Research Intranet - For Research Staff

Information for Supervisors

This area of the Research Student Intranet aims to provide information specifically for supervisors of research candidates. Supervisors are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the various stages of the Research Journey, the relevant policies and documentation, as well as the support services for HDR candidates.

While the entire Research Student Intranet provides valuable information for both candidates and supervisors, this section will focus on requirements for HDR Supervision and additional development opportunities, resources, and other support information specific to supervision.

Requirements for HDR Supervision

Graduate Research Services maintains a Supervisor Register, which compiles data from various sources at ECU to monitor compliance with policy AC085 Supervision of Students Undertaking Higher Degrees by Research and the academic rules governing the supervision of Higher Degree by Research and Honours candidates. The main criteria for all levels of supervision are:

• Academic qualifications. Academic staff are required to hold qualifications equal to or higher than the level of candidate they are supervising i.e. hold a doctoral degree to supervise doctoral candidates. Commencing staff are required to provide certified copies of their qualifications, which are recorded on ECU’s HR system, ALESCO.
• Research activity. For the purposes of supervision, research active is defined as having more than 3 research outputs in the past 3 years. These are recorded in the Research Activity System. For assistance with entering past research outputs into RAS, please contact your Research Administration Officer.
• ECU supervisor training. All academic staff new to ECU must complete Supervisor Induction training. The Dean, Graduate Research runs virtual supervisor training each semester. If you have any queries, contact the RPD Team in Research Services researcher.development@ecu.edu.au. Staff can view a list of upcoming supervisor training sessions and register via the Training Workshops and Events Calendar.

Principal supervisors are also required to have supervised a HDR candidate to successful completion or completed the Principal Supervisor Accreditation Program (PSAP). HDR candidate completions from previous institutions will need to be entered into ECU’s Student Records System, Callista, in order to appear in the register. For each student you supervised to completion, you will need to provide: If you have any queries, contact researcher.development@ecu.edu.au.

• Candidate name
• Level of degree (Master by Research, PhD or Professional Doctorate)
• Role (Principal/Associate supervisor)
• Date (or year) of completion
• Institution completed at
• Thesis title

Please email the details on previous completions to grs@ecu.edu.au and a staff member will contact you when the data has been entered.

Research Journey web pages

The Research Journey web pages document the processes involved in undertaking a research degree from enrolment to final thesis submission. This includes information about the updated examination process including oral examinations.

Forms, policies and guidelines

At each stage of the Research journey, the appropriate forms, policies and guidelines are available on the web page alongside the appropriate procedure. In addition, these documents are listed on one page for quick access.

Additional resources

Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research, 2018 - Overarching document that establishes a framework for responsible research conduct that provides a foundation for high-quality research, credibility and community trust in the research endeavour. The Code also links with a Supervisor Guide that outlines responsibilities of institutions, supervisors and research students.

Industry PhD Scholarships - Documentation and guidelines for developing a scholarship projects with industry partners.

More information about Supervision.