Transcript Workshop: Supervising Postgraduate Students

Planning for Best Practice in
Research
Professor John Breen
Dean, Graduate School
www.graduateschool.ul.ie
I will speak about
• Managing expectations
 What you expect of us
 What we expect of you
• Ethics and Governance
• Planning your research strategy
• Acquiring the necessary skills
Managing Expectations
Why is this important?
Your expectations of the University
• What are your expectations of the University?
 High quality, trained supervision
 Reasonable access to resources …
 Guidance on submission and completion
 Career development advice
• Managing expectations …
Our expectations of you
• What are the University’s expectations of
you?
 Enthusiasm, commitment, professionalism, good
work ethic, curiousity, honesty and integrity,
knowledge of subject, organised
 Foster creativity, independence and reflection
 Ownership of your own research degree
programme
Role & Responsibilities of Researchers
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Role and responsibilities of the supervisor
Role and responsibilities of the student
Work plans and timelines
Good research practice
Research degree training
Research supports and infrastructure
Why is this important?
• We need to understand the relationship
between the supervisor and student – many
elements to a successful relationship
• The relationship may impact on what you do
and on your research and writing
• The roles vary over time – need to
understand how they change
• What is the objective of the research?
What should you expect of your
supervisor?
• PhD, qualified – professional, academic,
ethical standard of work
• Supervisor must know the regulations,
documents and procedures …. training
• Aware of available support services
• Can assess the research topic – does it have
merit?
Continued…
• Can identify your training needs
• Is accessible and gives adequate time for
uninterrupted supervision
• Competent in mentoring … adaptable …
watchful and resourceful … helps with career
• High expectations!
Responsibilities of the student
• Be responsible for your own research activity
– only you can write the PhD
• Be responsible for your own personal career
development
• Be aware of academic rules, regulations,
ethical guidelines & grievance procedures
• Maintain regular contact with your supervisor,
agree & keep deadlines, report on progress
(end of semester report) & keep a written
record of meetings
Continued…
• Seek and participate in training courses
• But do so in ordered way: not course junkies!
• Seek to publish your work, acknowledging the
role of the supervisor, co-publishing with the
supervisor when appropriate
• Submit your thesis within the agreed time
frame
Responsibilities of the supervisor
At the outset at supervisor should
• Explain what is involved in doing a PhD
• Agree a programme of work and time frame
• Agree the ground rules – find out what your
supervisor expects
• Acquaint you with regulations / postgraduate
charter
• Agree on a schedule of meetings / deadlines
Work Plans and Timelines
• Plan out your project: Personal Development
Planner
 Use a weekly/monthly planner – plan each year
out
 Year 1, 2, 3 (4) – what are your supervisor’s
expectations? Parallel tasks, meetings, revision,
and writing tasks
• Be aware of time management
 What are your goals
 What tasks need to be completed
 Set deadlines for yourself
 Monitoring and review your progress
Common problems
• Poor planning & management of project
• Unrealistic expectations for the research
• Poor formulation of research question /
hypotheses
• Methodological difficulties
• Writing up
• Isolation
• Personal problems outside the research
• Inadequate or negligent supervision
Good Research Practice
• Research must be undertaken independently with the
support your supervisor(s)
• Research must be of the highest standard and
conducted in ethical manner … research ethics
• Maintain a good working relationship with your
supervisor
• Importance of holding regular supervisory meetings
• Agree on training needs & skills development at the
outset
• CV development / awareness of profession /
networking
• Be prepared to attend conferences / give papers /
publish your research
• Be aware of IP issues and commercial possibilities
University of Limerick Research Ethics & Governance Committee
ULREG
Ethics and Governance
• ULREG + 4 Faculty RECs + some sub-faculty
RECs (where not single discipline)
• Any research involving anything to do with
humans needs ethical approval
• Faculty and PGR research needs
FacultyREC approval BEFORE THE
RESEARCH BEGINS
Ethical approval
• Just now, limited to research involving
humans
• But … others might be on the way.
• Work ethically:
 Working with animals?
 Working with the environment?
Working ethically
• Be honest: says it all
• Research Governance issues
 For example: what happens if a researcher
falsifies the data?
• Concentrating on avoiding the problem, not
trying to deal with it by legislating for it
• Plagiarism: short discussion on issues
• Co-authorship
Structured PhD:
Online Modules
using interactive solutions
from Epigeum
http://www.epigeum.co.uk spin off company of Imperial College London
Research Skills Online
Very soon …
• On line registration for Skills courses
• Researchtraining /at/ ul.ie
Generic and transferable skills
• Personal Development Planning
 Training Needs Analysis
• Short programmes of skills: e.g.
 Research skills
 Searching databases, bibliography management
 Data analysis
 Communication: posters, oral presentation skills
• etc, etc
Skills development
• GS is also provides supervisor training
 Supervising
 Examining
• Latter delivered to PGRs also as “surviving
the viva” aimed at students close to finishing
• We’ll take suggestions and we welcome
suggestions for further courses
Transferable skills
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Define a research question / problem
Literature searches
Design how to collect the relevant data
Write a report (“thesis”)
Defend your thesis (viva voce exam = “the
viva”)
Training programmes, contd.
• Emails to the UL community from Anne
O’Dwyer
 Sometimes also to Shannon Consortium (LIT, MIC
and ITT) – Sif funding
• Problem
 Students register and don’t show up!
 Working on how to cope with this
 Researchtraining on-line registration
Plan what skills you need
• Personal Development Planners
• See them as a diary / planner for your entire
research programme
Theses: never too soon to start planning!
• Monograph form
 e.g in sciences, Introduction, Materials & Methods,
Results, Discussion & Conclusions
• By publications (see code of practice)
• Individual chapters mimic publications
• DVD etc of supplementary materials: PhD by
practice
• Examination Board for your viva voce
examination determines what is the accepted
norm in your discipline, and provides quality
control for the university
e-Submission of theses
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Starting from next Examination Board
PDF of thesis required
Will expose any plagiarism
Open Library: national project
Is this an issue for your results? IP, Patents etc
Balance this with being “discovered” by Google etc
Open access is the way forward, but we need to
manage it
For PGRs who will be ordering
• Official orders
• Take advice from e.g. Senior Technician in
your department
• Official Purchase Order form from
Procurement Website
• Rules about using recognized suppliers or 3
quotes
For further information on graduate
studies see:
http://www.graduateschool.ul.ie
Some commonsense!
• Back up data.
 PC World 1TB disc at present €89
• Put file called “Owners contact details” on your usb
drives
• Enquire about UL M:\ drive – remote access
 http://screencast.com/t/ZEPXXoWsHsc
• Two programs I find very useful
 CCleaner ccleaner.com (cleans rubbish – including registry if
you are brave)
 Jing jingproject.com (copies part screens)
• I use CCleaner and defrag my PC and laptop
regularly
How to defrag your laptop
Questions & Discussion