The candidate and the adviser should be aware of the potential conflict of interest that may arise should the latter have to vote on the nomination later in the process. An agreement to provide counsel and advice to a candidate does not imply a commitment to support the candidate's nomination. All discussions, reviews, and evaluations must be based on the material submitted in the file. While understandably a candidate's colleagues may have other knowledge of the candidate based on departmental interactions, etc. Part of the task of constructing an appropriate file is making sure that all relevant information is contained in it.
Candidates have a right to make copies of information in their files.
This right is limited by the waivers that candidates sign related to external reviews of their work.