The following policies, procedures and forms are applicable only to doctoral research students. Other, more general University policies are listed within the Quality Support Office website.
This page is aimed at PhD supervisors and other staff working with doctoral research students. If you are a doctoral student looking for information, please visit our page of policies and procedures for doctoral students.
- Code of Practice on Research Students
- Code of Conduct for Supervisors of Research Students
- Rules for the submission of theses for higher degrees
- Monitoring and assessment of progress
- Other policies relating to research students
- Suspensions and extensions
- PhD by Distance, guidance and approval form
- Setting up collaborative arrangements for postgraduate research programmes
- Guide to Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) Scheme
Code of Practice on Research Students
The University's Code of Practice on Research Students (PDF, 0.4 MB) outlines a minimum set of requirements for all parties involved in the awarding of research degrees at the University of Reading.
This Code covers all such degrees including MPhil and PhD, the research elements of Professional Doctorate programmes (including the Henley DBA), relevant elements of PhD by Publication programmes and the LLM (by thesis).
The Code of Practice also contains context and links to other key documents pertaining to the assessment of research degrees.
Code of Conduct for Supervisors of Research Students
The Code of Conduct for Supervisors of Research Students (PDF, 0.6 MB) sits along, and supplements, the Code of Practice on Research Students and is intended to promote good practice in the supervision of research students.
Supervisors should consult the Code of Conduct for up-to-date information about all policies and procedures relating to research students. Other relevant documents for supervisors can be found on the good practice guides page.
Rules for the submission of theses for higher degrees
The rules for the submission of theses for higher degrees (available on our doctoral examinations page) give full details about the processes doctoral researchers should follow with regard to submission of theses, including notice of intention to submit, procedure for submission, word limits, format of theses.
This policy also sets out details about the examination process and that for notification of results, and for graduation.
Electronic deposition of theses
Doctoral students enrolling on or after October 2012 are required to submit an electronic copy of their thesis. There is guidance for students elsewhere on this website but the important role of supervisors in this process is outlined in separate guidance for supervisors.
Monitoring and assessment of progress
The Code of Practice on Research Students summarises and enshrines our formal policy on monitoring the progress of students on research degrees. Staff may also wish to consult the related good practice guide on monitoring and assessing the progress of doctoral researchers, which is complementary to the Code.
This section provides University templates for students, supervisors and assessors in order to facilitate the process:
Annual review of progress: Years 1, 3 and 4
- Annual review (student/supervisor template) (Word document, 0.02 MB)
- Annual review (assessor template) (Word document, 0.02 MB)
Annual review of progress: confirmation of registration
- Confirmation of registration (student/supervisor template) (Word document, 0.02 MB)
- Confirmation of registration (assessor template) (Word document, 0.02 MB)
- Please see the process map (PDF) for the actions to be taken following the Confirmation of Registration assessment
Recording notes of supervisory meetings
Supervisors can also use the recording supervisory meetings on RISIS web portal to record notes from supervisory meetings with their research students.
Research student evaluation of supervisory arrangements: standard form (Word document, 0.04 MB)
Other policies relating to research students
- Postgraduate research admissions policy (PDF, 0.2 MB)
- Guidance notes on interviewing students for research degree programmes (PDF, 0.2 MB)
- Procedures for appeals by postgraduate research students against confirmation of registration decisions (PDF, 0.2 MB)
- Procedure for appeals against termination of registration from a non-submission of a thesis (PDF, 0.07 MB)
- Policy on procedures relating to PhD and MPhil student academic engagement and fitness to study (PDF, 0.3 MB)
- Policy statement on the use of postgraduate teaching assistants or demonstrators (PDF, 0.08 MB)
Suspensions and extensions
PhD by Distance
- PhD by Distance guidance (PDF, 0.2 MB)
- Form for approval of arrangements for PhD by Distance registration (Word document, 0.1MB)
Partnership agreement and service statement (PAS)
- Partnership agreement (PDF, 0.2 MB)
- Service statement (PDF, 0.1 MB)
- Key responsibility holders (PDF, 0.1 MB)
Setting up collaborative arrangements for postgraduate research programmes