Postgraduate Research - Aberystwyth University · Head of Department Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator 2.0 The ... performance studies, media and communication, ... ITV Wales Archive,

Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies

Institute of Literature, Languages and Creative Arts

2016-17

Postgraduate Research Student

Handbook

2

1.0 Welcome and Introduction 4 2.0 The Department 5-9 2.1 Staff interests 5 2.2 Research Collections and Centres 6 2.3 External Research Funding 9 3.0 Your time in the Department 10-15

3.1 Induction 10 3.1.1 The peer mentoring system 10 3.2 The research life of the Department 11 3.2.1 The Institute of Literature, Languages and Creative Arts Research

Seminar Series 11

3.2.2. The Institute/Departmental Research Conference 11 3.2.3 Postgraduate Research ‘Jour Fixe’ 12 3.2.4 Informal Study Groups 12 3.3 Attending external conferences 13 3.4 Research Ethics 13 3.5 The ‘fourth year’ or in abeyance period 14 3.6 Responsibilities of the student

15

4.0 Monitoring Progress 16-27

4.1 Day to day progress 16 4.2 Annual Departmental monitoring 16 4.3 University monitoring procedures 24 4.4 Progression across years 25 4.5 MPhil to PhD upgrade procedure 26 5.0 General Information 28-33 5.1 Office hours 28 5.2 Use of e-mail and information services access 28 5.3 Key Departmental and Institute contacts 28 5.4 Postgraduate Pigeonholes 29 5.5 Post to your home/term address 29 5.6 Departmental postgraduate representation and complaints procedure 30 5.6.1 Postgraduate Student Consultative Committee 30 5.6.2 Complaints Procedure 30 5.7 Departmental financial support 31 5.7.1 Research Support Fund 31 5.7.2 Inter-Library Loans 31 5.8 Research student study space 32 5.9 Library resources 32 5.10 University IT resources 33

Contents

3

6.0 Research Training 34-36 6.1 The importance of research training 34 6.2 University research training programme 35 6.3 Continuing Professional Development 36

7.0 Supervision 37-38

7.1 Beyond the supervisor 37 7.2 Procedures for making changes to the supervisory team 37 8.0 Thesis Submission and Examination 39-42 8.1 Registration periods and time limits for submission 39 8.2 Conventions for thesis presentation 39 8.2.1 Thesis Referencing Style 40 8.3 Submission procedures 40 9.0 Teaching 43-46 9.1 Teaching activities 43 9.2 Postgraduate Student Teaching Mentorship System 44 9.3 General matters relating to teaching 45 9.4 ‘Teaching for Postgraduates at Aberystwyth University’ Course (TPAU) 45 10.0 Welfare Provision 47-48

APPENDIX 1: Record of Supervision Form 49

APPENDIX 2: Criteria for Assessing Monitoring Submissions 50 APPENDIX 3: Preparing for your Viva 51 APPENDIX 4: Useful websites 55

4

Welcome to Aberystwyth, and to the Department of Theatre, Film & Television Studies. We are delighted to welcome all our postgraduate students, and hope that your time here will be productive and enjoyable. This Handbook contains important information to help and guide you throughout your time as a research student in the Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies, Aberystwyth. In a number of cases, we offer you here a digest of a more detailed body of information, which is available elsewhere.

Please note, this handbook should be read in conjunction with the following:

The Code of Practice for Research Postgraduates

The “Researcher Development Programme Handbook” Both available at http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/grad-school/docs-handbooks/

University Rules and Regulations at http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/regulations/

Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the information in this handbook is up-to date, changes in procedures do occasionally occur. In these instances, these changes will be communicated to you via email. Wishing you every success with your studies.

1.0 Welcome and Introduction

http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/grad-school/docs-handbooks/

http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/regulations/

5

Dr Anwen Jones Dr Kate Egan Head of Department Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator

The Department is a thriving centre for an exceptionally wide range of types and traditions of research. Not only does it span a number of subject areas (theatre and drama, scenography, performance studies, media and communication, film and television), it embraces various kinds of research into these domains: historical and archival work; many forms of close textual investigation; audience and reception research; policy research; practice as research. And of course there is a strong presence of work both about Wales, and conducted in the medium of Welsh.

In REF 2014 50% of our department's research was judged to be either "world leading" or "internationally excellent", with a further 40% being "internationally recognised" by the national subject panel assessing work in our disciplines. The department has also been given an impressive overall satisfaction rating of 91% in the 2016 National Student Survey (NSS), significantly higher than the UK figure of 86%.As postgraduates you will therefore be part of a Department which has a first class learning and teaching record and unrivalled access to leading scholars and academic practitioners who are world-leading in the fields of theatre studies, performance studies, scenography, media studies, and film and television studies. Alongside its widely recognised teaching and research activity, the Department is actively working, and developing projects, with the wider creative industries. Our mission is to maintain and nurture the Department’s reputation as an international centre of academic excellence and to share its knowledge and understanding with the cultural and creative industries in Wales and beyond.

2.1 Staff interests Staff members who have been teaching in the Department in the past few years have published and/or performed in a wide variety of areas. These include:

world theatre; European theatre; English Renaissance drama;

theatre and gender; physical theatre; disability and performance;

site-specific performance; theatre, performance and architecture;

2.0 The Department

6

performance theory and analysis;

performance, philosophy and politics;

cultural theory, drama and performance;

performance historiography; archiving and documentation;

theatre and archaeology; performance and the heritage industry;

contemporary English, Welsh and Irish theatre;

Welsh-language drama and performance;

playwriting, performance writing and devised drama;

film audience and reception research (with specialisms in children as audiences, advertising and audiences, participant-observation, audience memory studies, and local cinemagoing studies);

the role of sound and music in cinema;

semiotics and advertising;

avant-garde and experimental cinema;

press, cinema and broadcasting history and policy;

content regulation of television, and film censorship;

documentary film and television;

British and American television drama;

Horror and Cult Cinema;

Russian Cinema and Theatre;

Film stardom and performance;

Children and the Media;

British cinema and television (including Welsh cinema and television);

Film and Media technologies.

2.2 Research Collections and Centres

Within the Department, Institute and University, there are a number of active research collections and centres, which have been developed to foster research, promote debate, and develop collaborative projects amongst us.

COLLECTIONS AND PROJECTS

ITV Wales Archive, The National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales, The National Library of Wales

In 2012, the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales acquired ITV Wales's film and video archive dating from 1958, which includes over 200,000 items. Hundreds of landmark programmes and pioneering broadcasts are contained in this archive, including two memorable history series, The Dragon Has Two Tongues and coverage of events such as the 1966 Aberfan disaster and the opening of the Welsh Assembly in 1999. Together, they represent a unique cultural history of Wales over the past half-century. Items from the collection are now in the catalogue, and are available to the Library's readers.

7

'It was forty years ago today…': Locating the Early History of Performance Art in Wales 1965-1979’

In 2009, Professor Heike Roms was awarded a large research grant by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) for a project examining how performance art histories are constructed, paying particular attention to the development of the art form in the context of Wales. See here for further details on the resources gathered during this project: www.performance-wales.org

'Film and the Other Arts: Intermediality, Medium Specificity, Creativity'

Dr Kim Knowles is co-investigator on this AHRC research network project. Through a series of workshops and public events, the network will explore the border crossings between film and the other arts, raising questions related to medium specificity, technological hybridity and the avant-garde.

RESEARCH CENTRES

Mercator Institute for Media, Languages and Culture

Mercator Institute for Media, Languages and Culture (formerly Mercator - Media) was established in 1987 as part of a network of five research and documentation centres specializing in regional and minority languages within the European Union. The creation of the Mercator Network was a direct result of the European Parliament resolution, which recommended that EC Member State Governments and the European Commission take positive action to recognize regional and minority languages. Today, the Mercator Institute is a research centre based at the Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies, ILLCA, Aberystwyth University, Wales. It hosts a number of projects specialising in languages, creative and literary translation, media, publishing and culture, with much of the activity based around a wide network of institutions, universities, companies, agencies, associations and individuals across Europe and increasingly in other parts of the world. Minority languages are at the forefront of the Mercator Institute's mission, and most of its projects have a specific focus on these languages and their contexts. The Mercator Institute is directed by Professor Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones ([email protected])

Aberystwyth Centre for Media History

The Centre for Media History at Aberystwyth University is an interdisciplinary research centre based in the Department of History and Welsh History and drawing on expertise in the history of the mass media across the University at a whole, both within the Department of History and Welsh History itself and in other departments, principally the Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies. Aberystwyth’s

http://www.performance-wales.org/

http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/tfts/staff/esj/

8

research expertise in this field is internationally recognised, and the journal Media History is currently based at the University. We also benefit from the vast archival and book resources of the National Library of Wales, based in Aberystwyth, in particular its National Screen and Sound Archive. We see media history in its widest context, from the early modern period (and where possible earlier) to the present day, and encompassing the broadest possible range of media, from print culture, cinema and broadcasting to photography, advertising, etc. The Centre’s co-directors are Dr Sian Nicholas ([email protected]) and Dr Jamie Medhurst ([email protected])

Politics and Performance International

The Performance and Politics Research Group ran as a cross‐departmental Research Group from 2006/7‐2013, co‐funded by the Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies (TFTS) and International Politics (Interpol) and hosting Distinguished Speakers plus a one‐day symposium annually. In spring 2013, the group put in a proposal for a University‐wide interdisciplinary Research Centre, in accordance with the Strategic Plan, funded by TFTS, Interpol and the University. It was agreed by both departments and approved by Senate on 12 June 2013 and Council on 24 June 2013, under the name Performance and Politics International Research Centre. In 2014-15, the centre continues its commitment in providing members of the centre, students and the public with distinguished speaker series talks/film screenings and seminars from both local and international speakers and in collaboration with various university bodies including the Institute of Literature, Languages and Creative Arts (ILLCA) and the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences. Our Distinguished speakers include Dr Claire MacDonald, University of the Arts London; Professor Maaike Bleeker, Chair of Theatre Studies, Utrecht University; and Professor Vivienne Jabri, King’s College, London, and Dr Sophie Nield, Royal Holloway and Dr Nick Vaughan Williams, Warwick University. The Centre’s convenors are Professor Jenny Edkins ([email protected]), Professor Adrian Kear ([email protected]), and Professor Mike Pearson ([email protected])

Centre for Cultural Translation, Institute of Literature, Languages and Creative Arts

The Centre for Cultural Translation recognises translation as a professional activity and its particular relevance to the bilingual and multilingual cultures in Wales and beyond, but also translation as a social, political and cultural process of interlingual and intertexual exchange across many forms of art and expression. It fosters academic work as well as practical applications of translation such as sub-titles, voice overs, adaptations, and simultaneous translation, for example. The Centre coheres around literary, historical, creative, media and cultural studies with a comparative cross-cultural interdisciplinary and bilingual/multilingual focus. Central to our vision is the recognition of so-called ‘minority languages’ or minoritised languages. The director of the centre is Professor Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones ([email protected])

mailto:[email protected]



9

Centre for Cultures of Place, Institute of Literature, Languages and Creative Arts

One of the key overall aims of the Centre for Cultures of Place is to utilise the location of Aberystwyth (its immediate environs and wider west Wales) in order to develop projects that can draw on its unique geographical, geological and cultural identity, while at the same time situating this identity within the 'global'. The Centre for Cultures of Place has three key strands: Cultures of Place in Wales (English and Cymraeg); Territorial Peripheries in an International Context; and Place and Environment in Literature, Culture, and the Arts. These 'research strands' are nested within one another, and incorporate work on the following: culture and ‘environment'; issues of centre/periphery; the Welsh landscape and the Welsh language; travellers to/tourism in Wales; locality and culture; territory and culture; links between the study of culture and geology; and landscape, film, theatre and performance. The director of the centre is Dr Paul Newland ([email protected])

2.3 External Research Funding

The Department has been successful in attracting funding from a variety of sources including the European Union, the Arts & Humanities Research Council, the Economic & Social Research Council, the Leverhulme Trust and the British Academy. Recently funded projects include:

'Film and the Other Arts: Intermediality, Medium Specificity, Creativity' Dr Kim Knowles is co-investigator on this AHRC research network project. Through a series of workshops and public events, the network will explore the border crossings between film and the other arts, raising questions related to medium specificity, technological hybridity and the avant-garde.

‘Television and Society in Wales in the 1970s’ Dr Jamie Medhurst is lead investigator of this Leverhulme Trust funded project, which will create a unique and original history of television and society in Wales during the 1970s, paying particular attention to the ways in which television mediated the changing nature of society, and how television itself, rather than merely reflecting what was happening, was subject to, and part of, the same changes. Through systematic examination of primary source material, the project will explore the complex relationship between politics and policy, national identity, language, everyday life and television during the decade, and hopes to highlight the ways in which this resonates with, and is relevant to, the contemporary broadcasting landscape.

10

From the beginning of your period of work in the Department, a wide range of opportunities will be made available, to help you settle and find your feet, and thereafter to develop as a researcher, as a teacher, and towards your future career. During your time here, we hope that you will want to take a full part in the on-going research life of the Department. Our aim as a Department has been to create a genuine academic community, in which staff and graduates relate on a basis of mutual respect and friendship. We see it as crucial to the development of research students that you develop not only the skills and understandings required for you own particular project, but also engage with a wide range of other people’s projects, looking for points of similarity and difference, and ways in which they can inform each other. Some of the events and activities outlined below will provide platforms, throughout your time as a doctoral student, for this engagement and dialogue.

3.1 Induction

A programme of induction for all new postgraduates is organised by the Graduate School and details are sent to students in advance of their arrival in Aberystwyth. See also https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/grad-school/current-students/induction/ The Department also provides an induction programme and sends details to arriving students in advance. This meeting (with the department’s postgraduate research coordinator and other key staff) includes a general introduction to the Department, its rules, regulations, practices and facilities for research students. You will also be given information on supervisory arrangements and available postgraduate study space at this meeting. The purpose of the induction programme will be to make sure that students understand, from as early as possible:

The facilities and opportunities available to them, and how they can be accessed;

Where they can go for help with any kinds of problems;

The wider research culture of the Department, Institute and the University, and their place within with these;

The student’s role and responsibilities.

3.1.1 The Peer Mentoring System The Department appreciates how difficult it can be to ‘find your feet’ in the first few weeks of becoming a research student and has therefore introduced a peer mentoring system. Each year, a number of our existing research students volunteer to become

3.0 Your time in the Department

https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/grad-school/current-students/induction/

11

mentors for incoming students in order to offer a more continuous and informal induction to life as a research student. Whilst students are welcome to contact their peer mentor for informal advice, they should be aware that the mentor is not a formal representative of the department and queries about regulations/procedures or complaints/problems should be addressed to the Postgraduate Research Coordinator in the first instance.

3.2 The Research Life of the Department A healthy researching Department is much more than a collection of individuals working separately – even if that separate work is often a necessity. In various ways, as a Department, we work to create an environment in which research is something we share. There are currently four main ways in which we do this:

3.2.1. The Institute of Literature, Languages and Creative Arts Research Seminar Series

The Institute runs a lively series of research seminars throughout the year, at which researchers from within the University, from other Universities in the UK, from abroad, or indeed from outside academia altogether, come and talk about their work, and discuss it with us. Postgraduate students are actively encouraged to attend these lively and thought-provoking events, and emails informing you of these seminars will be sent to you throughout the year. For details of the semester 1 schedule, please visit: https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/illca/research/ Departmental Staff are also involved with colleagues from both the Department of International Politics (as part of the ‘Performance and Politics International’ Research Centre) and the Department of History (as part of the Media History Research Centre) in organising inter-departmental seminars; watch your e-mail for regular circulars about all of these.

3.2.2 The Institute/Departmental Research Conference

A very important period in the Department’s research calendar is the annual Postgraduate Research Conference (which takes place during semester 2 each academic year). This is an event where staff and postgraduate students get together to concentrate on learning about each others’ research, and getting feedback and guidance on their own. The event is also an opportunity for staff and postgraduate students to mix and socialise, and social events will therefore also form part of the conference schedule. Postgraduate students have the opportunity to contribute to discussions about the organisation of the conference, and further emails will be sent to you about this, during the course of the academic year.

12

The postgraduate student’s role in this is vital, and it changes over their time in the department:

a) All doctoral students are normally required to attend. There is no charge for attendance.

b) In the first year, students are expected to present a ten minute paper focused on their research project. In the second year, students are expected to present a twenty minute paper and their presentation might focus on one part of their study which is nearing completion, so that they can test out where their work is going. In the third year, students are required to present a twenty minute paper. They might present some of their overall outcomes, so that they can test the strength of their conclusions. Students are advised to discuss what they will present with their supervisory team, on each occasion, so that they make the most appropriate choice.

c) MA students are also invited to attend the conference. But those who plan to proceed to a PhD (whether because they have already secured funding for this, or because they are in the process of applying) are normally expected to attend.

3.2.3 Postgraduate Research ‘Jour Fixe’ Once a month (on Wednesday afternoons) the Postgraduate Research community in the Department get together for the Postgraduate Research Jour Fixe --- an opportunity to debate research-related matters, workshop papers, undertake further training together, discuss issues of mutual concern, and generally strengthen mutual support for PhD and MPhil students. The Jour Fixe schedule will be communicated to you by email throughout the academic year by the Jour Fixe chair, Dr Kate Egan. Please check your university email account regularly for updates and information and, if you have any questions or suggestions for future Jour Fixe sessions, don’t hesitate to contact Kate (email: [email protected]).

3.2.4 Informal Study Groups One of the most essential differences between undergraduate and postgraduate students is how typically they will work. Partly at Masters level, and progressively more at Doctoral level, students have to create and manage their own work routines. This is part of the wider disciplines of becoming a researcher. Therefore we very much encourage, and will do what we can to support, the development of informal discussion groups among our students. These might be short-term, or longer-term. Students might come together to discuss some important but difficult texts, or methodologies. They might share a common problem, and want to pursue it together. If you need any support or advice on this, don’t hesitate to contact the Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator, Dr Kate Egan ([email protected]).

13

3.3 Attending External Conferences Part of a student’s development as a researcher depends upon testing their work and ideas in wider arenas. These can range from Subject Association Conferences (for example, SCMS, Screen, MeCCSA, BAFTSS, TaPRA, or PSi); Graduate Conferences; or specialist conferences relating to a particular area of work. We aim to make sure that all doctoral students are able to attend at least one conference each year. Our expectations are as follows: Year 1 definitely attend Departmental/Institute conference/possibly present Year 2 definitely attend and present at Departmental/Institute research

conference. Year 3 definitely attend and present at an external conference and

Departmental/Institute conference Year 4 aim to present again at an external conference Students should only present at conferences with the agreement of their supervisors. Supervisors should make sure students see conferences as targets and set these as goals for them, helping to plan how far elements of their work can be shaped for presentation. The Institute/Department research conference should be used as a ‘dummy run’ for conference paper presentation. In addition, each year, a PhD jour fixe session is held on presenting at conferences, to help you develop your expectations and strategies through discussions with staff and peers. Financial support for conference attendance is available. See 5.7.1 in this handbook, for further details. For further information about joining subject-specific email lists that provide updates about forthcoming conferences, you should consult with your supervisors.

3.4 Research Ethics All forms of research can raise ethical, political and legal issues. There are research values such as truthfulness and integrity of methods and results that are relevant to everyone. There are issues of fair treatment of people, and there are issues about access and ownership of knowledge. For many, however, there are also issues about confidentiality, about use of personal data, about our relation with the people we study or otherwise interact with in our research. And there are many questions about the ways in which our work may impact on others. The University has adopted a set of overall requirements for ensuring that all research conducted under its aegis is ethically satisfactory.

In response to these, the Department operates the following procedure:

14

1. All postgraduate researchers are required to complete an online form at the start of their research, confirming whether or not there are ethical issues arising from their project. You should discuss the form with your supervisors, in order to fill it out as fully as possible, and then send the online form to the Institute Director of Research, Dr Paul Newland (email: [email protected]) for assessment. This online ethics system may be accessed from this link: https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/rbi/staff-students/ethics/ 2. If your research involves working with human participants (questionnaires, focus groups, performances etc) then it is likely that you will then be asked to complete a number of further ethics forms. Again, you should consult with your supervisors in order to fill out these forms as fully as possible. 3. In some cases (for example, if the research involves individuals who are under 18) ethical approval will then be sought from the University’s Ethics Committee, and you will be informed and advised about this, if this occurs. If a student thinks that their research might raise ethical issues then they should contact the Research Administrator, Mrs Ceris Medhurst-Jones ([email protected]) or the Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator, Dr Kate Egan ([email protected]) for advice on the relevant forms and procedures before they begin the research.

3.5 The ‘fourth year’ or in abeyance period The period between the end of registration and the submission deadline is often referred to as the ‘writing up’ or ‘in abeyance’ period. During this period (4th year for full time PhDs, 6th and 7th year for part time PhDs), you will be a non fee-paying student, and will therefore not automatically have access to University facilities. These facilities include library and University e-mail access, access to University printing services, and Student Support Services. Should students wish to continue having access to information services facilities, they will be required to register as Continuation Students. They will need to complete a form and pay a non-refundable fee in the amount of £50/six months directly to the Finance Office – details are available from the information desk at the Hugh Owen Library. Should students choose not to register for information services access during their writing up period, they should ensure that they inform the Research Administrator, Mrs Ceris Medhurst-Jones ([email protected]) and the Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator, Dr Kate Egan ([email protected]) of their current e-mail address and add this e-mail address to their student record at https://studentrecord.aber.ac.uk/en/


https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/rbi/staff-students/ethics/

https://studentrecord.aber.ac.uk/en/

15

During this period the Department is committed to providing the same level of supervisory support as in the preceding years. Students can expect supervisors to read and comment on draft chapters as well as reading an entire draft of the thesis prior to submission. (Please Note: All PhD and MPhil students are strongly advised to ensure that the entire draft thesis is read by their supervisors prior to final submission). Supervisors should also help students practice for the examination by holding a mock viva. (See the ‘preparing for your viva’ document in Appendix 5.)

3.6 Responsibilities of the Student The research student also has responsibilities, these are as follows:

To accept responsibility for all aspects of their research activity and for timely submission;

To maintain regular contact with supervisor(s) and carry out tasks as agreed; To keep a record of at least 3 formal supervisory meetings per year and

decisions made as well as any correspondence. (N.B.: If you are an international student, then the University requires that you submit these forms on a monthly basis, due to Tier 4 requirements). This should be recorded on the template form provided in Appendix 1 and e-mailed to both supervisors and copied to the Research Administrator ([email protected]). A copy should be retained by the supervisor and the student, and a copy should also be placed on the student’s file in the administrator’s office. Copies of this form are also available at: https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/tfts/current-student/current-postgraduate/

To ensure adequate progress is made within the timeframe agreed and to draw to the attention of supervisor(s) any problems regarding progress;

To provide research monitoring reports as requested by the Department, Institute and University and to comply with the Department’s monitoring procedures as outlined under 4.0

To register for and complete all compulsory research training modules, and to make use of additional, relevant training provided by the University, Institute and Department;

To keep the Department informed with regards to changes of contact details or registration;

To ensure they are familiar with, and abide by, relevant University, Institute and Departmental rules, regulations and practices.

To ensure that the supervisors have read the final version of your thesis, prior to submission.

https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/tfts/current-student/current-postgraduate/

https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/tfts/current-student/current-postgraduate/

16

PLEASE NOTE THAT MONITORING PROCEDURES ARE FREQUENTLY BEING UPDATED. YOU WILL BE ADVISED OF ANY CHANGES IN ADVANCE OF THE MONITORING ROUND.

The Department, Institute and the University have to assure themselves that students are making good progress in their work. Sometimes this is because they are in receipt of funding, whether from the University, a Funding Council or elsewhere. But generally, we see it as vitally important to ensure that students are making progress, that they are getting appropriate help with any problems, and that they remain on course to complete their work within the allowed time period. For these reasons, AU, and its Institutes and Departments have developed a careful system for monitoring progress, with a view to identifying any problems and acting on them. These work on an annual round.

4.1 Day to day progress

The day to day progress of research students in the Department of Theatre, Film and Television is monitored by their supervisors who are required to report on up to 3 occasions per academic year to the University Research Student Monitoring Committee (see 4.3 below). If a student has concerns about any aspect of their progress they should address them to their supervisor in the first instance. If the problem cannot be resolved by the supervisor, they should contact the Departmental Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator, Dr Kate Egan ([email protected]). If, after this, the matter is still unresolved it will be taken to the Head of Department, Dr Anwen Jones ([email protected]). If matters are not resolved at this level, or if this is not practicable, the student can take their case to relevant staff at Institute level, or to the Head of the Graduate School, Professor Reyer Zwiggelaar ([email protected]).

4.2 Annual Departmental Monitoring In March/April of each year, PhD and MPhil students will be required to submit a piece of writing or an agreed practical equivalent based on the work they have completed in the previous year. In addition, they will also be asked to complete and submit (in consultation with their supervisors) a University monitoring form (which will be sent to all students, by email, prior to the monitoring round each year). See Section 4.3 for further details.

4.0 Monitoring Progress

17

There are differentials between requirements in different years as follows: Year One: It is the normal expectation that the work submitted for monitoring in the first year will constitute substantial work towards the PhD (or MPhil). This will normally take the form of a literature review or a practice based research exercise which is situated in relation to a demonstrable body of practice. The submission should be discussed and agreed with the supervisory team and with the Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator. This piece of work should normally be approximately 8,000-10,000 words in length (4,000-5,000 for 1st year part-time or MPhil students). Practice based-research students should submit either a 10,000 word piece of work OR a 5,000 word piece of written work and a practice-based output with relevant written documentation (outlining the critical context for the practice) as agreed with the supervisory team and in consultation with the Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator. (Part-time and MPhil students engaged in practice-based research should agree their submission with the supervisory team and with the Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator). In addition, all full and part-time students should submit a coversheet including their name, status, year of study and description of the piece of work submitted/its position in relation to the rest of the thesis. Both full and part-time students are also asked to provide a draft timetable for completion, and an outline chapter structure for the thesis or, in the case of practice-led research, a description of submission format. This outline structure may well subsequently change in the course of the research, and through the evolving discussions with the supervisors. But it is nonetheless an essential guide, for monitoring purposes, in each year of doctoral study. Full-time students (Year One) will also be invited to a 30 minute meeting with the Monitoring Panel on the subject of the material submitted. This will be conducted in a supportive context and atmosphere and constitute an event contributing to the assessment of progress from the probationary period. Part-time and MPhil students (Year One) will be invited to a 20 minute meeting with the Monitoring Panel to discuss their progress and the material submitted. Year Two: Students should submit a new sample section or chapter from the thesis, making clear its place within the overall development of the thesis. The sample section should normally be approximately 10,000 words (part-time 5,000 words) in length, or equivalent Practice as Research - usually an amount of fully realised practice with relevant written documentation (outlining the critical context for the practice) - as

18

agreed with the supervisor and in consultation with the Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator. Both full and part-time students should also submit a coversheet including their name, status, year of study and description of the piece of work submitted/its position in relation to the rest of the thesis. Students are also asked to provide a revised timetable for completion and chapter breakdown (or equivalent for practice-led research). MPhil students are required at this stage to provide the final timetable for completion and the final chapter breakdown with a clear indication of the content of each chapter. Part-time PhD students only (Year Two) (who are in effect at the end of their probationary period) will also be invited to a 30 minute meeting with the Monitoring Panel on the subject of the material submitted. This will be conducted in a supportive context and atmosphere and constitute an event contributing to the assessment of progress from the probationary period. All other students (Year Two) will be invited to a 20 minute meeting with the Monitoring Panel to discuss their progress and the material submitted Year Three: Students should submit a new sample section or chapter from the thesis, making clear its place within the overall development of the thesis. The sample section should normally be approximately 15,000* words (part-time 7,500* words) in length, or equivalent Practice as Research - usually an extended body of realised practice with relevant written documentation (outlining the critical context for the practice). Practice as Research submissions will be agreed with the supervisory team and in consultation with the Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator. * The 15,000/ 7,500 words here is for guidance only and the length of the submission is to be agreed with the supervisors and Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator. It is important that it is substantial and coherent, and gives an appropriate impression of the student’s research and writing skills and understanding of their subject and methodology in their progress towards completion. Both full and part-time students should also submit a coversheet including their name, status, year of study and description of the piece of work submitted/its position in relation to the rest of the thesis. Full-time students are required at this stage to provide the final timetable for completion and the final chapter breakdown (or equivalent for practice-led research) with a clear indication of the content of each chapter. Full-time students only (Year Three) will also be invited to a 30 minute meeting with the Monitoring Panel and an internal reader on the subject of the material submitted. This will be conducted in a supportive manner but will be rigorous enough to assess

19

the student’s understanding of their subject and methodology and their progress towards completion. Part-time students (Year Three) will be invited to a 20 minute meeting with the Monitoring Panel to discuss their progress and the material submitted Year Four: By this point, students should have determined, with their supervisor, a clear final breakdown (or equivalent) of structure and content and timetable for completion of all remaining parts of the thesis. This should be submitted along with a coversheet giving your name, year of study and thesis title. Students must also submit a monitoring form. Full-time students (in abeyance/Year Four) will be invited to a 20 minute meeting with the Monitoring Panel to discuss their progress toward submission. Part -time (Year Four) students only Students should submit a sample section or chapter from the thesis, making clear its place within the overall development of the thesis. The sample section should normally be approximately 10,000 words in length or equivalent Practice as Research - usually an amount of fully realised practice with relevant written documentation (outlining the critical context for the practice) - as agreed with the supervisor and in consultation with the Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator. Students should also submit a coversheet including their name, status, year of study and description of the piece of work submitted/its position in relation to the rest of the thesis. Students are also asked to provide a revised timetable for completion and chapter breakdown (or equivalent for practice-led research). Part-time students will be invited to a 20 minute meeting with the Monitoring Panel to discuss their progress and the material submitted. Year Five: Part-time students only Students should submit a new sample section or chapter from the thesis, making clear its place within the overall development of the thesis. The sample section should normally be approximately 15,000* words in length or equivalent Practice as Research - usually an extended body of realised practice with relevant written documentation (outlining the critical context for the practice) - as agreed with the supervisor and in consultation with the Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator. * The 15,000 words here is for guidance only and the length of the submission is to be agreed with the supervisor. It is important that it is substantial and coherent, and gives an appropriate impression of the student’s research and writing skills and understanding of their subject and methodology in their progress towards completion.

20

Students should also submit a coversheet including their name, status, year of study and description of the piece of work submitted/its position in relation to the rest of the thesis. Students are required at this stage to provide the final timetable for completion and the final chapter breakdown (or equivalent for practice-led research) with a clear indication of the content of each chapter. Students will also be invited to a 30 minute meeting with the Monitoring Panel and an internal reader on the subject of the material submitted. This will be conducted in a supportive manner but will be rigorous enough to assess the student’s understanding of their subject and methodology and their progress towards completion. Year Six and Seven: Part-time students only By this point, students should have determined, with their supervisor, a clear final breakdown (or equivalent) of structure and content and timetable for completion of all remaining parts of the thesis. This should be submitted along with a coversheet giving your name, year of study and thesis title. Students must also submit a monitoring form. All Students will be invited to a 20 minute meeting with the Monitoring Panel to discuss their progress toward submission. Students in their resubmission period, extension period or who are completing their PhD by Publication Students who are in their resubmission period (following their viva), in their extension period, or who are candidates completing their PhD by Publication, should submit a monitoring form and timetable for completion within the resubmission/extension or submission period. This should be submitted along with a coversheet giving your name, year of study and thesis title. Assessment: Student submissions and accompanying documentation and plans will be read by an internal reader: a member of staff who is not a member of the student’s supervisory team. The assessor may provide critical feedback, particularly if the submission is within their disciplinary area, but the object of the exercise is to check the student’s development against generally understood levels of achievement within the trajectory of an MPhil or PhD project. The assessor will provide a report based on these criteria, and will make a recommendation to the Research Student Monitoring Panel based on this report. The recommendation should include one of the following: [a] the student is working satisfactorily, and should be allowed to proceed [b] the student should be allowed to proceed with special supporting measures and

feedback [c] That an interview with the student and first supervisor should be arranged to

discuss steps to be taken to improve the work

21

The reader’s recommendation, monitoring reports and performance in the monitoring panel will be considered by the PhD Monitoring Coordinator and Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator, who will agree on a recommendation to the Institute and University. Students will be informed of the recommendation and of any requirements for a further monitoring review. If students require any guidance or clarification on the above procedure, they should contact the Departmental Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator, Dr Kate Egan, email: [email protected]


Monitoring Procedures for Research Postgraduates in the Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies, 2016-17

Year 1 All students to complete: University Monitoring Form

+ at least three records of supervision

Full-Time 8,000-10,000 words – literature review or equivalent

Practice-based: 8,000-10,000 words OR

5,000 words plus practice-based output

Coversheet; Description of

work and position in thesis

Draft Timetable

Outline structure

Practice-based: submission format

Panel

(30 min)

Part-Time

Approx. 5,000 words – literature review or equivalent

Practice-based: to be agreed with supervisors and PGC



Draft Timetable

Outline structure


Panel

(20 min)

MPhil Approx. 5,000 words – literature review or equivalent




Timetable

Outline or chapter breakdown


Panel

(20 min)



Full-Time 10,000 words sample section/ chapter

Practice-based: usually fully realised practice output or

equivalent - to be agreed with supervisors and PGC



Revised Timetable

Chapter breakdown


Panel

(20 min)

Part-Time 5,000 words sample section (or full literature review)




Revised Timetable

Outline structure


Panel

(30 min)

MPhil 5,000 words sample section (or full literature review)




Timetable toward completion

Outline or chapter breakdown


Panel

(20 min)



Full-Time Approx. 15,000 words sample section/ chapter

Practice-based: extended body of realised practice or




Final Timetable toward completion

Final Chapter breakdown

Practice-based: Final thesis outline

Panel

(30 min)

Part-Time Approx. 7,500 words sample section / chapter




Revised Timetable

Chapter breakdown


Panel

(20 min)

23



Full-Time Coversheet


Final Chapter breakdown (content)


incl. outline of all practice-elements

and their format

Panel

(20 min)

Part-Time 10,000 words sample section / chapter

Practice-based: usually fully realised practice output or




Revised Timetable

Chapter breakdown


Panel

(20 min)



Part-Time Approx. 15,000 words sample section/ chapter

Practice-based: usually extended body of realised practice

output or equivalent - to be agreed with supervisors and PGC







and their format

Panel

(30 min)

Year 6+7 All students to complete: University Monitoring Form

+ at least three records of supervision (or similar)

Part-Time Coversheet Final Timetable toward completion




and their format

Panel

(20 min)

Resubmission/Extension period and PhD

by Publication candidates

Monitoring form and timetable toward completion plus coversheet

4.3 University monitoring procedure The above procedure and its outcomes feed into the University Monitoring procedure. In March/April of each year, supervisors and students will be required to complete a University Progress Monitoring Form. Prior to this, during semester 2, you will receive an email from the Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator and Research Administrator, informing and reminding you of what you will need to submit and when. The completed monitoring form will be submitted to the departmental Research Student Monitoring Panel. In April/May, all PhD/MPhil students are required to attend a meeting of the panel to discuss the outcomes of the Departmental monitoring procedures as well as to discuss supervision and research training. This meeting will be as informal as possible, and aims to be supportive and developmental. The meeting process, for each year of study, is as follows: All meetings will be chaired by Dr Roger Owen (departmental PhD monitoring coordinator) who will discuss with the student the reader report and monitoring form reports. The departmental postgraduate research coordinator and the internal reader of your submission may also be present (this will be confirmed prior to the meeting). Students will meet with the panel to discuss reports, general progress and any other matters of concern. Students may raise any concerns they have in confidence and

request that they are not minuted. Among the things that should be addressed at these monitoring meetings are: The progress of research; Record of supervision forms and supervision arrangements; Research training needs and how these are being identified and met; Research ethics and legal requirements relating to the work. At the meeting in Year 3 for full-time candidates and Year 5 for part-time candidates, students will be asked to outline in detail their plans towards final completion and to provide their intended submission date. This should have been discussed with the supervisors who will be asked to assess the feasibility of these plans on the monitoring form. The Monitoring Panel may recommend one of the following to the Head of Department:

[a] Proceeding Satisfactorily: Proceed to next year of study [b] Progress not satisfactory: Downgrade to MPhil [c] Progress not satisfactory: Student should not be allowed to continue

25

[d] Progress not satisfactory: should be reviewed at the next monitoring round before confirming.

All recommendations will be subject to approval by the Institute Director of Postgraduate Studies.

The July meeting of the University Monitoring Panel will then determine what action should be taken in cases where a student’s progress has, for whatever reason, not been satisfactory. For the most part this will involve seeking to offer appropriate support. In cases where progress is, without extenuating circumstances, judged to be ‘unsatisfactory’, the relevant regulations and procedures to be followed are set out in the University’s Academic Regulation on Academic Progress which can be found at http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/academic-quality-records-office/academic-progress/ In addition to the July meeting, the September and February meetings of the University Panel consider final year students and those writing up their research, as well as students who have started in the middle of a session, and any review cases referred to them.

4.4 Progression across years It is important for students to note that progression to the next year of study is not automatic. Progression is dependent upon satisfactory academic progress and monitoring reports. We do also expect full-time students to take a regular and active part in Departmental Research Events (in particular, the Jour Fixe sessions, and Institute/Departmental Research Conference). Monitoring in year one (year two part time): Confirmation of PhD candidature and progression from Year One to Year Two (Year Two to Year Three, part-time) Satisfactory development and progress to confirm a PhD candidature and progress to the next year of study will measured by taking into account:

1. the first year monitoring submission in March/April (plus provision of outline structure and draft timetable for completion)

2. the records of supervisory meetings 3. the University monitoring form (including supervisor reports on a student’s

progress). 4. performance in 30 minute monitoring panel interview (year 1 full time, year 2

part time). 5. successful completion of required research training modules (for full-time

students). 6. adequate participation in Departmental Research Events including the

Institute/Departmental Research Conference.

26

If progress is deemed to be unsatisfactory, the department may recommend a change of candidature to MPhil. Monitoring in years two and three, full time (Years three and four part time): Progression into years three and four full time (Into years four and five part-time) Satisfactory development will be measured by taking into account:

1. the second/third year monitoring submission in March/April, plus provision of revised chapter breakdown (or equivalent) and a timetable for completion.

2. the records of supervisory meetings. 3. the University monitoring form (including supervisor reports on a student’s

progress). 4. performance in 20 minute panel interview (year 2 full time, years 3 and 4

part time) or 30 minute panel interview (year 3 full time, year 5 part time). 5. adequate participation in Departmental Research Events including the

Institute/Departmental Research Conference. Monitoring in year four, full time (years six and seven, part time) Year four (or years six and seven, if part-time) is in effect the period given to students to complete the ‘writing up’ of the thesis. By this point, students should have determined, with their supervisor, a clear final breakdown (or equivalent) of structure and content and timetable for completion of all remaining parts of the thesis. This should be submitted along with a coversheet giving your name, year of study and thesis title. Students must also submit a monitoring form. All Students will be invited to a 20 minute meeting with the Monitoring Panel to discuss their progress toward submission.

If any problems are identified, students may be invited to attend a further meeting with the supervisory team and senior colleagues to discuss measures of support to bring the thesis to successful completion and submission.

4.5 MPhil to PhD upgrade procedure Students who begin their studies as an MPhil candidate may find in the course of their first year that they would like to be considered for an upgrade to a PhD candidature. The department has in place a procedure for this kind of upgrade as follows: 1. The student must produce the following: [a] A chapter of at least 5,000 words (3, 000 if part time first year) which is a literature review of the relevant literature in the field.

27

[b] A statement of the aims and objectives of the MPhil research. [c] A statement of how the student intends to develop these aims and objectives to meet the requirements of a PhD. [d] A statement on the methodology to be used. [e] A proposed timetable for completion with due date of submission. [f] A written recommendation from both supervisors supporting the upgrading. In sum the document should not be more than 7,000 words (5,000 for part time first years). 2. The above will normally be submitted as part of the annual monitoring round in March/April at which the student will also perform a successful 20 minute viva voce with the monitoring panel. 3. The proposal should be read by a member of staff, nominated by the Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator, who is not on the supervisory team, with a view to checking it for clarity, coherence and content. This person will then make a recommendation. 4. The final decision will rest with the Head of Department. Where there is uncertainty about a student’s application, the Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator will organise a small panel to interview the student. Once a decision has been made, the student will need to complete a change of registration form in order to finalise the upgrade.

28

5.1 Office Hours The Departmental Office is normally open between 9.30am and 4.30 Monday to Thursday and 9.30am-4pm on Fridays. On all matters relating to the administration of your time in the Department, students should contact the Research Administrator, Mrs Ceris-Medhurst-Jones ([email protected]) who can be found in the glass-fronted office to the right of the Departmental Office on the first floor of the Parry Williams Building. For non-urgent enquiries, please e-mail ([email protected]) or telephone 01970 621 517. The Postgraduate Research Coordinator, supervisors and other members of academic staff also have office hours, usually posted on their office doors. Outside of these hours, students should e-mail to make an appointment.

5.2 Use of e-mail and information services access All students (including staff and part time candidates) are expected to obtain an Aberystwyth University student e-mail log-on name and password from the Hugh Owen Library as soon as practicable after registration. This is the student’s responsibility and if they do not set up a university e-mail account, they will not receive essential information sent to them by the University or by the Department via generic mailing lists. Students should make a point of checking e-mail messages at least once every day, since e-mail is the Department’s primary method of contact.

5.3 Key Departmental & Institute Contacts

Dr Anwen Jones (Head of Department)

1659 [email protected]

Dr Dafydd Sills-Jones (Institute Director of Postgraduate Studies – semester 1)


Dr Karoline Gritzner (Institute Director of Postgraduate Studies – semester 2)


5.0 General Information



29

Dr Kate Egan (Departmental Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator)


Dr Roger Owen (Departmental PhD Monitoring Co-ordinator)


Dr Paul Newland (Institute Director of Research)


Professor Heike Roms (Departmental Research Coordinator)


Margaret Ames (Departmental Senior Tutor)


Ceris Medhurst-Jones (Portfolio Manager: Postgraduate and Research)


Catrin Davies (Academic Operations Officer)


Nicholas Strong (Student Experience Assistant)


Anna Sherratt (Student Experience Assistant)


5.4 Postgraduate Pigeonholes For those times when it is absolutely necessary to resort to snail-mail, the postgraduate pigeonholes are located near to the Departmental Office on the first floor of the Parry-Williams Building. Postgraduate pigeonholes are at the bottom, organized alphabetically by surname. Students should check these at least once a week.

5.5 Post to your Home Address / Term Address The University/Department may sometimes send correspondence to a student’s home or ‘term time’ address. Students should make sure that the addresses held on file are correct, and that they update their record speedily if and when they move. Students may check their record at: https://studentrecord.aber.ac.uk/en/ .





https://studentrecord.aber.ac.uk/en/

30

5.6 Departmental Postgraduate Representation and Complaints Procedure

It is important to the Department that we get student views on the general Departmental provision for postgraduates. There are several routes by which students can let us know their views. 5.6.1 Postgraduate Student Consultative Committee This committee, which meets three times a year, provides a forum for postgraduate students to discuss, with staff, any issues relevant to their studies. The aim of this Committee is to provide a regular forum for formal consultation between postgraduate students and staff. This Committee:

meets three times a year; discusses all matters relating to training, facilities and student welfare with

postgraduate students; receives and responds to queries and suggestions from postgraduate

students in relation to their work in the Department. Membership includes the Departmental Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator and the Departmental Postgraduate Taught Co-ordinator. Two PhD student representatives sit on this committee. Their names and email addresses will be confirmed (by email) at the beginning of each academic year. Please contact these representatives if you have any issues or queries that you wish to be raised at this Committee. Minutes of the Committee are presented to the Head of Department for consideration, and are also considered by the University’s Research Student Consultative Committee.

5.6.2 Complaints Procedure

If students have any complaints or grievances they should address them in the first instance to their supervisor. If they cannot be resolved at this level, or if they concern the supervisor, the student should approach the Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator or the Head of Department. The University complaints procedure is available at http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/regulations/complaints/

31

5.7 Departmental Financial Support

5.7.1 Research Support Fund Where it can, the Department aims to support student research, within its tight budget. Students may apply for support to attend conferences and symposia as well as for other research related activities. All PhD students are eligible to claim up to £400 (£200 for part-time students) per financial year (1st August - 31st July) from the Department, to cover UK or overseas conference attendance or library/archive visits. This funding is not a transferable amount that can be built up, but an allowance per financial year that should be put to advantageous use by the student. Students in abeyance/the writing up period are not eligible to apply. Application forms may downloaded from: https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/tfts/current-student/current-postgraduate/ Supervisors will be required to approve applications, so students should discuss any plans with him/her well in advance. Students in receipt of an Aberystwyth University Aberdoc, AHRC-DTP, AHRC-CDA, Leverhulme, KESS or other studentship should consult their studentship contracts for funding information. For further details regarding University Aberdoc funding, please visit: http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/postgrad/funding-fees/uk-eu/research-competition/ For further details regarding AHRC-DTP funding, please visit: http://www.sww-ahdtp.ac.uk/studentship/

5.7.2 Inter-Library Loans However good it is, no single University library can possibly cover all the needs of researchers, especially across as wide a range as our Department covers. Recognising this, the Department has invested in supporting research students’ requests for Inter-Library Loans. Currently, Inter-Library Loans are free for all Postgraduate Research Students. See https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/is/library-services/documentsupply/ for further details of how to apply.

http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/postgrad/funding-fees/uk-eu/research-competition/

https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/is/library-services/documentsupply/

32

5.8 Research Student Study Space

A departmental research student study suite (with 24 hour access) is available for the use of MPhil and PhD students. This is located on the first floor of the Parry-Williams Building, in the Foundry extension. This is a dedicated space for TFTS research students, and houses desks and storage shelves. Internet access is also available. In addition, two smaller offices on the ground floor of the Foundry extension are also made available to MPhil and PhD students (for sharing, with two students to an office). If you would like to make use of one of these study spaces, please contact the Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator, Kate Egan, email: [email protected] , so that you can be allocated a desk and given the relevant door access codes. Students may also use the Department’s postage facilities, fax, printers and photocopiers for research related purposes. The Department offers its PhD students use of the multifunction photocopying machine/printers located in the foyer and on the second floor of the Parry-Williams building. Precedence will be given to staff usage at all times and users must comply with copyright legislation. Students should use the facility for study related purposes only.

5.9 Library Resources The Hugh Owen Library is the main University Library covering the humanities, social sciences, law, biological and earth sciences. It houses many special collections, and the library administration is based in the Hugh Owen Library. Services available in Hugh Owen Library include: reference and study facilities, loan services, inter-library loans; library enquiry desks; computing helpdesk; computing facilities; printers; self-service photocopiers and library carrel hire. For more information about the Hugh Owen Library, see http://www.inf.aber.ac.uk/locations/hugh_owen.asp or contact the department’s subject support librarian, Joy Cadwallader ([email protected]). The National Library of Wales is one of the great libraries of the world. Since 1911 it has enjoyed the right to collect, free of charge, a copy of every printed work published in Britain and Ireland. In addition it maintains a huge collection of works about Wales and the other Celtic countries: books and pamphlets, magazines and newspapers, microforms, ephemera, and a wealth of electronic material. It also has thousands of manuscripts and archives, pictures and photographs, maps, sound recordings and moving images, available for all adults to consult in the building. The Library also boasts the National Archive of Screen and Sound with its extensive holdings of materials. As a postgraduate student at AU you have the right to join the National Library as a reader. For more information about the National Library see http://www.llgc.org.uk


http://www.inf.aber.ac.uk/locations/hugh_owen.asp


http://www.llgc.org.uk/

33

5.10 University IT Resources

In addition to the Department’s provision, the University provides a wide range of the latest computing facilities. A large number of workstations are located on campus and in halls of residence providing unlimited 24 hour access. There are many sources of electronic information available via computers that may be useful to you in your study and research. On-line bibliographic databases give references or citations to books, journal articles, conference papers, and other types of material, that have been produced, but which are not necessarily held in a particular library. The most important of these database services, to which the Library subscribes, are available to all staff and students from any networked computer anywhere - Web of Science, BIDS, EDINA and OCLC FirstSearch. You may access these services at any time, but note that, at busy peak times, access may be very slow. OCLC FirstSearch is located on a computer in the USA, so that the optimum time for searching here is generally up to 11am. You can also access major databases of press materials for the UK and USA at (Lexis) Nexis. For others, early mornings, evenings and weekends are best. For more details on on-line resources, see http://www.inf.aber.ac.uk

http://www.inf.aber.ac.uk/

34

Research Training is becoming an increasingly central part of postgraduate education in the UK, forming an essential part of a research student’s learning experience. Our systems try to balance three components: (1) there are some skills which all students require, regardless of their field or topic (e.g., The ability to identify and frame a viable research question, good bibliographic skills, good writing and presentation skills); (2) as students progress, they will need more advanced, but more particular skills (for example in qualitative or quantitative methods); (3) there have to be good procedures for identifying these needs, and checking that they are being adequately acquired. The supervisors must play an active role in supporting their student during the Researcher Development Programme. Students should talk to their supervisors regularly about the course, explain to him or her how it is progressing, and discuss how the assessments can be of most benefit for the PhD thesis. Our aim is not to give students additional and irrelevant training. It is, rather, to give training that will help students in their thesis and future careers. All the work undertaken on the RDP should feed back directly into the thesis, specifically by giving students skills that will enable the completion of the thesis more quickly than otherwise would be possible.

6.1 The Importance of Research Training Students in many institutions are sceptical about the need to undertake research training since they think it is irrelevant to the task of writing a thesis. There are a number of major reasons why we believe this view is mistaken:

Research Training modules are taught by staff who are specialists in their discipline who come together through a commitment to creating an advanced and multi-disciplinary research environment. As a result of these modules, students are better equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to devise and write an original piece of research within 3 to 4 years. There is also a much more vocational reason why you should do research training. This is because the aim of the programme is to produce trained researchers. The course will give you marketable skills and competencies, to enable you to move from a research degree into a variety of employment opportunities. The RDP helps develop information processing and communication skills which are at a premium in the current labour market. Traditionally the PhD was seen as three or four years spent in splendid isolation in a library. The difficulty with this was that people with PhDs had no skills that were marketable, and often a very narrow area of interest. The Researcher Development

6.0 Research Training

35

programme intends to give you a set of marketable skills which will mean that you have a much wider range of job opportunities than otherwise would be the case.

6.2 University Research Training Programme

The Aberystwyth Researcher Development Programme aims to give students research skills which address the needs of researchers in the modern academic environment. It intends to serve a variety of purposes:

To provide students with the skills necessary for the completion of their thesis within the specified time limits.

To enable students to develop the skills valued by employers.

To draw students from across the University and give students from all subject-areas the chance to meet together regularly to discuss common interests and concerns.

Details of the Researcher Development Programme may be found at https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/grad-school/researcher/central-research/ In general, TFTS research students come under the AHRC remit and are therefore required to complete a minimum of 40 credits of institutionally-provided research training within the first two years. It is expected that a minimum of 20 credits will be taken in the first year, and any remaining credits in the second year. All full time MPhil students are expected to complete a minimum of 10 credits of institutionally-provided research training Research postgraduates are initially required to discuss their research area with their supervisors/department, and decide which remit their research falls under. Students must then discuss which modules would be most suitable with their supervisors – and fill in, with their supervisors, the research training form, before registering for them. Further information about all available research training modules will be given to you during your University and departmental inductions, and, after discussion with your supervisors, you will then need to report to the research administrator, Mrs Ceris Medhurst-Jones ([email protected]) in order for your online registration to be activated.

If you believe that your research may fall under the remit of the ESRC, please contact the Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator, Dr Kate Egan ([email protected]) for advice.

In addition to required training courses, the University runs an optional series of skills training courses - details at https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/grad-school/pg-skills-training/

https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/grad-school/researcher/central-research/



https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/grad-school/pg-skills-training/

https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/grad-school/pg-skills-training/

36

We encourage you to look at the information about these and to discuss any which seem appropriate to your needs or interests with your supervisors. Part time students are not normally required to take research training modules, but please check with your supervisors or the Research Administrator for confirmation. COMPULSORY GRADUATE WORKSHOPS All full-time research postgraduates in their first year (including MPhil candidates) must attend the Year 1 Annual Graduate Workshop. All research postgraduates are also strongly encouraged to attend the Year 2 and Year 3 Graduate Workshops in the relevant year of study. These workshop titles are as follows: Year One Graduate Workshop – PGM9005 - Ethics, Plagiarism and Academic Practice for Research Students. Year Two Graduate Workshop – Research Writing School. Year Three Graduate Workshop – Beyond the PhD. See here for further details: https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/grad-school/researcher/graduateworkshops/ Further details about the compulsory Year One workshop will be distributed at induction.

6.3 Continuing Professional Development

Continuing professional development is a normal part of professional working life and engaging with this process as a routine part of postgraduate work will help students to achieve their potential both academically and personally, as well as giving them experience of a professional process which they will encounter throughout their future career.

Please see https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/cdsap/ for further information on available CPD courses.

https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/cdsap/

37

In order to avoid duplication of information, the rules, regulations and practices outlined here are Department specific; students should consult the documents listed below for further information on University procedures. Our practices in managing research postgraduates conform to the precepts in the QAA (UK Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education) Code of Practice for the Assurance of Academic Quality and Standards in Higher Education: Section 1: Postgraduate Research Programmes (September 2004). From this benchmark document, Aberystwyth University has further issued its own Code of Practice for Research Postgraduates and its Handbook for Supervisors of Research Postgraduates. Each student is allocated a “supervisory team” which comprises a primary supervisor, second supervisor and sometimes a third supervisor. At least one supervisor will have supervised to completion and all will have a PhD or relevant professional experience. For details of the roles and responsibilities of supervisors, please see the Handbook for Supervisors of Research Postgraduates available to download from https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/grad-school/forms-handbooks/

7.1 Beyond the Supervisor We understand that sometimes the relationship between a student and supervisor breaks down for whatever reason, or you need further guidance which your supervisor is unable to give. In these instances, please contact the Departmental Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator, Dr Kate Egan, ([email protected]). Alternatively, you may wish to contact the Head of Department, Dr Anwen Jones ([email protected]). See also section 10.0 ‘Welfare Provision’

7.2 Procedures for Making Changes to the Supervisory Team It is sometimes necessary to make changes to the original supervisory team allocated to a student. This can be because a supervisor has left to work in another institution, because the academic debates engaged with, or methods employed by, the student have changed or require specialist input, or sometimes because the relationship between the supervisor and the student has irretrievably broken down. It must be noted however, in the last case, that a change in supervisor is the last resort; where serious tensions do arise, the Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator should be involved,

7.0 Supervision


38

and individuals will be encouraged, wherever possible, to work though problems or differences prior to seeking a change in supervisory arrangements. Students are discouraged from asking to change supervisors without very strong cause, in order to ensure that at least one suitable member of staff is preserved for acting in the role of internal examiner when the student’s thesis is submitted. If a change does need to be made, however, then students should complete a change of supervision, and submit it to the Departmental Research Administrator, Ceris Medhurst-Jones. The relevant form is available at: https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/tfts/current-student/current-postgraduate/

39

7.1.1 Registration Periods and Time Limits for Submission

8.1 Registration Periods and time limits for submission It is vital that the student submits on, or before, the deadline**, both for themselves and their future career, but also for the Department which would be deemed ineligible to apply for Research Council awards, should completion rates fall below a certain target. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that the deadline is met. The following rules apply:

Degree / Mode of Study Minimum Registration and Fee Paying Period

Maximum Deadline** for Thesis Submission

MPhil Full Time 1 Year 3 Years Part Time 2 Years 4 Years PhD Full Time 3 Years 4 Years Full Time (exempt from probationary year)

2 Years 3 Years

Part Time 5 Years 7 Years Part Time (exempt from probationary years)

3 Years 5 Years

** Please note: Staff candidates (PhD) register full time or part time for three years and the maximum time limit for submission is seven years from the start date of registration. Staff candidates (MPhil) register for two years or one year. For full time research assistants, the maximum time limit for submission is five years from the start date (or four years if the candidate leaves AU employment).

8.2 Conventions for Thesis Presentation All copies shall be presented in permanent and legible form in typescript or print, and characters in the main text shall not be less than 12pt. Characters employed in all other text, footnotes etc. shall not be less than 10 pt. Double or one-and-a-half spacing shall be used in the main text, but single spacing can be used for any indented quotations and footnotes.

8.0 Thesis Submission and Examination

40

A4 paper shall be used and should be of good quality, printed on one side only. The text of the PhD thesis (excluding appendices and genuine footnotes) should not exceed 100,000 words. The text of an MPhil thesis (excluding appendices and genuine footnotes) should not exceed 60,000 words. In relation to Practice-as-Research based PhDs, please consult your supervisors and the Postgraduate Research Coordinator for clarification on this issue. Please see https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/aqro/students/pg-issues/research/for the relevant submission documents, which give a fuller explanation of these requirements. Submission documents are also available from the research administrator.

8.2.1 Thesis Referencing Style The submission documents (referred to above) give some guidance on the written presentation of your thesis, but, in terms of the referencing style employed within your thesis, please feel free to choose the referencing style (e.g. Harvard, MLA, Chicago) that you feel most comfortable with. However, please note that, whichever style you choose to employ, you should use this style consistently throughout your thesis AND you should discuss your choice of referencing style with your supervisors as early in your studies as possible, so that you can make an informed decision and receive approval from them.

8.3 Submission Procedures The Academic Office has published a useful set of FAQs for research students which cover some common questions about submission and examination. Please see https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/aqro/students/pg-issues/research/faq/ Departmental procedures for submission are as follows: The student must follow procedures for submission as outlined below. Failure to do so could result in delays in processing the thesis and postponement of graduation.

1. The student should complete and return to the Research Administrator, the Intention to Submit form - https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/aqro/students/pg-issues/research/- approximately 3 months (and no later than 4 weeks) prior to

the submission of the thesis. The Department will complete the remainder of the form.

https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/aqro/students/pg-issues/research/faq/

41

2. The Student should arrange for Two copies of the thesis to be bound.

a) If the thesis is in Temporary binding, the spine MUST bear the following information:- - Surname and initials - Name of Degree (e.g. MPhil or PhD) - Aberystwyth University b) If the thesis is in Permanent binding the spine MUST bear the following information:-

- Surname and initials - Full or abbreviated title of the work - Name of Degree - Date of submission (e.g. 2015) - Aberystwyth University

Should the submission also include a practical element (on DVD or CD-ROM) the student must ensure that it is presented in a container suitable for storage on a library shelf (or that it is properly attached inside the cover of the thesis) and that the same information as listed above appears on the spine or written on the CD with a CD marker pen.

3. In summary, the student should submit, to the research administrator, on or before the deadline:- a) Two bound copies of the thesis including a summary and declarations

c) One completed Notice of Candidature form https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/aqro/students/pg-issues/research/theses-sub-proc/ d) One loose summary sheet (example provided in the submission documents) e) The required fee if i) resubmitting a failed thesis or ii) a member of university staff who has not paid composition fees. f) A loose sheet of paper bearing name, address, telephone numbers and e-mail address (it is the student’s responsibility to check e-mails regularly as the Department will be in contact about arrangements for the Viva Voce)

If the student/supervisor thinks there may be difficulties in meeting the deadline the student may be eligible for an extension. Please note however, that there are strict criteria for granting extensions. Please consult the Postgraduate Research Coordinator and Research Administrator as soon as possible, if you are considering an application for an extension. Further details and application form available at: https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/grad-school/forms-handbooks/

https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/grad-school/forms-handbooks/

https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/grad-school/forms-handbooks/

42

The examination process, including Viva Voce should normally take no longer than 12 weeks.

43

Aberystwyth University Academic Rules and Regulations Web Pages http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/regulations/

9.1 Teaching Activities Research postgraduates will, on occasion, be employed to contribute to the Department’s taught provision of undergraduate teaching (see below). However, students with University Aberdoc Scholarships will be prioritised in terms of teaching allocation, as a contribution to departmental teaching and/or related work is a requirement of these scholarships. After careful consideration, the Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies has developed the following guidelines. These are recommendations to serve the student’s own benefit. Please note that applications for extensions to deadlines for work to be submitted will not be supported on the grounds of working commitments beyond the hours stated below. 1/ No full time students will be permitted to contribute more than 6 hours per week in teaching related duties (inclusive of preparation and marking time). In practice, this normally means no more than 2-3 hours contact time per week. 2/ PhD students are not permitted, under any circumstance, to contribute to the supervision or marking of undergraduate dissertations. 3/ PhD students are not permitted, under any circumstance, to contribute to teaching, marking or moderating on any MA modules (including the supervision or marking of MA dissertations). 4/ PhD students are only permitted to give a maximum of 2 lectures on undergraduate modules per academic year. 5/ PhD students should only mark the same percentage of a module that they teach on, e.g. if they taught 25% of the seminars, then they can mark 25% of the assessed work. No module may be marked solely by PhD students, nor should PhD students act as moderators or second markers. 6/ Module co-ordinators are required to give PhD students teaching on their module an induction session (of 40 minutes minimum) prior to the commencement of the module. Here, co-ordinators should go through the module handbook with PhD students and answer any questions they may have. This should occur every year with all PhD students teaching on the module, even if they have taught on that module in previous years.

9.0 Teaching

44

There are no formal restrictions as to working hours per week recommended by the Department for part-time students.

9.2 Postgraduate Student Teaching Mentorship System We currently run a PhD student teaching mentorship system in the department. The system involves partnering interested PhD students with module coordinators for informal mentoring on teaching and learning, and, in exchange, module coordinators give students the opportunity to teach 1 lecture and 1 seminar/workshop on the module (paid by the department). As part of the mentoring process, the PhD student would attend all lectures on the module, and would receive advice and feedback from the module coordinator (on their lecture and seminar/workshop) in order for each student to build up a teaching and learning profile. At the end of semester 2, all research postgraduates – regardless of their funding status and year of study - will be contacted to ask whether they are interested in taking part in the teaching mentorship system during the following year, and, if so, which modules or kinds of teaching would particularly interest them. Students will be asked to fill out an application form, in order to register their interest, which will be emailed to them, at this time, by the Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator, with a deadline set for completed forms to be submitted. There are several categories of research student as follows:

1. Students funded by a Aberystwyth University Aberdoc scholarship; 2. Students funded by a Departmental or University Alumni scholarship; 3. Students funded by an external funding body e.g. AHRC, Leverhulme

Trust; 4. Self-funded students; 5. ‘Fourth Year’ students; 6. Part-Time students

Students in Category 1 For students registering from September 2015: These students will be paid the normal postgraduate student rate, for any teaching hours allocated to them. Whilst the Department is cognisant of and will seek to allocate teaching relevant to the scholarship holder’s field of study, the needs of the Department will be prioritised and the work allocated may not, therefore, be specifically relevant to the area of research. Full-time Aberdoc scholarship holders may also, exceptionally, participate in Departmental work other than teaching e.g. assisting with conference organisation; research or editorial assistance; general administration. In these cases the expectation

45

will be the contribution of working hours totalling 180 hours (maximum) across the academic year (1 October to 30 September). Students in Categories 2, 3, 4 & 6 above These students will be paid the normal postgraduate student rate, for any teaching hours allocated to them. Students in their ‘fourth year’ who have exhausted their scholarship funding. These students will be paid at the normal postgraduate student rate. The rate will not increase once the maintenance grant has been exhausted. However, it is Departmental policy to pay a higher rate after successful completion of the research degree.

9.3 General matters relating to teaching All new postgraduate tutors should undergo formal induction to the Department and should expect support from the relevant Module Coordinator regarding the specific requirements of the module to which they contribute. A departmental jour fixe session, covering key teaching guidelines and issues, is also held on an annual basis at the beginning of each academic year and all postgraduate students are encouraged to attend this session. Students engaged in teaching activity will be formally ‘contracted’ to the University and as such will be subject to the same disciplinary structure as any other member of the teaching staff. Although postgraduate student tutors can expect to be monitored more closely than regular members of the teaching staff, the Department will expect the same level of professional engagement and commitment. A contract will be issued at the outset, listing all duties and payment rates and the start date for the teaching. Students will be asked to confirm that they can meet all the requirements stated in the contract and will not be permitted to start the duties at any point other than that stipulated in the contract. If they foresee any difficulty with meeting the requirements of the contract, then they should inform the Head of Department immediately.

9.4 ‘Teaching for Postgraduates at Aberystwyth University’ Course (TPAU) This is a new programme for Postgraduate Research Students (which commences in the September of each academic year). The aim is to develop the teaching skills of postgraduate students who are already teaching in their department. This will give postgraduate students a grounding in the good practice of teaching and expand their knowledge and expertise in a range of core teaching areas. The programme is

46

accredited through the Higher Education Academy (HEA) at Associate Fellowship level (equivalent to module 1 of the Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education - PGCTHE) Those who complete the programme will become an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA). For further details about entry requirements and the application process, please email the Centre for the Development of Staff and Academic Practice (email: [email protected])

47

University Student Support Services Our Student Support Services are friendly and approachable. Working with you, they can achieve solutions for most of the challenges of student life. The team aim to offer student centred support that is responsive to your needs, and is confidential and non-judgemental. Student Support Services are located in the Student Welcome Centre on Penglais Campus. Tel: 01970 621761/622087 Email: [email protected] https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/student-support/ Student Welcome Centre The Student Welcome Centre is your one-stop shop for advice and information on a range of support services including student finance and money management, disability and specific learning differences. Our Welcome Desk is your first port of call for general enquiries about support services and any complaints or concerns you may have. All feedback is welcomed as this helps us to improve our University experience for all students. The desk is open Monday to Thursday, 9am–5pm and Friday, 9am–4pm. Advice, Information and Money Service The Student Advice, Information and Money Service provides information, advice, support and referral on a wide range of issues. If you are unsure about where to go for advice or assistance please contact us. No issue is too big or too small. Our service is confidential, non-judgemental and free of charge. We have a drop-in service (see website for details) or you can make an appointment with an adviser by contacting our Student Welcome Desk. The Student Advisers are accredited with The National Association of Student Money Advisers (NASMA) and are able to offer professional advice on money management or any issues with Student Finance. They can also give advice and guidance on any queries relating to accommodation, academic progress, University procedures or eligibility for hardship funds. Signpost Mentoring Signpost offers friendly, confidential, one-to-one advice on any aspect of university life. Signpost is a peer-mentoring scheme for all new undergraduates to help you achieve your potential, settle down in university life, plan for the future, and make the most of your time at university.

10.0 Welfare Provision


https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/student-support/

48

Accessibility Services The University welcomes applications from disabled students and those with specific learning differences, and considers them on the same academic grounds as those for other candidates. We advise you to consider, before applying, the requirements of your chosen course, identifying any elements that might present particular difficulties. We recommend that you visit the University campus and your department of choice to investigate the support that may be available, explore facilities and discuss specific needs. Our Student Accessibility Advisers are happy to help before you apply. It is important that you contact your department and our advisers as early as possible as it may take time to arrange adjustments and organise support. We also recommend that you contact our Student Accessibility Advisers to discuss a study needs assessment and to get advice on grants, such as the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA). Our Advisers can arrange support workers, including for one-to-one study skills support, mentors and library assistance. Individual examination arrangements may be available for students with a range of impairments including specific learning differences such as dyslexia and dyspraxia. Resident Tutors All halls of residences have a support network of Resident Tutors, who will contact you on your arrival to welcome you to your residential community. Their role is to help you settle in and make the most of your opportunities beyond the classroom and, where needed, enable you to access the entire range of support services within the University. Student Wellbeing Service The Student Wellbeing Service provides advice and guidance on a range of health matters, including emotional and sexual wellbeing, and includes our mental health, health promotion and counselling provision. Appointments are preferred, but not always necessary. The Student Wellbeing Service is in addition to, but not a substitute for, your own GP.

Departmental Welfare Support The Department is aware that doctoral research creates its own stresses and, although the Department and University monitor your research annually, you should feel free to contact the Departmental Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator, at any point during the year, should you encounter any problems relating to, for example, a relationship with a supervisor which is causing problems or stresses caused by writing up etc. Margaret Ames ([email protected]), the Departmental Senior Tutor, is also available to you by appointment to discuss any problems you may be having which are affecting your studies. Please remember that we cannot help unless you alert us to the problem!

49

Appendix 1

Record of Supervision

STUDENT NAME: SUPERVISOR NAME: DATE:

REVIEW OF PROGRESS AND SUMMARY OF FEEDBACK:

TOPICS DISCUSSED: ACTION AGREED BEFORE NEXT SUPERVISION: ASSESSMENT OF RESEARCH TRAINING OR PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT NEEDS:

DATE OF NEXT SUPERVISION:

STUDENT’S SIGNATURE: DATE:

50

Appendix 2

Criteria for assessing monitoring submissions:

First year (FT and PT) and second year (PT) submissions: 1. Does the work generally meet our expectations for a first year submission? 2. How clear and well-formulated is the writing? How well does it show control

of scholarly apparatus? How well does any practice-based output demonstrate coherence and competence in organisation and presentation, and an appreciation of the field?

3. How far is the submission clear evidence of a properly-managed aspect of the student’s on-going programme of research?

4. What issues does it raise about the next stages of the student’s work? Is the overall programme of research likely to facilitate timely submission?

5. Is the work generally of a standard that you would expect at doctoral level? 6. Can you see anything in here which would give you reason to pause and query the

readiness of the student to enter the second year of his/her study? Second year (FT) and fourth year (PT) submissions:

7. Does the work generally meet our expectations for a second year submission? 8. How clear and well-formulated is the writing? How well does it show control

of scholarly apparatus? How well does any practice-based output demonstrate coherence and competence in organisation and presentation, and an appreciation of the field?

9. Can you see clear evidence of a properly critical and well-grounded approach to the task undertaken here?

10. What issues does it raise about the next stages of the student’s work? Is the overall programme of research likely to facilitate timely submission?

11. Is the work generally of a standard that you would expect at second-year doctoral level?

Third year (FT/PT) and fifth year (PT) submissions:

12. Does the work generally meet our expectations for a third year submission? 13. How clear and well-formulated is the writing? How well does it show control

of scholarly apparatus? How well does the practice-based output demonstrate full articulation of methodology and output?

14. Can you see clear evidence of a mature and fully-understood approach to the task undertaken here?

15. What issues, if any, does it raise about the completion of the project and the submission of the thesis? Is the overall programme of research likely to facilitate timely submission?

16. Is the work generally of a kind you would expect to see from a student approaching completion of her/his doctoral project?

51

Appendix 3

Preparing for your viva This document is intended to provide the basis for a first discussion between a supervisor and a doctoral student about the final viva.

1. Who will be there? Normally the following: the Chair of the Examination Board – whose job is to ensure that the examination proceeds according to the regulations, and that a proper record is produced afterwards. There will be two Examiners, normally one external (from another institution) and an internal (from this University, and in many cases from your own department). Your supervisor can be there, with the agreement of the Chair of the Examination, and if you and s/he wish it – this should have been decided well in advance of the viva – but if present, the supervisor cannot contribute at all during the process, unless specifically asked a question by the examiners. (If there are any variations on this, you should know well in advance of your viva.) You will of course know well in advance of the viva who will be the two examiners, and who will be the Chair of the proceedings. 2. How should I present myself (for example, clothes)? What should I bring with me? The main emphasis should be on feeling comfortable, and feeling right for the situation. There is not a great formality about these processes. But it is worth remembering that your External Examiner is likely to be a significant figure in your field, will have worked hard reading your thesis, and may have travelled some distance for the viva. Extreme casualness may therefore not be entirely appropriate. You should have with you a copy of your thesis – it is very common for an examiner to point you to a particular page/passage, as a prompt to an issue s/he wishes to raise with you. 3. What will happen at the beginning of the viva? You should be introduced to your examiners. The Chair will briefly outline the process, and explain the possible outcomes. S/he will then largely hand over to the examiners, in particular the External Examiner who usually leads the questioning. 4. How long will it last? There are no rules on this, but typically a viva lasts between one and one-and-a-half hours. But while you are waiting afterwards, do not try to guess the outcome just from its length. A long viva can be because the examiners are fascinated by your work, just as much as because they have great concerns about it. 5. What is its purpose? There are several purposes. The first is for the examiners to be satisfied that this is indeed your own work. That actually means two things. First, and formally, it is the guarantee that there has been no plagiarism or any other irregular

52

behaviour. The second, more substantively, is to allow the examiners to be sure that you really do understand and can explain and defend what you have done. Beyond this, the main purpose of the viva is to give you opportunities to explain anything that may not be entirely clear, and to respond to possible criticisms. 6. What questions am I likely to be asked? This is very much in the hands of the external examiner, more than anyone else. S/he has the right to explore any aspect of your thesis, and your work towards producing it. But typically, you may well be asked about any or all of the following :

- your central research questions and objectives; - your methodology; - the range and character of your literature review; - the processes of your own research; - your findings; - how you see the relevance and contribution of your research.

You could also be asked about any ethical considerations or other implications the research raises. 7. What sort of a discussion is it likely to be? For instance, will it be adversarial? Am I being tested for my ability to ‘stand up for my corner’? It is difficult to answer this question, because a great deal of the power for this lies in the hands of the External Examiner. However it is very unusual for an examiner to be confrontational, or indeed to try to ask ‘trick questions’. That does not mean that s/he will not be critical, or ask difficult questions. For your part, you should of course stand by the thesis you have presented. But that does not mean that you should never concede the force of a particular criticism, or not acknowledge a limitation – one of the marks of a good researcher is his/her ability to see limitations in an argument. 8. What am I trying to demonstrate to my examiners? You should be trying to show that you understand both the strengths and the limits of your research. You should be able to situate your research within the field(s) to which it is a contribution. You should be able to clarify any aspect of it – for instance, your adoption or rejection of particular approaches, or your use of particular methods, or particular arguments you advance – in words that are not simply repetitions of what you have written in your thesis. You should be willing to try to defend your process and positions against alternatives. However, that does not mean that you should never acknowledge limits or weaknesses. 9. What difference can the viva make to the examiners’ decisions? Both in theory and in practice, the viva can make a real difference. For example, if you show that you are capable of responding effectively to queries and challenges to your argument, if you show that you are able to make points clearer that may have become compressed in your thesis, then the examiners will weigh these in the balance of their judgements on the overall achievement of your work.

53

10. How can I best prepare myself? It is a useless exercise to try to second-guess what questions you will be asked. Instead, the best thing you can do is to make sure you have re-read your thesis shortly before your viva, and perhaps to rehearse explaining to a friend (perhaps another doctoral student) some of its central ideas. The most important thing is to be entirely familiar with what you wrote – remember that you will have submitted it some time before the viva. You should feel free to ask your supervisor for help in preparing for your viva – or, if s/he doesn’t feel experienced enough in this, to ask the Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator for help in this. 11. How much should I know about the work of my External Examiner? In the end, the choice of examiner is a matter for the Department and the University. But you and your supervisor should have been consulted about suitable external examiners. So, at the point where you have the opportunity to make an input, think carefully about who in your field(s) has a significant standing and made a substantial contribution, who will be in a position to understand the approach you are taking. It is therefore no unusual for your External Examiner’s work to play some part, at least, in your work. So you may well know of their work through this process. And of course, it is therefore essential that you have dealt fairly and carefully with their work. That does not mean, at all, that you should not have been critical of their work – as long as those criticisms are well-made. 12. What will happen at the end of the viva? Usually, as a matter of courtesy, after the examiners have completed their questions and discussion with you the Chair will ask you if there is anything additional that you want to say, that has not been covered in previous discussions. Following this, you will be asked to leave the room for a period – it could be fifteen minutes, it could be an hour – in order to give the examiners time to reflect on the viva, and to come to a conclusion. It is normal, then, for you to be invited back in to hear the examiners’ decision. This will normally be conveyed by the Chair. You can ask for clarifications at this stage. The important thing is that whatever is said to you here in words will be put in writing to you within a short period. 13. Can I take notes during the viva? This is not a good idea. You should receive a clear enough summary of all the points that may need addressing in your thesis, where there is a requirement for any kind of corrections or rewriting. If you are concerned about this, however, you could ask if your supervisor can attend (with the Chair’s agreement), in order to keep a rough record of the topics and issues covered. 14. What are the options open to the examiners? The examiners have a full range available to them. They can award a PhD without requiring any alterations at all. They can require minor corrections or emendations (according to their judgement, this can be for completion within periods of four weeks and twelve weeks). [In this case the revised thesis will normally be examined for the adequacy of the corrections only by the Internal Examiner.] They can refer the thesis, on the grounds that substantial alterations are required – in which case you will have a period specified of up to one year to meet their demands. [In this case, it has to be reconsidered by the External Examiner.] They can

54

propose the award of an MPhil, on the grounds that there is a substantial piece of work, but it does not meet the essential grounds for the award of a PhD. Or they can, of course, reject the thesis entirely. Lest this sound too scary, it should be said that the final options are rare. If you have worked at the thesis with care, and if the supervision process has worked properly, there should not be any substantial fears of these happening. It is very common, on the other hand, for examiners to find at least minor faults requiring emendation – however careful your copy-editing may have been! 15. What will I receive afterwards? You will receive an Interim Confirmation of Results form on the day of the viva. Following this, you should then receive, within a few weeks of the viva, a statement agreed between the two examiners. This will lay out any corrections, alterations, clarifications or rewritings that you are required to make. Very commonly one or both examiners will provide you with a list of minor corrections – typographical or spelling errors, etc – required for the award. Any larger issues will be presented to you in the examiners’ statement.

55

Appendix 4

Useful Websites Websites Academic Quality and Records Office : Useful information and links to forms (e.g. extensions and intention to submit) https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/aqro/students/pg-issues/research/ The Graduate School: Information about research and skills training as well as links to university handbooks. https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/grad-school/ University Regulations Links to the regulations governing your PhD or MPhil candidature and examination. https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/regulations/ Careers Service For advice on developing your cv, applying for jobs, and preparing for job interviews. https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/careers/ VITAE

An external organisation championing the personal, professional and career development of doctoral researchers and research staff in higher education institutions and research institutes. http://www.vitae.ac.uk/

https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/aqro/students/pg-issues/research/

https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/grad-school/

https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/regulations/

https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/careers/

http://www.vitae.ac.uk/

Documents

Postgraduate Research - Aberystwyth University · Head of Department Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator 2.0 The ... performance studies, media and communication, ... ITV Wales Archive,