graduate school postgraduate research handbook 2019-20 · the mdh graduate school acts as a central...
TRANSCRIPT
Graduate School
Postgraduate Research
Handbook
2019-20
Faculty Of Medicine, Dentistry & Health
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Contents
Page
Welcome 3
Questions or problems 3
Role of the Personal Tutor 4
Role of the Departmental PGR Lead 5
Faculty Peer Mentor Scheme 5
Who can I talk to if things aren’t going right 6
Contact list 7
Committees and Societies 8
Policies of the Faculty 9
Plagiarism Policy 9
Professional Behaviour 12
Student Support 13
Sickness and Holiday Reporting 15
Academic Progress Monitoring 17
The Doctoral Development Programme (DDP) 17
What is the DDP 17
Training Needs Analysis and Development Plan 18
Evidencing the DDP 19
Research Ethics & Integrity (fCM61000) 20
Data Management and your Data Management Plan 21
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Welcome to the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Graduate School
We would like to take this opportunity to extend a warm welcome to the Faculty of
Medicine, Dentistry and Health (MDH) at the University of Sheffield. As a postgraduate
researcher (PGR) in the Faculty of MDH you will be working with world-leading academics at
the cutting edge of healthcare research, helping to improve lives through your work. You
will be joining an academic community of researchers in your department, across the
Faculty and the wider University, your contribution being central at all levels. You will also
be encouraged to take advantage of the opportunities for professional and personal
development that MDH offers.
The MDH Graduate School acts as a central point of support for all postgraduate students,
and staff across the Faculty and provides student facing support to ensure that you have a
high quality PGR experience. As PGRs you will be supported at all levels, and at different
times, by your supervisory team, a personal tutor, your departmental PGR Lead and by
members of the professional services staff in the Graduate School, your department and in
the central University.
You are advised to refer to the Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes and your
departmental handbooks for guidelines and information about the many aspects of your
PGR programme. The Code of Practice is updated on an annual basis and is also available
online at https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/rs/code. Indeed, as you progress through your studies
we would advise you to consult the online Code of Practice for the most up to date
information relating to postgraduate research provision. The information outlined in this
handbook is designed to supplement that presented in the Code of Practice for Research
Degree Programmes and is specific to the Faculty of MDH. In particular, you will find contact
details for the staff members you can approach for advice if your expectations are not being
met for some reason. You will also find a number of important Faculty policies that are
relevant to you and your studies, and information about the tools that are used within the
Faculty to support your Doctoral Development Programme.
We hope that you will enjoy your time as a PGR with our Faculty, relish the interesting
challenges that a period of postgraduate research will bring, and reap the rewards of your
time with us in your future careers, whatever path you choose to take when you leave.
Have a question or a problem?
Different problems and issues can arise from time to time during the course of your PGR
programme. For example, you may have a simple query about the deadline for submission
of a piece of work, or about attending a conference, or you could be experiencing more
serious issues of a personal or professional nature which mean that your expectations are
not being met.
When more serious difficulties arise, it is essential to seek to address these as early as
possible, as many issues can be resolved at an early stage by talking informally with the
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individual(s) most concerned at a local level. You should initially raise any complaints or
issues with your supervisors, or if this is not possible, with your personal tutor. If the issue
cannot be resolved, you should report the complaint to the departmental PGR Lead initially,
or to the Head of Department if appropriate. You will find further information about the
Complaints and Academic Appeals Regulation in the Code of Practice for Research Degree
Programmes and in the figure below. Please bear in mind that it is your responsibility as
PGRs to raise any problems at the earliest opportunity with the appropriate people.
If difficulties arise…
Role of the Personal Tutor
The role of your personal tutor is mainly to provide pastoral care and to be someone
independent with whom you can discuss issues relating to your project or your supervision,
or other personal problems that might impact upon your experience as a student. You may
also wish to discuss your training needs with your personal tutor. You are expected to meet
twice annually with your personal tutor and should contact them to arrange these meetings.
You should also feel free to meet with your personal tutors at other times if required. In
some departments, the personal tutor is also the departmental Postgraduate Research
Lead.
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Role of the Departmental PGR Lead
Each of the departments in the Faculty has a PGR Lead who is responsible for approving all
paperwork relating to your candidature. They are also responsible for approving the
assessors for your confirmation review, and they will approve the selection of examiners for
your finished thesis. The PGR Lead will also deal with any issues that arise relating to your
progress at the time of your confirmation review or at other times during the course of your
research programme. Each PGR Lead also represents their department on the Faculty
Graduate Research Committee.
Faculty Peer Mentor Scheme
Life as a postgraduate research student is quite different to that as an undergraduate
student or masters’ student, and many students experience difficulties in adapting to the
differences. International students may also have to come to terms with moving to a new
country and culture. The Faculty’s peer mentor scheme aims to support new postgraduate
research students as they make the transition to a postgraduate degree programme. Under
the scheme all new postgraduate research students are offered a peer mentor who is a
current postgraduate research student in their second or third year, who provides support
particularly in the induction and settling in phase. You will find further details of the scheme
at https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/faculty/medicine-dentistry-
health/graduateschool/currentpg/peermentor
If you have not already availed of the opportunity to have a peer mentor, and would like to
do so, please email the graduate school on [email protected] and this will be
arranged.
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Central Support – Student Welfare
Central support – Student Welfare
Student Access to Mental Health Support: 0114 222 4134
Disability & Dyslexia: T: 0114 2221303
SSiD: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/ssid
Who can I talk to if things aren't going right?
Your PGR Lead
Your PGR Representative - contact [email protected] or [email protected] for details
The Faculty PGR Lead
Support staff - PGR Admins, Graduate School Manager, Researcher Development Manager
Student Services - Student Access to Mental Health Services, Disability & Dyslexia, SSiD
Central Support – Research Services
Researcher Development Manager: Dr Lucy Lee,
Research Degree Support Officer: Dr Laura Stanley,
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Department/School/Faculty PGR Administrator Email Phone The School of Clinical Dentistry Sue Spriggs [email protected] +44 (0) 114 2159342
Department of Human Communication Sciences Kathryn Sharpe [email protected] +44 (0) 114 2222402
School of Nursing and Midwifery Kate Chadwick [email protected] +44 (0) 114 2222076
School of Health and Related Research Kirsty Tolmay [email protected] +44 (0) 114 2220877
The Medical School
Jodie Burnham Carol Fidler Paula Blackwell Beth Flood
+44 (0) 114 2159571 +44 (0) 114 2159572 +44 (0) 114 2159570 +44 (0) 114 2159673
Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Amy Shaw [email protected] +44 (0) 114 2228746
Department/School/Faculty PGR Lead Email Phone
The School of Clinical Dentistry Dr Graham Stafford [email protected] +44 (0) 114 2159413
Department of Human Communication Sciences Prof Ray Wilkinson [email protected] +44 (0) 114 2222449
School of Nursing and Midwifery Dr Sharron Hinchliff [email protected] +44 (0) 114 2222045
School of Health and Related Research Dr Tracey Young [email protected] +44 (0) 114 2220837
The Medical School
Academic Unit of Medical Education
Infection, Immunity and Cardiovascular Disease
Oncology and Metabolism
Neuroscience
Dr Denise Bee Dr Vikki Ridger & Dr Mark Thomas Dr Munitta Muthana & Dr Mark Fenwick Dr Andy Grierson
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
+44 (0) 114 2225361 +44 (0) 114 2159549 +44 (0) 114 2159557 +44 (0) 114 2159057 +44 (0) 114 2159664 +44 (0) 114 2222277
Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health - Lead Deputy Lead for Recruitment Deputy Lead for Progression
Prof Martina Daly Dr Dan Lambert Professor Allie Gartland
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
+44 (0) 114 2159521 +44 (0) 114 2159347 +44 (0) 114 2159046
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The Faculty Graduate Research Committees
Issues relating to the development, monitoring and assessment of postgraduate research (PGR) students are dealt with by the Faculty Graduate Research Committee, on which the PGR students are represented. In addition, the Departmental PGR student representatives and the Faculty PGR Society provide a forum for students to discuss issues relating to the PGR experience. The roles and responsibilities of each of these committees are outlined below.
The Faculty Graduate School Committee The Chair of the Medical School Graduate Research Committee and the PGR Leads from the Medical School also attend meetings of the Faculty Graduate School Committee which considers matters relating to PGR degree programmes and research training within the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health. It also considers matters relating to PGR student progress, supervision and support and advises the Faculty Research and Innovation Committee accordingly.
Faculty PGR Society Our Faculty PGR Society provides an opportunity for student representatives from each of the departments within the Faculty to meet each other and the Faculty PGR Lead (currently Prof Martina Daly). This group gives PGR students a voice and helps ensure that student interests are represented in areas of programme development, feedback, and general PGR provision. The Society harnesses the creative power of students to develop ideas to help improve the PGR experience for students across the Faculty. Through their representatives, the PGR Society brings important issues and suggestions for discussion and development to the Faculty Graduate School Committee which provides a direct audience with staff in the Faculty. For further details please visit: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/faculty/medicine-dentistry-health/graduateschool/currentpg/yourvoice
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Policies of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Health The Faculty has developed a number of policies that are relevant to you and your studies. These are reproduced below, and also available to view on the Faculty Graduate School webpages at: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/faculty/medicine-dentistry-health/graduateschool/currentpg/policies
Plagiarism Policy Document for Postgraduate Research (PGR)
The Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Health is committed to training PGR students to the
highest standards and in line with skills and attributes as identified in the Researcher
Development Framework (for more information see
http://www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers/1218/Postgraduate-researchers.html). The ability to
produce a piece of academic work (for assessment or publication) without the use of unfair
means is one of the ways in which students can demonstrate that they have acquired and
applied these skills and it encompasses all 4 domains of the Framework. Any use of unfair
means in this process is dishonest and means that the student cannot demonstrate that they
have acquired these skills.
The University of Sheffield defines unfair means as follows: “The basic principle underlying the preparation of any piece of academic work is that the work submitted must be your own work. Plagiarism, submitting bought or commissioned work, double submission (or self plagiarism), collusion, facilitating the use of unfair means and fabrication of results are not allowed because they violate this principle. Rules about these forms of cheating apply to all assessed and non-assessed work. Plagiarism (either intentional or unintentional) is the stealing of ideas or work of another
person (including experts and fellow or former students) and is considered dishonest and
unprofessional. Plagiarism may take the form of cutting and pasting, taking or closely
paraphrasing ideas, passages, sections, sentences, paragraphs, drawings, graphs and other
graphical material from books, articles, internet sites or any other source and submitting
them for assessment without appropriate acknowledgement.”
(For more information about other forms of unfair means and further advice to students
please see
http://www.shef.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.40934!/file/student_guidance_on_unfair_means.pdf )
In order to help PGR students acquire the appropriate academic skills when producing their
written work and to avoid unintentional plagiarism we have developed the following Policy:
Training and Detection
1) All students in MDH will receive compulsory training as to what constitutes plagiarism as
part of the Postgraduate Induction Course (PIC). A copy of the policy will be included in the
Induction pack provided to new students so that they are aware of the Faculty Plagiarism
Policy and its guidelines.
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2) All Supervisors will be made aware of the Faculty Plagiarism Policy.
3) Students will be advised to avail of the opportunity to self-submit key pieces of work (i.e.
literature review, transfer report, final thesis) once to Turnitin, or an equivalent software in
draft form without records being created so that they can decide for themselves whether
they have plagiarised in their work based on the Turnitin report and the Faculty Policy
guidelines.
4) All final submitted documents will be submitted to Turnitin by the PGR Programme
Administrator prior to release for marking. The technical plagiarism highlighted/statistics
generated by Turnitin will be used as an indicator rather than a definitive test to define
whether plagiarism has occurred or not, and will not be used to steer actions. Subsequent
analysis of the report and the piece of work by the PGR Tutors and Unfair Means Officer will
determine whether a case of potential plagiarism needs to be investigated.
5) The following will be exempt from charges of plagiarism:
Sections of Materials and Methods descriptions where strings of reagents/materials are listed.
In Methods sections, where protocols are reproduced verbatim from another source, which may or may not be previously published, the sections should be prefaced with the statement: ‘The following method was taken from …….. (reference).’ These statements will be scrutinized to ensure attribution has been adequately made.
Statements of fact such as ‘disease x is the 2nd leading cause of death in the UK’ will not be subject to plagiarism charges provided they do not constitute more than 10% of the entire document as identified by Turnitin and are properly referenced.
6) The main use of Turnitin will be to identify plagiarism of ideas: regions of similarity in text
will be scrutinized for content to determine whether ideas have been taken from published
work and presented as the student’s own.
7) The ownership of work cited as one’s own and therefore not subject to plagiarism
assessment in respect of new submissions will have to be justified by students to the Head of
Department. This may arise in the case of multiple authored published work being used by a
single author (i.e. a student) as a direct source for a submitted piece of work. The judgment
as to the contribution made by a student in this situation will be made by the Head of
Department and the document would then carry a statement verifying that the Department
was happy that the uses made of previously published documents were commensurate with
the contributions made by the student to those works.
Procedure when Use of Unfair Means is suspected
If there are concerns that a submitted piece of work may have been prepared using unfair
means based on the above criteria and after thorough scrutiny of the document against
sources highlighted by the Turnitin report, assessment of the piece of work will be delayed.
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The student will be informed of the concerns and invited to an informal meeting with a
members of the SGRC (PGR Tutor, Unfair Means Officer and PGR Programme Administrator)
to discuss the piece of work. The student may be accompanied by their Personal Tutor, or a
friend if they wish, for moral support only. The aim of the meeting will be to discuss the work
and decide on whether plagiarism has occurred or not. The tone of the meeting will be
educational and non-punitive.
At the end of the meeting a decision will be made between the student and members of the
SGRC on whether plagiarism has occurred or not.
If it is agreed that
i. plagiarism has not occurred: the meeting will be recorded only and the piece of work will
be released for assessment.
ii. plagiarism has occurred: the meeting will be recorded and a formal warning issued to the
student. The student will also be expected to resubmit the piece of work, free from plagiarism,
in a timely fashion.
OR
iii. If no agreement is reached, the student will be issued with a formal warning and the failure
to reach an agreement is recorded. The student will also be expected to resubmit the work,
free from plagiarism, in a timely fashion.
The student’s supervisors will also be informed of the outcome of the meeting.
If the outcome of the meeting is option ii or iii above:
In addition to discussing what plagiarism is during the meeting with the Unfair Means Officer
and the PGR Tutor, the student will be advised to discuss any concerns they may have about
plagiarism with their supervisors, PGR Tutors or Personal Tutor. In addition, the student will
be expected to undergo remedial training. This could comprise one or more of the following:
Attendance at the plagiarism awareness session delivered as part of the PIC; Completion of
the online plagiarism awareness module offered in Information Skills Resource.
The student should record in PebblePad the training they do as well as a reflective entry on
how they view their submission/Turnitin report in light of their new training.
In addition, students will be advised in writing that if they do not admit using unfair means
and/or do not accept the Faculty’s action, they may submit an academic appeal to The
Student Conduct and Appeals Office within 14 working days of the date of the letter
confirming the action to be taken. This course of action does have serious implications to the
student eg that if referred to a Discipline Committee, a higher penalty could be imposed.
If a student is suspected of plagiarism a second time
If a student has received a formal warning as a result of the meeting above, and then submits
a piece of work which raises concerns about plagiarism again, they will be informed of the
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concerns and invited to attend for a meeting as above. In this second meeting, the PGR Lead
will attend along with the Unfair Means Officer. Where the outcome of the discussion is that
plagiarism is judged to have occurred on a second occasion, this will trigger disciplinary action
via central University and Student Services.
The Faculty’s general approach to this Policy is one of education, but with a firm stance of
non-tolerance for the use of unfair means and repeat offenders once the issues have been
fully explained to students in feedback sessions. The emphasis is on the best interest of the
PGR student experience in the Faculty, avoiding students pointlessly rewriting documents to
avoid plagiarism charges and at the same time providing information concerning the real
dangers in this area.
Useful sources
Tutorial on Plagiarism awareness in Information Skills Resource (University login required):
https://librarydevelopment.group.shef.ac.uk/shef-only/info_skills/plagiarism.html
Citing in a literature review
http://librarydevelopment.group.shef.ac.uk/shef-only/research/lit_review.html
Policy Document on Professional Behaviour among Postgraduate Research (PGR) Students Postgraduate research (PGR) students should ensure that they read, understand and comply with the University’s Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/rs/code in particular to the responsibilities of PGR students which are outlined therein. They are also referred to the formal University regulations governing progress of students and student discipline available by following links from the Student Conduct and Appeals Office at http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/ssid/complaints-and-appeals.
Briefly, all students are expected to maintain appropriate standards of professional behaviour when dealing with others. They are expected to regularly attend the programme of study for which they have registered and to agree and seek appropriate permission in advance for any periods of absence from the programme. They are expected to comply with the procedures in place in their Department for monitoring their attendance and engagement, and to submit written work in accordance with the agreed timetable, without use of unfair means (e.g. plagiarism, collusion). They should familiarise themselves with the health and safety, and other, regulations governing their work, and are responsible for ensuring the health and safety of themselves and other persons who may be affected by their actions and/or omissions. They should not cause damage to, or deface property owned by the University. The misuse, or unauthorised use of premises or items of property in premises owned or managed by the University, including computer misuse is considered to be misconduct under
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the regulations of the University as is the unauthorised removal of items of University property (e.g. including laboratory notebooks). Students should also ensure that their work is carried out in accordance with the University’s financial directives. Where a student’s behaviour is likely to present an immediate risk of harm (e.g. physical assault) their case will be referred to immediately to Student Services for action under the disciplinary regulations. Where a student’s ongoing conduct, or behaviour when dealing with others, is considered to fall short of the standards expected, it is anticipated that this will be addressed by the supervisor(s) at an early stage by speaking informally with the individual concerned, and reminding them of their responsibilities. Examples of unacceptable behaviour might include being dishonest, incidents of verbal (e.g. shouting or swearing) or physical assault or harassment (e.g. an unacceptable number of visits, telephone calls or emails). Where the student persists in their unacceptable behaviour and/or conduct, the student will be asked to meet with the supervisor(s) and the departmental PGR Lead. The aim of this discussion will be to explain to the student why their behaviour or conduct is unacceptable, to explore reasons why this might be so, to offer support if necessary, and, where appropriate, to signpost the student to professional services. A record of the discussion will be placed in the student’s file. Where a student continues to fail to observe their responsibilities, the student will be asked to give an undertaking as to their future conduct, and an agreement may be drawn up with a view to taking positive action to change behaviours. As part of the undertaking, students will be reminded of the necessity to comply with the responsibilities of research students as outlined in the University’s Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes and of the University regulations governing student discipline and progress. The undertaking should be drawn up in agreement with the Departmental PGR Lead, and both supervisors and will be presented to the student in person, to ensure that all parties understand the terms and conditions of the agreement. The Student will also be informed that in the event of the undertaking being breached, consideration will be given to referring their case to Student Services for action under the discipline regulations. The student and supervisor should retain copies of the undertaking, which should be signed and dated by the student. Copies should be retained in Department. Any breach in the undertaking may result in the case being referred to Student Services for action under the discipline regulations which may lead to expulsion of the student from the University. In those cases, where a student’s failure to observe their responsibilities has an impact on their performance, this may be considered as part of an unsatisfactory progress report submitted to Research Services which could also result in expulsion of the student from the University. Student support Students are advised to seek support locally from their personal tutor and also referred to the Additional University Services and Facilities listed in the University’s Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/rs/code including the following:
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Counselling Service: 36 Wilkinson Street, Sheffield, S10 2GB Telephone: 222 4134 Web Site: www.sheffield.ac.uk/counselling/ Email: [email protected]
Central Welfare and Guidance: Student Services Information Desk Level 3, Students’ Union Building Telephone: 222 4321 Email: [email protected] Web Site: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/ssd/ssg/cwag
Student Advice Centre Telephone: 222 8660 Email: [email protected] Web Site: www.sheffield.ac.uk/union/student-advice-centre/
University Health Service: 53 Gell Street, Sheffield, S3 7QP Telephone: 222 2100 Email: [email protected] Web Site: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/health
Union of Students Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TG Telephone: 222 8500 (Reception) Email: [email protected] Web Site: www.sheffield.ac.uk/union/
Flowchart showing stages in process for managing unprofessional behaviour among postgraduate research students
Student’s conduct falls short of expectations and causes concern
Informal discussion between supervisors and student to address issues and direct the student to appropriate support services
Student meets with supervisors and departmental PGR Lead to discuss issues, and a record of the meeting is placed on the student's file
Student is requested to give undertaking as to future conduct which is agreed by the supervisors, and departmental PGR Lead, and presented to the student in person, by the departmental PGR Lead, in the
presence of the supervisors to ensure that all parties understand the terms and conditions of the agreement.
The undertaking is signed by the student and a copy retained in the student's file.
Consider referral of case to (a) Student Services for action under the discipline regulations, or (b) where a student’s failure to observe their responsibilities has an impact on their performance, this may be
considered as part of an unsatisfactory progress report submitted to Research Services
Student’s conduct continues to be unacceptable
Student’s conduct continues to be unacceptable
Student breaches undertaking on one or more occasions
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Sickness and Holiday Reporting There are very simple recording procedures for postgraduate students who are absent due to sickness or wish to take some holiday time. Sickness Where a student is absent due to sickness they should, wherever possible, inform their supervisor and the PGR Programme Administrators on the first day of their absence, stating when they became ill, brief details of the illness/injury, whether it occurred due to an accident or injury in the workplace, whether they are seeking medical attention and their likely date of return (if known). A Doctor’s certificate will be required for continuous absence of more than 7 days and should be forwarded to your PGR Programme Administrator. Holiday Full-time PGR students are entitled to take up to 30 days as holiday in each academic year, excluding bank holidays and closure days. The academic year commences on 1st October, and students will be notified of the dates of the closure days each year. It is recommended that students take no more than 4 weeks holiday at any one time. Students are expected to provide their supervisors with reasonable advance notice of the dates when they plan to take holiday, which is subject to their supervisors’ approval. Students commencing registration at times other than the beginning of the academic year are entitled to holidays on a pro rata basis until the commencement of the next academic year. Longer periods of absence should be discussed with the supervisor and/or the PGR Lead. In some cases, a period of leave of absence may be required, perhaps on personal, financial or medical grounds. The application for a ‘Leave of Absence’ form, available from Research Services, should be completed jointly with the supervisor in the first instance and returned to your PGR Programme Administrator.
Leave of Absence Students sometimes find themselves facing difficulties that affect their ability to undertake their research, for example if they are ill or undergoing serious personal problems. A leave of absence enables a student to take an authorised break from their studies in order to overcome these difficult circumstances. Students must apply for permission from their department and faculty to take a leave of absence, using the Leave of Absence (PGR) form. Please be aware that once an application is received in Research Services it will normally take up to 2 weeks for Faculty consideration and processing, but may take longer if additional information/clarification is required. It is essential that students notify their supervisor/department as soon as any difficulties arise that might affect their research and that applications for leave of absence are made
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promptly and, wherever possible, not retrospectively. Requests for retrospective leave of absence will not normally be approved if they date back further than 30 days. Absences that are taken without a formal request for leave of absence being made will be treated as unauthorised absences and may trigger further action. During the period of leave of absence, the student will temporarily leave their programme of study and their registration will be suspended for the duration of the absence. Supervision should not be provided during a leave of absence and the student should not undertake any work that relates to their research topic. Please refer to the Code of Practice for further information about leave of absence https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/rs/code/loa
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Academic Progress Monitoring
The academic progress of all postgraduate research students is formally assessed by
departments at six monthly intervals throughout the student’s research degree. This is in
addition to the more regular recording of formal supervisory meetings. You will hear more
about the mandatory milestones as well as how these apply to you as a student in the Faculty
of Medicine, Dentistry and Health during the Postgraduate Induction Course and at various
stages during your programme.
These progress reviews may take the form of mandatory milestones, e.g. Confirmation
Review, Submission Review or they may constitute a designated task to be completed by the
student, such as a poster presentation or submission of a journal-quality paper.
The following progression points are mandatory milestones:
Induction/Training needs analysis and preparation of a development plan
Confirmation Review
Submission of a Data Management Plan at the time of Confirmation Review
Submission Review
Submission of your Evidencing the DDP workbook
Thesis Submission
You are referred to the relevant sections of the Code of Practice for Research degree
Programmes https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/rs/code for further details of the academic
progress monitoring procedures.
The Doctoral Development Programme (DDP) Important – please note You are advised to read the following information alongside the pages relating to the Doctoral Development Programme that are contained within the Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes 2019-2020 (pages 16 to 19), which is available to download from https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/rs/code What is the Doctoral Development Programme? All postgraduate research students participate in the Doctoral Development Programme (DDP). This is a flexible, ongoing training plan that is an integral part of your research degree, and is tailored to your individual needs. It helps you progress through your research studies by identifying the skills you already have and providing opportunities to improve these and to acquire new skills and experience. The aim of the DDP is to provide you with a range of skills and competency-based training opportunities orientated both towards your specific study and towards future employment, equipping you with transferable skills that will make you not only a
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successful researcher, but also able to easily assimilate skills that have wider utility, thus extending your employability to other professions. In particular, as an outcome of engaging with the DDP, during your research studies, you should be able to reflect critically and take a creative approach to issues in and beyond your field of research expertise. You should also understand the context and impact of research in society, the obligations and responsibilities that go with doing research, and the importance of communicating research in accessible and appropriate forms. The DDP is student-specific, designed to complement your individual research project and is carried out in agreement between you and your supervisory team. Your agreed training plan should reflect four skill areas, enabling you to:
Acquire the necessary generic skills to become a high-level professional;
Undertake subject-specific advanced training;
Acquire subject-specific craft skills;
Experience broad scholarship and wider engagement within the University and the wider community of scholars.
The DDP is designed for all research programmes offered by the University, and is accessed by all doctoral candidates regardless of the duration of their programme or their mode of attendance. Candidates registered on the remote location scheme are also expected to participate in the DDP and access skills training that is available online at any time during their study, and they will be able to access provision that is delivered at times when they attend the University. Inherent in the DDP is an understanding that different candidates will have different backgrounds and different needs: a student who has just completed a first degree is likely to have a more limited skill set than, for example, one who has spent time working in industry before starting their research degree. Training Needs Analysis and Formulation of a Development Plan You will use the Getting Started in Research Lens of Vitae’s Researcher Development Framework as a tool to undertake a Training Needs Analysis (RDF-TNA) which then allows you to formulate your development plan. The RDF is a framework that has been developed as an aid to enhance the professional and career development of researchers, by articulating the knowledge, behaviours and attributes of successful researchers and encouraging all researchers to realise their potential. The Getting Started in Research lens focuses on the knowledge behaviours and attributes required to start out in research and to begin developing as a researcher. You are advised to complete your TNA using the RDF-TNA tool to initially assess your capabilities before your first supervisory meeting. The TNA should form the basis for discussion during your meeting with your supervisors who will help you to decide what research training is most appropriate to help you develop throughout your time with us. Modifications will be made to it as necessary and an initial development plan agreed. You will revisit your RDF-TNA and development plan at least annually, so that
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as your skill level changes and your research develops you can tailor further training accordingly. Your supervisors are responsible for overseeing all aspects of your DDP throughout your postgraduate research programme. Undertaking Training To achieve training, you can select modules or skills training units available within the University as well as accrue relevant experiences that are not formally taught or that are gained outside the University. Arrangement for attendance of any training module or skills unit will be your responsibility, even though their selection will be in consultation with your supervisors. Within the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health the Postgraduate Induction Course (PIC) has been designed to introduce you to many of the generic skills that you are expected to gain during the course of your research degree. It is essential that you attend some elements of the PIC, and indeed you are strongly advised to consider attending the entire course. The University offers a range of training and development opportunities which are detailed on the DDP portal https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/rs/ddpportal/reg where you can also register to undertake the training. All new doctoral candidates are automatically registered on Departmental and or Faculty-wide compulsory modules. In particular, all candidates in the Faculty are expected to complete compulsory Research Ethics and Integrity training, and to have a Data Management Plan in place before their confirmation review. You are expected to keep a record of all training in your e-Portfolio and to maintain a summary of it in your Evidencing the DDP workbook. We would also encourage you to avail of the wide range of training opportunities that are offered by the Faculty Think Ahead programme, which is a comprehensive blend of training workshops, career mentoring and carefully selected work-based opportunities. The Think Ahead programme aims to ensure that early career researchers like you, have a career trajectory and access to tailored development activites. The programme is continually updated to reflect the current needs of researchers and the employers of researchers. You will find details of the Think Ahead programme including how to go about registering for different training opportunities on the Think Ahead Researcher Portal https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/rs/ecr Evidencing the DDP: RDF-TNA, ePortfolio and PebblePad Attendance and completion of training units will be recorded by module providers and submitted to Research Services for inclusion in your record. Evidence that you have completed the mandatory elements of your DDP, at a minimum, is required for your registration to be confirmed at the confirmation review stage. Evidence of development will be gained from the log of activity that you are expected to maintain in an e-Portfolio and summarise annually in your Evidencing the DDP workbook. Students in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health will use PebblePad, an online application specifically developed for higher education, to gather, reflect upon and
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produce evidence of training and development. Everything that is created in PebblePad can be kept private or be shared with others such as peers, supervisors, PGR Tutors or potential employers. The RDF-TNA, Evidencing the DDP and e-Portfolio tools are available for use in PebblePad. You will also use PebblePad to document your supervisory meetings. You will find further information about these resources and guidance about the use of PebblePad software on the Graduate School webpages at: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/faculty/medicine-dentistry-health/graduateschool/currentpg/pebblepad You are expected to take ownership of your development through the RDF-TNA from which your development plan is devised and the e-Portfolio which is a reflective record of evidence of achievement that can be given to prospective employers. Failure to submit your Evidencing the DDP workbook summarising you development over the course of your programme could result in your award being withheld. For further information relating to the Doctoral Development Programme we recommend the following webpages:
Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/rs/code
DDP Portal https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/rs/ddpportal
Faculty Training Information https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/faculty/medicine-dentistry-health/graduateschool/currentpg/training
The Faculty Research Ethics and Integrity training https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/faculty/medicine-dentistry-health/graduateschool/currentpg/fcm6100
PebblePad resources https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/faculty/medicine-dentistry-health/graduateschool/currentpg/pebblepad
Think Ahead Researcher Portal https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/rs/ecr
Faculty Research Ethics & Integrity (FCM6100)
This module is to encourage PGR students to critically analyse/reflect on their own actions
and behaviours in conducting research and in their interactions with research
participants, supervisors, and co-workers and to heighten PGR students' ethical
sensitivity and reasoning, enabling them to plan and prepare for challenges they may face
and to be able to manage challenges in an ethical way.
For more information please visit http://www.shef.ac.uk/faculty/medicine-dentistry-
health/graduateschool/currentpg/fcm6100
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Data Management and your Data Management Plan Good research data management is an essential skill for all researchers, which you should work to develop from the outset of your postgraduate research studies. Good research data management will ensure that the data you produce or use during your postgraduate research activities will be recorded, stored and shared with your supervisors, managed over time and disposed of according to legal, ethical and funder requirements where appropriate. For researchers, good data management also:
Enhances the visibility of your research data
Provides opportunities for collaboration with other researchers
Facilitates the sharing and reuse of research data for future research
Reduces the risk of data loss by keeping your research data safe and secure
Demonstrates research integrity and validation of research results
Ensures compliance with both funders’ and institutional research data expectations and policies
It is important to note that publishers increasingly require papers that they publish to be accompanied by the underlying data, either as supporting information or deposited in a research data repository. The University of Sheffield maintains a Research Data Management Policy as part of its Good Research & Innovation Practices (GRIP) Policy. You should read this for yourself, but some key points are:
All research students are responsible for looking after the data they collect and analyse, and overall responsibility lies with their supervisors
All research proposals should have a Data Management Plan
Unless otherwise specified by a contract or the terms of a grant, data generated by research projects are the property of the University of Sheffield
All research students are expected to have a data management plan, and you are encouraged to think about this from the start of your research studies. Consider the different types of data you are likely to generate, the measures you will take to ensure that it is recorded accurately, and that it is handled and stored appropriately. Also, think about the steps that you will take to ensure that it does not get lost. You should discuss how you will share your data with your supervisors, and the arrangements that you will make for sharing data following completion of your study. A template form for a data management plan (DMP) has been devised to assist you with this process and you will find this within the Resources Section in PebblePad. Alternatively, you could use the DMPonline tool available within the Digital Curation Centre https://dmponline.dcc.ac.uk. You are advised to commence work on your DMP and to draft your plan within the first 2 Months. You should discuss your plan with your supervisors during supervisory meetings. You will be required to submit the plan at the time of Confirmation review.
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Useful resources University of Sheffield Library, Research Data Management https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/library/rdm/index University’s Policy on good Research and Innovation Practice: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/rs/ethicsandintegrity