All HDR candidates receive the HDR Guide as part of their induction to the university. Section A contains information regarding the stages of research including the selection of supervisors/candidates and best practice leading towards timely completions. Section B contains information on the management of candidacy.
Macquarie University recognises the importance of the relationship between a student and supervisor and its impact on the successful completion of a higher degree research candidature. In order to define appropriate supervisory practices across the University, a uniform Code of Supervisory Practice has been approved by the Higher Degree Research Committee and Academic Senate.
The purpose of the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research (the Code) is to guide institutions and researchers in responsible research practices. In describing good practice, this Code promotes integrity in research for researchers and explains what is expected of researchers by the community. In providing advice on how to manage departures from best practice, this Code assists researchers, administrators and the community in this important matter.
This prospectus introduces HDR course information and details of application/scholarship processes.
Students' perspectives on quality supervision (PDF) (University of Otago)
University of Otago (New Zealand) students' perspectives on quality supervision and problems encountered in supervision, aimed at assisting postgraduate research supervisors, as well as students, in understanding what to aim for, expect and be aware of in relation to postgraduate research supervision. Divided into "The 10 most important qualities of the ideal graduate research supervisor' and 'The 10 most substantial problems faced by students in graduate research supervision'.
General information about supervision (University of Adelaide Website)
Information about supervision, for both students and staff, with a particular emphasis on the Discipline of Nursing at the University of Adelaide. Includes components such as 'What is Supervision?', 'Styles of Supervision', 'What Supervisors do?', and 'Supervision Guidelines'.
Supervisor checklist (DOC) (University of Melbourne)
This is an example of a checklist used at the University of Melbourne. The supervisor checklist includes a focus on expectations and agreements between student and supervisor on the various components of a supervisory relationship, including time and frequency of meetings, timelines, monitoring progress, authorship of manuscripts, ethical issues, student support services, etc.
Publications on HDR supervision (Institute of Teaching & Learning Website)
University of Sydney exhaustive list of research and publications on higher degree research supervision. Organised in various categories, including 'General publications on supervision', 'Supervision styles/modes', 'Establishing boundaries/expectations', 'Time management', 'Writing', etc.
fIRST supervision development resources (fIRST Website)
fIRST provides access to a range of resources that help universities and individual supervisors improve the quality of their postgraduate research education. It aims to review and share existing supervision development resources and to develop new resources for the benefit of its members. Resources available on the site include: on-line activities that individuals can use as self-instructional materials to develop their expertise as postgraduate research student supervisors; complete instructions and materials for providing face-to-face staff development workshops; case studies, tools, a bibliography and links to other relevant web sites. To get into this site you will need a login and password. For Macquarie staff it is mqedu and mq2109nsw.
Cross-cultural case study for supervisors (PDF) (University of Melbourne)
A University of Melbourne cross-cultural case study guide for supervisors. It outlines some of the most common cross-cultural issues that supervisors face with students from cultures of origin other that their own. It contains possible causes of some situations and suggested questions, strategies and resources supervisors can use.
Research supervision for international students in an Australian university (TXT) (Australian Association for Research in Education)
'Towards more effective research supervision for international students in an Australian university', a publication by John Hall, Curtin University of Technology. This paper explores the possibility of more effective research supervision practices for language minority postgraduate students, taking into account that these students have special needs for their supervision, that at least some of the current supervision practices are less than effective for language minority students, and that there are ways and means for providing more effective supervision practices for these researchers.
Case study on the quality of graduate supervision (PDF) (Queensland University of Technology)
A Queensland University of Technology conversational case study which interrogates the quality of graduate supervision in the professional doctorate. Comprises of a series of four roundtable papers by Helen Chapman, Geof Hill, Ian Macpherson, and Tania Aspland, designed to promote quality dialogue and debate about quality graduate supervision. The first two papers are the stories of two candidates who have completed the professional doctorate. Their stories comment particularly on the supervisory practices which they experienced during their candidature. The third paper is the story of the person who supervised the candidates. This story records reflections on his supervisory practices and outlines what is called a 'smarter' approach to graduate supervision. The fourth paper is the story of an academic whose research interests include graduate supervision. This paper identifies a set of criteria for quality graduate supervision.
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Brief guide on thesis proposals (PDF) (University of New South Wales Website)
A University of New South Wales guide for students who are enrolled in a postgraduate research degree and who have been asked to submit a thesis proposal.
Literature review (PDF) (University of New South Wales Website)
A short University of New South Wales guide for postgraduate research students and a few suggestions to get you started on literature review.
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UNSW guide to PhD thesis writing (University of New South Wales)
A guide to PhD thesis writing compiled by professor Joe Wolfe at the University of New South Wales. It gives simple and practical advice on the problems of getting started, getting organised, dividing the huge task into less formidable pieces and working on those pieces. It also explains the practicalities of surviving the ordeal. It includes a suggested structure and a guide to what should go in each section. Originally written for graduate students in physics, and most of the specific examples given are taken from that discipline.
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UWA guide to thesis writing (PDF) (University of Western Australia)
A short guide on how to write a thesis at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, written by Dr R. Chandrasekhar at the University of Western Australia. It is aimed at engineering and science students. It includes thesis structure, substance and style.
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UTS thesis development resources (University of Technology, Sydney)
The different stages of preparing the thesis are covered here, with online resources providing access to such items as writing proposals, choosing a research method, doing literature searches, using statistics and so on. There are also other links to very useful resources outside the University of Technology, Sydney.
UOW thesis writing resources (University of Wollongong)
A University of Wollongong exhaustive set of resources on thesis structure and on thesis style. It provides an overview of the structural characteristics of different thesis types, supplemented with examples from thesis chapters in a range of disciplines. It also provides an overview of style and language characteristics of these theses. It aims to assist postgraduate research students with the task of writing a thesis by making explicit the characteristics of typical theses and by providing direct instruction about achieving some of those characteristics.
UQ thesis presentation guide (University of Queensland)
This paper addresses the problem: how should a PhD candidate in management or a similar field (and his or her supervisor) present the thesis? The structure developed provides a starting point for understanding what a PhD thesis should set out to achieve, and also provides a basis for communication between a candidate and his or her supervisor. Firstly, criteria for judging a PhD thesis are reviewed and justification for its structure is provided. Then writing style is considered. Finally, each of the five chapters and their sections are described in some detail: introduction, literature review, methodology, analysis of data, and conclusions and implications.
Monash guide on thesis writing (Monash University)
A Monash University site offering guidance with issues of organisation and expression in thesis writing. Recommendations deal with matters such as knowing one's role as a researcher, looking at other theses in the field, preparing proposals and applications to the Ethics Committee, etc. It also succinctly defines the functions and characteristics of the various components of a thesis.
Flinders guide on thesis preparation (Flinders University)
A Flinders University guide on preparing a thesis. It discusses all relevant aspects of this process, from presentation, order and format of contents, the inclusion of tables, diagrams and figures, to bibliographic citation, the final form of the thesis, and, finally, thesis submission.
Commonly asked questions about thesis writing (University of Queensland)
A very helpful University of Queensland Frequently Asked Questions page answering commonly asked questions about conceptualizing, organising and writing a PhD thesis, as well as dealing with life as a PhD student. Questions include, 'I've gathered lots of data, finished the experiments, explored the literature. What do I do with it now and how do I put it together?', 'Is there a particular thesis structure I have to follow?', 'What style of writing is expected?'.
Hints on effective thesis writing (PDF) (Curtin University of Technology)
Hints on effective thesis writing, compiled by Professor Will Featherstone at the Curtin University of Technology. It offers exhaustive advice on each stage of the thesis writing process, namely, why write a thesis, the requirements of the thesis, anticipating and scheduling the writing, consulting the supervisor, planning the thesis, writing the first draft, developing a writing style, revising the drafts, checking the final draft, and producing the manuscript.
A structured approach to presenting PhD theses (University of Sydney)
'A Structured Approach to Presenting PhD Theses: Notes for Candidates and Their Supervisors', a paper presented by Chad Perry at the University of Sydney, addressing the problem of how a PhD candidate should present their thesis. It is aimed at providing a starting point for understanding what a PhD thesis should set out to achieve, and also a basis for communication between a candidate and his or her supervisor. Firstly, criteria for judging a PhD thesis are reviewed and justification for its structure is provided. Then writing style is considered. Finally, each of the five chapters and their sections are described in some detail: introduction, literature review, methodology, analysis of data, and conclusions and implications.
fIRST helping student writers (fIRST Website)
As many supervisors feel decidedly uncomfortable about their ability to become a writing coach, this site offers materials for supervisors to use to help students write theses. The resources provided cover: preparing a research proposal; writing for publication; preparing a literature review.
How to pass a thesis (PDF) (Curtin University of Technology)
An overview of 'How to Pass Your Thesis With Flying Colours!' by Professor Leonie Rennie at the Curtin University of Technology. It includes information about the criteria used to examine a thesis, how an examiner works through it, the questions that examiners ask themselves regarding the thesis, what makes a good and what makes a poor thesis, etc.
Copyright and Plagiarism (University of Queensland)
A comprehensive list of guides addressing copyright and plagiarism, written by Tom Joyce at the University of Queensland. It includes copyright permissions, theses and publications, creating copyright material, etc.
Surviving and thriving while writing a thesis (University of Melbourne)
A University of Melbourne article about surviving and thriving while writing a thesis. It focuses on the effective management of personal psychosocial issues in order to enjoy thesis writing as a rich and rewarding process.
Informal thesis writing guide for perfectionists (PDF) (University of Melbourne)
A University of Melbourne informal thesis writing guide for perfectionists. Perfectionism, manifesting as writer's block, is a common ailment that afflicts many postgraduate students when writing up their theses. Instead of changing life-long habits and mind-sets, this guide offers ways of getting around this problem in order to complete a thesis.
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