Meet the Team
This handbook has been prepared by the School of Computing, to help postgraduate researchers and supervisors find information regarding administrative procedures and support arrangements. This handbook supplements the information provided by the Doctoral College in relation to policies and procedures.
You will have already met with your supervisors and understand that their primary role is to offer you guidance and support in your studies.
Your PhD Researcher Representative is Majid Liaquat. Majid will represent your School on University level committees to ensure that your voice is heard, and any concerns raised.
Your Research Director, Postgraduate Tutor and research area administrators are also available for you, should you require any additional support.
Research Ethics and Integrity
Ulster University requires the highest standards of professionalism in research conducted by all staff and students in all disciplines. Refer to the Research policy and procedures with regard to research practice, publications and intellectual property.
All PhD researchers should act professionally in your role. Including the use of appropriate email etiquette in a reasonable fashion and acting professionally in the office and around campus.
Integrity
Integrity is fundamental to the research process and an important component of our research environment, demonstrating to partners and funders that we undertake excellent quality research to a consistently high standard.
The research integrity course is mandatory for all PhD researchers and must be completed prior to undertaking the Initial Assessment. This course is available via your Blackboard account.
Ethics
It is University policy that all research involving human participants must be reviewed through the filter and ethics committee process as appropriate.
Details of the University’s policies and procedures in this area are currently available through the portal. Please click on the Research Governance & Ethics tab. Early in your project you should discuss the Ethical implications of your work with your supervisor. If required, you should then make an ethical application. More faculty level guidance and templates can be found on the ethics submission website.
Filter committees have been established in all the areas in which significant levels of human research are likely to take place. For information on the Filter committee for the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment contact Skye Aughey s.aughey@ulster.ac.uk.
Applications should be completed fully and must also include the peer review at time of submission. Guidance is available on how to prepare a research ethics application.
Supervision and Attendance
The primary responsibility for organising your research work lies with you. However, it is your supervisor’s responsibility to guide your research, point you in interesting directions, monitor your progress and generally provide moral and technical support. Supervisors differ in their methods, but you should normally expect to see your supervisor at least once a fortnight. Feel free to contact them any time if you have a problem or are unsure how to proceed. You will find that you can obtain the most benefit from meetings with your supervisor if you prepare some material for them to read in advance or formulate some specific questions you would like to discuss.
It is anticipated that initially you will need to have relatively frequent supervisory meetings. However, when you settle into a more familiar pattern of work, meetings may become less frequent although at various times you may need more support (approaching assessments or during the final writing up stage). The actual supervisory procedure and systems adopted should be agreed by yourself and your supervisors, but for clarification School of Computing would expect that full time PhD researchers should have substantive meetings with their supervisors at least once a month and that part-time PhD researchers at least once during a three-month period. The PhD Manager system allows uploading of digital records of supervisory meetings, and it is the responsibility of the PhD researcher to ensure that a full record of meetings is held.
It is expected that you attend University on a daily basis, except by mutual agreement of your supervisor or Research Director. Typically, PhD researchers work 35-40 hours per week between the hours of 9.00am - 5.00pm. Holidays must be approved by your supervisor and must not exceed a total of eight weeks including public holidays (40 days) per year.
If you need to take some leave due to poor health or family problems, you firstly need to inform your supervisor. If the leave is for more than two weeks, you must notify your supervisors, who will then notify the Doctoral College in writing of the dates of absence, accompanied by a medical certificate.
If you require a prolonged period of leave (exceeding 28 days) then you may need to consider taking a Leave of Absence. Funded PhD researchers should be aware that they may normally be allowed a Leave of Absence for a maximum of one year. It is important to note that your maintenance grant will be suspended during a Leave of Absence, although with medical evidence you can avail of 13 weeks of paid sick leave per annum. You are not permitted to take up paid employment during a Leave of Absence. Please read the terms and conditions of your funding if applicable. If you decide to request a Leave of Absence please submit your request on PhD Manager once you have spoken with your supervisor.
If you need any further information or advice regarding attendance and absence regulations, please contact your supervisor or Postgraduate Tutor.
Working Environment
To support its Research, the School of Computing has a range of cutting-edge computing inside a dedicated laboratory space. This includes a suite of pervasive sensing technologies, image and video modelling tools and a large suite of computing and software resources including high performance PowerEdge Tower servers. These facilities are used to support the development, deployment and evaluation of connected solutions, data acquisition and semantic analysis of a user environments. Contact Idongesit Ekerete if you have any questions regarding access to equipment.
A desk within a shared office will be provided for you to work at whilst on campus. These are generally in open plan office space on Floor 4 or 5 within the BC block of the Belfast Campus. Offices are a mix of PhD Researchers and Research Staff. You should endeavour to make use of the knowledge you have available in your office. Typically, this space will include a clear desk space, a comfortable computing chair, 24” monitor and a locker to store personal items.
It is Researchers responsibility to keep these spaces tidy and to clear the space when leaving at the end of the PhD journey.
Each shared office offers a kitchen with Quooker tap and fridge. The Belfast Campus offers a range of catering facilities. Details of these can be found online. Hydration Stations are located at most stair and lift cores across all Belfast campus buildings.
The Doc, located in BC-06-225, is a shared social space for use by all PhD researchers, and this space also includes a small kitchen area and areas to meet and socialize with other PhD researchers.
Where possible, a Desktop or Laptop computer will be provided for you if needed. This should be discussed with your supervisors. In some cases, a new desktop/ laptop will need to be purchased. If this is the case, money may be used from your Research Training Grant to support essential equipment.
Your Supervisors can advise you further on this. For Self-funded Researchers, it is expected that they will supply their own computing equipment.
Digital Services provide information on how to print including how to access multifunction devices (MFD) that will allow you to print, copy and scan documents. More information can be found on their website. PhD Researchers within the school can access £50 of printing credits. Speak to the research area administrator to arrange this.
School of Computing
The School of Computing is part of the Faculty of Computing, Engineering, and the Built Environment and is comprised of two focused research groups in Pervasive Computing and Artificial Intelligence, which sit within the Computer Science and Informatics research area. The School is also home to three industrially focused Innovation centres, BT Ireland Innovation Centre (BTIIC), the Connected Health Innovation Centre (CHIC) and the Advanced Research and Engineering Centre (ARC).
Computer Science and Informatics
World-leading research in intelligent systems, assistive technologies, next generation networks, and semantic analytics.
Subject Specific Training
In addition to the Researcher Development Programme (RDP) at Ulster which covers generic research and transferable skills, the School occasionally offers focused training courses on technical aspects including writing, . If you have an idea for a training course which you feel may be useful for a number of Researchers within the School; please contact the Postgraduate Tutor or Research Director. Your Research Training Grant can also be used to attend more specific training needs as agreed with your supervisors.
Research Seminars
The School of Computing organises a Series of Research Seminars. These consist of External Researchers, Internal Staff and PhD Researchers. Seminars run Wednesday at 1:15-2:15.
All PhD Researchers are expected to attend these Research Seminars. This provides two important aspects of your research training:
- developing an awareness of research in related science and technology fields,
- and learning the practical skill of presenting your research, which can also be developed through observing how other people present.
Details of research seminars are published online and are disseminated through email to all staff within the school. Please make sure you are receiving these and if not contact the school office to be added to the mailing list.
In addition to the Research Seminar Series, the School runs several other research seminars throughout the year. These included academic and industrial speakers from a range of computing and engineering disciplines. PhD researchers are also encouraged to attend these.
Health and Safety
Laboratory and Office Safety
It is everyone’s duty to ensure a safe working environment. Your first point of contact if you have a health and safety query should be your supervisor. The Schools Health and Safety Co-Ordinator is Stephen Seeds. Risk assessments are carried out and updated annually. First Aid/ Defibrillator available from Security- 22222 (DDI 02870123456).
In event of an emergency requiring Police, Fire or Ambulance dial (9)999 directly then contact security immediately on extension 22222 (DDI 02870123456). If working late you should make security aware and let them know when you leave.
Fire Safety
If you discover a fire, activate the alarm immediately using nearest break glass point. On hearing alarm:
- You must leave the building using the nearest available route by following the emergency exit signs
- You must go directly to the assembly point- Block BC
- Fredrick Street Exits – Fredrick Street Car Park
- York Lane/York Street Exits – Writers Square [Facing St Annes Entrance]
- You must not re-enter the building until told it is safe
Fire marshals sweep each floor in the event of an evacuation. The alarm is tested at 1:10pm and 5:55pm every Wednesday. During the test the alarm will sound for a short period of around 10-15 seconds. Any continuous sounding of the alarm is not a test and should be treated as a genuine alarm.
Travel and Procurement Procedures
All DfE-funded and VCRS PhD researchers are awarded a budget each year to be spent on developmental activities to support their research (for instance a training event, attending a conference, collecting data). Part-time, Self-funded and PhD researchers funded by research grants, should discuss what budget may be available with their Supervisors. Agreement for travel and accommodation must be sought from your supervisor prior to proceeding with any booking. Prior approval for all DfE/VCRS expenditure must be obtained from the Research Director/ Post Graduate Tutor.
To arrange travel or other expenses, PhD researchers will usually need to apply for Prior Approval through the Digital Claimant Portal. Once the Prior Approval is approved, this will generate a prior approval (PA) number and a nominal code. The cost centre, PA number and nominal code can be used to book travel through Selective Travel, the University’s travel agent.
Prior Approval
When travelling on University business it is important to secure a prior approval as this triggers the University's Insurance Policy.
Reimbursement
On return from your trip, an expense reimbursement link should be completed – including inputting the prior approval number and appropriate cost centre. Please upload all receipts and a copy of the exchange rate you have used. The University has rules on hotel room costs and note that alcohol cannot be charged. Retrospective applications for trips cannot be reimbursed as you will not have a prior approval number. Expense claims need to be made within 90 days of trip.
Travel Insurance
The University has a travel insurance policy, which covers all members of staff and students whilst travelling on University business, if the trip includes a flight and/or overnight accommodation. It is not necessary, therefore, to take out a personal travel policy for such journeys. A summary of the policy, together with other insurance information, is available on the Finance Department website.
PhD Equipment or Software Purchases
All purchases need to be approved by your supervisor firstly, and then sent to your research area administrator, Ursula Macdonald, copying in supervisor. Please note that expenses that do not have prior approval through the correct systems cannot be processed.
Demonstrating and Teaching Opportunities
Many PhD researchers help with teaching and marking within the School. For example, they may support workshops and demonstrate in the undergraduate practical laboratories. If you are interested, please discuss with your supervisor and inform the Postgraduate demonstrator coordinator: Dr Mark McCartney.
PhD Researchers can do up to 6 hours per week in demonstration. This can cover a range of practical skills including programming, professional issues and communication skills.
There may also be opportunities to take lectures and seminars, and to carry out assessment marking. All of these activities are useful for your CV should you wish to remain in academia.
Reasons to do lab demonstration:
- Builds your CV (particularly if you want to stay in academia).
- Gets you talking to staff you may not necessarily talk to.
- Gives you some extra money.
- Become a part of the wider team.
- It’s rewarding to help students!
Assessment Seminars
During your research journey, there are a number of key milestones which you will be expected to achieve within specific timeframes. This table provides you of an overview of what is expected of you.
General information about these milestones can be found on the doctoral college website.
The table below provides some guidelines of when each of these assessments will take place.
The School may adjust the timing in order to better accommodate the assessments within the academic calendar.
| Process | When | Accessed By? | Requirement | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Assessment | FT: 3 months PT: 6 months | Internal Examiner and Chairperson | 4 Page Report TurnItIn Report 15 Minute Presentation 15 Minutes Questions | Assess progress, identify and address any early issues and ensure training needs are being met. |
| Annual Report | May, annually | Research Director/ PGT | Online Form | Confirm re-registration based on progress Feedback on training programme/ issues |
| Confirmation Assessment | FT: 10 months PT: 20 Months | Internal Examiner and Chairperson | 30 Page Report Scientific Paper TurnItIn Report 20 Minute Presentation 20 Minutes Questions | Review of progress and confirm if research plan is likely to be commensurate of a PhD |
| Final Assessment | FT: 30 months PT: 60 Months | Supervisors and PGT | Progress update Thesis Outline Timeline to completion | Preparation and Planning towards timely submission and Viva |
| Thesis Submission and Viva | FT: 36 months PT: 72 months | Internal Examiner, External Examiner and Chairperson | Thesis (70-100k words) 2-3 Hour oral exam | Present and defend PhD thesis with experts Assessment made on the quality of science and contribution to knowledge |
The following sections provide School specific guidance for the Initial, Confirmation and Final assessment.
Dates and times for each of these assessments will be communicated to you by the School.
Assessment Seminars
After approximately 3-4 months (100 days) of full-time study, or 10 months part-time study, it is expected that postgraduate researchers will have developed a reasonable understanding of the problem area in which they are working and have some initial ideas on the likely contribution that their research will make. The 100 Day Viva seeks to ensure this level of progress has been achieved. Your supervisory team, in consultation with you, is required to review progress to date, identify any issues to be addressed and ensure that ongoing training needs are identified prior to this assessment taking place
Content
The assessment comprises a written and oral element. Researchers should discuss the details of their assessment with their supervisor before completing the application form in PhD Manager. In PhD Manager the Initial Assessment process is started by the Researcher. A date and time when the assessment will take place will be scheduled for you by the School.
Oral Presentation
The researcher is expected to give an oral presentation, using appropriate presentation materials e.g. PowerPoint, to an audience of other PhD Researchers, academic staff, including the Research’s supervisor(s), and the Assessment Panel.
The presentation will normally last between 10-15 minutes, followed by 5-10 minutes of questions, and should provide information on the:
- Project background
- Overall aim of the research
- Objectives to be achieved within the first 10 months (full-time) or 20 months (part-time) and the activities that will achieve those objectives.
- Summary of training to date and any training planned
Written Report
The oral presentation should be accompanied with a concise written report. The report, including references, should not exceed four A4 pages, including figures, references and any relevant additional information contained in appendices. Please use the standard margin sizes for a Microsoft Word Document (2.54cm) and a font size of at least 11pt for main text and no less than 8pt for references and figure captions. A Gantt Chart may be attached as an appendix. Please note that the internal reviewer is not required to read beyond the four pages limit, and you may be requested to resubmit should you exceed this limit.
Suggested contents for the plan include:
- Abstract/ Introduction
- An overview of Key Research Areas
- Research Plan: including Aims and Objectives
- Summary/ Conclusion
- References
An electronic version of the Written Report and presentation slides should be uploaded through PhD Manager at least two weeks prior to the presentation date. The submission date will be confirmed by the School Office.
Guidelines for this can be found here. This should also include a copy of your Turnitin similarity report from blackboard.
Note: You must complete the Research Integrity Course prior to completing your Initial Assessment application
Procedure
The School will be responsible for making the necessary arrangements for the assessment. The room and data projection equipment will be booked by the School, but the Researcher and/or supervisors should arrange any other additional equipment required and check that everything in the room is satisfactory shortly before the assessment.
In advance of the viva the researcher will be responsible for initiating the Initial Assessment form through PhD Manager. Once submitted the system will route the documentation to the Academic Excellence Executive Assistant within the School Office. This will enable them to organise the assessment meeting. You will be able to track the progress of your application via the Initial Assessment button on your main project dashboard.
The system will then notify the Supervisor to create their report for the Assessment Panel. Once the Supervisor has completed their report the system will notify the Chair of the Assessment Panel. Once the meeting has been held the Chair will complete the assessment report through PhD Manager. This is finally signed off by the Research Director.
For the Assessment, an Assessment Panel will be assembled. This will comprise of a reviewer (suggestions are requested from the supervisors) and an appointed chairperson. The other individuals present at the assessment will be the researcher, at least one supervisor and, possibly, an adviser, if one has been appointed. Other Researchers, their supervisors and assessment panel may also be present.
The Assessment Panel will provide a report on the Researcher’s progress through PhD Manager and make recommendations concerning his/her advancement and suitability for confirmation of registration status.
The Assessment Panel will normally consist of:
- Head of the Research Group or his/her nominee
- Internal Reviewer(s)
The reviewers will be attempting to answer six basic questions:
- Is the project clearly defined?
- Are the objectives realistic and achievable in the time available?
- Will the project provide adequate research training for the Researcher to at least MPhil level?
- Is the programme of work likely to provide a sufficient foundation for PhD study?
- Does the Researcher show evidence of at least a basic understanding of the problem, the nature of the approach being taken to investigate it and the relationship of the work to other research in the field?
- Are the supervisory arrangements satisfactory?
All PhD and MPhil researchers will undergo a formal assessment of progress, known as the confirmation assessment, usually towards the end of your first year (8-10months) for full time researchers or before the end of the second year (20 months) for part time researchers. The assessment includes a written submission along with a presentation. You will not normally be permitted to re-enrol into your second year (for full time, funded PhD Researchers) until the Doctoral College has received notification from the Faculty of successful completion of your Confirmation, so you should take this into account as it may impact on progression and payment of your stipend.
Content
The assessment comprises a written and oral element and should be organised in close co-operation with the project supervisors.
Written Report
The written element comprises two components. 1) Literature Review & 2. Sample Technical Paper.
- A Literature Review, including project plan, in the form of a Gantt chart, and thesis outline must be produced. It should not exceed 30 A4 pages including, references, and any relevant additional information contained in appendices. Please use the standard margin sizes for a Microsoft Word Document (2.54cm) and a font size of at least 11pt for main text and no less than 8pt for references and figure captions. Please note that the internal reviewer is not required to read beyond the 30 pages, and you may be requested to resubmit should you exceed this limit.
The Literature Review should:
- Identify the broad problem area in which the research is being undertaken.
- Identify the specific problem being addressed by the research.
- Summarise relevant work in that area.
- Conclude with a summary evaluation of previous work (possibly in tabular form) showing its strengths and weaknesses. This should reveal the knowledge gap(s) that the research is attempting to fill.
- Identify the primary aim of the research project including research questions to be addressed.
- Outline the plan of activity for the remaining period of study (including a Gantt chart).
- Provide a Thesis outline emphasising its structure and how it meets the research aims.
2. In addition to the written report, a sample paper must be submitted. This paper should take the form of a Journal or Conference paper in scientific notation, in the style of a publication relevant to the discipline, as identified by the supervisors. Ideally this paper should be of a technical nature.
An electronic version of the Written Report should be uploaded through PhD Manager at least two weeks prior to the presentation date. The submission date will be confirmed by the School Office. Guidelines for this can be found here. This should also include a copy of your Turnitin similarity report from blackboard.
Oral Presentation
The Researcher is expected to give an oral presentation to the Assessment Panel, using appropriate materials, e.g. PowerPoint, summarising the information contained in the written components. This is a closed session so only your Assessment panel and supervisors will be present.
The following points are suggested as guidelines (not requirements) for the presentation content:
- Aims of the research and planned contribution to knowledge
- Main points of the research so far, with a plan of activity for the remaining period
- Thesis outline, emphasising its logical structure and how it meets the aims of the research
- Conferences/journal publications/presentations to date or in hand
- Summary of training to date and any training planned
- Summary slide
A maximum of one hour is set aside for each viva. The presentation will last no longer than 20 minutes, followed by (up to) 30 minutes for the Panel to question the Researcher. The final 10-15 minutes will be a private discussion between the Panel and the supervisor(s).
Procedure
The School will be responsible for making the necessary arrangements for the assessment. The room and data projection equipment will be booked by the School, but the Researcher and/or supervisors should arrange any other additional equipment required and check that everything in the room is satisfactory before the assessment.
In advance of the viva the researcher will be responsible for initiating the Confirmation Assessment form through PhD Manager. Once submitted the system will route the documentation to the Academic Excellence Executive Assistant within the School Office. This will enable them to organise the assessment meeting. You will be able to track the progress of your application via the Confirmation Assessment button on your main project dashboard.
The system will then notify the Supervisor(s) to create their report for the Assessment Panel. Once the Supervisor(s) have completed their report the system will notify the Chair of the Assessment Panel. Once the meeting has been held the Chair will complete the assessment report through PhD Manager. This is finally signed off by the Research Director.
For the Assessment, an Assessment Panel, comprising a reviewer (suggestions are requested from the supervisors) and an appointed chairperson. The other individuals present at the assessment will be the Researcher, at least one supervisor and, possibly, an adviser, if one has been appointed.
The Assessment Panel will provide a report on the Researcher’s progress through PhD Manager and make recommendations concerning his/her advancement and suitability for confirmation of registration status.
The Panel may make recommendations concerning the direction of the work and are empowered to recommend re-assessment after an agreed period, if the case for confirmation of registration status has not yet been established.
The Assessment Panel will consider the following questions:
- Have the objectives of the first 10 (20) months’ period of work been achieved?
- Was the presentation clear and informative?
- Is the written report appropriate to the expected standard?
- Is a provisional timeline for completion of the project in place?
- Is completion of the project likely in three to four years, in light of early review and/or refinement of the original proposal?
- Is the methodology appropriate and clearly explained?
- Has the researcher demonstrated adequate development of problem solving and organisational skills?
- Has the researcher attended relevant training and has the Training Needs been updated?
- Has essential training e.g. Research Integrity Course and project related training been either completed or scheduled?
- Is the practice component(s) where appropriate adequately developed or planned?
- Are all permissions granted to authorise the PhD researcher to carry out the project (e.g. ethical approval(s), AccessNI check, risk assessment)?
- Does the supervisory arrangement remain appropriate?
To help prepare for the final submission of your thesis and the examination, the final assessment of progress will take place within thirty months (full-time) and sixty months (part-time) of initial registration.
The final assessment will take the form of a structured meeting and report about Thesis progress. This meeting will be undertaken in collaboration with your Supervisors. You should prepare the following for discussion.
Content and Procedure
The following describes the content and procedure for the Final Assessment within the School of Computing.
- You should first talk to your supervisors to set up a meeting for the Final Assessment.
- Once identified, you should begin the Final Assessment process through PhD Manager. This will allow for the formal assessment to be made by your Supervisors.
- Agree with your Supervisors what materials are needed for the assessment. A template has been created to help with this and should include:
- A Review of the original research plan outlined in Confirmation Assessment. Including a discussion of whether or not this has been completed, to what extent and why this is the case.
- A thesis structure- highlighting key headings and knowledge contributions for each section.
- A submission timeline- planning what work still needs to be completed, when you will begin writing of your thesis, when your supervisors will receive a first draft and when you should receive feedback. This should also include a realistic submission date for the final thesis.
- Identification of External Examiner for your thesis defence
- You should aim to submit these materials at least two weeks in advance of your meeting to allow your supervisors to prepare for the Final Assessment meeting.
- Following the assessment of these materials, the Supervisor will provide some comments/ feedback through PhD Manager. This should include:
- A description on the current state of the writing-up.
- Comment on how far the researcher is from completion and if the current plan/timetable is feasible?
- Are there any developments that are cause for concern?
- Is any particular action needed to ensure a timely completion?
- Any other comments, on Researcher or supervision?
These comments will be shared with the Researcher, through PhD manager and discussed with the Researcher by the supervisor.
- Once submitted by the supervisor, this assessment will be passed to the Research Director for final approval through PhD Manager.
Any questions regarding this assessment should be discussed with your supervisors or the Postgraduate Tutor.
Thesis Format
Generic guidance on thesis format can be found under the Doctoral College Thesis Format guide. Examples of Thesis can be found on Pure or via the British Library.
There is no official template for the Thesis. However, a Latex template has helpfully been produced by Dr Colin Shewell.
This template is provided as an aid, without warranty, you have responsibility to ensure that the thesis is produced in line with the format guidelines mentioned above.
Citation Style
When documenting research, the consistent and correct use of a single Citation Style is fundamental. There are many systems available, and publishers of books and journals will outline their specific requirements within their author guidelines. For internal publications within School of Computing, the IEEE system is typically used.
REF works software can be used to manage your references. The library runs training every two weeks on this software. The software can be accessed through the Ulster University library databases.
Disseminating and Publishing your Research
- Publishing and Your Research Profile
- Open Access and Application for Article Processing Charges (APC)
The Faculty strongly encourages researchers, in conjunction with their supervisors, to write up significant findings from their research for publication in a refereed academic journal. Issues around authorship and publishing should be discussed between PhD researchers and their supervisors early in the PhD so that both researcher and supervisor are clear about arrangements. It is normally the case that the PhD researcher is named as a lead author on work from their PhD with their supervisors named as co-authors. Any additional named authors on PhD work, outside of the supervisory team, would be in exceptional circumstances and this should be discussed and agreed between PhD researchers and their supervisors at an early stage.
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.
Driven by the open science initiatives around the world, and along with the growing number of open access journals, the School is experiencing an increasing demand for the payment of Article Processing Fees (APF) / Article Processing Charges (APC) from members of staff. With limited research budget, the School would like to provide the following guidance for researchers who want to pursue Open Access (OA) publication.
There are different levels of open access, e.g. Gold OA, Green OA and Bronze OA. While Gold OA usually incurs significant amount of costs, Green OA is free, including Institutional repositories such as PURE. When depositing a paper into PURE, the paper is already made Green OA.
Our University has agreements with many publishers, including IEEE, ACM, Springer, Elsevier and Wiley, to cover open-access fees if the corresponding author is from UU. The University Library has a website from which researchers can check which journals are free for OA.
There are significant efforts to promote open access for public funded research from the UK, EU and the world. Along with this, funding bodies have also included funding support for OA spending in the funded project grants.
The criteria for funding a Gold OA publication
A key factor for Gold OA is if the paper is
- REFable for REF UoA11 (Computer Science and Informatics), based on the REF output quality criteria, namely originality, significance and rigour, and
- of strategic importance promoting our School’s research areas or themes.
It is worth drawing your attention to recent complaints that have been made against some scientific publishers suspected of carrying out unethical practices of predatory publishing without the due process of peer review to uphold the scientific rigor in exchange for high publication fees, mostly paid with public money.
Further information for reference can be found here and some journals from Springer, Wiley, MDPI, Taylor & Francis and Hindawi have been de-listed from WoS.
It is strongly recommended that Researchers target internationally reputed or community recognised conferences and journals in the areas of your research.
It is also worth highlighting that the overall expectation from the University would be that most publications would be Green OA, due to the facts that funding available to support Gold OA is very limited, and that in most cases there are many suitable Green OA journals of high standing to choose from.
The process to secure the funding support
Any researcher who intends to choose the Gold OA route should obtain approval before the submission of manuscript, PhD researchers should first agree with their supervisors on Gold OA publication, and then contact the postgraduate tutor to check the availability of funding and justify the case for support.
The levels of funding support
The following considerations will be taken into account,
- how much funding support the member of staff has already received from the School/Research Centre.
- costs should usually be shared by all authors, in particular, for project related publications involving partners from other countries.
This is guidance for researchers within the School of Computing. For interpretation and further details or clarification, please contact the Research Director or Postgraduate Tutor.
Where To Get Help
The Doctoral College website contains many Frequently Asked Questions covering topics such as administration, funding, training, ethical approval, relationships and support, and international. For questions relating to your research or administrative process please contact the Research Director, Post Graduate Tutor or Administrative support directly.
There are a number of places you can look for help on policies and procedures.
- This Handbook - To save time, please check this Handbook first. It covers the most common issues affecting PhD Researchers within the School.
- PhD Manager - Information on the various processes and forms involved with research study at Ulster can be found online in PhD manager.
- Your Supervisors - Consult your supervisors on all academic matters. The formal obligations and responsibilities of your supervisor are explained in the University Handbook.
- Postgraduate Tutor - For any queries regarding academic policies within the school or pastoral support.
- Administrative Assistant - For queries regarding equipment, travel, budgets and general administration.
- Administrative problems - For issues concerning your funding, registration, fees etc, contact the Doctoral College directly.
- General Enquiries - ask at the School Office Room BC-04-116/203.
- Student Support - For complex problems around family, finances, health, disability, or other issues affecting your general welfare you should make an appointment to see a Student Support.
- Occupational Health - for information regarding occupational health and the services available.
- First Aid/ Defibrillator available from Security- 22222 (DDI 02870123456). In event of an emergency requiring Police, Fire or Ambulance dial (9)999 directly then contact security immediately on extension 22222 (DDI 02870123456).