1. Informatics Graduate School
Managing Your PhD
Informatics Graduate School
Welcome slide and then slides for Don to outline PhD milestones

2. University Regulations: www. drps. ed. ac
University Regulations: The grounds for award for the degree of PhD by research are:
Bob to outline some of the key milestones and targets that PhD students need to be aware of from the start of the PhD.
What is it that you need to have done to get a PhD? These are described in the grounds for award of a PhD. These are the targets for you to aim for – that you can produce and defend a PhD thesis that meets these requirements.
Three slides follow that spell out the details of the grounds for award of a PhD and what they mean.
ACTION – JT check slides 3-6 are still up to date

3. Grounds for award of PhD The candidate must have demonstrated that they are capable of:
pursuing original research in the field of study
relating particular research projects to the general body of knowledge in the field
presenting the results of the research in a critical and scholarly way

4. PhD Assessment/Examination
Based only on your thesis
Normally, by oral examination

5. Grounds for award The thesis must:
Be an original work (ie. your text)
Make a significant contribution to knowledge in or understanding of the field of study (how to measure significant …)
Contain material worthy of publication (doesn’t have to be published, but …)

6. Grounds for award - cont.
show adequate knowledge of the field of study and relevant literature (ie. Literature review)
show the exercise of critical judgement with regard to both the candidate’s work and that of other scholars in the same general field

7. Grounds for award – cont.
Contain material which presents a unified body of work such as could reasonably be achieved on the basis of three years postgraduate study and research
Be satisfactory in its literary presentation

8. Grounds for award – cont.
Give full and adequate references
Have a coherent structure understandable to a scholar in the same general field with regard to intentions, background, methods and conclusions

9. PhD Assessment/Examination
Based only on your thesis
Oral examination
It’s essentially PASS/FAIL (and
corrections are possible)

10. The first step: Thesis proposal
Aims:
Clearly defined and appropriate research topic
Appropriate and realistic research plan
Supervisory team and required resources are in place
Progress so far is satisfactory
Submission in month 9 (or month if part-time)

11. Thesis proposal Assessment
Format
Report (15-25 pages)
Oral presentation to Review Panel (Supervisors and at least one other) – procedure depends on Institute
Written feedback to you, with copy to Graduate School