Purpose
After approximately 3-4 months (100 days) of full-time postgraduate study, or after 10 months in the case of part-time mode of attendance, it is expected that PhD Researchers will have developed a reasonable understanding of the area of research in which they are working and will have some initial ideas on the likely contribution to knowledge that it will make to the subject(s) concerned. The initial assessment seeks to ensure that this level of progress has been achieved.
The dates of the initial assessment will be notified to Postgraduate Researchers by Charly Mifsud, Academic Excellence Executive Assistant, School of Engineering.
Content
The assessment process comprises both a written and an oral element and addressing these requirements should be organized in close co-operation with the project Supervisors.
PhD Researchers are expected to give an oral presentation, using appropriate materials, e.g. PowerPoint, to an Assessment Panel including one or more of their Supervisors, a reviewer and a chairperson appointed by the Research Director.
The presentation will normally last 10 minutes and will then be followed by 10 minutes of questions. It should provide information on:
- 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 be undertaken to achieve these objectives.
- Type of training and equipment required to advance the project.
- Gantt chart indicating plans over the next 9 months.
The associated written element should be presented as a concise Research Plan, in font Arial 12 with 1.5 line spacing not exceeding four A4 pages in length, excluding appendices and a Gantt chart (as presented in the oral element). Please note that the reviewers are not required to read beyond the four-page limit.
Assessment Criteria
The Panel will be seeking to answer the following core questions:
- Is the project clearly defined?
- Are the objectives realistic and achievable in the time period available?
- Will the project provide adequate research training for the student to at least MPhil level?
- Is the program of work likely to provide a sufficient foundation for PhD study?
- Does the student show evidence of at least a basic understanding of the research topic, 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, including meeting schedules, satisfactory?
- Is the student content with the research environment?
Note: Supervisors are required to complete a short report on PhD Manager prior to the assessment meeting. Assessors are asked to email the Chair of the assessment panel with a short paragraph of their comments two days prior to the initial assessment.
Procedure
- An Assessment Panel, comprising a reviewer (suggestions are requested from the Supervisors) and a Chairperson, will be appointed by the RD/PGT. The other individuals present at the assessment will be the PhD Researcher, at least one Supervisor and, possibly, an adviser, if one has been appointed.
- Your initial assessment report should be submitted to and assessed via PhD Manager. Once you receive the date of your assessment, please log into PhD Manager and click on PhD Research Project followed by Initial Assessment to initiate the process.
A training video is available at the following link to guide you through this process.
- Your report needs to be uploaded no later than 10 calendar days before your initial assessment. The report you upload should be approved by your Supervisor as the final version - changes to the submitted document cannot be made.
- PhD Researchers also need tosubmit the report document to Turnitin for a plagiarism check. The process to obtain your Turnitin report is straightforward – simply access the relevant area within Blackboard, enter your usual password and select ‘Courses’. From here, you should see ‘PhD Researchers Turnitin’. You then just need to click on the icon for your Faculty and follow the upload instructions. Within Blackboard, there are various guides on submitting an assignment, which you may follow if you have any difficulties. Additional support can be provided by the admin staff within the School.
- Once you have uploaded your assignment through the link you just need to login again after a period of time (usually 30 minutes or so) and click on the link again. You will then see your Turnitin report instead of an option to upload. It is important that you do not use this system to ‘test’ your submissions or work at any stage as this will affect the final Turnitin report, which will show a higher similarity index than expected.
- Note that you should upload the FULL Turnitin report not just the submission receipt.
Purpose
Within the first year of study, at approximately month 10 for full-time PhD Researchers and month 20 for part-time Researchers (assuming there are no exceptional circumstances), PhD researchers shall apply to Senate for confirmation of their registration status. As a result of this assessment the student will either have his/her PhD registration status confirmed, will be invited to transfer registration and continue studying for the degree of MPhil or will be withdrawn from study – the process is again conducted via PhD Manager.
Content
The assessment comprises written and oral elements and should be organised in close co-operation with the project Supervisors.
1) The written element comprises two components:
a) A Literature Review, in font Arial 12 with 1.5 line spacing and margins 2.5 cm, not exceeding 30 A4 pages, including any relevant additional information contained in appendices. Please note that the reviewer is not required to read beyond the 30 pages limit. References are not included within the 30-page limit.
The Literature Review should:
- Identify the area in which the student's research is being undertaken.
- Describe the problem being addressed.
- Summarise relevant work in that area.
- Conclude with a summary evaluation of previous work (possibly in tabular form) showing strengths and weaknesses. This should reveal the knowledge gap(s) that the student's research is attempting to fill.
b) A progress update, a written summary of the work completed to date, not exceeding 10 A4 pages.
The progress update should:
- Identify the primary aim of the research project.
- Summarize the work completed to date, and identify any conferences, publications or presentations to date or planned for the near future.
- Outline the plan of activity for the remaining period of study (including a Gantt chart).
- Summarize the thesis outline emphasizing the structure and how it meets the research aims.
The progress report and literature review should be merged and uploaded to PhD manager as one document.
2) Oral Presentation
PhD Researchers are expected to give an oral presentation to the Assessment Panel, using appropriate materials, e.g. PowerPoint, summarising the information contained in the written components. The following points are suggested as guidelines for the presentation content:
- Title slide.
- Background to the problem.
- Aims of the research and planned contribution to knowledge.
- Progress to date, 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 proposed.
- Summary slide.
Assessment
A maximum of one hour is set aside for each Confirmation Assessment. The presentation will normally last between 10-15 minutes, followed by up to 30 minutes for the Panel to question the student and Supervisors(s). The final 10-15 minutes will be a private discussion between the Panel and the Supervisor(s). The Researcher will then be invited back into the room to hear the outcome of the assessment.
The Assessment Panel will consider the following questions:
- Have the objectives of the first 10 (20) months period of work been achieved?
- Is the proposed programme of work a logical extension of the completed studies?
- Are the defined objectives likely to be achieved with the available resources?
- Is the work likely to provide adequate research training to doctorate level for the student?
- Is the work sufficiently well defined to (potentially) provide publishable work within a 12-18 (24-30) month period?
- Can the practical studies be completed within the next 18-20 (30) month period?
- Does the student show evidence of ability to critically evaluate the work and place it within the context of related studies?
- Are the Supervisors satisfied with the student’s progress to date?
- Is the student satisfied with the current Supervisory arrangements?
- Should the student be permitted to confirm registration status of PhD?
Note: Supervisors are required to complete a short report on PhD Manager prior to the assessment meeting. Assessors are asked to email the Chair of the assessment panel with a short paragraph of their comments 2 days prior to the initial assessment.
Procedure
- An Assessment Panel, comprising a reviewer (usually the same reviewer as the initial assessment) and a chairperson, will be appointed by the RD / PGT. The other individuals present at the viva will be the PhD Researcher, at least one Supervisor and, possibly, an adviser, if one has been appointed.
- Upon receipt of the date for your confirmation assessment, please log in to PhD Manager and click on the PhD Research Project followed by Confirmation Assessment to initiate the process. A training video is available at the following link to guide you through this process.
- All paperwork needs to be uploaded no later than calendar 10 days before your confirmation assessment. The reports you upload are final and cannot be changed so please ensure they the reports have been discussed with your Supervisor and are correct at the time of upload.
- PhD Researchers need to submit the document to Turnitin for a plagiarism check. The process to obtain your Turnitin report is as described in the initial assessment guide. It is important that you do not use this system to ‘test’ your submissions or work at any stage as this will affect the final Turnitin report, which will show a higher similarity index than expected.
Purpose
To help prepare for the final submission of your thesis and the viva examination, the Final Assessment will take place at 30 months (full-time) and 60 months (part-time) of initial registration.
The Final Assessment will take the form of a structured meeting to discuss progress towards completion of your Thesis. The meeting will be undertaken in collaboration with your Supervisors. In advance of the meeting PhD Researchers should complete the Final Assessment Template (available on SharePoint or via Charly Mifsud), which will help prompt the discussion at the meeting with Supervisor.
Content and Procedure
- PhD Researchers should first talk to your Supervisors to set up a meeting for the Final Assessment. The School administrator will also prompt Researchers and Supervisors to plan the final assessment.
- Once the meeting date has been identified, you should begin the Final Assessment process through PhD Manager. This will allow for the formal assessment to be made by your Supervisors.
- The Final Assessment Template should be used to record details of the assessment:
- A review of the research plan submitted during the Confirmation Assessment should be undertaken (the aims and objectives of the thesis and thesis structure should be updated and agreed). Key findings and contributions to knowledge could be identified within each section/chapter of the proposed thesis plan.
- A submission timeline – plan the work required to complete your PhD and submit in a timely fashion, identify when you will begin writing your thesis, when/how your Supervisors will receive a first draft/chapters and when/how you will receive feedback on the submissions. A realistic submission date for the final thesis should be agreed.
- A discussion of potential External Examiners for your viva (thesis defence) may be undertaken.
- You should aim to submit the required Template 10 days in advance of your meeting to allow your Supervisors to prepare for the Final Assessment meeting. Submissions of the Final Assessment Template should be made using PhD Manager.
- Following the assessment, your Supervisor will provide comments/feedback (through PhD Manager). This should include:
- A short description of progress to date.
- Comment on how far the PhD Researcher is from completion and if the current plan/timetable is feasible. Proposed key dates associated with preparation of the final thesis should be included, likely within the Assessment Template. The expected submission date should be stated.
- If required, a statement of difficulties/issues encountered or significant events preventing timely submission should be included.
- If required, a statement detailing additional support required to ensure thesis submission.
- Any other comments.
Feedback should be shared with the PhD Researcher and discussed at the next Supervisory meeting.
The submission of your thesis and Final Viva process is carried out on PhD Manager.
Please speak with your Supervisor and refer to the Doctoral College website for guidance on preparing your thesis. Doctoral College organise regular training events to help you prepare for your final viva and your Supervisory team will usually conduct a mock viva close to the date of your final viva.
A range of Guides on PhD Manager give you step-by-step instructions on submission of your thesis - pay particular attention to sections 9.1, 9.2 and 9.3.
Please read the information carefully and ensure you and your Supervisory Team are aware of what is expected when completing this process on PhD Manager. Contact Charly Mifsud if you need support.
It is the responsibility of the Supervisors to select and liaise with Examiners in advance of the Viva. A guide for Supervisors is available in Section 9.3 of the PhD Manager website.
