{"id":31398,"date":"2026-11-10T17:00:53","date_gmt":"2026-11-10T15:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/a-articles.com\/?p=31398"},"modified":"2026-11-10T18:28:41","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T16:28:41","slug":"zahyst-dysertacziyi-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/a-articles.com\/en\/zahyst-dysertacziyi-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"PhD and Doctor of Science Thesis Defenses in 2026: 5 Reasons Why Candidates Are Not Admitted"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Defending a dissertation is the culmination of many years of work, but it can be derailed not by the scientific quality of the work, but by a technicality: an unpublished article, a formatting error, concerns about academic integrity, or a missing document. Years of research are called into question because of a detail that could have been verified in advance.<\/span><\/p>

In 2026, this is a fairly common problem. The Law of Ukraine \u201cOn Academic Integrity\u201d No. 4742-IX has been in effect since July 31, and in October, the government updated the procedure for awarding the Doctor of Philosophy degree. Therefore, preparing to defend a Ph.D. dissertation in 2026 involves not only the text itself but also verifying publications, academic integrity, formatting, and procedures.<\/span><\/p>

Admission to the defense depends on the institution\u2019s recommendation, a decision by the ad hoc committee, or\u2014for Doctor of Science candidates\u2014review by the Ministry of Education and Science. Below are five reasons why a defense might be suspended or postponed: publications, academic integrity, methodology, formatting, and documentation. For each one, we explain how the requirements differ between a PhD and a Doctor of Science degree, and what you can do right now. Most issues become apparent several months before submission and can therefore be corrected.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Procedure for the Defense of Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Science Dissertations in 2026<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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The procedure for defending a Ph.D. dissertation is set forth in Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 44, while the requirements for defending a doctoral dissertation are outlined in Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 1197. The differences lie not only in the level of the work but also in who makes the decision. In the 2026 requirements for a Doctor of Philosophy dissertation, the key requirement is independent work yielding new, scientifically sound results that have been published.<\/span><\/p>

For a PhD, the institution forms a one-time committee of five members: a chair, reviewers, and official opponents. The application is submitted within two weeks of the conclusion regarding scientific novelty, and the committee is formed within two months. Reviews are received within 45 days; the defense is scheduled two to four weeks after the last review; and the degree is awarded if at least four committee members vote in favor of it.<\/span><\/p>

The path to a Ph.D. is longer. First, the institution conducts a preliminary review\u2014which can take up to three months and includes a specialized seminar and three reviewers; the conclusion remains valid for one year. Then the doctoral council, formed by the Ministry of Education and Science, accepts the dissertation for consideration, and a notice to that effect is posted on the Ministry\u2019s website. The defense takes place no earlier than one month after such publication, and the decision must be supported by three-quarters of the council members. The case is then reviewed by the Ministry of Education and Science\u2014a process that takes up to four months.<\/span><\/p>

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The procedure can be halted at several stages: <\/span><\/div>

Based on the institution\u2019s evaluation, reviews and feedback, a review of the board\u2019s composition, and\u2014for doctoral programs\u2014an expert assessment by the Ministry of Education and Science. Each of these \u201ccheckpoints\u201d is discussed in the five reasons below.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Reason 1. Posts are not counted<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Publications are the most common formal reason why the committee does not accept results. We have analyzed the complete tables of requirements separately: regarding <\/span>Publication Requirements for PhD and Doctor of Science Degrees in 2026<\/span><\/a> and about <\/span>Publications for the PhD defense<\/span><\/a>. Here are just the places where articles \"fall out\" most often.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Insufficient number or incorrect type of publications<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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How many articles are required to defend a PhD dissertation? The main results must be presented in at least three publications. Articles in specialized journals, articles in Web of Science Core Collection and\/or Scopus journals, no more than one patent for an invention, and single-authored monographs are accepted. An article in a Q1\u2013Q3 journal counts as two publications, while an article in a specialized journal with three or more authors counts as 0.5.<\/span><\/p>

Only one of your articles is counted per issue of the journal, and articles published after Order No. 44 took effect require a DOI. According to the Ministry of Education and Science\u2019s clarification dated October 12, 2026, publications found to contain self-plagiarism are not counted toward the dissertation topic. If, as a result, the number of publications falls below the minimum requirement, the committee will deny the degree without the right to resubmit the dissertation.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The journal was removed from Scopus or dropped from Category B<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Scopus continuously reviews publications: a journal may be designated as \u201cdiscontinued,\u201d and new articles in it will no longer be indexed. According to Elsevier\u2019s policy, previously indexed materials remain in the database, but the decision on whether to include an article rests with the institution and the editorial board. A journal\u2019s status may change even after an article is published, so it\u2019s important to check it not only when selecting a journal but also before submitting your manuscript.<\/span><\/p>

For professional journals, the Procedure takes into account the status as of the date of publication of the article. Starting in 2026, Category \u201cB\u201d will be determined according to new rules (Order No. 56 of the Ministry of Education and Science dated January 19, 2026): publications listed in the old lists remained on the list until June 1, 2026, while the updated list is valid from June 1, 2026, through May 31, 2029. Therefore, for each article, note the status of the publication on the day it was published.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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What's Different for a Doctor of Science: Number, Quartile, Publication Requirements<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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For a Doctor of Science degree, the requirements for publishing the results of the doctoral dissertation are set by the Ministry of Education and Science, and the institution specifies them in its own regulations. A mandatory requirement is the presence of publications on the topic in journals indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection and\/or Scopus; the results must also be presented at conferences. We\u2019ll discuss which quartile is required in the article about <\/span>Scopus quartile according to the requirements of the Ministry of Education and Science<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Parameter<\/th>\nPhD (Resolution No. 44)<\/th>\nDoctor of Science (Resolution No. 1197)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Number of publications<\/td>\nAt least three<\/td>\nDetermined by the Ministry of Education and Science; details regarding the institution's regulations<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Scopus \/ WoS<\/td>\nThese are considered one of the types of publications<\/td>\nPublications on the topic are required (except for dissertations containing state secrets)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Quartiles<\/td>\nQ1\u2013Q3: An article counts as two publications<\/td>\nThree publications in Q1\u2013Q2\u2014one of the grounds for submitting an application earlier than five years after completing a PhD (subject to approval by the Ministry of Education and Science)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Additional Terms and Conditions<\/td>\nDOIs in articles; no more than one article per issue<\/td>\nNo sooner than five years after earning a PhD (with exceptions)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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What to Do<\/b><\/div>\n