European-American University™

Guide to Good Practice

1. Introduction
This Guide is based on received experience and knowledge held by academic staff, formulated by staff appointed by European-American University, and by existing practice at other institutions. This Guide has been informed by a number of external advisory bodies, and in particular the 'Code of Practice for the Assurance of Academic Quality and Standards in Higher Education: Postgraduate Research Programs (1999)' as published by the U.K. Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education.

Where appropriate, academic staff will have drawn upon policy and regulations in place at institutions where they enjoy full-time or part-time employment, it being only reasonable to seek to capitalise on the 'best practice' objectives of other tertiary level institutions.

The Guide has been developed on the expectation that European-American University shall be able to capitalise on on-going discussions amongst universities around the world, allowing European-American University to attract and provide a fruitful research environment for candidates.

This Guide is intended as a working reference document. It will be amended and changed as developments warrant over time. The main purpose of the Guide is to provide a framework of considered thought, under which all staff involved can strive to promote policies and procedures which protect the academic standards of European-American University research provision.

The intended reader of the Guide is anyone involved in research supervision or supplementary work on behalf of European-American University and members of the student body or the general public seeking information on European-American University quality assurance policies with respect to its Research Program.

The Guide is not a complete and finished document, but subject to on-going change as received wisdom and experience warrant. Staff are recommended to bring any inaccuracies, omissions or other perceived errors to the attention of European-American University preferably with suggestions for improvements and changes, in order that we may all work together to make the Guide as much a part of the Quality Assurance activities as any other element.

Glossary of Terms
President
The President of European-American University has specific responsibilities relative to this Guide. Many of these may be delegated on a day-to-day basis. Reference to the 'President' in the Guide shall thus be taken to mean the President of European-American University, the Provost, or the Dean or Head of a Department or another nominated person.

University
Where appropriate, the term "University" may refer either to European-American University or another third party collaborating institution holding such status.

Professional (Practitioner) Doctorate
This is the usual designation for a doctoral award, designed for practising professionals, where the Program, in addition to a thesis providing a substantial element of original research (or, in some cases, a systematic and critical exposition of existing research), there is also a significant taught component. P.L.A. assessment of an equivalent standard to either or both of the taught and thesis components may be substituted.

Thesis
This term is used interchangeably with 'portfolio', 'dissertation' or similar, and denotes the substantial element of original research (or systematic and critical exposition of existing research for awards below the academic doctorate level) set forth in a fixed document, presented in accordance with the regulations of the awarding body in question.

Regulations
These will be the regulations of the awarding body in question, whether European-American University, or any designated partner awarding body.

2. Scope, Aims and Objectives of the Guide
This Guide sets out the European-American University policy and procedural framework relating to research degrees, and may be subject to reading in conjunction with regulations and guidelines for any partner institutions.

The aims of the Guide are:


The objective of this Guide is to define a set of standard procedures and specific responsibilities covering the academic supervision, administration, and assessment of research degrees for all departments within the European-American University Research Program.

Departments may define additional requirements for their research students, which shall be set out in relevant handbooks or other documentation.

3. Nature and Duration of a Research Program
The expected outcomes of research degrees by thesis/portfolio are defined by University Regulations, designed to be similar to similar Regulations at British institutions granting research-based degrees, requiring a student to present a thesis which:


The expected outcomes of other doctoral awards will be defined in the respective Program regulations. Typically assessment will be by portfolio of work and assessed modules, with P.L.A. assessment where applicable. P.L.A. may be presented for all doctoral awards and may satisfy their requirements up to a maximum of 60% of the award.

In selecting the research project, the scope of the project should be such that it should normally be achievable by a capable, suitably qualified and diligent student, who is properly supported and supervised, within 36/48 months of full-time study (48/60 for part-time study) for an M.Phil./Ph.D. (or equivalent) respectively. Departments undertaking to offer Professional Doctorates should offer guidance on their expectations for the scope and duration of research projects. There are no formal minimum or maximum time limits set by the University for completion of a research project provided that appropriate registration is maintained by the candidate and fees are paid (although a normal minimum period is set for the purposes of fee calculation); the above durations are given for the purpose of guidance as to the standard of work expected.

4. General Administrative Arrangements for Research Students
The President of European-American University will exercise overall responsibility for the academic progress of the research students. Particularly, the President is responsible for ensuring that the requirements set out in this Guide are followed and that the procedures for the selection of mentors and monitoring of progress of students are strictly observed.

Detailed responsibilities of the President are:


All departments shall appoint and maintain a Postgraduate Research Director, whose scope of work shall be similar to that of a Director of Studies for a taught Program, charged with monitoring the overall situation with regard to the department's research students. It might be suitable to appoint more than one person to such a title. Under the University's current structure, the Postgraduate Research Director shall normally be the Dean or Head of the relevant department at European-American University or another collaborating institution. The Postgraduate Research Director will be responsible for:


Student Representation
European-American University's Research Program offers limited opportunity for residential research, and thus student representation may be logistically difficult to implement. However, European-American University will allow for student representation on its Academic Board, by at least one research student, where possible. This student will be voted for on annual basis among the currently registered research students.

Departments with committees set up to discuss matters relating to postgraduate research, including student progress, are recommended to encourage student representation. Discussions of individual student performance are obviously confidential in nature, and must be dealt with only when student representatives are not present.

Annual Review
Departments should prepare a review on an annual basis, evaluating student progress and awards in the department, as well as addressing quality assurance, resources, staff development or other issues emerging through the student monitoring process. The report should also address any feedback from students, external funding bodies and employers, where applicable.

The annual review should form part of the annual report prepared by the Academic Board.

Promotional Information
All publicity materials related to research programs should be clear, concise, accurate and in sufficient detail to enable enquirers and potential students to make an informed decision as to whether to apply for a place. It is expected that such material will draw heavily on the program information available for each research program, although it will not necessarily be presented in the same format.

Student Files
Student files will be kept on behalf of each department by the University, either electronically, on paper, or using both methods. These files should contain information on the student's background, any relevant personal problems and academic performance (such as, but not only, progress report forms). Files must be secure and should only be available to relevant academic staff and other authorised personnel on request. Relevant academic staff will usually be considered to be the mentor, the President, the Provost and the Dean or Head of the Department or other person designated as Research Director. Any other member of academic staff will require authorisation from any of the people mentioned to retrieve the student file.

If records are kept on a computer data base it is recommended that a back-up hard copy be periodically made. Any computer data should conform to the guidelines of Data Protection legislation in the relevant country. Consideration should be given as to how long all or part of these records should be maintained, for example to enable references to be provided for students in the future or for further contact purposes.

5. Appointment and Responsibilities of Research Mentors
Appointment of mentors
Three types of mentor may be appointed:


Principal mentor
The principal mentor shall be responsible for the overall direction of the student's Program of study and research towards a university qualification and for the development of the student's related understanding and skills and general progress.

Appointment
i. The President of European-American University is responsible for the appointment of a principal mentor for each research student. The candidate's assigned University officer will usually have the status of principal mentor ex officio but in all cases where this person is not an expert in the field of research being undertaken he/she shall cause the candidate or the University as applicable to contract with at least one co-mentor or collaborative mentor who is such an expert.

ii. Appointment as principal mentor will cease if the appointee ceases to hold an appointment with European-American University, although it may be desirable in certain circumstances for him/her to remain as a co-mentor on the mentory team. A new principal mentor will then be appointed;

iii. Where research projects involve more than one department the student should be allocated to one of the schools for administrative purposes. The principal mentor will usually represent this department. Where appropriate, one or more co-mentor(s) should be appointed from the other participating department;

iv. The President of European-American University should determine the maximum number of students a member of staff might supervise, having considered the relative teaching, research and administrative loads of the member of staff concerned. Obviously, the views of the member of staff have merit in this consideration;

v. Changes to the mentor team should be kept at a minimum to ensure that a student's studies are not unnecessarily disrupted. The President of European-American University is responsible for appointing appropriate and adequate mentor cover in the event of the absence of the principal mentor. In some instances it may be appropriate for an eligible co-mentor to fulfil the role of principal mentor. In other instances, substitution of a new principal mentor will be necessary. Any such arrangements should be monitored closely and regularly. The student must be kept informed at all times of the arrangements for supervision.

Eligibility
The principal mentor:

i. Must be appointed from among the following: A member of the European-American University appointed as President, Provost, Dean, Professor, Director, Senior Lecturer, Lecturer, Senior Academic Advisor or Senior Research Fellow;

ii. Must have an expectation of holding the appointment with the relevant institution for at least the minimum period of the student's registration;

iii. Must either be an active researcher in an area relevant to the student's field of research; possession of a research degree is desirable but not a necessity or requirement for appointment; or a senior academic with experience of research supervision who will work with co-mentor(s) or collaborative mentor(s) who will take on the subject-specific mentor role.

iv. Must have supervised (solely or as a co-mentor) at least one research student through to successful completion of a post-graduate degree.

Staff on probation are not eligible to serve as principal mentor but may serve as co-mentors.

Responsibilities of the principal mentor
The principal mentor is responsible for:

i. The overall direction and development of the student's program of study and research;

ii. Ensuring that, where the student's research is linked with a research contract, the interests of the student are safeguarded to secure the student's reasonable progress towards their higher degree;

iii. Providing the student with guidance about the nature of research: about planning the research program realistically, the availability of and access to literature and other sources of information and about the difficulties associated with fraudulent misrepresentation of research, plagiarism and acknowledgement of the work of others;

iv. Discussing, agreeing and recording with students, at an early stage of their degree, a program of support and training designed specifically for the needs of the individual student and their area of research;

v. Where a co-mentor has been appointed, clarifying and agreeing with the student and co-mentor the scope and boundaries of their relative responsibilities towards each other and appropriate means of communication between them;

vi. Advising, in close discussion with the student, the financial viability of the research project. This involves discussing the likely costs involved with the project, and the establishment of a suitable budget for the project. It is advised that this advisory stage be taken care of early on in the student's registration;

vii. Ensuring that students are aware of and secure in their knowledge that they can satisfy the requirements of the research program;

viii. Agreeing with the student a schedule of regular communications, in whatever form is agreed;

ix. Providing students with specific and detailed advice on the individual stages of their work, recommended completion times and other requirements, with the aim of helping the student to progress through the program with minimal disruption and difficulty, and to submit the thesis (or its equivalent) within a mutually convenient timeframe, having regard to the University's non-imposition of time-limits for its programs;

x. Requesting written work from students with a view to being able to make regular, formal reports on student progress to European-American University as applicable, particularly where this links to transfer from an M.Phil. to a Ph.D. Program as described under 13 below, or requesting co-mentors to make these reports available. All written work should be returned to the student within a reasonable timeframe, with constructive, written criticism;

xi. Arranging, where appropriate, opportunities for students to present their work to other research students, graduate and staff meetings, where this is practicable within European-American University Research Program teaching methodology;

xii. Ensuring that students are aware of their progress relative to expectations, with particular reference to students whose progress may be giving cause for concern. Students should be informed in writing of serious concerns, and be given advice as to what repair strategies would be suitable;

xiii. Advising students with language difficulties how and where they may receive appropriate, professional assistance, with a particular emphasis on students whose first language is not English;

xiv. Undertaking half-yearly progress reviews and making sure that an Annual Progress Report is submitted by the student.

Co-mentor
The co-mentor is responsible for assisting the principal mentor in directing the student's program of study and research.

A member of staff with limited or no experience of providing research supervision will be expected to gain such experience in the role of co-mentor of at least one student to successful completion and award of a higher degree before he/she will be appointed as principal mentor.

Appointment
The President of European-American University is responsible for the appointment of co-mentors. The President of European-American University also determines the number of students the co-mentor might supervise, with due regard being given to other teaching, research and administrative duties of the member of staff. Although the President of European-American University will take the views of the member of staff into consideration, he/she should remember that members of staff who have not previously undertaken research supervision will have limited or no real grasp of the amount of work required for the mentor's work to be undertaken.

The appointment of a co-mentor does not necessarily cease if the individual ceases to be a member of staff, nor must a co-mentor necessarily be a member of the University's staff.

Eligibility
The co-mentor should be normally appointed from the following:


The co-mentor must have relevant knowledge and should normally be an active researcher in an area relevant to the student's field of research. Possession of a research degree is desirable but not a necessity or requirement for appointment.

Responsibilities
The co-mentor is responsible:

i. To the principal mentor for guiding students on particular aspects of the program of study and research, where he/she has specialist expertise and/or where the research extends across two or more departments/disciplines;

ii. with the principal mentor, for providing students with guidance about the nature of research and the standards expected: about planning the research program realistically, about the availability of and access to literature and other sources of information, and about the difficulties associated with fraudulent misrepresentation of research, plagiarism, and acknowledgement of the work of others;

iii. for arranging with the student and the principal mentor a program of regular, scheduled contact in order to ensure effective oversight and co-ordination of the research project;

iv. for making him-/herself available at other times not in the contact schedule (students will be given contact details of principal mentor and co-mentor when registered on the Program);

v. for giving students specific advice on the various stages of their progress, expected completion dates and related requirements with the aim of facilitating the progression through the program with minimum difficulty, and within a mutually agreed timeframe;

vi. with the principal mentor, for requesting and securing written work from the student and for considering arrangements of transfer of registration, where applicable, from M.Phil. to Ph.D. (as described under 13 below). Written work should be always returned within a reasonable timeframe, with constructive, written criticism;

vii. with the principal mentor, for making sure that students are kept fully aware of their progress and, specifically, if the progress raises cause for concern or if the standard of work falls below what is generally expected.

Collaborative mentor
The collaborative mentor will be a relevant appointment where a substantial element of the student's program of study will be taking place at premises not normally associated with the European-American University Research Program and also in the distance learning environment.

The collaborative mentor is responsible for the immediate, day-to-day guidance of a mentory nature at the point of research. The overall responsibility for the direction and development of the program research still rests with the principal mentor.

Appointment
i. The President of European-American University is responsible for the appointment of collaborative mentors. He will take into account the wishes and guidelines/Regulations governing the award relative to the awarding institution.

ii. The collaborative mentor will usually be nominated by a collaborating organisation under a written agreement with European-American University.

Eligibility
i. A collaborative mentor will normally be drawn from a collaborating organisation, such as an industry, a research institution, another institution of higher education and so on, whose field of work is closely related to the research undertaken by the student. Usually, a collaborative mentor would not be formally engaged with European-American University in a teaching or research position, although their appointment to the adjunct faculty for the duration of their supervision is routine for administrative purposes.

ii. In order for the President of European-American University to have a basis for appointing suitable collaborative mentors, a short resumé, with headline details of relevant experience, should be provided. The President of European-American University will be looking for the following qualities:


Responsibilities
The collaborative mentor is responsible:

i. to the principal mentor for providing guidance at the point of research on particular aspects of the program of study and research, in the areas where he/she holds specialist and/or local expertise;

ii. in collaboration with the principal mentor, for providing students with guidance about the nature of research and the standards expected of the presented work; about planning the research activities and program realistically, about the availability of and access to literature and other sources of information, and about the difficulties associated with plagiarism and acknowledgement of the work of others; for all practical purposes, the collaborative mentor will act for the principal mentor;

iii. with the student and the principal mentor, for arranging a program of regular communications;

iv. for making him-/herself to the student at other times; students will be provided with comprehensive contact details of the collaborative mentor;

v. for providing students with advice on the individual stages of their work, completion dates and other requirements with the purpose of helping them through the project and to submit the thesis (or equivalent) within a mutually agreed timeframe;

vi. with the principal mentor, for requesting written work and for considering suitable arrangements for the transfer of registration from M.Phil. to Ph.D. (where appropriate) (as described under 13 below);

vii. with the principal mentor, for making sure that students are kept fully aware of their progress, with particular reference to any cause for concern, or where work falls below a standard of what may generally be expected.

6. Admission and Registration
1 Application must be made on any such form as specified by European-American University at any given time.

2 Applicants will be expected to hold relevant and appropriate experience and/or experience; entry requirements for each Program (or open entry where applicable) will be clear from the documentation prepared for that Program.

3 It is recommended that applicants be assessed prior to admission where possible. This need not be by a face-to-face interview, and provisions are easily made for telephone or email interviews.

4 Applicants may be required to satisfy the department of their proficiency in English, written as well as verbal. European-American University will reserve the right to refer applicants to a course of instruction in English. Although the University additionally permits work to be completed in French, mentors shall only be required to work in a language of which they have a fluent command.

5 The final decision whether to admit an applicant or not should be normally reached as an agreement between at least 2 members of staff of the University.

6 Point 5 notwithstanding, the final decision on admission or not is that of the President. He/she should at this stage ascertain that appropriate and sufficient resources are available to support the research proposal, with particular reference to the concept that the proposal may change and develop over time.

7 If the candidate is to receive supervision by more than one department, the decision to admit should carry the written endorsement of all departments involved. One department will appoint a principal mentor, and the student will consider this 'their' department. A co-mentor should be normally appointed from other departments involved.

8 If European-American University is to consider a research study proposal on a collaborative basis, it is necessary to reach a formal collaborative agreement prior to admission. The agreement must confirm the student's permission to conduct the proposed research for the minimum period of registration, covering intellectual property and copyright, dissemination of research outcomes, mentory arrangements and access to resources necessary for the research project.

9 Successful applicants will be sent a formal course place offer letter, usually electronically. This will confirm the terms and conditions on which the offer is based. The applicant must make him-/herself familiar with the contents of the offer, and indicate their consent to these in writing, as well as supplying any additionally requested information.

10 The documentation sent out with the offer communication should specify the availability of documents to be issued after admission, such as research handbooks and other useful tools, and also tell applicants that these documents, as well as other reference material, will be issued after admission. The communication should also emphasise that students admitted to the European-American University Research Program will be bound by the University's Regulations and other appropriate terms and conditions.

11 Before the student commences studies, he/she should receive the following information:


12 - Students will be required to sign a declaration that they have seen, read, and understood the Program Handbooks and relevant University Regulations and terms and conditions, and that they undertake to be bound by these.

7. The Research Project
Ethical considerations for projects using human volunteers
1 - All research projects must conform with "The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Covenants on Human Rights" (UN General Assembly, December 1984) and with any guidelines on ethics for teaching and research as published the University (under development). Researchers are required to observe the ethical guidelines advocated by their own professional or statutory body.

2 - Any experiment or procedure falling within one or more of the categories set out below must be referred to the Academic Board of European-American University for consideration and approval:

Data Protection legislation
Research projects are subject to Data Protection legislation in the student's own country, and personal data held or processed must be conducted in accordance with this legislation. Authority must be obtained by the principal mentor for such data to be held or processed.

Insurance
The department should inform the Academic Board of European-American University of any project with the potential for involving unusual risks relative to any of European-American University's insurance policies, particularly in terms of third party liability.

Intellectual Property
The copyright of the thesis rests with the author, but a student is required to assign to the University (or any other awarding party) any intellectual property rights (whether or not patents may be derived therefrom) that the student is considered to have acquired during their registration as a student on the research project. The return for this is a fairly calculated portion of any net proceeds in accordance with the terms of the Intellectual Property Policy of the University and any other awarding party. However, students may be subject to the terms of specific agreements with their sponsor(s) concerning the assignment and ownership of intellectual property rights. See the University's detailed Intellectual Property Policy.

8. Student Information
Handbooks
In situations where the student is formally assigned to a department, the relevant department should normally issue its own handbook for research students before study is commenced, where such is available. The purpose of the handbook is to provide the student with information relevant to the department where they are to work. Other information will be in the form of copies of relevant Regulations, as well as this document. The department handbook will give the student detailed advice of what the department expects of the student, as well as what the student can expect from the department.

Department handbooks will necessarily be different in content, but should contain at least the following information:


European-American University offers guidance to postgraduate students through its official website. This is intended to provide a general guide to the European-American University Research Program as a whole, including information on tuition fee payments, registration procedures, academic support facilities, validating universities and guidance on the preparation and presentation of theses.

9. Academic Misconduct and Plagiarism
The definition of 'academic misconduct' is:


This definition includes:


Other elements may be included under this heading, depending on circumstances. See also Regulation 5.

Departments should take note that students may, inadvertently or not, engage in academic misconduct as a result of poor initial guidance. This would in particular relate to the use of or relating of work or writings of others in ways not considered appropriate or acceptable in a higher education setting. In view of this risk, departments are recommended that all students are thoroughly grounded in the use of references and citations, and that mentors stay continually vigilant against academic misconduct and plagiarism.

It should be noted here that the final responsibility that all work and writings of others is properly referenced and cited rests with the student, and that ignorance of the matter is not considered any defence. However, responsibility rests with the department for making clear to the student what constitutes misconduct and plagiarism, as well as what constitutes good practice. The department should thus provide every student with a set of guidelines for what is and what is not acceptable. These guidelines must also set out the seriousness of academic misconduct and plagiarism, and that the discovery of same will have serious consequences.

10. Student Responsibilities
Any research student admitted to the European-American University Research Program will be responsible for the following:

i. taking responsibility or the progress of their research project, seeing to it that it is complete within any agreed timeframe, and seeking guidance from mentors where necessary;

ii. making him-/herself familiar with the documentation and guidance provided by the department - ignorance of matters discussed in the various guides and handbooks provided, and on the University's official website, will not be an acceptable defence in any circumstance;

iii. discussing as early as possible with their principal mentor the relationship between the two, in order that the respective roles and obligations may be made clear;

iv. discussing with their principal mentor the form of comment and assistance they would find most useful, what are the aims and objectives of the research project, co-supervision and collaborative supervision where applicable, and the proposed background reading;

v. taking the initiative in discussing with their mentor(s) any difficulties encountered;

vi. ensuring that agreed consultations are kept, and maintaining the progress of work in keeping with the schedule agreed with their principal mentor and co-/collaborative mentor(s);

vii. submitting a written progress report to their mentor(s) - as directed by the mentor(s) - at least every six months;

viii. discussing with their principal mentor the arrangements (where appropriate) for transfer from M.Phil. to Ph.D. (as described above, where such conditional admission has been agreed), and for the submission of their thesis, with the purpose of identifying and resolving any issues of concern;

ix. agreeing the authorship and content of work for publication purposes with their principal mentor prior to submitting it for publication, and for formally acknowledging the input of mentors and others (where applicable).

x. respecting confidentiality issues (professional, personal, and commercial), applying absolute discretion and integrity throughout their registration as a student;

xi. maintaining comprehensive and accurate records of work undertaken. This not only makes it easier for the mentor(s) to maintain or gain a good idea of progress, but also could assist the student comprehensively in the writing-up stage;

xii. communicating in a professional fashion with sponsors (where applicable) in the extent this direct contact has been agreed by the principal mentor.

11. Research Student Development
Departments should help research students gain the knowledge and skills needed to undertake and complete their program successfully. This may be considered an integral part of the mentory obligations, but could also be made to include elements of formalised training. It is the responsibility of the President of European-American University and the Research Director (where appointed) to continually review the support mechanisms available by the department, and the University.

There should be student access to language support and academic writing skills courses, where necessary. These courses will normally attract additional fees.

Where there are external conferences or courses of benefit organised by third parties that are accessible to the student, they should be offered every encouragement to attend.

The department must inform students in writing of any compulsory taught element, including details of the assessment methodology and the consequences of unsatisfactory progress.

12. Student Progress Monitoring
Contact with mentors
Regular contact with mentors is the main method of progress monitoring. It is the responsibility of the principal mentor that a system of contact exists which adequately and effective addresses the contact requirements. Other mentors are expected also to maintain regular contact with their assigned students, and to make regular progress reports.

The frequency and nature of contact should be agreed between student and mentors. Contact schedules may need amendment from time to time, but all parties should make it their utmost priority to keep any contact times already agreed and not cancelled, particularly having regard to the fact that mentor(s) and students may be working on different time zones.

Mentors should keep records of dates and outcomes of mentoring contacts. Students are also recommended to keep such records, at least in headline form.

Progress Review Consultations and Reports
Progress Review Consultations should be undertaken twice annually, one of which should be designated as the Annual Progress Review, and reports should be derived from these review consultations. The aim for the reviews is to give the departments formal academic feedback to the student, and to provide a forum for reporting progress and concerns of the student or the mentor(s) to the department.

The Annual Progress Review Consultation
An annual review of progress is required for every student. This will take place in the anniversary month of admission and every same month thereafter until the completion of the Program or in the event that the Program is otherwise stopped. Without the annual review, the student will not be allowed to continue their research. The review report will be maintained with the student's file and shall remain restricted to those involved in the review, as well as appropriate University officers.

The report is made up of two elements, the student element and the principal mentor element. Both parts will be passed to the President. Having received the two reports, the President will arrange contact with the principal mentor and any other involved mentors, with the view to agreeing any actions.

It will be the responsibility of the President to consider any action, how and when it should be taken, and to identify any additional actions required by the department (e.g. additional training to be given the student). The student will be provided a copy of this part of the report, specifying any action set out by the President.

Where an annual progress report has not been completed within 45 days of the anniversary date(s) specified above, the President must prepare a statement for the Academic Board, setting out the reason(s).

If the student refuses to submit an Annual Progress Report whilst remaining registered the department may reasonably consider this as grounds for termination of the registration of the student. The President should consider the circumstances for the refusal and make recommendation to the Academic Board as to which action should be taken.

Half-yearly Review
Around the six-month stage after enrolment, and around six months after each annual review, an interim review should be held. The aims of this review may be determined by the department. This review consultation should result in a written report of the date and agreed outcomes, and should be ideally agreed both by the student and the principal mentor. The report should be maintained on the student's file. Some of the fixed aims of this review should be to determine progress against previously set objectives; problems incurred with the research project; any problems or comments related to the mentory arrangement, and an agreed set of objectives and headline detail of action for the following six months.

Unsatisfactory Progress
Where, in the view of the principal mentor, satisfactory progress has not been made, the student should be advised in writing by the President. A record of this, and a statement of any repair strategy agreed, should be kept on the student's file. Where the department is considering the termination of registration, students must be given written notice in accordance with Regulations on unsatisfactory academic progress.

13. M.Phil./Ph.D. Transfer
For some Programs, students will be admitted with the view to obtaining a Ph.D., but will be initially registered for the M.Phil. award. Transfer to the Ph.D. will then take place when the mentor(s) and President feel this is a suitable step.

Where such a process is in place in the University, the University shall adopt and administer the regulations thereto appertaining for such students. Students should expect the assessment for transfer to focus on one or more of the following criteria:

14. Thesis Preparation
The thesis is the student's opportunity to present original work of a standard commensurate with the award sought. Although mentors and department will do their utmost to provide guidance and assistance during the registration of the student, the final responsibility of the content of the thesis rests with the student.

The student should note that while the advice offered by any mentor is given in good faith, it is not the role of the mentor(s) to make any form of assessment of the standard of the final thesis, nor is it their task to predict the likely outcome of the final examination. Only appointed examiners may and can make such a judgement.

Format
The format of the thesis (or equivalent) is defined in the Regulations relevant to the award for which the student is studying.

Submission
The student holds sole responsibility for the submission of their thesis (or equivalent) in the format and number and at the time specified by the awarding body.

The student should retain copies of all material submitted for examination as part of the thesis (or equivalent).

15. Elements Subject to Regulations of the Awarding Body
The following are likely to be subject to the regulations and ordinances of the awarding body:

1 - The final examination

2 - Grievance procedures

3 - Appeals procedures