About supervision

PGR Supervisory Teams: Roles of Supervisors and Personal Tutors

All postgraduate research students will be allocated a core supervisory team of at least two members of academic staff who will support them through their academic and development programme. 

Primary supervisor

The primary supervisor is the key institutional link for the student and will provide significant academic input into the student’s research. The relative academic input within the supervisory team may vary - it could be anything from a 90:10 split, to a 50:50 joint supervision arrangement, to a three or four way division including other supervisors in addition to the primary and second, based on the needs of the research. The student will be registered in the school of the primary supervisor.

Below are the responsibilities of a primary supervisor. Where the supervisory team are more equally supporting the student, the sharing of these responsibilities needs to be agreed together, with a clear articulation and shared understanding of the responsibilities of each supervisor.

It is the primary supervisor’s responsibility to:

• Ensure compliance with the University’s Code of Practice for Research Degrees and such other University documents as are relevant to the student’s work (e.g. research ethics, research integrity, data protection and health and safety). The supervisor must ensure that the student is aware of regulations that affect their conduct and/or work.
• Set up formal and regular in person meetings with the student, on an individual basis, (a minimum of once every four weeks, pro rata for part time students) with a clear plan for what is expected for each meeting. Ensure that there is a written record of the meeting.
• Ensure the student understands the key progression milestones and what is required to complete those milestones, including the format and standard of work required.
• Support the student to complete their Training Needs Analysis and Development Plan to support their technical and personal development. Point them to essential elements of the Doctoral Development Programme and any other training they need to undertake.
• Read and provide timely feedback on any pieces of work towards progression milestones (i.e. Confirmation Review, Submission Review) and final submission of the thesis.
• Consider requests from the student for periods of study away from campus, annual leave, leaves of absence (LOAs), parental leave etc., whilst ensuring that the impacts of any such arrangements on the research programme are clarified and documented as required.
• Complete any training required for the supervisory role as mandated by the Faculty/ University.
• Give guidance on academic publishing and careers (or signpost to appropriate sources) and provide references for job applications following the degree, as appropriate.

Please also see the full list of Responsibilities of the supervisor as set out in our Code of Practice.

Second supervisor

The second supervisor will normally provide additional academic expertise for the research degree programme and will be an alternative point of contact where the primary supervisor might be temporarily unavailable. Ideally, they should be willing to step in as primary supervisor should the original primary supervisor cease to be available for some reason, but it is recognised that this will not always be possible or appropriate. 

Even where the primary supervisor is the main supervisor and will take principal responsibility for managing student progress, the second supervisor should still meet the student at least once every three months, in conjunction with the primary supervisor. 

Additional supervisors

Additional supervisors can be involved to provide input into the project where that expertise is not available from the core supervisory team (e.g. a third academic supervisor, a postdoc with special technical skills or expertise; an industry or external supervisor to provide specialist information; an independent advisor to provide advice on the content or progression of the project from outside of the core supervisory team). However, the additional supervisor(s) would not be expected to provide regular general supervisory support or engage with any of the administrative processes involved in student progression. 

Personal Tutor

In addition to the two named supervisors, all postgraduate research students will have access to a Personal Tutor, another academic member of staff based in their school who is unconnected to the research project and who is available to signpost advice and support on pastoral issues when required. Schools will inform their students about the roles and responsibilities of such support, including its boundaries and limitations. 

Personal Tutor arrangements within the school and what the student can expect from this should be outlined at inductions and be explained in the school PGR Handbook. These arrangements should include details of other services available to students to access, such as Student Mental Health, Counselling and Therapies Service, University Health Services, DDSS, the Belief, No Belief and Religious Life Centre, Student Experience and Support, International Student Support, Advice and Compliance.

All students should be invited to a meeting with their Personal Tutor every six months (pro rata for part-time students), with a record maintained of these meetings. PATS enables meetings to be recorded as a one-to-one academic tutorial for this purpose, and this helps to maintain a fuller picture of the student's interactions with the university which is essential where there are welfare concerns.

The confidentiality of provision should be assured, except in disciplinary or other serious cases, when this should be made clear to the individual. Any issues should be identified and resolved at an early stage. The Personal Tutor is responsible for raising any issues to the school PGR Lead if required. 

It is important that students can speak to someone in their school, in confidence, if they have any concerns about the supervision they are receiving. This could be another member of the supervisory team, a personal or pastoral tutor, the PGR Lead or Head of School. Schools should ensure that students are aware of the opportunity for providing confidential feedback on supervision and the mechanism for doing so.

Detailed information about which categories of staff are eligible to act as a primary supervisor is available in the University’s policy statement on supervision eligibility for postgraduate research degrees.

Policy on supervision eligibility

The University also has a statement outlining the joint expectations of students and supervisors.

Joint expectations of students and supervisors

Supervisory meetings: frequency and record-keeping

Essential practice

Formal meetings between the research student and supervisor(s) to review progress should normally take place at least every four weeks for full-time students (pro-rata for part-time students). It is essential for written records of formal student-supervisor meetings to be made, either by the student or the supervisor, and for both to maintain a copy.

Notes of supervisory meetings need not be lengthy or detailed documents, but should record the progress made on the project, key points discussed and any agreed actions or objectives to be achieved before the next meeting. This could take the form of a series of bullet points.

This is essential for both pedagogic reasons (to ensure the student's understanding of points made by the supervisor) and to provide an accurate record of the supervisory sessions. Students often take the lead in producing these records. An online form to record formal supervisory meetings between PGR students and supervisors is available via the Personal Academic Tutoring System (PATS). PATS can be accessed via the 'All Services' menu on MUSE.

Supervisory meetings should be conducted in English and the written records of such meetings should also be in English, even if the student and supervisor share a different native language.  This is to assist the student in developing the necessary written and oral English language skills that are required for conducting successful doctoral research in the UK.

The University’s expectation is that students should normally be present on campus during their programme of research, unless they are registered as a Remote Location or Majority Off Campus student. However, there may be times when a student needs to undertake research away from the University, for example, as part of a compulsory placement, or when undertaking fieldwork or data collection. Where this is the case, arrangements must be made in advance for ongoing contact and remote supervision whilst the student is away from Sheffield.

It is also the expectation that supervision should primarily take place in-person, although there may be exceptional circumstances where some remote supervision is also appropriate, by prior agreement. For example, if a student has an external supervisor, or where recommended in a student’s Learning Support Plan.

Supervision should continue throughout the different stages of the degree, including when the student is writing the thesis or
undertaking post-viva corrections. There should be a minimum of one supervisory meeting every 4 weeks.

If a supervisor is going to be absent from the University for more than the length of time between two supervisory meetings, then the school must ensure that there are appropriate supervisory arrangements in place for the student(s) affected. This may involve another member of the supervisory team taking a lead role during the period of absence, or the appointment of a new supervisor, on either a temporary or permanent basis, depending on the specific circumstances and the length of the absence. These issues should be managed on a case by case basis.

Policy on recording supervisory meetings

Guidance on changes within a supervisor team

A number of situations may arise that require the replacement of a member within a PGR student’s supervisory team. In such cases it is the responsibility of the Head of School, or nominated deputy, to manage any new appointment of supervisors, and arrange for cover of supervision should a supervisor leave before the end of the student’s research programme (in accordance with the University's Supervision Eligibility Policy).

The primary aims should be to ensure the continuity and quality of supervision, and that the student is duly cared for and consulted from the outset. The school’s PGR Lead and the Faculty Doctoral School should be consulted each time such a  situation arises. Research, Partnerships and Innovation must also be informed, as this is essential both for the effective monitoring of student progression and to ensure the accuracy of University records, which are used to make key data returns.  A statement should be provided detailing the situation, as well as an assessment of the progress of the student and the feasibility of completion by the time limit. The statement should also provide evidence that all parties (student and supervisors) agree with the changes and progress statement.

The situations that may require a change of within the supervisory team include:

1. A relationship has broken down – Should significant problems emerge between the student and a supervisor, these should be flagged at the earliest opportunity to the School PGR Lead, and flagged to the Faculty Doctoral School for consultation. If, regardless of resolution attempts, the relationship eventually does break down, the PGR Lead should discuss the circumstances with both student and supervisor, and make them aware of the University's policies regarding Appeals, Complaints and Conduct. If it is considered appropriate, feasible, and in the best interests of all parties, the Head of School should identify a new
   supervisor who can ensure continuity in the project, and consult the Faculty Doctoral School for their input, as necessary.
2. A supervisor moves to another institution, or retires – the supervisor may continue to advise on the project, provided that a suitable local supervisor is appointed, and a contract of expectations is signed by the departing supervisor and the student to establish responsibilities, including: how much time the supervisor will continue to dedicate to the project, and how often they will meet (in person or online) with the student. The level of responsibility taken on by departing supervisors may vary and should be assessed on a case-by-case basis, so Human Resources should be consulted to advise on the appropriate form of appointment for their new role within the supervisory team. The main supervisory responsibilities (including provision of feedback, nomination of examiners, and liaison with sponsors) will, however, reside with the new Sheffield supervisor. The delineation of responsibilities within the supervisory team should be clearly defined to the student. A role as secondary supervisor may be appropriate for a retiree, and academics should in general avoid taking on new students in a supervisory capacity if they anticipate that they will retire before project completion. When an academic leaves the University, their departure may affect a number of different students, not only with reference to supervisory roles, but also relating to confirmation review assessments or vivas. All of these instances must be considered. It may be necessary to instigate the transition of the student to their new supervisory team ahead of their previous supervisor’s departure if this best ensures continuity of support.
3. A supervisor is absent (e.g. sabbatical or illness) – Where a supervisor is likely to be absent from the University for an extended period of time (broadly, a semester or more), including where a serious illness occurs and may result in a disruption of unknown duration, it is recommended that another supervisor be appointed to guide the project during the period of absence. In some cases this may be another supervisor from the existing team. If circumstances allow it, plans for handover should be discussed with the School PGR Lead prior to the departure of the supervisor, and progression milestones for the duration of the project should be agreed. For sudden absences, an initial meeting with the new acting supervisor, School PGR Lead and the student is recommended to review progress to date and agree future milestones. Similarly, upon return of the supervisor, a handover meeting including the PGR Lead and student is required. Note that during a period of study leave, staff remain responsible for their research projects and PGR supervision throughout the leave period, although another supervisor from the existing team may take more day-­to-­day responsibility during this time.

In the unfortunate case of the death of a supervisor, the School PGR Lead, Head of School, and the supervisory team must work together to recruit a new supervisor. The student may be signposted to SSID for bereavement support if necessary, and a period of LOA could be discussed. 

In all instances of a change in the supervisory team, it is recommended that the School PGR Lead attends an initial meeting with the student and new supervisor(s) to agree on a plan of supervision, review the project and agree on milestones and deadlines for progression. If a supervisor and student change schools, then the PGR Lead from the new school should also attend this initial meeting. If a supervisor is leaving the project (or the University), they are requested to provide a statement of progress as input into this meeting, and to attend if possible/appropriate. It would be advisable to hold a follow up meeting 3-6 months later, to check on progress. 

Downloads

• Standardised inclusive practices across PGR programmes
• Supervisor tool for supporting postgraduate researchers