Mid-candidature Review

Mid-candidature should occur at the 2-year full-time or (4 year part-time equivalent) of your candidature.

This milestone is pivotal; it marks the time when you are moving into the second half of your candidature.

What is the Mid-Candidature Review?

This milestone is designed to test the following questions:

• Do you have a clear direction for your research and your thesis?
• Is your project of sufficient scope and standard for the degree?
• Are you resourced and ready to begin the next phase of your candidature?

What is required?

At this milestone, you will provide your Candidature Committee with:

• current drafts of materials that you have prepared for inclusion in your thesis, including a substantive piece of written work identified for detailed consideration (e.g., thesis chapter or journal article)

You will be expected to present:

• a seminar or poster on an aspect of your research findings. If you have submitted a paper to a peer-reviewed publication or made a comparable presentation at a conference external to JCU since your Confirmation of Candidature, you are exempt from this particular requirement
• If a seminar is required, it will be a public presentation where you present this work to your Candidature Committee, your colleagues, fellow candidates and friends.

By this stage, you must also have completed:

• Professional Development requirements (40 hours of Flexible components or 10 Leadership and Innovation points). Note: All fixed training will also have been completed before CoC.

Step 1: Booking Your Seminar

This form is to be submitted 3 weeks for Confirmation of Candidature and Mid Candidature and 4 weeks for Pre-Completion Evaluation, complete and submit this seminar form with assistance from your advisors, ensuring you provide all required information. When the form has been submitted, the Graduate Research School will contact you to finalise your seminar booking.

Seminar Booking  form

Step 2: Review Checklist and Assessment criteria

Review your Candidate/Advisor Agreement

As you move through this milestone and on to the second half of your candidature you should meet with your advisory team to revisit your Candidate/Advisor Agreement.

Prompts to frame your thinking and conversations with your advisors as you move ahead include:

• Craft: Do you have a clear path for the remainder of your research? Do you have a detailed thesis plan?
• Pivot: Consider whether you need to modify any part of the plans for your research as you move into the next phase. Being ready, able and willing to modify elements of your research is a normal part of life as a researcher.
• Plan: Think about your candidature lifecycle and look to the requirements of your next milestones (pre-completion). Plan your time and resources to ensure you are on track.

Questions to frame your thinking as you move ahead include:

• Which member(s) of my advisory team will I be working with most closely in this next phase?
• How will those working arrangements be structured?
• Will I be aiming to publish? If so, how will publications and authorship issues be handled?
• Take the opportunity to publish your work and present papers at conferences. If you do this successfully you will find it much easier to fulfil the requirements of your Mid-Candidature Review.
• Peruse the policy documents and assessment forms so you understand how you will be assessed
• Ask other members of your research group to critique your work as they will give valuable feedback.
• If you are required to give a seminar, rehearse it several times, including at least once in the same room in which you’ll be presenting it publicly, or on Zoom if that is the format you will use.
• Time your seminar and keep within the recommended timeframe of 25-35 minutes.
• If you will be using a PowerPoint presentation, check that your slides are legible from the rear of the seminar room or on a computer screen.
• Participate in the Graduate Research School’s Professional Development Program.
• Take opportunities to build your networks and engage with your peers – support is critical to success.

Tips for Success

• Take the opportunity to publish your work and present papers at conferences. If you do this successfully you will find it much easier to fulfil the requirements of your Mid-Candidature Review.
• Peruse the policy documents and assessment forms so you understand how you will be assessed
• Ask other members of your research group to critique your work as they will give valuable feedback.
• If you are required to give a seminar, rehearse it several times, including at least once in the same room in which you’ll be presenting it publicly, or on Zoom if that is the format you will use.
• Time your seminar and keep within the recommended timeframe of 25-35 minutes.
• If you will be using a PowerPoint presentation, check that your slides are legible from the rear of the seminar room or on a computer screen.
• Participate in the Graduate Research School’s Professional Development Program.
• Take opportunities to build your networks and engage with your peers – support is critical to success.