Supervision of doctoral research

Supervisors

In the beginning of doctoral studies, at least two supervisors will be appointed for every doctoral researcher. The supervisors are appointed by the Dean in the decision on admission to doctoral studies. The requirements for the supervisors vary among the faculties.

Philosophical Faculty

A doctoral researcher is assigned at least two supervisors, one of whom is the main supervisor and must have an employment relationship with the Philosophical Faculty. All instructors must have a doctoral degree. The main supervisor must be an adjunct professor or have an equivalent scientific qualification.

Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology

At least two supervisors are appointed for doctoral researchers, one of whom is the main supervisor and at least one of whom is a member to the university staff. All supervisors must hold a doctoral degree. The scientific qualification of the main supervisor must be equivalent to at least the level of docent. If the main supervisor is not a university staff member, also university staff members the qualification of the supervisor must be at least equivalent to that of a docent.

Faculty of Health Sciences

In the Faculty of Health Sciences each doctoral researcher must have a minimum of two supervisors. All supervisors must have a doctoral degree and the main supervisor must hold, at the minimum, the qualification of a docent or have a corresponding scientific qualification. At least one of the supervisors must be employed by the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Eastern Finland.

Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies

The main supervisor shall hold a professor's, associate professor’s or a docent's title with the University of Eastern Finland or have a corresponding qualification and be a member of staff in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies. The second supervisor must hold a doctoral degree.

Changing supervisors

The supervisor can be replaced for a justified reason or additional supervisors can be appointed. Examples of justified reasons are if the theme of the research project has been changed or readjusted or if the research project is not making satisfactory progress.

The proposal for replacing a supervisor may be made by the doctoral researcher or by the supervisor. Replacement of a supervisor is agreed on between the parties, and the final decision is made by the Dean. To start the process, fill out the form for changing supervisors. Have the form signed and deliver it to the faculty.

Please also see information on conflict situations in Kamu.

Roles and responsibilities of supervisors and doctoral researchers

The role of a supervisor is to

supervise the doctoral research and assist the doctoral researcher in structuring the various stages of their research work (see Supervision Plan),
provide guidance in preparing a personal plan for doctoral studies in such a way that the plan meets the objectives of the degree, the personal aims of the doctoral researcher and the doctoral programme’s curriculum,
submit, without undue delay, the doctoral researcher’s study attainments for registration,
familiarise the doctoral researcher with the ethical issues of conducting research, good scientific practice and the principles of managing research data,
commit to supervision: address the elements of the doctoral research, provide the doctoral researcher with feedback and monitor and support the progress of the doctoral studies,
facilitate the doctoral researcher’s integration into the national and international scientific community and encourage them to create a peer support network,
support the doctoral researcher in applying for funding, and write recommendation letters and statements,
ensure that the research meets the context- and form-based criteria required of a doctoral dissertation before it is submitted for review or pre-review,
go through and evaluate the comparative results provided by the plagiarism detection system on the manuscript of the doctoral dissertation.

The responsibility of a doctoral researcher is to

register each year as present or absent,
ensure that their research plan is updated and to commit to conducting research,
follow actively communication related to doctoral education (e.g., Viva Engage channels of Doctoral Programmes, Doctoral School and/or the Faculty) and Handbook of Doctoral Education in Kamu,
prepare a personal study plan for doctoral studies on the basis of the research topic, the scientific objectives of the degree and their personal aims, for example, career goals, and ensure that the plan is kept up-to-date,
submit to the supervisors, without undue delay, documentation concerning study attainments based on scientific activities,
familiarise themself with guidance on research ethics and data management principles, and comply with these in pursuing studies and conducting research for the doctoral dissertation,
utilise guidance and take into account feedback received from the supervisor (see Supervision Plan) as well as make use of the opportunities for guidance from and in the community at large (e.g., peer support),
participate during their studies in the activities of the scientific community and in scientific discussion and doctoral education,
bear responsibility for obtaining financing (e.g., foundations, funding by a company and other supplementary financing, UEF Doctoral School) and request, when necessary, a reference/recommendation letter from the supervisor in good time, before the deadline of application,
submit the manuscript of the doctoral dissertation for scrutiny by the plagiarism detection system prior to pre-review, request a public defense, publish the doctoral dissertation and apply for the degree certificate.

Support for supervisors

According to scientific studies, satisfaction of the doctoral researcher increases when the supervisor and the doctoral researcher have a mutual understanding on the supervisor’s duties, and the contents and frequency of supervision (Pyhältö et al. 2015). A supervisor has a crucial role in the progress of doctoral studies in many ways. Yet, formal supervision should not be the sole source of guidance. Support from the supervisors and the research community at large, for example, decreases the risk of drop-outs and burn-outs (Peltonen et al. 2017).

The Doctoral School begins to offer supervision training in spring 2025. You can already make use of the self-learning material created for supervisors on Moodle.

Tips for supervisees

It is recommended that you and your supervisors jointly prepare a Supervision Plan to agree, for example, on the mutual division of duties as well as the practices and working methods of supervision.

See tips produced in a workshop “Seminar for PhD students and their supervisors” in 2018 by Professor Sanna Vehviläinen (see Sway presentation How to improve PhD supervision) edited by Dr. Ira Virtanen.

Reflect on and disclose your working habits and communication style to your supervisors (e.g., self-leadership, need for guidance, desired frequency of interaction, etc). Be open to negotiating and learning new practices.
Share, discuss, and express your expectations and feelings with your supervisors. Acknowledge that they have their own goals and work tasks.
Make sure that you agree on the mutual goals and norms. Establish mutual understanding and review it from time to time.
Prepare for meetings with the supervisors in advance. Define the agenda and send the relevant information beforehand. Negotiate what “beforehand” means to each party and make sure everyone commits to the timeline.
Make memos during the supervisory meetings. Decide together where the memos will be stored and how they will be used for the benefit of the collaboration.
Give (also positive and encouraging) feedback to your supervisors. Affirm what works.
Find your own networks and meet your colleagues also in informal settings. Social support from peers enhances your wellbeing.
Balance work and free time and keep your working hours reasonable. Relaxation will not slow you down but, in fact, helps you to become more efficient. Creative work such as research benefits from idle time.
Take a break, sleep enough, exercise, get fresh air, eat healthy, break the routines. Your brain thanks you for looking after cognitive ergonomics!
Positive thinking is valuable. Solely focusing on problems is not efficient. Consider different perspectives. If something in your relationship with your supervisor is not functional, you can take the initiative for making a change. It starts in communication.

More information

Shared rules vitally important in the doctoral researcher-supervisor relationship by Tieteentekijät
Role perception rating scale (RPRS)– tool a for making mutual expectations visible
Research Supervision (1145010) – a course targeted for doctoral researchers (see Peppi)
Materials from the Seminar for PhD Students and Their Supervisors (2018)