September 20, 2019, by Lisa Chin

A Rough Guide to Research Supervision at UNM

A session for research supervisors

We organised a session for academic staff who are supervising postgraduate research students (PGRs) on 4 September 2019. This inaugural session aimed to provide a broad overview of the main elements of research supervision with a particular focus to University of Nottingham requirements and best practices. It was designed to be interactive by promoting active discussions between the participants and convenors.

The first part of the session addressed the types of degree offered e.g. Mphil, MRes and PhD, and introduced the Graduate School training provisions for both postgraduate research students and supervisors. The importance of identifying training needs was also highlighted.

In the later part of the session, we covered a range of topics such as:

  • Choosing the right research title for PhDs

    • Thinking of a PhD project and title
    • What makes a good student?
    • The importance of submission and completion rates
    • Timetable for postgraduate research degree and outputs
    • Enhancing research culture
  • Supervisor and student responsibility

    • Quality manual requirements
    • Lab training, health and safety requirements
    • Student feedback
  • Research ethics & integrity

    • The importance of practicing good research ethics and integrity
    • How to promote research integrity?
  • Maintaining momentum to ensure success

    • Completing the research degree – top tips
    • Training records and credit sign off – guidance for supervisors
    • Thesis pending – what is it?
    • The role of the internal assessor and PhD examiners
  • Supporting our students in difficulty

    • Postgraduate research student advisors
    • An overview of University support – Mental Health Service, University Counselling Service, Academic Support, Disability Support, Disability Liaison Officers
    • Suspension of study, extenuating circumstances, extension to registered study
  • Setting up for success

    • Student induction and handbook
    • The first meeting
    • Supervisor meetings
    • Annual reviews – Years 1, 2 and 3
  • Support for supervisors

    • Supervisor Research Series workshops
    • Supervisor Doctoral Studies Moodle Intro

Acknowledgements

We would like to take this opportunity to once again thank all the convenors for their valuable sharing of insights and experiences. We hope that the information and guidance shared in the session is useful to developing and maintaining the highest standards in research supervision.

Convenors: Professor Deborah Hall, Professor Sivakumar Manickam, Dr Hazel Melanie Ramos, Dr Soma Mitra, Dr Melissa Yoong, Ir Dr Show Pau Loke, Dr Eunice Ngai, Mr Vasu Krishnan, Ms Yogeswary Arumugam and Ms Norhidayah Mohd Noor.


Upcoming workshops 

We will be offering the following workshops for postgraduate research supervisors in the coming months:

  • Contemporary issues in supervising research students
  • Examining a doctorate

The full details will be announced soon. Stay tuned!

Contact us

For any queries or more information, please email us at RAD@nottingham.edu.my.

Posted in News and EventsResearcher Development