Supervising a doctorate

As a supervisor, supporting your doctoral candidates will be your priority. Support them by:

• Adapting your management style to their growing independence
• Encourage your researchers to engage in personal and professional development
• Give regular feedback

What are further ways to support your doctoral candidates?

• Encourage your doctoral students to give presentations on their work and to attend relevant conferences
• Encourage your researchers to make a thorough writing up plan to structure their thesis writing
• Encourage them to start planning for their careers and lives after their doctorates – starting their career development as early as possible is recommended – check out Vitae’s career development resources section
• Remind your researchers of the importance of breaks and of mental and physical health while doing their doctorate
• Keep them on track – often, PhD candidates experience a ‘slump’ half-way through – encourage them to keep motivated – see Vitae’s resources section on motivation

Start thinking early on about how best to align the roles and responsibilities of your team, as these relationships will be paramount over the next three years or more.

As a supervisor, you will be a part of the supervisory team. What does the supervisory team consist of?

• A doctoral researcher needs to have one main point of contact – usually the supervisor
• Explain to your researchers the responsibilities of the supervisory team members and who they should contact if the supervisor is not available
• Working with a supervisory team can be a valuable experience to develop as a research supervisor
• For supervision of your first doctoral researcher it is usual to have an experienced supervisor in the team to support you

How does the relationship operate between the supervisor and the doctoral researcher?

• Both the researcher and supervisor need to share their expectations of how the relationship will function
• Agree on the level of support the supervisor will provide and how much independence is required from the researcher
• Decide on the frequency and length of your meetings together
• Set boundaries and instructions about when you can both be contacted and by what methods
• As a supervisor, outline what support you or the department will offer in terms of induction, training, ecetera
• As the supervisor, ensure your researcher has all the relevant documents provided by the institution and that the researcher knows their responsibilities
• That you both understand the regulations on registration, upgrading, submission process and extension rules

Talk through and clarify the relevant rules and regulations early in the supervision. Possible starting points might be:

• The QAA Quality Code (UK-specific)
• Your institution’s code of practice for research degrees
• Your institution’s research ethics regulations and processes and how this might impact on research projects
• Intellectual property arrangements

How can you create a positive supervisory relationship?

• Encourage your researchers to become a part of the department’s culture and daily life
• Encourage your researchers to present their progress to their peers
• Encourage your researchers’ personal development – the Vitae Researcher Development Framework is a tool that outlines the core competencies for researchers
• Help researchers assess their own progress

Set objectives with your researchers. These can include:

• Define their area of research
• Complete a comprehensive literature survey
• Submit some written work to you, even in draft format
• Work with you to develop an outline plan for the doctorate with defined goals and intermediate milestones
• Understanding the requirements that they need to meet for any transfer or upgrade process required by your institution.

This information is covered in part on our page, Doing a doctorate, see there for further information.

How do I support my researchers during the final stage of their doctorate?

It’s good to agree a timetable for completion which can involve:

• approval of the thesis title
• a writing up plan
• nomination of the examiners
• entry for the examination
• compliance with institutional regulations

When your researcher is writing up, encourage them to:
• Start the writing process as early as possible
• Read and review other theses to get ideas on style and structure
• Plan of all the sections and chapters in their thesis
• Check regulations for finishing dates
• Set clear goals for each day/week
• Establish a routine and take regular short breaks
• Ask colleagues and friends to review drafts and help proofread.

What questions should you ask when reviewing drafts?
• Does the content match the title?
• Are important points emphasised enough?
• Is the content within each section appropriate?
• Is there a logical sequence?
• Are information sources acknowledged?
• Do the conclusions relate to the objectives?
• Is the meaning of each sentence clear or open to interpretation?

What should the supervisor be doing at the submission stage?
• Consider what tips you can offer them
• Ensure that your researchers are aware of the timescales between submission and the examination
• Encourage them to have a mock viva with you or another member of their supervisory team
• Encourage them to talk to other researchers who have recently been through the process

Placements are a great way for researchers to gain experience, whether this be on placements within academia or in industries outside of it.

Reflect personally, or with your researcher, about what their intentions are about doing a placement and what they want to get out of it. Use reflective questions such as:

• What does the researcher want to take away from a placement?
• What type and level of support can you offer to the researcher to help them make the most of the experience?
• What could be the impact on funding or fees if a researcher takes time out for a placement? Is there a need to
build time and money into grant applications to allow for a professional placement? Does the funder offer
specific guidance?
• How would the institution’s regulations affect things?
• What are associated costs likely to be and how will the placement be funded?
• Who has responsibility for actions associated with organising a placement? Who will do what?

How do you identify appropriate partners for placements?

If your institution is not already affiliated with appropriate partners who can provide placements, consider:

• How could you tap into your organisation’s existing relationships with outside employers (e.g. through
• collaborations, careers services)?
• How can you and your researcher use your personal networks to identify possible opportunities?
• Are you ready to talk to employers about the value that a researcher can bring to an organisation?
• Will a potential partner be able to provide the opportunity your researcher needs in areas including the nature of the work, supervision, resources and attention to responsibilities that would normally be yours?

How do you match researchers to opportunities?

• What should the application/acceptance process cover and how will it work?
• For schemes, what systems are needed to support advertising of opportunities and applications? e.g. an online portal, forms, regular application dates
• How can you ensure that prior experience is considered in matching individuals to appropriate opportunities?
• How will you ensure that any selection process is fair, open and accessible?
• Does an opportunity offer sufficient flexibility or room for negotiation to match the practical needs of a researcher e.g. for timing, duration, hours etc.
• If there is a formal scheme, what happens if a researcher wants to organise their own placement?

After an internship or placement – what things are there to consider?

• Does the work plan include a final review of performance, learning and possible opportunities for the future?
• How could your organisation help the participant to reflect on and consolidate their experience and take away
specific career benefits?
• Is the employer willing to offer the researcher a reference?
• How can the researcher give their feedback to the employer on the experience?
• How will the institution close the placement with the employer to ensure that a good relationship is maintained
and that you are likely to work together in future?
• How can the institution capitalise on new knowledge and contacts gained from the placement?

Should you have career conversations with research staff?
The conversations you have with research staff have to take into account the individual and their needs. These might include:

• Insight into self – including what an individual wants from a career and what they bring to it
• Identifying options – including potential job roles and how the current climate (economic, social, technological etc.) impacts opportunities
• Planning – actions to help the researcher to understand themselves, identify their options or move closer to achieving career goals.

When managing researchers you can:

• Encourage a pro-active approach to professional development
• Avoid assumptions about what an individual researcher wants to do
• Create opportunities for open and honest discussion and respond positively to researchers
• Be ready to help researchers consider all the options
• Mentor individuals within your areas of expertise
• Help in finding information or advice when looking beyond their (or your) area of expertise
• Support researchers to develop the knowledge and skills they need for a chosen career path
• Make introductions to collaborators/ professional networks
• Think creatively, for example delegating some of your work might be a development opportunity for one of your team
• Take advantage of relevant training or networks available to you as a line-manager, supervisor, or PI.