Project Approval
A key activity at an early stage of a research degree is the completion of the project proposal
Before you can be allowed to progress with your research, your project proposal must be considered by an impartial Project Approval Panel and approved by the Dean of Postgraduate Studies.
Timescales
Your Project Approval documents should be submitted within three months of your initial registration for full-time students and six months for part-time students.
Project proposal contents
You should consult with your supervisors when preparing your research project proposal to ensure it is achievable within the available timescale and that sufficient resources are available to support it. You and your supervisors should also aim to address the criteria against which your project proposal will be assessed by the Project Approval Panel (see below).
Ethical approval
The Project Approval form in PGR Code of Practice System includes a section on ethical approval which asks you to provide evidence that ethical approval has been obtained or to give a reason why such evidence cannot be provided.
Ethical Approval is applied for using an on-line ethics form (outside of the PGR Code of Practice System) and further information, including a link to the on-line ethics form can be found on the Research Ethics website.
Data Management Plan
You are expected to create a Data Management Plan (DMP) and upload this as part of your Project Approval submission. A DMP is a document that outlines a project’s practical approach to what data will be created, how it will be processed, analysed and how data of long-term value will be archived and shared. The DMP plays an ever increasingly important role given the centrality of digital data to practically all research activity. Further information on DMPs and guidance is available here.
Approval process
The approval process involves the following stages:
Students
Students initiate the approval process by entering their research project title in the PGR CoP system and uploading their research proposal plan. Once all sections of the form have been completed and relevant documents uploaded, the student should submit the form. The form will then be routed to the supervisor who will be prompted to complete the next stage.
Project approval panel
The student and supervisor’s submissions are then reviewed by an independent School/Institute panel, consisting of at least two independent members of academic staff with relevant skills and knowledge. The student’s research project and plan and the supervisor’s statement are evaluated against the following criteria:
- Does the project have clear aims and objectives;
- Does the student possess or can they acquire the knowledge, skills and aptitudes to complete the project successfully;
- Does the proposed supervisory team possess or can it acquire the skills, knowledge and aptitudes necessary to supervise the project to a successful conclusion;
- Is the project suitable for the programme of study and for the award;
- Can it be completed within the timescale for the programme;
- Are sufficient resources available to complete the project;
- Is ethical approval required;
- If the project involves extended absence from the University on fieldwork or work in collaborating organisations, have appropriate arrangements been made to support and monitor the student’s progress?
The panel is required to complete a written report and to make a recommendation to the Head of School and Dean of Postgraduate Studies. The panel can either recommend the approval of the research project or require the student to re-submit, usually within three months. Where a re-submission is recommended the panel should provide details of the action that should be taken or the additional information that should be provided.