ResearchStudent

Handbook2017-18

Welcome to research degree study at the University of Gloucestershire.

As research students you form a valuable part of the University’s

research community and we hope that that your period of study with us

will be both fulfilling and successful. The following pages will help you

understand the University’s expectations, processes and regulations and

will act as a guide to your research journey at our institution.

Professor Ros Jennings (Head of Postgraduate Research)

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Contents

WELCOME TO THE UNIVERSITY 4

Your programme 5

Starting your research 7

Research education: methods and skills training 8

Supervisory relationships 10

Developing your project and the project approval process 12

Project approved 14

Submission 17

Examination 19

Examination procedure 20

Changes in the programme 22

Temporary deregistration 24

Extension of registration 25

Withdrawal of registration 26

Monitoring and enhancement of the research environment 27

What happens if something goes wrong? 28

General information 29

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Postgraduate Research at the University

MAIN CONTACTS Main University Telephone Number: 0844 801 0001 www.glos.ac.uk my.glos.ac.uk

RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION OFFICE Delta Place offices, Cheltenham Email: researchadmin@glos.ac.uk

ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT UNIT The Lodge, Francis Close Hall Campus, Swindon Road, Cheltenham, GL504AZ Email: adu@glos.ac.uk

Head of Postgraduate Research

Professor Ros Jennings rjennings@glos.ac.uk

School PGR Leads

Schools

Dr Don Parker Art & Design dparker@glos.ac.uk

Dr Philippa Ward Business School pward@glos.ac.uk

Dr Paul Vare Education pvare@glos.ac.uk

Dr Malcolm MacLean Health & Social Care

Natural & Social Sciences

Sport & Exercise

mmaclean@glos.ac.uk

Dr Robin Griffiths Liberal & Performing arts rgriffiths@glos.ac.uk

Dr Gerry Moorey Media gmoorey@glos.ac.uk

Head of PGR

School of Art & Design

Business School

School of Education

School of Health & Social Care

School of Liberal & Performing Arts

School of Natural & Social Sciences

School of Media

School of Sport & Exercise

Research Administration

Academic Development Unit

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WELCOME TO THE UNIVERSITY

Welcome to the University of Gloucestershire and to your research degree programme. This Handbook will provide you with much of the information you require at key stages in your programme lifecycle. It should be read in conjunction with other published materials and especially in connection with the Academic Regulations for Research Degrees Provision.

The main purposes of a research degree are:

• To enable you to develop originality, to contribute new ideas, and to make a positive contribution to knowledge and creativity in your discipline;

• To provide training in research and research methods that will enable you to assume the role of an independent scholar and research worker, capable of planning and carrying out a well-conceived plan of research directed towards a given objective be that in academia, other forms of employment and personal projects.

The University offers the following research degrees: MA by Research, MSc by Research, Masters of Philosophy (MPhil), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), European Doctorate and Professional Doctorates in several subject communities.

You can study on a full- or a part-time basis.

You select a subject, usually in the form of series of research questions, conduct a research project to answer the questions and write a thesis on the findings.

You will also undertake a programme of research education that includes methods and skills training. Our aim is to support your development to become an excellent researcher and create excellent research.

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Your programme

Although individual postgraduate researchers move through the key lifecycle points of their programme at different rates, the following gives an overview of the core stages.

Core stages

Starting your research •Enrolment •Induction activities •Research education •Supervisory relationship •Developing project

Project approval •Submit your project for approval •Think about research ethics

Project approved •Research phase •Focus on project management •Training & development activities •Propose examiners

Submission •Submit your work for examination

Examination •Your thesis is reviewed by the examiners

•Attend viva (some students are examined without a viva)

•Receive your exam report •Work on your exam outcomes

Completion •Your award is conferred •Your certificate is issued •You are invited to graduation

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Elective stages

These stages describe circumstances that will only affect some postgraduate researchers.

Deregistration •Your registration time is suspended •You will not have access to resources

Extension •You have had some mitigating

circumstances that mean you cannot submit to your expected end date

•Additional time will carry additional fees

Student withdrawal •You will need to withdraw from your

studies •You may be eligible for an exit award

(e.g. Advanced Postgraduate Certificate)

Required to withdraw •You have accumulated failed credit on

taught modules that carry a requirement for you to withdraw

•You have received an academic judgement that states that you have failed to make adequate progress and the situation is not redeemable

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Starting your research

Enrolment

You will need to complete an annual enrolment process until you have formally completed your studies. This will include time required to work on any post-viva corrections. You will usually be asked to enrol on or around the anniversary of your initial enrolment date.

Once you have enrolled, including payment of tuition fees, you are entitled to receive academic advice and to use the University’s learning and other support facilities.

The Academic Regulations for Research Degrees Provision (ARRDP) provide details of the expected periods of registration associated with each of the programmes. This will help you to work on an appropriate project plan and manage your time within your expected registration period.

Induction

At the beginning of your research programme you will attend induction. You will meet central University and School teams who work together to support you as a postgraduate researcher.

You will also participate in a range of activities. Those listed here are not exhaustive and you should work with your supervisory team to ensure you are clear about the actions you need.

Students studying under a Tier 4 visa must ensure that they are fully aware of their obligations and the conditions of their visa. This includes student attendance monitoring, the dates of which will be published on the University’s website here.

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Research education: methods and skills training

All postgraduate researchers follow a course of research education. For all except those on a professional doctorate, this is normally two modules that have been designed to provide training to ensure you understand and can employ a range of research methods and skills.

You must take the modules during your first year as preparation for your research. The research education modules also offer you opportunities to network with others to share common difficulties and concerns, and to gain peer support.

During the modules, you will engage with both generic and more specific methods and skills. Provision is made for specialisation in particular research methods directly relevant to your research project. This is mostly accomplished through assessment tasks (written assignments) where your supervisor has a vital role in guiding you. This will not only involve discussions about assessment content itself but also feedback, as the supervisory team is responsible for the final assessment of the written assignments.

Those on a Professional Doctorate programme undertake taught modules that have been developed specifically for that doctorate. You will be given more information in programme specific documentation on these modules.

NOTE: Successful completion of your research education modules is an important way in which supervisors assess your progression. Each module you undertake is credit (CATS) rated. If you incur 60 CATS, or more, of failed credit you will be withdrawn from your programme (ref. Academic Regulations for Taught Provision, para. 7.29).

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Monitoring your training needs

As well as taking taught modules, you should spend some time thinking about the training and development you might need to complete your programme and the skills you might want to build for the future.

We recommend that you regularly (at least annually) complete a Training Needs Analysis (TNA). This process encourages you and your supervisors to review training and plan targets for the year and beyond. Reflection on TNA should contribute to supervisions throughout the year and forms part of your annual monitoring of academic performance. We suggest that you use one supervision meeting per year to reflect on your training and development needs. You will find some further resources on Moodle to help you think about and act on the training needs you identify.

You will be offered other development opportunities in research skills, methods, techniques and processes through School devised programmes (often in response to specific disciplinary and subject needs). The Academic Development Unit also offers postgraduate development opportunities and resources. You will find more information about these on Moodle.

You should also familiarise yourself with the Your Future Plan resources via MyGlos. You will find more information about skills development, careers and employability skills.

The University also offers a small fund (called an Entitlement) that you can draw on to attend training events and workshops, conferences or other activities. You should discuss any activities that you want to undertake using this fund with your supervisors. More information is provided on Moodle.

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Supervisory relationships

Supervisors

Your School appoints a supervisory team for you that combines experience and subject/methodological expertise.

The first supervisor has primary responsibility for supervising candidates on a regular and frequent basis. The first supervisor is a member of staff at the University.

Second supervisors often bring different skills and experience that complement the first supervisor. Sometimes the School appoints a second supervisor who is external to the University in order to construct the best team for you.

Prior to the Project Approved stage, you may be allocated an Adviser who will act as a primary contact whilst you are working on taught modules. This typically happens for students undertaking Professional Doctorates.

You need to make contact with your adviser/supervisor at a very early stage and discuss arrangements for supervision meetings. You also need to make sure that a record of the formal supervisory sessions is made using the resources in Your Student Record (accessed via MyGlos). Supervision can happen through face-to-face meetings, phone/Skype sessions and review and feedback on work.

Do:

• Make appointments in advance with your adviser/supervisor(s). • Have an early discussion about the type of meetings you would like including

your learning styles and confidence. • Keep a record of the discussion and any actions agreed in Your Student Record. • Give your supervisor adequate time to read any work that you send to them. • Keep your supervisor informed – they don’t know about questions, problems and

issues if you don’t tell them.

Don’t:

• Miss appointments without notice. • Expect your supervisor to read your draft 90,000 word thesis with 24hrs notice. • Expect your supervisor to do the research for you – they are there to guide and

mentor you through this process. • Forget that we have a comprehensive amount of training and development

events both through the Academic Development Unit and Your Future Plan. • Forget to communicate – your supervisor is there to support you.

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There are plenty of other examples of how to manage your supervisory relationship well. We cover this in the induction sessions and give you more information on Moodle and MyGlos Help.

Your supervisor plays a vital role in helping you to manage progress towards your expected date of submission. To do this, we ask them to make academic judgements on your engagement and progress regularly, so it is important that you take steps to maintain communication channels with them and record agreed tasks in an appropriate way for them to review and consider.

We also provide a document outlining the Responsibilities of the Student, First and Second Supervisor held in our Moodle resources.

Change in supervisory arrangements

On occasion, there may be a need to make changes to a supervisory team. In that event, we ensure that you are kept informed. We are committed to providing high quality, relevant and suitable supervision for all of our postgraduate researchers and monitor supervisory teams to ensure that they are working well.

If you wish to discuss your supervisory team, you should contact your School PGR Lead. In the event that the PGR Lead is acting as supervisor for you, seek advice from the Research Administration Office or Head of Postgraduate Research.

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Developing your project and the project approval process

During the early part of your registration, we will require you to develop your project proposal into a more detailed plan. This is done on the Project Approval form.

You must submit your Project Approval form within 9-12 months if studying full-time, or 12-18 months if studying part-time after your initial enrolment, or as soon as possible after the satisfactory completion of any taught modules or equivalent specified mandatory training.

You must work with your supervisory team to submit your Project Approval form. The form allows you to present a succinct overview of your project that links to the requirements of your programme of study. The form also encourages you to make a project plan that enables you to manage your time effectively.

If you intend to use previously published materials in your thesis, you should refer to this in your Project Approval form. Normally, previously published material will be submitted along with a critical reflection and commentary on the publications.

You must ensure that your proposed project demonstrates research integrity. Guidance is contained in Research Ethics: A Handbook of Principles & Procedures. All projects require ethical approval. For many, this happens as part of the Project Approval review by supervisors and the School PGR Lead. For others, approval can only be given after consideration of the project by the Research Ethics Committee (REC). This REC review should be carried out before you submit your Project Approval, but issues raised during the Project Approval review may include a referral to REC.

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Project approval process

Once the Project Approval form has been submitted there are three possible outcomes. The review process may:

• Approve the application • Require that the application be modified or further information

provided • Reject the application

You should note that a Project Approval application will not be formally reviewed more than 3 times (Ref: Regulation 3.14). In the event that a Project Approval application is rejected for the third time, a postgraduate researcher may be withdrawn from the programme or guided to register on a different award.

In considering applications for project approval, the reviewer will seek to satisfy themselves, as far as possible, on the following points:

a) The project outline shows indication of the postgraduate researcher’s ability to produce a sustained piece of work at the level of the programme that they are enrolled upon;

b) The project is regarded as worthwhile and will make the required contribution at the level of the research degree undertaken;

c) A suitable programme of research study can be defined and properly supervised and resourced, or the previously published materials intended to be submitted as part of the submission show prima facie evidence of suitability;

d) The appropriate mode of study, the required research methods training and the period of study have been considered and agreed;

e) The postgraduate researchers and supervisors are aware of and have agreed to operate by the ethical principles and guidelines of the University;

f) The supervisory team are engaged in ongoing professional development; g) Where required, external advice has been sought; h) If appropriate, any arrangements with any collaborating establishment are clearly

defined and a letter of confirmation from the collaborating establishment is attached to the application.

You and your supervisors will be informed of the decision of the review process and provided with full details of any conditions of approval or further work to be undertaken.

Once your project has been formally approved, it is your responsibility and that of your supervisors to be aware of deadline for thesis submission.

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Project approved

Once your project has been approved it is time to get on with the research phase of your programme. During this time you will be independently researching your project against the plan that you provided in your Project Approval form. You should have regular contact with your supervisors about your work, and also discuss your training and development needs. During this time you might expect to seek opportunities to share and refine your ideas with close colleagues and other interested parties.

Annual Review Process

Each year, you will be required to complete an annual review process. This review affects your ability to continue to the next year. The purpose of this activity is to ensure that you are making suitable progress towards the recorded submission deadline. It is an opportunity to review, reflect and plan for the forthcoming year. This task is mandatory for all enrolled postgraduate researchers who have not submitted their thesis for examination.

This task will be completed via Your Student Record and your supervisors will be asked to review your reflective summary and any supporting evidence and provide an academic judgement.

They will be asked to make one of the following recommendations:

Progress satisfactory

Some concerns

Significant concerns

A recommendation of Progress satisfactory will mean that you may continue in your programme and that work is seen to be progressing appropriately to the recorded submission date.

Where your supervisor(s) notes Some concerns there may be objectives or actions arising from the review that you will have to respond to. These actions will be designed to address immediate concerns but your supervisor feels that you are making reasonable progress towards the recorded submission date.

The recommendation stating that the supervisors have Significant concerns means that you will be asked to respond to those concerns and attend to an action plan initiated by your supervisors. If you fail to engage with and appropriately respond

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to that action plan (also known as “Work to Complete”) you may be withdrawn from your programme.

Progress review is normally an annual process, however, supervisors may alert the School PGR Lead to significant concerns outside of this time should the need arise and action taken as needed.

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Examination arrangements

At least three months prior to your likely submission date, you and your first supervisor should submit an Intent to Submit form to the School PGR Lead.

This form indicates that you are coming to the concluding part of your project and you are nearly ready to submit your thesis for examination. The form also proposes the examiners who will take part in the thesis examination. It is important that you and your supervisors discuss the internal and examiners being proposed. Postgraduate researchers who are also members of staff within the institution should expect to be examined by two external examiners.

The School PGR Lead will review the proposed examiners and ensure that they are a legal and valid combination under the Academic Regulations for Research Degree Provision. The School PGR Lead will normally be able to nominate an independent chair for the examination process.

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Submission

Once the Intent to Submit form is approved you can submit your thesis. This is done within the School, and normally to the Assignment Office. Please check Moodle for the Assignment Room locations. Submission must happen on, or before, your expected registration end date. Please check the Academic Regulations for Taught Provision for the minimum and maximum registration periods for higher degrees at the University.

Before you submit your thesis copy we strongly advise that you familiarise yourself with the Library publications on Keeping Your Thesis Legal.

Thesis format

For a full description of thesis presentation, you should consult the Academic Regulations for Research Degree Provision, section 13. Additional guidance materials will be made available for you on Moodle.

Thesis submission

You must submit a printed and bound copy of the thesis for each examiner (so normally two copies).

At the same time as you submit your printed and bound copies, you should also submit a digital copy of your work that must match the printed copies exactly.

A Candidature Form and Author’s Declaration should also be submitted along with the copies of thesis.

Application for an embargo or moratorium on a thesis

Where you wish the thesis to remain confidential for a period of time after completion of the work, application for approval is normally made at the time of final submission. The period approved should normally not exceed two years from the date of the viva voce examination.

An embargo withholds your electronic thesis from inclusion in EThOS and the Research Repository, and no consultation, loan or photocopying of the printed copy will be permitted during the period granted. Permission to apply an embargo to a research degree thesis can only be granted by the Head of Postgraduate Research in exceptional circumstances.

A moratorium includes your printed thesis in the University library for consultation, but loan or photocopying of it is not permitted, and the electronic thesis is withheld from inclusion in EThOS and the Research Repository for the period granted.

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Once the embargo or moratorium period has expired, the thesis will be included in the Research Repository and EThOS, and made available for photocopying.

If you wish to request an embargo, you should discuss this with your supervisor and then write to the Head of Postgraduate Research. If granted, the request will be forwarded to colleagues in the Library who are responsible to maintaining the Library catalogue and Research Repository.

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Examination

Preliminary report

The first stage of the examination is the examiners’ independent preliminary assessment of the thesis. Each examiner should compile a preliminary report on the thesis and return it to contacts within the School. These reports provide the basis of the conversation that examiners will have with you at your viva.

You should normally be given at least 14 days’ notice of the date of the viva. The expectation is that you will make yourself available for examination. The date of the viva examination is not normally confirmed until the preliminary reports have been approved.

In the event of a postponement to the viva voce, you will be notified at the earliest opportunity.

For MA/MSc by Research and MRes award, viva may not occur if, in their preliminary reports, both examiners state the thesis is of a sufficient standard. If the viva is not required, you will have a full examination report sent to you with the feedback from the examiners and their recommendation.

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Examination procedure

If the viva is to take place, examiners preliminary reports are used to generate an agenda for your viva.

Your viva voce examination should be held in the University at one of the campus locations. In exceptional circumstances, the viva may be held elsewhere, in which case the application for examination arrangements must specify the location. You can invite your supervisor(s) or a supporter to be present at the viva voce examination, but they must be there in a non-speaking capacity. You should ask the Chair and examiners in advance if they are happy for you to bring a supporter or third party in to the viva.

Your examiners will attend the viva voce examination in person unless prior approval has been requested for a specified external examiner/s to undertake the examination remotely, by Skype, for example. This is a rare occurrence but is usually acceptable where the examiner is not able to make the journey to a University location.

The purpose of the viva voce examination is to assess you as an independent researcher, and the strengths and weaknesses of the thesis. Examiners will attempt to make you feel at ease throughout the examination.

It’s a good idea to talk to your supervisor about viva preparations well in advance of your submission. The Academic Development Unit runs useful preparatory workshops and it may also be possible for your supervisor to make arrangements for a mock viva. Take the opportunity to speak to other students about their experiences too.

Examiners’ report

Following the examination, the examiners will submit a report to the University Research Degrees Committee (URDC), where their recommendation will be considered and ratified.

The report should recommend a specific outcome and be sufficiently detailed to enable URDC to reach a well-founded decision and should explicitly address the headings that are set out on the examination report form.

You can see more information about the types of exam outcomes in the Academic Regulations for Research Degrees Provision. An overview of exam outcomes is as follows:

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Pass outcomes

• Award unconditionally • Award subject to amendment of typographic errors • Award subject to minor amendments • Award subject to major amendments

Other outcomes

• Resubmission of thesis subject to re-examination with or without viva • Recommend lesser award (e.g. PhD to MPhil) • No award • No recommendation – further investigation required

Notification of outcome

The recommendation made by the examiners will remain provisional until it has been confirmed by the University Research Degrees Committee (URDC). The Viva Chair may inform you on the day of the examination of the likely result of your examination, but you will only receive official confirmation of the outcome via a formal communication from the URDC.

If amendments are required, you will be given a deadline by which the work must be received by the URDC along with confirmation of the individual(s) to submit your work to.

Approval of corrections is also addressed to the URDC and you will receive a formal notification that your award has been conferred both by the URDC and from the central administrative teams of the University.

Once your award has been confirmed you will be asked to submit both a digital and a hard bound copy of your final thesis. Further instructions for doing this are published on Moodle.

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Changes in the programme

Students studying under a Tier 4 visa must ensure that any changes to their programme are notified to the Immigration and Compliance team for report to the Home Office.

Registration periods

Programmes can be studied on a full- or part-time basis. We recommend that full-time postgraduate researchers devote on average 35-40 hours per week to their programme and part-time postgraduate researchers an average of 15-20 hours per week.

The registration periods for programmes are described in the Academic Regulations for Research Degree Provision.

Change of mode or programme of study

If you want to change your mode of study (full time or part time status) or change your programme (e.g. from DBA to PhD) you should initially speak to your supervisor and submit a request to the School PGR Lead on the Change Candidature form. In the event that the School PGR Lead cannot support the application, you will be given feedback.

Upgrading your registration

You can’t use the Change Candidature form if you want to upgrade your award (e.g. from MPhil to PhD). If you do want to do this, you will need to use the Upgrade application form. These are not normally considered before you have been engaged on your programme for a period of time.

• For those on a MA/MSc by Research - this is normally a period of about 10 months of full-time study or 15 months of part-time study from initial enrolment.

• For those on an MPhil – if you wish to upgrade to PhD this is normally a period of about 10-14 months of full-time study or 15-21 months of part-time study from initial enrolment.

If you want to apply to upgrade, you should firstly notify your supervisors. If the supervisors and School PGR Lead support the application for upgrade, you will be invited to an interview where you will need to satisfy the upgrade panel of progress made and the suitability of proposals for the intended upgrade.

The panel is usually chaired by an experienced research supervisor who is not a member of your supervisory team, and will include your supervisors and an

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independent panel member. They will be appointed by the School PGR Lead. In order to assess your Upgrade application, the panel will need to see a full upgrade report that gives a detailed overview of work undertaken so far and how this will form the basis for the intended new award.

The report should be between 3,000 – 6,000 words. You can submit other output for this assessment, for example where the thesis will combine written and practical elements. You should discuss this with your supervisors first, as it is likely that a shorter report will be required by the upgrade panel.

You will be informed formally of the panel’s decision.

The independent panel member cannot then be used as an examiner for your final thesis.

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Temporary deregistration

You can apply for temporary deregistration as soon as you are unable to continue active engagement with your research for a significant period, but you intend to resume your research after deregistration. You can ask for deregistration for between three and twelve months. Longer periods of deregistration may put the currency of your research in jeopardy and will require careful discussion with supervisors and the approval of the School PGR Lead. If you are permitted to deregister beyond twelve months you must put in place a clear plan to deal with the currency of your research as part of a return to study supervision meeting.

You must read the guidance on student deregistration available here.

Temporary deregistration is a formal status and you consequently are not entitled to use any University facilities, including libraries and research centres, nor to receive supervision during deregistration.

If you hold a University Studentship, you must ensure that a period of deregistration is permitted under the terms of your contract before applying. If you are in receipt of a University Studentship or Department/Institute Bursary, payments will be suspended. Should a Studentship or Bursary-funded postgraduate researcher seek temporary deregistration, which includes a back-dated period of time, then s/he will be required to repay the appropriate portion of the Studentship or Bursary.

Postgraduate researchers studying on a Tier 4 visa must consult the Immigration & Compliance team before making an application for deregistration as once granted it might temporarily affect their right to remain in the UK. Deregistration from the programme will result in the withdrawal of the Tier 4 visa and requirement for you to leave the UK.

Towards the end of your deregistration period, you will be contacted to arrange re-enrolment with the University. Once you are re-enrolled, you should arrange a return to study supervision meeting.

Your expected end date will be recalculated to take into account any period of deregistration. If you have any queries on this, please contact the Research Administration Office.

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Extension of registration

Sometimes postgraduate researchers will need extra registration time. This is normally due to unexpected circumstances that mean that you are unlikely to be able to submit your work within the maximum period of registration. Initially, you should speak to your supervisors and then, if they are in agreement with the reasons for you to request an extension, you should submit a request to the School PGR Lead on the Extension Request form.

The request should be for a specified number of months and you must submit this request before the end of your registration time.

You cannot ask for an extension in this way to the deadlines set for the taught modules. For taught modules, you will need to refer to the Academic Regulations for Taught Provision for the procedure for requesting more time on a deadline.

Please note requesting additional registration time will incur additional tuition fees.

Postgraduate researchers studying on a Tier 4 visa must ensure that they have sought the advice of the International Student Adviser and/or the Immigration and Compliance team prior to applying for extension to their registration.

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Withdrawal of registration

Circumstances may occur that force you to withdraw from your programme of study. Before withdrawing, you must read the published guidance here. All students withdrawing from their programme will be required to complete the Student Declaration. Postgraduate researchers studying on a Tier 4 visa must consult with the Immigration & Compliance team prior to indicating their intention to withdraw. Withdrawal from the programme of study will result in the withdrawal of the Tier 4 visa and requirement for you to leave the UK. You can get some more guidance from MyGlos Help and also, if you wish, you can contact the Helpzone.

If you need to withdraw you can contact the Research Administration Office with the date on which the withdrawal should take effect. You can also contact the Helpzone. Please also let your supervisors know that you are intending to withdraw from your programme.

If you accumulate too many failed credits whilst taking the taught modules at the start of your programme, in line with the Academic Regulations for Taught Provision (which govern all taught modules within the University) you will be withdrawn from the programme. You will be eligible to receive acknowledgement of any credit achieved which may in some programmes carry an exit award.

Additionally, withdrawal of registration is a possible outcome of the Annual Progress Review if evidence is presented that you are no longer active on the project and are not able to complete the work within the expected end date. If, outside of the Annual Progress Review process, your supervisor becomes aware that you are no longer active on the project and are not able to complete the work then it is the supervisor who is responsible for initiating the procedure for notification of withdrawal as soon as possible. The supervisor should first advise the School PGR Lead and together they will arrange to contact you to discuss the situation.

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Monitoring and enhancement of the research environment

A key component in the monitoring and enhancement of the research environment is the articulation of the postgraduate researcher perspective through the research student representatives who are members of URDC.

Student representatives will be elected from the postgraduate researcher body and will be invited to attend URDC. The student representatives will be asked to collect current postgraduate researcher issues relating to academic matters for pro-active discussion at URDC.

Other events may be organised by the student representatives. The Research Administration Office will facilitate booking of rooms and notifying the postgraduate researcher community of events of interest.

Exit questionnaires are provided for all postgraduate researchers on completion of their research programmes.

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What happens if something goes wrong?

The following routes for raising complaints or problematic issues are open to all postgraduate researchers:

a) You can speak to your supervisor or School PGR Lead. b) You can contact the Helpzone who will be able to signpost you to support

services c) You can raise issues in your supervision sessions or the Annual Progress Review d) Any evaluation questionnaires circulated to the Postgraduate Researchers of the

University e) Via the Chair of the viva voce examination, on the examination report form.

Complaints relating to supervisory arrangements or practice should first be raised with the School PGR Lead, unless they are a member of the supervisory team, in which case you should contact either the Research Administration Office or the Head of Postgraduate Research.

Issues relating to resources (for example studio space) should be raised with your supervisor and then with the appropriate budget-holder via the School PGR Lead.

If a complaint cannot be resolved through the above channels then it can be pursued under the University Student Complaints Procedure (see here for details of the University’s Student Complaints procedure).

Students have the right to appeal against a decision of a Board of Examiners – which for Research Degrees Provision is the URDC. For a full description of the Appeals procedure, please refer to the published guidance, which can be found here.

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General information

Holiday and leave

With the exception of postgraduate researchers who hold a studentship where an annual leave allocation is defined, research students are not required to log their leave arrangements with their supervisor.

Postgraduate researchers who are studying under a Tier 4 visa must ensure that they are fully aware of the requirements to maintain contact with their supervisor/adviser.

Work outside the UK

Project approval may given to a postgraduate researcher proposing to work largely outside the UK. If any part of the research project is undertaken outside the University, including outside the UK, the University will require:

a) Satisfactory evidence of the adequacy of the facilities and support available for the research at the place of work or study;

b) That the supervisory arrangements enable frequent and substantial contact between the first or second supervisor and the candidate;

c) That there is sufficiently frequent personal contact between the student and the first supervisor; in order to assure the supervisor of the candidate’s continuing progress;

d) Elements that may require attendance may include, but are not limited to: interview where required, research methods training, upgrade panel, annual progress board, and viva. These will be outlined to students during the admissions process.

Postgraduate researchers who intend to work outside of the UK at any point in their programme of study may be required to provide information to the University Insurance Manager.

Postgraduate researchers who are studying under a Tier 4 visa must ensure that they are fully aware of regulations pertaining to their location of study.

Group projects

An applicant whose work forms part of a larger group project should clearly state the individual contribution and its relationship to the group project. Each individually registered project must in itself be distinguishable for the purposes of assessment and be appropriate for the award being sought.

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Creative work

A postgraduate researcher may undertake a programme of research in which his or her own creative work forms, as point of origin or reference, a significant part of the intellectual enquiry. See the Academic Regulations for Research Degree Provision for full details.

Published work

A postgraduate researcher may undertake preparation of a thesis for which his/her previously published work forms a point of origin or reference for a significant part of the intellectual enquiry.

Funded research

Where a project is part of a piece of funded research, the University will establish to its satisfaction that the terms on which the research is funded do not detract from the fulfilment of the objectives and requirements of the applicant’s research degree.

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