Guide to doctoral studies at Physgeo

This document summarises the nature of PhD study in the Department of Physical Geography and Geoecology and is an essential practical guide to all important aspects of being a PhD student in the Department. It should involve the answers to the most common questions asked by PhD students. It does not replace official documents such as the requirements of the Study Board, the Individual Study Plan, etc. It should be stressed that in terms of the content of PhD studies, the main document is the individual study plan, which every PhD student should follow. PhD students are members of the department and have an important position in the scientific activities of the department, they are also involved in teaching activities.

1) Where should PhD studies be oriented?

The main task of a PhD student is to substantially contribute to scientific knowledge in the field at an international level. This is what is ultimately evaluated by the committee when defending the PhD thesis. The knowledge gained should also be properly published.

2) Study obligations during the PhD studies

The study obligations are defined in the study plan. Typically, these include passing two to three study courses, completing the Geographical Colloquium, the General and regional physical geography sub-examination, the State Final Exam (Physical Geography and Geoecology exam) and the PhD thesis defence. A specification of the duties required by the Study board is provided on this page.

3) Major milestones during the PhD studies

4) Publication strategy

The achieved knowledge needs to be published to bring your results to the scientific community. Not published results do not exist. Good research should preferentially be placed in the most widely read and cited journals to maximize its impact. The supervisor will help with the choice of journal, a rough measure may be e.g., impact factor (IF) or the relative ranking of the journal among other journals in the field. In any discipline, it is known which journals are the most prestigious and which are less read in the community. We try to aim to publish our results mainly in those prestigious (read, cited) journals. It is important to remember that the publication record is what graduates will eventually be judged on when applying for jobs in academic, scientific settings after their PhD. In addition to the publication of major findings in international journals, publications in Czech (typically review articles) and especially popularization articles are also important for the development of the field. However, these types of publications do not replace the required publications for the dissertation.

Publication activity is reflected in the funding of the Department and, consequently, of the doctoral studies. To this end, publication activity must be recorded, which is what the OBD database is used for. All publications must be entered in it.

5) What should a doctoral thesis look like?

The doctoral thesis is the main output of the doctoral studies. The preferred form is a set of articles with a linking introduction and conclusion. The articles should represent the different parts of the dissertation, and cover the topic of the doctoral thesis, and the doctoral student must have substantial authorship in them. They should be in prestigious journals, two articles must be accepted, and two can only be in peer review. At least two of the articles must be first-authored, at least one of them in an international IF journal. It is recommended that at least one article (but more likely) be in journals with an IF above the median of the field (this is roughly in the range of 2.2-2.6 for physical geography). The dissertation may also be submitted as a monograph. The exact wording of the dissertation requirements is published on the faculty webpage. Officially, the student follows the requirements of the discipline council when entering the PhD program. These requirements have changed over time, so students who are now in Year 7 have had different guidelines than currently entering students. However, in principle, as long as the PhD student meets the current (current) requirements when submitting the thesis, it is fine with the discipline board (e.g. in the past there were stricter requirements in terms of the number of articles). If there is any ambiguity, discuss it with the supervisor or the chair of the departmental board.

6) Doctoral student funding

Internal PhD students receive a study grant. The Student Research Project (SRP) provides students with operating funds for research (fieldwork, laboratory analysis, small materials, publication fees ...). From the SVV, scholarships are also increased for internal students in 1st and 2nd year and for internal students in 3rd and 4th year working towards the defence of a thesis in 4th year. At the same time, students are rewarded for publication output at the end of the year; these performance awards are a major part of the SVV scholarships. The distribution of performance awards is based on journal metrics, author share and affiliations.

Another important source of funding for student research is the internal grant agency (GA UK). If the PhD thesis is not fully covered by grant funding, the student is expected to submit a project proposal to the UK GA in the first year.

Supervisors' grant funds are essential to both draw down operational funds and increase the stipend. In other words, it is advisable to be part of the research project of the supervisor or group where the PhD student is working.

7) Involvement in teaching

The involvement of students in teaching, especially in tutorials, field exercises and excursions, is most welcome from the Department. It is a good practice for the Ph.D. student to capitalize on in his/her future career. Participation in teaching develops the PhD student professionally. Doctoral students, in cooperation with course supervisors and supervisees, will be approached to actively participate in teaching activities. The Department seeks to financially reward student teaching activities each year. In addition, doctoral students may oppose or supervise undergraduate theses.

8) Help with popularization

Doctoral students participate in popularization events within the faculty (Open Days, Geography Days, contributions to Přírodovědci.cz, participation in Spaniel rides, contributions to the popularization section of the faculty website). Popularization articles or contributions to the departmental Facebook are very welcome. We also support independent student activity aimed at popularizing the field and strengthening the field community (field seminars, clubs ...).

9) Background

The department offers each internal PhD student a place to sit in two large offices in the Legerova building. The presence of PhD students here helps to create a student community, to discuss problems and find solutions. The offices are equipped with PCs and office equipment.

10) Departmental Seminar

Seminar is an important platform for scholarly communication within the department. Attendance is compulsory for all PhD students, and active participation in the discussion is desirable. Do not be afraid to ask questions! During the seminar, PhD students give several presentations on different stages of their work, the aim of these presentations is to get feedback and to get new impulses for the PhD work.

11) Geographical Colloquium

The Geographical Colloquium is a compulsory course that students enrol in the 1st year. The prerequisites for it are as follows: (a) attendance at the departmental seminar, (b) presentation of the PhD thesis, and (c) presentation of the progress of the PhD thesis at the end of the first year.

12) Internships abroad

An internship at a quality foreign institution will broaden the student's horizons, provide contacts, and expose the student to different working styles and methods of scientific work. The minimum duration of the internship is 1 month. The internship is compulsory within the curriculum, however, in justified cases (health reasons, family reasons, epidemic situation) it can be waived by the departmental board. There are a number of possible sources of funding for internships, such as the 4EU project of the Department (Heidelberg University, Milan University), the UK Mobility Fund, Erasmus Plus, CEEPUS, Fulbright scholarship and others. It is also possible to have a double supervision of a doctoral thesis, i.e. to have a supervisor from the Department and a supervisor from a partner foreign university.