What is a Dean's Competition Paper?
A Dean's Competition Paper is a written account of a student's independent research and its findings, submitted in response to a call issued by the Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Pécs.
The paper offers an opportunity for academic recognition and, if awarded a prize, may be accepted as a degree thesis.
Who can apply, and which topics are eligible?
According to the call for submissions, applicants must have been members of the Undergraduate Research Society (URS/TDK) for at least one year, as confirmed by their supervisor in the URS/TDK register.
Students select their topic in consultation with their supervisor. The paper may address a previously advertised research topic or a new topic proposed and approved by the supervisor.
The paper may be based on experimental, clinical or literature-based research; experimental work is particularly encouraged. The paper must be written by a single student; co-authored papers are not accepted.
What are the formatting and submission requirements?
The paper must meet the same formatting requirements as a degree thesis. It may be submitted with the names of the author and supervisor(s), or under a pseudonym.
For submissions under a pseudonym, a sealed envelope must contain the pseudonym, the title of the paper, the author's name, and details of the supervisor(s) and the institute.
Two bound or securely fastened copies are required; loose, unbound papers cannot be accepted. The deadline, submission location and link to the formatting guidelines are provided in the current call for submissions.
Assessment and awards
Two experts, each holding at least a PhD, independently provide a written assessment and a score. Reviews are anonymous; if the scores differ by more than 30%, an additional reviewer is appointed. Each reviewer may award up to 60 points.
Based on the ranking and the recommendation of the URS/TDK Committee, the URS/TDK Chair and the Faculty's deanery jointly decide on the awards. Under the regulations, generally the top 60% of papers receive a prize, with first, second and third prizes awarded. This refers to the proportion of papers receiving awards, not a score threshold of 60%.
After the results have been announced, students receive the written assessments and scoring sheets without information identifying the reviewers.
The detailed scoring table and assessment rules are available in Appendix 2 of the Faculty of Pharmacy URS/TDK Organisational and Operational Regulations (pages 13–15, in Hungarian).
Can the paper be accepted as a degree thesis?
A prize-winning Dean's Competition Paper may be accepted as a degree thesis. If the student has also given a prize-winning presentation on the paper's topic at a URS/TDK conference, no thesis defence is required and the paper is accepted as a thesis with an excellent grade (5). In the absence of a presentation, the paper must be defended at the institute.