The PhD mailing list and Slack group

If you have been accepted as a PhD student at DSV, please email the information manager from the PhD Council to be added to the mailing list (remember to use your @dsv.su.se email to register). This is the primary communication channel between the council and all PhD students at DSV.

You can also join our Slack channel (remember to use your @dsv.su.se email to register) for PhD students. Slack is where we post news and reminders during the year, as well as invitations to fika and other social stuff. Moreover, you can send direct messages to other PhD colleagues, make private channels with several people and you can create your own channels, so it provides an easy platform for communication with your peers!

Individual Study Plan

There are two important documents that every PhD student should take care of: the Basic Contract and the Individual Study Plan (ISP). New forms have been introduced for these two documents. The ISP-form is to be filled up in the first year of admission – this also acts as a Basic Contract and serves as a legal document. The  ISP follow-up form is to be filled up from the second year of studies and onward.

  1. Basic Contract
    This document specifies how often the PhD student and the supervisor meet each other. It also specifies how much percentage the PhD student should work and study, which is usually 20% departmental duty (340 hours per year) and 80% research. It also contains information like the activities which should be done in each year of PhD study. It is also used as evidence that the PhD student agrees on and knows about the legal issues like plagiarism control of the thesis.
  2. Annual Review / Individual Study Plan
    This document specifies the plan for the next year. It includes information like when and what courses are going to be taken, how the courses are going to be combined with departmental duties, etc. It should be considered as a tool for planning and controlling the study. Thus, it is recommended that PhD students fill the form with the help of supervisors. This document also contains a summary of what student has been done in the previous year. This is a very important document since it specifies the progress that the PhD student has been achieved, which influences the salary as well.

Departmental duties

The head of each Unit defines the departmental duties. DSV has four units: ACT in Communication with Technology, Information systems, Interaction Design and Learning – IDEAL, and Systems Analysis and Security. Therefore, it is important that PhD students participate in unit meetings, and the head of the unit can be considered as your boss. Your head of the unit is responsible for issues regarding the working environment etc. In addition to units, there are several centres, which are mostly relying on external funding. DSV has an intranet website with information on being a PhD student at DSV as well as a “good to know” resources page.

Important information from the department and your unit head is usually distributed via email.

Thesis types

There are two types of theses at DSV: monograph and collection of papers. The monograph is like a book which does not rely on publications. However, it is crucial to have publications so that reviewers in your community can verify your results. A collection of papers is common at DSV and is usually based on 4 to 6 publications, depending on the depth of papers. It is always good to have one or two journal publications at the end. It is highly recommended that you speak with your supervisors to define a framework on how to meet regularly and clarify how you are going to communicate.

Publication

DSV uses the Norwegian ranking system to measure the quality of publications. This ranking rates different publications with 0, 1, or 2 levels. Level 0 cannot be considered as an acceptable level for publications. It should, therefore, not be used for the articles in a PhD student’s thesis. Level 1 is usually a good place to start! However, it is essential to always discuss with your supervisor where to submit so that the publication is relevant and suitable. The levels are important since DSV and Stockholm University get credit through publishing in level 1 and 2 conferences and journals.

PhD courses

For students following the General Study Plans from 2016-09-01 (IS) or 2016-10-25 (CSS), the number of course credits is 75 PhD degree and 45 for the licentiate degree. Some courses are mandatory, and others you can select as you and your supervisor see fit. Based on the background knowledge/education of the PhD student, there may also be some supplementary course/s that a PhD student should take which are determined by the director of the PhD study. This and more information can be found in the Study Plans.

An updated list of the mandatory courses with registration information is available at the DSV Intranet.

Improve your language skills

Grammarly@EDU is an automated grammar tutor and revision tool for academic writing in English.