1 General information

The docentur is a non-salaried title awarded in recognition of high scholarly achievement. It is the approximate Swedish equivalent to the French and German Habilitation, or the English degree of DLitt, and also serves as a qualification for later promotion to professor.

The admittance of docents to the Faculty of Arts serves as a confirmation of an individual's particular scholarly and pedagogic competence. To be admitted to a docentur should be seen as a positive step in an academic career. In order for progression to be ensured and assessed, it is recommended that an application for docentur is submitted no earlier than five years after obtaining a PhD.

Applications for admittance to a docentur should be addressed to the Faculty of Arts.

The application should include a CV with supporting documentation, a short description of pedagogic and research achievement, and a full list of publications. The latter should specify which publications have appeared since the award of the PhD, the number of pages in each publication, and a specification of single- and multiple-authored works. It should also be clearly stated which works have been subjected to peer review, and, for coauthored works, how the author has contributed to the text. Distinction should be clearly made between works of a scholarly character, and those written for a popular readership.

The application documents, along with publications cited (no more than 10 including the PhD dissertation) should be submitted electronically via the university’s recruitment system. In cases where publications cannot be made available in electronic format, the applicant should contact the administrator responsible for further instructions.

The applicant's pedagogic achievements should be supplied by statements of the scale, type, quality and level of teaching involved, for example through letters of certification and testimonial.

In normal circumstances, a docentur can only be held in subjects offered at a doctoral or advanced level.

The Faculty does not normally appoint to a docentur those who have already retired. The Faculty does not normally appoint to a docentur those who already hold this title (in a different discipline) within the Faculty.

Prospective applicants for admittance to a docentur are advised to first confer with senior colleagues or suitable body at the department, as well as the Head of Department. Should this lead to the prospective applicant being dissuaded from proceeding with their application, experience shows that the application is best deferred. Such dissuasion is not, however, formal grounds for discontinuing the application.

2 Necessary qualifications for admittance to a docentur

Only individuals who can make a useful contribution to research and teaching will be admitted to a docentur. This does not need to be justified if the applicant is employed as a teacher or a researcher at the Faculty of Arts.

In other circumstances, the relevant department should submit a special statement as to the specific ways in which admittance to a docentur would be of benefit to research and teaching at Uppsala University.

2.1 Academic competence

An assessment of overall academic competence will be made in two stages. First the documented outputs will be assessed in their own right, i.e. the publications that have been produced after the award ofthe PhD. Then an assessment of the applicant's academic development will be made.

In the first instance the quantity and quality of the documented outputs will be assessed. The quality criterion is of most impo1iance. In quantitative terms the documented outputs should equate to what would be expected of a doctoral thesis. In general the assessment will also include standard criteria such as analytical rigour, theoretical and methodological awareness, innovative and independent thinking in relation to existing research, and empirical meticulousness.

In the second instance the documented outputs will be compared to previous productions, in particular the doctoral thesis. In this manner it is possible to evaluate thematic range and qualitative development. A weak thesis demands an especially positive progression since the award of a doctoral degree. A strong thesis does not, by contrast, imply any weakening of the criteria for subsequent outputs.

It is desirable that the applicant shall have contributed to international scholarly debate, but academic publication of all kinds is eligible. Works submitted for assessment must either be published or accepted for publication. Manuscripts not yet accepted for publication should not be submitted.

2.2 Pedagogic competence

In normal circumstances, 240 teaching hours in the relevant subject at either under- or postgraduate level is considered sufficient qualification, provided this is supported by positive testimonials from the relevant Directors of Studies (or equivalent). Pedagogic qualifications also encompass administrative contributions towards the design and management of teaching, the development of teaching aids, supervision and experience of public outreach. Teaching undertaken as part of a programme of doctoral study can be included.

3 Appointment of referee

When the Faculty Board, after discussion with the relevant department, has determined that the application will go forward for refereed assessment, the department will be asked to submit suggestions for a suitable referee. Anyone nominated as referee should be employed at a different university, if possible, and should have indicated his/her willingness to act in this capacity prior to the submission of their name to the board. The final selection of referee is the responsibility of the Faculty Board or the Dean.

4 Referee’s statement

The referee will prepare a statement concerning the applicant's scholarly and pedagogic competence. The statement will comprise approximately four pages (c. 1600 words) and end with a clear recommendation. The referee will base this assessment on his/her own reading of the submitted works, and should not employ bibliometric aids in anything other than a complementary capacity. When the referee's statement has been submitted to the Faculty Registry, it will be forwarded for information to the applicant and to the head of the relevant department. Based on all available documentation, the Docent Award Board will arrive at a decision and recommend the Faculty Board to either accept or reject the application.

5 Teaching assessment

If an applicant does not fulfil the requirement of 240 teaching hours, the Docent Award Board recommends that a teaching assessment be undertaken. The applicant will then communicate when and where a 45-minute assessment lecture will be held, together with the title of the presentation. The Faculty Registry will send notice of the assessed lecture to all members of the Faculty Board, the referee and the Docent Award Board.

6 Decision

The final decision on admittance to a docentur will be taken by the Faculty Board, after the recommendation of the Docent Award Board.