Advice & advocacy

Research progress

Research students

If you are undertaking study towards a PhD, Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Business Administration, Doctor of Education, Doctor of Information Technology, Doctor of Juridical Science, Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Psychology, Doctor of Public Health, Master of Business Systems (Research), Master of Education (Research), Master of Information Management and Systems Research (Research), Master of Information Technology (Research), Master of Laws (Research), Master of Philosophy, Master of Surgery:

MPA recommends that you become familiar with the Research Graduate School Committee Regulations.

The other document to become familiar with is the Handbook for Doctoral and MPhil Degrees found at:

Both of the above govern your candidature at Monash University. It is also a good idea to become familiar with the Postgraduate Course Guide each year.

If you are a Master or Graduate Diploma student other than those mentioned above, MPA recommends that you read the relevant course guide and your Faculty Handbook. These publications provide the guidelines for your particular course.

Code of practice for supervision of doctoral and research masters candidates

Your rights and responsibilities as a higher degree research postgraduate are contained in the Code of Practice for Supervision.

From the time you initially enrol it is a good idea set up an appropriate consultation schedule with your supervisor. Ascertain any planned leave or prolonged absence that the supervisor may be contemplating from the University. If your supervisor is contemplating extended leave set up interim supervision arrangements. It is also a good idea to ask what commitments your supervisor has to other projects including research / teaching / supervision as this may impact on their ability to meet with you at regular intervals. Treat your first meeting as an interview. Be frank about your expectations and the level of guidance you anticipate. Every department has a postgraduate coordinator whose job it is to liaise with research students. Find out the person’s name and feel free to ask any questions about the day to day conduct of your candidature.

Annual reports

The Monash Research Graduate School requires PhD candidates (and some Masters candidates) to submit annual progress reports.

“The purpose of the Annual Progress Report is to provide the candidate, the supervisor, and the head of the academic unit (or nominated representative) an opportunity to review the progress of the candidate. Candidates who have concerns that cannot be raised in the Annual Progress Report should speak with the Associate Dean (Research Degrees) in their Faculty. Alternatively, candidates may submit a confidential report to the Monash Research Graduate School, in addition to completing the Annual Progress Report through the normal channels.

The Research Graduate School Committee believes that if a problem is indicated in the Annual Progress Report, action should be taken as soon as possible to assist the candidate. Where a concern has been raised, the faculty representative on the committee will, in consultation with the parties concerned, draw up a plan of action to tackle the problem.”

Note the time lines for submission of reports.

Time line difficulties

Some students are eligible to an exemption from, or an extension of time for, submitting an annual progress report. Sometimes delays are experienced by candidates and applications may be made for extensions of scholarships or variation to candidature. Generally speaking extensions or variations will be considered if there are special circumstances which have led to the delay.

Examples of research related issues handled by MPA

MPA deals with a variety of complaints related to candidature including:

• lack of feedback from their supervisor causing delays

• lack of communication with their supervisor usually caused by an indaquate meeting schedule

• lack of expert knowledge in the student’s particular area of research

• imbalance of power between student and supervisor causing the student to feel intimidated and sometimes leading to lack of progress

• lack of proper induction processes causing the student to feel isolated and not being aware of what facilities, funding or resources may be available to students

• lack of mentoring by the supervisor causing the student to lose opportunities to present at conferences or meet with industry peers

• lack of explanation of intellectual property rights causing clashes about who should be named as author on publications.

What to do if things go wrong

It is always a good idea to discuss the matter with the supervisor. Sometimes it helps to liaise with the postgraduate coordinator. The Head of Department may also be contacted. As a general rule MPA has found that most problems can be resolved at an informal level. In the event that this is not possible then the University has in place grievance procedures (see flow chart) through which MPA can guide students subject to the MPA Advice and Advocacy Charter

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