PhD Handbook PhD Handbook : Nursing and Health

What an unauthorised absence means for a PhD Researcher sponsored for a Visa

If a PhD Researcher has two Unauthorised Absences within an academic year, they will be invited to a compulsory Sponsorship at Risk meeting. If a Researcher has a further Unauthorised Absence or does not attend the Sponsorship at Risk meeting, the Intention to Withdraw process will be initiated. The Researcher and Supervisor have three working days to provide any mitigating circumstances for the unauthorised absences. The Compliance Team will decide if the University can continue to sponsor the visa.

If the University can continue to sponsor the visa and there is another Unauthorised Absence they will revert to Intention to Withdraw again. If the University cannot continue to sponsor the visa Compliance will report withdrawal of sponsorship to UKVI and email you regarding withdrawal of sponsorship – you will have 60 days to leave the UK.

How to avoid Unauthorised Absences

• Schedule Supervision meetings in advance and early in the month, where possible.
• If your Supervisor is unable to meet contact the Postgraduate Tutor for your area to make arrangements to meet with an alternative member of staff.
• Set up recurring diary reminders to ensure end of month deadlines are met.
• Ask a Supervisor to accept the notes during the meeting.
• Most Researchers meet with supervisors very regularly - use the meetings at the start of the month as a meeting for visa purposes to allow time to ensure the meeting is signed off.
• Ask another Supervisor – any Supervisor can accept meeting notes.
• If you have an issue with in person meetings and are unsure what to do contact pgr@ulster.ac.uk

PhD Researchers in Nursing and Health Research will receive financial assistance to purchase a laptop which must be returned on completion of their PhD studies. These laptops must be used solely for the purpose of PhD studies and will be set up by the University IT department using University software. Hot desk space is available in BC-04-141 (also containing lockers) on the UUB campus and MG048-050 on the UUM campus, an individual space is not allocated to each PhD Researcher. These desks can be booked via Ubook on the university portal.

It is your responsibility to keep these spaces tidy and to clear the desk at the end of the day. Workspaces should be quiet areas that are conducive to learning and for gaining peer support. As far as possible, data should be stored electronically or locked away if hard copies are absolutely essential. The protection of our research, participants and data is of paramount importance. Therefore, please be advised that there should be no occasion where a PhD Researcher should permit a non-university member to be left alone for a long period of time in a designated PhD Researcher space, nor should they share their laptops.

In Ulster University we have a number of different types of spaces that can be used to talk to visitors, friends and colleagues. Please use these places and keep the PhD Researcher spaces and library facilities for the purpose for which they are intended.

The Information Services Department (ISD) provide information and support on printing and photocopying services.  Postgraduate Researchers have access to multi-function devices (MFD) that will allow you to print, copy and scan documents. The system is accessed using your ID card and offers a secure cashless payment system that is linked to your ID card (manual logon) that will allow you to add funds from credit/debit cards to your UniFlow account.

These can then be used to pay for printing, copying and scanning at any MFD.  You can send work from any device that can access your University email account, allowing you to attach a file to an email from a mobile phone, laptop, tablet or your home computer. The ISD Service Desk provides support when needed.

Some items can be purchased on credit card (up to £1000). When completing the purchase requisition, where possible include the link to the items requested in the form, and be sure to include all additional costs such as delivery and VAT.  Forward this completed form to Joanne Savage (Nursing and Paramedic Science) or Karen Moran (Health Sciences).

This form will be budget checked and approved by the Research Director and then passed to Joanne or Karen to purchase, depending on the cost code approved.  Items are typically delivered to the school office, or if it is software you may need to provide log in details.

The INHR finance guidance is regularly updated and can be found in the Finance for Staff and Students section of the INHR SharePoint page.

All candidates for the degree of PhD, will be required to undergo a formal assessment of progress which is known as the confirmation assessment. This is an important seminar, and it is essential that PhD Researchers can demonstrate adequate progress. PhD Researchers will be notified of their expected seminar date through PhD Manager. The confirmation assessment is normally undertaken within 10 to 15 months of a full-time PhD Researcher’s first registration. For part-time PhD Researchers this will be carried out between 20 and 25 months from registration.

The confirmation assessment builds on your initial assessment. Please note PhD Researchers may be at different stages depending on their research topic. Your presentation, while based on your report, should be used to add to the material you have in your report.

On this occasion PhD Researchers must complete:

A report designed to articulate what progress PhD Researchers have made to date and should concentrate on data collection and preliminary analysis (if it is available).

• A maximum word count of 2,000 words for the report.
• The report should be structured using the headings of an abstract.
• On this occasion the background should be short & concise and not fully re-visit the literature you presented previously.
• The research question/aim should be re-stated.
• Focus on methodology.
• Report on progress / data collected to date this includes: has ethics been obtained, has a formal and robust review of the literature been started, has any of the stages/phases of the study commenced and data been collected (this includes systematic review data).
• Report preliminary findings (if available).
• Plan for further data collection with dates.
• Theoretical framework.
• Conclusion to include some notion of your contribution to knowledge.
• Publications and dissemination (not included in word count)
• There should be no appendices beyond references (not included in word count)

The confirmation assessment focuses upon:

1. Assessing if the research being undertaken is of doctoral standard, i.e. is being undertaken rigorously and systematically, answering a specific research question that requires systematic inquiry/analysis and is contributing to new knowledge.
2. Assessing the quality of the research work undertaken and ensuring that it is achievable in the timeframe.
3. Determining if supervision arrangements are satisfactory.
4. Determining if the PhD Researcher has the necessary knowledge and skills to undertake the proposed research.
5. Determining if the PhD Researcher has the necessary resources to undertake the proposed research.
6. Ensuring that research ethics and governance issues are being adhered to.

Please note: At the end of the confirmation seminar the assessors will determine:

1. That the PhD Researcher’s work is of sufficient standard for them to progress with their studies, or
2. That major amendments need to be made to the research plan and progression is not advised.  If the latter is decided the assessors will advise that the assessment needs to be repeated and/or a revised plan is submitted for review by the lead assessor.

Following completion of the Confirmation process the Doctoral College will write to PhD Researchers confirming their PhD status or otherwise.

For those PhD Researchers at this stage the annual re-registration process will not normally be permitted until the Doctoral College has received notification of successful completion of all Confirmation formalities.

PhD Researchers in the Nursing and Health Research unit of assessment are expected to complete a final assessment. This assessment is normally undertaken within thirty months of a full-time PhD Researcher’s first registration. For part-time PhD Researchers this will be carried out within 60 months of registration.

PhD Researchers must complete a report that is focused on the presentation of findings and discussion.

• Maximum word count of 2000 words.
• The report should be structured using the headings of an abstract.
• Background
• Aim
• Design
• Results
• Contribution to knowledge, Theory and/or Practice
• Conclusion
• Implications for practice, theory or policy
• Publications and dissemination (not included in word count)
• No appendices beyond references (not included in word count)

*PhD Researchers formatting their thesis using the PhD with papers option* should identify what publications they have achieved or submitted to date.

The final assessment focuses upon:

1. Assessing that the research undertaken has the potential to make a significant contribution to knowledge.
2. Assessing the quality of the research work undertaken and ensuring that key processes are in place for achieving successful completion/submission of thesis.
3. Determining if supervision arrangements are satisfactory.
4. Ensuring that research ethics and governance issues are being adhered to.
5. Ensuring that a clear plan is in place to ensure successful completion in the given time-frame or discussing options for extension of time.
6. PhD Researchers will be notified of the outcome of their assessment through the assessors discussing the outcome with their supervisory team.

As a PhD Researcher, the same Student Social Media Policies apply to you as students and staff. They deal with advice on conduct, safety and social media presence. As part of your research presence, you should record activities and research publications on the PURE system. This is a database where you can manage your research profile. You can avail of support in the use of PURE via a series of workshops will take place on campus.

You must send an expression of interest should you wish to attend such workshops, as they will not run if attendees are not confirmed. Similarly, as you move into the world of research beyond Ulster, you should secure an independent Research ID through ORCID. PURE and ORCID are compatible for easy import/export of data.