Resource library

In this Q&A series, Dr Heledd Jarosz-Griffiths (Researcher Development Advisor, PGR Development at the University of Leeds) and Dr Joanna Royle (Researcher Development Manager at the University of Glasgow) will discuss creating methods of communities of support around UKCGE’s RSRP – specifically discussing writing and discussion groups – detailing what has worked well at Leeds and Glasgow, ways in which other Researcher Development Teams can create support, and the benefits of reflective practice in supervision. In Part 2 of this series, Joanna discusses creating writing groups and spaces for community connection and reflection at the University of Glasgow, as well as across ScotHERD more broadly.

In this Q&A series, Dr Heledd Jarosz-Griffiths (Researcher Development Advisor, PGR Development at the University of Leeds) and Dr Joanna Royle (Researcher Development Manager at the University of Glasgow) will discuss creating methods of communities of support around UKCGE’s RSRP – specifically discussing writing and discussion groups – detailing what has worked well at Leeds and Glasgow, ways in which other Researcher Development Teams can create support, and the benefits of reflective practice in supervision. In Part 1 of this series, Heledd addresses creating programming around RSRP at the University of Leeds, focusing particularly on the Associate Award pathway.

The UKCGE’s Research Supervision Recognition Programme (RSRP) offers an opportunity for research supervisors to develop their practice and attain official recognition for their supervisory work through structured self-reflection. As a portion of RSRP, successful applicants are asked to take on reviewer responsibilities as a method by which to support others in the programme and to continue to create cross-community conversation and collaboration.

From August 1st 2025, higher education institutions in England will be required by the regulator, the Office for Students, to comply with a set of conditions around tackling harassment and sexual misconduct.

In this interview, Anna Bull discusses the E6 regulations, how institutions can comply with the conditions, and how institutions can better address harassment and sexual misconduct.

In advance of the 9th International Conference on Professional & Practice Based Doctorates, Professor Carol Costley provides a retrospective on the conference series, discussing professional and practice-based doctorates. Carol details the origin of the conference series and the development and progression of professional and practice-based doctorates internationally since the first iteration of the conference. In this interview, she discusses understanding the impact and outcomes of professional and practice-based doctorates, their engagement with reflective practice, and how they can enhance access and equity within the doctoral landscape.

In this report, Dr Senthila Quirke and Dr Alex Standen present the findings of a survey regarding the support and development available to doctoral researchers who become Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) in UK universities, and offer recommendations to improve their experiences.

In part two of this series based on a UKCGE interview with Dr Gillian Houston, former chair and vice-chair of UKCGE, Gill discusses the viva within its contextual bounds – analysing the different modes of examination that other countries enact, how the viva fits into different degree forms, attributes examiners look for while carrying out the viva, and how PGRs can better prepare themselves of the modern day viva. 

This resource is a continuation of part one of the discussion with Gill, focused on understanding the process, positives, and challenges of the viva. This dialogue comes as a discussion of Gill and Ingrid Lunt’s recent article publication titled, The final examination of the UK PhD: fit for purpose?

In this series, Dr Gillian Houston, former chair of UKCGE, discusses her recent publication The final examination of the UK PhD: fit for purpose?, written with Ingrid Lunt and published in July 2024. Gill is currently an independent researcher, having completed her own PhD in 2018 focused on the processes, attributes, and outcomes of the PhD examination in the UK. Gill is a long-standing member of the UK Council for Graduate Education’s governing body, latterly as chair and vice-chair, completing her term of office in July 2021. Her research work focuses on the topic of doctoral education and assessment.

In part one of this interview-based series, Gill discusses the processes of the viva, discussing the challenges and positives of the final PhD examination.

Stan is an Honorary Life Member of the UK Council for Graduate Education and an Honorary Member of the Association of Professionals in Doctoral Education. He authored the UKCGE Good Supervisory Practice Framework and was the architect of the Research Supervision Recognition Programme. He was also the founding chair of its Research Supervisors’ Network and compiler of its Research Supervisor’s Bibliography. In this interview, Stan discusses the major changes to the supervisory landscape since the past edition and the potential trajectory of the sector of the next couple of years.