Candidates for a masters degree in the Faculty of Medicine pursue a thesis/research project under the guidance of a supervisor or joint supervisors within a department, centre or school of the faculty. The requirements for the thesis/research project vary according to discipline and therefore candidates in different disciplines will have differing needs and demands on the intellectual and physical resources of the relevant department or centre and of the Faculty of Medicine. In addition, the working relationship between the candidate and supervisor will need to be negotiated on an individual basis. Despite these differing requirements and circumstances, there are certain common issues and responsibilities which apply to all departments, schools, centres, supervisors and candidates, regardless of their discipline or area of research. It is the objective of these guidelines to set out those fundamentals.
The Faculty of Medicine has the responsibility to establish a policy framework within which academic department policies can be developed. It is therefore the responsibility of the faculty to ensure that:
1 the university's standards and requirements for the particular masters degree are adhered to;
2 in the process of resolution of any dispute relating to intellectual property, the rights of all parties are protected;
3 there are procedures by which either the candidate or the supervisor may make representations as appropriate should significant difficulties arise (grievance procedures);
4 there are appeals procedures setting out the grounds on which, and means whereby candidates may appeal against the conduct and outcome of the examination of their thesis/research project and evaluation of their candidature;
5 there are clear guidelines for examiners/adjudicators of the thesis/research project outlining in particular the Faculty of Medicine's expectations for the particular masters degree.
It is the responsibility of the department to ensure that:
1 the candidate is appropriately qualified for admission to candidature;
2 the candidate appears to have the capacity required to undertake the course successfully;
3 the research project proposed is appropriate for the degree;
4 the department is the most appropriate one in which the research is to be undertaken;
5 the project is feasible in terms of time, facilities, equipment, technical and resource staff, source material and funding for the expected duration of the research required for the degree. It should be noted that the expected duration of candidature should usually be less than the period of candidature allowed under the regulations;
6 due recognition is given to the research interests and ability of the candidate in determining the project;
7 the candidate, where necessary, has access to persons who can provide guidance and tuition in English language, computing, word processing skills and statistical advice;
8 the candidate has access to physical space and other resources;
9 the proposed supervisor is sufficiently expert and interested in the area of research to offer the candidate proper supervision;
10 a maximum supervisory workload (of no more than the equivalent of five full-time PhD students) is enforced, unless prior approval has been granted by the dean of the Faculty of Medicine;
11 the workload of the supervisor is such as to allow sufficient time to give proper supervision to the candidate as set out in Part C of these guidelines (`Responsibilities of the supervisor');
12 proper supervision is provided and maintained throughout the research period;
13 if the supervisor is to be absent for a period in excess of six weeks an alternative supervisor is appointed;
14 joint supervisors or associate supervisors are appointed as required for interdisciplinary or highly specialised research projects, and supervisory responsibility is clearly designated and understood by both supervisors and candidates;
15 an associate supervisor may be appointed for candidates who are undertaking their research at a site away from the university or by distance education where regular face-to-face contact with the supervisor is not possible;
16 an academic staff member within the department is appointed to act as coordinator of masters degree studies, to monitor the general progress and welfare of masters degree candidates and act as ombudsman where necessary;
17 written information is produced and distributed to all postgraduates by the department with details on requirements and procedures relating to all postgraduate matters administered at departmental level including
20 the candidate's research program is not unreasonably influenced or redirected by political, commercial or industrial factors;
21 there are mechanisms in place to ensure that after submission of a thesis/research project, it is examined in a timely manner.
It is the responsibility of the supervisor to maintain a professional relationship at all times with the candidate and to:
1 give guidance about the nature of research and the standard expected, about the choice of research topic, about the planning of the research programme and presentation of a research proposal, about literature and sources, attendance at taught classes where appropriate, and about requisite techniques (including arranging for instruction where necessary);
2 be particularly sensitive to the need to ensure productive use of the candidate's time;
3 give detailed advice on the necessary completion dates of successive stages of work so that the whole may be submitted within the scheduled time;
4 establish and maintain a schedule of regular meetings or teleconferences with the candidate in accordance with departmental policy and in the light of discussion of arrangements with the candidate;
5 request written work, interim reports or research results as appropriate and return such work, including the final draft of the thesis, with constructive criticism within one month at most or within a shorter time frame which has been determined as appropriate within the department;
6 ensure that the candidate is adequately trained in safe working practices relevant to the field of research and adheres to the guidelines established by the university's Occupational Health and Safety Policy Committee and as adopted by Council;
7 ensure that the candidate is fully aware of the need to follow ethical practices appropriate to the particular discipline and relevant profession, and as specified by the university's Standing Committees on Ethics in Research on Humans, Animal Experimentation and Biosafety and the ethics guidelines set by any relevant funding body (It should be noted that the AVCC has laid down appropriate guidelines for the conduct of research.);
8 arrange as appropriate for candidates to make presentations of their work at research seminars/workshops;
9 arrange as appropriate for the candidate to meet other researchers in the field, and to attend meetings or conferences;
10 oversee the candidate's work to ensure that the design of experiments, and the processes of acquiring, recording, storing, examining and interpreting data and preparing material for publication have been undertaken by the candidate;
11 ensure the direction of the work is entirely under the control of the university and candidate in accordance with university policy;
12 ensure that agreement is reached between the candidate and supervisor concerning authorship of publications and acknowledgment of contributions during and after candidature;
13 ensure adherence to the university policy and departmental guidelines on intellectual property;
14 ensure that the candidate is made aware of inadequate progress or of standards of work below that generally expected, by specifying the problems, suggesting ways of addressing them and monitoring subsequent progress following these suggestions (If supervisors think they may become obliged to recommend that a candidature be terminated because of unsatisfactory progress, they must give the candidate a preliminary written warning to that effect, and send copies of the warning note to the head of department.);
15 report regularly in writing, where required, on the candidate's progress to the head of the department;
16 submit a statement at the time of completion of the candidate's research project certifying
18 ensure that original data is recorded in a durable and appropriately referenced form and stored safely for a period appropriate to the discipline but in any case not less than five years.
It is the responsibility of the candidate to:
1 be familiar with the appropriate masters degree regulations and departmental guidelines and written information pertaining to postgraduate work;
2 utilise the resources, facilities and opportunities provided by the department to facilitate progress in the research, integrate into the intellectual community provided by the department, and acquire or improve the skills and knowledge required for completion of the research project;
3 adopt at all times safe working practices relevant to the field of research and adhere to the guidelines established by the university's Occupational Health and Safety Policy Committee, and as adopted by Council;
4 adhere to the ethical practices appropriate to the discipline and relevant professional code, and as specified by the university's Standing Committees on Ethics in Research on Humans, Animal Experimentation and Biosafety and the ethics guidelines set by any relevant funding body;
5 ensure that original data is recorded in a durable and appropriately referenced form and stored safely for a period appropriate to the discipline but in any case not less than five years;
6 initiate discussion with the supervisor on the type of guidance and comment considered most helpful, and agree to a schedule of meetings/teleconferences which will ensure regular contact;
7 take the initiative in raising problems or difficulties, however elementary they may seem with the supervisor or coordinator of masters degree studies as appropriate;
8 maintain the progress of the work in accordance with the stages agreed with the supervisor, including in particular the presentation of written material as required, in sufficient time to allow for comments and discussions before proceeding to the next stage;
9 provide periodic formal reports as may be required by the supervisor or department;
10 prepare the research project/thesis for examination, including arranging for its typing, proofreading, binding and, where appropriate, consulting the supervisor regarding matters of style and presentation.
Under special circumstances, and with the approval of the course coordinator and faculty, a candidate may be allowed to intermit his or her candidature for a period of time not exceeding twelve months.
Under special circumstances, and with the approval of the course coordinator and faculty, a candidate may be allowed to intermit his or her candidature for a period of time not normally exceeding twelve months.
The maximum period for which a student may intermit is two years. If a student is unable to return after the second year, the student's candidature will be terminated. Should such a student wish to resume the course, he or she will have to apply formally for re-admission, seeking exemption for the work already completed. Such exemption is not necessarily granted.
Requests for intermission/leave of absence for semester-based coursework components of study will not normally be considered by the faculty after the semester dates set each year for the last date for discontinuance of a subject.
A candidate may, with the approval of the course coordinator and the faculty, be granted credit for up to 25 per cent of his or her course, be that a masters or graduate diploma. Under special circumstances only, credit may be granted for up to 50 per cent of a candidate's course (eg where a candidate has upgraded from a graduate diploma to masters).
No credit will be granted for work completed more than seven years prior to admission to candidature.
Credit to be granted will normally be assessed on the basis of information supplied by the candidate at the time of application for candidature.
In the case of minor revisions, a candidate will normally be given no more than three months to undertake the amendments. In the case of major revisions, a candidate will normally be given no more than six months to revise the thesis/project. Such candidates may be required to re-enrol.
A candidate may, with the approval of the course coordinator and the faculty, be granted an extension to a thesis/project due date of normally no more than six months.
Masters students who are unable to complete all the requirements of the degree will not be granted permission to transfer to a degree or diploma course of lower academic ranking and automatically qualify for the award of the lower degree or diploma.
Students are reminded of Monash University Statute 4.1 on discipline. Part II of this statute defines cheating as follows:
`In this statute "cheating" means seeking to obtain an unfair advantage in any examination or in any other written or practical work to be submitted or completed by a student for assessment. It includes the use or attempted use by or for any student of any means to gain such unfair advantage in any examination or in any such work where the means is contrary to the instructions for such examination or work. Cheating also includes the taking into any examination of any material contrary to the statutes and regulations whether or not with the intention of using it to obtain an advantage. For the purpose of this section, the expression "any material" shall include any bilingual dictionary.'
It should be emphasised that plagiarism is a serious form of cheating being the unauthorised presentation of ideas, work and writings of another person as the apparent original scholarly work of the candidate. It is acceptable to use the work of others as part of a thesis or other work provided it is acknowledged in an appropriate reference and permission is obtained from the author and the publication where a substantial volume of material is incorporated. When candidates choose to undertake a study in collaboration with others, detailed information about the relative contributions is necessary and course coordinators and heads of departments should be notified.
Student grievance procedures are available within the Faculty of Medicine for any student who believes he or she has a grievance against the faculty, and where procedures for the resolution of that grievance are not provided for by other means.
If a student is unable to resolve a grievance by other means, he or she should contact the dean of medicine or the faculty manager and explain in writing the basis of the grievance.
The details of the formal procedures relating to grievances are available from the faculty office.
In the case of a candidate's unsatisfactory progress, the course coordinator or head of the relevant department, in consultation with the dean of the faculty, may recommend one of several actions including:
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