Department of History PGR Handbook 2018 19 - nottingham.ac.uk/history - University of ...
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Department of History PGR Handbook 2018 - 19 nottingham.ac.uk/history
Contents
1. GETTING STARTED 3
1.1 Postgraduate Research Student Information (Humanities) Moodle Page 3
1.2 Meet the PGR Team 3
1.3 Communication and Contact Details 3
1.4 Building Access 4
1.5 Pigeonholes and Noticeboards 4
1.6 PGR study area provision 4
1.7 Considerate Working 5
1.8 Computing Facilities and Gaining Access 5
1.9 Printing and Photocopying Facilities 6
1.10 Telephones 6
1.11 Library Facilities 7
1.12 The Graduate School 7
1.13 The Social Sciences and Arts Graduate Centre 7
1.14 The Language Centre 7
1.15 The Digital Transformations Hub 7
1.16 Health and Safety 8
1.17 Car Parking and Cycle Store 10
2. SUPERVISION AND RESEARCH TRAINING 11
2.1 Your Supervisors and Supervisions 11
2.2 Your Responsibilities 12
2.3 Research Training 12
2.4 Ethics 13
2.5 Travel Off Campus and Risk Assessment 14
2.6 Sources of Funding 14
3. PROGRESSION 16
3.1 Annual Review 16
4. SUBMISSION AND EXAMINATION OF YOUR THESIS 17
4.1 Extension to Thesis Pending 17
4.2 Late Submission 17
5. ATTENDANCE AND MONITORING 18
5.1 Recording Attendance 18
5.2 Holiday Leave 18
5.3 Religious Observance 18
5.4 Illness or Prolonged Absence 18
6. STUDENT REPRESENTATION AND SOURCES OF SUPPORT 20
6.1 Learning Community Forum 20
6.2 Disclosure and Confidentiality 20
6.3 Student Support in the School 20
6.4 Personal Difficulties 21
6.5 Academic Difficulties 21
7. ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT: PLAGIARISM 23
8 TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES IN YOUR DEPARTMENT 24
9 AFTER YOUR RESEARCH DEGREE 25
10. THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY 26
10.1 Welcome to the Department of History 26
10.2 Academic Staff and their Research Interests 26
10.3 Key Academic Contacts 26
110.4 Location and Facilities 26
10.5 Research Seminars and Postgraduate Conferences 27
10.6 Progression 27
10.7 The Thesis – Style Guid 29
10.8 Archives and Libraries 29
10.9 Towards a Career: Training and Skills Enhanement 29
APPENDIX: Glossary of Terms 31
21. GETTING STARTED
This section provides you with basic information which will enable you to become
acquainted with the School during your first week to help you settle in. It starts with
more local, practical, information and requirements and then provides details of other
departments, sections and services that you should seek out at the earliest opportunity.
1.1. Postgraduate Research Student Information (Humanities)
Moodle Page
All information and resources relating to the PhD programme and opportunities for
postgraduate research (PGR) students can be found on the Humanities PGR Student
Information Page on Moodle. Students will be able to access the Moodle page once they
have completed registration and have their University logon details.
1.2 Meet the PGR Team
You will have the opportunity to meet your Departmental Director of Postgraduate
Studies and the Student Services PGR Team during the School and Departmental
welcome week sessions. The name and contact details of your Department’s Director
of Postgraduate Studies is listed in the department specific section of this Handbook;
please refer to Section 10.
The School Director of Postgraduate Research is Nick Baron
(nick.baron@nottingham.ac.uk, tel: 0115 95 15957) and the Postgraduate Student
Advisor is TBC).
The Student Services PGR Team is located in the University Park West (UPW)
Student Service Centre (SSC), Room A23, Humanities Building, email: ss-pgr-
upw@nottingham.ac.uk, tel: 0115 95 15800 (or internal 15800). This team deals
with administration regarding maintenance of your student record, the thesis
submission and examination process, distribution of InterLibrary Loan vouchers
and general enquiries. There are several SSCs open across the campuses, which
can also be accessed, offering a wide range of services to students. For a full list of
services and locations, visit the Student Services website:
www.nottingham.ac.uk/studentservices.
The School Management and Research Office teams are based in Room A19,
Humanities Building. The School Operations Team (school-
operations@nottingham.ac.uk) organise the PGR work stations, provision of
storage space and Health and Safety issues. The Research and Funding Team
(research-funding@nottingham.ac.uk) provide assistance with travel and
conference funding and booking.
1.3 Communication and Contact Details
All students will be issued with a University email address upon registration and you
will be contacted via that address only. It is essential that you check your email
regularly. Personal email addresses will not be added to circulation lists.
3It is very important that Student Services holds the correct details for you in case they
are required in an emergency, or in connection with your funding (if you hold a
studentship, for example). Please ensure that you keep your contact records up to date
with Student Services. If you change your mobile number, personal email address, move
address, change your bank account or do anything else that could impact on
administrative matters in relation to your study, please remember to pass on your new
information.
The Arts Faculty has a guideline timeframe within which an academic member of staff
is expected to respond to emails from a student, details of which are set out below:
The Faculty policy is that academic colleagues are expected to reply to
undergraduate and postgraduate student’s email within two working days of its
receipt.
Weekends, Bank Holidays/University Closure Days and annual leave are excluded
from this timeframe.
In practice this policy means that an email sent at 7 pm on a Friday should receive a
response by 9 am Wednesday morning, an email sent at 4 pm on a Friday should
receive a response by 4 pm the following Tuesday and so on.
It may not always be possible to answer a student’s enquiry fully, in which case a
holding email would be appropriate (e.g. ‘I cannot provide an answer to your enquiry
now, but I will do so within the next x days’).
When on leave, academic colleagues are expected to create an Outlook Automatic
Reply (Out of Office) stating a return to office date and a contact if the email is
urgent.
Academic colleagues who work part-time are also expected to create an Out of
Office statement confirming when they will next be available to respond to emails.
1.4 Building Access
From Monday to Friday between the hours of 8.30am and 6.00pm, access to the
Humanities Building and the adjacent building, Lenton Grove, is via the automatic
doors. Outside these hours, at weekends and during University days of closure, you
will need your university card for swipe access. The University website gives details of
Semester and Term dates and University Holidays and Closure of Building dates.
There are kitchen facilities on the B and C Floors of the Humanities Building. Digilocks
are fitted on the doors and the codes are:
B Floor: C1975X
C Floor: C1964X
Please ensure that you take responsibility for anything you bring in, clear any
unwanted food or milk out of the fridge regularly, and wash up, dry and put away
any items you use. These kitchens are for the use of Humanities staff and PGR
students ONLY. Please do not give the door codes to anyone else.
1.5 Pigeonholes and Noticeboards
Student pigeonholes are located opposite the lifts on both the B and C Floors of the
Humanities Building, and PGR noticeboards are located within B01 and C01.
1.6 PGR study area provision
The PGR study areas are located in B01 and C01 in the Humanities Building. These
areas are divided into two by partitions, one area being B01a and the other B01c (with
4the same set-up in C01). Access to desks and a PC for both full-time and part-time
PGRs is currently operated as a shared desk system, with the exception of students
with special requirements (e.g. disability support or need for specialist equipment),
who may apply for an allocated desk. See the Humanities PGR Moodle page for latest
details on workspace policy and how to apply for an allocated desk.
The School monitors the ratio of desks to students and aims to ensure that this does
not exceed a 1:2 ratio. Allocated desks and PCs are clearly marked as such and must
only be used by the research student that the desk has been allocated to. All other
desks and PCs are available for use under the shared system.
Access to a lockable tambour unit is provided for storage. This facility is shared
with one other person, with each being allocated two of the four tambour unit
shelves. See the PGR Moodle page for details of how to apply for tambour storage.
1.7 Considerate Working
The School wants the PGR areas to be vibrant places where users can exchange ideas
and network with other students and staff. However, the study areas are intended to
be used as quiet, shared, working offices. Total silence is not a reasonable expectation
of a shared working environment, but we do expect students and staff to be
considerate of other users. In particular:
Please be considerate of other users when opening windows and check if
those who are sitting nearby mind – particularly in the colder months.
Please take longer and more social conversations to another location to avoid
disturbing those who are trying to concentrate. The open spaces in the
Atrium and at the top of the central stairs on B and C floors are ideal for
these types of conversations.
If you wish to have music, please use a personal headset at a considerate
volume, so that others are not disturbed in their work.
Please do not move equipment or furniture without first consulting the School
Management & Research Office (SMRO) Team. Detailed databases of keys
and equipment location are kept and if items are moved it can be very
complicated to resolve.
The University is not responsible for personal belongings being lost or stolen.
Do not leave bags, purses/wallets, mobile phones etc., unattended for any
length of time. Ensure that you lock them away in the storage provided.
Please keep your desk area clean and tidy. The cleaning staff work early in the
morning and will not move items on desks to clean. If your papers drop onto
the floor these could, however, be cleared away, so be careful!
If you have any queries, please contact the SMRO Team.
1.8 Computing Facilities and Gaining Access
When you registered online for your course via the Portal, the last part of registration
should have created your username and password for you. You should use these details
to access computer facilities. If you have not yet registered, you can go to an
Information Services (IS) computer room/area where there should be a registration
option when you log in. The credentials required will be your login details for registration
that will have been sent to you before your start date. Information Services can provide
details to you if you have not received them (see the IT Service Desk details below). IS
computer rooms/areas are located in the Humanities Building (Room A17), Lenton Grove
(A17), Trent Building (Rooms A93, A94, LG25 and LG27), Hallward Library, Cripps
Computing Centre, and elsewhere in the University.
5IS computer rooms/areas are not administered by the School but by Information Services.
Advice and help is available from IS Service Points, in libraries, resource centres and in
many IS computer rooms. The IT Service Desk can help with any difficulties or problems
you are experiencing. Phone 0115 95 16677 (internal 16677), log a support call online or
visit one of the Smart Bars.
1.9 Printing and Photocopying Facilities
There are seven Xerox devices in the Humanities Building, two devices in Music and four
devices in Lenton Grove.
Access to the devices is via your University Card. When you send a document to be
printed, it is sent to a ‘print queue’, not a specific device. This means that you can print
your documents out, on any Xerox device anywhere in the University. Scanning, copying
and faxing is also available to you on these machines.
Once you are fully registered and have your username and password details and your
University Card you should be ready to use the printers/ copiers. When you try to print
you should see the four print queues:
Mono – Default black and white and duplex
Colour – Default colour and duplex
Draft – Default black and white, duplex and two pages per side
Booklet – this enables all the hole punching, stapling and folding options in
the driver
At the earliest opportunity, try to log into one of the Xerox machines using your
University Card. Hold your card over the top of the machine, on the left hand side. The
red light will turn green and the machine will log you in; you can also log in manually
using the same username and password which you use on the computers. If you are
not able to print for any reason, or you cannot see the print queues listed above, or
your card doesn’t allow you to log into the device, please contact the IT Service Desk
(see 1.8 above for contact details).
Printing and photocopying for your own academic-related purposes is free of charge for
PGRs. Please use ‘Mono’ as your default printing option wherever possible, to avoid the
School incurring costs associated with colour printing when this is not essential. The
devices should only be used to print documents relating to your course of study. Please
be aware that both staff and student print usage is closely monitored on a monthly
basis, and this includes colour copying and printing.
There are two basic operating manuals for the machines (there are some subtle
differences between the mono and colour machines but most of the functionality is
similar) and these can be accessed via the Humanities PGR Moodle page.
There are Print Champions around your building who work on a rota system. Details
of the champions are displayed above each device. If you have any problems, please
call the person who is on duty at the time in the first instance.
1.10 Telephones
There is a telephone in B01 (desk 36) and C01 (desk 35) specifically for the use of
postgraduate research students. If your call is of a more private nature, then you may
use one of the telephones in the consultation rooms (which are situated inside the PGR
study areas) if they are vacant. These telephones are for internal calls only and any
national or overseas calls must be made on your own mobile or home telephone.
61.11 Library Facilities
There are several libraries located across the campuses, the main one being the
Hallward Library on University Park Campus (building 9 on the Campus Map).
Information Services delivers an introduction to their services (including the Hallward
Library) and run a number of useful teaching sessions on literature searches, etc.
Details will be circulated by the Hallward Library when available. Full details of the
services offered can be found on the Student Services Website.
All full-time research students in the School of Humanities are entitled to up to 40
Inter-Library Loan vouchers per annum, each worth £1. Part-time students are entitled
to 20 vouchers per annum. Vouchers can be obtained from the UPW Student Service
Centre in the Humanities Building, as they are required. Normally students collect
between 1-5 vouchers at a time.
You can visit the libraries of many other UK universities by joining the SCONUL
Access scheme. You may also be eligible to borrow items. Take a look at the
SCONUL Access website for more information and guidance on how to join.
1.12 The Graduate School
The Graduate School is located in Highfield House (No 10 on the Campus Map). It is the
University’s main centre for providing services and guidance specifically for postgraduate
students. It runs a wide range of training courses for postgraduate students in research
skills, communication skills, and other skills that may help you in your research and
career development. For further information about the Graduate School and the training
initiatives offered see its website.
1.13 The Social Sciences and Arts Graduate Centre
The Social Sciences and Arts Graduate Centre is located on the first floor of Highfield
House, University Park. It is a dedicated working space for postgraduate students and
research staff, and offers a wide range of support, including Arts-specific training and
career sessions. Accessible 24/7, this new space provides comprehensive facilities;
further details can be found on the website.
1.14 The Language Centre
During your course of study, it may be necessary to acquire new languages (ancient or
modern) or to improve existing language knowledge. You should discuss language
development skills with your supervisor or your department’s Director of Postgraduate
Studies. The University’s Language Centre, in the Trent Building, provides excellent
facilities for this, with resources such as a multimedia suite for computer-assisted
language learning. Further details can be found on the Language Centre website.
Students who are funded by the M3C scheme may apply to the Student Development
Fund (SDF) to subsidise the cost of language courses required for research purposes.
Non-M3C students may apply to the Faculty of Arts languages fund; further details of
this process are available on the Faculty of Arts website
1.15 The Digital Transformations Hub
The Digital Transformations Hub (DTH), formerly known as the Digital Humanities
Centre, is located in Room A24 of the Humanities Building and is open weekdays
7between 10.00am and 5.00pm to all staff and students who wish to use digital media in
their teaching and research. The DTH is managed by Matt Davies
(matt.davies@nottingham.ac.uk, tel: 0115 95 13191) and there is a dedicated website.
Equipment is available to be used within the DTH by arrangement and includes
networked PCs; A4, A3, A0 book and 35mm slide/film scanners; a copy-stand with
digital camera; data projectors; graphics tablets and audio recording equipment.
Software includes Camtasia video editing, ArcGIS, and the Adobe Creative Cloud
package with Photoshop, InDesign, Premier Pro and Acrobat, plus much more. See the
website for more details. There is also a networked plasma screen and seating area for
practicing presentations, meetings and workshops.
The DTH also houses the 35mm slide collection, which includes sections devoted to fine
art, photography, sculpture, manuscripts, installation art, architecture and Classical
sites. Light boxes are available to view slides, and slide and digital projectors are
available by arrangement.
Staff/helpers are available weekdays to facilitate and advise on the use of DTH
equipment and software as well as on acquiring, manipulating and using digital images
in teaching and research and the copyright issues involved.
1.16 Health and Safety
Tracy Sisson (tracy.sisson@nottingham.ac.uk, Ext 66636) is the Local Safety Co-
ordinator for the School of Humanities.
A copy of the School Safety Policy is available on the Humanities PGR Moodle page. All
users of the building have a responsibility to ensure their own safety and that of others,
so please ensure that you familiarise yourself with the policy document as soon as
possible. The Local Safety Co-ordinator/Deputy Safety Co-ordinator are happy to
answer any questions or queries you may have.
The School of Humanities operates a fire token system across all its buildings. Fire tokens
make it everyone’s responsibility to ensure the quick and efficient evacuation of the
building in an emergency situation. Full details of how the fire token system works can be
found in the Safety Policy, together with precise locations of the tokens. There will be a
system of drills in place for testing measures. This system is only as effective as the users
of the building make it, so please ensure that you understand how the system works and
be ready to help assist in operationalising it in the event of an evacuation.
Some other, and particularly important, aspects of health and safety are:
Travel Off Campus and Risk Assessments
As part of the University’s duty of care it is essential that any travel off campus that is
related to your course of study, whether funded or self-funded, and no matter what the
activity consists of, must be appropriately booked and risk assessed. This includes
booking flights, rail tickets and accommodation. All postgraduate students are asked to
familiarise themselves with the process and policy for off campus trips and activities.
The following documents are available on the PGR Moodle page:
School Process-PGR Off Campus Trips
Risk Assessment Forms
Guidance on Preparing a Risk Assessment
Health and Next of Kin Form
Conduct Form
8Accidents, First Aid and Emergencies
It is a requirement that ALL accidents in respect of any injuries sustained by any
person, in any part of the University, are reported online via the Incident Reporting
System. You log into the system using your usual University username and password
and incidents can be reported either by the person who has sustained an injury, or
someone on their behalf. The incident will then be routed to the appropriate Safety
Co-ordinator for investigation.
There are a number of trained First Aiders in the School and signs are located around the
buildings indicating who these are. In case of emergency, contact one of the named
members of staff or, alternatively, telephone 18888 on an internal telephone for Security,
who will coordinate a response. Please do not telephone 999 in an emergency as this
could cause delays if the emergency services don’t have sufficient information on the
exact location of where the emergency is. If the call goes through Security, they will call
the emergency services, meet them on arrival and escort them to the correct location.
Out of Hours Working
It is important that if you are working outside the ‘core hours’ in the Humanities and Music
Buildings that you ensure you sign the ‘out of hours’ book. In the event of an emergency
this enables the emergency services to know who is in the building and where.
Humanities Building
The main entrance automatic doors are open to public access between 8.30am and
6.00pm on weekdays and these are the core hours. Outside these times, at weekends
and on days of University closure, access is by University Card only.
The Humanities Building has an ‘out of hours’ book which you must sign if you are
working outside of the above core hours. This is situated to the right of the main
entrance.
Music Building
The main entrance automatic doors are open to public access between 8.00am and
5.30pm on weekdays and these are the core hours. Outside these times, at weekends and
on days of University closure, access is by University Card only.
The Department has an ‘out of hours’ book which you must sign if you are working
outside of the above core hours. This is situated outside the Administration Office (A5).
Electrical Testing
All items of an electrical nature must be tested on an annual basis and this is co-
ordinated by the School Management and Research Office (SMRO). Please ensure that
you notify the SMRO of any electrical items that you bring into the School so that they
can be included on the next round of testing. No untested items should be used on
University premises.
Hazards
It is the duty of all staff and students to be vigilant in the School. Regular inspections are
carried out by the safety team, and we are audited regularly, but should you observe
any potential hazards or come across anything of concern, please draw this to the
attention of the Local Safety Co-ordinator or Deputy Safety Co-ordinator, who will deal
with the issue accordingly.
Use of Display Screen Equipment (DSE)
It is important that you ensure your workstation is set up correctly. The University Policy
on the Safe Use of DSE is available on the Safety Office website, which covers the key
9areas to consider. All staff and students are encouraged to undertake the online training
module which offers useful tips and information on what constitutes a good workstation
set up, how often to take breaks and also provides advice on useful exercises you can do
to minimise the health effects of using DSE equipment. To complete the module, which
only takes between 10 – 20 minutes (you work through at your own pace), click on the
link above and sign in using your usual University username and password. You may get
directed to a pre-screen first – if you do, you need to click on ‘Participate in this module’
and you will then be directed to the start page. If you have any problems accessing the
module, please contact the Local Safety Co-ordinator (Tracy Sisson,
tracy.sisson@nottingham.ac.uk Ext 66636).
Securing Your Valuables
It only requires a few seconds for a thief to walk into an office, study area or laboratory
and steal a wallet, laptop, phone or other valuables. Please ensure that you always
keep bags and valuables locked away in your storage areas and do not leave them
unattended for any length of time. Please also ensure that you close windows if you are
the last to leave or lock doors where necessary.
If you see anyone acting suspiciously, please report this to any member of staff in the
SMRO (A19, Humanities Building) or, out of hours, contact Security on Extension 13013
(0115 95 13013 from a mobile). If you need to report an emergency that requires
ambulance or police presence please call 18888 (0115 95 18888 from a mobile). If the
emergency services are required, please do not call 999 – always call 18888.
1.17 Car Parking and Cycle Store
Students are not normally given car parking permits to park on the campus. There are
exceptions mainly for students with disabilities or mature students with dependent
children. All enquiries regarding parking must be directed to the Security Office (internal
ext. 13557, or 0115 951 3557).
For those who cycle, there is a run of cycle stands to the rear of the Humanities
Building. Alternatively there is a covered Cycle Store located on the left hand side of
the Cavendish Hall Car Park entrance, which is only accessible by University Card.
Please note that the University does not accept responsibility for any damage to or loss
of cycles parked either in the cycle stands or store.
102. SUPERVISION AND RESEARCH TRAINING
2.1 Your Supervisors and Supervisions
Your supervisors are the most important source of support for your research while you
are at Nottingham, so it is vital that you arrange an initial meeting within the first week of
your arrival. The supervisors’ basic responsibility is to guide and assist you in your
research. This includes, among other things: checking that you have received the
appropriate initial information and are settling in; helping you plan your research;
providing regular supervision; requesting written work as appropriate and commenting on
it; discussing and planning your skills training and participation in seminars and
conferences; and advising you on the timing, construction and presentation of your
thesis. More details can be found in the University’s Quality Manual.
A supervision team should consist of at least two members of staff. This may be a joint
supervision arrangement (Supervisor 1: 50%; Supervisor 2: 50%) or an arrangement
with a lead supervisor and a second supervisor (and a third, if appropriate). The lead
supervisor should not normally take more than 80% of the supervision in a single year,
and the second supervisor no less than 20%: accordingly a second supervisor should
meet with the student for at least two supervisions per year (one for part-time students).
Under no circumstances should a student have no formal supervision with the second
supervisor during the course of a single academic year.
One member of the supervision team should have experience of supervising research
students through to successful completion. If neither supervisor in a team has experience
of supervising students through to successful completion, then a third supervisor
(‘mentor’) should be appointed who has this experience: this should normally be the
departmental Director of Postgraduate Studies, but may if appropriate be another
member of staff. That person should take a minimum of 20% of the supervision in any
one year. One of the supervisors can be a retired member of staff, but in this case a
member of staff who is currently in full-time employment at the University of Nottingham
should be identified as a principal supervisor. Individuals employed by another university
should not normally be appointed as supervisors (unless this is separately arranged by a
funding consortium, e.g. AHRC Midlands3Citiesor ESRC Midlands Graduate School).
Individual departments or supervision teams may choose to practise full joint supervision
(i.e. with both supervisors present in every supervision); this is normal practice in some
Schools and an expectation for ESRC and Midlands3Cities joint doctoral supervision teams.
However, this is not a School of Humanities requirement. Supervision teams should
therefore agree on the most appropriate and useful form of supervision for the student and
project in question: however, it is strongly recommended that the supervision team meets
jointly at least twice a year, ie for the initial meeting of the year (to agree on the year’s
activities and timetable) and prior to the submission of annual review materials (See
Section 3).
In addition to this, departments should adhere rigidly to the following supervision
arrangements:
1. Full-time students are entitled to a minimum of 10 supervisions per year in
their registered period of study (typically 3 years). Part-time students are
entitled to a minimum of 6 supervisions per year in their registered period of
study (typically 6 years).
112. Students in the thesis pending period are entitled to a minimum of 6
supervisions (this is spread across the two years of thesis pending for part-time
students).
3. Records must be completed for all supervisions (even if the supervision is
carried out by Skype, email, phone). A supervision record form should be
completed, and copies returned to Student Services within 14 days of the
supervision. It is important that no fewer than the minimum number of
supervision records forms outlined in (1) and (2) are returned by the end of
each 12-month period.
The first year for full-time PhD students, and first two years for part-time students, will
normally be devoted to laying the foundations for your research project, identifying and
refining the topic, planning the structure of the thesis and carrying out basic research.
The registered period of study for a full-time student is three years, and for part-time
students it is six years. You should aim to complete the thesis by the end of your
registered period of study. Those students who have not completed within the the
period of registered study will enter a thesis pending period (one year for full-time
students, two years for part-time). Students in thesis pending continue to be entitled to
use the University’s library and IT facilities, and your supervisors will continue to give
you guidance, though you will not be entitled to full supervision. You must complete and
submit your thesis by the end of the thesis-pending period. Extensions are only allowed
in exceptional circumstances.
Full time students have the opportunity to be ‘registered’ in the Thesis Pending period,
which involves the payment of a nominal fee, and entitles the continuation of council tax
exemption.
2.2 Your Responsibilities
It is essential that you should take responsibility for your own progress by planning
and carrying out your work methodically and co-operating fully with your supervisors.
Principal among your responsibilities are: to attend supervisions and annual reviews at
agreed times; to submit written work punctually; to comply with the University’s
policies on research ethics and research conduct; and to adhere to the research and
training plans that you will have developed in consultation with your supervisors, to
ensure timely completion of your thesis. For a full statement of your responsibilities
see the University’s Quality Manual.
2.3 Research Training
The University provides a wide range of training opportunities, designed to support
your research, your career development and your individual capacities and skills.
These are delivered by the Graduate School, the cross-Faculty Arts & Social Sciences
Graduate Centre, the Faculty of Arts, the Language Centre and the University’s
Professional Development Unit. At the start of each year of your period of registered
study, you must complete a Training Needs Analysis in consultation with your
supervisor. This gives you the opportunity to discuss your training requirements and
how best these can be met (e.g. by attending courses at the University or elsewhere;
via online training; via supervisions).
The Graduate School
The Graduate School is located in Highfield House (No 10 on the Campus Map). It is the
University’s main centre for providing services and guidance specifically for postgraduate
students and runs a wide range of training courses in research skills, communication
skills, and other skills that may help you in your research and career development.
Further information about the Graduate School and what it offers can be found on its
12website. Details of forthcoming training courses will be found in the ‘Training and
Development’ section of the website.
Social Sciences and Arts Graduate Centre
The Social Sciences and Arts Graduate Centre (SSAGC) is one of five Graduate Centres
located across the University and can be found on the first floor of Highfield House. It is a
dedicated space for postgraduate students and research staff, providing a study space
with 24/7 access, as well as offering a wide range of support, including training and
careers sessions.
Firstyear students should normally attend the core components of the Faculty of Arts
Researcher Skills Programme as well as taking advantage of the Graduate School’s
training courses. You should discuss and plan with your Supervisors which courses are
most appropriate at each stage of your course. In particular, PGRs who wish to act as
Teaching Affiliates are required to attend the appropriate Graduate School teaching
training courses (see Humanities PGR Moodle page for details).
Professional Development offers short courses for postgraduates to develop the skills and
attributes identified in the Researcher Development Framework, especially in the domains
of personal effectiveness and engagement, influence and impact.
Language Training
See details on the Language Centre in Sections 1.14.
Your Place in the Research Community
An essential part of your development as a researcher will be acquiring research skills and
making contact with others carrying out research in your discipline and cognate areas
through seminars and other research events.
Many of these activities will be focused within the department, but you should also look
to network further afield by attending workshops and conferences. Postgraduate
workshops are increasingly popular and many of our research students have
distinguished records of presenting at them. Some limited funding for attending
workshops and conferences is available, see Section 2.6.
Further details on the main conferences and workshops within your discipline are outlined
in the department specific section of this handbook.
2.4 Ethics
The University of Nottingham requires all of its staff and students who are engaged in
research to maintain the highest standards of integrity in the conduct of that research.
Where research involves the participation of human subjects, their data and/or their
tissue, then the research must undergo ethical review and receive approval before
work can begin. This also applies to the use of digital data including (but not limited
to) social media data, online comments, email correspondence and instant messaging
transcripts. This applies to all research involving human subjects, regardless of which
country it is conducted in. Methodologies that require ethical approval include (but are
not limited to):
Interviews (in person and via email, Skype or other virtual means)
Focus groups (in person and via email, Skype or other virtual means)
Questionnaires (online and hard copy)
Ethnography/participant observation
Digital data
Psycho-physiological measure (e.g. response times, eye tracking, ERP,
EMG, GSR etc)
Intervention studies (e.g. pre-test, language learning stimuli, posttest)
13 Personal documents (e.g. letters, memos, diaries, oral history recordings) of
living human subjects that have not been placed in an archive or repository.
Use of data produced by students (e.g. their essays)
Not obtaining ethical approval for research is considered an academic offence under
the University’s Quality Manual.
The Faculty of Arts has a dedicated ethics policy. All researchers in the Faculty should
familiarise themselves with this policy. Full details of the process, and necessary forms
for completion, can be accessed via the Humanities PGR Moodle page.
Within the School of Humanities, the School Ethics Officer is Dr Jeremy Taylor
(jeremy.taylor@nottingham.ac.uk, Tel: 0115 95 15845)
2.5 Travel Off Campus and Risk Assessments
If you are undertaking research or fieldwork away from the University of Nottingham
campus (no matter how near or far), or attending UK or overseas conferences/events
then you must ensure that the travel is appropriately booked in accordance with the
University of Nottingham Travel and Expenses processes. You must also complete a risk
assessment for all trips. This applies whether the trip is fully funded, self-funded or a
combination of both. The risk assessment forms both part of the University’s duty of care
in relation to our students and also ensures that you are appropriately covered by travel
insurance for your trip.
The Research and Funding Team in the School Management and Research Office
(SMRO) are responsible for supporting the booking of student travel. You must
ensure that you contact the team before you make any bookings for rail, flights
or accommodation.
Full details can be found in the School Process-PGR Off Campus Trips
document on the Humanities PGR Moodle Page. This document contains contact details
for the Research and Funding Team and information on what type of risk assessment
your trip requires and links to all forms.
2.6 Sources of Funding
There are a number of schemes to which you can apply to support conference attendance
and to build your experience and skills, including modern language training.
If you are successful in applying for any of these awards, please speak to the Research
Team in the SMRO BEFORE you start making travel arrangements. There are insurance
implications if you are travelling on University business (even as a student) and if you do
not follow the University procedures, it could mean that you are not covered by
University insurance whilst on your trip. This could jeopardise your trip and personal
security.
School Small Research Grant
Please note that this grant is not available to M3C funded postgraduate research
students, who are able to access funds from the M3C Student Development Fund. Full
details of the Student Development Fund scheme are available by contacting the M3C
team at pg-funding@nottingham.ac.uk.
14This grant allows Humanities research students who do not have other sources of
funding available to them to apply for funds towards research visits or conferences at
which the student will be presenting a paper. Each full-time research student is entitled
to apply for up to £120 per year; part-time students may apply for £120 biennially. In
order to apply for this fund, students must in the first instance consult with their
supervisor, then complete the School Small Research Grant application form and submit
this to the Research Team in the SMRO at research-funding@nottingham.ac.uk, copying
in their principal supervisor for approval. Full information and an application form are
available from Moodle. Some departments may offer additional funding support to
research students. See Section 8 of the handbook for details.
Faculty Modern Languages Fund
Non-M3C students may apply for to the Faculty of Arts Languages fund, details of which
can be found on the Humanities PGR Moodle page. M3C students are able to access
funding via the Student Development Fund, full details of which are available by
contacting the M3C Team at pg-funding@nottingham.ac.uk.
Full details of languages offered by the Language Centre are provided on the Language
Centre’s web-pages.
Graduate School
Travel Prize
The Graduate School Travel Prize Fund for Research Students offers grants of up to £300
for attendance at a UK conference and up to £600 for attendance at an international
conference to present their research, or to make a short visit to another institute to use
or consult essential resources. Students are only eligible for these grants during the
three years of registered study and cannot receive more than one grant during this
period. An application must be made by one of four closing dates and students should be
aware that competition is fierce. Successful applicants must attend one of the Graduate
School’s Communication and Presentation Skills training courses. For further information,
dates and an application form see the Graduate School website.
Building Experience and Skills Travel Scholarship (BESTS)
A BESTS offers the opportunity to broaden your experience and network of contacts by
giving you the opportunity for a fully funded visit (up to £3,000), of up to two months
duration, at a host organisation anywhere in the world. The host organisation can be a
university, a business, a government department, a charity, a non-governmental
organisation - just about any type of organisation that will give you the chance to
broaden and deepen your understanding of what being a researcher means and the
skills and attitudes that you need to make a success of your career in whatever sector
you choose to move into. Full details on how to apply can be found on the Graduate
School website.
The above schemes are the most popular offered by the Graduate School; details of
other schemes available to current research students can be found on their website.
Study Abroad Opportunities
The University offers a wide range of study abroad opportunities to students through the
competitive university wide exchange scheme to more than 15 countries and via School
schemes such as the Erasmus+ student exchange programme. Students are encouraged
to attend the annual study abroad fair held each November to see which opportunities
might be available to them and to speak to other students who have participated in
these schemes. Financial support is also offered for specified destinations and Erasmus+
students can apply for an Erasmus+ grant to help with living costs whilst overseas. For
more details of these programmes please visit the Study Abroad website or Facebook
page.
153. PROGRESSION
3.1 Annual Review
M3C Funded Research Students: M3C Annual Review Procedure
The annual review process for M3C funded students is a separate process and is
coordinated by the Graduate School and M3C Site Directors. Students are required to
complete a Mid-Year Review in February and an End of Year Report in June. Full
information in respect of the process will be provided by the M3C Team.
Research Students: School Annual Review Procedure
To help you reflect on your progress and to enable us to support you to the full, the
School operates an Annual Review procedure in accordance with the requirements set
out in the University’s Quality Manual. Full-time PGRs need to pass a Confirmation
Review at the end of their first year in order to continue to their second year of doctoral
studies. At the end of the second year, they will undertake a Progression Review,
successful fulfillment of which is a condition of continuing into their third and final year
of registered study. For part-time PhD students, the annual reviews are biennial rather
than annual, however, in the years in which there is no formal annual review (i.e. years
1, 3 and 5) part-time students complete an Interim Progress Report Form. For full
details of the Annual Review Process and requirements within your department, as well
as the potential outcomes of reviews, please refer to the department specific section of
this handbook.
AHRC (pre-2014 entry) and ESRC Funded Students Progress Report Forms
AHRC (pre-2014 entry) and ESRC-funded students are also required to submit an End of
Year Progress report by mid-June of years one and two and a Final Report Form at the
end of year three. The process is coordinated by the Graduate School and supported by
the PGR Team in the UPW Service Centre. A copy of the School Annual Review must be
submitted with the End of Year Progress Report.
164. SUBMISSION AND EXAMINATION OF YOUR THESIS
The quality of your thesis is the main factor determining a pass or a fail. You should
show your entire draft thesis to your lead supervisor in good time to allow him/her to
read and discuss it with you and for you to make consequent changes before submitting
the thesis.
You will find full information on the University procedures relating to the submission
and examination of your thesis in the Quality Manual.
The Student Services Website provides some useful guidance for Research Students,
particularly in relation to the submission of their thesis. There is also a very useful
Submission Pack, which can be accessed via the Quality Manual or the Student
Services website. The Submission Pack contains comprehensive information on all
aspects of submission, including the required documents and information on thesis
layout, examination and graduation.
4.1 Extension to Thesis Pending
Students who have completed their research and the period of registered study as
required by regulations may enter the thesis pending period. In this period of 12 months
(for students who were registered full-time) or 24 months (for students who were
registered part-time) or less, the student will be entitled to the use of library facilities
and University computing facilities but not to facilities for research. The student will also
be entitled to a minimum of six meetings (either face-to-face or electronically) with their
supervisor and for the supervisor to read and comment on one draft of their thesis prior
to submission.
Where extenuating circumstances are likely to prevent a student from submitting their
thesis by the end of the thesis pending period, students may put in a request for
extension to thesis pending. Further details and the extension to thesis pending form can
be found in the Quality Manual.
Students resubmitting a PhD thesis should also use the thesis pending application to
request an extension.
4.2 Late Submission
PhD students will be charged a late submission fee for every month or part of a month
that they are late submitting their thesis unless they have been granted an extension to
thesis pending.
Students resubmitting their thesis cannot submit later than the deadline by paying a late
submission fee as there is no recourse for them to do so. Instead, students must obtain
an extension by completing a request for extension to thesis pending (see Section 4.1
above).
175. ATTENDANCE AND MONITORING
5.1 Recording Attendance
The University monitors the attendance of all students on set dates throughout the
year, and staff are required to confirm to Student Services that a minimum number of
interactions between student and supervisor have occurred.
It is extremely important that Supervision Record Forms are completed (they need to be
counter-signed by both student and supervisor) and that copies are sent to the UPW
PGR Team, email: ss-pgr-upw@nottingham.ac.uk (promptly after each meeting), so
that accurate reporting can take place. Thesis-pending students who have an active
Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) certificate are included in the monitoring
census. For students resident elsewhere during their thesis-pending period, notes of
correspondence between supervisor and student (by email, Skype or over the phone)
should be entered into a Supervision Record Form, and that form returned to the PGR
Team.
Unauthorised absences are reported to Student Services and recorded as appropriate.
Where there is continued absence without authorisation, Student Services will write to
the student in order to resolve the situation. Persisent absence and failure to respond
satisfactorily to communications could result in the student being deemed to have
withdrawn from their course. Where appropriate for Overseas students, the University
will also report non-attendance to appropriate authorities, such as the Home Office.
5.2 Holiday Leave
The School Policy concerning holiday leave is as specified in Research Council regulations
regardless of a student’s source of funding. A general rule is that up to eight weeks per
year may be taken as holiday, inclusive of normal public holidays, but this must be
agreed with and approved by your supervisor prior to any arrangements being made.
Leave during term-time, as well as extended periods of absence (generally, 3 weeks or
more), will not normally be allowed unless approved in advance.
5.3 Religious Observance
The University of Nottingham and the School of Humanities respect the rights and
religious views of students, and recognise that students may wish to not to attend
University on certain days or at certain times of the year for religious reasons. A
student who is unable, on religious grounds, to attend or partake in specific activities
should discuss the matter with their supervisor at the earliest opportunity, who will
make a note of the request, and liaise with administrative staff to make alternative
arrangements where appropriate.
5.4 Illness or Prolonged Absence
Regardless of the reason, it is important to keep your supervisor (and, if necessary, the
UPW Student Services PGR Team) informed if you expect to be unable to attend to your
studies for any significant amount of time (more than a few days in a normal working
week). Illness should be reported as soon as possible to your supervisor or the UPW PGR
Team. Should unexpected circumstances, such as prolonged illness, occur during your
period of study, it is important that a voluntary interruption of study be applied for, for an
agreed period. Your supervisor will be able to advise you in such a case. Students who
are in the Thesis Pending period are not eligible to apply for an interruption of study,
instead they may consider submitting an application for the extension to thesis pending.
18Students who hold funding awards should be aware that interrupting your registration
may affect payment of your funding award and you should seek advice, before taking
any action, either from the Awarding Body direct from the Award Administrators located
at the University or from the UPW PGR Team.
International students should be aware that interrupting your registration may affect
your visa status; you should seek advice from the Visa and Immigration Team.
196. STUDENT REPRESENTATION AND SOURCES OF
SUPPORT
6.1 Learning Community Forum
Within the School the Postgraduate Learning Community Forum (LCF) is the official
forum through which the collective views of postgraduate students can be made known
to staff, including the advancement and discussion of proposals to promote the
academic and general well-being of postgraduate students in the School and your
particular Department. Departmental LCFs are held once a term, with a combined
School PG Forum occurring once in each semester. Meetings are attended by elected
postgraduate representatives from all departments and by key staff, which includes the
Departmental Directors of Postgraduate Studies. Details of the student representatives,
academic staff members and dates of forthcoming meetings can be found on your
department’s Moodle Community page. Each year, PGRs from each Department elect
their new Departmental student representative, and the School postgraduate
community as a whole selects a new School student representative. Invitations to
nominate candidates or to submit a self-nomination for Departmental and School roles
will be circulated by Student Services soon after the start of each academic session. The
student representatives fulfil a vital function in promoting the views and interests of
their peers, and you are strongly encouraged to consider taking on one of these roles in
the course of your period of registered study.
6.2 Disclosure and Confidentiality
The School of Humanities and University of Nottingham welcome disabled students and
aims to ensure, as far as possible, that appropriate support is offered to meet your needs
and that you are not unduly disadvantaged as a result of your disability.
If you have a disability or specific learning difficulty/dyslexia and have not disclosed
this to us, we would encourage you to do so. The sooner that we know of your
requirements, the better we are able to put the appropriate support in place. You can
do this by:
Contacting the relevant University Department, e.g. Student Services
Indicating your disability on the annual registration forms
Contacting an appropriate member of staff, e.g., the Student Welfare Officer
for the School (see details below), your supervisor or the Director of
Postgraduate Studies for your Department
The information that you provide will be used to enable us to liaise with those
colleagues who need to know about the support that you require, in order for this to be
arranged to best serve your interests. Your information will not be disclosed for other
purposes without your consent, except where there is a legal obligation to do so or
where exceptional issues of personal safety arise. The information will be processed
and held in the University administration systems and used for the administration of
your academic related support and any other legitimate University purpose. In doing
so, the University will observe at all times the data protection principles embodied in
the Data Protection Act 1998.
6.3 Student Support in the School
Welfare Officers are available at any of the Student Service Centres on campus,
although in the School we also have a dedicated Student Welfare Officer – Laura Miller
- whose role it is to offer pastoral support to any students in difficulty, and to be a
central point of contact to help ensure students make contact with the right support
services. The key things the Student Welfare Officer can advise on include:
20 Any welfare concerns you may be having;
Any matters which may affect your studies;
How to access support at the University.
You can arrange to see Laura by emailing humanities-welfare@nottingham.ac.uk or
through any of the Student Service Centre.
6.4 Personal Difficulties
There are occasions when postgraduate students might experience problems of a
personal nature. If this applies to you at any stage of your studies, you have a range of
options of whom best to approach.
As a general rule, it is often best to speak in the first instance to your supervisor, who
may be able to direct you to the most appropriate person or Department, but
depending on circumstances you may prefer to approach another member of your
Department (such as the Departmental Director of Postgraduate Studies or the Head of
Department) or the School (such as the School Postgraduate Student Advisor, School
Director of Postgraduate Research or the Student Services UPW PGR Team).
If problems or difficulties cannot be dealt with internally within the School or your
Department, or referral is needed, there are a number of sources of support elsewhere
in the University, including the Counselling Service and the Mental Health Advisory
Service.
The Accessibility team - Academic Support (AS) (Support for students with Dyslexia and
other Specific learning Difficulties) and Disability Support (DS) - are located in Cherry
Tree Lodge on University Park Campus, and by appointment on our Jubilee and Sutton
Bonington campuses, as well as other teaching sites.
You can contact the Academic Support Team by phone (+44 (0)115 8466115) or by
emailing dyslexia-support@nottingham.ac.uk. The Disability Support Team can be
contacted by phone (+44 (0)115 9515992) or email: disability-
support@nottingham.ac.uk. Alternatively both teams can be contacted via a Student
Service Centre.
The University of Nottingham ACCESS Centre (UNAC) provides assessments for students
who have applied for Disabled Students’ Allowances.
The Postgraduate Students’ Network is the representative body for all postgraduate
students at The University of Nottingham. Students can sign up for free membership to
receive news and information on events to your University email. Throughout the year,
the Postgraduate Students’ Network plans events, activities, sports, conferences and
Balls to help make your time at Nottingham as rewarding as possible.
6.5 Academic Difficulties
Academic problems, though fortunately very rare, do also arise from time to time. In
general, as soon as you are aware of a problem or a potential problem you should
discuss it with your supervisor who, if necessary, will keep the Departmental Director of
Postgraduate Studies informed. If you are unable to discuss the matter with your
supervisor then you have the option to either approach the Departmental Director of
Postgraduate Studies directly or arrange a meeting with the School Postgraduate
Student Advisor. Alternatively, you may contact the School Director of Postgraduate
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