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Higher Degree Research Policy - Supervision

This is not a current document. It has been repealed and is no longer in force.

Section 1 - Higher Degree by Research Candidature Supervision

(1) For each Higher Degree by Research candidate, the Research Committee shall appoint a team of supervisors made up of the following:

  1. a Principal Supervisor;
  2. one or more Co-supervisors, normally one of whom is on the supervisor's Register;
  3. at least one member of the supervisory team should be a member of the academic staff of the University.

(2) This team of supervisors shall be chaired by a Principal Supervisor and all members of the team shall have designated responsibilities. For the Doctor of Philosophy by Prior Publication only a Principal Supervisor needs to be designated.

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Section 2 - Supervisors' Register

(3) The Publications Office shall maintain a Supervisors' Register. The Register shall have two levels and contain the names and other details of persons who may be appointed as a Principal Supervisor or appointed only as a Co-supervisor.

Admission to the Register as a Principal Supervisor

(4) To be admitted to the Register as a Principal Supervisor a person shall normally satisfy each of the following conditions:

  1. be a member of the academic staff of the University or a person who has been granted an honorary or adjunct academic position of the University or approved by the Research Committee to supervise;
  2. hold a Higher Degree by Research or have an equivalent record of scholarly achievement;
  3. be currently engaged in research or, for Research Professional Doctoral supervision, be a leading scholar or practitioner in the relevant profession;
  4. be, or have recently been, a Principal Supervisor or Co-supervisor for a minimum of one year for a student enrolled in a Higher Degree by Research or been a Principal Supervisor of a completed dissertation of a Masters by coursework or a Bachelor (Honours) degree student at Charles Sturt University or another university;
  5. have undertaken, or agree to undertake within a specified period appropriate training in Higher Degree by Research supervision as stipulated by the University; and
  6. agree to supervise Higher Degree by Research candidates in accordance with University requirements.

(5) Principal Supervisors who do not meet their responsibilities and/or do not continue to meet the above conditions shall be removed from the Register by the Research Committee.

Admission to the Register as a Co-supervisor

(6) Staff who meet all the necessary criteria stipulated in clause 4 except for 4d, and whom the Research Committee believes should, with guidance from an experienced supervisor, be capable of supervising Higher Degree by Research candidates will be admitted to the register with the restriction that they may only act as Co-supervisors.

Applications for Admission to the Register

(7) Persons who wish to be admitted to the Register shall apply through the appropriate Faculty Sub-Dean.

(8) Applicants shall provide the following information on the application form in support of their application for admission to the Register:

  1. details of academic qualifications;
  2. details of previous experience as Principal Supervisor and Client Services Officer including the number and level of candidates supervised to completion and relevant dates;
  3. the areas of research in which the person wishes to be considered as a Supervisor;
  4. a list of research projects, funded and unfunded, undertaken as Chief Investigator in the areas of research nominated during the last five years;
  5. a list of publications (last five years) relevant to the areas of research nominated;
  6. details of research supervision workshops attended at Charles Sturt University or elsewhere; and
  7. any other details required by the Faculty.

(9) Applications for admission to the register will be assessed by the Research Committee.

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Section 3 - Appointment of Supervisors

(10) Supervisors are appointed by the Research Committee on the recommendation of the Faculty:

  1. at the time the Research Committee considers the candidate's application for admission to the program in the case of a Higher Degree by Research program that does not have a coursework component; or
  2. no later than when the Research Committee considers the candidate's research proposal in the case of a Higher Degree by Research program that has a coursework component.

Principal Supervisors

(11) A person appointed as Principal Supervisor shall:

  1. have been admitted to the Supervisors' Register;
  2. have expertise relevant to the proposed research;
  3. normally hold a degree at the level or above the level of the degree to be supervised; and
  4. expect to be available for the planned duration of the candidature.

Co-supervisors

(12) A person appointed as a member of the supervisory team shall:

  1. have been admitted to the Supervisors' Register; or
  2. be a person external to the University who is expert in the particular area of research, study or profession (as appropriate for the type of research program), provided one of the other Co-supervisors has been admitted to the Supervisors' Register.

Change of Supervisors

Principal Supervisor

(13) In the event that a Principal Supervisor is unable to supervise a candidate for an extended period of time, another member of the supervisory team (who is on the Supervisors' Register) shall act as Principal Supervisor for that period.

(14) In the event that a Principal Supervisor resigns or otherwise leaves the University, unless granted an honorary or adjunct position or otherwise approved by the Research Committee to continue supervision, the Research Committee shall appoint a replacement Principal Supervisor on the recommendation of the Faculty. Until this is done, the Sub-Dean will automatically assume responsibility for the candidate.

Co-supervisor

(15) In the event that a Co-supervisor is unable to provide supervision the Research Committee shall appoint a replacement Co-supervisor on the recommendation of the Faculty.

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Section 4 - Supervision Roles and Responsibilities

Responsibilities of the Principal Supervisor

(16) The Principal Supervisor is accountable to the Faculty Sub-Dean for advising and monitoring the progress of a candidate and leading the supervisory team. The Principal Supervisor has final responsibility for the decisions made by the supervisory team.

(17) Responsibilities of a Principal Supervisor include:

  1. negotiating roles with co-supervisors, in conjunction with the candidate, at the commencement of the candidature;
  2. facilitating the operation of the supervisory team to ensure support for the candidate by encouraging all supervisors to be actively involved in supporting the candidate's research endeavours. Where this does not occur, the Principal Supervisor shall consult with the Sub-Dean;
  3. monitoring carefully the performance of the candidate relative to the standard required for the program, and advising that inadequate progress or work below the standard generally expected is brought to the candidate's attention;
  4. ensuring that no research data are collected until the necessary approval is obtained from the relevant University and/or other ethics committees where the research deals with human or animal subjects;
  5. advising the Faculty Sub-Dean when problems are occurring with regard to issues of academic misconduct;
  6. at any time during candidature, bringing to the attention of the Research Office issues of intellectual property rights and/or commercial or other confidentiality matters which relate to the content of the thesis or portfolio;
  7. advising the Research Committee, through the relevant Faculty Sub-Dean, of the names and credentials of suitable examiners;
  8. ensuring the candidate has accurate information about any planned, long leave (or retirement) during the candidature and, in consultation with the Faculty Sub-Dean making arrangements to provide for supervision during absences (see clauses 13-15 above);
  9. contributing to the development of supervisory skills in Co-supervisors who are inexperienced in co-supervision.

Responsibilities of the Supervisory Team

(18) Responsibilities of the Supervisory Team include:

  1. providing guidance, where appropriate, on:
    1. the nature of research;
    2. the standard expected for particular degrees;
    3. the choice of the research topic;
    4. the planning of the research program;
    5. ethical issues relating to the research;
    6. methodological issues;
    7. data analysis issues;
    8. exploring solutions for unexpected problems which arise in the research;
  2. maintaining close and regular contact with the candidate and establishing at the beginning the basis on which contact will be made, including the formalisation of a Communication Plan (refer to the Higher Degree by Research Policy — Academic Communication);
  3. responding in a timely manner to queries and when providing feedback on drafts;
  4. requiring written or other work from the candidate on a pre-arranged and agreed schedule so that progress can be assessed at regular intervals;
  5. monitoring carefully the performance of the candidate relative to the standard required for the degree, and ensuring that inadequate progress or work below the standard generally expected is brought to the candidate's attention. The team should help with developing solutions to problems as they are identified;
  6. ensuring that the research work and the production of all categories of examinable work are the candidate's own work and ensuring that where the candidate receives substantial assistance that such assistance is acknowledged in the examinable work and does not conflict with the requirement that the intellectual content of the research and examinable work is that of the candidate;
  7. commenting in a timely manner on the content and the drafts of the examinable work prior to submission;
  8. providing general support and encouragement to the candidate;
  9. encouraging the candidate to disseminate the research, including the production of publications and/or creative works;
  10. fulfilling other obligations required by the University regarding Higher Degree by Research supervision.

(19) It is recognised that co-supervisors may have responsibilities relating only to certain aspects of a Higher Degree by Research candidates project.