Aside from the mechanisms for recognizing/counting mentoring/supervision duties mentioned above, the University of La Laguna has established systems to encourage the incorporation of early-career researchers or professors with research results that do not qualify them as thesis supervisors, as these results have not been validated by research merit assessments. In this regard, the Official Doctoral Studies Regulations, in Article 10, Section 4, establishes that: "Without prejudice to the provisions of the previous section, a early-career researcher or a professor or researcher with a minimum level of research experience who does not meet the requirements established for a thesis supervisor may assume the duties of co-supervisor. In all cases, they must have a civil service or contractual relationship with the university or organization collaborating in the development of the program. There may not be more than one co-supervisor of this profile."

The goal is for these researchers/professors to acquire the appropriate level of qualifications to be able to join the program as directors when they meet the requirements established by the ULL in its Regulations.

Likewise, the latest amendment to the Regulations for the Recruitment of Assistant Professors, Collaborating Professors, Associate Professors, and Assistant Professors at the University of La Laguna includes having supervised doctoral theses as an assessment criterion in the corresponding scales, within the research activity block.

The supervision of doctoral students will be recognized as part of the teaching and research dedication of the faculty in accordance with the terms established by the corresponding regulations of the University of La Laguna.

5.1.1 The Doctoral Thesis Project
The dissertation proposal will consist of a report outlining the work to be carried out, including the background, methodology, objectives, and bibliography of the topic. This report, approved by the assigned dissertation supervisor, must be submitted to the Academic Committee. The proposal must be between 3,000 and 9,000 words in length. The proposal may be modified up to one month before the dissertation is accepted for processing, following the same procedure.

5.1.2 Thesis Director Requirements
The requirements established by the Regulations for Official Doctoral Studies at La Laguna to be able to act as a doctoral thesis director are established in its article 10:

Thesis supervision may be undertaken by any PhD holder of Spanish or foreign nationality who meets the requirements of the ULL's Official Doctoral Studies Regulations (approved on 22/03/2024), which must be verified by the academic committee of each doctoral program. The minimum requirements are: holding a PhD;
a) with accredited research experience, according to art. 2.9 of said regulation, obtained in the last six years.  
b) with accredited research experience, according to art. 2.9 of said regulation, obtained in a period exceeding the last six years, provided that it is duly justified and the academic committee gives its approval.

 c) with equivalent research merits, according to Article 2.10 of said regulations. Those holding a competitive Marie Sklodowska-Curie, Ramón y Cajal, Juan de la Cierva, Viera y Clavijo, María Zambrano, Beatriz Galindo, or any other postdoctoral contract deemed equivalent by the EDEP will be considered to have equivalent merits without the need for further verification. Exceptionally, the academic committee of each program may authorize co-supervision by PhD holders with relevant research experience in the scientific field of the thesis, even if they do not meet the equivalent research merit requirements. 

The thesis may be co-directed, with the prior authorization of the academic committee, by a maximum of three PhDs when there are reasons of an academic nature or of thematic interdisciplinarity or when it is a program developed in national or international collaboration.

Justified reasons for a third co-direction will be in cases where the thesis is carried out under a co-tutelage regime, where the industrial mention is to be requested, where an agreement has been signed that requires it or, exceptionally, in other cases, provided that it is duly justified by its multidisciplinary nature.
The deadline for requesting the appointment of a co-director is the penultimate year of tenure, inclusive. In other words, requests will not be accepted in the final year or in any extension year.

A professor may not supervise or co-supervise more than four doctoral theses simultaneously. This limit may be increased if the supervised theses result in more than two publications in journals included in the top two quartiles of the field's impact index according to the Journal Citation Reports, or if one of the supervised theses is co-supervised with researchers from other national or international centers. Conversely, if one of the supervised theses is defended over a period of more than four years, or has not resulted in any publications within one year of its defense, the limit will be reduced.

One of the priority short- and medium-term objectives of this program is to foster interaction between our doctoral students and researchers from leading centers, with the aim of promoting the international thesis category. The regulations for the doctoral degree with international recognition (Art. 15 of Royal Decree 99/2011 and Art. 28 of the REODULL) require the participation of international experts in monitoring, preparing reports, and conducting evaluation committees.

5.1.3 Rights and responsibilities of PhD students

– The REODULL (Article 20) recognizes the following rights and duties of doctoral students: common rights and duties of university students and specific rights and duties of doctoral students established in the University Student Statute approved by Royal Decree 1791/2010, of December 30; rights and duties that, in their capacity as ULL students, are recognized and result from the ULL statutes insofar as they apply to postgraduate students.

In particular, they are subject to the following duties:

• complete the training activities established in the doctoral program,
• submit to the director the work done in the format and deadline that has been previously agreed upon,
• consult with the director before undertaking any additional activity to your training,
• comply with safety regulations at work,
• include the ULL in all communications and publications in which the results of the research carried out are disseminated, and comply with the ethical standards established at the university.

The Commitment Document will include the unconditional acceptance by the doctoral candidate and director of the respective rights and obligations provided for in the REODULL, and will address aspects relating to intellectual property rights and the dispute resolution procedure, in accordance with the provisions of Article 22.

– In the context of the Doctoral School being launched at the ULL, a guide to good practices for supervising doctoral theses is being developed. Until its final publication, this doctoral program adheres to the European Charter for Research and Code of Conduct for Research Recruitment, embracing the principles of intellectual freedom, ethical praxis, professional responsibility, transparent and efficient financial management of funds, joint responsibility of institutions in the appropriate dissemination of results and efforts in continuing education, and the role of established researchers in promoting younger researchers. Furthermore, the program assumes responsibility for ensuring that research projects comply with the methodological, ethical, and legal requirements applicable to research.

– Likewise, the ULL will guarantee the principles and rights regarding pluralism, ideological and religious freedom, non-discrimination based on ethnicity, nationality or sex, and equal opportunities with special attention to disabled people (section

3.2.6 of this report), as well as the confidentiality in the custody and processing of personal data of doctoral students in their possession.

5.1.4 The Doctoral School and the Academic Commission

The supervision, monitoring, and evaluation of doctoral programs are the responsibility of the Doctoral School, through the Postgraduate Studies Committee and the Program's Academic Committee. Pursuant to Articles 14-16 of the REODULL (Regulations on the Functioning of the Doctoral Program), the program's Academic Committee will be composed of a maximum of seven participating professors and/or researchers, including the academic coordinator, who will act as its chair. This position must be held by a relevant researcher and be supported by at least two periods of recognized research activity in accordance with the provisions of Royal Decree 1086/1989, of August 28, on faculty remuneration. The committee will include at least one member from each line of research that makes up the doctoral program, respecting the aforementioned limit. If there are more than seven lines of research, the academic committee will be renewed at the end of each term, and professors and/or researchers from those lines that did not have representatives in the previous term will be included as members. Members of the academic committee must meet the same requirements established for thesis supervisors. In addition, representatives from entities external to the doctoral program that collaborate in its development may be included as members of the academic committee, in a number not exceeding three. If necessary, a rotating system for appointing representatives by external entities will be established.

Membership of the academic committee will last three academic years from the date of appointment, provided the conditions for membership are met. Research line members may replace the members they appoint if any of the reasons provided for in the regulations governing membership of collegiate bodies arise. Membership of the academic committee may be extended once if the members of the research line to which they are assigned so deem appropriate.

The following functions will be performed by the academic committee:

a) Propose the admission of students,
b) Establish the training supplements that, where appropriate, admitted students must take based on their access profile,
c) Assign a tutor and director to each new student,
d) Evaluate the research plan and the activity document of each student in the program within the established deadlines,
e) Select the doctors who must issue the reports on the doctoral theses that aspire to the title of Doctor with "International Mention",
f) Analyze the doctoral theses that are presented to begin their defense process and issue the corresponding report,
g) Formulate the proposal for the appointment of the doctors who will form part of the thesis committee,
h) Verify each academic year that the members of the doctoral program meet the requirements established to be assigned as thesis supervisors.

Criteria for appointing faculty as thesis directors and co-directors

Any doctor linked to the doctoral program may direct a thesis, meaning that they teach in the faculties of Fine Arts, Philology or Geography and History, with accredited research experience and who has a record, within the doctoral program, as a professor responsible for the direction of doctoral theses.

The same criteria, in terms of research experience, apply to the co-supervision of theses by any other ULL doctor.

External co-supervision of theses by other national or foreign researchers belonging to public research organizations may exist when their links with ULL research groups are proven, or when justified by reasons of interdisciplinary work or the consolidation of research networks.

These co-directors must also have proven research experience in the field of research relevant to the thesis, in accordance with the criteria established by the Doctoral Program in Arts and Humanities.

Assignment of tutors in the event that the thesis direction falls to doctors not belonging to the ULL

In exceptional cases, the CAD may authorize other PhD holders not affiliated with the program to supervise the thesis. In this case, the CAD will assign a tutor from among the PhD holders affiliated with the program, based on the research area to which the thesis is based. Both the PhD holder and the tutor must have proven research experience according to the criteria of the Doctoral Program in Arts and Humanities.

Criteria for selecting European teaching staff to assess theses that aspire to the European Mention

Theses eligible for the European Mention must be reviewed by at least two PhDs, experts in the research field in which the thesis is registered. These experts must belong to two different institutions and must have proven research experience comparable to the criteria of the Doctoral Program in Arts and Humanities.