MAKING THE MOST O

F

YOUR RELAT

IONSHIP WITH

YOUR SUPERVISOR

K E L L Y P R E E C E

R E S E A R C H E R D E V E L O P M E N T P R O G R A M M E M A N A G E R ( P G R S )

Researcher Led Initiatives2015-2016

Professional Development by & for Researchers

6 x £1,000 Awards for Early Career Research Only Staff

8 X £500 Awards for Postgraduate Research Students

Closing Date for Applications: 8th January 2016

www.exeter.ac.uk/rdp/funding/awards

RESEARCHER DEVELOPMENT

www.exeter.ac.uk/rdp/

WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM TODAY’S COURSE?

SESSION OUTLINE

Understanding the role of your supervisorsGreat expectationsMaking the most of your supervisorsCommon pitfalls Dealing with conflictOpen discussion

PART 1: UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF YOUR SUPERVISORS

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF SUPERVISOR?

THE ROLE OF THE SUPERVISORS

Interested in your research Available to discuss your conclusions and

ideas Able to provide feedback on your progress Able to provide feedback on your written work

THE ROLE OF YOUR SUPERVISORS

Encouraging you to participate in group meetings, seminars and occasional conferences

Developing your professional research qualities by example

Supportive of your professional development …whether in research or beyond…

YOUR SUPERVISORS ARE NOT…

‘…your boss, your employer, your colleague, your best friend, your editor, your search engine, your wet nurse’

(Marshall and Green, 2010: 27)

‘Your supervisor supervises you and your approach to you work. They don’t generally tell you what to do, or what not to do, but they might warn you off some things and try to steer you towards others. As with all advice, you can take it or leave it.’

(Marshall and Green, 2010: 27-28)

WHAT ELSE WILL YOUR SUPERVISORS BE DOING?

Planning and preparing taught modulesTeaching undergraduate and Masters

studentsMarking vast quantities of coursework and

examsActing as personal tutor to undergraduate

studentsWriting research proposals

Carrying out and keeping up to date with research

Trying to secure funding Attending and presenting at conferencesPublishing new research Attending department and university

meetings

Serving on university committeesManaging their own office (word

processing, email etc.)Supervising other PhD studentsSocial life, home and family time… plus

much more…

PART 2: GREAT EXPECTATIONS

WHAT DO YOUR SUPERVISORS EXPECT OF YOU?

SUPERVISORS EXPECT YOU

To be independent (not simply to do as you’re told but use your initiative!)

To have your own ideasTo be able to communicate clearly in oral and

written form To submit written material(s) in good time

before planned supervision meetings

To seek advice and comments on your workTo attend regular supervision meetingsTo be honest in reporting progress (or lack of!)To follow any reasonable advice given when it

has been requested by the student

To be committed and enthusiastic about their research project

Join/contribute to the research culture of the school

To have a general understanding of the field

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM YOUR SUPERVISORS?

POSTGRADUATE RESEARCHERS EXPECT SUPERVISORS

To supervise themTo provide support in the annual report/review

processTo provide guidance on areas of research

training need(s)To read your work in advance of the

supervision time

To be available for advice when neededTo be friendly, open and supportiveTo be constructively criticalTo have a broad understanding of the

research areaTo structure supervision meetings to allow an

open exchange of ideas and advice

These are a lot of expectations

PART 3: MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR SUPERVISORS

YOUR SUPERVISOR’S SKILLS

They know what it takes to get a PhD

They have one themselves

They will offer you different skills over the period of your research programme

YOUR SUPERVISOR’S SKILLS

At the start:

Identifying a good question (…?) Knowing what has already been done (…?)Anticipating when a problem will be too hard or too easy

In the middle:

Watching over the ‘bigger’ pictureNudging you in good directionsIdentifying common pitfallsKeeping an eye on the clock

THE BALANCE OF KNOWLEDGE

Knowledge of your thesis subject over time

Supervisor

You

WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP LIKE?Which pair (if any) fits your current

relationship with your supervisor?

Which of these roles do you think reflect your supervisor's style and approaches to supervision at this stage?

Which would you prefer it to be?

Part of making the most of your supervisor is understanding their approach, your expectations, and how to match up the two

MANAGING THE SUPERVISION PROCESS

In order to get the most out of your supervision you should take control of the process using some of the following suggestions…

From Vitae https://www.vitae.ac.uk/doing-research/doing-a-doctorate/starting-a-doctorate/supervision-and-key-relationships

Discuss and agree key issues, e.g. authorship of papers, research ethics and

intellectual property, at the start of the project

Be proactive and arrange formal supervisory meetings 

Prepare an agenda and send it to your supervisor in advance 

Prepare some work before each meeting to provide some focus to the meeting. Early on in your project you might just produce a list of what you have read or done, but as the

project develops you are likely to be able to give data, analysis, papers, presentations

and early drafts of chapters. 

Expect to receive feedback and criticism and use this to improve your work 

Deal with problems as they arise. Often these will be related to technical or resource issues

but also be prepared to discuss issues around the style and frequency of

supervision. Supervisors generally want to do a good job so if you make suggestions for improvements they will usually be willing to

try them 

Summarise meetings and keep a copy for your own record and send one to your

supervisor. This will help to ensure follow-up on any actions and will highlight

any misunderstandings

FURTHER TIPS

Lots of regular posts on supervision on http://thesiswhisperer.com/category/you-and-your-supervisor/

PART 4: COMMON PITFALLS

WHAT ARE THE COMMON PITFALLS?

COMMUNICATION

COMMUNICATE!Keep the communication ‘channels’ open!

Most problems in life are caused ineffective communication

Nearly all PhD/doctoral failures (less than 1%) can be attributed to a break down in communication between student and supervisory team!

PART 5: DEALING WITH CONFLICT

DEALING WITH CONFLICT BETWEEN SUPERVISORS ‘Describe the situation that bothers you,

being as specific as you can (for instance: “When you two disagree I go back to work confused about what to do next”).’

Source: Mum and Dad are fighting – what should I do?

www.thesiswhisperer.com

DEALING WITH CONFLICT BETWEEN SUPERVISORS ‘Express your feelings about the situation

(“When I am confused I get stressed I find it difficult to write anything”).’

Source: Mum and Dad are fighting – what should I do?

www.thesiswhisperer.com

DEALING WITH CONFLICT BETWEEN SUPERVISORS‘Empathize with the position the other

person is in (“I realise you both have strong views and want to give me your best advice”).’

Source: Mum and Dad are fighting – what should I do?

www.thesiswhisperer.com

DEALING WITH CONFLICT BETWEEN SUPERVISORS‘Explain the consequences (“But if I stay

this stressed and confused I am going to get behind in my work”)’

Source: Mum and Dad are fighting – what should I do?

www.thesiswhisperer.com

DEALING WITH CONFLICT BETWEEN SUPERVISORS‘Specify what you want from your supervisors

(“It would be very helpful if you could agree in advance on the options which are possible and then explain their advantages and disadvantages in a way that helps us all make a collective decision on what to do”).’

Source: Mum and Dad are fighting – what should I do?

www.thesiswhisperer.com

DEALING WITH CONFLICT WITH YOUR SUPERVISORS

COMPROMISE!

DEALING WITH CONFLICT

Speak to your other supervisorsApproach a colleague of theirsFind your staff-student liaison officerApproach the Dean

DEALING WITH CONFLICTIf all else fails, you can “change” your

supervisor•Formally or informally•Funding may be an issue•Not just because “you don’t like them”•Has to be agreed and approved by Faculty, via your school and the postgraduate office

Consider the following resources and discussion threads available at www.thesiswhisper.com ‘How to tell your supervisor you want a divorce’.

FURTHER RESOURCES

Teaching and Quality Assurance Manual: it is your responsibility to discuss issues with your supervisory team and to check regulations

http://as.exeter.ac.uk/support/admin/staff/qualityassuranceandmonitoring/tqamanual/

PART 6: OPEN DISCUSSION

THANK YOU!

researcherdevelopment@exeter.ac.uk

www.exeter.ac.uk/as/rdp

@UofE_RD