Becoming an ECU HDR Supervisor

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Becoming an ECU HDR Supervisor

While the Research Student Intranet provides valuable information for Higher Degree by Research (HDR) candidates and supervisors, this section focuses on HDR Supervision requirements and offers additional development opportunities, resources, and support tailored to supervisory roles.

Explore the resources and links provided below to support you in your vital role for ECU HDR candidates.

Research Journey

Information on the research journey for staff, can be found on the Research Journey webpage.

Forms, policies and guidelines

Relevant policies, forms and guidelines relating to HDR candidates can be found on the Policies, Forms and Guidelines webpage.

HDR Scholarships

Information on HDR Scholarships can be found on the following webpage: HDR Scholarships

Supervisor Development

Further information on Supervisor Development can be found here: Supervisor Development

Requirements for HDR Supervision

All supervisors must be registered on the University’s HDR Supervisor Register maintained by Graduate Research Services.

Supervisors must ensure that they comply with ECU Policies and procedures, the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research, the Higher Education Standards Framework and the Australian Council of Graduate Research Guidelines for Graduate Research Supervision

Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research, 2018

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.

Australian Council of Graduate Research (ACGR)

The Australian Council of Graduate Research (ACGR) Graduate Research Good Practice Principles articulate a set of standards considered to be essential for the delivery of graduate research programs. In July 2018, ACGR developed the ACGR Guidelines for Quality Graduate Research Supervision that provide institutions with guidelines to support a quality supervision experience for HDR Candidates.

Universities Australia

On 1 August 2018, Universities Australia released Principles for Respectful Supervisory Relationships as part of their 10-point Action Plan response to the Respect. Further information available here.

Graduate Research Services manages the HDR Supervisor Register, ensuring compliance with policy on Guideline: HDR Supervision and the academic rules governing the supervision of Higher Degree by Research and Honours candidates.

Key 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. Staff must provide certified copies of their tertiary qualification within ECU's relevant system.
Research activity. To qualify for supervision, staff must demonstrate research activity, defined as having more than three research outputs in the past three years. These outputs are recorded in the Research Activity System (RAS). For assistance with entering past research outputs, please contact Research Analytics, Systems, and Performance team at researchsystemssupport@ecu.edu.au
ECU supervisor training. New academic staff interested in becoming HDR Supervisors must complete HDR Supervisor Induction training. This training is conducted virtually by the Dean of Graduate Research each semester. Register for HDR Supervisor training via the Training Workshops and Events Calendar.

Staff that meet the requirements above but do not currently have documentation of academic qualifications, research activity or supervisor training at ECU, please contact your School’s Associate Dean (Research) or Graduate Research Services (GRS) at grs@ecu.edu.au.