The research skills that you are expected to develop are grouped under the following headings (below). Within each heading
is a list of research skills, suggestions on how you can demonstrate your ability at each skill and an appropriate
method of assessment for each skill. Some of these can be assessed as part of your annual viva. This list of skills is based on the Joint Research Councils' Statement on Skills Training for Postgraduate Students. You will notice that some skills are very similar - where possible I have tried to make them as distinct as possible. Comments and suggestions for activities are welcome!
Where possible an indication of a course or training program for each skill is given. To count as part of
your instructional training a record of each assessment must be kept as part of your logbook and stored in the Departmental records
(see the details at 534 for more on the logbook). For each activity
there is an indicative credit count intended to
to help you assess your progress in instructional training.
These are only indicative counts and are open to discussion. For some activities the credit count is not indicated, the credits assigned for each activity will depend on the nature and duration of the activity. However at the end of your studies you
should have carried out sufficient instructional training activities to be awarded the full 15 PG credits, ie pass the course.
Generally, can only obtain credits once for each activity - reviewing 15 papers does not get you 15 PG credits. However, there is some flexibility depending on the specifics of the activities, ask me if you are confused.
For many of these activities the method of assessment is a short report. Usually this means about 0.5-1 page as long as the report contains sufficient detail for a third person to understand the context and outcomes of the activity. Most activities are assessed by your supervisor who should give you some written feedback for each activity. This is necessary for the activity to officially count as part of the instructional training.
A successful researcher should be able to: ° the ability to recognise and validate problems
Methods of demonstration: several possible methods of demonstration including peer-reviewed publication. Here you need to demonstrate
that your research is tackling a real problem, the scope and nature of that problem and who might benefit from your research
Methods of assessment: by supervisor/panel feedback as part of annual review, more credits for more substantial assessments
Indicative credits: (1)
° original, independent and critical thinking,
and the ability to develop theoretical concepts
Methods of demonstration: original thinking is the core of good research. Here you need to be able to demonstrate that
you are capable of making an original contribution to your chosen research field. This will usually be demonstrated by contrasting your research against that of others in the field.
Methods of assessment: by supervisor/panel feedback as part of annual review
Indicative credits: (1)
° an understanding of relevant research methodologies and techniques and their appropriate application within one's research field
Methods of demonstration: several possible methods of demonstration including publication and participation in the
research methodologies course run by Paul Burton (please check with Paul that this course is appropriate for your type of research). The main one will be through your annual report where you
discuss what methodologies are possible/appropriate for your research and why you have
selected the specific one you have chosen.
Methods of assessment: by supervisor/panel feedback
Indicative credits: (1) as part of annual review, more credits for more substantial assessments
° a knowledge of recent advances within one's field and in related areas
Methods of demonstration: by literature review as part of your thesis. To count
for credits this needs to be assessed before submission of your thesis, preferably as part of your annual review
Methods of assessment: by supervisor/panel feedback
Indicative credits: (2)
° the ability to critically analyse and evaluate one's findings and those of others
Methods of demonstration: by literature review (as above) but
the point above indicates your ability to identify the relevant literature, this indicates your ability to critique the material
you use. A good review should not simply summarise material but should contain original insights and adds to our understanding of the field in a way that could not be achieved simply by reading all the papers you read.
Methods of assessment:by supervisor/panel feedback
Indicative credits: (2)
° an ability to summarise, document, report and reflect on progress
Methods of demonstration: the six page summary report you submit for
your annual review should describe your research and future plans but should also comment on your progress against your goals.
Methods of assessment:by supervisor/panel feedback
Indicative credits: (1)
A successful researcher should be able to: ° show a broad understanding of the context,
at the national and international level, in which research takes place
Methods of demonstration: this refers to context of research rather than the context of your research. So you need to demonstrate you understand how research is funded, reviewed, and supported at national international levels - how do funding bodies operate, how do program committees and editorial boards work, how do governments decide on research funding levels and priorities? Demonstrated by short report
Methods of assessment: by supervisor assessment and feedback
Indicative credits: (1)
° demonstrate awareness of issues relating to the rights of other researchers, of research subjects, and
of others who may be affected by the research, e.g. confidentiality, ethical issues, attribution, copyright, malpractice, ownership of data and the requirements of the Data Protection Act
Methods of demonstration: by short report summarising the importance of these regulations to research in general or your research in particular
Methods of assessment: by supervisor assessment and feedback
Indicative credits: (1)
° demonstrate
appreciation of standards of good research practice in their institution and/or discipline
Methods of demonstration: demonstrating that you understand what
the University of Strathclyde regards as good research practice
Methods of assessment: by supervisor assessment and feedback
Indicative credits: (1)
° justify the principles and experimental techniques used in one's own research
Methods of demonstration: as part of your annual review
Methods of assessment: by supervisor/panel feedback
Indicative credits: (1)
° understand relevant health and safety issues and demonstrate responsible working practices
Methods of demonstration: by short report of the relevant issues and practices
Methods of assessment:by supervisor assessment and feedback
Indicative credits: (1)
° understand the process of academic or commercial exploitation of research results
Methods of demonstration: to demonstrate you understand the process of commercialisation and intellectual property rights as they apply at the University of Strathclyde, e.g. the Research and Innovation Department.
Methods of assessment:by supervisor assessment and feedback
Indicative credits: (1)
° understand the processes for funding and evaluation of research
Methods of demonstration: either by short report or by
attendance at one of the Departmental Frying sessions. The item to be assessed in the case of Frying sessions could be your comments on the proposal.
Methods of assessment:by supervisor feedback
Indicative credits: (1)
C) RESEARCH MANAGEMENT
A successful researcher should be able to:
°
apply effective project management through the setting of research goals, intermediate milestones and prioritisation of activities
Methods of demonstration: a core research skill is the ability to develop (and revise) a realistic schedule for a piece of research. As part of your annual review you will be asked to provide a plan for the next year's activities. This plan, plus a justification for how you estimated the times and if appropriate some comments on last year's timetable can count as evidence of ability to plan.
Methods of assessment:by supervisor/panel feedback at annual review
Indicative credits: (2)
° identify and access appropriate bibliographical resources, archives, and other sources of relevant information
Methods of demonstration: in this activity you are expected to demonstate that you can identify which journals, conferences, societies, and other sources of information are useful to your personal research, i.e. where should you be looking for related work (other than Google). This is not as obvious as it sounds - there are probably many journals in your field and you may not be aware of all the useful ones. The library's bibliographic databases are also useful for literature searches. Demonstration is by short report.
Methods of assessment:by supervisor feedback
Indicative credits: (1)
° design and execute systems for the acquisition and collation of information through the effective use of appropriate resources and equipment
Methods of demonstration: related to the one above but you are expected to show a planned (execute systems means execute a plan) method of accessing related literature: how often do you search for related work, do you use journal alert facilities, do you use other people as a source of information? Occasionally run a web search does not count as a plan. Demonstration is by short report.
Methods of assessment:by supervisor feedback
Indicative credits: (1)
° use information technology appropriately for database management, recording and presenting information
Methods of demonstration: several ways you can demonstrate this depending on the nature of your research. Appropriate and justified use of technology to record any kind of data storage or recording (reference management, screen capture, audio capture, etc), data manipulation (use of statistical packages) or data presentation (graph packages, good use of word processing, etc) can be considered. Justified means you have considered alternatives and made some sensible decision about which to use. The aim is to demonstrate that you have considered the technical aspects of data handling rather than just the data itself. Algorithms developed as part of your generally will not count. Can be demonstrated through your annual review plans.
Methods of assessment:by supervisor/panel feedback
Indicative credits: (1) but can be more for more advanced use of technology
D) PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS
A successful researcher should be able to: ° demonstrate a willingness and ability to learn and acquire knowledge
° be creative, innovative and original in one's approach to research
° demonstrate flexibility and open-mindedness
° demonstrate self-discipline, motivation, and thoroughness
° recognise boundaries and draw upon/use sources of support as appropriate
° show initiative, work independently and be self-reliant
Methods of demonstration: all of these skills are ones that a good researcher should try to master in order to be a better, more confident researcher and also, in the case of "recognise boundaries" a happier researcher - you are allowed to ask for help or collaboration. These are easy to demonstrate but more difficult to formally demonstrate (a requirement of the instructional training requirement). One way in which you can demonstrate your skills in these areas is by a reflective essay. Reflective practice is the process by which we think about our actions and the reasons for these actions in order to learn more about ourselves and they way we learn or think. A reflective essay could discuss your experiences of, e.g. showing initiative and learning to be self-reliant in research, and what you learnt from these experiences.
Methods of assessment: by supervisor feedback
Indicative credits: (1) for each
° demonstrate self-awareness and the ability to identify own training needs
Methods of demonstration: This activity can be demonstrated by annual completion of this survey of skills development with an indication of how you plan to progress your selected research skills.
Methods of assessment: by supervisor/panel feedback
Indicative credits: (1)
E) COMMUNICATION SKILLS
A successful researcher should be able to: ° write clearly and in a style appropriate to purpose,
e.g. progress reports, published documents, thesis
Methods of demonstration: publication in peer-reviewed forum, technical reports, etc
Methods of assessment: peer review, supervisor assessment and feedback.
Peer review is preferable as the review process
is usually more rigorous. CAPLE have a writers group which can be useful.
Indicative credits: peer reviewed conference/journal submission (2),
peer reviewed poster/short paper or technical report (1)
° construct coherent arguments and articulate ideas clearly
to a range of audiences, formally and informally through a variety of
techniques
Methods of demonstration: same as above and below but need to justify
either different techniques or different nature of audience to count as an additional research activity (e.g. presenting to non-specialists such as teachers,
school pupils, members of public, etc).
Methods of assessment: depends on context of activity but a short report describing the activity and what you gained from it with feedback from supervisor would cover most cases.
Indicative credits: variable depending on nature of presentation
° constructively defend research outcomes at seminars
and viva examination
Methods of demonstration: presentation at departmental or
research group seminars, presentation at conferences, invited seminars etc. CAPLE have some resources on presentation skills.
Methods of assessment: short report detailing audience questions and feedback (conferences and other external presentations), departmental feedback form for internal seminars and presentations.
Indicative credits: conference/external seminar (2),
internal full seminar (1)
° contribute to promoting the public understanding of one's research field
Methods of demonstration: similar to "construct coherent arguments..." (above) but aim is to help the general public understand your research field as opposed to your particular research.
Methods of assessment: depends on context of activity but a short report describing the activity and what you gained from it with feedback from supervisor would cover most cases. Giving presentations at open days would count here.
Indicative credits: variable depending on nature of presentation
° effectively support the learning of others when involved in teaching, mentoring or demonstrating activities
Methods of demonstration: any type of teaching activity,
including tutoring, lab demonstrating, project supervision, lecturing.
Methods of assessment: some activities have in-built assessment, e.g. student questionnaires, otherwise need some kind of report from academic in charge of lecture course. You should provide a short report on what you have learnt from the teaching activity.
Indicative credits: variable
depending on level of activity and open to debate. Rough guide: one lecture (1),
supervision of student final year project (2), lab tutor (1).
F) NETWORKING AND TEAMWORK
A successful researcher should be able to: °
develop and maintain co-operative networks and working relationships with supervisors, colleagues and peers, within the institution and the wider research community
Methods of demonstration: the aim is to show that you are developing an academic network and can collaborate with other academics.
Evidence can be co-authored work, joint activity such as organising an event, participation in a doctoral consortium, research visits, even attendance at conference.
As evidence we need a short report describing the nature of the collaboration. In this case networking at
a conference or summer school can count (simple attendance at these events does not) but you are expected to
describe how this networking help develop your personal academic network.
Methods of assessment: by supervisor assessment and feedback.
Indicative credits: (1) unless for substantially different networking/collaborative activities
° understand one's behaviours and impact on
others when working in and contributing to the success of formal and informal teams
Methods of demonstration: short report describing your reflections on your collaborative work.
Reflective means that you discuss your strengths and weaknesses based on reasonable evidence.
Methods of assessment: by supervisor assessment and feedback.
Indicative credits: (1)
° listen, give and receive feedback and respond perceptively to others
Methods of demonstration: many possible including reviewing submitted publications or reviewing for Euan Minto Memorial Prize Methods of assessment: by supervisor assessment and feedback, e.g. on reviews, or on report depending on context of activity.
Peer review is preferable as the review process
is usually more rigorous. CAPLE have a writers group which can be useful.
Indicative credits: variable depending on activity. rough guide: peer review of conference/journal paper
(2), reviewing for Euan Minto Prize (2 for more than one paper, 1) for one paper only.
G) CAREER MANAGEMENT
A successful researcher should be able to: ° appreciate the need for and show commitment to continued professional development
Methods of demonstration: any course or training program that counts towards personal professional development. Here
you can count anything that is reasonable. This is one of the criteria for which we can assign credits to a non-credit bearing course, e.g.
CAP course or external course such as a research council training course.
Methods of assessment: If no assessment is included
already then assessment is by short report detailing what you learnt/achieved through your PPD development activity.
Indicative credits: variable depending on specific development activity.
° take ownership for and manage one's career progression, set realistic and achievable career goals, and identify and develop ways to improve employability
Methods of demonstration: what is being asked for here is that
you can identify what skills you need to progress a particular
career goal. Anything that (justifiably) enhances your chosen career can be considered here. This is part of your personal development planning activities
The UK Grad Programme provides useful information on personal development planning.
Methods of assessment: by short report
Indicative credits: (1)
° demonstrate an insight into the transferable nature of research skills to other work environments and the range of career opportunities within and outside academia
Methods of demonstration: similar to above except that here you would
demonstrate your awareness of the career opportunities opened up by your research degree (not just lecturing/research).
Methods of assessment:by short report
Indicative credits: (1)
° present one's skills, personal attributes and experiences
through effective CVs, applications and interviews
Methods of demonstration: CV
Methods of assessment: by supervisor assessment and feedback
Indicative credits: (1)