Part 8 Additional Information for Supervisors

Supervisory Committee

The Higher Degrees by Research Sub-Committee will appoint a Supervisory Committee for each candidate. This group will support the Principal Supervisor, as Chair of the Committee, and the Head of the School in their supervision of a candidate.

Members of the Supervisory Committee will be members of the University listed on the Register of Supervisors or other persons with expertise appropriate to, but not necessarily or specifically in, the candidate’s research area.

The Supervisory Committee shall include:

1. i.

   a Chair (i.e. the Principal Supervisor);

2. ii.

   the Head of School (or nominee);

3. iii.

   the Head of Discipline (if appropriate);

4. iv.

   the Research Student Monitor nominated by the Head of School and ratified by the Higher Degrees by Research Sub-Committee; and

5. v.

   other Associate or Co-supervisors as nominated by the Head of the School and ratified by the Higher Degrees by Research Sub-Committee. The Associate or Co-supervisors will include a staff member with the expertise to take on the role of Principal Supervisor if the original Principal Supervisor leaves the University.

There must always be a Level One Supervisor on the Supervisory Committee (Head of School and Research Student Monitor cannot fill this role).

Principal Supervisor

The Principal Supervisor must meet the criteria for full supervision status as recognised by the Register of Supervisors, and must be a member, or adjunct member of the academic or research staff of the University in a school in which the candidate is enrolled.

The Principal Supervisor is appointed by the Higher Degrees by Research Sub-Committee to chair the Supervisory Committee.

The Principal Supervisor has primary responsibility for ensuring that the work of the candidate is guided appropriately and for ensuring that the candidate meets all other administrative and academic requirements.

Co-supervisor or Associate Supervisor

“Associate Supervisor” or “Co-supervisor” means a person who meets the criteria for membership of the Register of Supervisors appointed by the Higher Degrees by Research Sub-Committee on account of a special knowledge of the candidate’s approved program or in order to ensure effective supervision of the candidate during any periods spent by the candidate, with the Committee’s approval, elsewhere than at the University. Associate Supervisors or “Co-supervisors” need not be members of the academic staff of the University.

Research Student Monitor

A Research Student Monitor must be a Level One Supervisor on the Register of Supervisors. The Research Student Monitor in a Supervisory Committee must be from a school other than that of the candidate and shall be appointed by the Higher Degrees by Research Sub-Committee to ensure that all procedures relating to the candidature are fulfilled especially with respect to the confirmation of candidature and pre-completion seminar processes.

Register of Supervisors

The Register of Supervisors is a list of academic and research staff of the University who are qualified to be appointed as Supervisors of candidates undertaking a research higher degree.

Staff of administrative units eligible for inclusion on the Register of Supervisors must normally hold a conjoint appointment with the academic unit in which their student is enrolled.

The Higher Degrees by Research Sub-Committee, on the recommendation of the Faculty, shall approve academic and research staff of the University for inclusion on the Register according to criteria approved by the Board of Higher Degrees by Research.

Membership of the Register shall be reviewed annually by the Higher Degrees by Research Sub-Committee on the basis of each member’s record of supervision according to the agreed criteria.

Responsibilities of the Principal Supervisor

There are many responsibilities associated with supervision, and these vary depending upon the stage of candidature.

In general terms, the Principal Supervisor must, in conjunction with the Head of School, take full responsibility for research students and ensure that they fulfil all academic and administrative requirements. Of necessity, this means that the Principal Supervisor must arrange mutually acceptable meeting times with students for formal discussions and evaluation of progress. This should preferably be done via the completion of the student/supervisor checklist.

The type of contact varies between schools and depends upon the developing experience and expertise of the candidate. The Principal Supervisor must ensure that the candidate is familiar with the rules and policies set out here and in the relevant degree requirements. The Principal Supervisor should ensure that the candidate is familiar with the administrative requirements (for example, submission of progress reports by the due date) and with the University and school facilities and resources that are likely to be of assistance.

The Principal Supervisor should also ascertain whether the proposed research will require ethical clearance or permits, and if so, should inform the candidate that work may not commence until the required ethical clearance or permits have been obtained.

Academic Matters

The Principal Supervisor’s primary objective during the first 6 months of candidature is to assist the candidate to develop a realistic program of study and research. Clearly, the topic must offer scope for research training and must lead to intellectually rewarding investigation. The topic should also be one that can be expected to produce sufficient results for submission of an acceptable doctoral thesis in 3 years (equivalent full-time study) or a little more and a Research Masters thesis in 2 years (equivalent full-time study). Naturally, this objective can be met only if Supervisor and candidate meet frequently in order to discuss assigned reading, to comment on written work, and to discuss the development of experimental procedures or other data-gathering techniques.

As part of achieving the primary objective, the Principal Supervisor will suggest appropriate background reading and, where relevant, direct the candidate to take approved subjects and seminar/workshop courses relevant to the proposed research.

Supervisors will also take responsibility for ensuring that the candidate is aware of their obligations in respect of any general school or faculty requirements that are in place. For example, an annual or half-yearly presentation of completed work to an appropriate interest group is highly desirable. Schools may also have their own requirements in relation to confirmation of candidature.

During each year of candidature, the Principal Supervisor must see drafts of major sections of the thesis and provide detailed and timely comment. It may sometimes be necessary to refer some parts of the draft thesis to an Associate Supervisor or to another specialist in the field.

At this stage the Principal Supervisor will also be able to advise the candidate when an open-ended project has proceeded far enough. It is a Supervisor's responsibility to assist the student to achieve closure with respect to the research.

As a thesis is prepared, the Principal Supervisor will ensure that it is not unnecessarily long and does not exceed the suggested maximum of 100,000 words for a PhD thesis, 50,000 words for a professional doctorate or 60,000 words for a Masters by Research thesis. The Principal Supervisor will comment critically on the final draft before a thesis is submitted for formal examination. It is essential the Principal Supervisor ensures that the text of the submitted thesis is of a high editorial standard.

Administrative Matters

The Principal Supervisor is required to report to the Head of School and the Dean of Graduate Research Studies on the candidate's progress and to ensure that the candidate provides required reports and other information by prescribed dates.

The Principal Supervisor should discuss progress reports with the candidate, ensure that they have read and signed the report and provide an opportunity to attach a reply to any adverse comment.

The Principal Supervisor is responsible for advising the candidate and the Head of School whether (a) the thesis is prima facie ready for examination or (b) the thesis should not be submitted to examiners. Reasons for recommendation (b) must be provided in writing and the candidate given the opportunity to formally respond.

The Principal Supervisor must provide the candidate with the opportunity to list any persons who they feel should not be appointed as examiners. Consultation with the candidate is expected and reasons for decisions must be provided to the Head of School.

Supervisors discuss possible examiners with the Head of School before examiners are nominated or approached. The Head of School will then informally ask the examiners if they are available.

Resource Matters

The Principal Supervisor must ensure that the candidate has access to the basic resources required for their project as outlined in the Minimum Standard of Resources and Facilities and other Support for Research Higher Degree Students (Appendix D). If the required resources are not available within the research group, it is the responsibility of the Principal Supervisor to assist the candidate to obtain these resources from within or outside the School, Campus or University. In addition, the Principal Supervisor must ensure that access to resources within their research group is equitable.