{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]],"date-time":"2026-09-21T14:00:32Z","timestamp":1789999232060,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":6,"publisher":"FapUNIFESP (SciELO)","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,1]],"date-time":"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1767225600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,1]],"date-time":"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1767225600000},"content-version":"am","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,1]],"date-time":"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1767225600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Acta Cir. Bras."],"abstract":"<jats:p>ABSTRACT The public defense of a master\u2019s dissertation or doctoral thesis is a defining moment in postgraduate education. It represents both an academic evaluation and a ceremony that marks the transition of a researcher into an independent scientific career. Yet in many postgraduate programs, the conduct expected of candidates, examiners, and the audience during these proceedings remains largely unwritten, transmitted informally from one generation to the next. We argue that this absence of codified standards carries real consequences for the quality and fairness of the evaluation process. Drawing on the experience of a Brazilian surgical postgraduate program and on the international literature on doctoral defense formats, we propose that institutions should develop explicit, written guidelines covering the responsibilities of all participants in the defense ceremony. Such guidelines would strengthen the evaluative rigor of the defense, protect candidates from avoidable failures of process, and reinforce the institutional culture of academic excellence that distinguishes high-quality postgraduate programs.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1590\/acb415126","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]],"date-time":"2026-09-21T13:04:24Z","timestamp":1789995864000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The thesis defense as an academic rite: a call for institutional standards of conduct and excellence in postgraduate programs"],"prefix":"10.1590","volume":"41","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2385-0193","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Diego","family":"Ad\u00e3o","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidade Federal de S\u00e3o Paulo,  Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7487-8471","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rafael Leite","family":"Pacheco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hospital S\u00edrio-Liban\u00eas,  Brazil; Centro Universit\u00e1rio S\u00e3o Camilo,  Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1358-4303","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Leonardo Yuri Kasputis","family":"Zanini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidade Federal de S\u00e3o Paulo,  Brazil; Hospital S\u00edrio-Liban\u00eas,  Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3027-4251","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gabriela Caetano Lopes","family":"Martins","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidade Federal de S\u00e3o Paulo,  Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-5124-3742","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mariana Xavier Tavares","family":"Sacramento","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidade Federal de S\u00e3o Paulo,  Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4849-1107","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carolina Rodrigues","family":"Novais","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidade Federal de S\u00e3o Paulo,  Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7115-1218","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Leonardo de Mello","family":"Del Grande","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidade Federal de S\u00e3o Paulo,  Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9522-1871","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rachel","family":"Riera","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hospital S\u00edrio-Liban\u00eas,  Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9540-5937","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marcelo Moura","family":"Linhares","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidade Federal de S\u00e3o Paulo,  Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"530","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026]]},"reference":[{"issue":"2","key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"343","DOI":"10.1080\/03075079.2022.2137123","article-title":"Doctoral defence formats","volume":"48","author":"Lantsoght EOL","year":"2023","journal-title":"Stud High Educ"},{"issue":"7","key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"473","DOI":"10.3390\/educsci12070473","article-title":"Effectiveness of doctoral defense preparation methods","volume":"12","author":"Lantsoght EOL","year":"2022","journal-title":"Educ Sci"},{"issue":"2","key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"64","DOI":"10.1108\/09684880310471489","article-title":"Quality and equality in British PhD assessment","volume":"11","author":"Morley L","year":"2003","journal-title":"Qual Assur Educ"},{"key":"ref4","series-title":"Normas para formata\u00e7\u00e3o de disserta\u00e7\u00f5es e teses","year":"2024","edition":"5\u00aa ed."},{"key":"ref5","series-title":"Planning and passing your PhD defence: a global toolbox for success","author":"Degtyareva O","year":"2021"},{"key":"ref6","series-title":"Guia de etiqueta e boas pr\u00e1ticas para defesas de disserta\u00e7\u00e3o e tese","year":"2026"}],"container-title":["Acta Cir\u00fargica Brasileira"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"http:\/\/www.scielo.br\/scielo.php?script=sci_pdf&pid=S0102-86502026000101002&tlng=en","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]],"date-time":"2026-09-21T13:05:14Z","timestamp":1789995914000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"http:\/\/www.scielo.br\/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-86502026000101002&tlng=en"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026]]},"references-count":6,"alternative-id":["S0102-86502026000101002"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1590\/acb415126","relation":{},"ISSN":["1678-2674","0102-8650"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1678-2674","type":"electronic"},{"value":"0102-8650","type":"print"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026]]},"article-number":"e415126"}}