updated date : 3, April 2023

Course title:

Genetics Progress VB

Credit:

2 Credits

Course description:

Based on in-depth discussion with the supervisor, students prepare a manuscript of the doctoral thesis and submit it to the progress committee. Following evaluation and critique by the progress committee, the students improve their manuscript. If the committee judges that quality of the manuscript is not sufficient for advancement to the doctoral degree evaluation, students will not pass the course and may not apply for the doctoral degree evaluation.

Course contents:

Students discuss extensively with their supervisor, prepare a manuscript of the doctoral thesis based on the discussion, and submit it to the progress committee. The progress committee evaluates the manuscript and determines whether it has sufficient quality for future evaluation for the doctoral degree. If it is judged as insufficient, revisions and/or additional analyses will be requested by the committee. Although there may be many various ways of improving the manuscript, the committee should specify the minimum requirements to satisfy the degree criteria, and students should prioritize revisions so as to meet the requirements. If revision of the manuscript is completed by the deadline of the doctoral thesis submission determined by the Genetics Program, the students can submit the revised manuscript as a doctoral thesis for the doctoral evaluation. If revision of the manuscript has not been completed by the deadline or if the manuscript is judged as inadequately revised by the progress committee, the student shall not be eligible to obtain credits for Genetics Progress VB and cannot apply for the doctoral degree evaluation in the present term.

As an exception, if a student’s first-author paper, which is directly related to his/her doctoral study, has already been published or accepted in a peer-reviewed journal, the student can submit a manuscript of the paper in place of a manuscript of the doctoral thesis. Although students can submit a manuscript of the paper under revision in a peer-reviewed journal, whether or not the manuscript is acceptable as an assignment for Progress VB depends on the decision by the committee. (In this case, the student must present documentation that certifies that the manuscript is under revision.) Furthermore, if a student submits a manuscript of a paper for Progress VB, the student will have to prepare a doctoral thesis separately from the submitted manuscript and submit the doctoral thesis by the deadline determined by the Genetics Program in order to have doctoral thesis evaluation.

Expected learning outcome and objectives:

The expected outcome is completion of the doctoral thesis in keeping with the criteria for the doctoral degree at the Genetics Program.
The manuscript submitted to Progress VB must be well-written in an accurate and logical manner that fulfills the below criteria for submission to doctoral thesis evaluation.
https://www.nig.ac.jp/nig/phd-program/courses-top/degree-criteria

1. The manuscript must report original research that contributes to the advancement of the field of life sciences.

2. The manuscript must contain results that have been accepted by a peer-reviewed journal or maintain equivalent quality.

Grading policy and criteria:

The progress committee judges whether the quality of the submitted manuscript is sufficient for advancement into the doctoral thesis evaluation. After revisions are made according to suggestion by the committee, the quality of the revised manuscript is evaluated with one of four grades (A, B, C, D). If revision of the manuscript is not completed by the deadline of the doctoral thesis submission determined by the Genetics Program, or if the manuscript is judged as inadequately revised by the progress committee, the students will receive a grade of “D” and may not apply for the doctoral degree evaluation in the present term. In this case, the student must register for Genetics Progress VB again.

Schedule:

Students must e-mail the manuscript to the progress committee members and the supervisor about one month prior to the deadline of the doctoral thesis submission determined by the Genetics Program. The progress committee reads the manuscript, evaluates it, and suggests required revisions by mutual agreement within 10 days of receipt.

Related course, pre-requisites:

All students who wish to apply for the doctoral degree evaluation must take this course in the same semester. (However, students who wish to receive their degree in June or December must take this course in the previous semester.) Before taking this course, students must have completed Progress VA. If a student postpones application to the doctoral degree evaluation, credits for Genetics Progress VB shall also be postponed.

Responsible Faculty:

Progress committee chair
For students who enroll in or after AY2021