18 month progression
By 18 months after registration all research students must submit a written report and attend a viva. It is necessary that the student pass the 18 month exam on time in order to be allowed to proceed.
The process of the 18 month report is very similar to that of the 9 month report. The supervisor will receive an email informing them that the 18 month progression window is open. If possible the examination panel should remain the same as the 9 month panel. If this is not possible, please inform the PGR administrator. Once the panel is confirmed, the student and examiners then liaise to find a date and location for the viva to take place. The student is responsible for providing all of the associated paperwork to the examiners and ensuring the report is given on time. The student is also responsible for booking a meeting room for the examination to take place in. The report itself is expected to be significantly more detailed than the 9 month review.
The student must produce a report on their research to date using the following headings:
1) Abstract (maximum 1 page of A4)
2) Introduction: The introduction should include a short and focused review of the literature that clearly explains the background to the thesis work. Unpublished key-findings related to the thesis, produced by other members of the host laboratory, should also be included and appropriately cited. The content should lead to a working hypothesis and must enable scientists (non-experts in the field) to understand the purpose and aims of the thesis.
3) Aims: A list of aims to investigate the hypothesis that should be clearly deduced from the introduction.
4) Materials and Methods: This section should be written in a similar format as is customary for peer-reviewed journals; brief description of methods, source of key-reagents, verification of cell lines, ethical approvals and description of the statistical analyses.
5) Results: The results generated by the student that contributes to the understanding of the research questions need to be presented in figures with a brief description in the text. All figures have to be accompanied by detailed figure legends that accurately describe the illustrations. Make sure the figures are legible with clear indications to treatments, controls, axes-scales etc.
6) Discussion: All results should be interpreted and discussed. Clearly indicate when referring to previous published findings and why the thesis-results are in agreement or not with these data.
7) Plan of Future Research: The future research plan is a very important part of the report and will help both the student and examiners to determine if the project can be completed on time. Clearly outline the research plan for the remaining time including why the chosen approaches will be used and what alternative strategies could be used if unexpected findings or problems are revealed.
8) References: Use similar format as in peer-reviewed journals.
Word Limit: 10,000 words maximum, excluding title, abstract, tables, figures, legends and references. Note that excessively long reports will be returned for editing before examination.
This report is expected to take 2 weeks full time work to complete.
Submitting your 18 month report
i) The report (which should have been approved by your supervisors) should be emailed by you to the examiners. Give at least two weeks for examiners to read the report. The report should include alist of itemised Transferrable Skills for the last 12 months.
ii) The report should be accompanied by the Supervisors Update Report for MD(Rs)/PhD Students should be completed and signed by both supervisors.
The examiners, where possible, should be the same as those for your 9 month report - a panel comprising at least two people, at least one of whom must be independent of the student’s supervisory team. External members may be appointed to the panel. In such cases, one member of the panel must be a member of Queen Mary staff who is independent of the student’s supervisory team. The candidate may choose whether or not the primary supervisor attends the viva.
The viva
This viva examination will be run with similar standards and expectations as a final PhD viva. However, the candidate will present a 30 minute presentation (Powerpoint or equivalent) during which questions will be asked. Thus the viva will assess:
1) The standard of written work
2) Level of background knowledge and student’s ability to integrate knowledge from different sources.
3) In depth understanding of all research methodologies that are used in the project.
4) Significance of research findings: Discuss strengths and weaknesses of strategies and results and critically integrate own findings with published data in the field.
5) Implications for future work: Describe and discuss how to further the project based on the current results, how to prioritize and why, and briefly outline alternative strategies.
6) The ability of the student to successfully complete the PhD within the 4 year timeframe
7) Fulfilment of transferrable skills requirement (70h/year) during the last 12 months and a plan for the next year.
The decision of the examiners
At the end of the examination, the examiners will confer privately and then will indicate their decision to the student. Their decision will be written up as a viva report and delivered to the PGR administrator for the institute, who will upload the report to MySIS for approval by the Director of Graduate Studies. The outcomes of an initial viva can either be pass progress or referral. If the student receives a referral outcome, they will be given 6 months to re-do the report and repeat the viva with the same examiners. Should the student not achieve a pass at the second attempt, they will be given an outcome of fail, and will be de-registered by the University.
This initial viva process should have been completed by the 18 month time point.