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Welcome On behalf of the department, I would like to welcome you to the Department of Biomedical Science. If you graduated here, I would like to welcome you back! We are part of a major international research university that has an excellent record in training research students. We aim to provide all of our students with a supportive and stimulating environment. The life blood of the department is its research and many of our most important publications are based on work by our graduate research students. I am delighted that you have decided to study in this department. A PhD is a true mark of distinction in academic endeavour. Our principal objective is to make sure that at the end of your study, you will leave here with a PhD of which you can be justifiably proud and which will enable you to become a successful entrant to the doctoral job market. I wish you an enjoyable and successful time with us. Professor David Grundy Head of Department

From the Post Graduate Research Director Adjusting to graduate life requires you rapidly to come to grips with a large amount of information and adjust to new practices and procedures in your research laboratory, department and the University. If you are new to the City of Sheffield, you will also be busy learning its geography, transport system and locations of necessary outlets that are vital to daily survival! The purpose of this booklet is to familiarise you with how the department and its PhD programme work. It should be used in conjunction with the University’s Code of Practice, which is the definitive description of Sheffield University regulations as they relate to research degrees (which you should already have received but is also available at http://www.shef.ac.uk/pgresearch/students/publications.html). We hope that you find this Handbook useful. This is a substantially updated version for 2012-2013 which you should read even if you are already in the programme. The Handbook will also shortly be available on the departmental website, details to follow. If you have any suggestions as to how it might be improved or added to, I would be very pleased to hear from you. I look forward to meeting you and wish you the best of luck with your research study. Dr Andrew Furley Post-Graduate Research Director a.j.furley@sheffield.ac.uk Room D231a, Alfred Denny Bldg X22354

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Contents Welcome ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1

From the Post Graduate Research Director ............................................................................................................................. 1

Contents ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 2

Important dates and deadlines ..................................................................................................................................................... 3

Key information .................................................................................................................................................................................. 4

About the department ................................................................................................................................................................. 4

Map ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Departmental administration ................................................................................................................................................... 5

Biomedical Science Online Handbook ................................................................................................................................... 5

University Phone Directory: ....................................................................................................................................................... 6

Research & Innovation Services .............................................................................................................................................. 6

New students ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 7

Important things you must do for your Induction! ........................................................................................................... 7

Doctoral Development Programme (DDP) and Training Needs Analysis (TNA) ................................................... 8

All students ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 9

Support, Training and Appraisal .............................................................................................................................................. 9

Support Structure ........................................................................................................................................................................ 9

Training ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 10

Appraisal of progress ................................................................................................................................................................. 12

Appraisal Schedule...................................................................................................................................................................... 14

Research Training Support (Funding) ................................................................................................................................. 15

Membership of Learned Societies/Travel Grants ........................................................................................................... 15

Thesis Writing, Submission and Defence ........................................................................................................................... 16

Plagiarism ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 16

Submission ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 16

Viva Talks ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 16

Other Training ............................................................................................................................................................................... 16

Harassment, Grievance and Appeals ........................................................................................................................................ 17

Harassment .................................................................................................................................................................................... 17

Departmental Health and Safety ................................................................................................................................................ 18

Health and Safety ......................................................................................................................................................................... 18

Accidents & emergencies ......................................................................................................................................................... 18

Information ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 18

If you are ill ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 18

Seeking help with personal problems ................................................................................................................................. 18

Demonstrating and Teaching opportunities .......................................................................................................................... 19

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Important dates and deadlines Induction Session1 Friday, 14th September, 2012 Training Needs Analysis Meeting (all students) in time for DDP registration*2 PGR Registration Friday, 21st September, 2012 Individual Induction meeting (1st year students) Monday 24th September, 2012 DDP Information Session (1st year students) Tuesday, 25th September, 2012 Second/Third Year 6-month Advisory Meeting**3 by end of January, 2013 First Year Student ‘Thesis Proposal’ To Advisors by 22nd February, 2013 First Year Thesis Proposal Appraisals 7th and 8th March, 2013 Second Year Student Symposium Wednesday, 17th April, 2013 Third Year Student Symposium Tuesday, 21st May, 2013 First Year Student Symposium Tuesday,2nd July, 2013 Annual Reports to Advisors one week before meeting or by

28th June, 2013 at latest Annual Advisory Meeting To be held by 13th July, 2013 at latest Further explanation of these dates and deadlines can be found below

1 Session primarily for 1

st year students, but update talk for everyone will be around midday (email notice will be

sent) 2 Hand completed TNA forms to PGA Secretaries by end of October.

3 responsibility for organising Advisory meetings lies with the STUDENT, who should ALWAYS contact Beckii/Sue to

book rooms in advance. Ideally, the date for the following Advisory meeting should be set at the first meeting.

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Key information

About the department We are a large department with an excellent record for both research and teaching. We were ranked 3rd in the UK for Biological Sciences (RAE 2008) and scored 24/24 in the most recent Teaching Quality Assessment. Most recently, Sheffield Life Sciences (APS, BMS and MBB) were ranked 37th in the world in the Times Higher Education Rankings 2011-12. At any one time we have approximately 60 postgraduate research students and 400 undergraduate students following our undergraduate degree programmes. Our staff includes approximately 40 academic staff, 30 postdoctoral research workers, 45 technical and ancillary staff and 15 secretarial staff. The contact details for the department are: Department of Biomedical Science (BMS), University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK. Tel: +44-(0)-114-22-22320 Fax: +44-(0)-114-276-5413 Email: bmsoffice@shef.ac.uk http://www.shef.ac.uk/bms/

Map

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Departmental administration Most of the normal functions of the department are administered by specific committees. The committee that oversees graduate research training is the Post Graduate Affairs Committee (PGAC). The Head of Department sits on the PGAC and it is chaired by the Postgraduate Research Director (PGRD). As a postgraduate research student, you closest contacts will be with your Supervisor and colleagues working in your lab. However, for various academic and administrative issues you will need to liaise with other staff in the department. Some of these are listed below, but a full, up-to-date staff and student contact list can be found on: http://www.shef.ac.uk/bms/staff Department Head/Chair Role Extension Prof David Grundy Head of Department 24663 Postgraduate Affairs Committee (PGAC)

Dr Andrew Furley Post-Graduate Research Director (Chair) 22354 Professor David Grundy Dr Mikko Juusola

Head of Department Reader

24663 21087

Dr Liz Seward Prof David Strutt

Senior Lecturer Professor of Developmental Genetics

22383 22372

Dr Freek van Eeden Senior Lecturer 22348 Dr Tanya Whitfield Senior Lecturer 22350 Prof Steve Winder Professor of Molecular Cell Biology 22332 Ms Shanti Rayagiri Student Representative 22378 Mr James Mason Student Representative 22368 Departmental Administration Dr Robert Forrester Departmental Manager 22390

Mrs Julie Chapman Mr Mark Ellse Mrs Debbie Sutton

Financial Administrator Deputy Departmental Manager Departmental Safety Officer

22380 22373 24676

Mrs Angela Warren Team Leader BMS/MBB Office 24675 Mrs Rebecca Suttill Mrs Susan Porteous

Postgraduate Admissions (PGA) Secretaries (S.P. Mon-Weds, R.S. Weds-Fri)

22319 22319

Mrs Jane Collins Senior Departmental Secretary 24642 Mrs Wendy Howard Miss Lyndsey Pearson

Senior Departmental Secretary Undergraduate Affairs Secretary

24642 22323

Miss Gemma Stephens Undergraduate Affairs Secretary 22323 Mr Neil Everill Mr Mick Wild

Website manager IT Support

22338 24634

Further information on the BMS Office can be found on: http://www.bms.dept.shef.ac.uk/handbook/chapter02/index.html#2_9

Biomedical Science Online Handbook A full guide to the department can be found in the BMS Handbook: http://www.bms.dept.shef.ac.uk/handbook/ (access only on site or via VPN from outside) The BMS Handbook provides information on many essential services, in particular:

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Internal Communications: http://www.bms.dept.shef.ac.uk/handbook/chapter04/index.html

Health Safety and Welfare: http://www.bms.dept.shef.ac.uk/handbook/chapter07/index.html#7_2

Finance and Ordering: http://www.bms.dept.shef.ac.uk/handbook/chapter09/index.html

Equipment and Facilities: http://www.bms.dept.shef.ac.uk/handbook/chapter11/index.html

Post and deliveries: http://www.bms.dept.shef.ac.uk/handbook/chapter10/index.html

Waste management: http://www.bms.dept.shef.ac.uk/handbook/chapter17/index.html

Security: http://www.bms.dept.shef.ac.uk/handbook/chapter06/index.html

Emergency Contacts: In an emergency, call the UoS emergency services 4444. The university has a Security Services department under the direction of the Portering and Security Services Manager which comprises a Campus Control and Patrol Officers, who patrol the campus area. If you require assistance with any matter which might affect security in its widest sense, please contact the University of Sheffield Control Room 24085.

University Phone Directory: http://www.shef.ac.uk/phone/ (access only on site or via VPN from outside)

Research & Innovation Services Research & Innovations Services (RIS) administers many research activities across the University, including Postgraduate Research (PGR), and can provide you with a wealth of information and advice aimed specifically at postgraduate students. Their website is: www.sheffield.ac.uk/ris/pgr They are located at: New Spring House, 231 Glossop Road, Sheffield, S10 2GW The Faculty of Science Research Degree Support contact details: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/ris/contacts/rdst Many of the forms you will need at various points in your degree can be found on: www.sheffield.ac.uk/ris/pgr/code/forms The full guide for PGR students is laid out on the following websites: Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes: www.sheffield.ac.uk/ris/pgr/code The General Regulations for Higher Degrees found within the University Regulations: www.shef.ac.uk/calendar/index

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New students

Important things you must do for your Induction!

Contact Beckii Suttill and/or Sue Porteous in the BMS Office Beckii and Sue are your most important contacts in the Biomedical Science Office and will help you to make sure you have done everything you should to register and become properly integrated into the department. Make sure you identify yourself to them as soon as possible after your arrival. Their contact details are listed on page 4.

Attend the Biomedical Science Induction session The department holds an Induction session for new students each year which is designed to orient you, go over some of the key points covered in this Handbook and introduce you to key members of staff and to our current PhD students. This year this session will take place on: Friday, 14th September, 2012 in the BMS Conference Room (see map above).

Register Registration of New Graduate Students DATE: Friday, 21st September 2012 VENUE: Sports Hall 1, Goodwin Centre TIME: Depending on Surname. See http://www.shef.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.196553!/file/Essential-Guide-timetable.pdf Registration is the process by which the University confirms that it holds correct information about its students, their courses of study and the arrangements for the payment of their tuition fees. You will not be able to use any University facilities or receive any payments of stipend until you have completed registration. All full-time and part-time graduate students are required to register in person (unless otherwise arranged) on commencing their studies. You should already have received full details of graduate registration procedures and other pre-arrival information, from the Research Office (RIS). If not, contact Beckii and/or Sue in the departmental office. New graduate students are also required to provide evidence of their qualifications and should bring the original certificates (transcript), or certified copies of them, to registration. We also recommend that you take with you your offer letter and award letter (if applicable). Late registration: If you arrive after 21st September, please go to the following web page for details about how to register late - http://www.shef.ac.uk/newstudents/registration/missed

Complete BMS Staff Induction form All new BMS Staff are required to complete the online Staff Induction form: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/bms/staff/database Completion of this form will trigger a number of further events that are necessary to allow you to work safely and legally during your PhD, including invitations to the relevant Fire and Safety training courses. You will not be allowed to work in the lab until you have completed these. In addition, completion of the form will ensure that your name is included on important departmental mailing lists that will provide you with information about seminars, ongoing safety issues and much else. Also included on the website above is a link to an Induction checklist, which contains important information on what you have to do before you can work with hazardous chemicals (COSSH); Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs); radioactivity; or animals requiring a Home Office Licence. Please go through this checklist carefully with your Supervisor to ensure you meet all the necessary requirements. If you are in any doubt that you have satisfied all the requirements please contact Debbie Sutton or Mark Ellse.

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Doctoral Development Programme (DDP) and Training Needs Analysis (TNA) The Doctoral Development Programme is a flexible, ongoing training plan integral to your research degree and tailored to your individual needs. The aim of the DDP is to provide you with a range of skills and training opportunities that enhance both your specific study and future employability. Your training requirements are established through a Training Needs Analysis meeting, which is conducted with your Supervisor. This meeting should take place before you choose your DDP modules (the DDP is explained in more detail below). This is an important meeting and is discussed in more detail below under Support, Training and Appraisal.

Two further meetings take place during Induction Week to orient you and help you decide which DDP modules (or other training) may be appropriate:

Individual meeting with PGRD: 24th September 2012, Rm D231, Alfred Denny (times will be notified)

DDP Information Session (Welcome Meeting): 25th September 2012, Octagon Centre

Further information on the DDP can be found on the DDP Portal online: http://www.shef.ac.uk/ris/pgr/ddpportal/home DDP Registration is done online: http://www.shef.ac.uk/ris/pgr/ddpportal/reg/registration You should aim to have registered for your DDP modules by the beginning of October at the latest.

DDP compulsory modules All new research students will automatically be registered for certain compulsory modules required by the Faculty of Science or by BMS: All students must take the Faculty of Science’s:

FCM6100 Research Ethics and Integrity module. In addition, BMS students must take:

BMS6003 “Critical Evaluation of Biomedical Research”

BMS6004 “Thesis Proposal” These modules are discussed in more detail below, but it is essential that you contact Sid Dongre (mdp10sad@sheffield.ac.uk) or Gavin Fullstone (g.fullstone@sheffield.ac.uk) as soon as possible to become enrolled in the Journal Clubs that are a critical part of BMS6003.

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All students

Support, Training and Appraisal The University of Sheffield has a strong reputation for supporting and training its Postgraduate Research (PGR) students. The basis for this is laid out in the Doctoral Development Programme and the Code of Practice, which also includes details that relate to the administration and regulation of your degree. The department of Biomedical Science fully embraces the University’s policies for training and support, although you may find some details of what we do are somewhat different to those found in other departments. The specifics of the BMS PGR training and support program are laid out in detail below.

Support Structure

Supervisor All of our students have at least one Supervisor. In some circumstances there may be a co-Supervisor who is another member of staff from within BMS, or elsewhere. Your first point of contact with the department is through your Supervisor. The University expects Supervisors to hold a formal Progress Meetings with you at least once every 4-6 weeks, which should be recorded in your Personal Log (see below) and signed by your Supervisor. In practice, many Supervisors in BMS meet with their students more regularly than this to discuss day-to-day issues in the lab, but the purpose of the Progress Meeting is to assess your progress at more general level.

Advisors In addition to your Supervisor(s4), each BMS PGR student is assigned two Advisors – usually members of BMS academic staff, though academic staff from other departments may also be involved – whose role is to give both scientific and pastoral support to the student during their PhD. Advisors are appointed by the PGRD in consultation with your Supervisor. At least one of the Advisors is intended to be clearly independent of the student’s Supervisor and should be someone to whom the student can turn for confidential advice if necessary. Together your Supervisor and Advisors comprise your Thesis Committee. The Thesis Committee makes formal recommendations to the department as to your progress, by way of an annual appraisal exercise which is overseen by the PGRD and PGAC (see below). You should arrange to meet with your Advisors no later than 6 weeks after you start. The objective of this first meeting is for Advisors to get an idea of the student’s background, to define the Advisors’ role, to discuss their project in general terms and to find out if the student is ‘settling in’. You are encouraged to meet with your Advisors as often as is mutually beneficial. However, you are also required to meet with them as part of the formal appraisal of progress exercise (outlined below).

Postgraduate Research Director (PGRD) Although the PGRD has an over-arching role in the oversight of the BMS PhD Programme – including overall responsibility for the recruitment, training and appraisal of our PGR students – he or she is also there to provide confidential pastoral support to students and to arbitrate when disputes arise between student and Supervisory team, and students should feel free to get in contact at any time (although preferably by email in the first instance).

4 Some students may be jointly supervised, sometimes with Supervisors in different departments. Even so, all

students are also assigned to Advisors. This is different to policies in other departments.

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Postgraduate Affairs Committee (PGAC) Ultimate authority for the resolution of student difficulties rests, in the department, with the PGAC, whose membership includes the Head of Department. The Head of Department can also be contacted in confidence independently if the student is unable to resolve their difficulties by any of the above channels.

University-wide Support Considerable independent support is provided to PGR students by the Student Services Information Desk (http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid/index), the Student Advice Centre (http://www.shef.ac.uk/union/advice/) and the Counselling Service (http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/counselling), which cover many aspects of student life besides academic progress.

Training The majority of your project-specific PhD training will occur through interactions with your Supervisor and other members of his or her laboratory, which will equip you with the practical and intellectual skills to pursue a career in research. However, as an aid to the development of these skills and to help you develop skills that will make you more widely employable, BMS students take part in the University’s Doctoral Development Program, which aims to tailor your training to your specific needs. This begins in your first year with a Training Needs Analysis meeting with your Supervisor, which is then repeated at the beginning of each subsequent academic year.

Training Needs Analysis/First Supervisory meeting Your first Supervisory, or TNA meeting should establish what your Supervisor expects of you in order for you to be able to submit a thesis worthy of a PhD, and what skills you need to develop in order to make this happen. Each Supervisor has specific ideas about what constitutes a good thesis and your discussion should establish what he or she expects of you. This should include, for instance, discussion of how you are expected to conduct your research on a day-to-day basis, how to develop appropriate organisational skills and what techniques you might develop to allow you effectively to monitor the literature relevant to your research. It should also establish the pattern of meetings you will have with your Supervisor to monitor your progress and the direction of your work.

In addition, you will have both general and more specific training needs, either personal to you (for example, if you are from abroad you may feel you require help with written or spoken English), or specific to your project (for example, you may need to acquire specific statistical or computing skills, or you may have to sit specific Home Office courses to enable you to work with animals) and you should discuss how these needs can be met. This discussion should also consider whether you fulfil the more general skill requirements expected by the Doctoral Development Programme.

To provide a framework for this discussion, the DDP website has TNA forms and guidance specific to the Faculty of Science (http://www.shef.ac.uk/ris/pgr/ddpportal/guidance/forms). The objective is that you should go through the relevant TNA form before you meet with your Supervisor and assess your competency in the various skills that are listed (note that the first section is reserved for project-specific skills that you and your Supervisor may decide upon during your TNA meeting). Note that where you assess your competency already to be high, you should indicate your reasons for this in the ‘Evidence/Comments’ column. You should then arrive at your TNA meeting with a printout of this form (with your competency assessment included) and then discuss with your Supervisor which skills you need to develop this year and how this will be done.

Many of these skills can be developed through your day-to-day experience in the lab. However, some of the broader skills can be acquired through participation in DDP modules and PGR Skills Seminars (see also below). However, your Supervisor may also wish to send you on specific external courses/workshops, or to some of our 3rd year undergraduate courses, both of which will be recognised and count towards the DDP. Similarly, students can also participate in courses held by the English Language Teaching Centre (e.g. http://www.shef.ac.uk/eltc/languagesupport/els) as part of the DDP.

Note that the overall objective is that by the end of your PhD you will be able say that, you have a competency score of 4 or more in perhaps 70-80% of the skills listed. Importantly, this means that you need only address the most important skill deficits in the first year, leaving others until subsequent years.

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A note about PebblePad/e-portfolio record keeping

The DDP suggests that you complete your TNA using online ‘e-portfolio’ software called PebblePad. Our experience has been that most BMS Supervisors, and indeed most of our current students, prefer to do the TNA the ‘old-fashioned way’ using pen and paper. If you want to use PebblePad you can find out more about it on http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/ris/pgr/ddpportal/eportfolio, but please check with your Supervisor that they are happy to use this system before using it.

Doctoral Development Programme/PGR Skills module and seminar selection. The DDP provides a huge array of different modules that address the different skills training needs that you identify in your TNA meeting. Those relevant to the Faculty of Science can be found on http://ris.dept.shef.ac.uk/doc_reg/listings/faculty/4. In addition, Research and Innovation Services (RIS) offer a programme of PGR Skills seminars: http://www.shef.ac.uk/ris/pgr/ddpportal/events. These websites are also where you can register for these different modules/seminars. Note, however, that you should not register for these until they have been agreed with your Supervisor. It is essential that you identify only those modules you need to do this year. Advice on which modules you might want to select will be given by the PGRD at your individual Induction meeting on 24th September. However, you are required to participate in three compulsory modules, for which you will be automatically registered:

FCM6100 “Research Ethics and Integrity” (first year). Details will be circulated by RIS. BMS6003 “Critical Evaluation of Biomedical Research” (all 3 years): This unit aims to provide students with experience in reading, presenting, interpreting and discussing research papers and seminars in biomedical sciences. Students will be expected to attend/participate in the weekly department-wide seminar programs, to present their work at the annual PGR symposia and to present a poster in their 3rd year in the Life Sciences Poster Day (details will be circulated). Students will be given the opportunity to meet with external seminar speakers and also to invite and host speakers of their choice (contact Prof. Liz Smythe if you have an idea for this). In addition, students will be expected to take part in regular Journal Clubs, organised by the PhD Society, which examine and critically evaluate primary research papers across the subjects represented in the department. The student will be expected to keep a Personal Log (see Personal Log section) of the seminars and Journal Clubs they have attended and be able to discuss the seminars, in a general way, at Advisory Meetings (see Appraisal section). Students are expected to attend the majority of these sessions.

It is important that you contact Sid Dongre (mdp10sad@sheffield.ac.uk) or Gavin Fullstone (g.fullstone@sheffield.ac.uk) as soon as possible to become enrolled in the Journal Clubs. BMS6004 “Thesis Proposal” (1st year): This unit aims to establish and justify the research work to be undertaken by each student, and to provide the context for that work. Students will be expected to produce a Thesis Proposal (4000 words total, excluding figure legends and references) to be presented to and discussed with their Advisors and members of the PGAC at their first six month Appraisal Meeting (see below). The Proposal should include: a literature review that demonstrates that the student understands the context of their project in relation to current and past research; a project outline that justifies the proposed research in this context, explains the hypotheses to be tested, and establishes a framework and timescale for the approaches to be taken.

The student should also include an additional half page statement of the impact that the project will have, which should be written so that it can be understood by an informed lay person. ‘Impact statements’ are now required in most RCUK grant proposals, so Supervisors should be able to discuss with their students what is meant by ‘impact’, but broadly the following questions should be addressed:

Who will benefit from this research or activity? How will they benefit from this research or activity? What will be done to ensure that they have the opportunity to benefit from this research or

activity?

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The Proposal should be written in the student’s own words5 as if writing a grant proposal to support the work6. However, it is expected that the student’s Supervisor will meet regularly with the student to ensure that the right references are being found and that the student is creating a logical structure for the essay. Supervisors should have read and given comments on: 1) the student’s plan for the Proposal and 2) at least one draft (but not more than two) before submission to the student’s Advisors. The Supervisor should also assist the student to test an early draft for plagiarism using the TurnItIn program (see section below). The final draft should be presented to the Supervisor and Advisors at least 3 weeks in advance of the student’s first half-yearly report at which the student will be expected to make a 10 minute presentation that summarises the Thesis Proposal (see Appraisal of Progress and Appraisal Schedule below). Note that BMS6004 particularly will contribute significantly to the student’s Confirmation Review by the PGAC at the end of the first year (see Appraisal below).

Personal Progress Log All aspects of your general training activities should be recorded in your Personal Progress Log (a template for this is available from Beckii/Sue in the BMS Office). You are required to keep a copy of this Log as a part of the DDP and you will be asked to produce it at Advisory Meetings, including your Confirmation Review; you will not be allowed to submit your thesis without it. In addition to keeping records of your Supervisory meetings, it should be used to record what you do outside the laboratory during your time here, including attendance at seminars, journal clubs, conferences etc. You should also find this log a useful aide memoire when updating your CV.

Your Supervisor will maintain a record of your Supervisory Meetings in the Student Attendance Monitoring system and may use this to schedule meetings.

NB you are also welcome to use PebblePad (see above) to record this information; however Supervisors and Advisors will expect to see a hard copy version of your log when you meet with them.

Appraisal of progress Important features of the way in which we assess your progress are that each annual appraisal is stage specific - that is the requirements change to suit your particular stage of study - and secondly, that you are involved in each stage of the process. At all stages there is an opportunity for you to make confidential comments directly to your Advisors or the Post Graduate Research Director. The purpose of this process is to provide support and advice to give you the best chance of producing an excellent thesis.

Confirmation Review The key first step in your appraisal is the presentation of your Thesis Proposal (see BMS6004 above), which forms a component of your Confirmation Review. This was previously known as the upgrade from MPhil to PhD, but from this year (2012-13) onwards, new students are registered directly onto the PhD course. However, your first year is probationary and your continuation into 2nd year has to be ‘confirmed’ at the end of the year in the Confirmation Review.

In BMS, this process begins in your first Half year Advisory meeting with the presentation of your Thesis Proposal to a Panel comprised of your Advisors and members of the PGAC. This meeting will last about 40 minutes, during which you will make a 10 minute presentation of your Thesis Proposal, which will be followed by a general discussion. Supervisors will not be present. At the end of this, you will be asked to leave the room briefly while the Panel discusses their impressions, before asking you back for a summary discussion. Normally, your Supervisor will also be asked to join this final discussion.

The Panel will assess two things: first, your comprehension of the project and its background, and second, the feasibility of the project proposed. This is an assessment therefore of both you and your Supervisor and it is intended to be a constructive criticism that will ensure that you and the project have the best chances to be submitted in a successful PhD thesis.

5 See notes below on plagiarism

6 costs do not need to be addressed!!

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In most cases, although the Panel may have some suggestions for modifications/changes to the project, they most likely will indicate that they expect the student’s continuation to be confirmed in the summer, in which case the Advisors will confirm this after the Annual Advisory meeting late June.

In some cases, the Panel may express more serious concerns, either with the student’s understanding of their project, or with the project itself. In these instances, if the final discussion with the Supervisor does not reassure the Panel, the student and Supervisor will be asked to go away and address the concerns, and re-present the modified project to the whole Panel at the end of June, in place of the summer Advisory meeting. In most instances, student and Supervisor will be able to address the issues and the student will go on to progress at the end of the year.

In rare cases, the summer meeting with the Panel does not resolve the issues, or the Supervisor may raise their own concerns about the ability of the student to complete a PhD (which may occur regardless of the Half Year Appraisal). If the issues are with the project and there is a difference of opinion with the Supervisor, the Panel may decide that the student would be better suited to an alternative Supervisor. Alternatively, if the Panel has serious concerns that the student will not be able to complete a PhD, or if the Supervisor has raised concerns and the Panel is in agreement, the recommendation will be made that the student instead writes up an MPhil. In either instance, if the Supervisor or student does not accept the decision of the Panel, a full meeting of the PGAC will be convened to consider the issues and the Supervisor and student will both be given a chance to present their case. We rarely have such issues, but when they do occur the PGAC’s priority is to ensure that the outcome is in the student’s best interests.

Advisory meetings Subsequent meetings will alternate between a brief half-yearly report (usually a single page of bullet points outlining progress plus figures) and a full written Annual Report (no more than 4 pages excluding figures). These reports are stage-specific and described in more detail above. The meetings with your Advisors are very important. Besides giving you the opportunity to discuss your research with individuals not directly involved in your research (a process not unlike that of the oral examination that you will have to take when your thesis is examined), the meeting will also give you the opportunity to discuss your supervision independently of your Supervisor. 7You are not a passive element in this process and active participation will help both the project progression and preparation for your viva.

You have responsibilities. We expect that you will make yourself aware of, and adhere to, the responsibilities of graduate research students that are outlined in the University Code of Practice and comply with any requirements set by the University or department. An important aspect of this is to return any required documentation and arrange requested meetings by defined deadlines. The meetings described above are a requirement of your study in the department. A report of these meetings has to be made via the appropriate proformas, which are available on the website or from Beckii/Sue. These reports are monitored by the PGRD, so that any potential problems can be detected and rectified.

Annual Reports Annual Reports to Advisors should be treated as an ongoing update to your Thesis Proposal, but they should be properly structured to include: an Introduction that summarises your objectives and reviews the ‘state of the art’ of the literature relating to your project, including significant papers that have been published in the last year and how these impact upon your project; a Methods section that describes new methods that have been introduced; a Results section describing new results you have obtained; and a Discussion that discusses these results, and the publications of others, in the context of your overall objectives.

Supervisory Meetings In these meetings, you should be discussing your work “in the round”, with a view to the fact that you need to deliver a thesis at the end of three years. The nature of these meetings will clearly change as

7 First year students who have successfully completed their Thesis Proposal will simply be asked to highlight changes

made in response to the Half Year review and to summarise new progress (no more than 3 additional pages, excluding figures)

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you progress. Here, you and your Supervisor can raise general points about your general academic progress. You can also raise points regarding supervision and how you see your own progress. Through regular discussions with your Supervisor you should be aware of

the standard of work expected of you your immediate and long-term objectives the progress you are making the nature of, and means to resolve, specific problems that might be impeding progress

A major pit into which students frequently fall is a failure to determine the quality of their data as they go along. Often the student may convince themselves of a result (e.g. by observation under the microscope) but fail to consolidate the data before moving on to the next step, with the result that crucial data needs repeating when the thesis or paper comes to be written. A good habit is to compile your data into figures as you go along. Your Advisors will anyway require that you do this for your six monthly reports, but far as possible you should present compiled work to your Supervisor on a regular basis.

Appraisal Schedule N.B.: It is the responsibility of the student to arrange their Appraisal meetings: ideally setting the date of the next meeting should be a part of every meeting. Please let the PGA secretaries know the dates of your meetings; they will help book rooms and will provide up-to-date forms. Year 1 Before DDP registration Training Needs Analysis meeting with Supervisor. Hand copy of completed form to PGA secretaries by end of October.

Within six weeks Meet informally with Advisors

Half-year Confirmation Review meeting (normally in 1st week of March) Formal presentation of your Thesis Proposal (BMS6004) to your Advisors and members of the Post Graduate Affairs Committee; Advisors should be presented with the written work at least 3 weeks before. The report from this meeting will form part of the student’s Confirmation Review.

First year student symposium (end of June/beginning of July) Presentation of project to students, Supervisors and Advisors

Annual Report (meeting to take place by 2nd week of July at the latest) Annual Report to Advisors incorporating BMS6004 review, but highlighting changes made in response to your six month review and summary of progress so far (no more than 3 additional pages exc. figures). Should be handed to Advisors by 1st Monday of July at the latest.

Year 2 Beginning of Year (before DDP registration in early October): Training Needs Analysis meeting with Supervisor. Review student’s training needs. Hand completed form to PGA secretaries by end of October.

Half-year (by the end of January) Brief report to Advisors (e.g. single page with bulleted points, plus figures to illustrate data) on ongoing work highlighting revisions to objectives as appropriate.

Annual report (meeting to take place by 2nd week of July at latest) Annual Report to Advisors of research undertaken and remaining to be done (max. 4 pages excluding figures). Should be handed to Advisors by 1st Monday of July at the latest.

Year 3 Beginning of Year (early October): Training Needs Analysis meeting with Supervisor. Review student’s training needs.

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Hand completed form to PGA secretaries by end of October.

Half-year (by the end of January) Brief Report to Advisors on progress, including if appropriate a thesis outline, setting out chapters and structure.

Annual Report (meeting to take place by 2nd week of July at latest) Annual Report to Advisors summarising data to date, including detailed outline of thesis and highlighting remaining objectives to achieve submission. Should be handed to Advisors by 1st Monday of July at the latest. Year 4 It is recognised that the work for many theses will extend beyond the third year, and indeed that a number of students may be funded for a full four years according to their funding agency. Nonetheless, it is a departmental and University requirement that all students submit before the end of their fourth year and Advisors will expect to see a clear ‘timetable to submission’ emerging during the course of the third year.

Note that, since even those students not funded into their fourth year will remain registered with the University (and be subject to Continuation Fees8), all students continue to come under the jurisdiction of the department until they submit. Thus, we require that Advisory meetings continue into the fourth year and indeed that they occur more frequently.

Fourth year students are expected to meet with their Advisors before the end of October, and should be in contact regularly (at least every 3 months) thereafter until they submit. Forms for these meetings will be available from the PGR Secretaries and e-mail reminders will be sent out. It is the responsibility of both student and Supervisor to ensure that Advisors are kept up to date with progress.

Research Training Support (Funding) The research in which you are engaged is costly. Funding to support your research is normally expected to come from grants that your Supervisor has won from the Research Councils and other funding agencies. Spending on these grants is usually controlled by Supervisors and senior members of the lab and your Supervisor will make clear to you how ordering for reagents etc, to support your work is done. Many of our studentships, including those still supported by our BBSRC and MRC Doctoral Training Grants, have only minimal support for research costs (~£500 - £1000 per annum; the award letter you receive when you first start should detail this. If in doubt, ask the PGA secretaries for clarification), known as the Research Training Support Grant (RTSG). The RTSG is also to be used to support your attendance at meetings, conferences etc. Expenditure on your RTSG is authorised by the PGA Secretaries, or the Financial Administrator. Please use this money carefully, as it is all that is available to you to support travel and other training needs. Only a few studentships come with substantial research funding of their own (e.g. those from Cancer Research UK and from some overseas governments) and these are usually administered like other research grants, requiring authorisation by your Supervisor.

Membership of Learned Societies/Travel Grants All students are strongly encouraged to take out student membership with appropriate learned societies, which offer travel grants for young members. Some of the relevant societies are listed below (your Supervisor may suggest others). Your application may need to be supported by an existing society member and your Supervisor should be able to help you identify a suitable sponsor§.

British Society for Cell Biology http://www.bscb.org/ British Society for Developmental Biology http://www.bsdb.org British Neuroscience Association http://www.bna.org.uk/ UK Physiological Society http://www.physoc.org/

8 Continuation fees are charged upon thesis submission and are charged at a rate of ~£25 for every month longer

than 3 years that the student takes to submit their thesis.

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You are also eligible to apply for financial support for attendance at scientific meetings under the guidelines for the Learned Societies Fund, which has limited funding to support travel to conferences and workshops. Details of the application procedure can be found on this website: http://www.shef.ac.uk/finance/staff-information/mymoney/myexpenses/learned_societies

In BMS, applications should be submitted to the Departmental Manager.

Thesis Writing, Submission and Defence Although there are many ways to write a thesis, and Supervisors will differ in the details they prefer to see included, a PhD thesis at least is expected to be an original, coherent body of work that reports on the research you have done in your 3 or 4 years in the department. It should describe the problem you have tried to address and why it is significant, what was known previously about this problem, what you have done towards addressing the problem, what you think your results mean and where or how further progress in the field could be made. It should be written in a way that can be understood by someone who, although an expert, has not just spent 3 years thinking about this one topic!

You should expect to get help from your Supervisor in the writing of your thesis. At the very least he or she should discuss your plan, read the first draft and give constructive criticism.

Plagiarism Supervisors should also help you to understand what can and cannot be included in the thesis, and in particular help you to avoid ‘plagiarising’ other people’s work. This is especially important as the University now requires all theses ultimately to be published online (see Code of Practice). As a consequence, all theses submitted to the University of Sheffield will be subjected to plagiarism tests before they are accepted. BMS has access to the most common plagiarism detecting program, TurnItIn, and Supervisors and students are strongly encouraged to test students’ writing early on (for example, their 1st year Thesis Proposals) to familiarise students with what is and is not acceptable. Supervisors can contact Dr Tanya Whitfield or Dr Martin Cambray-Deakin for information on how to start using the program.

Submission The University formally expects that all students will submit a thesis by the end (or within three months after) of year three. However, as noted above, it is increasingly common for students to continue into their fourth year, and indeed in some instances the student’s funding agency may provide funding for a full four years of study. Nonetheless, it is a departmental and University requirement that all students submit before the end of their fourth year. Therefore, at your third year annual appraisal meeting, your Thesis Committee will recommend whether you are ready to submit a thesis for the degree of PhD or not. You should take into account your committee’s recommendation.

The responsibility for the preparation, writing and submission of a thesis rests with you. Your Supervisor’s responsibility is to read and comment on the draft to ensure that it is coherent, clearly written and concise. It is your responsibility to decide when to submit the thesis.

Full details of the preparation, submission and examination of theses are given on: http://www.shef.ac.uk/ris/pgr/code/first

Viva Talks The department encourages all students to consider giving a talk on their thesis on the day of their viva to the department and to their Thesis Committee. Examiners will also be encouraged to attend, but will be instructed that the talk does not form part of the examination. Instead, the talk is intended to showcase the student’s work and the student will be encouraged to invite their family and friends. It is suggested that the talk be about 30 mins long.

Other Training In the past, some of our students have expressed a desire to carry out training unrelated to their PhD (e.g. PGCE or specific training for a career outside of science) at the same time as pursuing their research project. Only in exceptional circumstances will the department encourage this. Please arrange to

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discuss this with your Thesis Committee and the PGRT, as well as your Supervisor, before enrolling in any such training.

Harassment, Grievance and Appeals

Harassment Harassment of people at work or in the learning environment is a feature of discrimination, which is prohibited by law. The University considers all forms of harassment as extremely serious. Details of the University’s policies and procedures are available on the University web site at: http://www.shef.ac.uk/hr/harass/harass.html If you feel that you are being victimised in any way, initially you may wish to discuss the matter confidentially with your Supervisor, your Advisors, the PGRD, deputy chairman or chairman. If you feel unable to approach anyone within the department you SHOULD seek help through the “Harassment Network”.

Grievance Procedures Your relationship with your Supervisor is critical to successful research study. The nature of your monthly progress meetings means that you should both be able to raise concerns to one another and discuss them in a sensible and constructive way. Our experience is that, when problems do arise, it is mostly because of a failure of communication between Supervisor and student. So please, if you are unhappy about something, tell your Supervisor as early as possible. In the vast majority of cases problems can be resolved at this early stage. Keeping your worries to yourself often means they become ‘too large’ for a resolution to be reached later on. Nonetheless, if for whatever reason you believe that your concerns are not being addressed appropriately, you have two courses of action:

If you think it appropriate, discuss the matter with one or both of your Advisors. Part of their accepted role is to provide this kind of pastoral support. With your consent, they may discuss the matter with your Supervisor, and if necessary mediate the situation.

If you remain unsatisfied, you can approach the departmental Postgraduate Research Director who normally will be able to resolve the situation. However, where this is not possible, the matter will be referred to the departmental chairman and ultimately the faculty.

At the departmental level, any comments that you wish to make in this way will remain confidential and will not be passed to your Supervisor without your permission. Further advice on complaints procedures can be found at: http://www.shef.ac.uk/ris/pgr/code/complaints

Appeals The result of the annual departmental appraisal exercise is that your thesis committee will make a recommendation to the PGAC as to your further progress. This recommendation will then be used as a basis for the recommendation that is made to the faculty. At your appraisal meeting you will be asked to signify that you agree with the committee’s recommendation by signing the appraisal report. If you do not agree – you should decline the opportunity to sign. You will then be invited to meet with the PGRD to discuss your disagreement. This process in no way compromises your rights under the University’s normal appeals procedures. Details of the University’s complaints and appeals procedures are provided in the Students’ Charter, copies of which are available from the Advice Centre in the Union of Students and from the Student Services Department in the University.

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It is your responsibility to ensure that any problems are raised at the appropriate level and at the earliest opportunity.

Departmental Health and Safety

Health and Safety The University has a legal duty to ensure the health and safety of all its members. The departmental safety officer is Debbie Sutton. As an individual, you will be required to undergo compulsory training in procedures to be adopted in the event of a fire and for working in the department outside normal working hours. You may also be required to attend other appropriate training courses as determined by your Supervisor and the safety officer. Your Supervisor will discuss this with you, and provide you with more detailed information.

Accidents & emergencies Any incident requiring emergency medical, fire or police attendance should be reported immediately. The University emergency ‘phone number is: 4444 and is manned 24 hours per day. If an incident, such as a crime or attempted crime occurs, then you must also report the matter to the departmental office. This is necessary in order to assist the police and University Security services. Incidents, such as theft, vandalism, gas and water leaks, should be reported immediately. Please refer to - http://www.shef.ac.uk/hr/wellbeing/safetyAdditional

Information

If you are ill Absence due to illness should be reported to your Supervisor or the Departmental Office (22319/24642) as soon as possible. Day 1-3 of sickness - phone call (where possible) Day 4-7 of sickness - a self certification note is required Day 7 of sickness onwards - a doctor's note is required

Seeking help with personal problems All of us at some time experience problems of a personal nature. You may have worries about finances, illnesses, home-sickness, etc. which you may at some point, feel are jeopardising your study here. Your Supervisor should be your first point of contact in this respect. Alternatively, approach your Advisors or the PGRD. If you feel unable to speak with someone in the department, you SHOULD seek help via Student Services. Student Services information Desk (SSiD) operate a “Signpost” service, which can be accessed via the web at: http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid/welfare/signposts This service allows a confidential enquiry to be directed towards any of the SSiD’s counselling services. The main Counselling Service (http://www.shef.ac.uk/counselling/) is located at 36 Wilkinson Street, phone 0114 22 24134:

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Demonstrating and Teaching opportunities All graduate students are encouraged to take the opportunity to gain experience in undergraduate teaching. There are opportunities available to demonstrate on practical modules which form part of our undergraduate courses. Apart from enhancing your CV it has the additional advantages of adding to your general science and communication skills as well as increasing your bank balance! We allow teaching up to the current University limits. The remuneration is at current university levels, depending on the type of teaching you undertake. Details are given in the ‘Guidebook for Research Students and Supervisors’. You should discuss with your Supervisor the amount of teaching in which you should be involved and the subject area that might be most appropriate. Supervisors may suggest that demonstrating in the first semester of your first year or in your third and fourth years is not appropriate, depending on how your work is proceeding. If you are unhappy with such advice, please consult with your Advisors and the PGRD before agreeing to do demonstrating at this stage. You can find out more about the type of teaching we do from the departmental web pages or by contacting Angela Warren on 0114 2224675.