First Year of your Postgraduate Research Degree
What is the first year of a PhD all about?
This year is about learning how to research - what research means, understanding the research environment, formulating your hypothesis and developing ideas. You will be laying the foundations for your research project - it is vital to carefully plan how you are going to research your topic and give yourself a realistic timetable of research so that you will be able to complete within 3 years (fulltime). You will need to understand the literature associated with your area, learn research tools and techniques and be aware of what is required of you for annual appraisal and review panels.
Have a look at the PhD timeline to give you an overall idea of the PhD process.
Below are some of the specific tasks that you should consider now to help with plannning and organising your research.
- Carry out your Development Needs Analysis
- Meet with your Supervisors
- Book faculty/department training
- Find out about department/faculty seminars
- IT & Statistical Training
- Teaching and Demonstrating support
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CARRY OUT YOUR DEVELOPMENT NEEDS ANALYSIS IN MyPGR
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Your DNA (Development Needs Analysis) allows you to audit yourself against the skills and competencies we develop as researchers. You can then use this to discuss with your Supervisor the training and development opportunities you may need for the forthcoming year. Only one DNA is filled our per year and you will be able to see how your research proficiency changes as you progress through the PhD.
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| MEET WITH SUPERVISOR - PLANNING |
Meet your Supervisors to set up a plan of work and organise a regular meeting schedule. Use your DNA to discuss relevant training you might need. You can use the Supervisory Meetings tool within MyPGR to create agendas and records of your Supervisions.
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BOOK RELEVANT FACULTY/DEPARTMENT TRAINING
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Using your DNA and outcomes of your Supervisions, book any relevant faculty and departmental training that you feel may help you in this first year of research.
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| DEPARTMENTAL/FACULTY SEMINAR SERIES |
Attendance at Departmental seminars is often required of Postgraduate research students. Find out when the seminars are and book them into your calendar. You will be expected to give a departmental seminar in your 2nd or 3rd year, so its a good idea to see how your colleagues do it as well as finding out about their research.
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IT & STATISTICAL TRAINING
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Information Service Systems (ISS) run IT Training courses for both students and staff ranging from using Endnote and specific software to creating posters. Have a look and see what might be useful to you.
You may need advice on Statistical methods and analysis - as a PGR you can receive free statistical advice through the Centre for Applied Statistics.
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TEACHING AND DEMONSTRATING
University training to support teaching www.lancs.ac.uk/celt/celtweb/atp
Researchers in Residence programme |
There may be opportunities for you to teach within your Department. Usually this happens in the 2nd year of your PhD, but it's a good idea to find out when the courses supporting teaching and demonstrating are on so you can book ahead and plan your research around them.
Outside of University, if you are Research Council/Wellcome Trust funded, you can go into schools and share your research through the Researchers In Residence programme.
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