Preliminary examination of a doctoral dissertation

Preliminary examination of a doctoral dissertation

Table of contents

The stages of the examination process are preliminary examination, permission for public examination, decision on the public examination, publishing the dissertation, organising the public examination event and making dissertation press release, public examination event and the assessment of the doctoral dissertation.

This page includes instructions on the preliminary examination.

Please note that you need to be registered as an attending student for the semester during which you defend your doctoral thesis and the dissertation is registered in the study register.

General instructions on the preliminary examination of the doctoral dissertation

Before submitting the proposal on the preliminary examiners

According to the Rector’s decision on ethical guidelines for studying and the handling of academic misconduct at the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ (21.8.2023), the University uses plagiarism detection software. The software must be used to check all licentiate theses and doctoral dissertations. 

The teacher who has been the supervisor of the thesis or dissertation is responsible for conducting the check and the interpretation of results. Teachers must take into account that the software does not detect all plagiarised text. 

Preliminary examiners are entitled, upon request, to receive the report produced by the software and use it as they see best when assessing the work.

Proposal on the preliminary examiners

According to the Degree Regulations of the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥, section 50 §, when the student, after hearing the supervisor, decides to submit the dissertation manuscript for preliminary examination, at least two preliminary examiners with doctoral degrees and sufficient academic merits are nominated for the dissertation. The supervisor of the dissertation cannot act as an preliminary examiner. The preliminary examiners shall be from outside of the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥.

The examination process of the doctoral dissertation complies with what is said about the disqualification of officials in the Administrative Procedure Act (434/2003, Section 27). In the dissertation examination process, the absence of grounds for disqualification means that none of the persons (preliminary examiner, opponent, a member or presenting official of the faculty council, a member of the assessment board) participating in the process is in a relationship with the doctoral candidate that would cause the person’s impartiality to be questioned. Please also notice JYU instructions on

According to the Degree Regulations of the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥, section 50 §, the doctoral candidate shall be given an opportunity to comment on the selection of the preliminary examiners.

When submitting the proposal on the preliminary examiners, please indicate if the doctoral student has a cotutelle agreement or similar agreement or contract.

According to the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ Regulations, section 14 §, the faculty council appoints the preliminary examiners, examiners and thesis opponents of doctoral dissertations, licentiate theses and other similar study units unless these matters are delegated to be handled and decided by the dean. 

According to the Degree Regulations of the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥, section 50 §, the preliminary examiners shall, within a month of being designated, either jointly or separately give a substantiated written statement on whether permission should be granted or rejected for the public examination of the dissertation. The preliminary examiner’s proposal for permission cannot be conditional. For a justified reason, the dean of the faculty, or a person designated by the dean, may define a longer period than one month for the preliminary examination.

Communication with preliminary examiners and the opponent

  • The candidate must not be in contact with the preliminary examiner or the opponent. Contact with the preliminary examiner or opponent (if there is a need for it) must be done through the custos or the doctoral school coordinator.
  • The preliminary examiner must mention in his preliminary examination statement if they have been in contact with the candidate during the examination process.
  • The candidate must inform their supervisor if the preliminary examiner or the opponent has been in contact with the candidate during the examination process.

Alleged misconduct

Rector’s decision on ethical guidelines for studying and the handling of academic misconduct at the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ (21.8.2023) includes instructions on how to proceed if a doctoral dissertation submitted for examination is suspected of violating good scientific practice (alleged misconduct).

Alleged RCR violations against dissertation manuscripts prior to the preliminary examination stage are handled in accordance with the instructions contained in the aforementioned Rector's decision, Alleged misconduct related to a thesis or ongoing thesis process.  

The supplementary instructions of the Faculties