Procedural Guidelines for Regulations on Awarding the Scientific Degree of Research Professor

The Committee for the Research Professor Degree issues these Procedural Guidelines to implement the Guideline No. 8/2020 of the Academy Council of the CAS – Rules for Granting the ‘Research Professor’ Degree by the Czech Academy of Sciences (hereinafter ‘Rules’), seeking to ensure a high professional level and proper coordination of the proceedings for granting the scientific degree. These Guidelines are an integral part of the Rules (Appendix 1).

The proceedings for granting the scientific degree ‘Research Professor’ (hereinafter ‘scientific degree’) are administered by the Science Council of the CAS, the Committee for the Research Professor Degree (hereinafter ‘Committee’), and by commissions for the defences of dissertations (hereinafter ‘commission/s’).

I. Commissions for the defences

Pursuant to Article II, Section 1 of the Rules, the Science Council of the CAS approved the structure of the commissions and appointed their chairpersons (Appendix 2).
The Committee considers and approves the composition of the commissions on the basis of proposals of their chairpersons, in accordance with principles specified in Article II, Section 2 of the Rules. The Committee publishes the composition of the commissions on the website of the Czech Academy of Sciences (website of the scientific degree ‘Research Professor’).
Individual members of the Committee are empowered to cooperate with Chairpersons of the respective Commissions and report to the Committee to ensure the high quality and proper effectiveness of the work of the Commissions. Chairpersons of the Commissions are obliged to inform the designated members about the matters relating to the defence of a doctoral thesis, especially about reviews pertaining to a doctoral thesis. The division of the spheres of competences of individual members of the Committee is shown in.
To ensure high quality and proper effectiveness of the work of the commissions, especially regarding the proceedings for granting the scientific degree, the individual members of the Committee are responsible for cooperation with chairpersons of the respective commissions and for reporting to the Committee. The chairpersons of the commissions are obliged to inform the designated members about matters relating to the defence of a dissertation, particularly about the opinions on the dissertation. The roles and fields of expertise of the individual members of the Committee can be found in (Appendix 3).
When considering a request from the applicant, the commissions will observe the principles approved by the Committee (per Article III, Section 8 of the Rules). These General Principles for Assessing the Applicant (Appendix 4) are part of the Procedural Guidelines. The criteria and principles specific for the given scientific field are suggested by the chairperson of the expert commission and discussed with the designated member of the Committee, who will then submit the suggestions to the Committee.
The chairperson or deputy chairperson of the commission convenes and chairs meetings of the commission. The commission acts in accordance with the Rules, observes the Procedural Guidelines, and in making its decisions it is guided by Article 64 of the Statutes of the CAS, unless otherwise stipulated.

II. Commencement of the proceedings for granting the scientific degree

The proceedings are formally commenced by the applicant submitting a request (Appendix 5) for granting the scientific degree (per Article III, Section 4 of the Rules). The request and the accompanying documents (per Article III, Section 5 of the Rules) shall be submitted to the Secretariat of the Science Council of the CAS. A responsible employee of the Secretariat will register the request, verify the accompanying documents in compliance with Article III, Section 5 of the Rules and make note of this on the respective form.
After registering the request, the employee of the Secretariat of the Science Council:
1. will return a copy of the completed form to the applicant as proof of the receipt of the request;
2. will submit to the Secretary of the Committee for information: the original of the completed form, the originals of both written opinions, a statement about the creation of a dissertation and the applicant’s assessment of his/her scientific contribution and share of work;
3. will present to the designated member of the Committee: theses of the dissertation, a list of publications forming the background materials of the dissertation together with the impact factor of the relevant journals and with a citation analysis, and further a list of all the original scientific works with the overall data on their citation rate.
4. will file the verified copies of the documents per Article III, Section 5a and 5b, together with the original of the form and the written opinions, in the Secretariat of the Science Council.
Together with the request, the applicant will submit five printed copies of the dissertation (per Article III, Section 5f of the Rules), one of which is to be archived at the Secretariat of the Science Council. Exceptionally and upon approval from the Committee, the applicant can submit only one original print and four electronic copies if the dissertation is a monograph whose edition is already out of print. In this case, the applicant has to submit a statutory declaration confirming the identity of the original text and the copies. If required, the author has to provide opponents with the printed version of the electronic copy. If the dissertation is in a foreign language, the applicant should state also the Czech title.
The applicant will also submit the prescribed number of copies of the theses of the dissertation (Art. III, Section 5e of the Rules), one of which will be filed in the Secretariat of the Science Council. The Secretariat of the Science Council will send four copies of the theses to the determined recipients after the granting of the scientific degree by the Science Council. The remaining copies of the theses will be returned to the applicant who will submit them to the chairperson of the commission to be distributed pursuant to Art. III, Section 12 of the Rules.
The chairperson of the Committee will advise the chairperson of the commission in writing of the formal commencement of the proceedings.

III. Course of the proceedings

When considering the applicant’s request (Article III, Section 8 of the Rules), the commission shall implement the principles and criteria approved by the Committee. The chairperson of the commission will notify the Committee in writing of the commission's decision whether or not it recommends the dissertation for the next stage of the proceedings. If it is recommended to continue in the proceedings, the chairperson of the commission will provide the following information:
1. the title of the dissertation, the name and surname of the applicant and his/her affiliation,
2. results of the assessment of the applicant in compliance with the principles and criteria approved by the Committee, results of the assessment of scientometric parameters relating to the respective scientific field,
3. a brief professional characteristic of the applicant,
4. whether the dissertation can be accepted or defended in a foreign language (usually in English),
5. his/her comments on the acceptability of the theses of the dissertation pursuant to Article III, Section 3 of the Rules,
6. a proposal of at least three opponents (one of the opponents can be a foreign opponent),
7. a proposal of the venue where the dissertation defence will take place.
If it is not recommended to continue, the chairperson of the commission will state points a) and e) and the reasons for suspending the proceedings.
A designated member of the Committee will evaluate the submitted materials, primarily the information concerning the applicant and the opponents of the dissertation, in particular, considering the stipulation of Article III, Section 10 of the Rules and paying due attention also to the fact that opponents and recommenders should not be in a superiority/subordination relationship to the applicant.
A designated member of the Committee will present a summary of his/her findings to the plenum of the Committee, will or will not recommend the continuation of the proceedings and will or will not recommend approving the proposed opponents. The chairperson of the Committee will advise the chairperson of the commission of the result of the vote.
If the proposal for continuation of the proceedings and regarding the opponents is accepted, the chairperson of the Committee will notify the chairperson of the commission who will set the date of the dissertation defence and so inform the chairperson of the Committee.
Should the proposed opponents not be approved, the Committee chairperson shall decide with the chairperson of the commission on a term for new opponents to be proposed. The disapproval of opponents can be repeated.
A designated member of the Committee will participate in the defence. The designated member of the Committee has the right to be present also in a non-public discussion but without having the right to vote.
Information about the date of the dissertation defence is published on the website of the CAS and also in Academic Bulletin. The granting of the scientific title is published on the website of the CAS together with the theses of the dissertation and also in Academic Bulletin.

IV. Concluding the proceedings

A report is made on the course of the defence, signed by the chairperson of the commission.
After the defence is concluded, the chairperson of the commission shall prepare a report according to the prescribed template in which he/she shall evaluate the defence and shall propose the scientific degree either be granted or not granted. A negative decision concerning the granting of the scientific degree must be justified substantially. This account and the record relating to the defence shall be forwarded to the chairperson of the Committee. An attendance list shall be attached. The presence of all opponents taking part in the procedure shall be mentioned explicitly or the meeting of the condition as specified in Article III, Section 13 of the Rules. Documents submitted by the applicant shall be returned to the Secretariat of the Science Council of the CAS.
The Committee at its meeting shall integrate its position statement into the report drawn up by the commission's chairperson. It shall explicitly comment on observing the rules during the proceedings, in particular with regard to possible appeals. The Committee shall then give its final recommendation to the Science Council of the CAS as to the granting of the scientific degree.
The presence of a designated member of the Committee (or his/her written statement) is necessary at a meeting of the Committee at which the recommendation whether to grant the scientific degree is voted on; the chairperson of the commission may also be invited.
A written decision of the Committee on the granting of the scientific degree is given to the President of the Science Council of the CAS by the Committee's chairperson or, in his/her absence by the Committee's deputy chairperson.
The Committee's chairperson delivers the report on the course of the defence, the report on the defence and an attendance list to the Secretariat of the Science Council of the CAS, which files them together with the dissertation and the theses of the dissertation.
Should all regulations governing the course of the defence not have been properly adhered to, the Committee's chairperson shall notify the commission's chairperson that the defence is invalid. In the stipulated time period, he/she shall require that a new term and venue of repeating the defence be established. Opponents' opinions remain valid. A designated member of the Committee always participates in the repeated defence.
The proceedings are ended by a decision of the Science Council of the CAS on the proposal for granting the scientific degree.