Information for supervisors

The Birkbeck Graduate Research School (BGRS) provides essential information and guidance to support supervisors at Birkbeck. 

New starter checklist for supervisors 

• The following checklist highlights issues of particular importance for new PhD supervisors:
• Birkbeck’s Code of Practice for Postgraduate Training and Research for MPhil and PhD degrees, describes the responsibilities of supervisors (including the roles of Principal, Joint Principal and Second Supervisor) so please familiarise yourself with this document.
• You should identify the following members of staff within your faculty:
  • Your faculty PGR Support Manager.
  • Your school PGR Academic Lead.
  • Your faculty Head of Research.
  • It is important to check whether your PhD students have been correctly assigned to you on Research Track (see section below). The BGRS will send routine updates to all supervisors who have students assigned on Research Track.
  • Attend one of the forthcoming BGRS induction/refresher sessions for research degree supervisors.
  • Familiarise yourself with the BGRS SharePoint pages.
  • Read our health and safety policies on the Health, Safety and Wellbeing SharePoint connect site (Birkbeck staff only).

BGRS SharePoint site

• MPhil/PhD students and supervisors can access the BGRS SharePoint site (please contact the BGRS if you can't), which includes: 
  
  • highlighted information for new research students 
  • a detailed overview of training and professional development available to research students 
  • lecture capture, slides and handouts from BGRS training sessions 
  • details of Birkbeck Postgraduate Research Student (PGR) Reps 
  • a summary of careers and employability resources for research students
  • information about potential funding sources for current PhD students
  • information about internships, teaching and demonstrating opportunities 
  • video resources and other useful information.  

Research track

• Research Track is a centrally accessible system supporting postgraduate research student activities at Birkbeck. Further information about Research Track is available on the BGRS Moodle site.
• As a supervisor, you can view details of your current Birkbeck PhD students on Research Track. To do this you should log in to My Birkbeck for Staff, look for the blue container titled ‘Research Track’ and select ‘My Research Students’.

training for supervisors 

• The Birkbeck Graduate Research School (BGRS) Training Programme includes training/ refresher sessions for new and more experienced PhD supervisors which takes place twice per year.
• If you are an Arts and Humanities PhD supervisor you will be able to access supervisor training via the AHRC CHASE DTP. 
• The BGRS SharePoint site contains video resources, including a useful video on 'Outstanding Supervision'.
• The Learning and Organisational Development team in HR offer training for MPhil/PhD supervisors. All supervisors are asked to complete the following human resources training in order to be prepared for recruitment of PhD students or taking part in studentship selection processes:
  • Equality & Diversity Essentials
  • Unconscious Bias
  • Recruitment & Selection for Academics
  • HR also provide a more general ‘Recruitment and Selection Refresher Briefing’ and ‘Recruitment and Selection and Interview Skills training’. 
• You can view these HR training opportunities by logging in to Business World.

IMPORTANT MPHIL/PHD STUDENT POLICIES AND REGULATIONS 

• Birkbeck takes its responsibilities towards its students very seriously and has formal policies, procedures and regulations in place with which you must familiarise yourself: 
  • Regulations: read Birkbeck's regulations for research degrees. 
  • Policies: many of Birkbeck's policies apply to students at all levels of study, but some are specific to research students. 

MPHIL/PHD SUPERVISION AND THE SUPERVISORY RELATIONSHIP

• Read the Birkbeck Code of Practice for Postgraduate Training and Research for MPhil and PhD degrees, which describes the responsibilities of supervisors and research students at Birkbeck and outlines the expectations for supervision arrangements and supervisory roles (including the roles of Principal Supervisor, Joint Principal Supervisor and Second Supervisor). 
• Read about MPhil/PhD supervision and the supervisory relationship from the student's perspective.
• Read our guidance notes on appointing an external supervisor. 
• If you need to arrange a period of parental leave or absence you should follow the appropriate human resources policies/ procedures but you must also consider whether any arrangements are required to provide supervision for PhD students while you are absent. If you will be away for more than one term and your student does not have a second supervisor you should arrange for a colleague to join the supervisory team. If your absence is planned this should be done in advance so that there is an opportunity to facilitate a handover period with the supervisor who is covering your period of absence.
•  You may find the following resources useful:
  • Birkbeck is a member of the UK Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE) which provides resources for PhD supervisors including the UKCGE’s Research Supervisors Network. 
  • Thinkwell tools for MPhil/PhD supervisors (a collection of free guides and tools for supervisors and supervisees) 
  • The Thesis Whisperer (a regular blog about writing a doctoral thesis) 
  • 'PhD chat' hashtag on Twitter.

RESOURCES FOR SUPERVISORS 

• Vitae is a non-profit organisation that has been enhancing the skills and supporting the professional development of researchers for over 45 years. They provide research, training, events, consultancy and resources. 
• Birkbeck is an institutional member of Vitae, so you can access their online materials to support MPhil/PhD supervisors (note: you will need to log in). 
• Vitae also provides extensive information on part-time researchers. 
• Birkbeck is a member of UKCGE which has a list of resources for supervisors.
• There is a helpful report on perceptions of trust within supervisory relationships, with suggestions for more effective supervisory practice available on the Advance HE website.
• The following blogs provide useful insight from the point of view of both supervisors and research students:
  • 'Are You Ok' project
  • The Wellbeing Thesis
  • The Hidden Curriculum 

Field trips 

• If your student is planning a field trip please read guidance available on the BGRS SharePoint site to ensure that planning, risk assessment, and insurance arrangements are made in advance.

training and training needs analysis

• MPhil/PhD supervisors should read about the Training Needs Analysis (TNA) process. The TNA allows research students to establish and document their training priorities.
• Further information about training opportunities for PhD students is available on the BGRS Training Timetable and on the BGRS SharePoint site.

THE MPHIL/PHD APPLICATION PROCESS 

• Read more about the application process for prospective MPhil/PhD research students. 
• Prospective MPhil/PhD research students can search our academic staff profiles for potential supervisors. 
• If you need to amend or update your details on the Experts' Database, please contact your school PGR administrator and/or team leader, or, if you're unsure who to contact, get in touch with the BGRS. 

STUDENTSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

• A list of current PhD studentship opportunities at Birkbeck is available on our PhD funding page. 
• If you have a PhD studentship opportunity that you would like to highlight, or which you would like to advertise, please contact us. 
• You can read an overview of UKRI-funded studentship opportunities at Birkbeck.
• Arts and Humanities Council (AHRC) studentships are available for MPhil/PhD research at Birkbeck via the Consortium for the Humanities and the Arts Southeast England (CHASE) doctoral training programme. 
• Find out more about CHASE: 
  • Read the CHASE Studentship application: guidance notes for applicants and selection criteria (2022 entry), including selection criteria and grade descriptors.
  • Read Birkbeck's CHASE briefing for supervisors/staff (2020-21) - access restricted to Birkbeck staff.
  • Read CHASE's briefing for staff (2020-21).
  • Read about CHASE Collaborative Doctoral Awards.
  • Read a statement on interfaces between the arts and humanities and the social sciences.
  • Find out about Birkbeck membership of committees related to the AHRC-funded CHASE DTP2.

THE PHD EXAMINATION PROCESS

• The examination and awarding process for all MPhil/PhD researchers is overseen by the Birkbeck Graduate Research School (BGRS). If you have queries, please contact the BGRS.
• Once a student has submitted their exam entry, you can check the progress of their examination (e.g. dates of submission, whether the RSSC have approved examiners, deadline for corrections) on Research Track by clicking the orange ‘Examinations and Awards’ button at the bottom of the student’s page.
• You can record the date of a candidate's viva by clicking the blue button ‘Enter or Update Viva Date for this Student’. Please note that this is for record-keeping purposes only and you should notify the BGRS via email as soon as a viva date has been agreed.
• Regulations and guidelines 
  • Supervisors should read Birkbeck's regulations for research degrees to understand the requirements for entry to PhD examination and how the candidate will be examined. 
  • Supervisors and students should read our SharePoint guidance on the examination process.
  • In the case that a candidate submits against your advice, or submits a version of their thesis that you have not been allowed to read, you may choose to submit our submission of thesis form for supervisors to record the situation.
  • Statement of Contribution guidance is available for work done jointly by the research student and their supervisor(s). 
• Nomination of examiners
  • PhD supervisors are responsible for nominating examiners. Read our guidance for appointing PhD examiners. 
  • Once you have identified two examiners, you should complete the online nominations form around four months before the anticipated thesis submission date.
• Guidance and forms for external examiners 
  • External examiners can find all the forms and guidelines they may need during the examination process on our dedicated web page. 
• Independent Chair
  • In some circumstances, it may be appropriate for the viva to be chaired by an independent member of academic staff. The role of an Independent Chair is to attend the oral examination and ensure that it is conducted fairly and in accordance with the University Regulations. View the procedure and guidance for independent chairs.

change log 

• If you have a suggestion for changes or additions to this page, please contact the BGRS. 
• The following changes have been made to the page:
  • 11 May 2022: Additional external resources for supervisors added.
  • 1 October 2021: Changes to reflect updated guidance and requirements for online vivas and online thesis submission.
  • 1 October 2020: Highlighted information about research degree examination and COVID-19.
  • 9 December 2019: Page updated and re-ordered and supervisor checklist added.