Progression reviews
What to do for your Progression Review
- Step 1. Take note of the deadline for your Review & how to use your Box folder.
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Each Doctoral Researcher has a Box folder for their Progression Reviews.
The School Office sets up the folder and will send you an invitation link by email. If you have not received an invitation, contact mps-pgrsupport@sussex.ac.uk.
You can access your Box folder using a web browser and your ITS login credentials at https://sussex.account.box.com/login
Or you can use Box Drive in your file manager: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/its/help/faq?faqid=2889.
How to use your Box folder
Use your Box folder to accumulate the documents needed for your Review. Your Reviewers have access to your Box folder, as does the Director for Postgraduate Researchers (and two School office staff), but not your Supervisors.
When your Review is completed, you 'submit' it to the Director by sending an email to the School office at mps-pgrsupport@sussex.ac.uk saying that your box folder now contains the final documents of your Review. This must be done by your deadline date.
Please note : there is no longer any in-person or email hand-in of the Review documents.
Year 1 researchers
You will have completed your starter review for 2021-22. You will find a Timetable for your Reviews in your Box folder. Both Reviewers take part in your Year 1 review.
Year 2 researchers
You will find a Timetable for your Reviews in your Box folder. Both Reviewers should take part in the meeting if you are a Year 1 researcher. For later years, only the main Reviewer needs to be present. The Timetable tells you the deadline by which your Progression Review must be completed as well as a recommended start date. If you cannot find the Timetable, contact mps-pgrsupport@sussex.ac.uk.
All other doctoral researchers
You will find your individual timetables in your Box folder.
- Step 2. Book your Review meeting soon, with your Reviewers
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All Doctoral Researchers
Arrange your meeting with your Reviewers for any date before your Review deadline (allowing time for finalising the documents).
Please arrange the meeting as early as practical. Send an email to the School office when you have booked your Reviewers for your meeting (mps-pgrsupport@sussex.ac.uk), giving the date of the meeting.
Arrange to meet your Reviewer(s) over the internet, or in person if permitted.
A meeting of at least 60 minutes will be needed. The meeting date should allow you and your supervisor time to prepare the documents (see Step 3.).
Year 1 researchers
You will have completed your starter review for 21-22. You will find a Timetable for your Reviews in your Box folder. Both Reviewers take part in your Year 1 review.
Year 2 researchers
Your Reviewers and their email addresses are shown in your Timetable which is in your Box folder.
For year 2 reseachers, only the main Reviewer needs be present.
Year 3 & 4 doctoral researchers only
As for year 2, for year 3 researchers, only your main reviewer needs to be present.
Year 4 doctoral researchers only
You will have a Thesis Readiness Review, please check your individual timetable. This review is a smaller review with your main reviewer.
- Step 3. Download and prepare the documents you need
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Below are the blank documents you will need. You will submit these by uploading them to your Box folder.
Document 1: Complete the Doctoral Researcher's Questionnaire (Form A).
Form A will be kept confidential from your supervisor and you should not pass it onto them.
Document 2:: Obtain a copy of your supervisor contact record. You can get this from Sussex Direct. Go to 'Contact Records' under the Timetable tab.
Document 3: Complete the Doctoral Researcher's Training Record (Form A1).
You should keep a full record of your additional training. Do this using the downloadable form here. But bring the form up to date so that all your earlier training (while on your PhD at Sussex), is listed on the form as well. It then shows your full training record, visible to the Director, and which can be used by you as an attachment to your CV.
Document 4: Download a blank of the Training Needs Analysis form.
You will need to discuss your future Training needs with your main supervisor when you complete Form A (Document 1).
Please note ! You may have a training requirement. Check these pages [ Maths training ] [ Physics & Astronomy training ] to see what training you are required to undertake.
Document 5: If you've had an Interim Review in the last 12 months, upload a copy into a separate sub-folder in Box. The School office may have done this already for you.
Document 6: Ask your main supervisor to complete a Supervisor's Questionnaire (Form B) Allow them at least a week to do this. Chase up your supervisor if they are slow returning the form to you!
Document 7: Prepare the Doctoral Researcher's Written Report, describing your research work to date. There are briefing documents on the links below that explain what is needed in the Report. UPDATE (2021/22): be sure to explain what impact the Covid-19 pandemic has had on your research.
Document 8: Download a blank copy of the Reviewer's Report Form (Form C) and add it to the Box folder. Your Reviewers will complete this after your review meeting with them.
IMPORTANT: When you have assembled everything in the Box folder, inform your Reviewers. They have access to your Box folder, but must have sight of all your documents for at least one week before your Review meeting so they have time to read and consider everything.
- Step 4. After the Review meeting - Your Plans and Feedback
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After your Reviewers have completed the Reviewer's Report Form (Form C), send it to your main Supervisor.
Arrange to meet with your main supervisor to consider the recommendations the Reviewers have made.
In Section 11 of the Reviewer Report form (Form C) you should record a response to your Reviewers' comments with the help of your supervisor.
Then both you and your Supervisor sign should sign (typing or graphic image is acceptable) in Section 11 before you return Form C to your Box folder.
You can provide Feedback on the Review process itself in Section 18 of Form A, the Doctoral Researcher's questionnaire.
- Step 5. Hand in your Progression Review
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Do you have all the completed documents in your Box folder?
Here is the checklist:
- Document 1: Form A, the Doctoral Researcher's Questionnaire (signed by you).
- Document 2: Supervisor Contact record.
- Document 3: Form A1, your Doctoral Researcher Training Record
- Document 4: Your Training Needs Analysis (TNA) form.
- Document 5: Your Interim Review form - if you had an Interim Review in the last 12 months.
- Document 6: Form B, the Supervisor's Questionnaire (signed by your supervisor).
- Document 7: Your Doctoral Researcher's written Report.
- Document 8: Form C, the Reviewers' Report Form (signed by you, your supervisor, and the interviewers).
To 'hand in' your Review, send an email to mps-pgrsupport@sussex.ac.uk saying your Review is now complete. This must be done by your deadline date, as shown in Step 1 above, or in your Timetable in Box. School Office staff will inform the Director for Postgraduate Researchers.
- When the Review is over
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The Director for Postgraduate Researchers will make a decision on your continued registration. There may be conditions such as a provisional registration with an Interim Review after a period of time.
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Once a decision has been made, you will be informed via email.
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Providing the Director approves your continued registration, you will be eligible to re-register online from early September. Research Student Administration Office (in Sussex House) will send you re-registration information.
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Any problems you have raised with facilities, supervision etc will be dealt with by the Director for Postgraduate Researchers.
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- Reference Information
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University documents underpinning the Progression Review are:
Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes [PDF]
Other information about Doctoral Study that may be useful
MPS Handbook for Research Students
- Need Help?
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If you, or your supervisor, believe you should not have a Review or a Review meeting, or that the arrangements should be varied, contact the Director for Postgraduate Researchers, Dr Miro Chlebik with a brief written case.
If you have any queries about the administrative process, contact: mps-pgrsupport@sussex.ac.uk