1.1. ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES FOR DEMONSTRATIONS OF PROFICIENCY IN THE RESEARCH STUDY PROGRAMME
1.1.1. General
(This is an English translation of the assessment guidelines originally written in Finnish. In the event of any conflict between the English language version and the original, the Finnish language version shall prevail.).
The demonstration of proficiency in the research study programme is a dissertation. The dissertation is a uniform entity based on research conducted by the doctoral student. It contains new scientific knowledge in a field of research represented at Sibelius Academy. A dissertation may be approved as either
A monograph comprises a coherent, sufficiently extensive and meaningfully defined entity established around its research questions.
An article dissertation must contain 3–5 articles that are published or approved for publication in a peer-reviewed scientific publication series and that deal with the same set of problems. The researcher must be the primary author of the articles, and they must be able to show their independent contribution to the topic. The number of articles depends on the nature of the research project and the amount of work that goes into preparing the articles. A summary of the research objectives, problem, method and results is to be included in an article dissertation. The author of the study must provide a written explanation of their contribution to co-publications at the same time as the study is submitted for pre-examination.
Articles that have already been published or approved for publication are to be submitted for assessment without any editing or rewrites. Any minor overlaps or repetitions resulting from this are permitted in an article dissertation. In other respects, the same criteria shall apply to an article dissertation as to a monograph. In their statement, the assessor of the dissertation presents their assessment of the scientific standard of the entity, regardless of whether the articles have already been published or not.
1.1.2. Demonstration of proficiency assessment stages in the research study programme
The demonstrations of proficiency for the doctoral degree are pre-examined and examined. The purpose of pre-examination is to ensure before the public examination event and the printing of the work that the dissertation manuscript meets the formal requirements and that the scientific quality of the dissertation is sufficient.
The purpose of the examination itself is to assess how well a dissertation edited in the pre-examination process meets scientific and formal requirements and how well the candidate defends their final dissertation orally in a public examination event.
The Academy board of the Sibelius Academy appoints pre-examiners for the dissertation as well as language examiners. There must be at least two pre-examiners, who must be sufficiently familiar with the field of the demonstration of proficiency in question and must have a doctorate.
The pre-examiners prepare a written, reasoned statement and provide it to the Academy board of the Sibelius Academy within three months. The doctoral student is entitled to respond to the statement.
If the statement of the pre-examiner does not approve the granting of an examination permit due to deficiencies in the work, the pre-examination procedure shall expire without a separate decision. However, the doctoral student can bring the matter to the Academy board of the Sibelius Academy, who will decide whether the examination process continues or expires. After the pre-examination procedure has expired, the doctoral student may request a new pre-examination when the demonstration of proficiency has been modified based on the rejecting statements and the supervisor-in-charge is in favour of initiating the pre-examination procedure.
The Academy board of the Sibelius Academy issues an examination permit for a demonstration of proficiency based on the pre-examination statements and the language examiner’s statement. When the Academy board issues the examination permit, it shall also appoint the opponent or opponents. The opponents must have a doctorate and be sufficiently familiar with the field of the demonstration of proficiency in question. The board also appoints a chair for the examination event.
Once the Academy board has issued an examination permit, the demonstration of proficiency will be examined at a public examination event. See the Guidelines for the public examination event.
After the examination event, the opponent or opponents will provide a written, signed statement on the dissertation, including the proposed grade, to the Division of doctoral education and research of the Academy board of the Sibelius Academy within one month of the examination event. The statement also addresses the examination event. The doctoral student is entitled to respond to the statement.
The Division of doctoral education and research approves the demonstration of proficiency and decides on the grade based on the statements provided. When handling the matter, the Division may request a hearing from the chair of the examination event or the examiners or opponents of the demonstration of proficiency.
1.1.3. Assessment of demonstrations of proficiency in the research study programme
The assessors assess the demonstration of proficiency as a whole in relation to the objectives of both the degree and the demonstration of proficiency. The assessment criteria are uniformly focused on the whole demonstration of proficiency and all its components.
The general objective of doctoral education at the Sibelius Academy is to produce music sector experts who are capable of high-level creative and critical work and who operate in demanding art, research, development and educational positions. Doctors of Music graduating from the Sibelius Academy act as societal contributors promoting an ethically sustainable future.
The specific goals of the research study programme are to provide doctoral student with
Assessment criteria
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A dissertation with a grade of Pass is based on independent research, contains new knowledge and, with clear argumentation, answers the research questions. The quality of the doctoral dissertation sufficiently meets the requirements set for it. |
A dissertation with a grade of Pass with distinction is based on independent research, contains new knowledge and, with comprehensive argumentation, answers the research questions of the arguments. The quality of the doctoral dissertation meets the requirements set for it with distinction. |
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The dissertation comprises a uniform, well-managed, consistent, and appropriately defined entity that sufficiently reflects the link between the topic and objectives, research questions, methods, results and conclusions. |
The dissertation comprises a uniform, well-managed, consistent, and appropriately defined entity that clearly reflects the link between the topic and objectives, research questions, methods, results and conclusions. |
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The topic and goals of the dissertation and the new knowledge produced by it have sufficient research significance. The dissertation’s significance with regard to art, education and society can also be taken into account in the assessment. |
The topic and goals of the dissertation and the new knowledge produced by it have notable research significance. The dissertation’s significance with regard to art, education and society can also be taken into account in the assessment. |
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The dissertation is a meaningful and contextualised continuation to the previous research tradition. |
The demonstration of proficiency is a meaningful and contextualised continuation of the previous tradition and discussion in its own field, and it is a visionary reform of the field. |
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Research methods have been presented and justified. They are suitable and appropriate for the topic and objectives, and have been used consistently and reliably. |
Research methods have been presented and justified. They are especially suitable and appropriate for the theme and objectives, and have been used consistently and reliably to a laudable degree. |
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The dissertation is constructively critical in relation to previous research and the author’s own research work, outcomes and their significance. |
The dissertation is, in a commendable way, constructively critical in relation to previous research and the author’s own research work, outcomes and their significance. |
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The dissertation is clearly communicated. Previous research, theory, methods, data and sources are systematically structured and argued. |
The dissertation is very clearly communicated. It is laudable how previous research, theory, methods, data and sources are systematically structured and argued. |
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The dissertation adheres to the norms of research ethics and responsible research practices. The ethical aspects of research work have been adequately addressed. |
The dissertation adheres to the norms of research ethics and responsible research practices. The ethical aspects of research work have been laudably addressed. |
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If the dissertation includes collaborative elements (such as joint publications), the author's primary contribution is clearly demonstrated. |
If the dissertation includes collaborative elements (such as joint publications), the author's primary contribution is clearly demonstrated. |
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The author of the dissertation has successfully defended their dissertation at a public examination. |
The author of the dissertation has insightfully defended their dissertation at a public examination. |
1.1.4. Pre-examination and pre-examination statement
The purpose of pre-examination is to ensure before the public examination event and the printing of the work that the dissertation manuscript meets the formal requirements and that the scientific quality of the dissertation is sufficient. The assessment criteria for the grade of Pass described above are used as the criteria for the examination permit, except for the criterion of defending the dissertation at a public examination event.
The pre-examiners prepare a written, reasoned statement and provide it to the Academy board of the Sibelius Academy within three months of receiving the manuscript. The pre-examiners may also issue a joint statement. The signed statement(s) are to be delivered to the doctoral school office.
The examination permit statement must not be conditional – it must be either affirmative or negative. The pre-examiner may include suggestions for corrections and additions in their approving statement, but in this case, any deficiencies in the manuscript to be assessed may not be so extensive that they would lead to rejection if they were not rectified. Suggestions for rectification may include e.g. additional materials that can be obtained with reasonable effort or additional familiarisation with research literature. The pre-examination statement must reject the manuscript if it fails to meet the criteria for an acceptable doctoral dissertation.
It is preferable that the statement has a summary, which contains the following:
At the end of the statement, the examiner must state unambiguously whether they propose approval or rejection of the manuscript. If desired, the pre-examiner may append a separate list of deficiencies and errors in their statement to be provided to the doctoral student. This should be mentioned in the pre-examination statement.
1.1.5 Examination and opponent's statement
The purpose of the examination itself is to assess how well a dissertation edited in the pre-examination process meets scientific and formal requirements and how well the candidate defends their final dissertation orally in a public examination event. The criteria for grades Pass and Pass with distinction described above are used as the assessment criteria for the examination of the dissertation.
After the examination event, the opponent or opponents issue a written, signed statement on the dissertation to the Division for doctoral education and research of the Academy board of the Sibelius Academy within one month of the examination event. The statement also takes into account the examination event and gives a proposal for the acceptance and grading of the dissertation or its rejection. The statement cannot be conditional. For reasons of legal protection, the opponent may not introduce any new criticism in their statement – only the criticism to which the doctoral student has had the opportunity to respond at the examination event may be included. If there are several opponents, they may each issue their own statement or a joint statement.
The proposed grade can be “Pass” or, when the dissertation clearly meets the relevant requirements for high standards described in the assessment criteria, “Pass with distinction". The grades Pass with distinction and Fail generally require that each opponent proposes the grade in question. The grade proposal is made under the direction of the event chair.
The examination statement is provided to the doctoral school's office after the examination event within two months.
1.1.6. Further information
These guidelines are part of the Sibelius Academy Guide for Doctoral Studies in Music. The Guide for Doctoral Studies contains additional information on doctoral education and additional information on its related demonstration of proficiency.
These guidelines enter into force on 29 May 2023 and apply to all students who commenced their studies on or after 1 January 2021. For doctoral students who started their studies at an earlier date, these guidelines apply in accordance with the separately issued transitional provision. The transitional provision is appended to the doctoral degree guidelines, which were concluded on 10 December 2021.