Policies and procedures
POLICY NO: RES 8.4
DATE OF APPROVAL: 1 November, 1993
AMENDMENTS:
AB Resolution 96/7/167 16 August, 1996
Further amendments by Research Degrees Committee June 1999.
June 2002 (Change of name from Register of Research Degree Supervisors
and other changes)
March 2004 (minor word changes)
July 2004
REFERENCE AUTHORITY: Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice President (Research and Innovation)
CROSS REFERENCE:
Higher Degrees By Research Policy
(RES 10.2) and
Academic Regulations
Postgraduate
Coursework Degrees with a Significant Research Component (A 49.1)
Quality Assurance and Improvement in
Higher Degrees by Research (RES 15.1)
Guidelines for Responsible Practice in Research Policy
(RES 1.0)
Human Research Ethics Policy (RES 2.1)
Animal Experimentation Policy
(RES 3.1)
Biological Hazards and Genetically Modified Organisms (RES 4.2)
Ionising
Radiation Policy (HR 29.1)
University activities (C 20.2)
Authorship Policy
(RES 12.0)
Equal Opportunity Policy (C 2.4)
Occupational Health, Safety, Welfare
and Injury Management Policy (C 6.3)
Code of Good Practice: Research Degrees Management and Supervision
Code of Good Practice: Relationships between Staff and Students
Policy and Procedures for the Resolution of Student Grievances (C 17.3)
Qualities of a
University of South Australia Graduate
Honorary Academic Titles
Policy (C 16.2)
DEEWR Research
Training Scheme Guidelines
Research projects in postgraduate research degrees are conducted under the supervision of research-active staff of the University acting in small teams, frequently comprising only 2-3 people. Good practices must be embedded in postgraduate research supervision in order to achieve good outcomes: high quality and satisfying research education for postgraduate students; high completion rates and low completion times; good research results and research outcomes for the University; development of graduates who are well-trained and well-skilled independent researchers who demonstrate the highest levels of competency in relation to the University's research degree graduate qualities.
The University has a policy (RES 15.0) on Quality Assurance in Research Degrees. To augment that policy and as part of the University's overall quality assurance framework, a key mechanism that the University operates to ensure a high quality of research supervision is a Register of university staff (including Adjuncts Honorary Academic Titles) who are qualified to be appointed as Principal Supervisors of postgraduate research projects.
See Appendix
1. The University will maintain a Register of Postgraduate Research Degree Supervisors (known as the Research Register).
2. A Principal Supervisor and one or more Associate Supervisors will be appointed for each candidate in a research degree and for the research component of professional doctorate degrees.
3. To be appointed as the Principal Supervisor of a candidate undertaking postgraduate research in the University, a person must be a member of the Register of Postgraduate Research Degree Supervisors.
4. Principal and Associate Supervisors will supervise candidates conducting postgraduate research in accordance with University policies and the Code of Good Practice: Supervising Research Students.
5. The University will provide introductory programs for supervisors new to supervision and new to the University and continuing professional development programs and materials for all supervisors.
6. Schools, Divisions and Institutes will provide appropriate resources to support postgraduate research and will give proper recognition of the workload required for Principal and Associate Supervisors to carry out their duties.
7. Supervisors are required to ensure that each research candidate under their supervision in line with University standards and procedures:
8. undertake the University's supervisor induction activities and undertake supervisor professional development on an annual basis
9. be familiar with University policies, codes procedures, structures and authorisations relevant to research degree supervision
10. at commencement of candidature, discuss with research candidates their mutual expectations and obligations concerning mode and frequency of communication, the scope of requirements of the research program, special needs, the role of the associate supervisor, relevant ethics and safety requirements, authorship arrangements and ownership of intellectual property
11. undertake responsibilities as outlined in the University's Code of Good Practice: Supervising Research Students
12. In order to be admitted to the Register a person must meet
each of the following conditions:
12.1. be a member of the academic or research staff of the
university with a minimum contract of at least 12 months, or hold an
honorary academic title in the University; and
12.2. hold a higher degree by research, or have an equivalent record of scholarly achievement; and
12.3. be an active researcher (as defined below); and
12.4. have undertaken the University's supervisor induction program, or a supervisor professional development program provided by another university, or have a record of supervising candidates to successful completion of their degrees within the past 10 years; and
12.5. be familiar with University policies and codes relevant to postgraduate research supervision.
13. An application for admission to the Register of Postgraduate Research Degree Supervisors must be submitted to the relevant Divisional Research Management Committee. The application is then forwarded to the Executive Officer: Research Degrees Committee, together with the Division's recommendation for admission.
14. Admission to the Register must be approved by Research Degrees Committee.
15. Membership of the Register will be reviewed annually by Divisions/Institutes.
16. In order to remain on the Register, a person must:
16.1 continue to be a member of the academic or research staff of the university, or hold an honorary academic title in the University; and
16.2 be an active researcher (as defined below); and
16.3 be currently actively engaged in postgraduate research supervision, or have been principal supervisor of a candidate who has successfully completed their degree within the past 3 years; and
16.4 participate in supervisor professional development in order to remain on the Register. It is expected that this will be undertaken on an annual basis and Divisions/ Institutes will monitor supervisors' participation every three years.
17. In exceptional circumstances, a Division/Institute Research Management Committee may make a recommendation to the Research Degrees Committee for a person's continued membership of the Register, where that person does not fulfil all the requirements of clause 16.
18. Names of persons removed from the Register should be forwarded by Divisions to the Executive Officer: Research Degrees Committee, together with the Division's reason(s) for their removal.
19. Removal from the Register must be approved by Research Degrees Committee.
20. A person who wishes to appeal against a decision not to approve her/his application for admission to the Register, or against a recommendation to remove them from the Register, should submit an appeal in writing to the Dean of Graduate Studies. The appeal will be determined by Research Degrees Committee, whose decision will be final. A staff member may re-apply for admittance at any time that she/he considers that the conditions for membership have been met.
21. Divisions/Institutes will nominate Principal and Associate Supervisors for candidates enrolling in Doctoral Degrees by Research, PhD by Portfolio of Publications and Masters by Research degrees prior to commencement of candidature in accordance with this policy and the relevant Academic Regulations (particularly sections 3.2.2 and 6), paying due consideration to workload implications. The relevant Division/Institute Research Management Committee will recommend the supervisors to Research Degrees Committee which formally appoints them.
22. A Principal Supervisor will only be appointed when there is a reasonable expectation that they will continue to satisfy the criteria for continued membership of the Register and be available to supervise the candidate for the normal duration of the candidate's degree.
23. Normally, the Principal Supervisor of a research doctoral candidate should themselves hold a doctoral degree by research, preferably in a relevant or methodologically similar discipline.
24. A Principal Supervisor of a research masters candidate should have expertise in the discipline.
25. To be appointed as an Associate Supervisor of a candidate undertaking postgraduate research in the University, a person must have appropriate expertise in the discipline and be one of the following:
25.1. a member of the Register of Postgraduate Research Degree Supervisors; or
25.2. a member of the academic or research staff of the University seeking supervision experience prior to being admitted to the Register; or
25.3. a person, internal or external to the university, chosen for the role because of expert knowledge or scholarship in the designated area of research.
26. Associate Supervisors are required to undergo supervisor introductory and supervisor professional development programs.
27. For candidates enrolled in Professional Doctorate research degrees the relevant Divisional Research Management Committee will appoint the Principal Research Supervisor and any Associate Supervisors to supervise the thesis/project of the candidate before the candidate commences the program of research.
For the purposes of this policy, a staff member is considered by the University to be an "active researcher" if they have accrued a total of at least 1.5 credit points during the past three years on the Schedule maintained by Research and Innovation Services for research achievements.
These criteria may be varied from time to time by the Research Policy Committee. Adjuncts and persons who have only recently become staff members should demonstrate an equivalent record of research achievements to be considered as "active researchers".
An Associate Supervisor is a staff member or researcher external to the University with appropriate expertise who provides support to the Principal Supervisor in guiding the postgraduate research undertaken by the candidate.
In this context, a candidate is a student enrolled in one of the University's research degree programs.
Reference to a "Division" includes Coordinating Portfolios, Institutes, Whyalla; reference to "Divisional Research Management Committee" includes the equivalent committees in Institutes and at Whyalla.
For the purposes of this Policy, "postgraduate research" means the research that is conducted as part of the requirements for the postgraduate degrees of PhD, PhD by Portfolio of Publications, Masters by Research and Professional Doctorate by research. It does not include research projects conducted as part of Honours, Graduate Diploma or coursework Professional Doctorate and Masters degrees.
A Principal Supervisor is a staff member or Adjunct who has prime responsibility for guiding the postgraduate research undertaken by a designated candidate and for overseeing the progress of that candidate towards completion of their research degree.
The Register of Postgraduate Research Degree Supervisors (or "Register") identifies persons who are qualified to be appointed as Principal Supervisors of candidates who are undertaking research degrees at the University of South Australia.
In the context of this Policy, "staff member" means a member of the academic staff or adjuncts of the University, including research-only staff.
Reference to "supervisor professional development" refers to a range of face-to-face or on-line pedagogical activities that might include:
It is expected that supervisors will undertake supervisor professional development on an annual basis and will maintain their own record of attendance at conferences. Divisions and Institutes will monitor supervisor professional development activities at least every three years. Non-participation in supervisor professional development activities may lead to removal from the Register.
