This internal regulation is based on:

• President’s decision no. UF 314-08, dossier 60

At a disputation and a licentiate seminar, the requirements relating to the impartiality and objectivity of the members of the Grading Board, the examiners and the reviewers are unconditional. Circumstances giving grounds for disqualification may not exist between an examiner, the Grading Board, a special reviewer at a licentiate examination and a doctoral student/supervisor.

Grounds for disqualification

Grounds of disqualification are divided into five groups, as follows

• disqualification due to ownership, interest and kinship
• disqualification of a substitute
• disqualification due to dual instance
• disqualification of a representative and an assistant
• disqualification for reasons of discretion and delicacy

Disqualification in accordance with section (paragraph) 11 of the Förvaltningslagen (Swedish Administrative Procedure Act) is a circumstance in which a member of a decision-making body or an employee at a presentation of reports may be considered to lack objectivity in his or her opinion.

Rules for disqualification at examinations in third-cycle studies

In order to avoid situations of disqualification at disputations or presentations of licentiate theses, the Grading Board and examiner and reviewers should be completely independent from the doctoral student, supervisor and project.

The following two levels of disqualification apply in these cases:

Level 1: Circumstances that must not exist

• The proposed person must not have had a doctoral student/supervisor relationship with the main supervisor in the preceding five-year period.
• There must be no form of kinship or close personal relationship between the proposed person and the main supervisor or respondent.

Level 2: Circumstances that should be avoided and that should be reported along with an application for a disputation

• The proposed person has been part of a joint scientific production with the main supervisor or the respondent in the previous five years.
• The proposed person has participated in a joint research project with the main supervisor or the respondent in the previous five years.