Resources for PhD students and their supervisors

Research Students Course Handbook

• New Research Students: Information and Induction

Milestones

• Certificate of Postgraduate Studies (CPGS)
• First year report: the PhD proposal (required for both PhD and CPGS)
• Second year report: the thesis schedule
• Third year report: a progress statement
• Fourth year: writing-up and completion
• Thesis formatting
• Submitting your thesis
• Technical reports and how to submit one

Travel, conferences, research placements, risk assessments, and expenses

• Publications and conferences - read me first
• Travel, Conference and other Expenses checklist and Expenses claim form
  
  Both are required usually
• Leave to work away, intermission and holidays - please see the Secretary of the Degree Committee for advice before applying.
• Risk Assessment Please refer to the University's advice and guidance and risk assessment forms; these forms are to be used in all applications for Leave to Work Away. You may also wish to consider doing a travel risk assessment when travelling abroad to conferences, workshops and postgraduate schools of less than 14 days in duration. Apart from short annual holidays, all other periods away from Cambridge need an application for Leave to Work Away.
• Travelling overseas checklist
• University Insurance advice for conferences, and periods of leave away from Cambridge.
• Research Student Symposium March 2023 (dates tbc)

Researcher development, talks, women@cl

• Researcher Development - Research Skills Programme, the logbook and tally sheet
• Foreign language training - Lassie assessment in early October annually. After the assessment you will be sent an email detailing the course you have been assigned with a link to sign up. You can do this online.
  This is open to research students and post-docs only.
• Wiseman Award
• Teaching pages
  Links to courses' timetables and syllabi including the M.Phil and Part II
• Seminars and meetings
  A weekly timetable of seminars and meetings including the Wednesday seminar series
• women@cl
  Provides local, national and international activities for women engaged in Computing research and academic leadership.
• Talks.cam
  Other seminars and talks both inside and outside the department

Official statements and CamSIS

• CamSIS     Log In to self-service pages
  • From where you can also read your supervision reports.
  • Apply for leave to work away, intermission, and much more.
• Code of Practice – Postgraduate research degrees and certificates of postgraduate studies, Board of Graduate Studies
  All research students and their supervisors are required to read and be familiar with the Code of Practice
• Departmental statement on plagiarism
• Plagiarism: Guide for Supervisors, Examiners, Assessors and Degree Committees
• Exemption from University Composition fees

Student support

The main source of pastoral support for students is provided by Colleges. Each postgraduate student is assigned a Tutor by the College who will be available to meet, or correspond by email, with students to discuss personal and tutorial matters. Please see Cambridge Colleges - a guide for postgraduate students for further information.
MPhil students are also assigned a Course Adviser by the Department who will advise on course matters.

Other sources of student support may be found from the following bodies:

• Breaking the Silence - preventing harassment and sexual misconduct
• Welfare and well-being
• University Counselling Service
• Accessibility and Disability Resource Centre
• Accommodation advice
• Childcare office
• LGBTQ+@CL network

Complaints procedures and exam reviews

• Student Complaints Procedure

Students should also refer to the new procedures Joint Report of the Council and the General Board on procedures for student complaints and reviews, The Reporter weekly edition 6469, section 6, page 628.

The Department has appointed a Responsible Officer and a Deputy who will respond to complaints at a local level in accordance with the Procedure. Please note that a complaint must be raised with the Responsible Officer within 28 days of the complaint arising.

Supervisors and Postgraduate Advisers

• Guidelines for supervisors of research students
• Protocol for Postgraduate Advisers
• Appointment of Ph.D. Examiners form PDF
• CPGS Report form
• Cambridge Postgraduate Supervision Reporting System (CGSRS)
• Postgraduate Education Committee Terms of Reference (PDF)

Other resources for research students

• System administration
• Building services (PAT testing, recycling,etc.)
• MPhil module syllabi
• Library
  The facilities provided by the Computer Laboratory's library.
• Online services
  Mailing lists, newsgroups, student-operated web sites, etc.
• Upper limb disorder/RSI/OOS
  Information on typing-related injuries (part of the main Laboratory safety page).
• Policy statements relating to students
  Official policy statements released by the Head of Department.
• Postgraduate Education Office Contacts
  Contact details for the Postgraduate Education team
• Who owns the copyright in your thesis? )
  Copyright, patents, etc.
• University Counselling Service
• Health and Safety
  Provides information regarding health and safety in the building and also what to do in case of emergency.

Unofficial material

• Thinking of doing a PhD, MPhil or Part III Session material
• Postgraduate Students' Forum

External links

• Talks.cam in case you missed it above.
• Dates of the Board of Graduate Studies and Degree Committee meetings
• School of Technology
• CPPD Postgraduate Development Programme
• CHRIS/31 form: new student bank account details
• Student Registry: Legislative requirements
• Dignity at Study
• Student Registry: Submitting the Thesis
• The oral examination and corrections
• Computing Service Printroom
• Student Gateway: a useful site with information for current and new postgraduate students.

Supervising undergraduates

Many research students at the Computer Laboratory supervise undergraduate students for their courses or final-year projects. Supervising is an excellent opportunity to gain someteaching experience. It also earns a bit of money.

If you are interested in supervising courses, refer to these web pages:

• Notes for supervisors of undergraduate students
• Support for undergraduate supervisors

Then talk to one of the College Directors of Studies (for Part IA/IB courses) or Student Administration (for Part II courses).

If you would like to propose and supervise a topic for a Part II project please contact the Teaching Support Manager for undergraduate teaching at undergraduate-teaching-manager@cst.cam.ac.uk. Your details can then be added to the Project Suggestions web page.