Milestones Policy Guidelines

School of Biomedical Sciences www.uq.edu.au/sbms

Principles and procedures adopted by the School of Biomedical Sciences for the administration of PhD and MPhil Candidature GENERAL INFORMATION Over the period of a postgraduate’s candidature, three milestones will be assessed by a dedicated Review Panel (consisting of the Chair, Principal and Associate Supervisors, two independent Assessors and, at Confirmation only, a Student Representative). The Principal Supervisor, in consultation with the Candidate, will have the major responsibility for the membership of the Review Panel and the completion of each milestone. Three months prior to the first milestone the Principal Supervisor and the Candidate will be asked to confirm the composition of the Review Panel: the Assessors cannot be anyone associated with their research group. The School of Biomedical Sciences (SBMS) Postgraduate Committee has overall responsibility for the administration of milestone procedures. A report for each milestone is required by the UQ Graduate School and this report is prepared by the SBMS Postgraduate Committee. For further information on milestone policy, please consult http://www.uq.edu.au/grad-school/completing-each-milestone. All students should keep track of their milestone due dates, which can be found in their si-net account. For more information on this, please contact the Postgraduate Administrator.

MILESTONE 1: CONFIRMATION OF CANDIDATURE Context: The first milestone is perhaps the most important, in that it permits your review panel and the postgraduate committee to judge whether both you and your project are likely to succeed. It is intended to be a stringent assessment of your intellectual mastery of your field, in-depth understanding of your project and research progress to date. To successfully obtain this milestone will require you to demonstrate all three components. This milestone comprises four components: A. Written; B. Oral; C. Interview; D. Feedback. This milestone is to be completed within the first 9-12 months (PhD) or 4-6 months (MPhil). If candidate is unable to meet this deadline, an application for extension needs to be submitted to the PG Committee Administrator.

A. WRITTEN The Confirmation Document – referred to as a Research Proposal – that incorporates a literature review, experimental results to date and a research plan, should be submitted at least 4 weeks before the confirmation seminar and interview. Suggested Format  Title page (project title, candidate’s name, candidate’s student number, advisors, School)  Introduction (literature review)  Aims, significance, expected outcomes  Research plan and methods  Preliminary data in the form of figures/tables  Proposed timetable and milestones  Project budget of thesis  7000 -8000words (approx 5000 for Literature review, 3000 for aims, methods etc and not including tables, figures or reference list) (4000-5000 for MPhil)  References  Double-spaced  Times New Roman; Font 12 point text  20mm margins all round  Plastic spiral bound  Three copies and one electronic copy to be submitted to the Postgraduate Administrator Milestones_Policy_Guidelines_July_2012

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Milestones Policy Guidelines

School of Biomedical Sciences www.uq.edu.au/sbms

Assessment The Research Proposal will be read and assessed by the Associate Advisor and expert members of the candidate’s Review Panel. The Review Panel should be finalised by the Primary Supervisor, before submission of the confirmation document. The Review Panel will provide written and verbal comments on the proposal and oral presentation as part of the confirmation interview process.  Whether the project is of suitable originality and scope for a PhD/MPhil project  Whether the aims are achievable within 3-3½ years (18-24 months for MPhil), considering both scientific and logistic issues  Whether the methods are suitable to achieve the aims  The quality of the proposed research  Whether the proposal is well written in appropriate scientific prose

B. ORAL Timeframe: To be completed within 9-12 months after commencement for PhD candidates (4-6 months for MPhil candidates), Duration: 20 minutes for seminar and 10 minutes for questions. The Confirmation Seminar (Oral) will be a public forum open to all members of the School of Biomedical Sciences. A member of the SBMS Postgraduate Committee will chair the seminar. The aim of the Confirmation Seminar is to provide the Candidate with the opportunity to present their talk to an appropriate group of disciplinary peers for the purpose of receiving expert and constructive advice about the project, its scope and feasibility and the appropriateness of the theoretical approach, methodology and experimental design. In the Confirmation Seminar, the Candidate should:  Present the background, aims, project plan, methods and timetable of the research project, and  Present data to date  Prepare for questions about your project and other literature in the field. This is a critical opportunity for your panel and the postgraduate committee to assess the breadth and depth of your knowledge and your comprehension of your overall field of research

C. INTERVIEW Following the Confirmation Seminar, an Interview is held and attended only by the Candidate and the Review Panel. The Chair, or Deputy, of the SBMS Postgraduate Committee chairs the interview. Duration: 30-60 minutes (PhD); 20-40 minutes (MPhil). At the Interview, the Candidate is expected to:  be prepared for, and able to answer all possible questions on the background of the project, and  defend their experimental design, data interpretation and research plan All members of the Review Panel will have read the reports on the written document and attended the seminar. Their reports will provide the basis of this discussion with the Candidate and separately with the Supervisors. The interview provides an opportunity to consider the following:  The roles and expectations of members of the Review Panel and the Candidate  The human, financial and physical resources needed to bring the project to a timely and satisfactory completion  The feasibility, scope, originality and planned duration of the project in relation to the degree for which the Candidate is enrolled  Ethics, biosafety, IP, commercial opportunities and impediments  Progress to date The written report and the performance in the Confirmation Seminar will form the basis of discussion. Where confirmation is being considered after deferral of confirmation or after an extension of provisional candidature, the timetable must be given particular attention.

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Milestones Policy Guidelines

School of Biomedical Sciences www.uq.edu.au/sbms

D. FEEDBACK The decision to approve a Candidate for confirmation is based on the three components of the first milestone: the research proposal, the Confirmation Seminar, and the Interview. A written report that summarises the strengths, achievements and developmental needs of the Candidate and offers suggestions towards the successful completion of the Candidate, will be provided to the Candidate and the Review Panel. This formal written feedback and the School’s recommendation will be forwarded to the Dean of the Graduate School. If the committee does not recommend passage, a timetable will be set for a second attempt at confirmation.

MILESTONE 2: MID-CANDIDATURE REVIEW This milestone comprises four components (A. Written; B. Oral; C. Interview; D. Feedback). This milestone is to be undertaken 9-12 months (PhD) or 4-6 months (MPhil) after Milestone 1: Confirmation. The Principal Supervisor and the Candidate are responsible for organising the Oral presentation and interview which will include all members of the Review Panel. An Assessor or Advisor, who is not the primary supervisor, will chair the proceedings. The chair should be allocated and advised in advance.

A. WRITTEN A 2-3 page summary (excluding appendices) detailing progress since Confirmation is to be submitted to the Review Panel 2 weeks before the Oral and the Interview. Suggested format: Summary  Overall aim (1 sentence)  Specific aims (list of 3-4)  Progress on aims  Problems encountered  Progress of papers and/or plan for papers  Planned chapters of Thesis  List of conference attendance – plans for future conferences Appendices  Conference abstracts  Conference posters (in A4 format)  Papers published, submitted or in preparation

B. ORAL A PowerPoint presentation is to be made at a School or Lab meeting attended by the Review Panel. Duration: 15-20 minutes (PhD); 10-15 min (MPhil). The presentation should include the following:  A concise introduction  A quantity of publication quality data that is appropriate for up to two years of full-time laboratory work  Progress to date  A clear research plan including timetable and thesis chapter outline

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Milestones Policy Guidelines

School of Biomedical Sciences www.uq.edu.au/sbms

C. INTERVIEW Following the Oral, an Interview is held and attended only by the Candidate and the Review Panel. Duration: 20-30 minutes (PhD); 10-15min (MPhil). At the Interview, the student is expected to:  be prepared for, and able to answer all possible questions on the background of the project, and  defend their experimental design, data interpretation and research plan

D. FEEDBACK Feedback from the Review Panel will be given to the Candidate. The Chair is responsible for completion of the milestone report which is to be returned to the SBMS PG Committee Administrator.

MILESTONE 3: THESIS REVIEW This milestone comprises four components (A. Written; B. Oral; C. Interview; D. Feedback). This milestone is to be undertaken 9-12 months after Milestone 2: Mid-candidature (PhD) and 4-6 months for MPhil; and no later than 3 months (for both PhD and MPhil) from the expected date of submission of the thesis. The Principal Supervisor and the Candidate are responsible for organising the Oral presentation and interview which will include all members of the Review Panel. An Assessor or Advisor, who is not the primary supervisor, will chair the proceedings. The chair should be allocated and advised in advance.

A. WRITTEN A summary detailing progress since Mid-candidature is to be submitted to the Review Panel 2 weeks before the Oral and the Interview. Suggested format Summary: 4-5 pages (PhD); 2-3 pages (MPhil)  Overall aim (1 sentence)  Specific aims (list of 3-4)  Progress on aims  Problems encountered  Progress on papers and plans for papers between now and thesis submission – ideally at least one paper in advanced stage of drafting, submitted, provisionally accepted or published  Detailed thesis table of contents – a detailed thesis chapter outline  A draft thesis abstract of good quality  A list of seminars given (including conferences, and School and lab meetings)  The proposed submission date  Any comments on potential assessors Appendices  Conference abstracts  Conference posters (in A4 format)  Papers published, submitted or in preparation

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Milestones Policy Guidelines

School of Biomedical Sciences www.uq.edu.au/sbms

B. ORAL A PowerPoint presentation is to be made at a School or Lab meeting attended by the Review Panel. Duration: 15-20 minutes (PhD); 10-15 minutes (MPhil). The presentation should include the following:   

A concise introduction A quantity of publication quality data that is appropriate for approximately three years (18 months for MPhil) of full-time laboratory work and ideally at least two manuscripts for PhD and one for MPhil A clear thesis plan including thesis outline

C. INTERVIEW Following the Oral, an Interview is to be held. Duration: 20 minutes (PhD); 15 minutes (MPhil) At the Interview, the student is expected to:  be prepared for, and able to answer all possible questions on the background of the project, and  defend their experimental design, data interpretation and research plan

D. FEEDBACK Feedback from the Review Panel will be given to the Candidate. The Chair is responsible for completion of the milestone report which is to be returned to the SBMS PG Committee Administrator.

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