Thesis Procedure: Specifications Document:

Thesis project registration :

A- The thesis project, detailing the problem statement, the significance of the topic, the objectives of the work, the materials and methods, and the bibliographic references (at least two recent references), must be submitted online through the faculty’s online submission platform.

B- The same thesis topic, with the same methodology and objectives, must not have been submitted and/or presented in our faculty within a time difference of less than 5 years. The candidate and the thesis advisor must verify the database of previously submitted and presented topics.

C- If the thesis is in English, the submission must be made in English. The paper format submission will be made after the acceptance notification.

D- The thesis project must be co-signed by the thesis advisor, the potential co-advisor, and the head of the department where the work will be conducted. The signature of the department head is no longer required when the work material is unrelated to the respective department.

The signatures to be affixed on the thesis project form are:

  • The advisor’s signature
  • The co-advisor’s signature
  • The department head’s signature if the work material will be used from their department

E- The thesis advisor must be a member of the teaching staff of Tunisian medical faculties.

F- A newly recruited Hospital-University Assistant is authorized to supervise a thesis after fulfilling one of the following conditions: • Having a minimum seniority of 2 years. • Being the first author of an article published in an indexed journal during the assistantship. • Successfully completing thesis supervision training units organized by the FMM.

G- Co-supervision of a thesis will be accepted under the following conditions:

• The thesis work involves two different specialties or departments.

• The thesis work is conducted in a hospital-university department of a non-Tunisian medical faculty.

• The co-supervisor is a newly recruited assistant who has not fulfilled the required conditions for thesis supervision (different specialties or departments).

• The co-supervisor is a public health physician for a thesis work related to primary care or family medicine.

• The co-supervisor can be an academic from another health or non-health university institution.

H- The Dean reserves the right to accept, reject, or propose modifications to the project in question after consulting the thesis committee.

I- The student should only begin working on the submitted project after obtaining the respective approval (visa).

Thesis submission:

The final submission of the thesis must adhere to the following procedure:

A- The submission of a copy of the thesis, known as “copy 0,” endorsed by the thesis advisor, can only take place a minimum of 4 months after the submission of the thesis project. The time between the project submission and the “copy 0” submission should not exceed 3 years, unless there is a special derogation from the Dean. Beyond this period, the topic is automatically considered canceled.

B- The electronic version of “copy 0” will be submitted online along with a proposal of the jury (validated by the Dean) and a submission agreement by the advisor(s) after the following steps are completed:

  • Obtaining a plagiarism verification certificate (with a maximum tolerance of 20% similarity).
  • The digital “copy 0” has been examined by the jury (the jury members must provide a report within 15 days from the date of receiving the electronic copy).

This report may propose either the approval for the defense or the need for modifications. In the case of proposed modifications, a second corrected “copy 0” along with a response letter should be submitted to the jury chair, who will grant approval for the defense.

The submission of the copies to the library will only occur after the approval of the jury members who provided corrections and obtaining the approval of the thesis committee.

C- Minor modifications to the thesis title, not affecting the subject, can be made upon the proposal of the thesis advisor and with the approval of the Dean.

D- Any modification regarding the subject of the thesis requires a request to withdraw the old project and submit a new project in accordance with the concerned thesis advisor(s).

E- The printing of the thesis can only commence after the acceptance of the thesis by the Dean.

Thesis defense

Before the Defense, the student must have:

  • Successfully completed all certificates of the 2nd cycle.
  • Successfully completed the internships.
  • Successfully passed clinical examinations.
  • Successfully completed the first year of residency.

The thesis defense must comply with the following provisions:

A- The proposed jury to evaluate the thesis becomes official only after the Dean’s approval and must be proposed at the submission of “copy 0”.

B- The jury consists of three to five members who hold the rank of Professor or Associate Professor in active service, detachment, or emeritus status. The jury chair must be a member of the Faculty of Medicine of Monastir. They must have at least 2 years of experience as an Associate Professor unless there is a special derogation from the Dean (for certain specialties). More than half of the jury members must be faculty members at the Faculty of Medicine of Monastir. The thesis advisor cannot be a member of the jury. The Dean may add any person with recognized expertise in the field related to the thesis to the jury. In this case, the said member has an advisory vote.

C- Copies of the final version of the thesis will be provided to the jury members directly by the student at least 7 days before the defense date.

D- Two copies of the final version of the thesis in printed format and 6 copies in CD format must be deposited at the faculty library at least 7 days before the defense date. The printed copy complies with the recommendations of the relevant article regarding the physical presentation of the thesis. The CD copy contains three files corresponding respectively to the content of the thesis, the first page (cover page), and the French and English abstracts.

E- The defense date (between September 1st and July 31st), the time, and the venue of the defense are to be arranged with the general secretariat of the faculty.

F- Upon special derogation from the Dean, the thesis defense can be conducted remotely via video conference. The jury members, thesis advisor, and the candidate will be invited. This possibility will also be considered in cases of exceptional circumstances that require the physical absence of a jury member.

G- During the defense, the student presents an oral presentation on the results, comments, and conclusions of their work and must answer questions posed by the jury members. The thesis advisor may provide additional responses.

H- During the deliberation, an evaluation grid that will be used for awarding the grade will be completed by the jury members, followed by the signing of a minutes document (PV).

Material Presentation of the Thesis :

Self-learning kits and atlases will no longer be accepted as theses.

The thesis can be presented in a traditional format or in the form of an article-based thesis. It consists of a document printed on white paper (21 x 29.7 cm), font size 14, Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri, with 1.5 line spacing, not exceeding 100 pages.

The thesis format should follow the IMRAD structure (Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results and Discussion, and Conclusion).

The “article-based thesis” format should also adhere to the IMRAD format and include:

  • A minimum of 5000 words between different sections, excluding references and abstracts.
  • Not less than 5 figures and/or tables.

Theses written in French, English, or Arabic are accepted.

For theses written in Arabic, a copy in French or English is required for the library.

The thesis should include the following in order:

  1. A hardcover with the following information:
    • Faculty of Medicine of Monastir
    • Academic Year: …./….
    • No: ……
  • Thesis for the National Diploma of Doctor of Medicine
  • Presented and publicly defended on …………
  • By ………………….. Student’s Name (s)
  • Full title of the thesis as approved by the Dean
  • Keywords, consistent with those in MESH
  • Composition of the jury
  • Name of the thesis advisor
  1. The complete list of faculty teaching staff (to be obtained from the Faculty Secretariat)
  2. A dedication (at the discretion of the student)
  3. The Hippocratic Oath (Annex 6)
  4. A detailed plan with cross-references
  5. The initial conclusion approved by the
  6. The bibliography, numbered from 1 to N, presented in accordance with the Vancouver recommendations. Any author cited in this bibliography must have been referenced in the thesis.
  7. French and English abstracts with the title and keywords should appear on the back of the thesis.
  8. The thesis must be bound.
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