March 2021
1. Purpose
These bylaws are intended to regulate the rights and duties of advisors and of students conducting research under their supervision, in the writing of an MA/MSc and PhD thesis. The provisions in the present bylaws are subject to the provisions of the Teaching and Learning Procedures and of the Regulations for Research Students. In any case of discrepancy, the provisions of the other regulations shall apply.
2. Research Topic and Format
A) The advisor and student will select a research topic that is appropriate for high-level research and aims to enrich human knowledge and to advance science. The research topics will be determined in a manner that suits a project of scope that is appropriate to the relevant field and duration of study, as stated in section 10 below.
B) The advisor and the student will agree on the planned work format in advance. Among other things, they will determine whether submitting the work for judging will be conditional on submitting of excerpts from it for publication in an academic journal, taking into account, accepted norms in the relevant research field.
C) The advisor and the student will determine a schedule for completing milestones in conducting the research, as well as the expected average hours per week that will be dedicated to the research activity.
3. Advisor’s Commitments
A) The advisor will work to train and guide the student as a researcher, as a member of the scientific community and as a contributor to society and to humanity. The advisor will serve as a model for ethical scientific practice for the student, while providing an intellectual, challenging and enriching environment.
B) The advisor will act in a way that respects the student, while listening to the student’s opinions and encouraging independence. If possible, the advisor will assist the student to attend scientific conferences and will assist the student to participate in other academic activities. The advisor will enable the student to participate in academic activities, including workshops and courses, which are relevant to the research.
C) The advisor will give the student suitable time to consult with them, and will provide comments on drafts of the work within a reasonable period of time.The student and advisor must check in with each other about the research status at least once a month. In the case of experimental research, the advisor will be available on a regular basis to discuss the results of the research with the student, to plan additional research and to process research results for scientific publication (depending on the type of research).
D) The members of the accompanying committee (in the case of doctoral studies) will assist in advising on the formulation of the research plan and in assessing its suitability for research for a doctoral dissertation. The accompanying committee will continue to advise as the research progresses, and, if necessary, will assist to settle academic disputes between the advisor and the student.
E) In cases where a scholarship is expected to be awarded from the advisor’s research funds, the advisor will provide the student with a breakdown of the scholarship amount and its duration, as well as a breakdown of the scholarship amount to be awarded in case the student is awarded a competitive scholarship. The advisor will encourage the student to apply for scholarships from competitive foundations.
4. Non-research-related Tasks
A) The advisor will refrain from imposing on the student external tasks that are unrelated to the student’s research.
B) The advisor and the student may agree upon the student’s employment in additional academic activities (for example, as a research assistant), for a fee, and subject to the rules regarding additional work set forth in the University Scholarship Regulations, provided that the additional work does not impair the advancement of the student’s research.
5. Student’s Commitments
A) The student will dedicate the best of his/her time and effort to carry out the research work, while being attentive to the advisor's guidance. The student will act in close cooperation with the advisor, while respecting him/her, and act in accordance with the schedule set by the advisor and the student to complete milestones in conducting the research.
B) The student will act in accordance with the rules of scientific ethics and reporting.
C) The student will maintain a relationship of mutual respect and cooperation with other students.
D) The student will make the data collections and other types of research notes, as well as research materials and products, available for review by the advisor at all times. In the case of laboratory experimental research, the student will entrust the advisor with the said data collections upon completion of the thesis.
6. Consultation with Others
A) The student may consult with others, including members of the accompanying committee and other faculty members in any matter related to the research.
B) The student may contact the person in charge of advanced studies in their academic unit and the head of the Research Students Authority, in order to receive assistance in matters related to supervision in the research work.
7. Copyright and Intellectual Property
A) In scientific publications and lectures at conferences, the student’s name will be listed as author in the proper place for his/her contribution, in accordance with acceptable practice in the relevant field. If the piece being published does not bear the name of the advisor, they will be mentioned in the appropriate place, as is usually done.
B) The distribution of copyrights in scientific publications, patents and other intellectual property as well as in royalties derived therefrom will be made taking into account common practice in the field of relevant research, the advisor’s and the research student’s contribution to the research, and subject to the University’s regulations on this topic.
8. Hours Carrying out the Research
A) In the experimental sciences, a student who receives a full sustenance stipend will devote the best of their time and effort to carry out the research work. The advisor may not require the student to devote more time than is reasonable in the relevant circumstances. The student should not be required to devote time to research activities on official days of rest, and the student has a right to take a reasonable number of days off from research activities.
B) Students are entitled to take a leave during “parenting period,” in accordance with the rules specified in this matter in the University regulations.
9. Cessation of Supervision and Cessation of Stipend Payment
A) Cessation of supervision does not necessarily entail cessation of studies. A decision to terminate a student’s studies shall be made in accordance with the decision of the competent authorities at the University, and not by the advisor.
B) A student may switch to work under another advisor. In the case of laboratory experimental research, the student will entrust the original advisor with the data collections, research materials and products, before switching to the new advisor.
C) The advisor may terminate the instruction in accordance with the following procedure:
(1) The advisor will give the student at least two months’ prior notice of the intention to discontinue instruction and specify the reasons for this, and will allow the student an adequate opportunity to respond to the notice.
(2) The cessation of instruction does not necessarily entail a cessation of studies, but the continuation of studies is conditional on finding a new advisor. In cases where it is found that there is a justification for this, the person responsible for advanced studies in the academic unit may assist the student in finding an alternative advisor. In the case of a doctoral student, in exceptional cases, if justified, the head of the Research Students Authority may order (after consultation with a representative of the academic unit of the Research Students Authority) that the accompanying committee replace the advisor.
C) The advisor may stop paying stipends in accordance with the following procedure:
(1) The advisor will give the student at least one month’s prior notice of the intention to terminate or reduce the stipend in accordance with the conditions agreed upon in advance, and will specify the reasons for this. The advisor will allow the student an adequate opportunity to submit his/her response, before the advisor decides on the matter.
(2) A change in the duration of the stipend payment or in the amount of the stipend (compared to the pre-agreed arrangement between the supervisor and the student), which does not accompany the termination of the supervision, requires the approval of the person responsible for advanced studies in the academic unit.
10. Duration of Studies and Date of Submission of the Thesis for Evaluation
A) The advisor and the student shall act to complete the research and the writing of the research thesis in accordance with the schedule set in the regulations, i.e. for an MA/MSc thesis, up to five semesters from the beginning of the studies, and for a doctoral thesis, up to five years from the start of study. “Parenting period” or approved leave from studies do not count in the calculation of the duration of studies.
B) When determining the subject of the research and its scope the obligation to complete the research within the aforesaid time limit will be taken into account. As a general rule, unless otherwise determined in advance in the academic unit, the scope of the thesis will be as follows: The length of an MA/MSc thesis should be similar to that of one academic paper in the relevant field (although publication in a journal is not necessarily required); A doctoral dissertation should be on a scale similar to that of about three academic papers in the relevant field (although not necessarily required to be published in journals) or on the scale of a monograph, all in accordance with what is customary in the field of research.
C) An extension of the duration of studies will be approved only in exceptional cases. The application for an extension of duration of study must be submitted to the person responsible for advanced studies in the unit. The application will be submitted jointly by the supervisor and the student and in case of disagreements between them, by each one separately.
(1) MA/MSc degree studies in a research track (with a thesis) will last up to five semesters (two and a half years). The advisor will provide the student with an assessment of the status of the research progress no later than the end of the fourth semester of study. The person in charge of advanced studies in the unit may allow, upon the Dean’s approval, an extension of up to one semester at most to submit the thesis, if there are special reasons that justify it. An extension beyond that requires the approval of the dean and the Rector, and will be granted only in exceptional cases, for reasons that must be documented.
(2) Doctoral studies will last up to five years. The person in charge of advanced studies in the unit may recommend to the head of the authority for research students to extend the duration of studies by one year. The head of the authority may approve this request if there are special reasons that justify it. An additional extension requires the approval of the head of the authority for research students and the Rector, and it will be granted only in exceptional cases, for reasons to be documented.
D) If disagreements arise between advisor and student as to whether the thesis is ready to be submitted for judging, the advisor or the student may request that the matter be brought to the decision of the person responsible for advanced studies in the unit (in case of an MA/MSc thesis) or the head of the Research Students Authority (in the case of a doctoral thesis). In exceptional cases, if it is found that there is a special justification for doing so, the relevant body may order, after hearing the advisor and the student and consulting with the Dean (and also, in the case of a doctoral dissertation, after consultation with the accompanying committee and the unit representative of the Research Students Authority) that the work be forwarded to judging without the advisor's consent.
11. Evaluating the Research Thesis
A) The advisor will submit their opinion regarding the thesis within one month after completion of the research.
B) The advisor and the student will consult with each other regarding the nomination of candidates to evaluate the thesis, while honoring the request of the advisor or the student not to submit the thesis to the referees by a particular researcher.