Revised version: 28/8/13
School of Medicine
Milestone 1: Confirmation of Candidature
Guidelines for students & advisors
Background & Purpose of Confirmation
Most research higher degree candidates (PhD students and MPhil students) will be enrolled provisionally in the first instance. University guidelines stipulate that after one year of full-time enrolment or two years of part-time enrolment for PhD students; or six months full-time or one year part-time for MPhil students, the Postgraduate Coordinator must report whether a candidate has made sufficient progress for the enrolment to be ‘confirmed’ as a full PhD or MPhil enrolment.
For a candidate to receive confirmation, they need to be able to:
• Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the relevant literature;
• Identify the contribution that their proposed study will make to the field of research;
• Provide feasible research objectives and hypotheses;
• Establish a robust methodology for data collection;
• Outline a viable scheme of analysis for the data, once it has been collected.
The School of Medicine requires research higher degree candidates to report on these elements of their research work in a Confirmation document. This document is limited to 40 pages of text for PhD students or 25 pages of text for MPhil students. The text must be double-spaced and in 12 point Times New Roman font, with 2.5 cm margins on all sides. For both types of candidate, the document is to be publicly presented in a Confirmation Presentation.
The Confirmation procedure should not be seen as an examination, but should be viewed as a developmental exercise, designed to maximise the likelihood of successful completion of candidature. It should not come as a surprise if the confirmation document is returned with lots of comments! All efforts will be made to assist candidates to complete the confirmation process successfully. All Confirmation Documents are to include a cover page, signed by the Principal and all Associate Advisors, certifying that they have read the document, and indicating that they either agree or disagree that the document is ready to submit. In a case when one or more of the supervision team consider that the document is not ready, then reasons must be given.
Confirmation Date
You can check your Confirmation due date from your mySI-net page.
See under Research – Candidature
PhD students are expected to become confirmed 12 months (full-time equivalent) after their date of commencement.
MPhil students are expected to become confirmed 6 months (full-time equivalent) after their date of commencement.
If a student wishes to extend the date of his/her confirmation presentation by more than one month beyond the date specified on SI-net, then they must complete an ‘Attainment or Extension of Milestone form’ form, downloadable from
http://www.uq.edu.au/grad-school/completing-each-milestone
(scroll down to 2nd last paragraph for link)
When completed, the form should be submitted to
Steps to Confirmation
1. Student to submit electronic copy of their Confirmation document to at least 4 weeks prior to the intended date of oral presentation.
2. The student and/or the Principal Advisor Student to nominate the Confirmation Committee Members via the School’s Confirmation form – downloadable from:
http://www.som.uq.edu.au/current-students/research-higher-degree-resources/for-students/postgraduate-student-handbook/milestones/milestone-reviews.aspx
so the School’s RHD Office can send the Confirmation document away to the Review Ctee members, with the instructions/criteria for comments.
The Principal Advisor should contact the proposed members first, to establish their willingness to participate. The Student or Principal Advisor should negotiate the time/date with the Confirmation Committee members. The date is usually set approximately 4 weeks after the student’s date of document submission, so that the Review Ctee members have 2 weeks to read/make comments and the Student has 2 weeks to respond to those comments.
The Confirmation Committee will consist of:
Compulsory members
· The student’s Principal Advisor
· At least one Reader (preferably 2) – a person who is not a member of the Advisory Team; who has in-depth knowledge of a field relevant to the candidate’s area of research; and who will be able to give constructive feedback to the student. It is to the candidate’s benefit that more than one Reader be appointed.
· Chairperson – a UQ staff member who is not on the Advisory team, but has some familiarity with the area of research. Must hold a research degree at least equivalent to that in which the candidate is enrolled.
It is suggested that the Head of the Discipline in which the student is enrolled be the Chairperson; however, the Principal Advisor (or candidate) must obtain the Chair’s willingness to undertake this role prior to nominating them.
And, but only if School resource questions need to be considered -
· The Head of Clinical School (as relevant) or appropriate delegate
Optional members
· The student’s Associate Advisor/s
· Student representative
· Additional Reader/s
The purpose of the Confirmation Committee is to:
· Review the confirmation document (Readers);
· Decide that the Confirmation Presentation is to go ahead;
· Ask questions of the candidate at the Confirmation Presentation;
· Make a recommendation to the Postgraduate Coordinator concerning confirmation of candidature.
3. Student (or Principal Advisor) to set the time/date of the Confirmation Presentation
The Student must, in consultation with the Principal Advisor, any Associate Advisor/s, Readers, and Chairperson, set a suitable time/date/venue for the confirmation presentation, which is acceptable to all attendees. The School’s RHD Office () can provide assistance, if necessary, to book a venue. The venue will need to have a digital data projector and (preferably) a PC/laptop. The School of Medicine office at Herston has a portable data projector, which can be borrowed, if the room you book does not have these facilities.
Student (or Principal Advisor) to advise of the date/time/venue so it can be advertised to the wider School via the webpage:
http://www.som.uq.edu.au/current-students/research-higher-degree-resources/for-students/postgraduate-student-handbook/milestones/forthcoming-milestone-reviews.aspx
The Confirmation document – evolution
1. Submission
At least 4 weeks prior to the proposed oral presentation date, the student must submit an e-copy of their Confirmation document to the PGAO (). The PGAO will then email the document, plus instructions/criteria to the Reader/s and Chair.
The Confirmation document will outline the area under study including a full citation of the directly relevant literature. It will establish the research objective and pose the formal hypotheses. The proposal will also concisely and clearly describe the proposed research methodology and scheme of analysis, and briefly describe work already completed (see later for additional details).
2. Student to make corrections to their Confirmation document and respond to the Readers if requested
Within two weeks of the document’s submission, the Reader(s) will review the document and provide written comments to the candidate, Chair, other Reader, Advisors and PGAO via email. If the document is deemed acceptable in its original form, or with minor changes only, the Confirmation Presentation should take place within two weeks. If it is decided that the document is not ready to be presented, ie that major changes are required, then the student will be given time to consider the comments of the Readers and amend or defend their document to the satisfaction of the Readers. After that occurs, the Confirmation Presentation can then be scheduled.
The Oral Presentation
The presentation will be open to all staff members and research higher degree students within the School of Medicine and any other interested parties. Candidates are allowed a maximum of 30 minutes to present the PhD or MPhil project. Following the presentation, members of the audience will address questions to the candidate for up to 10 minutes. Following the presentation, the candidate and his/her advisory team will meet with the Postgraduate Coordinator (or nominee), the Readers, and any other members of the Confirmation Committee to enable the candidate and advisors to address any outstanding concerns identified. This meeting usually takes no more than 20 minutes.
Committee Decision
The Confirmation Committee at this stage will document its decision, placing particular emphasis on formal written advice that will be provided to the candidate. This decision will normally be communicated verbally to the candidate and his or her Advisors, immediately following the Confirmation Committee meeting, with written advice following within the next few days.
The Committee’s decision can take the following forms:
(a) That confirmation of candidature be recommended immediately;
(b) That the candidate be asked to provide additional explanation of points identified by the readers or any other problems identified. Once the Committee members are satisfied that these points have been addressed, then confirmation of candidature will be recommended ;
(c) Deferral of confirmation;
(d) (For PhD only) That the program of study be changed from PhD to MPhil;
(e) Termination of candidature
In the event that a candidate experiences difficulty in producing a Confirmation document of sufficient standard to justify confirmation of candidature, the School will make every effort to provide assistance and guidance. If necessary, confirmation will be deferred to allow the candidate further time to produce the document. Candidature will only be terminated when it becomes clear that the candidate is unable to produce a Confirmation Document of the required standard, even after assistance and guidance has been given.
The Chair of the Review Committee will communicate his/her recommendation to the PGAO via Section 3 of the School’s Confirmation form, which is downloadable from:
http://www.som.uq.edu.au/current-students/research-higher-degree-resources/for-students/postgraduate-student-handbook/milestones/milestone-reviews.aspx
This is the form which the student/Advisory team will have already submitted to the School’s RHD office at , with their Confirmation document. The student will have completed Section 1, the Principal Advisor will have completed Section 2. The School’s RHD office forwards this form to the Committee Chair, asking them to complete Section 3 after the oral presentation, and return it to
Structure of Confirmation Document
PhD candidates
The Confirmation Document will be no more than 40 pages, (including tables and figures, but excluding references and appendices), doublespaced in Times New Roman 12 font with minimum 2.5 cm margins on all sides.
MPhil candidates
The Confirmation Document will be no more than 25 pages (including tables and figures, but excluding references and appendices), in the same print format as for PhD candidates.
As a guide, the following elements usually will need to be addressed in the Confirmation document.
Overall Layout
• Title Page
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Literature survey/theory
• Hypothesis development/logical process
• Methodology
• Discussion
• References (not included in 25 or 40 page limit)
• Appendices (not included in 25 or 40 page limit)
Below are guidelines for setting out the Confirmation document. Please note that some items may not be relevant to some students – students should discuss the Confirmation document with their Advisor(s) prior to commencing writing:
Title Page
The title page must include:
· name of student
· names of principal and associate advisors
· title of project
· signed statement by the principal and associate advisors that they have read the document
Abstract
The abstract should be no more that 500 words in length and should summarize the background, aims, and methodology of the project.
Introduction
· define key concepts and variables
· briefly outline background and motivation (i.e. why do the study, and why do it here in the School of Medicine)
· state rationale and the research approach
Literature Review
Literature must be:
· relevant
· up to date
· critically appraised by the candidate
· demonstrate a broad knowledge
· argue for the study focus
The citation style should be consistent with publication targets
Hypothesis Development (where relevant)
· consistency with theory
· justification of an appropriate overall approach
· explicit statement of hypotheses or aims, which should be related to issues identified in the literature review
Methodology
Clear statement of methods including:
· resource requirements (are all pieces of equipment and funds to complete the study available, either directly or via collaborations?)
· feasible timetable
· "critical paths" in multi-study programs
· discussion of potential problems and indication of contingency plans
· explain if ethical clearance is necessary or not
Discussion
· implications (what will the study show and how will this information add to what is already known?)
· threats to validity
· limitations
· concluding summary
Timetabling
· timing of studies
· expected date of submission
Reference List
· include all cited articles
· style should be based on target publications
Appendices
If applicable, include as appendices:
· reports of previous studies
· previous working papers
· brief outline of work completed
· instrument drafts
· relevant correspondence
· copies of permits and approvals (e.g. human/animal ethics, GTR etc)
· other relevant incidental material
Transfer from MPhil to PhD (or vice versa)
Please see information at:
http://www.uq.edu.au/grad-school/changing-your-candidature
(see I want to change / withdraw from my RHD program)
Normally confirmed MPhil candidates must transfer to the PhD as unconfirmed candidates, ie and do their confirmation again within the PhD program.
If you wish to transfer to the PhD as a confirmed candidate, it is imperative that you read the information at:
http://www.som.uq.edu.au/8320.aspx
prior to your MPhil confirmation. You will need to make sure that your MPhil confirmation meets certain criteria.
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