Code of Practice for the Academic Welfare of Postgraduate Research Students

Introduction

1. Postgraduate research students pursue independent research in academic departments, leading to the award of the degree of MPhil or PhD. Successful progress depends primarily on their own efforts, supported by those of their supervisors, but also on the research environment in the department and on the quality of their research training. The purpose of this Code of Practice is to specify the practices and procedures which underpin these efforts. It should be read in conjunction with the College’s Research Degree Regulations|. A range of useful information is also available on the Information for Postgraduate Research Students| webpage.

2. Disciplines differ quite markedly in the day-to-day conduct of postgraduate research. While some students will spend long periods in the field or in distant libraries and archives, others will be in daily contact with their research groups in laboratories. Consequently, the appropriate procedures for guiding their research will vary. Students should not be surprised by these variations, and should not be disconcerted if their department requires, for example, more frequent reviews or more extensive written reports than are specified in the Research Degree Regulations|, which set out minimum requirements based on sector-wide best practice.

3. Responsibility for implementing this Code of Practice is shared between the student, the supervisor and adviser, the Director of Graduate Studies in the department and the Head of Department. This document sets out the specific responsibilities of each of these individuals, and the relationships between them.