Click here for an overview of the departmental coordinators.
Supervision of Doctoral Candidates at the Doctoral School NRW – Information for Professors
High-quality doctoral supervision is an important and responsible task that requires not only academic expertise, but also didactic and interpersonal competencies. The Doctoral School NRW is committed to maintaining high supervision standards and fostering a trusting and collaborative relationship between doctoral candidates and their supervisors.
Doctoral Supervision – A Multifaceted Responsibility
Supervisors take on essential responsibilities before, during, and at the conclusion of the doctoral project.
Before the Doctorate
Before the doctoral project begins, supervisors support prospective candidates, for example, by assisting with
- deciding for or against pursuing a doctorate,
- refining the topic and research question,
- preparing the exposé,
- identifying a complete supervision team.
During the Doctorate
During the doctoral phase, supervisors support candidates by providing, among other things:
- regular exchange as well as academic and methodological guidance,
- support in building academic networks and connecting with the scientific community,
- confidential reflection meetings during critical phases of the doctorate,
- advice on career perspectives,
- encouragement in developing confidence as an independent researcher.
In matters of supervision, reviewing, and examination, the Doctoral School NRW adheres primarily to the DFG Code of Conduct “Guidelines for Safeguarding Good Research Practice” and to the Regulations for Safeguarding Good Scientific Practice and Dealing with Scientific Misconduct at the Doctoral School NRW (.pdf). Furthermore, the Doctoral School NRW generally follows the recommendations issued in “Shaping a Doctorate Together” by the QualitätsZirkel Promotion.
Supervision Teams at the Doctoral School NRW
Composition of Supervision Teams and Supervision Roles
The Doctoral School NRW defines two distinct supervision roles, each of which is tied to specific formal requirements.
Composition of the Supervision Team
According to the Framework Doctoral Degree Regulations, each doctoral candidate is supervised by a team of three professors:
- Supervisor 1: subject-specific supervisor
- Supervisor 2: subject-specific supervisor
- Supervisor 3: mentor, with optional additional subject-specific supervision duties
Subject-Specific Supervision
Responsibilities
- Defining and narrowing the research topic
- Providing academic guidance and counselling
- Conducting regular feedback meetings
- Supporting methodological and content-related questions
- Fostering the candidate’s development as an independent researcher
- Providing access to academic networks
- (Main supervisor): assisting in the search for additional supervisors
- (Main supervisor): supporting the doctoral committee in selecting reviewers
Formal Requirements
According to the Framework Doctoral Regulations of the Doctoral School NRW, subject-specific supervisors must possess expertise in the field of the doctoral project and meet the following requirements:
- (Main supervisor): professorial member of the department of the Doctoral School NRW in which the project is conducted
- (Additional subject-specific supervisor):
- professor and member of the Doctoral School NRW, or
- a professor who holds the right to confer doctorates at their home institution (university in Germany or abroad, or eligible departments at universities of applied sciences)
- At least one subject-specific supervisor must have substantial experience in independent doctoral supervision (see below).
Mentoring Role
Responsibilities
- Accompanying the doctoral phase as an experienced and motivational mentor
- Conflict resolution support
- Career counselling
- Support during critical stages of the process
- If the formal requirements are met, the mentor may apply to take on additional subject-specific supervision duties.
Formal Requirements
The third member of the supervision team may be:
- an associate professor of the Doctoral School NRW,
- a professorial member of the Doctoral School NRW,
- a professor or private lecturer who holds the right to confer doctorates at their home institution (university in Germany or abroad, or eligible institutions at universities of applied sciences).
The rights and responsibilities of supervisors and doctoral candidates at the Doctoral School NRW are set out in a binding Supervision Agreement, ensuring greater transparency and reliability in the supervisory relationship.
Supervision Experience
The Doctoral School NRW places great importance on ensuring that each doctoral project is accompanied by at least one experienced supervisor who has completed at least one doctoral procedure. For this reason, the Framework Doctoral Degree Regulations stipulate that either the first or second subject-specific supervisor must have substantial experience in independent doctoral supervision.
Substantial experience is demonstrated when a supervisor has:
- supervised at least one doctoral procedure to completion,
- reviewed at least one dissertation, and
- served as an examiner in at least one oral doctoral examination.
We kindly ask you to take this into consideration when assembling supervision teams.
Reviewers and Examiners at the Doctoral School NRW
When a doctoral procedure is initiated, the doctoral committee appoints reviewers and additional members of the examination committee. Supervisors are not automatically designated for these roles.
Reviewers
Responsibilities
Reviewing dissertations is a central element of academic quality assurance. The written evaluations support the examination committee in its decision-making and significantly contribute to assessing the candidate’s doctoral performance.
Reviewers prepare a detailed written assessment that addresses the scholarly and formal quality of the dissertation, evaluates the overall achievement and scientific contribution, comments on the doctoral degree to be awarded, and recommends acceptance or rejection of the dissertation. If accepted, reviewers assign a grade.
Number and Composition of Reviewers
The Framework Doctoral Degree Regulations of the Doctoral School NRW stipulate that:
- at least two reviewers must be appointed,
- for every reviewer who has co-authored publications with the candidate or has been part of the supervision team, an additional reviewer must be appointed who has no academic collaboration with the candidate,
- at least one reviewer must have prior experience in reviewing a dissertation.
Formal Requirements
Reviewers must meet the following requirements:
- professorial member of the Doctoral School NRW, or
- a professor who holds the right to confer doctorates at their home institution (university in Germany or abroad, or eligible institutions at universities of applied sciences) and who is suitably qualified in the subject area.
Guidance for Preparing Reviews
Reviewers typically have two to three months to prepare their review (depending on the department). Important points:
- Reviews evaluate only the submitted dissertation as the examined performance; additional publications or activities are not considered.
- In cumulative dissertations, only the candidate’s identifiable and assessable individual contribution may be evaluated (see Framework Doctoral Degree Regulations).
- Reviews must be legally valid and signed.
- Reviews must be submitted in writing (depending on the department: digitally and/or by post) to the chair of the doctoral committee (not to the coordination).
Recommended Structure of Reviews
It has proven useful to address the following points:
- Topic and objectives (incl. academic context; identification of the candidate’s individual contribution in cumulative dissertations)
- Content and scholarly quality (summary, methodology, relevance, evaluation of results)
- Structure, style, and language (academic writing quality, citation correctness)
- Suggestions for improvements; publication requirements
- Overall assessment, recommendation regarding the doctoral degree, and grade in accordance with the Framework Doctoral Degree Regulations
Members of the Examination Committee
Responsibilities
Members of the examination committee conduct the oral doctoral examination (disputation). After the candidate’s presentation, they lead the academic discussion and pose questions about the dissertation. Immediately after the examination, they decide on the pass/fail outcome, assign a grade, and determine the overall doctoral result. One member of the committee keeps the official minutes.
Composition of the Examination Committee
According to the Framework Doctoral Degree Regulations, the examination committee consists of the reviewers and at least one additional member. The chair of the committee must not be part of the supervision team.
Formal Requirements
Members of the examination committee must be:
- professorial members of the department of the Doctoral School NRW in which the project is conducted, or
- professorial members of the Doctoral School NRW, or
- professors who hold the right to confer doctorates at their home institution (university in Germany or abroad, or eligible institutions at universities of applied sciences)
- the majority of members must belong to the department awarding the doctoral degree.
Workshop “Supervising Doctoral Candidates Effectively – Tools for Doctoral Supervision”
To encourage exchange on supervision experiences and to provide new impulses for supervisors' professional development, the Doctoral School NRW regularly invites participants to the workshop “Supervising Doctoral Candidates Effectively – Tools for Doctoral Supervision.” It is open to all professorial members and associate professors of the Doctoral School NRW, regardless of whether they already have supervision experience or are accompanying doctoral candidates for the first time. Topics include:
- current higher-education policy developments in the field of doctoral training
- quality in the supervision process
- shaping and developing the supervisory role
- challenges in the supervision relationship
- supervision tools (expectations management, progress monitoring, reviewing)
- legal aspects of doctoral supervision (including the academic fixed-term contracts act)
The workshop concept was developed in 2009 by the QualitätsZirkel Promotion (QZP) and has been evaluated and further developed ever since. More information is available at www.qz-promotion.de.
Participation is open to all professorial members and associate professors of the Doctoral School NRW. Dates and registration details are communicated separately.
If you have any questions, please contact the coordinators of the respective departments.
