Memorandum of understanding
Completion of a Memorandum of Understanding is compulsory and is completed after your arrival. It serves as an agreement between you and your supervisors concerning supervision practices (how often you meet etc) and deadlines for the submission of written work.
Ethical approval
If your research requires you to use ethically sensitive sources, to conduct interviews or to deal with questions that might lead individuals or groups to challenge your research in court then your supervisor should apply for ethical approval on your behalf. For further information, see Guidelines for Ethical Practices in Research and Teaching involving Human Participants. It contains all the information and application forms you will need. You should be able to decide on whether or not you need ethical approval, and what kind you need, by reading these Guidelines.
Guidelines for Ethical Practices in Research and Teaching Involving Human Participants.
You should discuss your research with your supervisor in the first instance if you are unsure about whether or not you need to obtain ethical approval. If in doubt, it is best to err on the side of caution and obtain ethical approval, which is in most cases a straightforward process. But you and your supervisor should do so as early as possible, before beginning your research.
For any further queries about ethical approval contact the Departmental staff representative in this area:
Associate Professor Nicholas Khoo
Email nicholas.khoo@otago.ac.nz
Progress reports
PhD students have a six-month meeting with a Convenor and their supervisors in the first year, and annually thereafter. MA students have 6-monthly meetings with a Convenor and their supervisors. These meetings are a chance to consider and judge progress, and to raise any supervision or other issues.
Thesis writing guidelines
Thesis writing guides are available from the University Library.