Supervision of Postgraduate Research Students

The University of Sydney is an institution of higher education at which research training of the highest national and international quality is a pre-eminent responsibility. The University has a responsibility to ensure that candidates for higher degrees work in an appropriate intellectual and academic environment and receive appropriate supervision during their candidature. The University shall maintain control of the candidature at all times.

The University’s approach to postgraduate research supervision is positive and proactive. The University strives to ensure consistent excellence in supervision across all faculties. Excellence in supervision will be acknowledged and rewarded across the institution and enhanced through training and support.

The Supervisor Register has been introduced in accordance with the Academic Board Policy "Postgraduate Research Higher Degree Training Supervision at the University of Sydney" and is based on the following principles:

as part of the University's mission to achieve excellence in teaching and research, the University needs to recognise and encourage high quality postgraduate research supervision by academic staff;
research supervision is a subtle and complex form of teaching and the quality of higher degree graduates is related to the quality of supervision provided; and
supervisors and associate supervisors require training for which the University must assume responsibility.

Eligibility
Process for admission to supervisor register
Responsibilities of the supervisor
Related documents

Eligibility

Supervisors for research degree candidates must have been admitted to the Supervisor Register before being eligible to supervise any research higher degree candidates.
All academic staff who are currently supervisors at the University of Sydney as of 1 January 2004 will be added to the Supervisors section in the first instance.
Persons eligible for admittance to the Register must meet the following requirements:

a) General requirements

To be eligible to be appointed as a supervisor, a person must:
(i) be a member of the academic staff of the University at Level B or above; or
(ii) be considered appropriate by the Dean of the Faculty on a case by case basis; and
(iii) hold a qualification at a level above that for which the candidate seeks to be supervised, or
(iv) hold a qualification at the same level as that for which the candidate seeks to be supervised and demonstrate a record of scholarly achievement; or
(v) demonstrate current and active involvement in research appropriate to the field of study and a record of scholarly achievement to the satisfaction of the Dean of the Faculty on a case by case basis; and
(vi) participate in activities for postgraduate research training supervision as the Dean of the Faculty may deem appropriate; and
(vii) meet such other conditions as the Dean of the Faculty may deem appropriate.

(b) Specific requirements

To be eligible to be appointed as a supervisor, in addition to the general requirements above, a person must:
(i) have acted as an associate supervisor for the successful completion of at least two candidatures at a recognised tertiary institution; or
(ii) have acted as a supervisor or an associate supervisor for at least 12 months duration at a recognised tertiary institution, and have completed the Institute for Teaching and Learning Postgraduate Supervision Development Program, or equivalent; or
(iii) have acted as a supervisor for the successful completion of at least one candidature at a recognised tertiary institution.

Process for admission to supervisor register

1. Complete Proforma for Registration of Postgraduate Research Degree Supervisors and attach a brief CV detailing research supervision experience & qualifications.

2. Send the completed form to:
Postgraduate Student Administration Unit
Edward Ford Building (A27),
The University of Sydney NSW 2006

3. Enrol in the Supervision Development Program by visiting the web site for the Institute for Teaching and Learning (ITL) http://www.itl.usyd.edu.au/postgrad/wkshop_rego.htm

Responsibilities of the supervisor

(Excerpt for the Code of practice for supervision of postgraduate research students)

The supervisor has a responsibility before undertaking the supervision of any candidature:
(a) to ensure to the best of his or her ability that the candidate is prima facie capable of undertaking the project proposed and that the proposed supervisor is both suitably qualified to carry out the supervision and has sufficient time available;
(b) to ensure that the facilities are available to enable the project to succeed; the supervisor should pay particular attention to the likely time scale of the project bearing in mind that a three-year (full-time equivalent) PhD candidature should be an objective.
If the supervisor is not confident at this stage that the research proposal is likely to succeed or that the facilities are available or has any doubts about his or her ability for any reason to supervise the candidate he or she must raise this with the head of department, postgraduate coordinator and/or faculty. A decision should then be made as to whether the candidature may proceed or whether the candidate might be better supervised by another person or require the assistance of an associate supervisor. Particularly careful attention must be paid to proposals for part-time candidature.
Where the supervisor of a research student has any interest in a company that has contracted with the University to do research involving research students, the supervisor must declare this interest to the department and the student before embarking on a research program.
The supervisor has a responsibility:
(a) to ensure that the candidate is aware of the standards expected for the degree concerned and for identifying with the candidate the particular research skills that will need to be acquired and the most appropriate data-gathering and analysing techniques;
(b) for reaching agreement with the candidate on the contact that will be necessary between them both in general terms and quite specifically for the first year of a PhD candidature or first semester of a master’s candidature; this will include agreement upon indicators of progress being made and submission of appropriate written work, interim reports or research results. Written work is to be returned by the supervisor with constructive criticism within one month or a shorter agreed time;
(c) to ensure that the candidate participates in the work of the department including presentations at departmental seminars.
The supervisor has a responsibility especially over the initial phase of candidature to ensure that facilities identified as necessary do eventuate, to encourage the candidate to extend his or her contacts within the department and elsewhere, to encourage the candidate to make productive use of his or her time and to ensure that commitments made in respect of availa-bility and contact are met by both parties.
The supervisor has a responsibility:
(a) to provide feedback on progress to the candidate and to make annual progress reports to faculty, to any scholarship authority and, after the first twelve months, to the departmental review committee;
(b) to ensure that the candidate is made aware of inadequate progress or of standards of work below that generally expected, to identify the problems and to suggest ways of addressing them.
The supervisor has a responsibility, as the candidature progresses, to negotiate different contact arrangements as may be appropriate. The supervisor should ensure that both candidate and supervisor have clarified what each expects of the other.
The supervisor has a responsibility to ensure that he or she gives appropriate and timely advice on requirements regarding content, style, presentation and production of theses. She or he should also give prompt feedback on drafts submitted.
The supervisor has a responsibility, with the candidate, to monitor progress made within the context of the overall research plan and to ensure that sufficient time is left for writing up the thesis and that, if necessary, the scope of the project is reduced to meet the time available.
The supervisor has a responsibility:
(a) to identify the various degree and other administrative requirements and to advise the candidate as necessary; he or she should ensure that necessary approvals are sought for absences from the University by the candidate and that the candidate receives any due entitlements from the department;
(b) to advise each candidate of applicable government and institutional guidelines for the conduct of research, including requirements relating to ethical approvals for studies on human or animal subjects, and the use of potentially hazardous agents; reference should be made to the AV-CC Guidelines for Responsible Practice in Research and Dealing with Problems of Research Misconduct; as far as possible, research supervisors should ensure that the work submitted by candidates is their own and that data are valid;
(c) to ensure that the candidate is aware of the requirements regarding the retention of data within departments and the requirements of members of staff to complete a statement of authorship in respect of each paper submitted for publication;
(d) to ensure that safe working practices are developed and maintained and that the candidate is aware of the University’s Occupational Health and Safety Policies.
The supervisor has a responsibility, where an associate supervisor has been appointed:
(a) to ensure that responsibilities are clearly understood by all three parties and should maintain regular contact with the associate supervisor;
(b) to ensure that the direction of the work is entirely under the control of the University and the candidate.
The supervisor has a responsibility to ensure that an acting supervisor is appointed during her or his absence from the University for any period of a month or more, including during the thesis examination period. He or she should inform such an acting supervisor about the progress of the candidature.
The supervisor has a responsibility to give thought to the suitability and availability of examiners in good time before the thesis is submitted and to advise the head of department of the necessity to take action.
The supervisor has a responsibility, when the thesis is submitted, to certify whether the thesis is acceptable for examination. This is usually done in the form of a letter to the Registrar stating that the particular thesis is in a form of presentation suitable for examination. This is not an expression of opinion about the merit of the work.
The supervisor has a responsibility to reach agreement with the candidate concerning authorship of publications and acknowledgement of contributions during and after the candidature. There should be open and mutual recognition of the candidate’s and supervisor’s contribution on all published work arising from the project.
The supervisor has a responsibility to be aware of the problem-solving mechanisms and the support services for students which exist within the University and should ensure that the head of department and the faculty or college are kept informed as necessary if problems occur during the candidature.
The supervisor has a responsibility to ensure that the candidate is aware of his or her rights with respect to intellectual property and to encourage, where appropriate, the exploitation of such intellectual property through the University.

Supervision of Postgraduate Research Students

Eligibility

Process for admission to supervisor register

Responsibilities of the supervisor

Related documents