Code of Good Practice
Admission to the Vienna Doctoral School in Physics requires commitment to the VDSP Code of good practice, both by doctoral students as well as their supervisor(s).
VDSP Faculty Members
Supervisors of doctoral candidates at the University of Vienna have an important share in its mission as a research-led university. VDSP Faculty Members are part of a community that is committed to the highest possible academic and ethical standards. The VDSP Code of Good Practice provides a framework to support doctoral candidates and their supervisors in the Vienna Doctoral School in Physics. It aims to set out what a supervisor or mentor can expect from a doctoral candidate and what they can expect from their supervisors and mentors. It takes into account the guidelines that are binding for all doctoral schools at the University of Vienna.
Supervisors of VDSP students agree to
- Promote the scientific development of the doctoral candidate to become an independent researcher,
- Commit themselves to supervise the doctoral candidate for the duration of the PhD project and to provide regular comments on the candidate’s progress, their publications and the thesis draft,
- Ensure that the candidate has access to the infrastructure required for their research,
- Help to enforce compliance with the Code of Good Scientific Practice of the University of Vienna,
- Clarify the expectations for supervision using the available forms:
- for admission the doctoral candidate and all supervisors sign the indication of willingness to supervise the doctoral candidate,
- the doctoral thesis agreement, which is amended through annual progress reports once a year,
- Support within the available means the presentation and publication of results in relevant journals and at relevant conferences,
- Support within the available means the VDS Physics students in choosing and arranging possible secondments,
- Clarify ownership of the data generated during the thesis research with the doctoral candidate,
- Ensure together with the director of the school that the candidate can devote sufficient time for their research, their personal and professional development and the VDSP activities,
- Verify compliance of the final thesis with the criteria set by the university,
- Assist the doctoral candidate in career planning.
VDSP Faculty Members agree to
- Nominate the Scientific Director of the school every two years,
- Contribute to the success of the VDSP by being part of student selection committees, acting as a mentor and by fostering the international visibility of the VDSP.
VDSP students
Doctoral candidates at the University of Vienna have an important share in its mission as a research-led university. VDSP students are members of a community that is committed to the highest possible academic and ethical standards. The VDSP Code of Good Practice provides a framework to support doctoral candidates and their supervisors in the Vienna Doctoral School in Physics. It aims to set out what doctoral candidates can expect from their supervisory team and what they can expect from their doctoral students. It takes into account the guidelines that are binding for all doctoral schools at the University of Vienna.
Doctoral candidates at the Faculty of Physics of the University of Vienna agree to
- Be committed to their doctoral projects and take responsibility for their professional development,
- Adopt the protocol of good scientific practice, the general ethics principles of science and the regulations of their research field,
- Actively participate in courses, workshops and other events as well as present results of their research at conferences which promote integration into the international scientific community,
- Strive to publish in relevant high-quality journals,
- Deliver the public presentation at the Faculty (FÖP) before the end of the first study year,
- Formulate, together with their supervisor(s), their doctoral thesis agreement,
- Fulfil the doctoral thesis agreement and provide a regular (at least annual) progress report,
- Ensure that their thesis is their own work and that the final version has been read and commented upon by their supervisor(s) prior to submission for examination.
VDSP students agree to
- Name a mentor within six months after admission to the doctoral study programme,
- Submit the annual VDSP Data collection within one month upon request,
- Present their progress at least once a year to their supervisor and their mentor –written and orally– alerting them of any difficulties or delays at an early stage and taking their feedback into due consideration,
- Participate in all key VDSP events e.g. induction day, FÖP,
- Inform themselves about current proceedings within the VDSP and be actively involved in the VDSP activities. They understand that the VDSP expects registration to VDSP events to be binding.
VDSP Code of good practice
File size: 236 kB
As all our doctoral candidates are affiliated with the University of Vienna they also have to follow the Code of Conduct of the University of Vienna and the Guidelines for Ensuring Compliance with Good Academic Practice:
Code of Conduct of the University of Vienna
File size: 47 kB