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Handbook for CASE Students 2020-21
Handbook for CASE Students2020-21
Purpose of the Guide
This handbook provides a wide range of information for all MIBTP students.
Please note that information is also provided on the MIBTP welcome pages and the student resource portal, where any updates to information through the year will be posted.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this guide is accurate. Where any discrepancy exists, the regulations of your registered university will have primacy over any other source of information.
If there is anything not covered in either this handbook or on the webpages listed above, please contact the MIBTP team directly by email - [email protected].
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INTRODUCTION AND WELCOME TO MIBTP 6
YEAR 1 INTERACTIVE TRAINING PROGRAMME 7
1. INDUCTION 8
1.1 MACBOOKS 8
1.2 REGISTRATION 8
1.3 PRE-ARRIVAL AT WARWICK (FOR NON-WARWICK STUDENTS) 8
1.4 PRE-ARRIVAL AT WARWICK (FOR UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK STUDENTS) 9
1.5 EVERYONE: BEFORE YOU ARRIVE AT WARWICK 9
1.6 REGISTERING AT ASTON UNIVERSITY (FOR NON-ASTON STUDENTS) 10
1.7 REGISTERING AT BIRMINGHAM (FOR NON-BIRMINGHAM STUDENTS) 11
1.8 REGISTERING AT HARPER ADAMS UNIVERSITY (FOR NON-HAU STUDENTS) 11
1.9 REGISTERING AT LEICESTER (FOR NON-LEICESTER STUDENTS) 11
1.10 ACCOMMODATION & TRAVEL DURING THE TRAINING YEAR 12
1.11 CHANGE OF UNIVERSITY POLICY 12
2. TAUGHT MODULES 13
2.1 QUANTITATIVE SKILLS MODULE 13
2.2 SCIENCE COMMUNICATION 14
2.3 RESPONSIBLE RESEARCH AND INNOVATION 14
3. MASTERCLASSES 14
4. MINI-PROJECTS 15
5. PROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIP FOR PHD STUDENTS - PIPS 16
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6. COURSE WORK INFORMATION 17
6.1 MARKING GUIDELINES 17
6.2 COURSEWORK DEADLINES, PENALTIES AND EXTENSIONS 19
6.3 FIRST YEAR SCORE 19
6.4 INFORMATION SHARING ACROSS THE COLLABORATION 19
6.5 PLAGIARISM 20
7. PHD PROJECT 20
7.1 MIBTP REQUIREMENTS FOR PHD PROJECTS 20
7.2 CHANGING YOUR MIND ABOUT YOUR PHD PROJECT OR SUPERVISOR 20
7.3 PHD THESIS SUBMISSION 21
8. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT 21
8.1 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN 21
9. COHORT MEETINGS AND EVENTS 22
10. FINANCES 22
10.1 CORE PAYMENTS 22
10.2 ADDITIONAL SUPPORT 23
11. YEARS 2– 4 23
12. IMPORTANT INFORMATION 24
12.1 ATTENDANCE MONITORING 24
12. 2 PERSONAL DETAILS AND E-MAIL ACCOUNTS 24
12. 3 CAR PARKING AT WARWICK 25
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12.4 LABORATORY SAFETY AND LAB COATS 25
12.5 PRINTING 26
12.6 STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES 26
12.7 PG HUB (WARWICK) 26
12.8 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES 26
12.9 ANNUAL LEAVE 27
12.10 SICK LEAVE 27
12.11 MATERNITY, PATERNITY, SHARED PARENTAL AND ADOPTION LEAVE 28
12.12 TEMPORARY WITHDRAWAL. 28
12.13 WORKING PART TIME 28
12.14 INSURANCE 28
12.15 MIBTP WEBSITE 30
12.16 PHOTOGRAPHS 30
12.17 RESEARCHFISH 30
12.18 COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE 31
12.19 DATA PROTECTION 31
12.20 CONFIDENTIALITY 31
12.21 DISABILITY SERVICES 32
12.22 CONTACT DETAILS: 32
APPENDIX 2 37
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Introduction and welcome to MIBTP
We are delighted to welcome you to the MIBTP programme, which will start on Monday 28th September 2020.
MIBTP has been running since 2012 as a collaboration between the universities of Birmingham, Leicester and Warwick. This year we launch the MIBTP2020 programme, by welcoming two new partners, Aston and Harper Adams universities.
The MIBTP has an ambitious vision to deliver innovative, world class research training across the Life Sciences. We aim to boost the growing bioeconomy in the Midlands and across the UK.
PhD studentship projects are focused within vital research areas such as Sustainable Agriculture and Food, Understanding the Rules of Life, Renewable Resources and Clean Growth and Integrated Understanding of Health and use interdisciplinary and quantitative approaches to biology.
MIBTP studentships are fully funded and include: payment of fees; a tax-free annual stipend of at least £15,285 (to rise in line with UKRI recommendation); a travel allowance in year 1, a travel / conference budget, a generous consumables budget, and use of a MacBook Pro for the duration of the programme.
MIBTP is jointly funded by UKRI-BBSRC and the universities of Aston, Birmingham, Harper Adams, Leicester and Warwick.
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Year 1 Interactive Training Programme
MIBTP recognises the need for skills training, cohort development and professional internships. All students begin their degree with a period of hands-on training from experts in dry and wet experimentation. The training year is split into three or four 3-month periods as shown below. Period 1 is fixed but the order of mini-projects is flexible. Students can undertake their Professional Internship for PhD Students (PIPS) during the training year (periods 2-4) or at any time during the PhD. If students choose not to undertake PIPS during the training year then they can start their PhD in July. The “default setting” of the training year is shown below.
Period Activity Location
1. October – December Taught modules(fixed)
Warwick / Leicester / Aston / Birmingham
2. January – March Mini-project 1 Away University
3. April Start PhD Home University
All students are also expected to undertake a number of masterclass training sessions; which can take place at any time during the PhD, and compulsory cohort training events. Details of this are provided within the handbook.
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1. Induction
MIBTP students are expected to attend induction the week before Warwick Autumn term starts (note that term dates are not the same for each university). Induction week will include pre-sessional mathematics and other training so that everyone can make the most of the modules in term 1. It will also include some team building exercises, skills training and presentation of posters by students finishing year 1, to allow contact between cohorts and introduce students to a range of research opportunities. For 2020 this is w/c 28th September and will take place solely online. Final details will be sent to you before you join us. This information will also be uploaded to the induction page on the MIBTP intranet welcome pages
1.1 MacBooks
All MIBTP students will be issued with a 13” MacBook. This is expected to support you for the duration of your PhD. The MacBook is suited to the datasets you will use in training and the large datasets which many of you will encounter during your PhD.
MacBooks will be shipped to you, two weeks prior to the start of the programme. IT services will contact you in advance of this to request your delivery address. We strongly advise that you purchase a bag or sleeve to protect the machine from damage. We also recommend that you insure the laptop but please ensure that you inform your insurer that the machine is the property of the University of Warwick.
The machine will be registered and supported at Warwick for the duration of your training.
Please note that the MacBook remains the property of the University of Warwick and must be returned on completion of the programme because of software licensing laws.
1.2 Registration
All students will register at Aston, Birmingham, Harper Adams, Leicester and Warwick to allow for easier connectivity when attending the universities for training, masterclasses and cohort events. This will also allow for you access to libraries, other facilities and collaborators across the partnership. Please ensure that you have registered at all 5 universities before you join us to give each university adequate time to process your details.
1.3 Pre-Arrival at Warwick (for non-Warwick students)
As you will be completing your term 1 training at the University of Warwick and visiting Warwick periodically during your studies you must register at Warwick as visiting students. Registering at Warwick will enable you to gain access to University buildings, library and IT facilities. It is most important that you register at Warwick 8
as your MacBook is registered here and you will need access to this from the first day of induction.
How to register
Please complete a Warwick Postgraduate Application form Select Course code: P-C1PBA: Life Sciences PhD (MIBTP non-Warwick students only)
References: Please leave the reference section blank (or enter not applicable) as we do not require references to be submitted. If you enter referee email addresses an email will automatically be sent to the referee requesting a reference.
Please note that you will not be required to submit any documents. This exercise is purely to add you into the Warwick system.
1.4 Pre-Arrival at Warwick (for University of Warwick students)
It is important for you to have received (and accepted) an unconditional offer of a place at the University of Warwick before your start date. If you haven't yet received an unconditional offer, please ensure that any conditions set out in your offer email are satisfied as soon as possible.
1.5 Everyone: Before you arrive at Warwick
Once you have an unconditional offer, there are a number of things you will need to do to complete your registration:
Upload a photo for your University ID Card - Online photo submission is now open.
Registration - Between 4 and 6 weeks before your course starts, you will be sent an email inviting you to begin the course registration process. Please do not try to complete the course registration process before you are asked you to. As a part of the course registration process you are agreeing to the University of Warwick's regulations. Please read these regulations. When you receive the email, please complete your online course registration. If you haven’t studied at Warwick before, a temporary password will be created for you so that you can access Student Records Online and begin the course registration process. To create a temporary password, you will need the following:
1. Your Warwick University ID (seven-digit number on your Offer Email)2. Date of Birth3. Family Name
You will need access to the email address that you have registered with us (your temporary password will be sent to this address).
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If you have already used Student Records, you can log in with your Warwick University ID and your existing password.
Financial information: The financial information requested during the enrolment process is a little unclear; please select the following options:
- In the Tuition Fee: Payment options box, please select “I wish to pay my fees upfront and not by instalments.
- In the sponsor details box, please select “No.”
IT Services Account - Once you have enrolled you can apply for your IT services account; you will need access to this on day 1 of induction.
The Welcome to Warwick pages may prove useful during this process.
1.6 Registering at Aston University (for non-Aston students)
To apply to Aston University as a visiting student, please go to our website.
Select ‘Apply Now’ from the purple navigation bar (or scroll down towards the bottom of the page until you reach the ‘Making an Application’ section).
Click on ‘Select Online Application Form’, which will present you with a series of drop-down boxes.
Please complete the drop-down boxes as demonstrated in the below screenshot, ensuring that you select ‘LHS Research Occasional Student (Full Time October 2020)’ from the ‘Select Degree Programme’ drop-down box.
Once you have entered this information then select ‘Apply for selected Degree Programme’. This will then take you to a new screen when you can register on to the system to create a new account as a new user.
As part of the process you will be asked to provide various documents to support your application. However, for the purposes of becoming a visiting student at Aston University you only need to provide the following information*:
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- A copy of your current, up to date, CV/resume, including details of your PhD course.
- The project title (You can simply put ‘MIBTP Visitor’ here) - Confirmation of your PhD course of study (or a letter from your PhD
institution/MIBTP), this can be uploaded against the degree transcript section. This only needs to be uploaded if available, please do not worry if you do not have such a letter to hand
- A scan of your current passport
*Note: For any other documents that you are requested to provide please upload a word document saying not needed. Please do not include reference information; instead upload a word document saying not needed. When we receive your application, we will contact you if we feel any other information is required.
If you experience any difficulties, please contact the Aston University PGR Admissions Team.
1.7 Registering at Birmingham (for non-Birmingham students)
In order to register at Birmingham, you will need to complete the Birmingham registration form (see the welcome page for form) and return it to the admissions team via email along with a copy of the photo page of your passport.
1.8 Registering at Harper Adams University (for non-HAU students)
Please contact the PGR team with the following information so that an individual link to register can be emailed to you:
Full Name Date of Birth Email address Contact telephone number
The postgraduate admissions team can also be contacted via email or telephone (01952 815289) should you have any issues.
1.9 Registering at Leicester (for non-Leicester students)
In order to register at Leicester, please complete the online registration form; please ensure that you indicate that you are an MIBTP student on the form. Leicester will also require a scanned copy of the photo page of your passport for their records; please email this to the admissions team once you have submitted your online application. The Leicester PGR admissions team will then make contact to confirm your registration.
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Please ensure that you log into your Leicester IT account straight away or your password will expire; if this does happen, you will need to contact Leicester IT by email or telephone (0116 252 2253) in order to reset it.
You may receive an automated email asking you to attend the university in order to show your identification; MIBTP students do not need to do this and you can ignore this email. You can collect your Leicester University ID card at any time from the Student Services Centre, which is located on the ground floor of the Charles Wilson building (main campus). The opening hours are 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday.
1.10 Accommodation & travel during the training year
You will see from the information in this handbook that you will need to attend a university other than your main university of registration for significant periods of the training year. A one-off stipend uplift payment of £850 will be paid at the start of term 1 to reflect this and assist you with associated travel costs. This will be paid into your account at the same time as your first stipend payment at the beginning of October.
Whilst we cannot source accommodation for you, we do provide useful information with regards to finding local accommodation for each university.
Please also see current student blogs on the welcome page for ideas about how best to plan accommodation and travel during the training year.
1.11 Change of University Policy
The MIBTP programme receives half of its funding from BBSRC and half as matched funding from the individual universities. BBSRC requires all students associated with a DTP are formally registered on JeS (the Research Council database). This requires that students receive at least 50% BBSRC funding, and therefore all students in MIBTP are receiving funds from the BBSRC and matched funds from their university.
This funding arrangement means that it is very difficult to administer transfer of primary registration from university to another. Should a student wish to transfer their main registration to a different partner university, a case can be put forward for consideration by the directors and this will be supported where possible. However, no transfer between universities can take place without the support of the relevant supervisors, the MIBTP directors and financial support from the new department.
If you wish to change home university, here are the steps we would like you to take:
If you have committed to a particular PhD project and supervisor at your current main university of registration (home university), discuss your scientific goals with your home university supervisor. Explore if there is a different project that you can carry out with them, or whether it makes more
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sense to switch to a completely different supervisor. If you haven’t chosen a particular PhD project yet, go to the next step.
Inform your local MIBTP directors of your plans, so that they can guide you in trying to find PhD projects and supervisors that fits your scientific goals at your home university.
Contact the identified supervisors at your home university and formulate a PhD project that that fits your scientific goals. If successful submit the new PhD project to MIBTP by August 2021.
If you can’t formulate a PhD project with a supervisor from your home university, inform your local MIBTP directors. They will contact all partner universities in order to identify PhD projects and supervisors* that fit your scientific goals. The MIBTP directors will also ensure that the new department is willing to financially support the change.
If appropriate supervisors are identified at partner universities, contact them to formulate a new PhD project. If successful submit the new PhD project to MIBTP by August 2021.
If it isn’t possible to formulate a new PhD project at any partner university or if the new departments are not willing to financially support the change you will not be able to change university.
* Away university mini-project supervisors can’t become primary supervisor.
If for any reason you are not comfortable discussing your desire to change project with your supervisor in the first instance, please approach your local MIBTP directors for further advice. We will keep such conversations confidential.
2. Taught modules
The first term will begin with the following compulsory taught modules:
2.1 Quantitative skills module
The Quantitative skills module takes place in term 1. This module provides training in quantitative skills that you will use in your PhD projects. There are four elements to the module:
1. Computer programming: to provide you with basic knowledge of the programming language R and give you the skills and tools to be less dependent on existing software.
2. Statistics: to introduce you to statistical methods you will meet frequently in the biosciences, and provide you with tools to apply them yourself in R.
3. Data Science: to introduce you to the core principles of machine learning and artificial intelligence, and allow you to explore how these can be exploited in bioscience.
4. Data analysis: to allow you to apply your new programming skills to specific problems in bioinformatics and epidemiology.
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Students will also have free time each week for independent study. The computer programming and statistics modules are assessed by written tests (this year these will be taken online/remotely). The Data Science and Applied Analysis modules are assessed by coursework.
2.2 Science Communication
This module will help students gain the skills and confidence required for effective science communication. It will take place during week 10 at the University of Leicester (it is likely to run online this year).
2.3 Responsible research and innovation
Students will explore the RRI toolkit and examine Citizen Science, Open Access, Public Engagement, Publication Ethics, Equality and Diversity and Gender Equality in research and innovation. This will take place at Aston university during week 11 (this is likely to run online this year).
3. Masterclasses
A series of bespoke masterclasses will be on offer throughout your PhD; these can be undertaken at any time to suit you. Masterclasses are a set of hands-on workshops in selected, advanced research skills and technologies. You will choose classes to suit your personal development needs. You must choose classes that deliver between 10-12 days engagement but may choose as many as you wish subject to availability (and your timetable).
There are Masterclasses at all five Universities with instruction from world experts.
These masterclasses will be as ‘hands-on’ as possible - you will participate wherever this is possible. You will be advised in advance of items (e.g. lab coats) you need to take with you.
Some are short, one-day events, others are up to 3 days Masterclasses will incorporate a compulsory exercise with a tangible output
that allows the person running the masterclass to assess whether you have achieved the learning objectives of the class. You are expected to achieve a pass in the core masterclasses you undertake that add up to the minimum 10-12 days required.
Masterclasses will be updated on the MIBTP intranet each year and you will be advised when they become available to book.
Masterclass feedback
We would appreciate feedback on the masterclasses that you attend, however brief, in order to help us make improvements in subsequent years.
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Feedback forms can be found on the masterclass page of the MIBTP website and should be returned to the MIBTP administrator.
4. Mini-projects
You will be expected to arrange your own mini-project. You will need to find out more about research areas of interest and approach the supervisors you would like to work with to discuss projects in more detail. If you already have a PhD supervisor, they may also be able to advise you. When contacting a new supervisor at an away institution, please copy your local director and the director at that university.
You will be asked to submit the details of your first chosen project via an online submission form (details will be provided by the MIBTP administrator) by the given deadline. You can submit details of both mini-projects at the same time if you know them; however, you can choose your second mini-project at a later date. The administrator will prompt you when such information is required.
Mini-projects are for approx. 3 months. You will take two mini-projects. MIBTP requires that one of your mini-
projects is undertaken at a venue that is not your main university of registration (an “away” university), and one is undertaken at your main university of registration (your “home” university).
You have the freedom to choose any lab environment or technique you wish. You should discuss this with the MIBTP Directors who can advise you bearing in mind your interest and likely area of PhD research. The more active you are in devising the content of your mini-project with your chosen mini-project supervisor the more it should meet your personal development goals.
Each student will have access to a consumables budget of £750 per mini-project.
Students are required to write up mini-project 1 as a mini-thesis or as a research paper. The thesis should be a maximum of 6,000 words (not including abstract, references or figure legends). The due dates for submission of the thesis or research paper will be by 5PM on the last day of the project (i.e. usually 31st March).
Your mini-project paper or thesis should be submitted to the MIBTP website as a pdf with the filename Lastname_Firstname.pdf (i.e. Smith_John.pdf). The first page of your paper or mini-thesis must contain at a minimum: 1) title, 2) your name, 3) your supervisors name and 4) the University at which the project took place.
More detailed guidelines for writing your mini-thesis or research paper can be found in Appendix 1 at the end of this document.
The thesis or paper will be marked by the project supervisor and by a second marker. Your final mark will be made up as follows: 65% project write up (average of the two markers) and 35% research performance mark from your
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supervisor. A postgraduate marking scheme can be found on the following pages.
Mini-project information can be found in the training section of the MIBTP intranet .
End of 1st Year Poster:
At the end of the first year, CASE students will produce a poster on their PhD project (or industrial placement if this is more relevant). The poster will be in A1 size (portrait orientation) and must be uploaded to the MIBTP website by 5 pm on 31st August. The poster should be submitted as a pdf with a maximum file size of 3MB (for ease of printing) with the filename Lastname_Firstname_poster.pdf (i.e. Smith_John_poster.pdf).
The printing of posters will be arranged by the MIBTP Administrator. Posters will be presented as part of the induction week activities for new
MIBTP students (usually the last week of September). You will be graded on the visual impression of the poster (25%), scientific
content (50%) and engagement during presentation / knowledge of topic (25%).
5. Professional Internship for PhD students - PIPS
BBSRC requires each student to complete a P rofessional I nternship for P hD S tudents (PIPS) in a professional employment environment. BBSRC guidelines state that a PIPS must not relate directly to your PhD project or be scientific research, but you may go to a relevant company as long as you take on a role that is not research-led. A biochemist may go to a pharma company and take a role in marketing or HR, for example. The PIPS should last for approximately 3 months.
CASE students usually choose to undertake the PIPS placement with their industrial collaborator. You must spend a minimum of three months and a maximum of 18 months with your industrial collaborator (this can be in one longer or a number of shorter placements) and you should receive business related training as part of the placement. You can undertake your placement(s) at any time from April when you have started your PhD, in agreement with your supervisor and the industrial partner; although it is not recommended that you undertake your placement during the final year due to the intensity of this period.
It is a requirement of the BBRSC that all students submit a report within 3 months of completing their PIPS. The aim of the PIPS placement report is to capture information on your PIPS placement; including the major outputs, outcomes and impacts from your placement. The report also aims to capture the extent to which your PIPS placement gave you the opportunity to further develop skills or develop new skills. The information you provide in this report will be collated and made non-attributable. Your supervisors will not be able to view your response; however aggregated analyses may be shared with DTP Management Boards. The PIPS 16
placement report is accessed via a link that is unique to each student. You will be provided with a unique link to submit the BBSRC DTP PIPS Placement Report. To access the PIP report, please contact [email protected]
Aston University MIBTP students – PIPS and away mini-project
It is a University requirement that all Aston postgraduate research students must secure approval from the relevant Associate Dean Research before taking part in off campus study, for example, PIPS or away mini-projects. Please email a request for change of research location, with a supporting statement from your supervisor, to [email protected] well in advance of arranging your off campus study. Please include the reason for the request and the dates. If you are on a Tier 4 visa, you are also required to contact a member of the Visa Compliance Team, through The Hub ([email protected]; telephone 0121 204 4007) to secure the relevant permission for change of research location which we are required to report to the Home Office.
Harper Adams MIBTP students – PIPS and away mini-project
Study away from the university e.g. as part of a PIPS or away mini-project must be agreed in advance by your Director of Studies, recorded appropriately and notified to the Postgraduate Research Office in line with standard university procedures.
Leicester MIBTP students – PIPS and away mini-project
It is a Leicester University requirement that all students must seek permission from the University before taking part in off campus study, i.e. PIPS or away mini-project. Further information, and the form that you must complete and submit, can be found on the Leicester University website.6. Course Work information
6.1 Marking guidelines
For your information, the University guidelines on marking for postgraduate courses is given below.
Mark Range Level Descriptors
80% and over
(High Distinction) Work which, over and above possessing the qualities of the 70-79% descriptor, demonstrates excellence – the nature of which will vary according to the assignment but may include: comprehensive answers, complete and correct proofs or calculations, project work that extends the original brief, deep and critical analysis,
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originality, and advance in scholarship, a highly professional approach.
70%-79% (Distinction) The work demonstrates mastery of the subject matter, methodologies, and, where appropriate, laboratory techniques. It also provides evidence of near complete conceptual understanding, high level technical competence, and depth of analysis or mathematical understanding. Where applicable, the statement and proof of theorems is handled with confidence, and their application to unseen material is sound. Accuracy and precision will be strong throughout and, if applicable, presentation will be excellent. Minor mistakes may nevertheless appear occasionally. Where appropriate, the work shows evidence of originality.
60%-69% (MSc Pass) The work demonstrates a sound and thorough grasp of subject matter and methodologies. Conceptual or mathematical understanding and technical competence are solid, but applications, arguments, or data analysis may contain minor flaws. Examined work will be well organised and structured, while good presentation and a logical approach to the material will be evident in projects or dissertations. Overall, the work reveals a high level of effort and commitment, but lacks breadth, depth, and fluency in parts.
50%-59% (MSc Pass) The work reveals an underlying grasp of the subject matter, but with areas of confusion or some gaps in conceptual/mathematical understanding or methodology. Answers are fairly well structured but may tend towards the factual or derivative. In project or dissertation work, general conclusions or outcomes are reasonable, but there is room for substantial improvement in the individual’s ability to apply theorems, analyse problems or execute technical skills.
40-49% (Fail) Though it reveals some familiarity with the subject matter, and a basic grasp of factual and conceptual material, there are frequent and important gaps and/or misconceptions. Some effort has been made to reflect on and analyse questions or problems, or to apply theorems, but with little evidence of organisation or insight. Technical competence is poorly developed and general conclusions are unreliable or unsubstantiated.
20%-39% (Fail) The work is insufficient to demonstrate a basic grasp either of factual or conceptual subject matter. Technical competence is at a very low level and, if appropriate, laboratory work has required constant supervision. Data used in project work may be both inaccurate and irrelevant. Overall, answers and arguments reveal little
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effort towards analysis or conceptualisation. Important issues may have been ignored or seriously misconstrued. There is little evidence of an individual contribution to the material.
Less than 20%
(Fail) Inadequate work: poorly argued, written and presented; conceptual confusion throughout; demonstrates little or no knowledge of the field. Failure to address the issues raised by the question. Project work contains little or no data. Sparse or no evidence for technical competence or individual contributions.
6.2 Coursework deadlines, penalties and extensions
Module leaders or MIBTP administration will clearly state deadlines for handing in assessed work to students. Unless a specific time is stipulated, this will be assumed to be 5pm on the specified date.
The penalty for late submission of work where no formal extension has been granted has been set by Senate at three (3) marks per day for postgraduate students. As is explained on the Teaching Quality website, ‘marks’ mean marks on a percentage scale. A late piece of work that would have scored 65% if it had been handed in on time would be awarded 62% if it were one day late, 59% if two days late, etc.
Coursework extensions can only be obtained under special circumstances ( i.e. illness or other personal circumstances) from one of the MIBTP directors.
Coursework will be returned to students, with feedback.
6.3 First year score
A pass mark of 60% is required for the first year. This is taken from the average of all assignment scores over the year (taught module exam marks, mini-project thesis and poster score). A minimum pass mark of 50% is required in each individual module / element of the training year.
Your progress in the first six months will be monitored closely and you will receive regular feedback. If you are not achieving the right standard you will be given advice on how to remedy this. If your average has not risen to an acceptable level by the fourth quarter of the first year you will be requested to leave the course at the end of year one.
6.4 Information sharing across the collaboration
Please note that scores and feedback from all assignments in the training year will be made available to potential supervisors at their request. Application documents and 19
CVs may also be shared between the collaboration, as will monitoring and progress information where relevant. This information will not be shared outside of the programme.
6.5 Plagiarism
Please make yourself aware of the University’s policy on Plagiarism .
If you are in any doubt as to whether or not the work you have produced would compromise these rules, then please talk to a MIBTP director or the module leader before submitting your work.
7. PhD Project
As you will join the programme having already selected a particular PhD project, then we suggest you meet with the supervisor early on to discuss this and potential mini-projects, PIPS and masterclasses.
7.1 MIBTP requirements for PhD projects
PhD projects must be interdisciplinary with at least two supervisors from the home university, one designated as primary (more than 50% supervision). Academics with limited experience on student supervision will have to be partnered with an experienced supervisor. Academics from non-partner universities including international institutions are welcome to act as additional supervisors. Each Supervisory Team will preferentially include experience in different disciplines, or at least use very different approaches in their research. The projects must “exploit new ways of working” with the BBSRC’s goal for researchers to routinely apply computational and mathematical techniques to high-quality quantitative biological data. Exploiting information-rich approaches and data-driven science, as well as new cutting-edge multidisciplinary techniques would also fall within the new ways of working. Such projects will build on the quantitative training you receive in the first year.
7.2 Changing your mind about your PhD project or supervisor
During the course of the first year, you may find that your interests change as you learn more about the research going on at your university and get to know different academics. It is possible to change your selection of PhD project, which may involve switching to a new supervisor, during the training year. This applies to all MIBTP students, regardless of whether they were originally offered a place associated with a specific project.
We ask that you make changes such as these in consultation with your original supervisor so they are fully aware. The ability to develop your ideas for a PhD project during the first year is an important aspect of the MIBTP programme and supervisors are aware and supportive of this.20
If you wish to change PhD project or supervisor, here are the steps we would like you to take:
Discuss your scientific goals with your supervisor. Explore if there is a different project that you can carry out with them, or whether it makes more sense to switch to a completely different supervisor.
Inform your local MIBTP directors of your plans, so that they can guide you to ensure your new project is still within the remit of BBSRC and your chosen research theme.
Finalise your plans for your new project (with your new supervisor if applicable).
Submit your final decision as to your PhD project to MIBTP by August 2021.
If for any reason you are not comfortable discussing your desire to change project with your supervisor in the first instance, please approach your local MIBTP directors for further advice. We will keep such conversations confidential.
7.3 PhD thesis submission
Submission of your final PhD thesis should be no later than 5 pm on 30th September 2024. This is an absolute deadline for the award of the PhD.
Note: submission dates may be slightly earlier depending on university and department; if this is the case, the correct date will be communicated to you.
8. Personal Development
The University of Warwick has developed SkillsForge as a platform for the provision of postgraduate development across the University. All students can use this platform to search for relevant training courses and workshops and record all of your development activities over the period of your PhD.
Aston University, the University of Birmingham Harper Adams University and the University of Leicester offer similar portals and you will be required to engage with these platforms at the direction of your registered university.
All of the MIBTP cohort activities that you undertake will be recorded on SkillsForge and it is advised that you familiarise yourself with this platform and use it to your benefit.
8.1 Professional Development plan
In order to help you review and appreciate what you need to do to achieve your goals you are asked to complete a professional development plan mid-way through your training year. It is good practice to update the plan annually; this makes you reflect on what you have learnt or skills gained in the last year as well as where there are gaps in your skill base. You can search for courses and workshops using the PGR 21
development platforms above to enhance your professional development as highlighted in your plan. In addition, the MIBTP cohort events are organised for this purpose.
Please complete a professional development plan (this can be found on your registered university's development portal as above) and forward a copy to your local MIBTP administrator. This will be shared with your local director, who will contact you if they wish to discuss it.
Please submit your development plan by 5PM on 31st January in your training year.
9. Cohort meetings and events
During the training year, there will be a number of meetings and events for which the cohort as a whole must attend. Please put these dates in your diary now.
MIBTP induction week – Monday 28th September to Friday 2nd October 2020 inclusive (online)
Speed PhD – 29th September to 1st October 2020 (during induction week - online).
Speed PhD takes students through the different stages of a PhD: literature review, defining the research question, carrying out research, writing it up for publication and submission of a Thesis. It is supported by material presented in the other sessions of the workshop. The supporting workshop sessions are targeted at providing students with information, strategies and tools to help them deal with the demands of a research degree.
MIBTP Student Symposium – April 2021 tbc MIBTP AGM – April 2021 tbc (student representatives only) The MIBTP welcome poster event 27th September 2021 (you will present a
poster at this event) Focus on PIPS workshop – 27th September 2021
Please note: these dates are subject to change.
During subsequent years, there will be additional cohort events. These are detailed later in this handbook.
10. Finances
10.1 Core payments
Your funder will pay all fees and your stipend. You will receive a single additional payment of £850 in year 1 to recognise
additional travel commitments during training. Each studentship also attracts £5000 pa as a flexible research training grant.
In year 1 this is split according to an agreed formula to recognise the costs of 22
your training activities. For example, you each receive a MacBook Pro; £750 is allocated to each of your mini-project supervisors; masterclass costs (including demonstrators for some) are covered, and taught module costs and cohort activity costs are covered. Once you start your PhD project your project is allocated £4300 pa. The residue is used to cover cohort support and activities.
Conference travel/field work: Each BBSRC CASE studentship has a budget of £1920 towards travel. This will normally be used for attendance at an international conference at which the student is presenting their research results, hence normally in year 2 or further of your PhD. However, it is for the student (in discussion with their supervisors) to decide how the budget is spent. For example, it may be used to attend a series of local meetings, for visiting another laboratory etc. This is a single amount for the period of your PhD not per year.
10.2 Additional support
Travel and accommodation associated with your PIPS: Students who incur exceptional expenses as a result of undertaking their PIPS can apply for financial support. Please submit a costed case (form available from the MIBTP administrator) and return to the MIBTP administrator, Warwick for consideration.
Students are encouraged to join learned Societies. Many offer students generous travel awards and very low membership fees. Ask MIBTP Directors or your supervisors for advice about appropriate Societies.
11. Years 2– 4
There will be cohort events throughout your 4-year training, for which attendance is compulsory. Here is a list of the events that you should expect to attend during years 2 to 4.
Year 2: Ethics and Plagiarism training – Birmingham – December 2021 MIBTP Student Symposium – Leicester – April 2022 MIBP AGM (student Reps only) – Leicester – April 2022 Commercialisation training – Warwick – May 2022 Residential team building event – Coniston - Monday to Friday usually during
June or July 2022 In vivo research workshop – Leicester August 2022 Poster session – Warwick - late September 2022
Year 3: PGR Careers Fair – Leicester – early January 2023 MIBTP Student Symposium – Leicester – April 2023 MIBP AGM (student Reps only) – Leicester – April 2023 Poster session – late September 2023
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Year 4: Career Planning and Interview Skills training workshop – Leicester – January
2024 (2 days) MIBTP Student Symposium – Leicester – April 2024 MIBP AGM (student Reps only) – Leicester – April 2024 Poster session – late September 2024 (optional)
Emails will be sent to you in October of each year, detailing the cohort events for the coming year. Please ensure that you diarise these immediately as attendance at cohort events is compulsory. Permission to miss a cohort event can only be given by an MIBTP director where mitigating circumstances apply.
12. Important Information
12.1 Attendance monitoring
The DTP is required by the university to monitor your attendance and engagement with your course of study. In order to satisfy these monitoring requirements during your training year, you will be monitored in the following ways:
Once you start your PhD in July or October, you will be monitored via your registered department.
Failure to meet any of these points will result in a missed monitoring point; reoccurring missed monitoring points could result in remedial action.
12. 2 Personal details and e-mail accounts
It is the student’s responsibility to update eVision (your official Warwick record) with any changes in contact details (namely address, phone number, emergency contacts). Without these we will be unable to contact you or forward any relevant material to you.
We will use e-mail as a means of contacting all students. Thus, you are expected to check your university e-mail account at least twice daily, unless this is impossible due to problems. Students are responsible for liaising with IT services about their University e-mail account and user code if this is
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Year 1 Term 1Oct - Dec
• Attendance at Speed PhD (Oct)• Attendance at Statistics module exam (Nov)• Attendance at Programming exam (Dec)
Year 1 Term 2Jan - March
Submission of report on data analysis (Jan) Submission of written plans for next quarter (Feb) Submission of mini-project report or PIPS contact email (Mar)
necessary. IT services can be contacted on ext. 73737 or their dedicated intranet page
All students will be contacted via their Warwick email addresses regardless of their registered University. If your Warwick account is not your preferred account, please ensure that a forward is set up to the account you use most to ensure that you do not miss any communication with regards to the programme. If you need help to set up email forwarding, please contact the MIBTP administrator who will be able to advise.
12. 3 Car parking at Warwick
As PhD students, you are eligible to apply for a parking permit to use the staff carparks at the University of Warwick. The current cost of this for PhD students is £23.06 per month. Once you are fully enrolled, you can apply for a parking permit, as follows:
You can purchase your certificate online Click on permits, then University parking permits Please click in the orange box ‘Your Permit – Apply/Update/Cancel’ The next page gives more information and you should ensure that you have
read the relevant sections. Click again in the orange box ‘Your Permit – Apply/Update/Cancel’.
You will need to follow the instructions and complete your details. Once you have inserted your information you will be able to select your preferred permit start date.
Please note that your Department has given you access to Car Park 1, 1a at Gibbet Hill and Car Park 6.
Non-Warwick students may not want to apply for a monthly parking pass, in which case you can park in the visitor’s spaces at a cost of £5.50 per day. Daily permits can be purchased at the School of Life Sciences reception and must be displayed in your car windscreen. Visitor parking is located along the left-hand side of car park 1 (also indicated on the UoW map); please note that these spaces fill very quickly and early arrival (before 9am) is advisable. Alternative visitor parking can be found on main campus, a 10-minute walk away.
'Flexi-pay' scratch cards can also be purchased at Senate House, accommodation reception and the Gibbet Hill cafe. They’re priced at £55 for a book of 10 scratch cards, reduced to £49.50 (10% discount) if you pay with your Eating at Warwick card. Each card offers a full day’s parking in any 'pay and display' space on campus. These can be used in all visitor card parks on campus; see the car parking website for further information.
12.4 Laboratory safety and Lab coats
Safety inductions will be provided each time that you start in a new working environment.
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Whilst at Warwick for mini-projects, lab coats are provided by SLS stores free of charge. Lab coats can be collected when required; you will be issued with a clean one on return of your used one. If asked for a cost code, please quote MIB1.
12.5 Printing
When at Warwick, all MIBTP students can print / copy using the printers within the School of Life Sciences, logging in via the scanning pad attached to the printers with their Warwick university ID card.
Please note that you can only use the staff printers, which are dotted around the corridors of the department.
You will be unable to use the printers in the student work areas; these printers require printer credits.
To install a printer on your machine, please follow the instructions on the IT services website.
12.6 Student representatives
MIBTP have at least five student representatives for each cohort (one from each of the partnership Universities).
It is the role of the student representative to feed back to the MIBTP team on any issues that the cohort may have as well as representing their university / cohort at the AGM where the management team, BBSRC and industry partners meet each year.
Please let the MIBTP administrator know if you would like represent your cohort.
Representatives must be available to attend the MIBTP Annual General Meeting in April each year.
12.7 PG Hub (Warwick)
The Postgraduate Hub is a work and study facility for all postgraduate taught and research students.
The facility is located on the ground floor of Senate House. Their website offers support to PG students in the form of study spaces, skills
and peer support, wellbeing, events and community and much more.
12.8 Student Support Services
There is a comprehensive network of support and welfare services available to students to support you in times of difficulty. There is often more than one service, which may be able to help, and services work together to ensure that any problems are dealt with swiftly and effectively.
More details of the services available to students can be found below:- Aston - Birmingham
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- Harper Adams - Leicester - Warwick
12.9 Annual Leave
As a postgraduate research student, you no longer work in ‘terms’ – your course is 52 weeks per year, hence the annual leave allowance.
The Research Councils allow up to a maximum of eight weeks holiday per year which includes public holidays and the times at Christmas and Easter during which the University is nominally closed. Your registered department may have their own annual leave policy, in which case you should follow this.
In the training year, you can take annual leave during your mini-projects or PIPS so long as you agree the dates with the relevant supervisor. You can also take leave in between placements and agree start / end dates around it (placements are only approx. 3 months long; they do not need to be exact).
Once you begin your PhD you can take annual leave at any time in agreement with your PhD supervisor.
You do not need to advise the MIBTP team when you take leave other than if it affects an MIBTP cohort event; as you have these dates well in advance, this should not be an issue. You may need to inform your department; please check if this is required.
If you do need to miss a compulsory cohort event, you MUST email the relevant MIBTP director (coping the MIBTP administrator) and ask for approval.
The University is closed on public holidays and over Christmas and Easter (statutory and customary leave dates can be found on relevant the university websites – Aston, Birmingham, Harper Adams (Harper Adams is only closed on public holidays and between Christmas and New Year – see the HAU student handbook for details) Leicester . The university closure days do not come out of your leave allowance.
12.10 Sick leave
If you are unwell and unable to attend university (or placement if in the training year), or to work from home (if that is the current arrangement), then you must inform your Supervisor / host AND the MIBTP Administrator (if on training year and if it affects a pre-arranged cohort event) as soon as you are able.
UKRI-funded students are entitled to sick pay (that is: continued payment of your stipend) during absences covered by medical certificates for up to 13 weeks within any 12-month period. Your deadline to submit your thesis can also be extended by the period that you have been receiving sick pay. Further details can be found on the doctoral college website.
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12.11 Maternity, Paternity, Shared Parental and Adoption leave
You are entitled to payment for maternity, adoption, paternity or shared parental leave. Full policies for UKRI funded students can be found on the doctoral college website.
12.12 Temporary withdrawal.
A temporary withdrawal “stops the clock” of your PhD, which means that you stop working on your PhD temporarily, and your deadline to submit gets increased by the length of time that you were on temporary withdrawal.
Time out of your PhD due to maternity, paternity, shared parental or adoption leave counts as a temporary withdrawal, and in those cases you are entitled to still receive payment, under the terms set out in your institution’s maternity, paternity, shared parental or adoption leave policies (see links in section 12.13). However, you can also choose to take an unpaid temporary withdrawal, during which time you would not receive any payment of your stipend.
It is possible to take up to one-year temporary withdrawal in total during your funded period without seeking special approval from UKRI-BBSRC. If you need further time on temporary withdrawal, the University will need to submit a case on your behalf to UKRI-BBSRC for approval.
Students may need to take temporary withdrawal for personal or health reasons. Please get in touch with your local directors if a temporary withdrawal would be helpful for you.
12.13 Working part time
It is possible to work on your PhD as a full-time student, or to work at a 60% rate as a part time student, which will mean your stipend and deadline are adjusted accordingly.
It is possible to change from full to part time or vice versa, but only one change of mode of attendance is permitted for UKRI funded students and you may not change within the final six months of your funding, unless UKRI-BBSRC has given prior consent.
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12.14 Insurance
When undertaking a placement or travel as part of your studies, students arecovered by the university insurance policies. Please familiarise yourself withyour university policy when undertaking any placement or travel, noting thatinsurance may not be automatic and may need to be requested.
Aston university insurance For information relating to insurance at Aston University, please email the
insurance team. To request permission to undertake international travel, please see the
guidance and processes on the website.
University of Birmingham insurance Information relating to insurance at University of Birmingham can be found
on their website. Please note that travel insurance is not automatic at the University of
Birmingham and must be requested before travel takes place.
Harper Adams university insurance Insurance information can be found on the university intranet service. PGR students would be covered by the university travel insurance provision,
provided that they complete an appropriately authorised travel form (all trips should be checked prior to travel as there are some exclusions).
Enquiries should be directed well in advance of travel to the Procurement & Insurance Coordinator.
University of Leicester insurance Information relating to insurance at the University of Leicester can be found
on their website. Please note that travel insurance is not automatic at the University of
Leicester and must be requested before travel takes place.
University of Warwick insurance Overseas business travel - This is a business travel insurance policy only –
cover is for travel for the University of Warwick business purposes only (this includes students going on a study abroad placement arranged through the University of Warwick). This policy does not cover family members, any holidays or personal travel. On this page, you will find a travel card which you can download and take with you.
Please note: Medical expenses are covered in respect of medical emergencies ONLY i.e.
that require immediate treatment. It is NOT a health insurance policy. Please note emergency medical cover is not available where students are remaining in their home country
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By travelling, you confirm that, to your knowledge, you are fit to travel and have not been advised against travel by a qualified medical practitioner.
Depending on which country you travel to, you may also need to purchase private health cover. Please check the requirements of the country to which you are travelling before travel takes place.
Insurance referralsThe insurance website provides a list which specifies those areas that are not automatically covered under the university's insurance programme and therefore may need to be referred to the insurers for prior approval. Please check this list before you travel to ensure that the country you are visiting is not listed.
Process to activate coverEmployees and students travelling on university business are covered, subject to them not being advised to travel by a qualified medical practitioner.All categories of insured persons MUST notify the relevant departmental member of staff, of their travel arrangements ahead of the period of travel. This will not only ensure the accuracy of renewal data but will also, importantly, ensure that those persons travelling will be more easily identified in the event of an emergency or natural disaster. Please send your travel dates to the MIBTP administrator in advance of your travel.
12.15 MIBTP Website
On the MIBTP intranet pages, you will find information on all aspects of the programme, including masterclasses, mini-project and PIPS options and information on current MIBTP students.
You will also find the MIBTP News section and Blog on the intranet. Here you can keep up to date with recent achievements and experiences of MIBTP students. We always welcome hearing about what MIBTP students are up to and encourage you to send news items to the MIBTP administrator and to contribute blog posts. If you would like to contribute to the news or blog section of the website, please contact the MIBTP administrator.
12.16 Photographs
Please note that photographs taken during MIBTP events will not be used in advertising and on the MIBTP website unless we have sought permission to do so beforehand. You will be asked for your consent to use photographs during induction week and you can of course decline this request.
12.17 Researchfish
The BBSRC use Researchfish to record outcomes of funded studentship holders. All MIBTP students will be required to complete annual review submissions from year three of their PhD. An email will be sent to all students directly from Researchfish 30
explaining how the data collection will work and the submission period dates. It is the responsibility of the student to submit the relevant information to Researchfish before the deadline.
Research councils will monitor overall response rates, and institutional and programme response rates may be a factor in considering training grant support in the future; RCUK is also pushing for sanctions to be introduced in the future for students who do not engage with Researchfish. We therefore insist that all students engage with this platform and complete the data collection as necessary. The MIBTP administrator will monitor this activity and reminders will be sent out where necessary.
12.18 Complaints procedure
The MIBTP student complaint procedure has 3 stages:
Stage 1: Complain heard by home institutional director(s)The initial stage in the complaints procedure allows for straightforward complaints to be resolved quickly and effectively at the point at which the issue occurred.
Stage 2: Complaint heard by Directors at a non-involved institutionThe second stage of the complaints procedure may be used if you are not satisfied with attempts to informally resolve your complaint. Alternatively, this stage can be used if the complaint is so complex or serious that informal resolution would be inappropriate.
Stage 3: Complaint heard by an appointed senior PGR College/Institutional lead from the non-home institution for final resolutionIf you are not satisfied with your Stage 2 outcome then you can apply for a review of the Stage 2 process to include previously unavailable evidence or determine that appropriate processes were followed and that the Stage 2 decision was reasonable.
12.19 Data Protection
Please ensure that you review the MIBTP Data Privacy Policy to understand how we process your personal data.
Please also see Appendix 2 for information on what data BBSRC will hold and what data will be in the public domain. It is important not to include sensitive or confidential information in your PhD project summaries submitted at the end of year 1.
12.20 Confidentiality
For most placements, there is unlikely to be any issue around confidentiality, however, you need to be fully aware that when on placement (both PIPS and mini-project) you are bound to confidentiality and hence you shouldn’t engage in
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activities which would breach this obligation.
You should always seek agreement from your host before you publicize details of your placement. This includes any social media such as blogging, tweeting, posting on Facebook and other sites, taking selfies on premises of the host, talking about specific details of the host/business and the project itself (dependent on nature of the placement work you do), any videos etc.
12.21 Disability Services
We encourage you to declare any disability or learning difference and contact Disability Services at Warwick in advance of starting the programme to discuss support requirements. This is to enable us to make reasonable adjustments for the duration of your studies. For non-Warwick students, please also register your disability at your registered university.
Since your training at Warwick begins at the end of September, it would also be really helpful if you can let [email protected] know directly what adjustments you might need. This will help make sure we are fully aware of how to support you from the very beginning of your training, and avoid any delays that might arise due to the busy period at the beginning of term. If you have previously been an undergraduate at one of the universities in the MIBTP2020 partnership, do not assume information you have previously declared will already have been shared with MIBTP.
12.22 Contact details:
Below are the contact details for your local MIBTP director and other people you will hear from / may need to contact. General enquiries can be directed to the MIBTP administrator.
Dr Vardis Ntoukakis Director, University of Warwick
Dr Bridget PenmanDirector, University of Warwick
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Dr Tim KnowlesDirector, University of Birmingham
Professor Tim DaffornDirector, University of Birmingham
Dr Jonathan McDearmidDirector, University of Leicester
Professor Julian KetleyDirector, University of Leicester
Professor Roslyn BillDirector – Aston University
Dr Martin HareDirector – Harper Adams University
Dr Sascha OttProgramming module leader
Dr Dan HebenstreitData Analysis, RNA Seq module leader
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Dr Mike TildesleyData Analysis, Modelling module leader
Dr Paul JenkinsData Science module leader
Appendix 1
Mini-project write up guidelines
Students can choose to either write up their mini-project as a research paper or a mini-thesis.
1. Research Paper
If you want to complete this assignment by writing the report in the style of a paper, select a journal relevant to your project and find its author guidelines online. Follow these guidelines. For example, for PNAS: http://www.pnas.org/site/authors/format.xhtml
2. Mini-thesis
If you wish to write a mini-thesis follow the guidelines below:
Times New Roman 12 point or similar 1.5-line spacing except figure legends, references, summary Pages numbered (bottom of page) No more than 6000 words in length (excluding title page, summary,
table of contents, list of abbreviations, acknowledgements, references and appendices). Writing concisely and precisely is an important skill.
Thesis must contain (in this order):
Title page Title - describe content of thesis accurately and concisely Full name of author (and registration number) Department in which the research was conducted Name(s) of supervisor(s) Word count (not including references, figures, appendices)
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A maximum of 300-word summary Table of Contents List of Abbreviations Introduction — give background, motivation for project, summary of
what has been done before and what you have accomplished. Give the aims of the thesis. Ensure you cite references properly and use primary literature (rather than reviews) where possible and certainly for concepts that are important to your project.
Materials and Methods – Provide brief, concise and accurate methods (no need for full protocols). Refer to published methods where possible and include statistical methods. Indicate the manufacturer of kits etc. and again you can cite manufacturer’s instructions if that is exactly how you used them.
Results – present the results of your research, remembering that figure legends should contain enough detail for the figure to be understood without referring to the text. The text of this section should briefly indicate why the experiment was done and the conclusions from the experiment. It is not necessary to describe every bit of data in detail. (e.g. say “these results indicate that Protein X, and not Protein Y, is induced by treatment” rather than “The level of protein X is 100 before treatment and 300 after treatment, the level of protein y is 200 before and after treatment.” The latter can be seen in a figure, what you want to tell the reader is the conclusion.) Also, remember to include relevant statistical analysis. It is often helpful to divide the results section in to subsections.
Discussion – discuss the implications of your results, their context in terms of other knowledge, any limitations of your approach, future directions etc. Do not be tempted to discuss every little aspect, it is better to focus on a few key points. This section is not for repetition of results.
Acknowledgements (if required) Reference List Appendices (optional)
Additional information for figures:
Photographs or scanned images must be of good quality Place the figures close to where they are mentioned in the text. Embed in
text or use separate page. Legends immediately beneath pictures or diagrams on the same page.
Should fully explain diagram. Separate legend from the surrounding text. Make sure the figure is linked into the narrative of the text (and cited).
Referencing:
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Bibliography: single spaced with a blank line between each reference Do not number references Alphabetical by first author 2 authors: Smith and Jones (1997) or (Smith and Jones, 1997) 3 authors: Smith et al. (1997) or (Smith et al., 1997). Use 1997a, 1997b etc. to distinguish papers in the same year where
necessary.
Examples:
Kurath, G., Higman, K. H. and Björklund, H. V. (1997). Distribution and variation of NV genes in fish rhabdoviruses. J. Gen. Virol. 78, 113-117.Schoub, B. D. and Blackburn, N. K. (1995). Flaviviruses. In Principles and Practice of Clinical Virology, 3rd edn, pp. 485-515. Edited by A. J. Zuckerman, J. E. Banatvala and J. R. Pattison. Chichester: John Wiley and Sons.
Information and advice on making a poster for your second mini-project can be found on the mini-projects intranet page.
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Appendix 2
Use and publication of Information provided to UKRI on UKRI funded Studentships.
PhD project information displayed on the Gateway to Research.
The Gateway to Research (GtR) is a web-based portal where information about funded research is published. The aim is to assist businesses and other interested parties to identify potential partners in research organisations to develop and commercialise knowledge, and thereby increase the impact of publicly funded research. It provides better access for the research community, business and the public to information on research funded by the seven Research Councils and the Innovate UK.
The PhD project information which the Research Councils will publish on the GtR website is given below. Note that the project summary (abstract) is a key piece of content for display in GtR and it must be suitable for publication and not contain sensitive or confidential information.
Item of data NotesStudent Name for students starting from 2015 onwardsTraining Grants The grant(s) from which the student is funded. A student may be
funded by more than one grant. These are already published on Organisation The organisation that holds the training grant.Project Title This should be as informative as possible, even if final title not yet Summary Sensitive or confidential information should NOT be included in Supervisor The academic supervisor(s)Organisation This will be the Organisation where the student is registered.Department The Department of the Organisation at which the student is Project Partner This will be displayed to highlight collaborative workingRegistration Date The date on which the student started their studiesExpected Submission The date by which the thesis is due to be submitted.
Other use of information provided to UKRI
The Research Councils will use information provided on the Training Grant proposal, or equivalent, for processing the proposal or in relation to the administration of the Training Grant, for the award of any subsequent grant, and for the payment, maintenance and review of the grant. This includes data submitted through the JeS Student Details (SD).
Use of submitted data may include:
Registration and processing of proposals; Operation of grants processing and management information systems; Preparation of material for use by reviewers and peer review panels; Administration, investigation and review of grant proposals;
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Sharing proposal information on a strictly confidential basis with other funding
organisations To seek contributions to the funding of proposals Statistical analysis in relation to the evaluation of postgraduate training
trends Policy and strategy studies. Meeting the Research Councils’ obligations for public accountability and the
dissemination of information. Making it available on the Research Council’s web site and other publicly
available databases, and in reports, documents and mailing lists.
Data that will be made available on the Research Councils’ web sites and other publicly available databases, including Gateway to Research, and in reports, documents and mailing lists will include the following data:
Student name (for students starting from 2015 onwards) Name(s) of project partner organisations and supervisors Project titles and topics Project summaries Registration and expected submission dates Numbers of students in particular regions, universities or departments in
context of the Training Grant funding announced. Aggregated information regarding demographics, student numbers, stipend
levels, qualifications, age at start, migration levels (from first degree university to
another) etc.
Je-S Student Details Functionality
The Research Organisation provides standard information on the details of students and the student research projects funded by the Research Councils’ through the web-based data collection functionality Je-S Student details which Research Organisations use to return details of the students and student research projects funded from the Training Grant.
The Information that is required is available in the Je-S system help text: Go to the web address , click Show, select Studentship Details and then select Data Protection
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