Workshop for the Elaboration of the Research Plan and Training Plan
This activity aims to guide doctoral students in acquiring the necessary skills to complete the writing of their Research Plan report. It is carried out and evaluated on the Virtual Campus (CANVAS), where doctoral students will find training materials such as tutorials, videos, and other resources. Assigned tasks must be completed on the Virtual Campus for evaluation. The estimated time commitment for this activity is 25 hours and must be completed during the first five months of the program.
INFORMATIVE NOTE: Given that the research plan (RP) is fundamental to the training of doctoral students, as it establishes the objectives, timing, and methodology of the thesis project, it is crucial that it be registered during the first 12 months of the program, in accordance with Royal Decree 576/2023, of July 4. However, due to its importance as a guide for the development of the thesis, the Academic Committee of this Doctoral Program establishes that registration in Laurea Academic must be completed within the first six months of enrollment in the program.
Person Responsible or teaching and and Assessment
The objective of this activity is to help doctoral students develop the skills necessary to correctly write key sections of their research plan. Thesis supervisors, who have ultimate responsibility for the success of the project, will also be involved in this process.
During the activity, the doctoral student and their supervisors will use the support material to reflect on the following aspects:
- Background or introduction
- Objectives of the work to be carried out
- Methodology to be used
- State of the art
- Timeline, i.e., planning the research activities necessary to meet the objectives
- The possible need for evaluation by Ethics Committees (from an external center, if applicable, and from UCAM)
The result of this activity will be the drafting of key sections of the research plan report: Introduction, Objectives, Theoretical Framework, Methodology, and Timeline. These sections will be presented and evaluated on the Virtual Campus during the first 5 months of the program.
Students will be able to access support material and tutorials through the Virtual Campus to help them complete the tasks for this activity. Within a period of up to 5 months, they must submit all assigned tasks to the Virtual Campus, following the instructions for the activity.
Once all the tasks have been assessed and the student has obtained a “PASS,” they will receive a certificate of completion for the activity at their “alu.ucam.edu” email address, which they must upload to Laurea Academic in the “PREPARATION OF THE RESEARCH PLAN” section.
If the student receives a “FAIL” in the assessment, they must resubmit the necessary tasks, following the assessor's instructions, until they obtain a positive assessment. It is important that, before the end of the first five months of the program, the student has passed this activity with a favorable assessment and completed their PI report.
It is essential to clarify the difference between this activity and the REGISTRATION OF THE RESEARCH PLAN:
The activity “PREPARATION OF THE RESEARCH PLAN” allows students and their supervisors to acquire the necessary skills to prepare the sections of the research plan report (such as background, objectives, methodology, and timeline). We emphasize that this activity is a training activity that helps students acquire the necessary skills to prepare the research plan. However, this activity does not constitute official registration of the research plan.
To complete the registration of the research plan, students must complete the final report, reviewed and signed by their supervisors, and upload it to Laurea Academic in the RESEARCH PLAN REGISTRATION section for evaluation by the Program's Academic Committee.
In addition, in some cases, it will be necessary to upload additional documentation in the RESEARCH PLAN REGISTRATION section of Laurea Academic, such as:
- Authorizations from the necessary ethics committees, if required (from an external center, if applicable, and from UCAM).
- The curriculum vitae of supervisors external to the program in Laurea Academic.
The Academic Committee establishes that the registration of the research plan must be formalized in Laurea Academic within the first six months of enrollment in the program.
- Be able to set goals to be achieved during the development of your research work.
- Be able to plan, using appropriate methodologies, the research work that will enable you to achieve your goals.
- Systematic understanding of a field of study and mastery of the research skills and methods related to that field.
- Ability to conceive, design or create, implement, and adopt a substantial research or creation process.
- Ability to contribute to the expansion of the frontiers of knowledge through original research.
- Ability to critically analyze, evaluate, and synthesize new and complex ideas.
- Ability to function in contexts where there is little specific information.
- Identify the key questions that need to be answered to solve a complex problem.
- Design, create, develop, and undertake novel and innovative projects in their field of knowledge.
- Work both in a team and independently in an international or multidisciplinary context.
- Integrate knowledge, deal with complexity, and make judgments with limited information.