Research & Research Study

Research Student - Skills Training Support

 The University provides a range of additional support and training to assist research candidates throughout enrolment in the research degree.  The Research Student  - Skills Training Support lists resources available to student researchers.  Some programs available within Divisions may have a fee and HDR candidates interested in undertaking such programs should consult the Associate Dean HDR in their Divisions about funding options.  Such options may include using the funds made available to divisions to support research candidature.

Other resources available at Macquarie University

• Code  of Supervisory Practice (PDF)
  Macquarie University  recognises the importance of the relationship between a student and supervisor  and its impact on the successful completion of a higher degree research  candidature. In order to define appropriate supervisory practices across the  University, a uniform Code of Supervisory Practice has been approved by the  Higher Degree Research Committee and Academic Senate.
  
  
• Research supervision (PDF)
  A text by  Professor Robert Dale, Division of Information and Computing Sciences at Macquarie University, describing a personal view  of research supervision. It outlines the mutual expectations of supervisor and  supervisee, and it is intended for students so that they know what they are  getting into.

Other University Resources

Following are  ideas of good practice from other universities and other Australian/NZ sources…

• Students'  perspectives on quality supervision (PDF) (University of Otago)
  University of Otago (New Zealand) students' perspectives  on quality supervision and problems encountered in supervision, aimed at  assisting postgraduate research supervisors, as well as students, in  understanding what to aim for, expect and be aware of in relation to  postgraduate research supervision. Divided into “The 10 most important  qualities of the ideal graduate research supervisor' and 'The 10 most  substantial problems faced by students in graduate research supervision'.
   
  
• General  information about supervision (University of Adelaide Website)
  Information  about supervision, for both students and staff, with a particular emphasis on  the Discipline of Nursing at the University   of Adelaide. Includes components  such as 'What is Supervision?', 'Styles of Supervision', 'What Supervisors  do?', and 'Supervision Guidelines'.
   
• Supervisor  checklist (Doc) (University of Melbourne)
  This is an  example of a checklist used at the University   of Melbourne. The  supervisor checklist includes a focus on expectations and agreements between  student and supervisor on the various components of a supervisory relationship,  including time and frequency of meetings, timelines, monitoring progress,  authorship of manuscripts, ethical issues, student support services, etc.
     
  
• Publications  on HDR supervision (Institute of Teaching & learning Website)
  University of Sydney exhaustive list of research and publications on higher degree  research supervision. Organised in various categories, including 'General  publications on supervision', 'Supervision styles/modes', 'Establishing  boundaries/expectations', 'Time management', 'Writing', etc.
     
  
• fIRST supervision  development resources (fIRST Website)
  fIRST provides  access to a range of resources that help universities and individual  supervisors improve the quality of their postgraduate research education. It  aims to review and share existing supervision development resources and to  develop new resources for the benefit of its members. Resources available on  the site include: on-line activities that individuals can use as  self-instructional materials to develop their expertise as postgraduate research  student supervisors; complete instructions and materials for providing  face-to-face staff development workshops; case studies, tools, a bibliography  and links to other relevant web sites. To get into this site you will need a  login and password. For Macquarie staff it is mqedu and mq2109nsw.
     
  
• Cross-cultural case study  for supervisors (PDF) (University of Melbourne)
  A University of Melbourne cross-cultural case study  guide for supervisors. It outlines some of the most common cross-cultural  issues that supervisors face with students from cultures of origin other that  their own. It contains possible causes of some situations and suggested  questions, strategies and resources supervisors can use.
     
  
• Research  supervision for international students in an Australian university (TXT) (Australian Association for Research in Education)
  'Towards more effective research supervision  for international students in an Australian university', a publication by John  Hall, Curtin University of Technology. This paper explores the possibility of  more effective research supervision practices for language minority  postgraduate students, taking into account that these students have special  needs for their supervision, that at least some of the current supervision  practices are less than effective for language minority students, and that  there are ways and means for providing more effective supervision practices for  these researchers.
     
  
• Case  study on the quality of graduate supervision (PDF) (Queensland University of Technology)
  A Queensland University of Technology  conversational case study which interrogates the quality of graduate  supervision in the professional doctorate. Comprises of a series of four  roundtable papers by Helen Chapman, Geof Hill, Ian Macpherson, and Tania  Aspland, designed to promote quality dialogue and debate about quality graduate  supervision. The first two papers  are the stories of two candidates who have completed the professional  doctorate. Their stories comment particularly on the supervisory practices  which they experienced during their candidature. The third paper is the story  of the person who supervised the candidates. This story records reflections on his  supervisory practices and outlines what is called a 'smarter' approach to  graduate supervision. The fourth paper is the story of an academic whose  research interests include graduate supervision. This paper identifies a set of  criteria for quality graduate supervision.

UK links

• Supervisor resources (Professor Pat Cryer)
  A comprehensive UK  site developed by Pat Cryer. It contains resources for supervisors, students  and academic managers, offering information, advice and support. Supervisor  resources describe dilemmas that supervisors may face and then present and  consider some alternative courses of action for resolving them. The author's  intention is to stimulate supervisors' own thinking, to help them decide on courses  of action which are appropriate for themselves. An example of a dilemma  discussed is 'What balance should I strike between guiding students' work  closely and giving freedom for independent work?'
  

How to write a thesis

Resources available at Macquarie University

• HDR  thesis preparation advice (RTF)
• HDR  thesis preparation advice (PDF)
  A detailed thesis  preparation guide developed by the Higher Degree Research Office. It covers definition  and content, general presentation, length, referencing, submission, etc.
  
  
• MUPRA thesis  preparation guide (MUPRA Website)
  A guide to  thesis preparation, from thesis formatting training courses, thesis  proofreading and editing, thesis typing and binding services, to thesis  allowance.
  
  
• Intellectual property  issues (PDF)
  The University  has an Intellectual Property Policy which describes how its intellectual  property is to be protected, how it is to be exploited, and how any benefits  arising from this are to be shared.

Other University Resources

• Brief  guide on thesis proposals (University of New South Wales Website)
  Brief guide on thesis proposals (PDF)
  A University of New South Wales guide for students who  are enrolled in a postgraduate research degree and who have been asked to  submit a thesis proposal.
     
  
• Literature  review (University of New South Wales Website)
  Literature review (PDF)
  A short University of New South Wales guide  for postgraduate research students and a few suggestions to get you started on  literature review.
     
  
• UNSW  guide to PhD thesis writing (University of New South Wales)
  A guide to PhD  thesis writing compiled by professor Joe Wolfe at the University of New South Wales. It gives simple and practical advice on the  problems of getting started, getting organised, dividing the huge task into  less formidable pieces and working on those pieces. It also explains the  practicalities of surviving the ordeal. It includes a suggested structure and a  guide to what should go in each section. Originally written for graduate  students in physics, and most of the specific examples given are taken from  that discipline.
     
  
• UWA guide to thesis  writing (PDF) (University   of Western Australia)
  A short guide on  how to write a thesis at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, written by  Dr R. Chandrasekhar at the University of Western Australia. It  is aimed at engineering and science students. It includes thesis structure,  substance and style.
  
  
• UTS thesis  development resources (University of Technology, Sydney)
  The different stages of preparing the  thesis are covered here, with online resources providing access to such items  as writing proposals, choosing a research method, doing literature searches,  using statistics and so on. There are also other links to very useful resources  outside the University of Technology, Sydney.
  
  
• UOW  thesis writing resources (University of Wollongong)
  A University of Wollongong  exhaustive set of resources on thesis structure and on thesis style. It  provides an overview of the structural characteristics of different thesis  types, supplemented with examples from thesis chapters in a range of  disciplines. It also provides an overview of style and language characteristics  of these theses. It aims to assist postgraduate research students with the task  of writing a thesis by making explicit the characteristics of typical theses  and by providing direct instruction about achieving some of those  characteristics.
  
  
• UOW  guide to thesis structure (PDF) (University of Wollongong)
  A University of Wollongong  guide which outlines and discusses the structure of a research thesis. Starting  from the presumption that there is no right way to structure a thesis, and  that, instead, the structure will be influenced by the discipline that the  candidate is working within, the questions posed, the methodology and  theoretical frameworks used, and the issues covered, this guide outlines two common  thesis structures and the internal structure of the chapters or sections of a  thesis.
  
  
• UQ thesis  preparation guide (University   of Queensland)
  A University   of Queensland  comprehensive thesis preparation guide, including components such as “The  Contribution of Others', 'Language in which Thesis is Written', 'Presentation',  'Order and Format of Contents', 'Thesis Preparation', etc.
  
  
• Monash  guide on thesis writing (Monash University)
  A Monash University  site offering guidance with issues of organisation and expression in thesis  writing. Recommendations deal with matters such as knowing one's role as a  researcher, looking at other theses in the field, preparing proposals and  applications to the Ethics Committee, etc. It also succinctly defines the  functions and characteristics of the various components of a thesis.
  
  
• Flinders guide on  thesis preparation (Flinders   University)
  A Flinders University guide on  preparing a thesis. It discusses all relevant aspects of this process, from  presentation, order and format of contents, the inclusion of tables, diagrams  and figures, to bibliographic citation, the final form of the thesis, and,  finally, thesis submission.
  
  
• Commonly asked  questions about thesis writing (University of Queensland)
  A very helpful University of Queensland    Frequently Asked Questions page answering  commonly asked questions about conceptualizing, organising and writing a PhD thesis, as well as dealing with life as a PhD  student. Questions include, 'I've gathered lots of  data, finished the experiments, explored the literature. What do I do with it  now and how do I put it together?',  'Is there a particular thesis structure I have to follow?', 'What style of writing is expected?'.
  
  
• Hints on effective  thesis writing (PDF) (Curtin  University of Technology)
  Hints on effective  thesis writing, compiled by Professor Will Featherstone at the Curtin  University of Technology. It offers exhaustive advice on each stage of the  thesis writing process, namely, why write a thesis, the requirements of the  thesis, anticipating and scheduling the writing, consulting the supervisor,  planning the thesis, writing the first draft, developing a writing style,  revising the drafts, checking the final draft, and producing the manuscript.
  
  
• A structured  approach to presenting PhD theses (University   of Sydney)
  'A Structured Approach to Presenting PhD  Theses: Notes for Candidates and Their Supervisors', a paper presented by Chad  Perry at the University   of Sydney, addressing the  problem of how a PhD candidate should present their thesis. It is aimed at  providing a starting point for understanding what a PhD thesis should set out  to achieve, and also a basis for communication between a candidate and his or  her supervisor. Firstly, criteria for judging a PhD thesis are reviewed and  justification for its structure is provided. Then writing style is considered.  Finally, each of the five chapters and their sections are described in some  detail: introduction, literature review, methodology, analysis of data, and  conclusions and implications.
  
  
• fIRST helping  student writers (fIRST Website)
  As many  supervisors feel decidedly uncomfortable about their ability to become a  writing coach, this site offers materials for supervisors to use to help  students write theses. The resources provided cover: preparing a research  proposal; writing for publication; preparing a literature review.
  
  
• How  to pass a thesis (PDF) (Curtin University of Technology)
  An overview of  'How to Pass Your Thesis With Flying Colours!' by Professor Leonie Rennie at  the Curtin University of Technology. It includes information about the criteria  used to examine a thesis, how an examiner works through it, the questions that  examiners ask themselves regarding the thesis, what makes a good and what makes  a poor thesis, etc.
  
  
• Theses  and copyright (PDF) (University of Queensland)
  A presentation-style website discussing  theses and copyright, written by Tom Joyce at the University of Queensland.  It states what materials are covered by the Copyright Act and how long  copyright lasts, it discusses copyright with regards to the content of a  thesis, it defines publication, and it discusses permission.
  
  
• Surviving  and thriving while writing a thesis (University   of Melbourne)
  A University   of Melbourne article  about surviving and thriving while writing a thesis. It focuses on the  effective management of personal psychosocial issues in order to enjoy thesis  writing as a rich and rewarding process.
  
  
• Informal  thesis writing guide for perfectionists (PDF) (University of Melbourne)
  A University of Melbourne  informal thesis writing guide for perfectionists. Perfectionism, manifesting as writer's block, is a common ailment that  afflicts many postgraduate students when writing up their theses. Instead of  changing life-long habits and mind-sets, this guide offers ways of getting  around this problem in order to complete a thesis.

UK links

• Rounding  the thesis off (Professor Pat Cryer)
  A concise UK  site developed by Pat Cryer, putting emphasis on rounding the thesis off and  making it of a standard that shows the work in the best possible light. It  offers suggestions, advice, tips and general help, in particular on creating a unified  body of material and making the writing process more effective and efficient.
  
  
• General  criteria for thesis evaluation (PDF) (University of Victoria, British Columbia Canada)
  Some general criteria for evaluating PhD theses that may be  useful for students to bear in mind when writing a higher degree research  thesis. The components discussed include 'Presentation and Clarity',  'Integration and Coherence', 'Contribution to Knowledge', 'Originality and  Creativity', 'Review of Relevant Literature', 'Statement of the Research  Problem', 'Methods of Inquiry Adopted', 'Analysis of Data', and 'Discussion of  Outcomes'.