Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry

Research student log book

October 2008 version

Faculty organisation & personnel

The Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry is one of six Faculties within the University of Bristol. Medicine & Dentistry consists of the following five departments: Clinical Science at North Bristol Clinical Science at South Bristol Department of Community Based Medicine Department of Social Medicine Department of Oral & Dental Science The Head of the Faculty is the Dean (Professor Gareth Williams). The Graduate Dean (Dr. Ian Paterson) is responsible for all Academic issues related to Postgraduate Education. The Postgraduate Administrator (Allison Maggs) and the Head of Academic administration (Sylvia Elliott) are based in the Faculty Office (69, St. Michaels Hill).

Support & guidance

Each postgraduate student will be assigned a Principal Supervisor who is there to ensure that your research studies run smoothly. Your principal supervisor is responsible for organising meetings with you, aiding, initially, in your day-to-day research activities and for making sure you are on target to complete your postgraduate degree. You will also have a Co-supervisor who will have the appropriate background and expertise to facilitate your research. Through your principal supervisor you should meet regularly with the co-supervisor to discuss your progress. Co-supervisors may not be in the same Department. One of your fellow students will act as Graduate Rep who coordinates social functions and liaises with both the Graduate Dean and Postgraduate Tutor. The postgraduate tutor has the responsibility of monitoring the welfare, support and assessment of all postgraduates in your department. If there are any issues that you feel you cannot discuss with either of your supervisors then your postgraduate tutor and/or graduate rep may be able to help. It is essential that you are familiar with the relevant safety information pertaining to your particular type of work. You may require further information on safety issues from your Departmental Safety Adviser. On the following page are the contact details for both postgraduate tutors and postgraduate reps for your Department.

Contact details of postgraduate tutors and graduate representatives within the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry
Department Clinical Science at South Bristol Postgraduate Tutor Dr. Kate Whittington Dr. Sarah George Dr. Linda Hunt Clinical Science at North Bristol Department of Social Medicine Department of Community Based Medicine Department of Oral & Dental Science Dr. Moin Saleem Professor Ian day Dr. Richard Martin Dr. Alan Montgomery Dr Alan Emond Dr Richard Huxtable Dr Nicole Wiles Dr. Jason Mansell Location Dorothy Hodgkin Building BRI level 7 UBHT Education Centre - TORC Southmead Hospital Canynge Hall Canynge Hall PHC CCAH CEM MENH Dental School e-mail address K.Whittington@bristol.ac.uk s.j.george@bris.ac.uk l.p.hunt@bris.ac.uk m.saleem@bris.ac.uk ian.day@bris.ac.uk richard.martin@bris.ac.uk alan.a.Montgomery@bris.ac.uk Alan.Emond@bristol.ac.uk Graduate representative & location Daniel Whitcomb and Matt Keasey, DHB Myriam Cherif, BRI level 7 Georgina Coade Southmead Hospital Sue Ingle, Canynge Hall e-mail address d.whitcomb.06@bris.ac.uk

mk4197@bris.ac.uk myriam.cherif@bris.ac.uk

mdxgc@bris.ac.uk s.ingle@bris.ac.uk Rosie.Lees@bris.ac.uk

Rebecca.Pearson@bris.ac .uk

R.Huxtable@bristol.ac.uk Nicola.Wiles@bristol.ac.uk
j.p.mansell@bris.ac.uk

Rosie Lees and Rebecca Pearson for COBM

Helen Petersen, Dental School

Helen.Petersen@bris.ac.uk

Progression & achievement

This training log is broken down into five main component parts: 1. Registration Within the first week of your registration you should have received some basic but essential information. You will need to meet your postgraduate tutor and know who your safety adviser is. You will also need to find out if you need specific training in order to conduct your research, e.g., using ionising radiation. 2. At 6 months To ensure that you are building good foundations for your project and are making good use of the programme of training courses provided here and elsewhere. Your log should give a brief listing of workshops, courses, seminars attended. The page will then be signed off, as confirmation that it has been seen by all parties. 3. At 9-12 months - Annual Review Towards the end of your first year, your progress will be assessed in a thorough review. You will be asked to write a first-year report (for which your Postgraduate Tutor can provide details) and to give an oral presentation of your progress to date. Continuation of your research towards a PhD requires the submission of a comprehensive report followed by a viva voce examination with two members of staff. This particular phase of your development is especially important; it provides a valuable insight into what to expect in your actual PhD viva and you should have a very clear idea of where you are progressing with your research. The form in this logbook is for you to record progress with training and conferences attended and is to be included in your first-year report. 4. At 21-24 months There will be a progress interview towards the end of your second year. This page of the log serves as a continuation to the 12 month report, and asks the same questions. 5. At 30-32 months The aim at this stage is to check that you are on target for a PhD. With only four to six months before the end of a standard 3-year studentship, you should be able to write an abstract and thesis plan even if experimental work has not finished. The signatories include the Postgraduate Tutor, who needs to be aware of any problems.

Part-time students
The timings listed above are for full-time students. All students should complete a Faculty Report Form every year. For part-time students, the main adaptation of the log book is to submit an annual continuation sheet towards the end of the 3rd year, 4th year, etc.

Thesis submission
Working full-time, you should aim to submit your thesis within three years. Students who continue to write up after three years are entered in Faculty records as writing up but are still required to register at the start of the year. If students are using significant departmental facilities (especially if undertaking experimental work) they will be regarded as part-time and charged a fee. We hope you will submit well before the four-year deadline. Submission after this deadline (hopefully a rare occurrence) is only allowed if you have an extension of your studies. The case for an extension must be made 4 months before the deadline. You should start by contacting your Postgraduate Tutor for advice. Your thesis will need to be submitted to the Postgraduate Examinations Office (postgraduate-exam@bristol.ac.uk, telephone: 0117 3317539, www.bris.ac.uk/exams/postgraduate). The necessary forms and guidance are available from the web site.

To be completed within 1 week of registration and signed off

Students Name: ___________________________________________________ Student Number: ___________________________________________________ Department: ___________________________________________________ Sub-departmental grouping (if applicable): _______________________________ Postal address: ____________________________________________________ Telephone number/extension at work: __________________________________ Email address (university): ___________________________________________ Date started: ______________________________________________________ If part-time, % of work time to be spent on PhD: __________________________ Have you received: Regulations and Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes: Postgraduate Handbook (for the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry: Pre-Arrival Guide for International Students (if applicable):

Continued on next page

Continued from previous page Project title: ______________________________________________________ Funding source: ___________________________________________________ First Supervisor: ___________________________________________________ Second supervisor (if applicable): _____________________________________ Co supervisor: ___________________________ Postgraduate Tutor:________________________________________________ Departmental Safety Adviser:________________________________________ The following question may not be relevant to research students in the Departments of Social Medicine and COBM. During the next few months, do you expect to use: Animals Genetically modified organisms Pathogens Radioactivity or X-rays Other protocols requiring special training/registration: (list) Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No If yes, are you clear what training and registration is necessary?* Yes / No Yes / No Yes / No Yes / No Yes / No

*If your supervisor is uncertain, ask the Departmental Safety Adviser. Additional measures may include immunisation or a lung function test. Signature ___________ ___________ ___________ Date _________ _________ _________ (Student) (Supervisor) (Postgraduate Tutor)

Please give a copy of the signed sheet to your Postgraduate tutor.

To be completed at 6 months (12 months part-time) by the supervisor with the student, photocopied and copy kept, and the original returned to the Departmental Graduate Tutor.

FACULTY OF MEDICINE AND DENTISTRY POSTGRADUATE RESEARCH: HALF-YEARLY PROGRESS REPORT Date of this report Name of student Adviser(s) Title of research Degree for which registered Is student studying Expected submission date ___________________________________________________________________ PROGRESS IN LAST SIX MONTHS: (indicate training taken, main tasks completed including, as appropriate, literature reviews, fieldwork or data collection, written work, seminars given, chapters completed) Full-time/Part-time Date of commencement of study

PLAN FOR THE NEXT SIX MONTHS: (indicate main tasks and training to be undertaken)

COMMENTS BY SUPERVISOR

Signature of Adviser(s).......................................................................... Date COMMENTS BY STUDENT:

Signature of Student.............................................................................. Date COMMENTS BY GRADUATE TUTOR (including any action to be taken):

Signature of Graduate Tutor:................................................................ Date

UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL, FACULTY OF MEDICINE & DENTISTRY ANNUAL GRADUATE STUDENT PROGRESS REPORT YEAR 1
Name: Department: Supervisor (s): Start Date: Status: (PT/FT) Title of Dissertation: This student has completed 12 months of study but has not yet been assessed for upgrade to PhD GO TO PART A Student is registered for a PhD and has completed 12 months of study. GO TO PART A PART A: SUPERVISERS ASSESSMENT OF PROGRESS Has the student presented a written report of annual progress? Was the report satisfactory? Y Y N N N Degree: End Date: University Number:

Has the student made an oral presentation of their work this year? Y Assessment by the superviser of the students progress Excellent Good Average Weak Unsatisfactory

Comments by the superviser on the students progress Comment particularly if completion is estimated to take longer than 36 months

Name of supervisor Name of supervisor

Signature Signature

Date Date

Comments by the Interviewers

Signature of Interviewer A Signature of Interviewer B

Date Date

Comments by the student Please ensure the student has seen and signed the form or it will be returned to you.

Signature of Student

Date

PART B: FACULTY APPROVAL Signature of Postgraduate Tutor Signature of Director of Graduate Studies: Date Date

Notes:
Progress to year 2 is subject to satisfactory progress in the first year of study and requires the completion of a mini-thesis comprising Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion and references. It is anticipated that this thesis will comprise approximately 2030 pages of double-spaced text. Following completion of the mini-thesis, the candidate will be interviewed by one or more members of staff who are NOT the candidates supervisor. The supervisor may be present at the interview if the student requests it, as an observer. A copy of the thesis should be forwarded to the Gradate School Director after the viva together with this completed form. The thesis will be returned to the student.

To be completed at 24 months* and signed off at the annual progress interview

*Part-time students should complete a similar record in the 3rd year, etc, until one year before experimental work ends. Only include training since the log was last completed (e.g. at 9-12 months). For any section where more space is needed, please continue overleaf. Name: If part-time, % work-time spent on PhD: Year of registration: 1. Postgraduate workshops/training courses Approx total time (hours): Please list:

2. Departmental/subdepartmental seminars Approx. number attended: 3. Other lectures/courses attended at the University of Bristol Please list:

4. Conferences and courses attended outside the University. (Include short-term secondments to industrial and other laboratories) Note: dates, location, title. Source of funding for travel (if appropriate) Append any Abstracts that you have presented.

Signatures

________________________ (Student) ________________________ (Supervisor) ________________________ (Other interviewers)

Date of progress interview ___________________________
Please give a copy of the signed sheet to your Graduate Tutor.

UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL, FACULTY OF MEDICINE

ANNUAL GRADUATE STUDENT PROGRESS REPORT YEAR 2

Name: Department: Supervisor(s): Start Date: Status: (PT/FT) Title of Dissertation: PART A: SUPERVISERS ASSESSMENT OF PROGRESS Has the student presented a written report of annual progress? Was the report satisfactory? Y Y N N N Degree: End Date: University Number:

Has the student made an oral presentation of their work this year? Y Anticipated dissertation submission (from date of registration) At 36 months required) within 48 months more than 48 months (extension

Reason for extension Assessment by the superviser of the students progress Excellent Good Average Weak Unsatisfactory

Comments by the superviser on the students progress Comment particularly if completion is estimated to take longer than 36 months

Name of supervisor Name of supervisor Comments by the Interviewers (if applicable)

Signature Signature

Date Date

Signature of Interviewer A Signature of Interviewer B

Date Date

Comments by the student Please ensure the student has seen and signed the form or it will be returned to you.

Signature of student

Date

PART B: GRADUATE SCHOOL APPROVAL Signature of Postgraduate Tutor Signature of Director of Graduate Studies: Date: Date:

UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL, FACULTY OF MEDICINE

THIRD YEAR PROGRESS FORM

To be completed by the Supervisor with the student, photocopied and copy kept, and the original returned to the Departmental Graduate Tutor.
Student: Supervisor: Expected end date:

Comments by Supervisor On the ability of the student to discuss their work do you feel your student has sufficient background understanding of their project and the associated literature?

On the progress of their thesis have you discussed the route to completion with your student?

Specific comments to the Student:

Estimated date for completion of thesis: Signature of Supervisor: Date:

Comments by Student

Comments by Student (contd) Response to comments of Supervisor:

Additional comments:

Estimated date for completion of thesis: Signature of Student: Date:

Comments by Postgraduate Tutor

Please make the effort to make detailed comments on the form. Copies of the completed form will be returned of Postgraduate Tutor: Supervisor and Faculty Office. Signature to Student, Interviewer, Date:

Please make the effort to make detailed comments on the form. Copies of the completed form will be returned to Student, Interviewer, Supervisor and Faculty Office .

Please return the completed form to ...................... by ..............................