THE UNIVERSITY OF WOLVERHAMPTON



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Guidelines for the Completion and Submission of the Research Proposal

INTRODUCTION

The Research Proposal should be completed with the intention of formalising the details of the research project and completing registration.

In the case of full-time bursaried or Research Council students it is assumed that normal admissions procedures will have been followed prior to this and the research proposal will be largely formulated*. In the case of student-generated projects and externally sponsored projects an interview and / or detailed discussions will take place between all parties before the final draft of the Research proposal is completed. Such discussions should establish that:

• the proposed project is a potentially viable one;

• the appropriate resources to fund the project are available;

• the supervisory team is appropriately constituted and is likely to be in a position to see the project through to completion;

• the student and supervisory team are in agreement at the outset of the project as to their overall roles and responsibilities;

• the student has a long-term commitment to the project.

Once section A is complete, the candidate should meet with their proposed Director of Studies to complete sections B to D. The Research Proposal should then be forwarded to the relevant resources manager to approve any resource implications. Final approval of the proposal rests with the relevant Faculty Research Committee or PGRT.

*N.B. In the case of full-time students, for whom funding has been approved either by the appropriate Board (for an internally funded bursary) or by an external agency such as a Research Council, the original research proposal may be attached. Please see section B7.

The following points referring to the completion of the research proposal may be helpful to the student and her/his potential DoS:

A. SECTION TO BE COMPLETED BY THE CANDIDATE

A1. ABOUT YOU

PERSONAL

This section asks for details about your self and your qualification. Please note that all subsequent changes to your name and / or address MUST be communicated without delay both to the Faculty Research Administrator who will then inform Registry. Full personal details and details of your higher education qualifications (and, in the case of International Students, your English Language qualifications) should be given in the appropriate sections on the forms, including the main subjects studied hitherto, so that a reasonable assessment of your academic suitability can be made. Your proposed DoS is required to sign that s/he has verified your qualifications and that these qualifications are appropriate for the level of study indicated

We should also like to know whether you have previously studied at the University of Wolverhampton and, if not, how you heard of our Postgraduate Research Programmes.

DO YOU HAVE ANY CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS?

The University asks you to say on your application whether you have any criminal convictions. This is to help us ensure a safe environment for all our students.

If you have been convicted of a criminal offence you are required to tick the Yes box in section A1 of your form. ‘Criminal offences’ here exclude (a) a motoring offence for which a fine and/or maximum of three penalty points were imposed or (b) a spent sentence (as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974), except for certain courses – see below. If you have not been convicted of a criminal offence you must complete the No box. If you do not tick either box, we will need to contact you to obtain this information and this will delay your application.

You should be aware that for certain courses particularly related to Teaching, Health and Social Work programmes or courses involving work with children, any criminal conviction, including spent sentences and cautions, must be declared. If you are in any doubt, you should contact the University and seek advice.

If you are not sure whether to tell us about a previous conviction, you should get more advice from a UK Citizens Advice Bureau or probation service, or from NACRO (the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders). You can also contact a solicitor, but you may have to pay for legal advice.

If your circumstances change after you have applied (for example you are then convicted of a criminal offence) you must declare this information to the University.

Serving Prisoners

If you are currently serving a prison sentence you must show the prison address for correspondence in section 1 of your application form, and in addition you must complete the Yes box in this section.

DISABILITY/SPECIAL NEEDS

The University is very willing to help students with disabilities. In order to allow us to provide the best available support for you, we need to know about the nature of your disability and how it might affect your studies. The information you provide will not affect judgements concerning your academic suitability, and will be treated confidentially by the University.

If you have a disability and may require extra support in your study or accommodation, please enter on the form the code that is most appropriate to you from the list below. If more than one disability applies to you, please use code 8.

1. You have dyslexia

2. You are blind/partially sighted

3. You are deaf/hard of hearing

4. You are a wheelchair user/have mobility difficulties

5. You need personal care support

6. You have mental health difficulties

7. You have an unseen disability, e.g. diabetes, epilepsy, asthma, heart condition

8. You have two or more of the above disabilities/special needs

9. You have a disability not listed above

0. You do not have a disability or are not aware of any additional support requirements in study or accommodation.

NATIONALITY AND RESIDENTIAL CATEGORY

You are required to identify your residential category for statistical purposes and to determine funding implications. Enter on the form one code from the table below which best describes your residential category:

|A |You or your parents are British citizens or nationals of another European Union country and |

| |you have lived in the European Economic Area for the past three years, apart from temporary absences, and will continue to do so; and |

| |your residence has always been for a purpose other than full-time education. |

|B |You do not fulfil the conditions of category A above, but |

| |you have lived in the UK for the past three years, apart from temporary absences, and will continue to do so; and |

| |your residence has always been for a purpose other than full-time education; and |

| |the length of your stay in the UK will not be limited by UK immigration control on 1st September of the year of commencement of your |

| |programme of studies. |

|C |You, one of your parents or your spouse are recognised by the UK Government as a refugee or have been granted Exceptional Leave to |

| |Enter or Remain as a result of an asylum application and have lived in the UK since that status was granted and will continue to do so |

| |until 1st September of the year of commencement of your programme of studies, apart from temporary absences. |

|D |You are a national of Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway, resident and employed in the UK as a migrant worker, or child or spouse |

| |thereof, ordinarily resident in the EEA and not for purpose of full-time education. |

|G |You are a UK/EU national, or child of, temporarily employed outside the EEA, otherwise ordinarily resident in the EEA. |

|O |Other |

Please note this self-coding is provisional. The University may require additional information.

ETHNIC ORIGIN

This information is used purely for statistical purposes. State on the form the code from the following table which best describes your ethnic origin.

|Ethnic Origin Codes |

|White |Asian or Asian British |

|British 11 |Indian 31 |

|Irish 12 |Pakistani 32 |

|Other white background 19 |Bangladeshi 33 |

| |Chinese 34 |

| |Other Asian background 39 |

| | |

| | |

|Black or Black British | |

|Caribbean 21 | |

|African 22 | |

|Other black background 29 | |

| |Mixed |

| |White and Black Caribbean 41 |

| |White and Black African 42 |

| |White and Asian 43 |

| |Other mixed background 49 |

| | |

|Other ethnic background 80 | |

QUALIFICATIONS GAINED (INCLUDING ENGLISH LANGUAGE QUALIFICATION)

You need only enter here the highest level qualification gained, including details of the award, subject, date and awarding body The minimum entry requirement for registration for the degree of MPhil is normally a first or upper second class honours degree from a UK University, or a qualification which is officially regarded as equivalent to such an honours degree; any exception to this rule must be formally justified. For exceptional entry to PhD direct, evidence of advanced standing will need to submitted to, and approved by, the Faculty.

Should you require an English Language qualification, please note that the minimum requirement for entry onto the MPhil is normally an IELTS score of 7.0, or a TEOFL equivalent score, or a pass in the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) examination; any exception to this rule must be formally justified. If you have obtained a Masters level qualification from a UK University, this is usually considered to be acceptable; however, each case is considered on its merits.

A2. ACADEMIC REFERENCES

The Research Institute or Unit to which you will be attached may well wish to take up academic references. The persons named should be different from those proposed in the supervision team; at least one referee should be independent of both the University and of any collaborating establishment.

B. Details of Your Research Proposal

This section should be completed at the interview stage in conjunction with your Proposed Director of Studies

B1. YOUR PROPOSED RESEARCH PROJECT

This section should be completed in conjunction with your allocated supervisory team at the interview stage. It is vital that the information given in the final version is sufficient to demonstrate to the relevant FRC or PGRT that the proposed project is viable. Attention should therefore be paid to the formulation of a research question / problem, the context of the proposed research, an appropriate methodology and an indicative Bibliography (to be attached separately). Those scrutinising the outline proposal in its definitive form need to be convinced of the eventual emergence of a thesis which, in the case of a projected PhD, is likely to demonstrate evidence of independent critical judgement and a significant contribution to knowledge.

Please note that it should be clear that you will be in a position, within the space of around six months for full-time students or 12 months for part-time students, from the date of approval of the research proposal, to elaborate the details of the project and thus allow for a solid confirmation of registration. Experience shows that detailed preliminary research and discussion is essential at this stage to avoid later problems, and possible withdrawal from studies, and thus an inappropriate use of your time and of any resources that you or the agent responsible for funding (University, Research Council or Sponsor) have invested in the project.

B3. COLLABORATING INSTITUTIONS/AGENCIES

It is important that any involvement of an external University/Institute/Company with the proposed research project is disclosed at the beginning of the project so that issues connected with confidentiality, ownership of intellectual property and working arrangements can be addressed before the project starts. The application will not be progressed unless any collaboration and confidentiality agreements are confirmed by the Chair of the FRC.

B4. ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS

Research that involves systematic collection and / or storage of data taken from human subjects will require ethical approval and / or be subject to restrictions under the Data Protection Act. In these cases, ethical approval must be sought from the appropriate Faculty and, where appropriate external Ethics Committee(s). In any case, ethical approval MUST be granted BEFORE the research is begun, so it is necessary to complete the appropriate forms and submit them as soon as possible to avoid delays in the research programme.

B5. ACTION PLAN

An action plan for the proposed project should be given here. This should be divided into the following sections:

• A detailed action plan for the first twelve months of the programme. This should not only give the plan of work but should specify milestone objectives and indicate actual physical outputs that should be achieved by each stage. This will enable useful discussion to take place on the work so far and the progress made at the annual assessment. The discussion will subsequently feed into the formulation of a realistic plan for the following twelve months.

• If you need to seek ethical approval, this should be included in the early stages of the detailed action plan, cross-referenced to section B5. An outline plan for the remainder of the programme to completion. This will be indicative at this stage, but will be a useful guide on how the research should be progressing. It will also form the basis of the more detailed twelve month action plan that will be agreed at annual assessment.

• A statement on how the contact with the supervisory team will be maintained, the agreed turnaround time for feedback and provision for face-to-face meetings. This forms part of the contract with the University and will be considered as part of the annual monitoring to ensure that adequate provision is being maintained.

B6. SUPERVISION ARRANGEMENTS

Details of the proposed supervisory teams (to be completed by the proposed Director of Studies)

In completing this section, the prospective DoS should take account of the following points:

• A research degree candidate shall normally have at least two and not more than three supervisors who, between them, should have no fewer than two successful completions to the level required (MPhil or PhD).

• The successful completion of the University’s 3-year Research Supervisors’ Training Programme (RSTP) counts as 1 successful completion at PhD level.

• All members of the prospective supervisory team should normally possess qualifications equivalent to at least the level of registration of the student and / or an established and current research record in a relevant field.

• In line with QAA recommendations, the University expects that supervisors will have a maximum of 10 supervisory points (2 points for each Director of Studies role, 1 point for second supervisor, depending on the discipline as well as on the potential supervisor’s overall academic, managerial and administrative workload. In all cases, the various members of the supervisory team (who should be working largely together with a student on a research project) and the relevant research managers must be as certain as possible that the team will be in a position to supervise the proposed project to completion.

• Part-time and retired members of staff may not normally be named on the Research Proposal as potential supervisors, although they may act as advisors to the project. However, staff who have joint appointments (e.g. as practitioner lecturers) are eligible.

• If an external University/Institute/Company is going to be involved with the proposed research project, then a named technical contact for the collaborating establishment is required.

B7. Other Resource Implications

Careful thought should go into the full long-term resource implications of the project, and advice from the Dean of Faculty or their delegated representatives should be sought if necessary. In cases where a collaborating institution is involved, then an appropriate letter of support should be appended to the proposal. Likewise, if the student is being sponsored (e.g. by an employer) or if a collaborating establishment is involved, then the requirements and conditions of any sponsor should be made clear in accompanying documentation and agreed to by all parties. Such documentation should also take into consideration the fact that any results of the research undertaken may be of a commercially or otherwise sensitive nature, and request that the thesis remain confidential for a period of time (not normally exceeding two years) after completion of the thesis. The request for confidentiality should be made no later than the formalisation of the examination arrangements. In cases where neither the RI Unit / Faculty or a sponsor can fund the full cost of the project (including, for example, bench fees, conference / research visits, specialist materials and / or equipment), then the student needs to be made aware of the necessity of her/his own long-term financial commitment. To avoid any later misunderstanding, the exact sources and responsibility for the resourcing of the project must be laid down clearly here. The statement of resourcing here acts as a contract, which will be signed off by the Dean (or their delegated representatives). The Faculty/Unit/Research Institute cannot guarantee to provide any resources for the project other than those agreed in the research proposal and supported, where applicable, with the necessary documentation.

SECTIONS C. and D. Signatures (to be completed after the interview stage)

Sections C and D must be signed and dated by the relevant persons and the form forwarded to the relevant Faculty for approval. If approved, the PGRT determines the relevant internal course code, completes details of the funding arrangements and signs the final approval. A copy is made of the whole form (plus any appended documentation) and sent to Registry for enrolment purposes. Registry will acknowledge receipt of the research proposal and formally invite the student to enrol. A further copy of the signed form will be returned to the student and will form the basis of their contract with the University.

START DATE

The start date of the project will be the 1st of the month. It is especially important for all parties to realise that the start date is the point at which the student becomes liable for the payment of fees (where applicable).

Please note that once this form has been completed and signed, it forms the basis of the student’s official contract with the University.

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