School of Biosciences Postgraduate Research Handbook 2017/18 Please read this book and keep it safely. It contains information you will need to refer to throughout your postgraduate training. The file should also be added to and used as a personal record of your progress. Please note that this handbook can be made available in alternative formats.
Table of Contents Welcome to the School of Biosciences. 3 Sutton Bonington Campus. 3 Section 1: The Research Programme. 4 Types of degree.
4 The people who support your studies. 4 Divisional Postgraduate Advisor. 5 Postgraduate Senior Tutor. 5 Director of Postgraduate Studies.
5 Student Welfare Manager. 5 External/Part-Time Students (Studying Away from the University). 6 Meetings with your supervisor. 7 Access to Funds for Travel or Conferences.
7 Research Practises within the School. 8 Animal-related work. 9 Purchasing of goods, travel and services. 10 Six Month Review.
11 Annual review and assessment. 11 Timing of Reports. 11 Annual Review Viva. 11 Appeal against a Recommendation for Termination of Course.
12 Non-standard starts and Doctorial Training Programmes (DTP)students. 12 GUIDELINES FOR ANNUAL REPORT STRUCTURE. 13 Section 1: Research Report. 13 Section 2: Research Plan.
14 Suggested format for Research paper. 15 Academic Misconduct, Cheating and Plagiarism. 16 DEFINITION OF ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT. 16 Fabrication or misrepresentation:.
17 Failure to obtain ethical approval:. 17 Failure to disclose previous experience or qualifications when this a pre-requisite of module enrolment. 17 Useful websites on academic misconduct and plagiarism. 20 Applications for Additional Study Time.
21 What happens if the Main Supervisor leaves the University. 21 Degree assessment, thesis and viva. 22 Preparation and submission of Thesis. 22 Appointment of Examiners.
24 Examination of MRes Degree. 24 Examination of MPhil and PhD Degree. 24 Viva Voce Examination. 25 End of PhD Checklist.
26 Why Do I need Training?. 26 Personal Training Plan. 27 What Training do I need to undertake?. 27 What training is available?.
28 (1) Taught modules and courses. 28 (2) Generic training courses. 29 How do I access this training?. 29 Section 3 Useful Information and Facilities.
35 General Information about the School. 35 Postgraduate affairs are dealt with on a School basis by the Postgraduate Learning Community Forum and Study Group, chaired by Dr D Stekel. This committee considers all issues relating to postgraduate training and welfare and reports to the School Board. 38 Dates for your diary.
39 Public and bank holidays. 46 Section 4 Safety Guidelines and Courses. 50 Good Laboratory Practice and Safety in Laboratories. 51 Emergency, First Aid and Fire Procedure.
52 Emergency First Aid. 53 Research Student Agreement. 54 New Research Student Checklist. 60 Personal Training Plan.
61 End of PhD Checklist. 67 2 Welcome to the School of Biosciences Welcome to our School. You are joining a vibrant, multi-disciplinary and multinational research environment. The School of Biosciences is one of the strongest teaching and research centres for fundamental and applied biological, environmental and food science in the UK.
We hope your time in the School will be enjoyable and stimulating. To help you settle in, both academically and socially, various events have been arranged which we hope you will go along to. Included in this pack is a full programme of Week One Events. This handbook is divided into several sections which together should help you to obtain the best from your postgraduate experience here at Nottingham.
It contains important information about training, support, research practise, progression, assessment, facilities and safety. It also contains several essential forms for you and your supervisor to complete: Research student agreement Research student induction checklist Personal training plan (PTP) Please ensure that you read this handbook in full and complete the required forms. More detailed information about university regulations and procedures on many topics can also be found in the Quality Manual: http://www.uk/academicservices/qualitymanual Sutton Bonington Campus The school is based on the Sutton Bonington Campus, a self-contained site 20km south of Nottingham with its own accommodation, sports centre, social amenities and state-of the art teaching and research facilities. You also have access to all facilities within The University of Nottingham.
The campus is also the location of the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science. There are some 2,200 students on campus, undergraduate and postgraduate, from over 30 countries. The school benefits from state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities dedicated to the study of biosciences, including purpose-built plant, food science and bio-energy buildings, many specialised laboratories, a 24-hour learning resource centre, university farm and dairy centre. Sutton Bonington is an easy bus or car journey to University Park Campus and then to Nottingham City, with free bus service connections between campuses.
The town of Loughborough and cities of Leicester and Derby are also nearby, and there are fast rail links to London (1. East Midlands International Airport is 7km away. 3 SECTION 1: THE RESEARCH PROGRAMME Types of Degree You will be registered for one of our research degree, studying towards one of the awards of MRes, MPhil or PhD. The normal full time duration of these awards is: MRes: 12 months MPhil: 24 months PhD: 36 or 48 months Part time students will study for longer, e.
normally twice the duration if you are studying 50% time. It is important that you adhere to these time scales, and it is in your own interests and those of the School to do so. Only in exceptional circumstances will research facilities be made available after the end of the normal duration of study (details for the procedure to arrange this are on page 20 of this manual). Maximum registration lengths can be found in the Quality Manual.
For Research degrees, the main form of assessment is by submission of a research thesis at the end of your studies. It should be noted that submission of a PhD thesis after 48 months will only be accepted in exceptional circumstances. All research degrees also have a taught component. MRes degrees may require formal modules, while for MPhil and PhD degrees, this is provided by formal and informal training during the course of the programme.
The People who Support your Studies There are many people in the School who will have a role in supporting your studies. These include: supervisors, internal assessor, divisional postgraduate advisor, postgraduate senior tutor, director of postgraduate studies and the student experience and support officer. Supervisors On starting your studies, you will have at least two appointed supervisors. Your supervisors have the primary role for supporting your research and personal development.
Often, different supervisors have different expertise, so you might be meeting with different supervisors more or less often during your programme of study. Many PhD programmes have external partners in industry or research institutes. In that case, one or more supervisors will be at the external partner. However, you should always have two University of Nottingham supervisors at all times during your study.
If you have only one University of Nottingham supervisor, please contact your Divisional Postgraduate Advisor as soon as possible. Internal Assessor MPhil and PhD students have an Internal Assessor who acts as an independent monitor of your progress. Your assessor will read your progress reports and conduct your first and second year vivas. S/he will also provide feedback on your talk/poster at the Postgraduate Symposium.
For some PhDs, the internal assessor remains independent throughout the studies, and can become the internal examiner for the degree. For other PhDs, the internal assessor might have expertise that leads them to become more closely involved with the research, and a different internal examiner is appointed. 4 Your internal assessor should be allocated by the Divisional Postgraduate Advisor in consultation with your Supervisors within ONE MONTH of your starting your PhD. It is recommended that you introduce yourself to your internal assessor as soon as possible.
Part of the internal assessor’s role is to ensure that you have adequate supervision, facilities and resources to carry out your study. You can speak with your internal assessor at any stage if you think that her/his support may be helpful. Divisional Postgraduate Advisor Each of the five divisions has a Postgraduate Advisor and a deputy Postgraduate Advisor (names and contact details can be found on Page 35 of this manual). Their role is to ensure that processes for research students are properly conducted, and that all research students within the division are properly supported.
If you have any problems with supervision, progress, relationships with other students, or personal problems, that you feel you cannot raise with your supervisors, then the divisional postgraduate advisor or deputy could be the right person to approach. Postgraduate Senior Tutor The Postgraduate Senior Tutor has overall responsibility for the welfare and progress of all research students within the School. S/he will normally be consulted if there are serious problems with your research or progress. You can arrange to meet with the Postgraduate Senior Tutor if you have encountered serious problems and have not been able to resolve these with your supervisors or divisional advisor.
Director of Postgraduate Studies The Director of Postgraduate Studies has overall responsibility for the academic programmes for all research degrees within the School. S/he may be consulted if there are serious problems with your research or progress that are relevant to the general governance of degree programmes. You can arrange to meet with the Director of Postgraduate Studies if you have encountered serious problems and have not been able to resolve these with your supervisors or divisional advisor. Student Welfare Manager The Student Welfare Manager is here to help you if you have any personal, health or emotional problems.
S/he is totally independent of your research programme. Please arrange to meet the Student Welfare Manager if you are experiencing any such problems that are affecting your study, or if you need extra support or a leave of absence. The Welfare Manager is also normally the first point of call for any disability matters. 5 External/Part-Time Students (Studying Away from the University) Students registered under these arrangements are subject to the same supervisory requirements as students based wholly at the University.
However, whilst a ‘local’ supervisor must be appointed, it is recognised that it may not always be possible for all the recorded supervisory meetings to take place ‘face-to-face.’ It is, therefore, permissible for formal contact to take place by suitable tele- or video- conferencing, as well as email. Full details of policy and good practice relating to students studying away from the University can be found in the Quality Manual. Induction Starting a PhD is both exciting and daunting. At the start of your PhD, you will receive information about how to register and where to go.
Induction happens at three levels: School, Divisional and Group. School Induction For students starting in September, there is a week of activity during Week 1. You should have received a detailed timetable. This includes course-specific introductions, information on welfare, international student support, the graduate centre, accommodation, safety, doctor’s registration, IT and library services.
There will also be several social events for you to meet other postgraduate students. We will hold a second induction in January for students starting later in the year. Divisional Induction It is the responsibility of your Division to arrange laboratory induction. This would normally be conducted by the chief laboratory technician in your building/division.
It will include a tour of laboratories, ways of working, safety procedures, and building specific matters. You should arrange with your supervisor and divisional secretary that you attend this induction. Group Induction This will be led by your Supervisor. Here you will meet other group members, establish a work plan for your first six months, a personal training plan, ensure you meet all supervisors, appoint internal assessor, receive laboratory books, a desk, a computer and a university IT account.