Supervision meetings

Find out what to expect during meetings with your supervisors.

During your initial meetings with your supervisors we advise you to talk about the following things.

Confirmation of provisional registration

The Confirmation of Provisional Registration form must be completed within one month full-time (or equivalent) of your official start date. This will need to be completed with your supervisor present or via video call as they will need to answer relevant sections of the form.

Clarifying expectations

Discuss expectations with your supervisors when you first meet them. When difficulties develop between supervisors and students, it is often because of unclear expectations.

We advise students and supervisors to draw up a written agreement on issues such as:

  • frequency of meetings
  • how both student and supervisors will prepare for meetings
  • the student's submission of written work
  • feedback from supervisors
  • joint authorship
  • how to resolve difficulties that arise within the supervision relationship.

Planning

You and your supervisors will need to agree on dates for the completion of each phase of your research. Draw up a timetable in consultation with your supervisors. This should include:

  • time for meetings, research and the collection of data
  • dates for the submission of interim reports, the full research proposal, thesis drafts and the final thesis
  • any plans to write, submit and revise manuscripts for publication.

A guide to meetings

Meeting frequency

How often you meet with your supervisors will vary depending on your discipline and the stage of your research. As a general rule, you should have a meeting at least once a month.

Discuss frequency of meetings and access to your supervisors when you see your supervisors for the first time.

  • Your supervisors have other students, courses to plan, lectures to write and articles to publish. You will not have unfettered access to your supervisors.
  • If you have scheduled a meeting, you and your supervisors should turn up on time. If you can't make it, let everyone know in advance.
  • You will need different amounts of input from your supervisors at different points in your candidature. Sometimes you will only need minimal supervision.

Preparing for meetings and getting the most out of them

Your supervisors will expect you to prepare for meetings, and you can expect that they also prepare. Your supervisors should have read and commented on work you have provided for discussion at the meeting.

There are some strategies you can adopt to get the most out of meetings (not all will apply at any given point in your candidature).

  • Set goals for meetings. What do you want to achieve in this session?
  • Provide material in writing, well before the meeting, for your supervisors to comment on.
  • Come to meetings armed with specific questions. Rather than saying ‘I don’t know what to read’, ask ‘Is there a good starting point to get into the literature on this particular topic?’ Rather than saying ‘I’m stuck’, explain the problem that is preventing you from making progress. Rather than asking ‘What should I do?’, ask ‘Which of these options would it make sense to pursue?’
  • Listen carefully to what your supervisors say.
  • Argue back when you disagree (though remember that your supervisors have experience of the standards required of a doctorate and a broad knowledge of your discipline).
  • After meetings, email your supervisors a summary of the main discussion points and decisions. This gives supervisors a chance to confirm your understanding of things. It also acts as a memorandum for you.

Keeping records of meetings

Supervisors should keep a record of meetings and make note of any significant advice or discussions.

This meeting template from Thinkwell may help you keep track of decisions made.