Article 1 Introductory Provision

In accordance with Article 12 (9) of the Code of Study and Examination of Charles University and Article 7 (5) of the Rigorosum Examination Code of Charles University, this Rector’s directive regulates the procedures for the storage of final theses texts in inter-university and international databases of final theses and provides for a comparison of the texts of final theses using systems for checking originality, with respect to the principles of scholarly, artistic, and creative activities enshrined in the Code of Ethics of Charles University. This Rector’s directive applies by analogy to habilitation dissertations submitted as appendices to the proposal to commence the procedure for the granting of associate professorship under Article 1 (2) of the Code of Procedure for the Granting of Associate Professorship and Full Professorship.

Article 2 Inter-university and International Databases of Final Theses

1. The system Theses.cz operated by Masaryk University is used as the main inter-university database of final theses. Charles University (“CU”) uses as an international database of final theses in particular the Turnitin system, operated by Turnitin, LLC. However, individual faculties and other units of CU may use also other databases and technical tools to ensure compliance with the principles of scholarly, artistic, and creative activities enshrined in the Code of Ethics of CU.

2. As a rule CU uses the data interfaces integrating the relevant databases in the CU Study Information System (“SIS”) for storage of final theses in inter-university and international databases and for checking their originality.

3. The storing of the CU students’ final theses in the inter-university and international databases enables third parties to check the originality of other theses against the theses created at CU and stored in these databases.

4. Theses.cz system also offers a web interface. CU does not provide access to this interface; students, employees, and other persons having a relationship to CU use the functionality of Theses.cz exclusively via SIS.

5. The Turnitin system also offers a web interface; students, employees, and other persons having a relationship to CU may use the functionality of the Turnitin system either directly via the web interface or via Turnitin interface to SIS.

Article 3 Storage and Checking of Theses

1. After final theses are submitted in SIS, the SIS interface is used to send theses to inter-university and international databases of final theses for permanent storage and checking.

2. Unless the dean of a faculty stipulates otherwise, the thesis advisor/supervisor may request temporary storage of a thesis and its preliminary check after the electronic version of the thesis was stored in SIS but before the electronic form of the thesis was submitted. The fact that the thesis advisor/supervisor requested temporary storage and a preliminary check, information about the result of the preliminary check, and the option to download the protocol containing the result of the check is accessible in SIS only to the thesis advisor/supervisor, and not to the student or other persons.

3. The export of the thesis identified for temporary storage and preliminary check is performed in mass export of theses under Article 5 (3).

4. Upon electronic submission of the thesis stored in SIS, the system automatically generates a request for permanent storage of the thesis and its final check under paragraph 1. This request automatically cancels a previous request, if any, for temporary storage and preliminary check under paragraph 2. Information on the creation of an automatic request for permanent storage and final check of thesis, the result of the final check, including the possibility to download the protocol containing the result of the check is accessible in SIS to the student, thesis advisor/supervisor, reviewers, the chair, and the members of the commission for defence of the checked thesis. Other designated persons have access in SIS only to the information that an automatic request was created and to the status of the request.

5. Only the text of the thesis as it is stored in SIS is exported for temporary or permanent storage of the thesis, neither the appendices nor other documents stored in relation to the thesis are exported. If at the moment of creation of request for permanent storage and final check there are two documents containing the text of the given thesis where one of the documents was stored by the student and the other by an employee acting as a proxy, the document stored by proxy is identified for export.

6. The thesis is sent for temporary or permanent storage and check under paragraphs 1 and 2 irrespective of the existence of a request for deferred publication of the thesis.

7. If a document containing the thesis text is deleted from SIS, the request for temporary or permanent storage of thesis and its check is cancelled. If the document has already been sent to an inter-university or international database, the document is removed from the inter-university or international database.

8. Unless stipulated otherwise by the dean of a faculty, the thesis advisor/supervisor is enabled to store the thesis and perform its preliminary check also using Turnitin system without relation to SIS.

Article 4 Checking of Habilitation Dissertations

The check of originality of a habilitation dissertation submitted as an appendix to the proposal to commence procedure for the granting of associate professorship under Article 1 (2) of the Code of Procedure for the Granting of Associate Professorship and Full Professorship is performed using the Turnitin system or other system for checking the originality of the dissertation, and it forms part of the evaluation of the applicant’s proposal and its appendices by the associate professorship commission under Article 3 (4) of the Code of Procedure for the Granting of Associate Professorship and Full Professorship. For the purposes of the checking of originality, the author’s works submitted as appendices in the procedure for the granting of associate professorship are usually also submitted in electronic format. The information on the check performed forms part of the opinion of the associate professorship commission.

Article 5 Common Provisions

1. The results of checks, data in protocols, the duration of checks, and other outcomes or their parameters are consistent with the possibilities, status, and rules of operation of the inter-university and international databases of final theses; they depend on the current content of such databases and their search engines and are not ensured by SIS.

2. The theses stored by CU in inter-university and international databases of final theses are not published via these databases. During the checks against these databases when an identical or similar passage is found in theses stored by CU in the databases, such passages are displayed to the users of the databases.

3. The mass exports of theses to inter-university and international databases of final theses from SIS are usually performed on a day-to-day basis.

4. The communication between faculties and the Computer Science Centre of CU on matters regulated by this Rector’s directive is ensured by the faculty coordinators and a designated person, appointed in accordance with Article 8 of the Rector’s Directive No. 72/2017.

Article 6 Transitional Provision

The storage and checking of final theses in inter-university and international databases of final theses submitted for defence before the date of effect of this Rector’s directive is governed by Rector’s Directive No. 8/2011. This Rector’s directive does not apply to procedures for the granting of associate professorship commenced before the date of effect of this Rector’s directive.

Article 7 Final Provisions

1. Rector’s Directive No. 8/2011 is hereby repealed.

2. This Rector’s directive becomes effective on 1 October 2019.

In Prague on 30 April 2019.

Prof. MUDr. Tomáš Zima, DrSc., MBA