Lincoln University

Postgraduate Supervision: Mutual Expectations Agreement (MEA)

The aims of this document are first, to encourage communication between the thesis student and their supervisor/s and second, to record their agreed mutual expectations. The agreement should be completed within three months of the assignment of the supervision team. Students, especially those new to Lincoln, are advised to check the Appendix to this document and raise any matters they are uncertain about before the MEA is signed.

The template may be adapted by mutual agreement but the agreement of the thesis student, Supervisor, Associate Supervisor/s and/or mentor (where appropriate) is required.

The original document should be forwarded to the Faculty Post graduate Administrator and held in the student’s file. Each of the signatories should retain a copy of the MEA.

Student name …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Degree and Faculty………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Proposed thesis topic …………………………………………………………………………………………......

Date:
Student provided with the MEA
Initial meeting between student and supervisor(s)
Final agreement on MEA reached

Each of the signatories below acknowledges that they have read, discussed, completed and agreed on each of the clauses of the MEA.

Name / Signature
Student
Supervisor
Associate supervisor


If the student requires external[1] assistance, additional supervision may be appropriate. In these cases the House Rules must be consulted and followed.

Name/
Position / Organisation/
Affiliation / Signature
Co-supervisor
Associate co-supervisor
Adviser

Where the research is fundamentally or significantly Māori research focused, formal acknowledgement of the role of the Māori Research mentor is required. Further details and advice can be obtained from the Assistant Vice Chancellor (Māori).

Tuakana[2] – kaupapa Māori research mentor

Research topic and proposal

1. The Thesis Proposal approved by Supervisor, Associate Supervisor/s and Faculty Postgraduate Committee on …………………………….. is an accurate description of the planned thesis research, data requirements, funding required and likely sources of funding.

2 For PhDs the proposal will normally be submitted within 6 months of registration, and should include a clear timeline that enables submission of the thesis for examination within 3 years of that date. PhD Thesis Proposals will be submitted using the standard proposal formatting template.

3. Any major changes in the research project or supervisors, require the agreement of the student, Supervisor, Associate Supervisor/s (and others as appropriate) and the Postgraduate Committee Chair. If the research project changes significantly from that described in the Proposal, the Thesis Proposal that is submitted later to the Faculty Postgraduate Committee must record these changes.

Meetings

4. We will meet regularly at times mutually agreed by us and approved by the Faculty Postgraduate Committee. Frequency of meetings before the proposal is completed will be


…………………………………………………………………………………………

Frequency of meetings after the proposal is approved will be:


…………………………………………………………………………………………

Duration of meetings will typically be:

…………………………………………………………………………………………

5. The thesis student, Supervisor and Associate Supervisors will all be present at our meetings, unless mutually agreed otherwise. If one or more participants cannot make a designated meeting they shall notify the others as soon as possible before the meeting so that other arrangements can be made as appropriate.

6. Notes from these meetings stating tasks, milestones and dates, and responsibilities, will be written by the student, circulated to, and held by all signatories.

7. Outside scheduled meeting times, the postgraduate's access to the supervisor(s) outside scheduled meeting times will be…………………………………………

8. Expectations of the student’s attendance at Department/Faculty seminars is …………………………………………………………………………………………

Advice and Support

9. Tasks, milestones, responsibilities, and key dates will be determined at regular meetings and require mutual agreement of the student, Supervisor and Associate Supervisor/s and will be recorded in the notes.

10. Thesis student will provide proposals, chapters, conference papers, PPT, Review Forms etc, to Supervisor, Associate Supervisor/s …………..days before meetings occur, to enable time for reading the documents.

11. Supervisor and Associate Supervisor/s will read material provided and provide comment to the student within (normally) less than 2 working weeks or …………… days of receiving the documents.

12. If there is a need to obtain statistical or other advice from specialist advisers, this will only occur with mutual agreement of the thesis student, Supervisor, Associate Supervisor/s. The student can then contact the appropriate specialist adviser seeking their assistance.

13. If there is a need to obtain advice and assistance on English writing and copy editing from specialist advisers, or regarding Library services, then the student should be encouraged to initiate such assistance. All decisions to use Copy Editors must be recorded in writing and the hours logged. Consult TLS for advice on Copy Editors.

IP and Publications

14. This research project will comply with Lincoln University Intellectual Property Guidelines. Where there is any potential IP issue the student must contact the Research and Innovation Office for consultation and signoff.

Refer to Grounds for Embargo Guidelines and contact Lincoln Research and Innovation. If advised to, Supervisor and Student to complete the Embargo Notification Form

Notes: ………………………………………………………………

15. A publication plan including planned joint publications with members of the supervision team will be prepared and submitted as part of the thesis proposal.

16. Authorship of all publications from this research project requires mutual agreement of the thesis student, Supervisor, Associate Supervisor/s. In all such occasions the British Sociological Association Author Guidelines (adopted as policy by the University in 2005) and available on the intranet will apply.

17. Tasks, milestones and timelines, responsibilities relating to preparation and writing of conference papers, PPT, journal articles, book chapters etc will be determined at the regular meetings and require mutual agreement of the thesis student, Supervisor, Associate Supervisor/s.

18. All theses and some dissertations are now submitted in electronic format into the University’s digital repository. If other publications e.g., peer reviewed journal articles, are being planned from the thesis or dissertation the student needs to be aware of any ‘pre-publication’ issues. Advice on this matter can be obtained from the Library.


Appendix

The following other matters should also be considered and, if considered relevant by the student or members of the supervision team, discussed before the MEA is signed. Many of the following matters may already have been covered during the student’s induction programme within the Faculty. Supervisors should check that students are aware that they can find information in faculty handbooks, websites and from Faculty Administrators. They should also alert them to TLS workshops, including those especially for Postgraduate students.

http://learn.lincoln.ac.nz/tls/mod/resource/view.php?id=17

1.  What is a thesis?

§  What is meant by a 'thesis'?

§  What is meant by 'originality'?

§  What is the appropriate structure of a thesis?

§  What are the titles and authors of some good theses in the student's field and which are available in the Group/Division/University library, or on the supervisor's bookshelf? The advisor's own thesis?

§  What is the difference between a thesis that passes and one that is of first class quality?

§  How is the assessment of the thesis conducted?

§  Who will be the external examiner(s)? When is this decided? Who decides? Can the student have a say?

2.  Advice and Support

§  Development of the research proposal: how much input is expected from the advisor(s) and how will this proceed?

§  What are the expectations of feedback on research, writing etc: how much, how often, in what form?

§  Support with theoretical background, resources, contacts etc: how much can be expected, given the advisory team's knowledge of the research area?

§  Are there relevant personal circumstances that might make the supervision or completion of the thesis difficult e.g., the student's suffering financial hardship or experiencing relationship difficulties or the supervisor going on sabbatical leave, having taken on extra Lincoln University duties, expecting a baby, etc?

3.  Resources

What access does the student have to:

§  A study place, a mail box, laboratory space, equipment etc, as appropriate?

§  Tea/coffee facilities?

§  Photocopying, interloan facilities and how are these charged?

§  Paid work e.g. tutoring, marking?

§  Computer access? How many computers/postgraduate in the Group? What software and how many printers are available?

§  Funding for scholarships/research consumables/travel/conference attendance, etc. How to apply? Deadlines? Availability of more information? How much can be bid for? Any reporting requirements and associated deadlines? Whose responsibility is it to make sure that these deadlines are met?

§  Support services e.g. technical, secretarial? What can be expected?

Does the student know:

§  Who provides charge codes for project materials, library costs, etc and what is the procedure for spending allocated budgets?

§  Who are the key people in the Group/Division who can offer help e.g., postgraduate representatives, technical officers, etc.

4.  Monitoring Progress and Resolving Conflict

§  What are the Group, Divisional and Postgraduate and Research School procedures in the event that one or more members of the team (including the student) are not happy with progress/procedures?

§  What are the protocols for extensions and suspension, including fees? Who makes the decision?

4

Lincoln University: Mutual Expectation Agreement

[1] An increasing proportion of students require external assistance, often when their research is based at an external research institution. The House Rules are explicit in terms of defining qualifications for these positions and it is important that both internal and external members of the supervision team accept the full contents of this agreement.

[2] Note that kaupapa Māori research will require a separately negotiated agreement, signed by the designated Tuakana, an ‘assistant’ and by a member of the appropriate kaitiaki collective (e.g., iwi, hapu, whanau) responsible for approving the overall process. The additional Māori-MEA will be attached to the MEA. Staff and students (teina) are advised to discuss such matters with members of their Faculty Kaupapa Māori Unit.