Faculty of Medicine
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Progression Milestones are key stages of your candidature. They comprise of Progress Reports, Academic Needs Analysis (ANA), First Progression Review, Progression Review (Confirmation), an Oral Exam and Third Progression Review.
This page will guide you through each Milestone.
The Academic Needs Analysis (ANA) is an assessment of your current personal and professional development needs, including both research skills and professional skills. You should discuss your ANA with your supervisory team at the beginning of your programme and develop a training and development plan for the first year of your project. This process is carried out online via the PGR Manager system
At the beginning of your programme, the Faculty asks that you submit your initial ANA form at the end of your first month after starting your degree. We also require that you submit a research plan along with your initial ANA form. The research plan should contain:
Your ANA will then need to be reviewed by you and your supervisors on a regular basis, and will be discussed during your progression reviews.
Further information on the ANA and the form can be found here.
All students are expected to complete and submit Activity Reports throughout the research phase of their candidature. Activity reports should be completed every three months, with the first report submitted on month 4 of the research phase of your candidature. Reports should include a summary of meetings with your supervisory team, any training & development activities you have undertaken, conference attendance or publication of papers/abstracts and any other relevant activities. You should also comment on any issues or difficulties you may be experiencing (e.g. lack of access to equipment, slow recruitment of subjects etc). Your supervisor should provide a comment on each report prior to submission.
It is your responsibility to ensure that you complete and submit these reports in a timely fashion on PGR Manager. Your activity reports will also be reviewed as part of each of the progression reviews throughout your programme.
The purpose of the first progression review is to demonstrate that you are engaged with your project and have developed the expected level of knowledge of your research topic, appropriate methodologies and have completed the expected project milestones. You will submit a progress report and related documents and have a progression review meeting with one of your supervisors and an independent assessor.
You will need to submit:
• Personal reflection/assessment on the progress of the work (one side of A4 maximum)
• Written report (5000-7500 words PhD and DM students; 3000-5000 words for Integrated PhD students) comprising:
- Literature review of the background to the project
- Report of investigation so far: methods, results, discussion
- Detailed research plan up to the Second Progression Review (Confirmation)
• Completed First Progression Review form, which will include a review of the Academic Need Analysis and training
• Completed quarterly Activity Reports
• Data Management Plan
Further details on the contents of the report can be found here.
Assessment
In the Faculty of Medicine the review will be conducted by a member of the supervisory team and an independent assessor appointed by the Faculty Director of the Graduate School. It will include a review of all of the documentation submitted by you, and will include an oral (viva voce) component.
The role of the review panel will be:
Potential Outcomes:
Following the review meeting, the Progression Review panel will submit a written report to the Faculty Graduate School, which comments on both the written work and performance in the review meeting. The Progression Review Panel will recommend one of two possible outcomes:
If the Progression Review panel determines that re-examination is necessary, a second (final) attempt will be given to the student within the time frames stipulated. The format of the second (final) attempt will be determined by the Progression Review Panel in consultation with the Graduate School directorate. A second viva voce (oral examination) will normally be required. It will be conducted, where possible, by the same members of staff and an Independent Chair will also be appointed. Following the second attempt at the review, the panel may make one of two recommendations:
The aim of the second progression review is to demonstrate that your project is progressing and that you are on track to complete your degree on time. You will need to submit a report that contains
(i) an overview of the research question and rationale for the project;
(ii) substantial literature review;
(iii) significant results, interpretation/contextualisation of your findings;
(iv) a clear plan leading to completion of your work.
You will also need to submit an up-to-date data management plan, activity reports and the Second Progression Review report form. In addition, you will also need to have completed all of the mandatory training required by the University by the time of your confirmation review (see here for details). You will also need to have a progression review meeting with the review panel.
Further details about the second progression review and the content of the written report can be found here.
Assessment
You will be assessed by a panel of two academics who are independent of you and your work and who will be appointed by the Director of the Graduate School. One of the panel may be the assessor from your first progression review. The panel will need to determine that you are able to manage the research project, have become proficient in the field of specialised research and are likely to achieve success at PhD level given adequate motivation and perseverance.
Potential Outcomes:
Following the review meeting, the Progression Review panel will submit a written report to the Faculty Graduate School, which comments on both the written work and performance in the review meeting. The Progression Review Panel will recommend one of two possible outcomes:
If the Progression Review panel determines that re-examination is necessary, a second (final) attempt will be given to the student. If re-examine is the option chosen, the student will be given a list of actions or recommendations to follow before their second attempt. The student will be required to re-submit their Confirmation thesis addressing the issues raised by the original Confirmation Panel. A second viva voce (oral examination) will normally be required.
The review will be conducted by the same assessors as during the first attempt and will take the same format. In addition, an Independent Chair will be appointed. The second attempt at the review will lead to one of three recommendations:
The third progression review will take place approximately a year after your confirmation review. The aim of this review is ensure that your research project has continued to progress towards completion and that you have well-developed plans for writing your final thesis. You will submit a progress report and several related documents (see below) and have a progression review meeting with your supervisory team.
You will need to submit:
(i) a short summary of progress since the second progression review (3-4 pages in length) which also includes a summary of how you have addressed any concerns raised during the second progression review;
(ii) a detailed plan for your thesis showing the proposed structure of the thesis and the progress you have made in completing each chapter;
(iii) a detailed plan showing the how you will complete the final stage of your work including writing your thesis.
You will also need to submit completed activity reports, third progression review form and an updated data management plan.
Further details of what should be submitted for the third progression review can be found here.
Assessment
Your supervisory team will form the panel for this review. They will be expecting you to be able to demonstrate that you have:
Potential outcomes:
The Progression Review panel will submit a written report following the meeting to the Faculty Graduate School. The panel will make one of two recommendations:
If the Progression Review panel determines that re-examination is necessary, a second (final) attempt will be given to the student within the timeframes stipulated. The review will be conducted by a member of the supervisory team and an independent assessor. An Independent Chair will also be appointed.
The second (final) attempt will comprise two parts: the submission of written work by the student and a progression review viva voce (oral examination). The second attempt at the review will lead to one of three recommendations:
Intention to Submit
You must inform your Faculty Graduate School Office of your intention to submit no later than two months before your date of submission. This should be done using the form on PGR Manager. Information on decision and notification to submit can be found in the Code of Practice for Research Degree Candidature and Supervision.
Production and Submission of the Thesis
The requirements for the production of the thesis, and procedures for submission are set out in the Producing your thesis – a guide for research students and the Submitting your thesis – a guide for research students, both of which are available from the Quality Handbook. You should read this guidance carefully well in advance of preparing the final version of your thesis. Additional guidance for students submitting their thesis in an alternative format can be found in the Code of Practice for Research Degree Candidature and Supervision.
Thesis templates are available in Microsoft Word (PC and Mac) and LaTeX that match the required University specifications. Templates are available on the Library website.
Further information on thesis submission including: declaration of authorship; academic integrity; and thesis written in a language other than English, can be found in the Code of Practice for Research Degree Candidature and Supervision.
Thesis Submission
You will retain access to library and computing facilities until your thesis has been examined and, where appropriate, any revisions requested by the examiners have been made.
You can find useful information to assist you in preparing your thesis on the Library’s Theses webpages, which should be read in conjunction with the University’s Producing your thesis – a guide for research students and the Submitting your thesis – a guide for research students, both of which are available from the Quality Handbook. You are advised to read these well in advance. These guides cover help on the electronic submission of your thesis and supporting materials, including copyright, intellectual property rights, restrictions, file formats, and research data. Thesis templates using Microsoft Word (PC and Mac) and LaTeX are also accessible here. Support in using the Word PC and Mac templates is provided by iSolutions.
Once you have given notice of intention to submit, at least two examiners (one internal and one external to the University) will be appointed and arrangements made for your examination. The following information on the examination can be found in the Code of Practice for Research Degree Candidature and Supervision: nomination of examiners; the role of the main supervisor in the examination process; the viva voce examination itself; the recommendations of the examiners; and consideration of the examiners’ recommendations.
Submission after a successful recommendation of an award
Information on the procedure for submission of your final thesis after successful recommendation of an award can be found in the Submitting your thesis – a guide for research students.
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