11. Annual monitoring requirements

11.1  The progress and status of all research students, including Professional Doctorate students, full-time and part-time, must be reviewed annually by each Faculty. 

Practice may vary and full details of the discipline specific requirements can be found in the Faculty Handbook. Candidates must produce a brief written annual progress report or equivalent, about their research as appropriate for their discipline (approximately 1,000 words). Where appropriate, students may be asked to submit particular chapters of their thesis as part of the monitoring assessment. 

The work should be submitted to the Faculty or Departmental Postgraduate Research Tutors and copied to the Supervisory Teams in accordance with the annual monitoring procedures. This assessment process must include one person external to the supervisory team and all students should be interviewed each year as part of the monitoring process.

11.2  In addition to the annual monitoring, at the end of the first year full-time or second year part-time, the progress review should include consideration of the likelihood of the candidate achieving the award of MPhil or PhD. 

If the review process indicates that the candidate is unlikely to achieve the degree of PhD within an appropriate period (3.5 years for full-time or 5.5 years for part-time) clear indication should be given and if necessary the registration terminated or the candidate required only to submit for the degree of MPhil. 

Where a candidate is not likely to achieve the degree of MPhil the necessary action should be taken with a view to terminating registration. Directors of Studies are required to submit an annual progress report in respect of all candidates they are supervising to the appropriate Postgraduate Research Tutors, who will sign the reports and forward them to the Research Degrees Team.

11.3  Each Faculty must ensure that progress monitoring occurs during the first year of study and either at transfer of registration or the end of the second year for full-time students and pro-rata for part-time students. 

Where a student has registered for PhD direct, in addition to the first year report, a full progress review must take place at the end of the second year and should include an interview. The monitoring must include someone external to the supervisory team. Appropriate arrangements must be made for all students to make 2 oral presentations during their research degree programme and these should form part of progress monitoring.

11.4  Students will be given the opportunity annually, to give comment anonymously on the adequacy of supervision and facilities provided for their research. 

11.5  All students enrolled on a research degree programme must submit a piece of work, as appropriate for the discipline, through Turnitin no more than 3 times in any one academic year. It will be expected that all students will submit a chapter or piece of academic writing through Turnitin during the annual monitoring process each year. 

Full details of the work submitted at this point will be noted on the Research Degree Committee, Annual Progress Report form and should include a summary or statement about the analysis of the Turnitin report. Other submissions may take place at the Registration and Transfer stages as indicated by the Department or Faculty Postgraduate Research Tutor.