a completed form "Record of doctoral dissertation" (in accordance with the ordinance No. 155 of the Rector of the Jagiellonian University of 28 December 2020). After the employee of the dean's office has entered the data from the record, the doctoral student will complete the following data on the Theses Archive (AP) website

a) the language of the doctoral dissertation;

b) a translation of the title of the doctoral dissertation in English or in Polish and English, if the language of the dissertation is different than Polish or English, its short description and key words in Polish and English;

c) unprotected machine-readable PDF files containing:

1) doctoral dissertation with any attachments,

2) a summary of the doctoral dissertation in the language of the work and in English, and in case of a doctoral dissertation in a foreign language also a summary in Polish,

3) description of the doctoral dissertation in Polish and English, if applicable when the doctoral dissertation is not a written work;

d) copyright statement

Please remember that it is necessary for the promoter to accept the anti-plagiarism report on the AP website and to submit the opinion referred to in point 3 below

The candidate submits an application to the dean's office to appoint an examination board and a doctoral committee. The candidate must attach the following documentation to the application:

1) a copy of the document confirming the fulfillment of the requirements for holding the professional title of magister (MSc), magister engineer (MSC Eng) or equivalent, subject to Art. 186 section 2 of the Act;

2) the printed version of the doctoral dissertation prepared (3 copies generated from AP) and on an electronic data carrier1);

3) a positive opinion of the supervisor or supervisors about the doctoral dissertation (not applicable to the auxiliary supervisor) generated from the AP website;

4) summary of the dissertation in English, no longer than 10 pages, and if the dissertation was prepared in a foreign language, also a summary in Polish, not longer than 10 page;

5) a declaration in which the candidate indicates the discipline in which (s)he is applying for the doctoral degree;

6) a report approved by the supervisor confirming the verification of the doctoral dissertation with the use of the Uniform Anti-plagiarism System together with the supervisor's assessment of whether the doctoral dissertation is an original dissertation;

7) information about the candidate's publications that meet one of the conditions for awarding the doctoral degree:

a) 1 scientific article published in a scientific peer-reviewed journal or in peer-reviewed materials from the international conference, which in the year of publication of the article in their final form, were included in the list drawn up in accordance with the regulations issued on the basis of art. 267 paragraph. 2 point 2 lit. b of the Act, or

b) 1 scientific monograph published by a publishing house that in the year of publication

the final form of the monograph was included in the list drawn up in accordance with

with the provisions issued on the basis of art. 267 paragraph. 2 point 2 lit. a statute, or

chapter in such a monograph.

Together with a declaration in the event that:

a) a scientific article referred to in point 7a), published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal or in reviewed materials from an international conference, is multi-author, the candidate attaches to the application for the initiation of the procedure for granting the doctoral degree a statement of all co-authors specifying the candidate's individual contribution to the article, specifying the percentage contribution of each author.

With the proviso that:

• When, for reasons beyond the candidate's control, it is not possible to obtain statements from the co-authors, the candidate must enclose a statement by the first author, project manager, team leader or the corresponding author.
• The candidate is released from the obligation to submit the declaration of the first author, project manager, team leader or corresponding author in the event that, for reasons beyond the candidate's control, it is not possible to obtain the required declaration from any of them. In this case, the declaration is submitted by the candidate explaining the reasons for the failure to submit the declaration by the above-mentioned persons.

b) the collective work referred to in point 7 b) is a multi-author work, the candidate attaches to the application for the initiation of the procedure for granting the doctoral degree a statement of all co-authors, specifying the candidate's individual contribution to the collective work, specifying the percentage contribution of each author.

With the proviso that:

• When, for reasons beyond the candidate's control, it is not possible to obtain statements from the co-authors, the candidate encloses a statement from the editor of the thesis, first author, correspondent author, project manager or team leader, specifying the candidate's individual contribution to the work.
• The candidate is released from the obligation to submit a declaration by the thesis editor, first author, corresponding author, project manager or team leader in the event that, for reasons beyond the candidate's control, it is not possible to obtain the required declaration from any of them. In this case, the declaration is submitted by the candidate, explaining the reasons for the failure to submit declarations by the above-mentioned persons.

8) a statement that the submitted dissertation was not the subject of other procedure of

awarding a doctoral degree, and no doctoral procedure in the same discipline is underway based on this dissertation. If the candidate has previously applied for a degree in the same discipline, a document confirming the procedure is closed must be attached.

9) certificate of obtaining learning outcomes for qualifications at the level of 8 PQF

10) copyright statement generated from the AP website.

Keep in mind that:

The doctoral dissertation and the application with the attachments listed above, is submitted by the doctoral student:

• in printed form (3 copies of the doctoral dissertation, 1 copy of other documents)
• and in an electronic form (1 CD or USB flash drive)

in the dean's office of the Faculty of Biology.

The promoter's proposals on:

Appointment of the examination board (s)(composition-departmental-institute procedure)

Appointment of the doctoral committee (composition-departmental-institute procedure)

Appointment of reviewers (departmental-institute procedure)

Appointment of reviewers

• The Scientific Discipline Board appoints three reviewers.

The reviewer must fulfill the following conditions:

a) be a person with the degree of habilitated doctor or the title of professor, representing a discipline or discipline related to the topic of the doctoral dissertation.

b) or, if not meeting the above condition, is an employee of a foreign university or scientific institution, and the discipline council decides that this person has significant achievements in the research field covered by the dissertation.

The reviewer cannot be:

a) a person in relation to whom there are justified doubts as to their impartiality, in particular who has joint research work, joint publication achievements with the candidate.

b) a person who is an employee of the University or the institution employing the candidate.

• The reviewer prepares reviews of the doctoral dissertation within 2 months from the date of receipt.

After the doctoral dissertation is prepared and approved by the supervisor, the candidate submits an application for the appointment of an examination board and a doctoral committee.

• The scientific discipline council, in order to verify the learning outcomes for qualifications at level 8 PQF, sets an exam in the discipline corresponding to the subject of the doctoral dissertation (biological sciences) and appoints the examination board and its chair.
• The examination board decides how to conduct the examination.
• Learning outcomes in the field of a modern foreign language are confirmed:

a) on the basis of a certificate listed in the list of certificates confirming the knowledge of a modern foreign language, which constitutes Annex 1 to the Regulation of the Minister of Science and Higher Education of January 19, 2018 on the detailed procedure and conditions for conducting activities in the doctoral thesis, in habilitation proceedings and in the procedure for awarding the title of professor

or

b) a doctoral examination in a foreign modern language is conducted if the person applying for the award of the doctoral degree does not possess a certificate confirming the knowledge of a foreign language.

The scientific discipline council appoints an examination board in a modern foreign language - composed of at least three persons, at least one of whom teaches this language at a university, and the rest hold at least a doctoral degree.

At the request of a doctoral candidate, the scientific discipline council appoints a doctoral committee that performs activities in the procedure for awarding the doctoral degree (adopting a resolution on admitting a doctoral dissertation to public defense, conducting public defense of a doctoral dissertation, adopting a resolution on accepting a public defense of a doctoral dissertation, applying to the discipline council for distinction of the dissertation).

The doctoral commission consists of:

1) the chair,

2) deputy chair,

3) three reviewers,

4) at least four members,

The chair of the discipline council appoints the secretary of the doctoral committee, who records the course of public defense.

The doctoral committee consists only of persons holding the title of professor or the degree of habilitated doctor, representing the discipline or a discipline related to the topic of the doctoral dissertation, subject to Art. 190 paragraph. 5 of the Act (applies to a person who does not meet the above criterion but is an employee of a foreign university or scientific institution and if the discipline council decides that this person has significant achievements in the field of scientific issues covered by the doctoral dissertation).

A candidate may be admitted to public defense of a doctoral dissertation if:

1. Has received positive reviews from at least two reviewers

2. Met the formal requirements to initiate the procedure for awarding the doctoral degree.

• The chair of the discipline council passes the received reviews to the chairman of the doctoral commission, unless all three reviews are positive, then the doctoral commission does not meet and the chair of the discipline council admits the candidate to the public defence of the doctoral dissertation.
• After receiving the reviews, the chair of the doctoral commission convenes a meeting in order to pass a resolution on admitting the doctoral dissertation to the public defence.
• In the event of receiving at least two negative reviews of the doctoral dissertation, the discipline board issues a decision to refuse admission to defence.
• The decision to refuse to allow the candidate to defend a doctoral dissertation may be appealed against to the Scientific Excellence Council within 7 days of receiving the decision of the discipline council.

If a candidate is admitted to the public defence of a doctoral dissertation, the chair of the committee sets a date for the defence.

Chair of the Discipline Council:

1) announces the date and place of public defense of the doctoral dissertation by means of an announcement on the University website

2) makes the doctoral dissertation available in BIP, no later than 30 days before the scheduled date of defence of the doctoral dissertation, if it is a dissertation in the form of written work along with its abstract and reviews. In the case of a doctoral dissertation, the subject of which is legally protected confidential matter, only reviews are made available, excluding the confidential content.

• If a candidate is admitted to the public defense of a doctoral dissertation, the chair of the committee sets a date for the defense.

• The chair of the discipline council announces the date and place of public defense of the doctoral dissertation on the University website.

• Public defense takes place in an open meeting of the committee chaired by the chair of the committee or the deputy chair.

• Public defense may be carried out remotely with the simultaneous direct transmission of image and sound.

• The doctoral committee can conduct a public defense in the presence of at least half of its members, including the chairman or deputy chairman of the doctoral committee and two reviewers.

• The course of defence:

1. the candidate presents of a self-presentation (main findings and conclusions of the dissertation)

2. the chair of the doctoral committee asks for the presentation of the reviews (In the absence of the reviewer, the chair summarises the review and presents its conclusion, and at the request of any member of the committee or the candidate, the review is read in full.)

3. the chair of the doctoral committee opens the discussion. Anyone present at the meeting may participate in the discussion. The chair of the meeting decides about the order of speakers.

• After the end of the public defence, the committee adopts a resolution regarding the acceptance of the public defense of the doctoral dissertation, and preparation of a draft resolution for the scientific discipline council on awarding or refusing to award the doctoral degree.

• If at least two reviewers request a distinction of a doctoral dissertation, the chairperson puts the request to a vote. The doctoral dissertation committee presents to the discipline council an application for awarding the doctoral dissertation distinction, if it has obtained an absolute majority of votes.

• After the end of the public defence, the committee adopts a resolution regarding the acceptance of the public defense of the doctoral dissertation, and preparation of a draft resolution for the scientific discipline council on awarding or refusing to award the doctoral degree

Depending on the affiliation of a candidate, the following entities is responsible for carrying out the defence:

• Institute of Botany
• Institute of Environmental Sciences
• Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research

• The scientific discipline council, after receiving the draft resolution on awarding or refusing to award the doctoral degree at a meeting convened no later than within 3 months, adopts a resolution on awarding or refusing to award the doctoral degree

• The doctoral dissertation committee presents to the discipline council an application for awarding distinction of the doctoral dissertation, if:

- at least two reviewers included in their reviews a request for distinction of a doctoral dissertation

- the application for distinction obtained an absolute majority of votes of the doctoral committee

• The resolution of the scientific discipline council on refusal to award the doctoral degree contains a justification with an indication of the factual and legal grounds on the basis of which the refusal decision was issued

• The decision to refuse to award a doctoral degree may be appealed against by the candidate to the Scientific Excellence Council via the scientific discipline council within 30 days from the date of delivery of the decision.