Candidature Management

Refining the research topic and thesis style

Generally, a HDR candidate is embarking on a project bigger than any they have before, and will often have unrealistic goals. While it is the candidate’s responsibility to complete their thesis on time, as their supervisor it is your duty to ensure they are able to.

While some candidates begin their candidature with a well refined research topic, others will formulated their topics in the first six months of candidature. To help your student refine their research topic, you should meet frequently, provide guidance towards relevant literature in their field, and offer practical advice about what is achievable.

Candidates that may need the most guidance will be those who feel they have never done enough reading, who may become too focused on their field's specifics, or who have greater expectations than what is achievable in their program. You may wish to consult other academics if you and your candidate are struggling to refine an idea.

Thesis by Publication

Where appropriate, Macquarie University encourages candidates to prepare a thesis by publication as this format provides an opportunity to add further value to the research student experience. A thesis by publication also provides an incentive for timely completion, enhances employment prospects, and improves publication outputs.

Theses may include relevant papers (including conference presentations) published, accepted, submitted or prepared for publication. These papers must:

• form a coherent and integrated body of work;
• include a comprehensive and critical introduction and an integrative conclusion; and
• focus on a single project or set of related questions or propositions.

The requirements for a thesis by publication are further set out in Schedule 1 of the HDR Thesis Preparation, Submission and Examination policy.

Creative thesis

The University accepts theses for the PhD, MPhil and MRes degrees in the form of combined dissertation and creative work. The creative component of the thesis can be in a variety of forms including but not limited to music, writing, film, performance, drama, and multi-media. At least half of the thesis must take the form of an academic dissertation. The requirements for creative theses are further set out in Schedule 5 of the HDR Thesis Preparation, Submission and Examination policy.

Examples of the various theses styles can be found in Macquarie University ResearchOnline.

Writing, editing and publishing

Writing and editing

Depending on your supervision style, your role in editing your candidate's work will vary. Generally, it is acceptable for a supervisor to work with the candidate on structural issues and fleshing out certain ideas in the early stages, while shifting more to grammatical detail and other nuances towards the end of candidature.

Your candidate may experience writer's block or other difficulties in writing their thesis, especially if they do not come from a writing-heavy discipline, or English is not their first language. In some cases, you may wish to refer them to the various support and development tools offered by the University. That said, it's important that you encourage good writing habits from the get go. Keep the following in mind:

• Don't assume what works for you will work for your candidate
• Encourage writing early and often
• Prepare and stick to a writing schedule
• Give specific feedback
• Remember to praise as well as critique

Publishing

It is important that your candidate learns about publishing practices within their discipline, and you should encourage them to publish as soon as their work reaches an appropriate stage, as well as present their research at conferences. Publication and conferences allows the candidate to showcase their research, as well as giving them realistic goals to work towards.

However, you should be realistic about when your candidate is ready to publish. If you feel they need to do more work, you should make them aware of this.

Before deciding if you should be a co-author on your candidate's publications, you must ensure you adhere to the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research guidelines regarding authorship.

Attribution of authorship depends to some extent on the discipline, but in all cases, authorship must be based on substantial contributions in a combination of:

• conception and design of the project
• analysis and interpretation of research data
• drafting significant parts of the work or critically revising it so as to contribute to the interpretation.

The right to authorship is not tied to position or profession and does not depend on whether the contribution was paid for or voluntary. It is not enough to have provided materials or routine technical support, or to have made the measurements on which the publication is based. Substantial intellectual involvement is required.

For further information, please see the following documents:

a.       Authorship Standards

b.       Authorship Planning Form Template

c.       Authorship Contribution Statement Form

d.       Peer Review Standard

The documents can be accessed via Policy Central.

Pure Research Management System (Pure RMS) and ORCID

If your candidate publishes during their candidature, they can showcase their research outputs on the public Macquarie University Research Portal. To do so, they will first need to create a profile in the Pure Research Management System (Pure RMS). Instructions for creating and updating a Pure profile can be found in System Support.

Once your candidate has created a Pure profile, they can then proceed to link their profile to their ORCID. Instructions for creating and linking an ORCID to a Pure profile can be found in System Support.

For further information see Research Impact Metrics and the Pure Research Management System wiki.

Commercialisation and engagement

Reporting on the progress of your candidate

Confirmation of candidature

Your candidate must complete a confirmation of candidature at the end of the first six-eight months (or part time equivalent). This process is to ensure that your candidate is progressing well and is ready to continue. Exact times, milestones and requirements will vary by Faculty, but you can be expected to be involved in the preparation of your candidate's documents, presentation or meetings.

Confirmations vary between faculties, but often involve the candidate presenting a report containing research plan, budget, Ethics Approval, required training details and a substantial research component. Further information about each faculty’s requirements can be found on the Confirmation of Candidature webpage.

Annual Progress Report

Each year, the candidate and supervisor are required to submit a report on the candidate’s progress for that year. The Annual Progress Report (APR) should be used by both parties to reflect seriously on what has been achieved in the previous twelve months, and how it compares with what had been expected at the outset. Both candidate and supervisor must think seriously and communicate candidly about what has happened in the previous year, and how it affects plans for the year ahead.

The APR is the university’s official record of the candidate’s progress and will be referred to in all applications for leave, extension or review. If there are concerns about research delays or other issues that may have impeded progress, then they should be noted on the report. If problems have arisen during the year that are not recorded, it is very difficult for the university to support later claims about slow progress or relationship breakdown.

Maintaining progress

It is important to monitor your candidate's research progress and to resolve any issues that arise promptly.

There are a variety of ways that the experience and progress of research can be evaluated. The Annual Progress Report (APR) provides one such formal means - the focus of that report is the progress of your candidate's research. Candidates may also submit papers to journals/conferences and/or present their work in seminars. These activities also provide your candidate with an opportunity to evaluate the quality of the research, and journal and conference editors/readers usually provide detailed comments on any reviewed work.

Indications that your candidate may be struggling with their research and may require additional support and guidance include not meeting deadlines, not turning up for meetings, not responding to feedback - and can have many causes, including perfectionism, procrastination, family responsibilities, employment demands etc.

If you are concerned about your candidate’s progress, you should first discuss your concerns with them to be clear what the issue is. You can then discuss possible solutions with them. Seeking the advice of an experienced colleague is another useful strategy, and if appropriate, noting the issues on the APR.

Given the common goal of a successful completion, supervisors and candidates are encouraged to resolve any progress issues promptly and by informal methods in the first instance, while retaining all documents, and a record of discussions.

Several resources have been developed to support supervisors if they feel a candidate is not making satisfactory progress and help to manage the situation. These resources are available in this toolkit supervision workshops and the Termination and Appeals Toolkit, if needed.

Managing conflict

You may find yourself at odds with your candidate about research progress or supervision style. While many disputes can be resolved through conversation with your candidate, sometimes these issues need to be taken further. It is important to try and resolve any problems as soon as possible, as it is likely to strengthen the relationship between you and your candidate rather than damage it.

Macquarie’s procedure for resolving candidate/supervisor conflict is as follows:

• You should discuss the issues with your candidate and try to find a resolution. This may involve intervention from a third party, such as another member of the Supervisory panel.
• If no resolution is found, you should speak with the department’s HDR coordinator or the Head of Department.
• If further resolution is necessary, the Associate Dean, HDR should be contacted.
• If the problem is still not resolved, the dispute can be referred to the Dean of Faculty.
• The issue can then be brought to the PVC HDRTP.
• In exceptional circumstances, the matter may be referred to the DVC Research.

Conflict with other supervisors

While different supervisors have different responsibilities, grey areas and overlap can lead to disagreements about duties or methodologies. A supervisory panel in conflict can be disastrous for a research project, so expectations and plans of action should be discussed and negotiated early on.

• Depending on your circumstance, these issues can include:
• What are our responsibilities (will one of us oversee a particular methodology or phase)?
• Will we always meet together?
• How will we all be informed of progress?
• How will we deal with disagreements?

While uncommon, candidates may also be disruptive of a supervisory panel’s relationship, such as by being overly demanding of one supervisor’s time or playing supervisors off against one another. If this occurs, it is important to contact the Department Director of HDR, the HoD, or – if necessary – the Faculty Associate Dean, HDR.

Conflict over thesis completion

At times, you may disagree with your candidate about whether the thesis is ready for completion or not. If this occurs, you first must recognise whether this stems from healthy academic disagreement, or clear flaws in the thesis. It is worthwhile bringing in a third party to resolve deadlocks, either by contacting another member of the supervisory panel or an HDR Director or Faculty Associate Dean, HDR.

If you decline to certify in writing that the thesis meets all the University preparation requirements, your candidate may submit their thesis for examination against your advice to the Thesis Examination Subcommittee (TESC). TESC will receive and review the submission and make an appropriate recommendation to the Research and Research Training Committee (RRTC) for determination.

Changes to candidature and cessation of enrolment

As candidates progress with their research, their professional and personal life is changing as well. Just as collecting data affects their research, their personal circumstances can have the same impact and they may need to change how they conduct their research accordingly. Possible changes to candidature include:

• Change of attendance
• Extension to expected work submission (EWS) date
• Sick leave/maternity leave/leave of absence
• Transfer between departments/faculties
• Withdrawal from candidature

While your involvement in these circumstances is minimal, it is important for you to be aware of them so you can best advise your candidate how to proceed.

Policies

The Higher Degree Research Variations to Candidature Policy specifies the University’s requirements for Higher Degree Research (Doctor of Philosophy, Master of Philosophy and Master of Research) candidates who are seeking a variation to their candidature as a result of changing attendance, taking a period of leave, requiring an extension, or not having submitted their thesis for examination within the standard period of candidature.

The Higher Degree Research Transfer Policy establishes the conditions under which Higher Degree Research (HDR) candidates enrolled at Macquarie University may transfer their degree between either Departments and Faculties or between different types of HDR degrees.

Process

The Changes to Candidature webpage contains information for candidates considering a change to their candidature, including:

• Leave and Extension provisions
• Conditions for requesting a change to candidature
• Access to the relevant paperwork for processing a change to candidature

Your candidate should review the information on this website before requesting a change to their candidature.

Cessation of enrolment

If your candidate does not submit their thesis by their Expected Work Submission date, their enrolment will cease. On cessation of enrolment, they will immediately lose access to the library, information and communication technology (ICT) resources, faculty research facilities and supervisory support.

Candidates whose enrolment has been discontinued may apply for re-admission to submit their thesis for examination within two years of cessation. The thesis must be ready for submission when readmission is sought. Re-admission is subject to confirmation of the currency of the research and that it meets requirements for examination from the Faculty.

A minimum period of re-enrolment will be determined by the Faculty to enable a thesis submission to be administratively managed. Periods of re-enrolment will attract fees for those candidates in fee-paying programs.

Support and development tools for HDR candidates

Macquarie’s Higher Degree by Research (HDR) Support and Development team offers research training that is flexible, diverse and candidate-driven. Their initiatives assist candidates to develop essential skills in research communication, employability, mentoring and leadership.

Supervisors should encourage their candidates to utilise the resources provided. For further information see:

• HDR Mentors Program
• HDR Learning Skills
• HDR Professional Development

Library research support

Macquarie's library offers a range of support services for our HDR candidates, from Research and Clinical librarians who provide learning, teaching and research support, to a dedicated HDR study space on Level 5 of the library.

Supervisors should encourage their candidates to utilise these services, as required. For further information see:

• Research Support
• Research Librarians
• Distance Education Service
• Interlibrary Loans
• HDR Study Space

Campus Wellbeing support

Completion of the research project remains fundamentally the candidate’s responsibility, however, the supervisor can often give advice about time management, dealing with fatigue, how to cope with competing demands on a researcher’s time and other issues that arise during a research project that takes years to complete.

It is important, however, for both candidates and supervisors to recognise when a candidate might need other types of support, especially professional help in dealing with stress (including financial stress), anxiety or depression. The university provides professional services that support candidates in dealing with these issues, via Campus Wellbeing and the Wellbeing for Research Candidates ilearn unit. It is important that candidates suffering any level of emotional distress be encouraged to contact these services sooner rather than later.

If you feel that a student is at risk or needs urgent attention, you can seek support form or report your concerns via the Student Care and Reporting Network.