Research supervision

Initial meeting

Upon arrival at Kent you should make arrangements to meet with your main supervisor and other members of your supervisory team as soon as possible. You may well have been in contact with your supervisors prior to arriving at Kent but it is important to set up an initial meeting to discuss your research project and plan future meetings which will suit your research topic and individual circumstances. All postgraduate research students at Kent are appointed a supervisory team, which means that you have more than one supervisor to assist you with your research project. Initial discussions should include an agreement of how you will liaise with and make use of the expertise of each of the members of your supervisory team.

The role of your main supervisor

Your main supervisor is the person responsible for you and to the University for your academic progress. This is also the person you should first consult about any problems relating to your work or general circumstances. The responsibilities of your main supervisor are detailed in the Supervision section of the University’s Code of Practice for Quality Assurance for Research Programmes of Study.

Supervisory meetings

At Kent, you are required to make a record of your supervisory discussions at least every four weeks during the year if you are a full time student and at least every eight weeks as a part time student. This may be a record of a meeting either online or in person, a telephone conversation or emails you have exchanged with your supervisor. It will be your responsibility to complete the record and the responsibility of your main supervisor to provide any clarification and to sign it off. The record will cover the following areas:

• Progress since the last meeting
• Points discussed at the meeting
• Work agreed

Records of supervisory meetings are important as they provide a useful aide-memoire for you and your supervisory team. These records also provide an evidence trail of your supervision to date, which can be used at progression reviews. Supervisory meetings are recorded on KentVision and postgraduate researchers are sent reminders to complete this record on a monthly basis (bi-monthly for part-time students). These monthly records are a way of ensuring that you and your supervisor are clear about your progress and the steps that should be taken to progress your research. They do not need to be in perfect prose, nor should they take very long to complete. You are simply asked to keep a record of what has been discussed and what needs to be done next. These brief records provide an opportunity for clarification that might not arise during conversation and help to demonstrate the progress you are making.

The supervisory relationship

Your supervisory team will provide you with specific details about how supervision will work within your academic school. There may be differences in supervisory styles between academic schools depending on the nature and requirements of the subject area.

An effective relationship with your main supervisor is essential for ensuring that you make good progress with your research. One model of supervision does not fit all research candidates so it is advisable to use your first few meetings with your main supervisor to discuss: (i) your expectations of how the supervisory relationship will work and (ii) review whether the current level of supervisory support you are receiving is helping you to progress. If you have concerns or consider that you require more guidance in certain areas, raise this with your main supervisor as soon as possible. Supervisors will not be aware that there is a problem unless you raise this with them and having done so they will be keen to help you to identify a solution.

Your main supervisor is there to help you to identify parts of your research and development where you require further training or support so you should be ready to discuss skills areas where you feel less confident. Identifying areas for development at an early stage and taking action to improve your skills will set you in excellent stead for the remainder of your PhD journey. New PhD students will assess their skills at a ‘Kickstart your PhD: Guidance, Skills, and the Researcher Development Assessment’ workshop (provided through the Graduate and Researcher College’s Researcher Development Programme). MPhil, MSc and MA by research students may also attend this workshop but it is only obligatory for PhD students.

The Graduate and Researcher College also provides workshops which will assist you with your supervisory relationships such as ‘Getting the most from your Academic Relationships’ (see the Researcher Development Programme Handbook or online booking system https://grctraining.targetconnect.net/unauth for further details).

Supervisors and students are expected to treat one another with courtesy and discuss any problems at the earliest opportunity to allow any issues to be resolved quickly and effectively. In cases where there is a more serious breakdown in the main supervisor/student relationship, the matter should be brought to the attention of the School or Division’s Director of Graduate Studies (with responsibility for research programmes of study) who will review the situation. In cases where there is an irreparable breakdown in the student/supervisor relationship, an alternative main supervisor may be provided.

Preparing for a supervisory meeting

Postgraduate researchers need to be very well organised when managing their research projects. This includes being well prepared for supervisory meetings. You should ensure that you bring your notes from any earlier supervisory meetings, your research project plan and any drafts of your thesis along to the meeting for discussion.

It is important that you record details of every meeting with your supervisor online as soon as possible. In order that a clear progression is agreed in a timely manner, students are expected to complete their report within one week of the meeting and supervisors are expected to provide written feedback within two weeks. Further information is provided in the Supervision section of the Code of Practice for Quality Assurance for Research Programmes of Study www.kent.ac.uk/teaching/qa/codes/index.html?tab=research-programmes.

Postgraduate Administrative staff in your Division will be able to assist you in using the KentVision to record these meetings.

The value of producing early drafts of your thesis cannot be emphasised too strongly, even if the exact timing of when you start to produce written work will depend largely on the nature of your research topic and other individual circumstances. A piece of written work allows both you and your supervisor to see how your ideas are developing, constitutes a good basis for discussion and criticism and provides your supervisor with hard evidence of progress made or difficulties encountered. It also provides your supervisor with a valuable opportunity to give you some advice on your academic writing. The Graduate and Researcher College provides workshops and one-to- one sessions on academic writing as part of its Researcher Development Programme (please see the Researcher Development Programme Handbook and online booking system for further details).

In order to give you considered feedback, supervisors require written work to be handed in several days in advance of scheduled supervision meetings; (if you are handing in a substantial piece of work such as a full chapter, it is advisable that you submit it a week in advance of the meeting). Supervisors will expect any work submitted for their consideration to be word processed. Please ensure that your work is backed up properly to avoid any loss through computer failure.

Progression monitoring

In order to ensure that your research project is on track and that you have all the necessary support and resources required to successfully complete it, there will be a series of review stages during your period of registration. These reviews include induction, probation, end of year reviews and submission reviews. In cases where there are concerns about progress, your supervisors may schedule a mid-year review. The timing of these reviews is dependent on your particular research degree and mode of study. For more information visit: www.kent.ac.uk/teaching/qa/codes/research/documents/copr2020-annexj-progression-examination-v2.pdf

Note: In cases where a research student intermits from his/her period of research for a set period, the timings above would need to be adjusted accordingly.

The outcome of progression monitoring reviews is recorded online using the KentVision.

Submission and examination

Thesis submission

Full information about the submission of your thesis is available in the Instructions to Candidates for the Examination of Research Degrees www.kent.ac.uk/teaching/qa/regulations/research/pgdipresc.html

You will have a Submission Review meeting with a review panel (which normally takes place a few months prior to the end of the minimum period of registration) to discuss your readiness to submit your thesis for examination.

Submitting your thesis for examination

Candidates must give at least two months’ notice of their intention to submit a thesis for examination.

The forms you need to notify your intention to submit and for submission of your thesis for examination can be obtained from your Division.

Examination guidance

Full information about the examination of your thesis is available in the Instructions to Candidates for the Examination of Research Degrees www.kent.ac.uk/teaching/documents/quality-assurance/regulations/research/pgdipresc.pdf.

The viva voce or oral examination is an important stage in the process of being awarded a PhD or Master’s by Research. For most, the opportunity to defend your thesis in front of a panel of examiners is the end of the doctoral journey.

Doctoral and Master’s theses are examined according to the University’s Academic Regulations for Research Programmes of Study www.kent.ac.uk/teaching/qa/regulations/research/regs_research.html

On successful completion of a Master’s degree by Research programme you will have:

1. met the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ) level descriptor for a Master’s degree;
2. met any subject specific assessment criteria outlined in the programme specification (if applicable);
3. shown appropriate ability in the organisation and presentation of their material in the thesis;
4. shown in the thesis ability to conduct an independent study and to understand its relationship to a wider field of knowledge.

On successful completion of a PhD or DClinSci you will have:

1. met the Framework for Higher Education Qualification (FHEQ) level descriptor for a doctorate degree;
2. met any subject specific assessment criteria outlined in the programme specification (if applicable);
3. shown appropriate ability in the organisation and presentation of your material in the thesis.

You will be examined by two or more examiners of whom at least one shall be an external examiner. The examiners may, at their discretion and subject to your agreement, invite your supervisor to attend as a silent observer.

Final thesis submission

After examination, successful theses must be submitted electronically to the University Library.
www.kent.ac.uk/guides/deposit-your-thesis

Teaching and demonstrating

Postgraduate researchers may have the opportunity to teach or demonstrate in their academic schools. Some research students may be employed as Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs).

Within the Division there will be academic members of staff who are responsible for overseeing the arrangements for postgraduate researchers who teach or demonstrate. New postgraduate teachers and demonstrators are contacted and invited to an ‘Introduction to University Teaching’ session which is scheduled to take place at the beginning of each academic year. Further teaching-related training sessions are also available as part of the Graduate and Researcher College’s Researcher Development Programme (please keep an eye on the online booking system for details). Postgraduate researchers may also apply for a place on the Associate Fellowship Scheme via a teaching or learning support route. The scheme comprises of two 15 credit core modules of the Postgraduate Certificate for Higher Education, and the opportunity to apply for the Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. For some postgraduate students, successful completion of this scheme is a condition of the contract. The AFS is run by the Centre for the Study for Higher Education in the Unit for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning. For more information please contact heprogsadmin@kent.ac.uk

Annex P (Research Student Teachers and Demonstrators) of the University’s Code of Practice for Quality Assurance for Research Programmes of Study outlines the responsibilities of academic schools in relation to postgraduate researchers who teach and demonstrate.

Please note that students on a Tier 4 visa have restrictions placed on their work activities. Please see the University website for more information: www.kent.ac.uk/human-resources/immigration/students/Students%20Working%20on%20a%20Tier%204%20visa%20(website).pdf

Should you have any queries about your teaching contracts, you can email gta@kent.ac.uk or visit www.kent.ac.uk/teaching/qa/codes/research/annexq.html

Providing feedback on your research experience

Postgraduate researchers have a number of mechanisms which they can use to provide feedback on their research experience. You can provide feedback to your academic school via your supervisory team and postgraduate research student representatives. The Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (circulated in spring/summer) provides you with an excellent opportunity to provide feedback on a range of different areas. The results of this are anonymous and the information is used by your academic schools and the wider University to make improvements to the postgraduate experience at Kent.