Application deadline

PhD students at UiT apply for admission by registering for class in Studentweb by 1 September for autumn semester and by 1 February for spring semester.

Participants at the Associate professors programme apply for admission in Søknadsweb by 1 June for autumn semester and 1 December for spring semester. Application code 9301.

If more than 30 applicants, priority will be given as follows:

1. Participants admitted to a PhD programme at UiT, with priority given to those students admitted most recently.

2. Participants in the Associate Professor programme ("Førstelektorprogrammet").

Participants not in need for ECTS (no exam), or not being eligible to the course, may attend if there are available spots but will not be admitted as a student at UiT. Please send a request to the course coordinator

Type of course

Admission requirements

Fulfilled master's degree and admission to a UiT PhD programme or to UiT's Associate Professor Programme.

If you aim to include the credits from the course in your 30 mandatory PhD ECTS, you should discuss it with both your supervisor and your faculty prior to applying.

Course content

Day 1 (mandatory)

1. Academic integrity and the transparency of science: This seminar provides a basis for the entire seminar series. The aim is to understand the importance of academic integrity for the different stages of the research process, and for science in general. With transparency as a guiding principle, the focus is on the whys and hows of using/creating sources correctly, both research papers and research data.

2. Literature search: This seminar focuses on doing complex and more systematic literature searches and how to use scientific databases in an efficient and effective way. A large component of the seminar is to address the various purposes of literature searches. Participants can choose between 3 seminars: i) Humanities and Social Sciences, ii) Medicine and Health Sciences, and iii) Technology and Natural Sciences.

Day 2 (mandatory)

3. Open access publishing: This seminar discusses what open access means, the choices researchers have to face when selecting publication venues, and how those choices affect both the scientific and the general community. Participants learn how to evaluate open access publication channels, and receive information about the UiT Publication Fund. We also discuss how researchers can make their publications available in open repositories. This practice is called self-archiving and it is mandated by an increasing number of funders and institutions.  

4. Research data management: This seminar is an introduction to best practices for research data management. This includes how to write a solid data management plan, how to structure, document, and preserve the data during the project, and, finally, how to archive and share the data in suitable repositories. Participants also receive information about the UiT institutional archive, UiT Open Research Data, as well as the UiT principles and guidelines for research data management.

In the second half of the seminar, we split in two groups. Participants can choose between i) a group focusing on research data containing sensitive information, and ii) a group focusing on research data without sensitive information.

Day 3 (optional)

5. Reference management This seminar introduces reference management and how reference management tools can be used in the various phases of the research process. The seminar will go in more detail into EndNote. Part 1 is an introduction to EndNote, where focus lies on the basic functionalities of the software, such as creating an EndNote library and entering references into a Word document. Part 2 is an advanced course of 1/23/2019 Utskrift: GEN-8001 https://uit.no/utskriftStudiekatalog?p_document_id=604903 2/3 EndNote, focusing on sharing, organizing and publishing references. Participants may participate in one or both parts.

Objectives of the course

By the end of the course the student has obtained the following:

Knowledge: 

• Explain correct use of sources in an academic publication and questionable research practices.
• Explain the purpose of literature search for the research process.
• Explain the purpose and advantages of open science, for research and society in general.
• Explain the main sections of a data management plan.

Skills:

• Cite academic work, including published research data, in line with existing norms and conventions.
• Select and use scientific databases for advanced literature searches.
• Build advanced searches, using operators (AND, OR, NOT) and search history.
• Evaluate and select suitable publication channels for own research.
• Find and use repositories for archiving text (publications/manuscripts) and research data.
• Structure and document research data in line with good academic practice.

Competence:

• Carry out research with academic integrity.
• Disseminate academic work in line with current publication trends and requirements.
• Communicate with peers and the larger scholarly community about the concept of transparency of science.
• Use the research support services at the University Library.

Language of instruction and examination

Teaching methods

The course is organized as interactive sessions combining theory, plenary discussions, group activities, and individual practice. Participants are expected to be active prior to and during the sessions. Reading material and other preparatory tasks will be provided in advance.

The course is given during 3 days, as 3-hour-long seminars. The total number of teaching hours with mandatory participation is 12 hours. On day 3, with 6 teachings hours on reference management, participation is optional.

Assessment

Written examination, 1000-1500 words, with a given assignment text. Purpose: Reflect upon the acquired knowledge and skills and employ them in order to proceed in the PhD research process in an effective way.

The assignment will be handed out electronically after day 2, and must be handed in electronically within 4 weeks.

The exam paper may be written in English or in a Scandinavian language (Norwegian, Swedish, Danish).

The examination is evaluated according to the pass/fail grading system. Students who have failed may not register for a re-sit examination.