Procedure at the Disputation
When the participants in the Disputation enter the room, the Disputant who will be defending the dissertation enters first, followed by the Custos (chairperson), and the Opponent enters last.
The correct form of attire for the Disputant, Custos and Opponent is for ladies a black dress with long sleeves, and for gentlemen full evening dress with black waistcoat (or, where appropriate, uniforms without decorations). Alternatively, if the Disputant, Custos and Opponent so agree, formal suits may be worn. Where appropriate, participants may wear a doctor's gown (with or without the relevant headdress). Participants holding Nordic doctorates are to carry their doctor's hat in their hand while entering and while leaving the room; during the Disputation the hat is placed upon the table with the lyre facing towards the audience.
When all are seated, the Custos opens the proceedings in the following manner: "As Custos appointed by the Faculty of..., I declare the beginning of this doctoral Disputation."
The Disputant, standing, then delivers the lectio praecursoria or introductory lecture, which may not exceed 20 minutes in duration. The lectio begins with the greeting: "Learned Custos, my esteemed Opponent, Ladies and Gentlemen..."
The correction of misprints is not part of the proceedings at the Disputation. The Disputant may submit to the Opponent a written list of errors which he or she himself has found, and this list may be appended to the Opponent's Statement submitted to the Faculty.
On concluding the lectio praecursoria the Disputant will address the Opponent with the following words: "Professor (or Doctor, etc.) NN, I respectfully beg you, as the Opponent duly appointed by the Faculty of ... for my Disputation, to present your criticisms of my doctoral dissertation."
The Opponent then stands and delivers a short statement concerning the scientific status and significance of the topic of the dissertation, together with other similar comments of a more general nature. After this statement, both Opponent and Disputant resume their seats.
In the examination of the dissertation, the Opponent should begin by dealing with methodological and general questions, and then proceed to a detailed scrutiny of the text.
The Opponent may not spend more than four hours on the examination of the dissertation, so that enough time remains for other speakers to present questions or criticisms. If the examination takes a long time, the Custos may announce an interval. The total Disputation may not last longer than six hours.
At the conclusion of the Opponent's examination of the dissertation, the Opponent and Disputant stand, and the Opponent delivers a final statement.
The Disputant, still standing, then thanks the Opponent.
The Disputant next turns to the audience, and invites their contributions as follows: "I now respectfully invite any members of the learned audience who wish to offer criticisms of my dissertation to request the Custos for permission to speak."
The Custos may then grant permission for members of the audience to speak, and is responsible for ensuring that the Disputant is able to reply immediately to each criticism offered, and that the discussion does not stray from the matter in hand.
Finally the Custos stands and terminates the proceedings as follows: "This Disputation is now concluded."
