Annual thesis survey

Why an annual thesis survey?

UNIL is committed to ensuring the good management of PhD/MD doctorates within its university.

The primary purpose of the annual thesis survey is to allow each person to express their opinion confidentially.

A doctoral thesis is traditionally the fruit of the collaboration between an experienced person recognised for their research, on the one hand, and, on the other, a person learning and perfecting their practices.

Nowaday, completing a thesis also frequently involves a third circle, the one of a doctoral programme (see figure below). At a broader level, we realise that this relationship is also embedded in disciplinary and institutional contexts, set by faculty regulations, as well as in national and cultural contexts. These different levels can sometimes make doctoral training complex, both for the supervisor and the doctoral candidate.

modified from Berthiaume et al. (2009)

The annual thesis survey is done in a logic of support, advice, and listening of this wider context of doctoral supervision.

Since 2018, the annual thesis survey is organised and managed by the Graduate Campus, which acts as the institutional contact for all faculties.

The aims of this survey are also to:

Recall the principles laid down in the Code of Practice for the doctorate, in particular by encouraging:
- regular monitoring of doctoral work at UNIL,
- constructive discussions between supervisees and supervisors,
- the transmission of good practices in doctoral supervision,
To offer a response adapted to each situation, in collaboration with the faculty concerned and/or the relevant central services.

Participation in this annual survey is mandatory for thesis supervisors, for each thesis supervised, and is highly recommended for all doctoral candidates.

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Confidentiality*

The questionnaire can only be accessed by login (UNIL username/password) on a secure UNIL platform.

The responses entered by a doctoral candidate are never transmitted to the supervisor, and vice versa.

The data are also not transmitted to any other person nor other service than those listed below, and cannot be used for any other purpose than the annual thesis survey.

All persons having access to the platform are subject to a confidentiality charter which they have signed.

Strict confidentiality (default)

The answer, as well as any comment entered, are strictly confidential, and can only be consulted by :

the two members of the Graduate Campus in charge of the survey (Dr. Mélanie Bosson and Dr. Pauline Fritsch) ;
the persons in charge of the doctorate for the faculty and the study plan concerned (members of the administrative staff) ;
by two persons of the Admissions Office (SII, Service des immatriculations et inscriptions) only when an update of the status or of the administrative data is necessary.

High confidentiality

If you feel the need, you can further restrict access to your answer via the "high confidentiality" tick-box at the bottom of the questionnaire.

In this case, the content of the answer is only available to the two Graduate Campus members in charge of the survey (Dr. Mélanie Bosson and Dr. Pauline Fritsch).

If, after analysing the situation with the Graduate Campus, the resolution of the situation seems to require a transfer to the faculty, the Graduate Campus can not transfer your answer without your explicit permission.

*Limit of confidentiality

By law, as employees of the University, we have the duty to inform about situations of violations of personal rights (e.g. in the case of sexual harassment) to the Work and Study Climate Protection officer.

Apart from such a situation, your response to the survey and your interactions with us will remain fully confidential.

If you have any doubts, please consult the HELP I UNIL website.

No matter the situation you wish to share, you will be listened to and receive advice.

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Responses options

The questionnaire consists of one question with several options of responses (one multiple choice question). Below you will find the questions and responses options for supervisors and doctoral candidates.

Please note that on the online platform, clickable information bubbles complete each option to clarify the action that it entails.

Supervisor	Doctoral Candidate
What do you consider to be the best description of this doctorate at this time?	What do you consider to be the best description of your doctorate at this time?
A. I don’t feel able to judge the situation, good or bad, because this candidate has only just begun the doctorate.	A. I don’t feel able to judge the situation, good or bad, because I have only just begun my doctorate.
B. I continue the supervision of this doctorate and I am satisfied.	B. I continue my doctorate and I am satisfied.
C. I continue the supervision of this doctorate without being fully satisfied, but the situation is manageable without the help of third parties.	C. I continue my doctorate without being fully satisfied, but the situation is manageable without help from third parties.
D. I am not satisfied with the progress of this doctorate, and wish to be supported to resolve the issues.	D. I am not satisfied with the situation surrounding my doctorate, and wish to be supported to resolve the issues.
E. I am considering withdrawing from my supervisory role towards this person, or feel strong doubts about the completion of this thesis.	E. I am thinking of stopping my doctorate, or feel very doubtful about completing it.
F. I am unable to evaluate the current status or progress of this doctorate, because I haven’t had any recent interaction with the doctoral candidate.	F. I am unable to evaluate the current status or progress of my doctorate, because I haven’t had any recent interaction with my supervisor.
G. This doctorate is no longer ongoing (thesis stopped, interrupted, or the candidate has followed another career opportunity).	G. My doctorate is no longer ongoing (thesis stopped, interrupted, or I have followed another career opportunity).
H. I am no longer the main supervisor of this doctorate (please indicate the name of the new main supervisor in the comments section).	H. The main supervisor of my doctorate has changed (please indicate the name of your new main supervisor in the comments section).
I. This doctorate is academically completed (PhD defence or MD Committee successfully passed).	I. My doctorate is academically completed (PhD defence or MD Committee successfully passed).

Handling of responses

Please see the numbering of the responses options in the table above.

Unless you indicate in the comments that you would like a meeting or an advice, responses A, B, C and I will not trigger any action from the Graduate Campus, nor from the person in charge of doctoral education in your faculty (administratif staff), nor from the Admissions Office (SII).

Responses D and E invite the Graduate Campus to contact you to offer you a meeting, to listen to you and advise you.

The purpose of such meetings being is first of all to listen to you and to help you evaluate the situation. Depending on your needs and situation, the Graduate Campus can provide regular follow-up support to accompany you towards a resolution of your situation. By mutual agreement with you, other services of the university may also be involved, with the aim of providing you with all the help available.

For response F, depending on the time elapsed since your last interaction and on the content of your comment, the Graduate Campus or the person in charge of doctoral education in your faculty may contact you.

For responses G, and H, either the Graduate Campus or the person in charge of doctoral education in your faculty will contact you to confirm the administrative information which needs to be updated in the database.

If you have any doubts or if the situation changes at any time during the year, the Graduate Campus is available to listen to you and advise you: graduatecampus@unil.ch or by telephone: 021 692 21 29.

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Data use, management and protection

In addition to the confidentiality rules described above, the data collected during this annual survey cannot be used for any other purpose than the annual thesis survey.

The data are stored on servers managed and hosted by UNIL, according to professional security standards.

The data, whether collected from a doctoral candidate or a supervisor, are kept for the duration of the thesis, after which they are archived.

Any respondent to the questionnaire has, at any time, access to the their own data via the online platform.

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FAQ

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Does a faculty member (professor) have access to the answers?

No, only members of the Administrative and Technical Staff (PAT) have access to the answers. No professor, nor member of a Dean's office, nor member of the Rectorate, has access to the responses (see the part Confidentiality Levels above).

If the situation requires it, these PAT members in charge of the survey within the faculties are authorised to discuss a response confidentially with the vice-dean or the director of the doctoral school, and this solely for the purpose of helping to resolve the situation. This could be the case for answers D and E, or if the comment entered suggests that an intervention is necessary, and if the enhanced confidentiality is not activated.

In all cases, data entered by a doctoral student cannot be communicated to his/her supervisor, and vice versa.

Why is the Graduate Campus in charge of the annual survey and not my doctoral school or my faculty? What is the Graduate Campus?

A center of expertise on the doctorate, the Graduate Campus acts as an institutional contact for all faculties, making the bridge between the Rectorate and doctoral offices within the faculties.

As each faculty has its own doctoral rules, only the Graduate Campus has a global vision and can ensure a homogeneous follow-up for all doctoral candidates of the University.

This annual thesis survey is therefore complementary to and independent of what your doctoral school or your faculty might be asking you.

For more information on the Graduate Campus, its team, and its activities, we invite you to explore our website. You might be interested in all our information regarding the doctorate, or in our workshops, or in our career advice and resources.

What happens if I select (supervisor) "I am considering withdrawing from my supervisory role towards this person..." or (candidate) "I am thinking of stopping my thesis..." ?

First of all, please note that clicking on this response will have no immediate consequences: you will remain supervisor or doctoral candidate until an official decision has been validated by the Dean's Office of your faculty.

The only immediate consequence will be that the Graduate Campus will contact you to offer you a meeting as soon as possible.

The purpose of this meeting will be, in the first instance, to listen to you, to help you evaluate the situation as well as to advise. The Graduate Campus will discuss the possible options with you.

Depending on the situation, the Graduate Campus may recommend you to contact other relevant services such as the Persons of Trust, the HR service, or help you to seek support from your doctoral school or your faculty.

If an end or a change of supervision is desired by either party, the Graduate Campus will be able to advise and accompany you in this process. A change of supervision is not an easy process, but it is not not impossible, if done with the right support.

Since my last response to the annual thesis survey, my situation has changed and I would like your advice, may I contact you?

Yes, the Graduate Campus is available all year round for you. You can contact us directly by email graduatecampus@unil.ch or by phone: 021 692 21 29.

After the last thesis survey, I wasn’t contacted by the Graduate Campus although I would have appreciated to discuss with someone, what can I do?

We are sorry if we have misunderstood your response.

If you wish, you can contact us directly by email graduatecampus@unil.ch or by phone: 021 692 21 29.

Otherwise, depending on your situation and the time left until the next thesis survey (every year in April-May), you may wait for the next survey.

If you wish to meet us, but do not dare to select response D or E, or if you have any doubt, please try to write it explicitly in the commentary, or don’t hesitate to contact us directly by email or phone.

All is going well in my thesis, do I still need to fill in the questionnaire?

Yes, we strongly encourage you to fill in the questionnaire, we will be happy to know that everything is going well for you!

Also, under the current system, if you do not complete the questionnaire, the Graduate Campus will receive an alert and may decide to contact you to check your status.

I am at the Facutly of Arts ("Lettres") and I have already completed my "Thesis Follow-up Report" with my supervisor, do I still have to complete this questionnaire?

Yes, this annual thesis survey is organised centrally for the whole University and independently of the faculties.

As each faculty has its own doctoral rules, only the Graduate Campus has a global vision and can ensure a homogeneous follow-up for all doctoral candidates of the University.

This annual thesis survey is therefore complementary to and independent of the "Rapport de suivi de la thèse" that the Faculty of Arts (« Lettres ») asks you to complete.

I am at the FBM, or HEC, or IDHEAP, or ESC, or FGSE, and I recently passed a mid-thesis exam or had a thesis supervisory committee, do I still have to answer this questionnaire?

Yes, this annual thesis survey is organised centrally for the whole University and independently of the faculties.

As each faculty has its own doctoral rules, only the Graduate Campus has a global vision and can ensure a homogeneous follow-up for all doctoral candidates of the University.

This annual thesis survey is therefore complementary to and independent of the mid-thesis exam, or the thesis supervisory committee, that your faculty or your doctoral school asks you to complete.

I supervise MD doctoral candidates, or I am an MD doctoral candidate, am I concerned by this annual thesis survey?

Yes, the annual thesis survey concerns all doctoral theses at UNIL, MD or PhD without distinction.

If you have difficulties to connect to the annual thesis survey platform, please note that you shall use the same login as for the MD administrative platform (platform for validation of the thesis plan, validation of the expert, etc.).

Why did I receive this questionnaire when (supervisor) my doctoral candidate has finished, or (candidate) I have finished my thesis?

This questionnaire is sent as long as the doctoral candidate is registered at the University.

Even after having passed the public defence, doctoral candidates remain registered until they deposit their thesis at the BCU.

We remind you that the deposit of the manuscript at the BCU is compulsory for the diploma to be delivered, and that the payment of the registration fees is due until then.

I am a supervisor and I can't find one of my doctoral candidates in my list of questionnaires to fill in, is this normal?

There can be several reasons for this.

The first reason is if your doctoral candidate has only recently started his/her thesis and has not yet completed the registration process with the Admissions Office (Service des Immatriculations et Inscriptions, SII). Please note that a doctoral candidate is formally registered only after having paid his/her semester fees.

Moreover, during the whole duration of their doctorate, if your doctoral candidate forgets to pay their semester fees, then he or she will be exmmatriculated by the SII and will no longer appear in the list of ongoing doctorates. Please contact your doctoral candidate and advise him/her to rectify his/her status with the SII as soon as possible. They may have to pay a processing fee.

Another reason is if you are the co-supervisor of this doctoral candidate.

The system does not currently allow us to send the annual survey questionnaire to the co-supervisor in addition to the one sent to the person indicated as the director (main supervisor) in the PhD form (directeur·trice dans l’attestation de thèse).

If you are co-supervisor, we encouraged you to contact the main director and develop a joint response to be entered into the annual survey application by the director.

If none of the above reasons seem to fit, then there may be an error in the administrative database. Please contact us by email graduatecampus@unil.ch or by phone: 021 692 21 29.

Why don't co-supervisors receive the annual thesis survey questionnaire?

If you are co-supervisor, we encouraged you to contact the main director and develop a joint response to be entered into the annual survey application by the director.

Why is the number of semesters displayed incorrect?

When you log in to the platform, if you are a doctoral candidate you can see your study plan and the number of semesters you have been enrolled in this plan; if you are a supervisor you can see the study plans and the number of semesters for all your doctoral candidates.

It may happen that the figure displayed seems wrong to you.

This applies in particular to doctoral candidates in the Social Sciences. This is due to the change in the name of the study plan that took place in 2022: the "Doctorat ès Sciences sociales" plan was renamed "Doctorat en sciences sociales" by the Faculty. From an administrative point of view, this simple change of name required the creation of a new study plan. The figure displayed in the annual survey platform therefore corresponds to the number of semesters of enrolment in this new study plan and does not take into account the semesters prior to the change of name of the plan.

We will try to correct this error for the 2025 survey.

Why can't I connect to the platform?

This regularly happens to people who have dual status, which means that they have UNIL login and login IDs from another institution such as the CHUV, Unisanté, a HES-SO, or any other institution.

Connection to the annual survey is only possible as a member of UNIL.

The system requires your SWITCH_edu-ID login associated with your UNIL membership. SWITCH login associated with another institution will not work.

The SWITCH_edu-ID login that you must use for the annual survey are the same as for logging in to :

your myUNIL account, where, for doctoral candidates, you find, for example, your semester registration invoices, your registration certificates and access to your emails.
SERVAL.
for MD thesis supervisors and MD doctoral candidates: you should use the same login as for the MD administrative platform (platform for submitting and validating the thesis plan, validation of the expert, etc.). See the links in the email signature of Ms Séverine Rijken, at the medical theses secretariat.

If after several attempts you are still unable to log in, please contact us by email graduatecampus@unil.ch. As an exception, we can send you the questionnaire as a PDF file to fill up.

How to redirect emails from the Graduate Campus towards the address I use the most?

You are not using much your @unil.ch address and you don’t want to miss our emails?

You can redirect emails! Please follow instructions from the IT Center on their Wiki, third entry “How can I redirect my emails?”.

This is particularly recommended if you are based at the CHUV, at Unisanté, or at any other partner institution!

For your information, regarding the annual thesis survey, the first email is sent only to your primary email addresses (i.e. @unil.ch), then, the reminder emails are sent to both primary and secondary addresses (if there is a secondary address filled up in your administrative data information).

Moreover, general information from the Graduate Campus, for example to announce the registration opening of all our workshops, are sent only to @unil.ch email addresses.

I still have questions or doubts, may I contact you?

Yes, the Graduate Campus is available for you all year round!

You can contact us directly by email graduatecampus@unil.ch or by phone: 021 692 21 29.

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Contact

For any queries regarding the annual thesis survey, please contact:

Dr. Pauline Fritsch

pauline.fritsch@unil.ch

graduatecampus@unil.ch

+41 21 692 21 29

How it works

The access link will be sent to each person concerned (doctoral candidate and supervisor) by email (to their email @unil.ch) on the launching day, along with instructions. Each answer will be confirmed by an email.

The 2024 annuel survey will open on April 15 !

2023 Report

Please find here the second activity report, intended to be succinct, focusing on a few key figures.

2022 Report

Please find here the first full report on this Annual Thesis Survey.