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UNITED KINGDOM · CHINA · MALAYSIA
School of Biosciences
Postgraduate Research Handbook
2015/16
Please read this book and keep it safely. It contains information you will need to refer to throughout your postgraduate training. The file should also be added to and used as a personal record of your progress. Please note that this handbook can be made available in alternative formats.
Contents Welcome to the School of Biosciences 2 Induction programme Section 1: The Research Programme General Comments 3 PhD Research Programme and Assessment 11
Appeals and Complaints procedure 14 The MPhil 15 The MRes 15
External/Part-Time Students 16 Thesis pending 16 Sources of Conference Funding 17
Research Practises within the School 20 University of Nottingham research code of conduct 22
Disciplinary Action 25 PhD Programme Agreement 26 Section 2: Useful Information and facilities 31 Research Division Staff 32 Other Useful Contacts 33 Academic and Disability Support 34 Dates for your Diary 37 Vacations and Closure of Buildings 38 Facilities including Computing Facilities and Guidelines 39 Section 3: Safety Guidelines and Courses 45
Emergency, First Aid and Fire 46
Section 4: Personal Progress File 47 Section 5: University Regulations 66
Use of University of Nottingham students for teaching 66 Weapons 71 Information for students on Purchasing, Expenses and Travel 73
1
Welcome to the School of Biosciences
We hope your time in the School will be enjoyable. To help you settle in, both socially and
academically, various events have been arranged which we hope you will go along to.
Included in this pack is a full programme of Week One Events.
This handbook is divided into several sections which together should help you to obtain
the best from your postgraduate experience here at Nottingham.
Section 1 The Research Programme
Your supervisor(s) is the main source of information but you will also be assigned an
assessor and each division has a postgraduate advisor. The assessor will be involved in
monitoring your progress. Basically this will be through an annual review consisting of a
report, presentation and interview. The processes of supervision are outlined in this
section and further details can be obtained from the quality manual see:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/academicservices/qualitymanual/aboutthequalitymanual.as
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An important part of the research programme involves training in more generic areas such
as IT and presentation skills. You will be required to undertake some generic training and
details of this can be found in the separate booklet (Postgraduate training” included in this
pack. This booklet can also be used to record your training.
The University operates a research code of practice and a research code of conduct.
Details of both of these are included and you must ensure that you are familiar with these
before you start your research work.
Finally this section outlines the procedure for examination and for dealing with any
complaints.
Section 2 General Information and Facilities
The information in this section will prove very useful throughout your course. It contains
lists of staff, important dates and a summary of the facilities available on campus and
across the University as a whole. It also contains some rules and regulations and details of
student involvement in teaching duties such as demonstrating.
Section 3 Safety, Emergency and First Aid
Safety in the workplace, especially the laboratory, is of paramount importance. This
section provides some basic information. You will be provided with more detailed
information by your Divisional Safety Officer. You will also be required to complete a
safety questionnaire and attend a safety course.
Section 4 Personal Progress File
This section contains a paper based personal progress file for you to maintain throughout
the degree programme should you prefer. These records will serve as a useful aid to
remember all the key events during the course and this may well be useful in the creation
of a CV. You are therefore urged to keep this as up to date as possible.
2
Section 1 The Research Programme
The purpose of this section is to provide you with general information relating to
monitoring and assessment procedures, which have been put in place to assist your
training and progress. These procedures vary slightly between the Divisions and exact
details will be provided by the Postgraduate Advisor concerned.
General comments
Supervisor(s)
On starting your studies, you will have at least two appointed supervisors. For CASE
studentships, and in some other instances, one of your supervisors may be at a research
institute or industrial company. Your supervisors will play a key role in assisting the
development of your research programme.
Internal Assessor(s)
In addition to your supervisors, you will also be given an internal assessor, who may assist
in the supervision of your research degree, and also act as an independent monitor of
your progress. They will be allocated to you by the Postgraduate Advisor in consultation
with the Head of Division. You should introduce yourself to your internal assessor as soon
as possible.
Meetings with your Supervisor
You are required to meet formally with your supervisor(s) 10 times a year (6 times for
part-time students), although you will normally expect to more have frequent informal
contact with your supervisor(s). These meetings provide an opportunity for you to discuss
problems and progress and you should prepare prior to each meeting an outline of
achievements since the last meeting and a summary of proposed action until the
next meeting. You must share responsibility with your supervisor to ensure good
communications and regular meetings, and you should make sure that problems or
difficulties are discussed.
The first year formal meeting with your assessor will normally take place during the 9th -
12th month following registration. Likewise, in your second year, another meeting
involving your internal assessor will take place, most likely during the 21st -24th month of
registration. Those students on a four year award will also undertake a review during the
33rd to 36th month of registration.
If you experience work, health, financial or personal difficulties during your time in the
School, it is most important that you report matters to your supervisor immediately, and
where appropriate, receive assistance. If you experience problems relating to your
supervision, you should consult your assessor or Postgraduate Advisor.
You must notify your supervisor if you intend to be away from the University for more
than one or two days, and should always notify them of periods of absence resulting from
illness. For illnesses lasting more than one week a medical certificate will be required.
Students will be provided with, and should maintain, a laboratory book. This book
represents the record of all experiments undertaken during the project. A system is also
available whereby electronic records can be kept by research students for each
experiment, or group of experiments, carried out and these are printed off and taken to
each of the student/supervisor meetings. The records are read and signed off at each
meeting. This creates a comprehensive resource for students when embarking on the
writing up stage of their theses. Laboratory books are signed off monthly.
3
New research students should use the experiment templates, available on the School
intranet, and lab books from the start of their research.
Regulations
You must make yourself familiar with the University and School regulations. The official
regulations for higher degrees in all Faculties are given in the current edition of the
University Calendar, which contains authoritative information on all matters relating to
higher degrees. A full set of University regulations can be seen at
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/current/regulations/
4
Academic Misconduct: Cheating, Plagiarism and Paraphrasing
This section draws upon information available at the following University Web sources
together with guidance from staff in the School of Biosciences.
USEFUL ADVICE FOR STUDENTS
One good method to avoid plagiarism is to make notes from material you have read
and construct your essay / report, in your own words, from these notes. It is
tempting (and easy) to copy and paste, but this is unacceptable and constitutes an
academic misconduct. It is also poor practice to construct a draft by copying and
pasting material from multiple sources, with the intention of then paraphrasing the
resulting document. Apart from the fact that the end-product may be disjointed, the
paraphrasing is often incomplete and the work submitted may contain elements of
plagiarised material. It is, however, acceptable to include relevant figures and tables
from published work, as long as you acknowledge their source by citing the primary
reference for them.
To make a specific point, there may be occasions when you have may to quote an
author verbatim; this is acceptable if you put the quotation in inverted commas and
give the source, but you should have a good reason why you can’t put the material in
your own words.
USEFUL WEBSITES
Academic integrity and plagiarism
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/studyingeffectively/writing/plagiarism/index.aspx
Quality Manual
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/academicservices/qualitymanual/assessmentandawards
/academic-misconduct.aspx
Studying Effectively
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/studyingeffectively/home.aspx
DEFINITION OF ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT
University regulations on Academic Misconduct can be seen at:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/academicservices/qualitymanual/assessmentandawards/ac
ademic-misconduct.aspx
Any activity or behaviour by a student which may give that student, or another student,
an unpermitted academic advantage in a summative assessment is considered to be an
act of academic misconduct and unacceptable in a scholarly community. Such action(s)
will be considered under the University’s Regulations on Academic Misconduct and this
may lead to a penalty being imposed.
EXAMPLES
The following is a non-exhaustive list of examples of academic misconduct which will be
considered under the Regulations:
5
Plagiarism: representing another person’s work or ideas as one’s own, for example by
failing to follow convention in acknowledging sources, use of quotation marks etc. This
includes the unauthorised use of one student’s work by another student and the
commissioning, purchase and submission of a piece of work, in part or whole, as the
student’s own.
Note: A proof-reader may be used to ensure that the meaning of the author is not
misrepresented due to the quality and standard of English used, unless a
School/Department policy specifically prohibits this. Where permitted, a proof-reader may
identify spelling and basic grammar errors. Inaccuracies in academic content should not
be corrected nor should the structure of the piece of work be changed; doing so may
result in a charge of plagiarism.
Collusion: cooperation in order to gain an unpermitted advantage. This may occur
where students have consciously collaborated on a piece of work, in part or whole, and
passed it off as their own, individual efforts or where one student has authorised another
to use their work, in part or whole, and to submit it as their own.
Note: legitimate input from University tutors or approved readers or scribes is not
considered to be collusion.
Cheating in examinations (including in-class tests). Including, for example, when an
examination candidate:
copies from the examination script of another candidate;
obtains any other assistance from another candidate (or any other
person unless an approved reader or scribe);
has with them any unauthorised book (including mathematical tables),
manuscript or loose papers of any kind, unauthorised electronic devices
(including mobile telephones) or any source of unauthorised information
[link to University’s Examination Guidance];
allows himself/herself to be impersonated or when any person
impersonates another examination candidate.
Fabrication or misrepresentation: the presentation of false data, results, references,
evidence or other material or misrepresentation of the same. Including, for example:
claiming to have carried out experiments, observations, interviews or
other forms of research which a student has not , in fact, carried out;
claiming to have obtained results or other evidence which have not, in
fact, been obtained;
in the case of professional qualifications, falsely claiming to have
completed hours in practice or to have achieved required competencies
when this is not the case;
presenting false references.
Failure to disclose previous experience or qualifications when this a pre-
requisite of module enrolment (for example, enrolment on inter-faculty language
modules).
Failure to obtain ethical approval: where work is undertaken without obtaining
ethical approval when there is a clear and unambiguous requirement to do so.
6
A note on ‘Recycling’: The multiple submission by a student of their own material is not,
in itself, considered as academic misconduct. Submission of material that has been
submitted on a previous occasion for a different summative assessment is, however,
unlikely to be academically appropriate. The merit of such material will therefore be a
matter of academic judgement and it may attract fewer (or no) marks than would have
been the case if it had not been assessed previously.
Penalties at School level range from 0 for the affected material to 0 for the module. There
is also a new penalty of a monetary fine where an academic penalty is not appropriate (ie
where a student has helped another to gain an unpermitted advantage). If the HoS is
satisfied that the misconduct came about because of a genuine lack of knowledge or
understanding, a record of ‘Poor Academic Practice’ is also possible.
Students with previous instances of misconduct on their records and research students
beyond the 1st year of study will automatically be referred to a panel hearing. Students
may also self-refer to a hearing if they do not agree with the outcome of a School
investigation or the penalty awarded (as currently).
Note:
Plagiarism is regarded as a serious academic offence by the University and will
be punished accordingly. Plagiarism can be easily identified by entering suspect
passages into search engines. Specialist search engines (e.g. Turnitin) are
available to check all submitted work against previously published sources,
including coursework submitted by students in the current or previous years.
The School of Biosciences uses Turnitin to assist academic staff detect
plagiarism; students may be required to submit all coursework in electronic
form to facilitate automatic on-line detection of plagiarism. All BSc Research
Projects must be submitted electronically to be checked by Turnitin along with
the necessary hard copies (see Guidelines for BSc Research Projects).
If a student is required to attend an Academic Misconduct interview within the School for
any suspected academic misconduct his/her tutor will be informed of this, together with
the Head of School (or nominee), module convenor (or nominee) and the School Manager
for Academic Administration (or nominee.
GUIDANCE TO HELP YOU AVOID COMMITTING PLAGIARISM
1. You are allowed to use information from other people's work provided you acknowledge
the source. This can apply to a statement, Table or Figure. The best way of doing this for
Tables and Figures is to add: "After Smith (1988)" or "Modified from Smith (1988)", and
include the reference in your reference list.
2. If you are discussing something somebody else has said, you can say, for example:
Smith (1987) claimed that coral reefs in the Pacific were damaged by high temperatures
in 1975. Or: It has been claimed that high temperatures in 1975 damaged coral reefs in
the Pacific (Smith, 1975).
3. If you wish to quote from previous work you should put it in quotation marks, e.g.
Smith (1980) described the outcome of unprecedented high temperatures on coral reefs
as: "A disaster for the marine communities in the coastal regions of the Indo-Pacific", and
then stated that: "The phenomenon appears to be due to unprecedented high
temperatures".
7
For information on paraphrasing see 8 and 9 below.
4. Authors should be cited in text either as: Smith (1975), Smith and Allen (1978), Allen
(1987, 1989), or as (Smith, 1975; Smith and Allen, 1978; Allen 1987, 1989). Note that
these are in chronological, not alphabetic order. When more than two authors are quoted,
this should be in the form Allen et al. (1993) in the text, but the full reference should be
given in your reference list.
5. In your "References" or "Literature cited" section, the following style (authors, date,
title, journal, volume number, page numbers) should be used and references should be
listed alphabetically. Provided you are consistent, you may also use any other accepted
style - see journals in the library.
Smith, A. J. and Allen, N. B. (1986). Temperatures and coral reefs. Journal
of the Marine Biological Association 86: 101-123.
Smith, A. J., Jones, K. L. and Allen, N. B. (1988). Death of corals due to high
temperatures. Thermal Biology 27: 19-34.
6. For books, the following style (author, title underlined or in italics, publisher, place of
publication) applies:
Allen, N. B. (1992). Coral Reef Biology. Blackwells, London.
7. For chapters in edited volumes, the following style (author, date, title of chapter, title of
book underlined or in italics, editors, page numbers, publisher, place of publication)
applies:
Smith, A. J. (1987). Temperature and bleaching in corals. In: Coral Reef Biology (N. B.
Allen and C. K. Hodges, eds.), pp. 65-90. Clumber Press, New York.
8. Paraphrasing, i.e. verabatim or almost verbatim restatement of a passage is a form of
plagiarism frequently used in essays and dissertations. The following is paraphrased from
C. H. Gordon, P. Simmons and G. Wynn (date unknown). Plagiarism - What It Is And How
To Avoid It. University of British Columbia.
Students often ask "How much do I have to change a sentence to be sure I'm not
plagiarising?" If you have to ask, you are probably about to commit plagiarism! There is
no set number of words that you need to change or add to make a passage your own –
the originality must come from the development and expression of your own ideas.
Original work demands original thought. You should try and separate your ideas from
those of others. If you use another author‘s conclusions then acknowledge them. If you
come to the same conclusions as another author you should still acknowledge them. Once
a piece of work is complete, look at each part and ask yourself if the ideas expressed are
entirely your own, and whether the general language or choice of words is your own. If
the answer to either is "no" the work should be credited to the original author
9. Examples.
8
9.1 Original
From Smith (1992):
The author has found that corals respond to high temperatures by expelling their
zooxanthellae. This causes them to go white, a phenomenon known as "bleaching." Such
corals soon become covered in algae, which makes it difficult for new coral planulae to
settle and start a new colony (Davies, 1980). The phenomenon of bleaching is similar to
the effect of a crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) attack where the polyps are
digested by enzymes secreted onto the colony surface (Brown, 1990). As Jones (1972)
found, A. planci poses a severe threat to corals in the Indo-Pacific. The recent occurrence
of high numbers of these starfish on reefs has been correlated to run-off from land which
contains high levels of plant nutrients (Jones, 1986). The subsequent increase in the
number of algae apparently enhances the survival of the filter-feeding larvae of the
starfish.
To include this text verbatim in your own work, without placing the entire
paragraph in quotation marks and acknowledging Smith (1992) (see 3 above)
would constitute plagiarism.
9.2 Paraphrased version
Paraphrased from Smith (1992):
Smith (1992) has found that corals respond to high temperatures by expelling their
zooxanthellae. This phenomenon, known as "bleaching", causes them to go white. Such
corals quickly become covered in algae and this makes it difficult for new coral planulae to
settle and begin developing a new colony (Davies, 1980). Bleaching is similar to the effect
of a crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) attack. Brown (1990) notes that this is
where the polyps are digested by enzymes secreted onto the colony surface. Jones
(1972) found that A. planci may be a severe threat to corals in the Indo-Pacific. Recently
high numbers of these starfish on reefs has been correlated to run-off from land with high
levels of plant nutrients (Jones, 1986). The increase in the number of algae apparently
enhances the survival of the filter-feeding larvae of the starfish.
To include this text in your own work, even with the initial acknowledgment
Smith (1992) would constitute plagiarism since it reads as if only the first
sentence is taken from Smith, and the rest of the references (Davies, Brown and
Jones) have been sourced and read by you and that the development and
expression of the text is your own original work.
9.3 Unacknowledged version (i.e. submitting this as if it were your own
thoughts or work)
The presence of high numbers of crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) on reefs
has been connected to run-off from land containing high levels of plant nutrients. This
causes an increase in the number of algae which results in better survival of the filter-
feeding larvae of the starfish. The starfish kills corals by secreting digestive enzymes onto
their surfaces. A. planci poses a severe threat to corals in the Indo-Pacific and their effect
is similar to that caused by "bleaching", a phenomenon caused by high temperatures
which results in zooxanthellae being expelled. Subsequently the dead corals become
covered in algae which makes it difficult for a new colony to start.
To include this text verbatim in your own work, would constitute plagiarism
since there is no acknowledgment of Smith (1992).
9
9.4 Acceptable version (based on information from Smith, reading the cited
references yourself and drawing upon other work)
Smith (1992) quoted Jones (1972, 1986) in suggesting that the crown-of-thorns starfish
poses a threat to corals in the Indo-Pacific, and that their recent upsurge may be due to
an increase in plant food levels caused by an input of nutrients from land. Brown (1990)
found that these multi-armed starfish killed corals by everting their stomachs onto the
coral colony surface and secreting an enzyme to digest the tissues externally. The
resulting "bleaching" effect is similar to that which occurs when corals are exposed to high
temperatures and the zooxanthellae are expelled (Smith, 1992). Davies (1980) found that
the settlement of algae on the colony surface made it difficult for new coral larvae to settle
and, although fish often grazed the algae continually, he found they could not keep these
under control. Recent studies have shown that plagues of crown-of-thorns starfish may be
a natural phenomenon, as the fossilised remains of previous outbreaks have been found in
rocks millions of years old (Cromer, 1994).
To present your work like this would not constitute plagiarism.
Note that all the references and authors used in this document with the exception of
Gordon et al. are fictitious.
PLEASE CONSULT YOUR SUPERVISOR
IF YOU ARE STILL IN DOUBT ABOUT PLAGIARISM
Safety
Before you start any laboratory work you must read the Safety Booklet, complete the
safety questionnaire at the back of this file and consult your Divisional Safety Officer. You
must also have fully assessed the safety implications of your planned work with your
supervisor. It is a requirement that all laboratory work is conducted in a manner which
meets all the laid down safety requirements.
Safety is an extremely important issue and must be taken seriously. If you have any
queries relating to safety seek advice from your supervisor(s) or the chief technician in
your section. You should also read the safety section of this handbook (page 24).
Postgraduate Training
The School is committed to provide appropriate training within the PhD/MPhil programme.
You will be given training in research practices and in using research equipment. In
addition, all postgraduates are required to attend appropriate generic training courses,
details of which are provided in the accompanying “Postgraduate training” booklet. You
should select appropriate courses in consultation with your supervisor(s).
All graduate students are required to attend Divisional, and where appropriate,
School seminars. This will give you an opportunity to learn about other research
whether or not directly related to your own topic. Many of the speakers are invited guests
from other institutions. A large and interested audience is a courtesy we owe to invited
speakers and as a member of the Schools scientific community you have a responsibility
to participate. Details of the seminar programme will be provided by your supervisor. In
addition divisions also run events such as journal clubs and expert forums the divisional
postgraduate advisor will provide details of these and attendance is likely to be a
compulsory and very useful aspect of your training.
Please consult your supervisor should you require clarification on any issue relating to the
PhD/MPhil programme.
10
PhD Research programme and assessment
In most cases, your first few months will be spent on a literature search in your chosen
research field and formulating your initial programme of research with an estimation of
time-scales of work. Your research plan and its objectives should be written down so that
your assessor knows what your programme of work will involve, in addition, this
information will form part of your annual report.
First Year Assessment
During the first year you will be required to present a poster or seminar and to produce a
written report. The dates of these presentations and deadline for handing in reports will
be determined within the individual Research Divisions. However, all Divisions are required
to ensure that students submit this report between 9 and 12 months from the start of
their studies. You should discuss the writing of the report with your supervisor(s).
The report should be a minimum of 3,000 words (the actual length of the report may vary
depending on the type of project and should be agreed with the supervisor). The report
should contain a detailed review of the literature, the methods to be used, a clear plan of
your research including hypotheses and aims and a summary of results obtained. The
report should be written wherever possible in the format of the final thesis.
It is your responsibility to ensure that your assessor receives a copy of the
report. Failure to submit a report when requested may result in a failure to
progress.
Once your report is submitted, your internal assessor(s) will arrange a date for your
assessment. This will involve a viva voce, generally lasting between half and one hour.
The internal assessors will ask you a series of questions to determine your background
knowledge of your research field and your progress in your research programme. The
assessor(s) will then write a report and indicate whether or not you should be permitted to
progress to the second year (a copy of this report can be made available to you). The
supervisor may also comment on the report, which will be passed to the Head of Division
for action. The recommendation made will be either:
(i) Satisfactory progress has been achieved and the student shall be permitted to re-
register for the second year of training for a PhD;
(ii) Progress is sufficient to allow registration to be changed from MPhil to PhD;
(iii) Progress is insufficient and registration should be changed from PhD to MPhil;
(iv) Progress is unsatisfactory and the student will be required to withdraw from the
PhD/MPhil programme.
If progress has been deemed insufficient or unsatisfactory you will, in the first instance, be
informed by your Head of Division. Heads of Divisions may recommend to the Academic
Board that a course of study should be terminated (see later for Appeals Procedures).
11
Second Year Assessment
As in the first year you will be required to present a poster or seminar and will normally be
required to submit a written report and a plan for the submission of your thesis. The
format for this report is again given in the Quality Manual on the University website at –
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/academicservices/qualitymanual/researchdegreeprogramm
es/annual-review-of-research-students.aspx
In order to gain experience of scientific publication it is recommended that this report
should be presented in the format of a paper. However, if this is not appropriate then this
is not an absolute requirement. In this case the report should build on that provided in the
first year but should now have additional material to provide an account of the results
obtained and a draft discussion. In all cases a clear plan for the remaining experimental
work should also be included in the report.
Again it is your responsibility to ensure that your assessor receives a copy of the report.
You should then arrange a mutually convenient date for the viva with your assessor who
will again provide you with feedback.
Third Year Assessment (3 year awards)
For those following a three year programme, the School expects submission of a PhD
thesis within three years of commencing studies. Early in your third year you should
review the plan of the composition of your thesis, have specified milestones for completing
each section and should have commenced writing-up. This plan will be reviewed by your
supervisor(s) who will provide feedback and guidance, and if necessary you may need to
revise it half-way through your final year. The final thesis must, in any event, be
submitted within four years of registration.
A PhD should take 3 years and an MPhil 2 years full-time study. It is important that you
adhere to these time scales, and it is in your own interests and those of the School to do
so. Only in exceptional circumstances will research facilities be made available
after the end of the third year of study. It should be noted that submission of a
thesis after four years will only be accepted in exceptional circumstances.
You can find detailed guidelines for writing a thesis, including abstracts, presentation,
chapter titles, referencing, bibliography, the viva, publishing from your work, etc on the
School website at –
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/academicservices/qualitymanual/researchdegreeprogramm
es/procedures-for-assessment.aspx
Third Year Assessment (4 year awards)
This applies to those on a 4 or 3.5 year programme. The assessment in this case will take
a similar format to that in the second year. In this case a detailed plan of the timetable for
the completion of the experimental work and the preparation of the thesis should be
presented. The final thesis must be submitted by the end of the four years of
registration (there is no thesis pending period allowed for a 4 year award).
12
Examination of the PhD / MPhil /MRes
External Examiner
With the approval of the relevant academic quality assurance procedure a scientist from
another University, or a research institute, will be invited to act as external examiner for
your PhD/MPhil/MRes. The external examiner will have some knowledge of your research
field and be of sufficient seniority to be able to assess your higher degree.
The PhD Viva Voce Examination
The candidate (and sometimes the MPhil candidate) will be examined viva voce by the
external examiner and by the internal examiner.
The supervisor may be invited to be present, but will take no part in the proceedings or in
the assessment of the thesis. The examination usually lasts on average three hours but
there is no fixed time allocation. The examiners may make a number of
recommendations on review of the thesis and the assessment of the viva voce
performance. These are outlined in the official regulations.
On graduation
You will be required to leave all laboratory notebooks and research reports with your
supervisor. You will have to demonstrate that you have disposed of all chemicals and
samples associated with your studies in a manner, which meets the Schools Safety Policy.
You should leave your reading and/or laboratory space clean and tidy. You will need to
return all keys. These tasks must be completed prior to the Head of Division signing any
documents relating to the award of your higher degree.
Graduation ceremonies take place twice a year, in December and July. Details of
ceremonies are sent to all possible candidates in February (for July) and September (for
December) so it is important that you keep your address and other record details up to
date. In order to be eligible to graduate you need to have completed any corrections
required by your examiners and had these approved, submitted two copies of your final
bound thesis and not be in debt to the University. There are variable cut-off dates for
receipt of the final bound thesis and students should enquire about these from the School
Office.
Disciplinary action
In the event that a student shows unsatisfactory progress during their research studies,
the supervisor will discuss the situation with the individual and inform them of the
problems and measures that need to be taken to remedy the situation. Unsatisfactory
progress may result from poor attendance, lack of application to research studies,
undisciplined behaviour, repeated lack of attention to Safety Procedures and Research
Practices after warnings issued, or other behaviour which in the opinion of the Head of
Division is not tolerable.
Should progress continue to be unsatisfactory after discussions and warnings, the
supervisor will notify the candidate in writing of the dissatisfaction with progress. The
candidate may be required to discuss the situation with the Head of Division or School.
The candidate may be asked to withdraw should unsatisfactory progress persist.
13
Appeal against a Recommendation for Termination of Course
After interviewing a student whose progress is unsatisfactory a Head of Division can make
a formal request to the Academic Board (which administers such matters for the
Postgraduate Studies Committee) that a course be terminated. The Academic Board will
formally notify a student of the University’s decision. Criteria for a student appeal against
such a decision, application form and details of the procedures can be found in the Quality
Manual on the University website at –
If a student wishes to make a formal complaint the procedure can be found at
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/academicservices/qualitymanual/complaintsandappeals/aca
demicappealpolicyandprocedure.aspx
14
The MPhil
This will follow a similar pattern to the PhD programme for the first year. You will be
expected to start writing up in your second year, unless you are transferred to the PhD
programme at the end of your first year. If you are transferred to the PhD programme
you will continue as with that programme (see above).
Both an Internal and an External Examiner will be required to submit an Independent
Report on your thesis. Following submission of these, the Examiners will notify you if it is
necessary for a viva voce to be held. If the Examiners are agreed that the candidate has
achieved the standard required for the award of an MPhil degree, it will not normally be
required that a viva voce examination be held. If a viva is required, candidates will be
given immediate informal feedback on the outcome of the examination. The Internal
Examiner will then write formally to the candidate conveying the joint views of the
Examiners and describing in detail the academic and presentational reasons for their
recommendation and (if appropriate) providing clear advice concerning which matters
should be addressed in any resubmission. Re-examinations for the degree of MPhil are
normally held within one calendar year. The Examiners may however, in exceptional
cases, recommend a longer or shorter period of time.
The MRes
Every candidate for the degree of Master of Research shall be allocated to a supervisor, or
supervisors. In addition to supervision of the project, the supervisor will also direct the
student as to the relevant taught components of the course.
A candidate for the degree of MRes must have pursued in this University a full- or part-
time course of study comprising a programme of generic training, to a minimum of 20
credits, and the remaining 160 credits which should comprise a research project and, as
appropriate, an element of assessed taught modules. A candidate may choose, with the
agreement of the supervisor, to take up to 40 credits of taught modules at either level C
or D.
The MRes is examined by dissertation (maximum 30,000 – 35,000 words, or equivalent)
and coursework and examinations in any taught modules undertaken, with the exception
of the Graduate School generic training modules which are not formally assessed.
Candidates may be awarded the degree of MRes if they have:
o Attended an adequate generic training programme
o Obtained a pass mark in all taught modules that are assessed
o Produced a dissertation which satisfies the Examiners
o If required by the Examiners, attended a viva voce examination on the subject of
the dissertation and satisfied the Examiners therein as well as in the dissertation
presented.
In the case of the MRes the completed dissertation must be submitted within
one year of registration for a full time, or within four years, for a part-time
student.
Candidates who fail to satisfy the Examiners may, on their recommendation, re-present
the dissertation in a revised form. The revised dissertation must be presented within one
calendar year of the original examination.
15
External/Part-Time Students (Studying Away from the University)
Students registered under these arrangements are subject to the same supervisory
requirements as students based wholly at the University. However, whilst a ‘local’
supervisor must be appointed, it is recognised that it may not always be possible for all
the recorded supervisory meetings to take place ‘face-to-face.’ It is, therefore, permissible
for some formal contact to take place by email. Printed copies of emails should be
retained. Full details of policy and good practice relating to students studying away from
the University can be found in the Quality Manual on the University website at – http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/academicservices/qualitymanual/researchdegreeprogramm
es/index.aspx.
Thesis pending
The thesis pending period currently allows an additional 12 months for full-time students
(24 months for part-time students) for the final submission of a thesis for examination. It
is not intended that you undertake research at this stage and you would not normally
have access to research facilities. Any student who has not submitted at the end of this
time, and who does not have acceptable and approved extenuating circumstance, will
have their course terminated. A form including details of which circumstances are
considered acceptable is available at
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/academicservices/qualitymanual/researchdegreeprogramm
es/the-thesis-pending-period.aspx.
Note that there is no thesis pending period allowed for those students
registered for a four year programme.
Three months prior to submission of your thesis you should complete a ‘Notification of
Submission’ form, available from the School Office. This form is very important as it not
only approves the proposed title of your thesis but also sets in train all the necessary
preliminaries to your examination. Failure to submit the form in time may lead to delays in
your examination.
Except for students on a four year programme at the end of your registered studies
you will usually enter thesis pending and not be charged fees, but you will not be
eligible for exemption from Council Tax. The University can only provide
exemption certificates for registered students and you should note that Council Tax
can be a substantial amount, depending on the property. Students who are
‘writing up – not registered’ are not exempt from paying Council Tax. Students
who are ‘writing up – registered’ MAY be exempt from Council Tax following
payment of a small registration fee.
16
Sources of Conference Funding - External
1) The Physiological Society
PO Box 11319
London WC1V 6YB
Tel: 0207 269 5710
Email: [email protected]
www.physoc.org
Applications have to be supported by a member of the Physiological Society -
postgraduates do not need to be members themselves
2) Society for Reproduction and Fertility
The Company Secretary
SRF Business Office
Procon Conferences Ltd
Tattersall House, East Parade
Harrogate
HG1 5LT
www.srf-reproduction.org/
Formerly Journals of Reproduction and Fertility Ltd. Applicants must be a member of the
Society. Amount given: up to £300 in any two-year period. Non-members of SRF can
apply to (3)
3) The Royal Society of Chemistry
Burlington House
Piccadilly
W1J 0BA
Tel: 0207 437 8656
http://www.rsc.org/
4) Society for Experimental Biology
Burlington House
Piccadilly
W1J 0BA
Tel: 0207 437 8656
http://www.sebiology.org/
5) The Genetics Society
Roslin Biocentre
Roslin
Midlothian
EH25 9PS
http://www.genetics.org.uk/
6a) Society for Applied Microbiology
The Blore Tower
The Harpur Centre
Bedford MK40 1TQ
Tel: +44 (0)1234 326661
Fax: +44 (0)1234 326678
http://www.sfam.org.uk/
17
6b) Society for General Microbiology
Marlborough House
Basingstoke Road
Spencers Wood
Reading RG7 1AG
http://www.sgm.ac.uk/
6a and 6b have been known to give funds to members for conferences in various forms.
Student members may get full conference funding to Society conferences and also
support for other overseas conferences. Senior members can apply to the president’s
fund for travel expenses and also for money to employ students over the summer to do
short projects. Full details are all on their web sites.
7) The Association of Applied Biologists
AAB Office: Warwick Enterprise Park,
Wellesbourne,
Warwick
CV35 9EF
Tel: +44 (0)2476 575195
Fax: +44 (0)1789 470234
Email: [email protected]
http://www.aab.org.uk
Exclusive to conferences hosted by AAB. Student membership can be offered at a much
reduced rate, and once a student is a member, they can attend AAB conferences for a
nominal fee.
8) The Biochemical Society Student Travel Grants
Biochemical Society
Third Floor
Eagle House
16 Procter Street
London
WC1V 6NX
United Kingdom
E-mail: [email protected]
http://www.biochemistry.org/
9) The Society for Endocrinology
22 Apex Court, Woodlands, Bradley Stoke,
Bristol
BS32 4JT
UK.
Tel: +44 (0)1454 642200
Fax: +44 (0)1454 642222
http://www.endocrinology.org/
10) The British Society for Developmental Biology
http://bsdb.org/
11) The British Society for Cell Biology
http://bscb.org/
18
Sources of Conference Funding - Internal
1) The International Office
International Office
University of Nottingham
Jubilee Campus
Nottingham
Tel: +44 (0)115 951 5247
Email: [email protected]
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/international/
2) Conference Fund for Research Students
Graduate School
University Park
Tel: 0115 951 5741
Fax: 0115 951 3633
Email; [email protected]
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/graduateschool/funding
3) Chang Travel Fund
Graduate School
University Park
NG7 2RD
Tel: 0115 951 5741
Fax: 0115 951 3633
Normally awarded to graduates in the School of Biosciences whose topic of research is
Animal Physiology. Not awarded every year, only when funds are available.
4) Kesteven WVS Travelling Scholarship
Graduate School
University Park
NG7 2RD
Tel: 0115 951 5741
Fax: 0115 951 3633
Normally awarded to graduates in the School of Biosciences with particular relevance to
agricultural science. Preference will be given to candidates normally resident in the
County of Lincoln – parts of Kesteven.
5) Dr D V Crawford Memorial Award
Linda Eaves, Undergraduate Manager,
Room A2 Main Building,
School of Biosciences,
Sutton Bonington Campus.
6) The Lamming Postgraduate Travel Awards
Linda Eaves, Undergraduate Manager,
Room A2 Main Building,
School of Biosciences,
Sutton Bonington Campus.
19
Research Practises within the School
These informal notes are intended as guidelines for new research students and they set
out some of the policies and research practices that exist within the School. Please read
these carefully and use them for reference.
Equipment
Divisions have limited budgets and all research workers are asked to treat research
equipment with the utmost respect. Equipment must only be used after proper instruction
and training in its use has been given.
In some areas major items of equipment have a booking system and use a book where
individuals record when the equipment was used and the period of time that was spent on
the equipment. This allows us to maintain records for safety purposes as well as service
contracts. All students and research workers should leave equipment in a working and
clean condition.
If equipment runs out of a resource (eg printer paper) it is your responsibility to get it
replaced via the technical staff. Failure to do so could render the user liable to restricted
access to equipment. The School has small workshops for the repair and servicing of
equipment. Please report to your nominated technician any faulty piece of equipment.
Under no circumstances should research staff attempt to repair faulty equipment, nor
should they modify equipment or remove parts of equipment to service other apparatus.
If equipment or glassware is broken, please report this to the technical staff so a
replacement can be purchased.
Radiochemicals
Anyone wishing to use radiochemicals must attend the course organised by the University
Radiation Officer, (please see your Week One Programme for details or
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/safety/training/training.aspx. If you do not attend this
course, you might have to wait one year. In addition students should attend a course
staged by the School.
Animal-related work
There are strict regulations governing work on animals. Consult your supervisor regarding
these and the training courses necessary before animal work can be carried out.
Research collaboration
As a general rule, the University is extremely happy for students and researchers from
one School to use equipment within another School, but please make sure that you
proceed through the official channels, normally your supervisor. We have close and
friendly relationships with a number of different Schools but these can be prejudiced by
students who do not use the correct methods of contact. A researcher from one School
damaging essential equipment in another can negate years of good will and close inter-
relationships.
Visitors
Casual visitors must not be allowed into laboratory areas and, unless strictly necessary,
children should not be brought into the buildings. If you are expecting official visitors
please inform your supervisor.
Ordering
There is a School store from which items can be obtained. Each Division has a different
policy for ordering and your supervisor should be consulted about the procedure relevant
to your Division.
20
Photocopying facilities
Divisions spend a considerable amount of money on photocopying and research students
should minimise the amount of photocopying done. However, it is appreciated that you
will want to take copies of essential papers as well as to undertake photocopying for
research reports etc. Ask your supervisor for local rules on photocopying. Please take
note of copyright regulations especially as they pertain to copying from books.
Teaching
Postgraduate students may be called upon to assist with undergraduate teaching, usually
as demonstrators in practical classes and providing assistance with project students.
There is a School Policy covering this work which can be found at:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/biosciences/intranet/office/learning_and_teaching/Demonst
rating%20Code%20of%20Practice%20(School)%20Sept%2006.doc
Seminar Programme
The School and the Divisions run a comprehensive seminar programme. You are required
to attend those in your own Division and will also be expected to attend seminars of
interest to you elsewhere. Notice boards have details of the various programmes.
21
University of Nottingham research code of conduct
1. Introduction
The University of Nottingham requires the highest standards of integrity to be followed in
the pursuit of research carried out by the academic and research staff, and students of the
University. This Code of Research Conduct provides standards of work performance and
ethical conduct expected of all persons engaged in research in the University of
Nottingham. The code applies to all employees, students, visiting researchers and fellows
working within the University or as part of a team associated with the University. The
Code provides a framework for the conduct of research throughout the University. It is
linked to other policies and procedures that have been established in the University. Many
sponsors of research have their own codes of conduct, which must be followed as part of
the any contract. In some areas there will also be professional considerations to be taken
into account. The Code includes a definition of and procedures for dealing with allegations
of research misconduct. These are linked to the University's staff and student disciplinary
procedures and interim procedures on public interest disclosure.
The Code of Research Conduct is based on arrangements that are in use elsewhere. We
therefore acknowledge the use of the following documents in the preparation of this Code:
MRC Policy and Procedure for Inquiring into Allegations of Scientific Misconduct (1997)
The University of Manchester Code of Practice for Dealing with Allegations of Misconduct in
Research (1993)
The University of Melbourne Code of Conduct for Research (1996)
The University of Edinburgh Code of Research Practice (1996)
2. Statement of good practice
Everyone involved in research in the University owes a duty of accountability to society, to
their profession, to the University and to the funders of the research, to accept full
responsibility for their own conduct of that research, and the activities of any staff or
students under their direction. It is recognised that researchers who have recently joined
the community may need particular support in reaching an understanding of best practice
in research. Such understanding may be gained through the example set by senior
researchers or by appropriate induction and training. Accountability extends to the ethical
basis of the research, for the safety of all involved in the research process, for the probity
of the financial management of the project, and for seeking to provide optimum value for
the public or private funds invested in the project. These responsibilities extend in turn to
ensuring the effective management of any agreed timetable for the project, together with
the timely provision of any tangible outcomes scheduled to be delivered to an external
sponsor.
These responsibilities also extend to ensuring that records (including laboratory books) are
kept, and to ensuring that neither cheating nor falsification of results occurs.
22
2.1 Data
All processing of personal data (which includes the obtaining and storage of data) must
comply with the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998. Normally, researchers must
ensure that they have each person's explicit consent to obtain, hold and use personal
information. Data security arrangements must be sufficient to prevent unauthorised
breaches of confidentiality. All staff and students using personal data in research have a
duty of confidence.
Data must be recorded in a durable form with appropriate references. Data must be
retained intact for a period of at least seven years from the date of any publication, which
is based upon them. A research unit or School must have procedures for retention of data
that are made known to all staff and students. Researchers and students must comply
with these retention procedures. Data relating to publications are to be made available for
discussion with other researchers, except where confidentiality provisions prevail.
Confidentiality provisions relating to publications may apply in circumstances where the
University or the researcher has made or given confidentiality undertakings to third parties
or confidentiality is required to protect intellectual property rights. It is the obligation of
the research leader to inform researchers as to whether confidentiality provisions apply
and of researchers to enquire of the research leader whether there are any obligations
with respect to these provisions.
2.2 Publications
A publication must contain appropriate reference to the contributions made by all
participants in the relevant research. Any person who has participated in a substantial
way in conceiving, executing or interpreting at least part of the relevant research should
be given the opportunity to be included as an author of a publication derived from that
research. Any person who has not participated in a substantial way in conceiving,
executing or interpreting at least part of the relevant research is not to be included as an
author of a publication derived from that research.
In addition to meeting the requirements of the bullet points above, an author must ensure
that the work of research students, research assistants, research officers, and technical
officers is recognised in all publications derived from research to which they have made a
contribution.
A publication which is substantially similar to other publications derived from the same
research must contain appropriate reference to the other publications. A researcher who
submits substantially similar work to more than one publisher should disclose that fact to
the publishers at the time of submission.
Publication and dissemination of work electronically or on the Web should be treated with
the same degree of integrity as every other form of publication.
2.3 Supervision
Each research unit or School must adopt guidelines for supervision of research in
accordance with requirements prescribed from time to time by the Senate and as specified
in the Quality Manual for Staff and Students
(http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/academicservices/qualitymanual/researchdegreeprogram
mes/index.aspx).
A supervisor must observe and undertake the responsibilities set out in these guidelines.
A person must decline appointment as a supervisor unless they expect to be able to
discharge the responsibilities set out in these guidelines.
23
2.4 Conflict of Interest
The University has a policy on External Work undertaken by Academic and Academic-
Related Staff. This policy states that external work, whether or not remunerated, has to
be regulated in order to ensure that it does not create a conflict of interest. The policy sets
out cases where permission to carry out external work is automatic, procedures by which
permission may be sought in other cases, and the considerations that will be taken into
account when it is decided whether permission shall be granted
(http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/hr/guidesandsupport/universitycodesofpracticeandrules/co
nflictsofinterest,giftsandhospitality.aspx).
The University has a policy on Conflicts of Interest, gifts and hospitality. This policy states
that if members of staff have any third party pecuniary or non-pecuniary interests which
may give rise to conflicts of interest in carrying out their University duties, they should
report them to their Head of School and to the Registrar. The Registrar shall enter them
on a register kept for this purpose
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/hr/guidesandsupport/universitycodesofpracticeandrules/con
flictsofinterest,giftsandhospitality.aspx).
Where there is a potential conflict of interest in research that falls outside the areas
covered by the above policies, this must be discussed with the Director of Research
Business Development at the earliest opportunity. Conflicts of interest may occur where
researchers have an affiliation or financial involvement (including direct financial interest,
provision of benefits and provision of material or facilities) with more than one
organisation sponsoring or providing financial support for research. The Director of
Research Business Development can refer any potential conflict of interest to the Pro-Vice-
Chancellor for Staffing.
2.5 Additional Requirements
Any special standards of work performance and ethical conduct imposed by law or by the
University in relation to particular categories of research are deemed to be included in this
Code in its application to persons engaged in that research in the University.
Project managers have a responsibility to inform staff over the implications and ensure
that they agree and accept the terms.
Researchers have a responsibility to read the terms and conditions of sponsors before
signing a contract and to ensure they understand the implications of those terms for the
undertaking of such research and that they agree to, and accept, these terms as the basis
for that research.
Researchers have a responsibility to ensure that they comply with the requirements of
current Data Protection legislation and of the Ethical Review Committee.
24
3. Definition of Research Misconduct
Research misconduct means fabrication, falsification, plagiarism or deception in proposing,
carrying out or reporting results of research and deliberate, dangerous or negligent
deviations from accepted practice in carrying out research and from this Code of Practice.
It includes failure to follow established protocols if this failure results in unreasonable risk
or harm to humans, other vertebrates or the environment. It also includes assisting in
misconduct by other researchers by collusion in, or concealment of, any of the actions
listed above.
Students should familiarise themselves with the definition of plagiarism as set out at
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/academicservices/qualitymanual/assessmentandawards/ac
ademic-misconduct.aspx
It does not include honest error or honest differences in the design, execution,
interpretation or judgement in evaluating research methods or results or misconduct
(including gross misconduct) unrelated to the research process.
Adapted from MRC Policy and Procedure for Inquiring into Allegations of Scientific
Misconduct, December 1997.
An allegation of research misconduct is a serious and potentially defamatory action and
could lead to a threat (or even the instigation) of legal proceedings. Consequently, for the
protection of the complainant and of the party against whom the allegations are made, all
enquiries (including the formal investigation, if any) should be conducted on a basis of
strict confidentiality (wherever possible) as well as of integrity and non-detriment so that
neither party should suffer solely as a consequence of the allegation being made.
4. Procedures for dealing with allegations of research misconduct
Allegations of research misconduct will be dealt with under one of the following university
procedures:
Disciplinary procedure for staff subject to university statutes, section 35; Disciplinary
procedure for staff not subject to university statutes, section 35; Procedure for public
interest disclosure by staff or students of malpractice, misconduct or fraudulent activity
(These procedures are published in the Staff Handbook which is on the web at:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/staff-handbook/).
The Code of Discipline for Students
(This Code is published in the University Calendar and is on the web at:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/governance/documents/code-of-discipline.pdf
25
School of Biosciences PhD programme - AGREEMENT
Dear student,
Undertaking a PhD can often be an exciting but challenging period of your life. It is not
surprising that the environment you work in and the attitude that you have towards your
studies plays a pivotal role in how rewarding you will find the experience. The School of
Biosciences is committed to providing you with the facilities, support and encouragement
to give you every chance of success. However, this is a two-way relationship.
The purpose of this agreement is to make clear what we expect from you as a doctoral
student and in turn, what you can expect of us as your supervisors. In particular, you
should note the section on “Progression” where you are reminded that progression
through the PhD programme is not automatic; your particular Division will assess your
progress half way through year 1 and year 2 and highlight any concerns we have as to
whether you are working at a doctoral level. At the end of each of these years you will
then have formal assessments through an assortment of reports, academic discussions
and presentations. On review, if progress is not deemed satisfactory, you risk being
demoted to an MPhil post-graduate qualification or having your studies terminated
prematurely.
Please take the time to read this agreement carefully and sign the final page to indicate
that you understand what is expected of you as a PhD student. Your primary supervisor
should also sign the agreement to acknowledge their responsibilities. The information
contained within this agreement is supplementary to the procedures stipulated in the
University’s Quality Manual and Code of Research Conduct and Research Ethics which can
be found at the following addresses:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/academicservices/qualitymanual/researchdegreeprogramm
es/responsibilities-of-the-student.aspx
Ultimately, the majority of students find the PhD a gratifying and enjoyable experience,
and we hope the same is also true for you. However, this can only be achieved through
hard-work and devotion to your studies.
26
The agreement.
The following table details the expectations of PhD students and supervisors within the
School of Biosciences:
Student’s responsibilities Supervisor/Division’s
responsibilities
Attendance and holidays
Unless otherwise authorised by your supervisor(s), the general expectation is for students to be present within the Division during working hours (normally 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday if full-time). You are entitled to 30 days holiday per academic year on top of Bank Holidays and University Holidays, dates of which can be
found at: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/staff/bankhol.phtml Holiday dates should be agreed with your supervisor(s) in advance and must not interfere with the progression of your studies. If you are unable to be present at the campus through illness, this should be communicated to your supervisor(s). In cases of chronic illness it may become necessary to postpone your studies until a
time when you have made a satisfactory recovery. You should be aware that poor attendance can impact on your ability to progress through the PhD programme, result in termination of your studies, and where applicable, lead to your student visa being revoked by the UK Border Agency.
To approve all reasonable requests for holiday. To provide you with the facilities and resources required to work effectively within the Division. To inform you of when we do not consider your attendance
satisfactory.
27
Data and record keeping
To understand that all data generated throughout their PhD studies remains the property of The University of Nottingham.
Laboratory books and copies of electronic data MUST remain with the Supervisor(s) at the end of the studies. To write up experiments as they are performed into the lab books provided, in a logical and comprehensible manner. Notepads and scraps of paper are not to be used and are not a substitute for a lab book, but printouts and similar can be included as long as each is securely attached to the lab book. Pages must not be removed from the lab book and a biro or other permanent ink pen should be used for writing. All work
within your lab book must be in English. To make regular backups of all acquired electronic data and files, and to use a logical naming system for all filenames, with further explanatory notes included within the files. To hand over all lab books and data to your supervisor at the end of your studies or before leaving the UK.
To make arrangements to ensure that students retain access to collected data and material
contained within their lab books during their thesis pending period.
Facilities & Housekeeping
To respect the facilities, report any damage to equipment immediately and to participate in any housekeeping rotas established in
labs in which you work. Keep laboratories clean and clear for other users. Clean glassware/plasticware immediately after use and clear sink draining boards and lab benches regularly. Empty bins when full. Dispose of samples and reagents when no longer needed. To remake or reorder reagents when they have been used up and are required by other lab members. To not use reagents that do not belong to you without permission.
To label all samples and reagents with an item description, worker’s name and date as a minimum.
To arrange the repair of faulty equipment or broken facilities in a timely manner.
To make sure that students have sufficient laboratory space to perform their work competently and safely. Insist that all users of the laboratory facilities work in a safe, considerate and effective manner.
Health & Safety To wear a fastened lab coat at all times when in wet-labs. To wear safety glasses other personal protective equipment that is appropriate to the hazards identified in the risk assessment for the work to be performed. To read and familiarise themselves with relevant substance and procedural assessments before commencing work in the lab. If substance and procedural
assessments are not already in place for the work to be performed, to write the appropriate assessments and submit them for approval. To familiarise themselves with local and Institutional Health and Safety regulations. When unsure on something, to consult with a member of staff for advice. To conduct lab work in a safe manner, being conscious of other lab and building users.
To provide a Health & Safety induction at the start of their studies and update the student on any change of practice instigated during their studies. Provide access to appropriate personal protective equipment. Make available current protocols and safety data (substance and
procedural assessments) for work conducted within the Division. Reprimand students that are performing laboratory work in an unsafe or haphazard manner.
28
Preferably, to perform lab work within core working hours. When this is not practically possible, seek approval from your supervisor for late/weekend-working and adhere to the
Divisional policy on late working.
Progression To understand that unsatisfactory progress can result in your PhD degree course being downgraded to an MPhil or terminated completely. Progress will be monitored at 6 monthly intervals throughout your degree programme. Formal assessments at the end of year 1 and year 2 will determine whether you are allowed to proceed on your PhD programme.
It is the student’s responsibility to inform their supervisor of any issues that may be negatively affecting their studies at the earliest possible opportunity.
To provide, in advance, information on the method and timeframe of assessment at the various checkpoints throughout the degree programme. To discuss progression at monthly supervisory meetings and identify to the student at the earliest possible opportunity when satisfactory progress is not being made, making clear the
standard expected for progression. To provide guidance on the structure and format of the annual reports.
Seminars To attend all seminars hosted by the Division and as appropriate the School.
To organise a vibrant and interesting seminar programme.
Supervisory contact
To appreciate that your supervisor has many other responsibilities and will not always be available to immediately respond to your
needs. Where possible, you should try and take the initiative and attempt to solve problems yourself first; this is an important skill of an independent scientist. Maintain regular contact with your supervisor(s) and meet formally once a month to discuss progress. It is the responsibility of the student to arrange these meetings and to upload relevant information to the School PGR Meeting Log site.
To be available to the student on a regular basis and to inform the student of any upcoming
period(s) when you will be unavailable.
Thesis writing To appreciate that the responsibility of writing the thesis is yours and not your
supervisors. To keep in regular contact with your supervisor during your thesis pending period, providing regular updates. To allow sufficient time for your supervisor to comment on any draft work prior to submission deadline.
To provide feedback on received work in a timely manner.
Training Seek out the training that may be required prior to performing a new technique or using an unfamiliar piece of equipment, ensuring that this is documented in their personal training log and signed off by their
supervisor.
To ensure that training is available (either within the Division or externally) for any work that is undertaken by students.
To provide recommendations of training that would be beneficial to the student. To check the student’s training log regularly.
29
I confirm that I have read and understood the responsibilities expected of me as
listed in the following sections: □ Attendance and holidays □ Seminars □ Data and record keeping □ Supervisory contact □ Facilities and housekeeping □ Thesis writing □ Health and safety □ Training □ Progression Signature of student: Date: / /
Signature of supervisor: Date: / /
30
Section 2 Useful Information and Facilities
General Information about the School
The School of Biosciences has an international reputation for its research and gained an
excellent ranking (of Grade 5A) in the last Research Assessment Exercise. Thus you will
be embarking on your postgraduate training in an outstanding research environment.
Your supervisor(s), assessor and Postgraduate Advisor have the responsibility of guiding
you through your training to its successful conclusion: the award of a higher degree. You
should take full advantage of their expertise. Other important contacts are given below:
Head of School: Professor Neil Crout
Director of Administration: Dr Sarah Johnson
Learning and Teaching Manager: Kathy Wilson
Postgraduate Senior Tutors: Dr Andrew Murton
Dr Dov Stekel
Agricultural & Environmental Sciences: Dr Dov Stekel,
Tel: 16294,
Email: [email protected]
Deputy Dr Matthew Bell
Animal Sciences: Dr Dylan Sweetman
Tel: 16019
Email: [email protected]
Deputy to be confirmed
Food Sciences: Dr P Hill
Tel 16169
Email: [email protected]
Deputy Dr Chris Powell
Nutritional Sciences: Dr Andrew Murton
Tel 16594
Deputy To be confirmed
Plant and Crop Sciences: Dr Ranjan Swarup
Tel 16335
Deputy Dr Nathalie Chapman
Postgraduate affairs are dealt with on a School basis by the Postgraduate Learning
Community Forum and Study Group, chaired by Professor Zoe Wilson. This committee
considers all issues relating to postgraduate training and welfare and reports to the School
Board.
31
Research Division Staff
The School is divided into five divisions as follows:
Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Head: Professor S Mooney
Management Dr S J Ramsden, Dr P Wilson
Dr ICW Hardy
Environmental Science Prof N Crout, Prof G Shaw, Dr E H Bailey, Dr B
Lomax, , Prof G Shaw, Dr S Sjögersten, Dr H M
West, Dr S Young, Dr D Smith, Prof C
Hodgman, Dr C Lu
Animal Sciences
Head: Professor P Garnsworthy
Dr R Alberio, Dr J Harris, Dr S Kelly, Dr M R Luck,
Dr G E Mann, Dr K Millar, Dr C Stevenson, Dr R
Stöger, Dr D. Sweetman, Dr A Waterfall Prof K D
Sinclair; Dr Ravinder Anan-Ivell, Dr Richard Ivell,
Dr Gavin White, Dr Jean Margerison & Prof Julian
Wiseman
Food Sciences
Head: Professor T Foster
Prof I Connerton, Prof C Dodd, Prof S E Harding,
Prof S E Hill, Prof C Boulton, Dr D Cook, Dr C Du,
Dr I Fisk, Dr D Gray, Dr P J Hill, Dr J Hobman,
Prof J Hort, Dr K Mellits, Dr C Powell, Dr C E D
Rees, Dr F Ruedisueli, Dr D Scott, Dr A Swali, Dr
B Wolf, Emeritus Prof W Waites, Emeritus Prof J
Mitchell, Emeritus Prof J M V Blanshard
Nutritional Sciences
Head: Professor A Salter
Dr J M Brameld, Dr M Alcocer, Dr M Elmes, Dr F
McCullough, Dr T Parr, Prof G A Tucker, Dr J
Swift, Dr S Welham, Dr P Jethwa, Ms Amanda
Avery, Ms Kirsten Whitehead, Prof S Langley-
Evans, Dr L Coneyworth, Dr A Murton, Dr D
Mellor
Plant and Crop Sciences
Head: Professor M J Holdsworth
Prof M J Bennett, Prof M R Broadley, Prof M J
Dickinson, Prof GB Seymour, Dr R G Fray, Dr Z
Gonzalez, Dr N Graham, Prof I King, Dr J King, Dr
G W Lycett, Prof S May, Dr K Pyke, Dr T Robbins,
Prof J Roberts, Dr S Rossall, Dr R Swarup, Prof Z
Wilson
Crop Science Dr J Foulkes, Dr S Mayes, Dr R Ray, Dr D L
Sparkes, Dr EH Murchie
32
Other useful contacts
Accommodation Bonington Halls
Accommodation at Sutton Bonington Campus is operated by CLV UK. Detailed
information about the residential facilities and services can be found online at
www.clvuk.com or at
www.nottingham.ac.uk/accommodation/accommodation.aspx
The Accommodation Office (in Stanford House, opposite the Vet School building) will
be open between 9.00 and 17.00 on both Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 September.
The contact details are below (normal office opening hours are 08.00 to 17.00
Monday-Friday):
Tel: +44 (0) 1509 673750
Fax: +44 (0) 1509 674014
E-Mail:[email protected]
33
Academic and Disability Support
Services for students who have a disability, dyslexia and/or a long-term medical condition At the University of Nottingham we are strongly committed to equality of opportunity
for all our students. We welcome disabled and dyslexic students and aim to ensure
that, as far as possible, appropriate support is offered to meet your needs.
Full information on the range of support and services available for students is available
at www.nottingham.ac.uk/studentservices
Disclosure and confidentiality
We will respect the confidential nature of information you provide and act in
accordance with data protection regulations. Confidential information will only be
shared within the University on a need-to-know basis.
If you have a disability, dyslexia or other Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs), we
would strongly encourage you to make early contact with us, before submitting your
application.
Knowing about your requirements in advance can help us to prepare and arrange
support in time for the start of your course.
We would therefore encourage you to disclose your disability or SpLDs to us as soon
as possible. Failure to do so may affect our ability to make some of the adjustments
that you require.
For more information about confidentiality and disclosure, please see:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/StudentServices/supportforyourstudies/index.aspx/
Eligibility
If you are disabled or have a long term medical condition, you will need to provide
evidence from a medical professional (such as a GP, consultant or specialist nurse) in
order to access our services and support. For more information about our medical
evidence policy, please see:
www.nottingham.ac.uk/studentservices/supportforyourstudies/disabilitysupport/medic
alevidencepolicy.aspx
If you are dyslexic, you will need to provide a report, in English, from an
educational psychologist or a specialist teacher, dated after your 16th birthday. If
you have dyspraxia or AD(H)D, or other Specific Learning Difficulties you will need
to have a letter or report from a suitable, qualified professional; for example an
educational or occupational psychologist or medical practitioner
What we can offer you…
34
Academic Support (AS) and Disability Support (DS)
Academic Support (comprising Dyslexia Support and Study Support) and the Disability
Support Team are located in the Student Services Centre (SSC), in Portland Building
on University Park, and by appointment on our Jubilee and Sutton Bonington
campuses, as well as other teaching sites.
We can assist with queries regarding:
Support in making the transition to University, admissions and registration
Liaison with your School or department about any impact your condition may have
on the study elements of your course OR: assessments in relation to disability and
dyslexia and recommendations to academic staff about reasonable adjustments in
the learning, teaching and assessment environments
access to alternative formats such as Braille and large print
residential accommodation – adapted study bedrooms
accessible transport around and between our Nottingham campuses
applying for Disabled Students’ Allowances
access to alternative formats such as Braille and large print
access to specialist technology in libraries
liaison with libraries for enhanced services such as extended loans
timetabling arrangements
Academic Support also provides support for students who wish to develop their
strategies for academic writing and time management.
If you would like to contact us please phone the Student Services Centre on
(0115) 9513710
or email [email protected]
The University of Nottingham ACCESS Centre (UNAC), in the Student Services Centre,
provides assessments for students who have applied for Disabled Students'
Allowances.
Disability Liaison Officers (DLO)
The School appoints Disability Liaison Officers, who provide a point of reference,
advice and guidance for members of staff and students in the School about student
disability issues and support. The DLOs are part of a network that meets regularly to
share information and good practice. DLOs liaise with both the Academic Support and
the Disability Support Teams, as necessary, in relation to individual students and
general policies and procedures.
If you have any requirements or concerns talk in the first instance to your DLO - or
contact your personal tutor.
35
School Disability Liaison Officer (DLO)
The DLO for the School of Biosciences is located in the Main Building. You will be
given further details on your arrival at university.
36
Dates for your diary
Term dates
Autumn Term
Monday 21 September 2015 – Friday 11 December 2015
Spring Term
Monday 11 January 2016 – Friday 18 March 2016
Summer Term
Monday 18 April 2016 – Friday 17 June 2016
Semester dates
Autumn Semester
Monday 21 September 2015 – Saturday 23 January 2016
Spring Semester
Monday 25 January 2016 – Friday 17 June 2016
37
Public and bank holidays
Buildings will be closed on the following dates in the session 2011/12, except for any
special arrangements for research work which may be made by Heads of Divisions or any
arrangements which may be made by the Conference Office or in the Sports Centre.
The symbols against the dates have the following meanings:
PH = Public and Bank Holidays; UH = University Holiday; C = Closure of Buildings
Autumn Semester 2015
Thursday 24 December UH
Friday 25 December PH
Saturday 26 December C
Sunday 27 December C
Monday 28 December PH (in lieu of Boxing Day)
Tuesday 29 December UH
Wednesday 30 December UH
Thursday 31 December UH
Friday 1 January 2016 (New Year's
Day)
PH
Easter 2016
Friday 25 March PH
Saturday 26 March C
Sunday 27 March C
Monday 28 March PH
Tuesday 29 March UH
Early Spring 2016
Monday 2 May PH
Late Spring 2016
Monday 30 May PH
Late Summer 2016
Saturday 27 August C
Sunday 28 August C
Monday 29 August PH
38
Facilities
Library
The James Cameron-Gifford Library on SB Campus and George Green Library at UP provide
information on all subject areas covered by the School. They are part of The University of
Nottingham Library and the on-line catalogue enables you to search for material held at Sutton
Bonington and all libraries at University Park and Jubilee Campus. Material from other
campuses can easily be obtained for you.
Computing Facilities
All postgraduate students in the School are encouraged to make effective use of computers in
their work. Such use includes communication by email, accessing academic information
services within and outside the University, the collection, storage and analysis of research data,
and the preparation of text and graphics for reports, presentations and theses.
In general, the computing facilities available to a postgraduate student are either centrally
provided or belong to a particular Division. The centrally provided computing facilities are
interlinked by a network spanning the whole university which in turn is linked to the Joint
Academic NETwork (JANET) linking academic institutions in the UK. Most Divisional computers
are also linked to the university network.
Every person using any computer connected to the university network must be registered with
the Cripps Computing Centre. In order to self-register you will need to have with you the
number listed on your personal University card (issued at registration or shortly afterwards).
You can request that the user-code be registered on further file servers and central host
computers as the need arises. Once registered, you will be entitled to use computers in the
Cripps Computing Centre managed public user areas to access the central services. Before
using Divisional computers check with your supervisor for local rules.
Two courses for postgraduates introducing the use of Information Technology (IT) in the
University including centrally provided computing and library facilities will be held in October
(please see your Week One Programme). Further topics are covered in Masters or
Undergraduate computing modules for which postgraduates may also register.
Guild Office
The Students’ Union at Sutton Bonington is known as the Student Guild. The Office of the Guild
is located in The Barn, Sutton Bonington Campus.
Prayer Rooms
Prayer rooms are located in The Barn, Sutton Bonington Campus and can be used as a multi-
faith prayer room. There are a number for other rooms available, see details at:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/chaplaincy/rooms.aspx or check with the Chaplaincy Team in the
Barn at Sutton Bonington Campus.
Details of chaplaincy and faith support can be found at:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/chaplaincy/index.aspx/
39
Sports Centre
The campus has a Sports Centre comprising a four court badminton sport’s hall, two squash
courts, a practice room for martial arts, table tennis and exercise classes as well as a fitness
suite and new climbing wall. Outside are synthetic and grass pitches for soccer, rugby, hockey
and tennis courts. The Student Guild runs several clubs including rugby union, soccer, netball,
mixed hockey, basketball, rowing, karate, running and cricket. You can join on-line (see below),
at the Sutton Bonington Fresher’s fayre or at the Research Support Office with passport-sized
photo. For information on fees, please go to http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/sport/
Restaurant in the Barn
Term-time Catering Services
During term-time (from Monday 21 September) The Restaurant in the Barn (1st Floor) opens on
Weekdays (Monday – Friday) at these times:-
Open for lunch 12.00- 14.00. Term time (Open out of term, times as advertised)
Evening Meal: 17.30 – 19.00 Term time
If you have any special dietary requirements, please contact the catering team before you
arrive. They will then provide you with a Dietary Request Form which will need to be returned
to Sodexo Tel: +44 (0) 115 951 6176 (Internal 16176)
Email: [email protected] or speak to a member of the catering management team.
Café and Bar in the Barn (ground floor)
Café 09.00 – 15.00 Mon-Fri Term time only, and during bar opening times in the evening.
A variety of healthy sandwiches, snacks, cakes, gluten free products, salad pots, pasta pots, build your own
yoghurts, freshly made smoothies and juices, Aspretto Fairtrade teas, coffees and hot chocolate.
Bar 12.00 – 14.00 Mon-Fri
19.00 – 23.00 Mon, Tue, Thurs, Sat, Sun
17.00 23.00 Wed & Fri
These hours are subject to change during the year, any changes will be advertised
Mulberry Tree Café & Convenience Store (Cost Cutter)
Monday – Friday 8.00am – 20.00, Saturday & Sunday 12.00 noon – 20.00 (Out of term time hours as
advertised)
A wide selection of fresh home baked pastries are always available in the Mulberry tree along with our triple
certified coffee. We also offer a comprehensive food offer, with sandwiches, wraps, subs, salads fruit pots,
sushi, as well as cold drinks and chilled frappe coffee drinks. Keep up to date with all the daily menus, food offers and promotions from the catering team through our
Facebook and twitter pages
Facebook: Big Mouth SuttonB
Twitter @BigMouthSuttonB
40
Postgraduate Association
The Postgraduate Association at Sutton Bonington has as its aims and objectives:
• to facilitate communication between postgraduates
• to ensure representation of all postgraduates on relevant boards and committees and
provide channels for dissemination of resulting information
• to establish opportunities for postgraduates to participate in sports at all levels
The Association can be contacted through divisional representatives or the Chair of the Student
Guild.
The Association can be contacted through divisional representatives or the Chair of the Student
Guild, see http://www.su.nottingham.ac.uk.
41
The Graduate Centre at Sutton Bonington
The role of the Centre is to encourage networking between postgraduate students across a
wide range of different disciplines. The Centre provides a programme of events including
regular presentations from future employees and seminars on CV writing and interview
techniques as well as organising social events. You can contact Centre Manager on extension
16735 for further information. The Graduate Centre is located in the Barn.
See further information at: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/graduateschool/graduatecentres/index.aspx
International Society
The International Society at Sutton Bonington is part of the Student Guild and the International
Students’ Bureau of the University. International members of the School or British citizens with
overseas origins are automatically considered as ordinary members. However, any student can
apply for membership.
Shuttle Bus service between University Park, Sutton Bonington and Jubilee
campuses
Details of the free bus service are available from the Enquiry Office, Main Building and are
posted on notice boards and also on the web at
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/estates
Personal Information and Emergency Contacts
The University keeps a central record of all postgraduate students. We must have your home
and local addresses and telephone numbers in case we need to contact you or your family in an
emergency. These details should be completed at registration.
Equal Opportunities
The University operates an equal opportunities policy. To fulfil this policy, it is important to
ensure that no student or member of staff is subjected to any form of harassment, be it sexual,
racial or in less well-defined ways such as bullying.
To fulfil its commitment the University has set up a network of harassment advisors who have
received training to help you deal with situations which could arise. You are welcome to consult
an advisor at any time. Please contact the Human Resources Department on extension 67388
or see the University website at http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/staff-handbook/section-
3/harassment-policy.php if you feel that you have a problem. You are welcome to talk to an
adviser at any time, based either at Sutton Bonington or at University Park.
University Counsellors at Sutton Bonington
There are trained members of staff available to talk to any student about any problems which
they don’t feel they can talk to their tutor about. Appointments can be made with a University
counsellor through the Student Services Centre or by emailing
University Counselling Service at University Park
The University provides a confidential, free counselling service with a staff of trained
counsellors. They are available to talk over any problem with a student. You should make an
appointment by checking http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/counselling/ for further information.
42
Council Tax
University owned accommodation is exempt from Council Tax. A privately owned/rented
residence occupied solely by full-time registered students is eligible for Council Tax exemption.
Students occupying owned/rented property shared with non-students may be expected to
contribute towards payment of Council Tax.
Students who are ‘writing up – not registered’ are not exempt from paying Council
Tax. Students who are ‘writing up – registered’ MAY be exempt from Council Tax
following payment of a small registration fee.
The property owned by University Houses (eg St Michael’s Flats or College Road properties) are
not exempt for Council Tax unless you are a registered student.
43
Installation of computer software
The law relating to installation of software onto PCs is very clear:
It is a criminal offence to install unregistered software on a computer
The School must protect its good name. Accordingly, it is necessary to register all installed
software, including those covered by the University’s site licence, with the appropriate
computer officer. Each copy has a unique serial number. Items of freeware supplied as “free”
by companies are obviously exempt. Shareware becomes illegal when the suppliers trial period
for the package expires.
An internal audit may take place at any time. Any package not registered with the School will
be removed without notification. The School will not be responsible for loss resulting from its
removal. If it were not illegal, it would be foolish to install pirate software. Viruses are
introduced in this way and could rapidly contaminate many of the School’s computers.
The potential consequences of the discovery by Custom and Excise, the policing body, of illegal,
i.e. pirated, software can be very serious and include:
o Payment of the full retail cost of the package
o Confiscation of the computer and all accompanying software, for an unlimited period,
with no redress
o Confiscation of all of the School’s computers (as was recently done at a neighbouring
university. Seizure was for 12 months)
o A fine (a university computing department was recently fined £10,000)
o Imprisonment.
Any member of the School who has knowingly installed pirated software which causes the
School any penalty will be held personally fully liable for all costs which ensue. Any member of
the School will face internal disciplinary action if they have caused, directly or indirectly, pirated
software to be placed on School computers. For a postgraduate student penalties can include
termination of course.
Students must abide by the University’s code of practice for users of the University computing
facilities see:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/is/documents/about/codeofpracticeforuniversitycomputingfacilitie
s.pdf
Help and advice can be sought from the IS department, see below:
Web: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/it-services/index.aspx
Tel: 0115 95 16677
Email: [email protected]
44
Section 3 Safety Guidelines and Courses In addition to the information in this Handbook you should read the Safety Handbook, available on the School website - http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~sazintra//safety/policies-procedures/ Students must seek advice and instruction regarding safety rules and procedures operating within their own particular research division. The Division Safety Officer will issue all new staff/students/visitors with a questionnaire which should be completed and signed before work in laboratories commences. A copy of the safety questionnaire can be found at the end of this Handbook. An important issue for consideration is that of ensuring the safety of yourself and others. Safety matters in the School are dealt with by the School Safety Committee which includes undergraduate and postgraduate representatives. There are named Divisional Safety Officers who will offer guidance on any safety issue about which you may be uncertain. You are strongly advised to pay particular attention to the safety hazard information on practical handouts and verbal instruction issued by members of staff. Any practical tasks which you are asked to complete will have undergone a COSHH risk assessment within the Division. You must read all information carefully as your safety, and that of others, depends upon your knowledge of safety guidelines. Safety Courses Please note the following dates for training sessions for new Postgraduates, organised by the University Safety Office. For further information on Safety Courses please visit http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/safety/training/ All new postgraduate research workers should note that it is the legal responsibility of every person to investigate fully all risks and hazards which may occur during their research in the School. Before any chemical can be purchased or used a full COSHH assessment must be carried out and a detailed written experimental protocol approved by your supervisor. Your supervisor may need to refer any potential purchase or experimental protocol to the safety committee. All of the chemicals currently in each Division have been assessed and the records are kept within a database to which you will have access. Ask your Safety Officer for information on how to access the database. Working Areas Where possible, postgraduate students will be allocated some form of writing area within their research laboratory, but a desk will not necessarily be provided. Please note that no eating or drinking is permitted in the buildings except in designated areas, e.g. tea/coffee rooms. Smoking is only permitted in designated areas and strictly forbidden in some buildings. Good Laboratory Practice and Safety in Laboratories It is essential that each postgraduate student takes responsibility for keeping the research laboratories clean and tidy. Not only do untidy laboratories lead to potential hazards in case of fire and accident, but it does not create a good impression when the School has visitors.
45
Emergency, First Aid and Fire Procedure
Emergency First Aid
All Divisions should have trained first aiders available during the working day. Get to know who
they are.
To call assistance in case of an accident ring:
EXTENSION 8888 (internal)
0115 951 8888 (external)
stating clearly the location and nature of any casualty.
Do not leave an accident victim unattended. If an ambulance is necessary arrange for
someone to meet the ambulance crew at the main entrance of the building in question. Once
you have alerted the emergency services, call the first aid staff member from your section to
the scene.
Fire Procedure
On discovering a fire: Activate the alarm by breaking the glass of the alarm push button.
Familiarise yourself with the alarm signals used in your building.
If you hear the alarm: Leave the building immediately by the nearest SAFE exit. Do not use
the lifts. Assemble in the appropriate Fire Assembly Point.
This procedure must be adhered to on every occasion the alarm sounds, unless you have been
given prior warning that alarm sounding is for test purposes only.
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO RETURN TO THE BUILDING UNTIL TOLD TO DO SO BY A
SENIOR UNIVERSITY OFFICIAL
46
Section 4 Personal Progress File
School of Biosciences
University of Nottingham
Postgraduate Research Student
Personal Progress File
Name of Student: (block capitals please) Date of Commencement of Postgraduate Programme: Postgraduate Programme:
47
GUIDELINES FOR USING AND MAINTAINING THIS PERSONAL PROGRESS FILE
Your Personal Progress File is an important document and should be kept in a safe place. The entries that you make and the associated signed confirmations by your supervisor/assessor/advisor are pre-requisites for permission by the Head of Division for your thesis to be submitted. Your file may also help you prepare your Curriculum Vitae. Key staff in your training is: Head of Division ………………………………………………………………………………. Supervisor(s)…………………………………………………………......................... Postgraduate Assessor……………………………….……………………………………. Postgraduate Advisor…………………………………………………………………………. Taught Module Convenors ………………………………………………………………… Make sure that you know the identity of these people you will normally turn to your supervisor(s) for help in the first instance Statement of Training of Postgraduate Students within the School of Biosciences Students are selected on the basis of formal qualifications, referees' comments and an interview and undertake research in one of five Divisions: Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Animal Sciences, Food Science, Nutritional Sciences, Plant and Crop Sciences. The University takes the supervision of postgraduate students very seriously and provides all supervisors with printed guidelines and also runs training courses as part of the staff development programme. Joint supervision is common but not mandatory.
There is a University wide assessment procedure, detailed in the quality manual, for all postgraduates which include annual reports, seminars and interviews. In these assessment exercises, efforts are made to discern the student's general understanding of the literature, ability to design experiments, progress towards experimental targets and milestones and the ability to analyse results critically.
Students (including those on the Integrated PhD Programme) are encouraged to take part in the generic training courses run by the Graduate School. These are designed to enhance the professional and personal skills of the student. There are over 80 such courses and these include training in all aspects of IT including programming, research methodology, time management, business studies, IPR, report/thesis writing and preparation for the viva and presentation and communication skills. In addition CV writing and interview skills are also covered.
The provision of specific practical and technical training is the responsibility of the individual supervisor. However, the assessor in the annual interview specifically enquires, from the student,
Module Convenor Module Convenor
48
about the quality of training provided during the year. In addition, the Head of Division or Postgraduate Advisor monitors annual reports to confirm that adequate training is being provided. This mechanism is also applied to ensure that adequate resources are available for the project. In addition to this specific training, all students must undertake a general safety course and the radiation safety course if applicable.
All students are required to attend the annual assessment seminars given by their peers. Divisions run extensive seminar programmes in which both postdoctoral and outside speakers present their work, with compulsory attendance from graduate students. The School has extensive links with industry and research Institutes and where appropriate, students are encouraged to take advantage of these links and help to develop new ones.
KEEPING YOUR FILE UP TO DATE The following is a checklist of what is expected of you to record/store in your file (or using the online log): Personal information. Complete immediately Formal meetings with supervisor(s) Annual report submission and interview Research seminars attended Attendance at mandatory lectures and/or generic training courses Conferences attended (including the Annual Postgraduate Symposium) and details of any
papers/posters you present. External reports or papers written for publication Visits to or work at other laboratories Any other relevant achievement (e.g. Travel scholarships, prizes etc) Copies of your module entry form(s) Module coursework feedback information and examination/module transcripts
49
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Name:
Date started:
Funding source:
Supervisor(s):
Assessor:
Universities attended:
Degree(s)
Date thesis submitted:
External examiner:
Internal examiner:
Award date:
First post-training employment: Post: Organisation and address:
Forwarding address on completion of training:
50
Taught Modules:
Code Module Title Credits Module Mark
Year 1
Year 1 Taught Credits
Year 2
18 months (minimum of 120 credits accrued)
Year 2 Taught Credits
Year 3
180 credits accrued
51
RECORD OF MONTHLY MEETINGS WITH SUPERVISOR(S)
Supervisors Comments Supervisors Signature(s)
Year 1 Date:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
52
RECORD OF MONTHLY MEETINGS WITH SUPERVISOR(S)
Supervisors Comments Supervisors Signature(s)
Year 2 Date:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
53
RECORD OF MONTHLY MEETINGS WITH SUPERVISOR(S)
Supervisors Comments Supervisors Signature(s)
Year 3 Date:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
54
RECORD OF MONTHLY MEETINGS WITH SUPERVISOR(S)
Supervisors Comments Supervisors Signature(s)
Year 4 Date:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
55
RECORD OF ANNUAL INTERVIEWS
AND REPORT SUBMISSIONS
NAME OF ASSESSOR
DATE SENT TO
ASSESSOR
DATE OF
INTERVIEW
YEAR 1
YEAR 2
YEAR 3
YEAR 4
56
RESEARCH SEMINAR ATTENDANCE RECORD
Date
Speaker
Title
Supervisor's
signature
1.
2.
3
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
57
MANDATORY LECTURES AND
GENERIC TRAINING COURSES ATTENDED
COURSE TITLE AND
CREDIT RATING
DATE COMPLETED
SIGNATURE OF
TRAINER OR SUPERVISOR
Induction Course
Biological Safety
58
PRESENTATIONS AT ANNUAL POSTGRADUATE SYMPOSIUM
Title of Paper/Poster Presented
Assessor’s Signature
Year 1 Date:
Year 2 Date:
Year 3 Date:
Year 4 Date:
59
Conferences Attended Within the UK and Papers/Posters Presented
Date
Conference Attended
Title of Paper/Poster
Presented
60
Conferences Attended Outside the UK and Papers/Posters Presented
Date
Conference Attended
Title of Paper/Poster
Presented
61
EXTERNAL REPORTS AND PAPERS WRITTEN FOR PUBLICATION
Title of paper:
Journal:
Date submitted:
Date published:
Title of paper:
Journal:
Date submitted:
Date published:
Title of paper:
Journal:
Date submitted:
Date published:
Title of paper:
Journal:
Date submitted:
Date published:
Title of paper:
Journal:
Date submitted:
Date published:
62
VISITS OR SHORT-TERM SECONDMENTS TO INDUSTRIAL OR OTHER
LABORATORIES
Date
Details
Signature of
Trainer or Supervisor
63
OTHER RELEVANT ACHIEVEMENTS
64
Impact statement
Please provide a statement describing how your particular PhD research will have impact by building on existing research to deliver demonstrable benefits to the economy, society, public policy, culture or quality of life (200 – 300 words). Please remember to include your impact statement as part of your final thesis submission on your abstract page: .....................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................
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Section 5 University Regulations Please refer to the University’s Quality Manual for a Full Listing of University Regulations. Use of University of Nottingham research students for teaching 1. Policy 1. A Head of School may allow a postgraduate research student to undertake limited teaching duties 1on a part-time basis within the student's own School, providing this policy and the guidelines are observed. For the purposes of this document such teachers are referred to as "Postgraduate Student Teachers". 2. The quality of the teaching provided by a Postgraduate Student Teacher must be broadly equivalent to that which might be expected of a new full-time member of academic staff2. 3. Postgraduate Student Teacher must have appropriate skills, experience & knowledge in the subject area being taught. 4. A Postgraduate Student Teacher must have received appropriate training before undertaking their duties. 5. The quality of the work of the Postgraduate Student Teacher must be monitored so that any problems can be resolved without detriment to the students being taught. 6. The nature and extent of the Postgraduate Student Teacher's duties are limited, as set out below. 7. A Postgraduate Student Teacher will be paid an appropriate rate for the job. 8. A Postgraduate Student Teacher may normally only be involved in the teaching of modules aimed primarily at undergraduate students. It is permissible for a Postgraduate Student Teacher to be involved in the teaching of postgraduate students if they have the skills, experience and knowledge appropriate to that level of teaching. 9. A Postgraduate Student Teacher's teaching duties must not interfere with their own studies, and their Supervisor must give prior assent to any such work. 10. Unless specified in the terms of a studentship, no postgraduate research student can be obliged to undertake any teaching.
1 Here "teaching" includes formal lectures, seminars, tutorials, demonstrating in laboratory classes etc.
2 Bearing in mind that Postgraduate Student Teachers will not have had the same level or amount of
training as new full-time academic staff, and that their teaching duties are limited in scope
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2. Responsibility of the Head of School
1. It is the responsibility of the Head of School to ensure that the requirements of the policy
and guidelines are observed, and usually a named, senior member of the School's academic
staff should be identified as having direct responsibility for this. These responsibilities include
ensuring that:
2. the School publishes its policy and process for the recruitment of Postgraduate Student
Teachers, and gives all its postgraduate research students a fair opportunity to be considered
for any such work.
3. an assessment is made of the teaching capability of any Postgraduate Student Teacher
before they start teaching, including their ability to communicate clearly and effectively (see
form).
4. on the basis of such an assessment they are given appropriate training.
5. the maximum permissible amount of teaching activities (inclusive of preparation, delivery
and marking) is 6 hours per week (averaged over 12 months).
6. the supervisor(s) has been consulted and has assented to the arrangement.
7. the performance of the Postgraduate Student Teacher is monitored.
3. Appointment and Payment
1. A Postgraduate Student Teacher must be given a clear specification of their teaching
duties, total hours required, and pay, in writing. The document must also make clear the
expectation regarding training, preparatory work, attendance at course/module meetings,
and marking if any.
2. Postgraduate Student Teachers should be paid on an hourly basis according to the
specified duties at the relevant standard University rate. The hours worked should be based
on a realistic assessment of the total amount of time to be worked by the Postgraduate
Student Teacher including preparation time, contact time with students, marking, attendance
at module meetings etc.
4. Training, Induction & Support
1. On appointment as a Postgraduate Student Teacher, an individual training needs
assessment must be undertaken by a member of the School's academic staff. It is expected
that unless the postgraduate student has direct relevant teaching experience, training will
be required. The training needs analysis must be documented (sample form available) and
written confirmation provided by the Postgraduate Student Teacher and the module convenor
that the training has been completed satisfactorily prior to any teaching being undertaken.
2. Training may take a variety of forms (ranging from practical training on how to use
equipment to more formal courses provided within the School, by the Graduate School or
organisations external to the University) and will be determined by the sort of teaching being
undertaken by the Postgraduate Student Teacher.
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3. All Postgraduate Student Teachers should be given a mentor, who must be a member of
academic staff, who can provide guidance and advice.
4. Postgraduate Student Teachers involved in demonstrating should be given hands-on
experience with the equipment concerned and should be familiarised with health & safety
issues.
5. Postgraduate Student Teachers should receive constructive and regular feedback on their
performance (including strengths and weaknesses) by the module convenor or another
member of full-time academic staff. The Postgraduate Student Teacher's performance should
be monitored over the duration of the teaching and this should include classroom
observation.
5. Involvement in Assessment
1. Assessment lies at the heart of the maintenance of academic standards, and the
involvement of a Postgraduate Student Teacher in assessment must be limited and carefully
controlled.
2. In respect of any assessment carried out by Postgraduate Student Teachers, Heads of
School must ensure that:
1) they are supervised by a named member of academic staff
2) they are provided with training appropriate to their role in the assessment process
3) assessments that contribute to the final module/course mark are
a) **moderated by a member of academic staff
b) limited, as far as practicable, to those elements of assessment that do not contribute to
the degree classification
4) such assessments which do not contribute to the final module/course mark are second
marked where appropriate on a sampling basis by a member of academic staff
6. Involvement in personal tutoring
1. The normal expectation is that postgraduates will not act as personal tutors
2. Schools may, however, employ postgraduate students as personal tutors where the
following conditions apply:
1 Where the School employs the postgraduate student as a teacher in the context of
operating a School-wide policy of allocating personal tutors to students they teach
2 Where the School makes arrangements for the training and support of postgraduate
students both as teachers and as personal tutors, and allocates paid time for personal
tutoring.
**Examples of methods of moderation:
Sampling, either by an external examiner or by an internal second marker;
Additional marking of borderlines, firsts and fails
Additional marking where there is significant disparity between the different elements of
assessment for an individual student, in a unit or across the programme
Additional marking where there is significant disparity between the marks of different
markers in a particular unit or programme.
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University Of Nottingham, School of Biosciences Use of research students for teaching I confirm that I have read and fully understood the above mentioned University Of Nottingham, Use of research students for teaching. SIGNED: PRINTED NAME: DATE:
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Postgraduate Student Teachers
Assessment of Teaching Capability
Name of Student:
School:
Teaching duties to be undertaken
Module
Total hours required
Assessment of training needs
Training undertaken
Signed ………………………………… (Postgraduate Student)
Date ………………………………
Signed ………………………………… (Academic Staff Member)
Date ……………………………...
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Weapons
No weapon may be kept on University property other than in a secure store provided for that
purpose. Target rifles and licensed shotguns will be kept in the University armouries by
arrangement with the Chief Security Officer and all other weapons to be used in Student
Union clubs and societies will be stored under arrangements made by the Sports Clubs whose
activities involve the use of those weapons. Arrangements for these stores must be
approved by the Chief Security Officer.
No weapon may be used on University Property other than at a place approved for that
purpose.
Breach of Regulation 1 or 2 is an offence under the Code of Discipline for Students.
“Weapon” includes any item made, adapted or intended to cause injury or damage, or any
other item made to resemble such a weapon together with all firearms and guns (including
ball-bearing guns, stun guns and paint-ball guns) whether powered by air, gas, liquid, or a
spring device and the ammunition for such firearms and guns. It includes also all swords,
axes, machetes, and knives (other than kitchen knives, pocket knives and knives used in
connection with religious observances) and also any longbow, crossbow or harpoon gun.
Items will be deemed to be a weapon whether or not they are fully assembled so as to be
complete.
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Information for students on Purchasing, Expenses and Travel
If you want to purchase goods or services whilst you are studying at the University of
Nottingham (which is not personal expenditure) then you should always ensure that you have
purchased using one of the University’s contracted suppliers and preferred purchasing
methods.
See attached link to University Procurement:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/procurement/
If you are unsure at any time please do not hesitate to discuss your requirements with your
divisional Administrators.
If you purchase goods or services without using one of the University’s preferred
methods then it is unlikely that you will be reimbursed or the supplier paid by the
University.
Follow the steps below on how to purchase correctly while studying with us:
1. In the first instance obtain approval from your Academic Supervisor for your
goods/travel requirements.
2. Go and see your divisional Administrators for advice on how to purchase the
goods.
3. The purchase should be made via an approved supplier on one of the approved
purchasing systems.
4. If you want to travel as part of your studies/personal development it must firstly
be agreed with your Academic Supervisor. You will then need to book this
through your divisional Administrators.
5. If you incur expenditure which has been agreed, ensure that you retain the VAT
receipt and fill in the Exp3A form from the following link:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/finance/forms/index.aspx
6. Take the completed form with the receipt attached to your Academic supervisor for
authorisation. They will then forward this to the Research Support Services who
will arrange reimbursement for you.
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Your Divisional Contacts are shown below:
Agricultural & Environmental Sciences
Administrators – Emma Hooley (Gateway)
And Sarah Gamba (South Laboratory)
Animal Sciences
Administrators –Kathy Lawson
Food Sciences
Administrators – Dawn Beatson (Food Sciences building)
And Linda Vickerstaff (Bioenergy & Brewing Sciences)
Nutritional Sciences
Administrators – Linda Brailsford, Marie Coombes, Lisa Fox
Plant & Crop Sciences
Administrators: Doreen Dakin, Jennifer Dewick (based in Plant Sciences Building)
If the divisional staff are still unsure then please contact Financial Management at
Sutton Bonington Campus, see below:
Telephone extensions: 16110, 16305 or 16330
or email [email protected]
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Appendix 1 University of Nottingham, School of Biosciences Research Code of Conduct I confirm that I have read and fully understood the above mentioned University of Nottingham, Research Code of Conduct (pg 23). SIGNED:……………………………………………………………………………………………… PRINTED NAME: ………………………………………………………………………………….. DATE: ………………………………………………………………………………………………….
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NOTES September 2015 © School of Biosciences.
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