jhardcastle

Browser built in viewer
PDF Viewer
Universal Document Viewer
Google Docs View
Google Drive View
Download Document [pdf]

File Info : application/pdf, 69 Pages, 1.05MB

PhD Student Handbook 19-20 Final

PhD Student Handbook 2019/20

Welcome to The Royal Veterinary College's Graduate School
Dear PhD Student
The Royal Veterinary College has a unique history of innovation in biomedical and veterinary sciences, education and clinical practice. We're delighted that you have chosen to study at the RVC and we hope that you will thoroughly enjoy your time here, acquiring the knowledge and skills you'll need to build a successful and stimulating career.
This handbook is intended to provide you with key information about your studies, the College and its many resources but if you can't find what you're looking for, don't hesitate to ask one of us.
We're looking forward to working with you and wish you every success with your research.
Head of the Graduate School (Academic): Prof Kristien Verheyen
Email: kverheyen@rvc.ac.uk Ext: 6625
Head of Postgraduate Administration Dr Shivanthi Manickasingham Email: smanick@rvc.ac.uk Ext: 5025
Postgraduate Clinical and Research Degrees Officers:
Ms Nasima Begum (until March 2020) Email: nbegum@rvc.ac.uk Ext: 5541
Mrs Lisa Matamala-Shaw (on maternity leave, returning February 2020) Email: lshaw@rvc.ac.uk Ext: 5541
Mrs Carole Tilsley Email: ctilsley@rvc.ac.uk
Ext: 5134
Research Admissions and Ethics Officer Emily Hicks
Email: ehicks@rvc.ac.uk Ext: 4612
Location: The Student Centre The Royal Veterinary College
Camden Campus Website: http://www.rvc.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/graduate-school
Email: rdofficer@rvc.ac.uk RVC Learn: https://learn.rvc.ac.uk

Welcome from the RVC Postgraduate Officers
Hi and welcome to the RVC!
Our main role is to ensure that your voice is heard throughout the college - ranging from the SU itself to the Research Degrees Committee and other academic and non-academic forums - as well as organise events and socials for postgraduate students.
As a postgraduate student studying at the RVC, you are automatically a member of the Students' Union. Although undertaking postgraduate study (especially a PhD or MRes) may feel very different from your undergraduate days, it is important to remember that you are still a student! This allows you to use the facilities and services available to all students, including joining clubs and societies. Do get involved with whatever you enjoy and take advantage of support on hand!
We hope to arrange some educational and social events throughout the year, however, if there is anything you would like to do - be that suggesting speakers, have ideas for social events or want particular workshops - please get in touch. Our aim in the SU is to ensure that postgraduates are able to work and be in an environment that is friendly, helpful and productive; something we all know is important for success.
The easiest way to contact us is via email, however, we are always happy to arrange meetings in person (especially if a cup of tea/coffee is involved!). No matter how big or small your query may be, we can help guide you to the right place. Suggestions and comments are always greatly received to improve your experience at the RVC.
So, all that's left to say is good luck and we look forward to meeting you all at induction!
Lucie Bourne and James Sweet-Jones SU Postgraduate Officers
supostgrad@rvc.ac.uk lbourne3@rvc.ac.uk jsweet6@rvc.ac.uk

Student Engagement
Student feedback is essential in ensuring that the RVC continues to make changes to improve our courses and students' experience at the RVC.
Student Surveys
Surveys enable individual students to provide feedback on their experiences at the RVC. Research students will be invited to feedback through:
Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES): conducted annually between February-June. This survey is conducted by the Higher Education Academy and collects feedback on your experiences of your programme of study. The results of the survey will be considered by the Graduate School and Research Degrees Committee.
Skills training sessions: feedback is sought on each of the face-to-face training sessions listed in the research student training programme. All feedback is considered by the Graduate School and the Research Degrees Committee.
Student Representation
The Student Union has 2 Postgraduate Officers this year James Sweet-Jones and Lucie Bourne.
The PG Officer collects the views/concerns/suggestions of PG students and presents them to the College through committees and interactions with staff, and at the Student Union at Council and Trustee meetings in order to develop solutions and make changes to improve the PG student experience where required.
A number of PG students sit on committees at the College and are nominated by the PG Officer after advertising for nominations.
If you have any suggestions/issues, you are encouraged to raise them with your PG Officer.
For further information please see the Student Union website (https://www.rvcsu.org.uk).
If you have any queries or comments, please contact: PG Officers, Lucie Bourne and James Sweet-Jones (supostgrad@rvc.ac.uk). Academic Quality Officer (Student Engagement) (AQOfficerSE@rvc.ac.uk)

CONTENTS

PAGE

The Royal Veterinary College

Research at the Royal Veterinary College

MPhil/PhD Programme of Study

General Conditions of Study

Typical Structure of MPhil/PhD Programme for Full-time Students

Developing your Skills as a Researcher

Annual Appraisal

The Research Degree Examination

A Z of General Information

Absence

Accident and Reporting Procedure

Advice Centre

Complaints

Data Protection

Debt

Educational Development

Enrolment

Ethics and Welfare

Health

ID Cards

Insurance

Journal Access

Keeping in Touch

Library and Information Services Division (LISD)

Plagiarism

Postgraduate Academic Progress Issues

Student Performance and Development System

Postgraduate Student Advisors

Pregnancy

Use of Experimental Animals

Student Union

Work International Students

Student Social Media Policy45

Facilities, Maps and Travel

College Regulations and Policies

General Regulations for Study and Award

Academic Misconduct

Appeals Procedure

Complaints Procedure

Professional Requirements Procedure

Appendix A Good Research Practice (GRP)

Appendix B Instructions and notes on submission, format, and binding of theses

submitted for the degrees of MPhil, PhD and DProf

Appendix C Insurance cover for RVC students travelling overseas

Appendix D Guidelines on personal relationships at work

The Royal Veterinary College
Our Vision: To be the place of recommendation for education, clinical care, expert opinion and employment in veterinary medicine and science. Our Mission: To provide inspirational leadership and excellence in veterinary science through innovative scholarship and pioneering clinical activity. Our Values: For any organisation with a commitment to health and welfare, one must expect that the values associated with care and compassion will be writ large. Indeed, there is no shortage of words that we might associate with our day-to-day activities. What defines us is the combination of professionalism and commitment, manifest in a culture of compassion and caring that speaks to others of our respect for our heritage, our dedication to quality and innovation, our devotion to the advancement of knowledge and the alleviation of suffering.
As published in the Strategic Plan 2014-19
1

Research at the Royal Veterinary College
http://www.rvc.ac.uk/research
The Royal Veterinary College is a leading veterinary research centre and research at the College is of international quality. The 2014 Research Excellence Framework, a system for assessing research quality in UK Higher Education Institutions, rated 79% of the College's research output as internationally world leading or excellent.
The level and breadth of our veterinary and biomedical sciences research demonstrates the College's commitment to improving human and animal health and welfare, and the important role that veterinarians and biological scientists play on the international stage.
Our research is of the highest quality and has an impact on the health and welfare of humans and animals around the world.
RVC researchers benefit from being close to London's international centres of excellence in biomedical and biological sciences
Researchers have easy access to expertise in functional genomics, proteomics, metabolomics and bioinformatics support
Co-operation and collaboration between clinicians and basic scientists leads to high quality research outcomes
RVC scientists are focused on bridging the gap between early scientific discovery and its translation into practical applications and societal impact
Our approach extends from the molecular level to the whole animal and animal populations. Underpinning research across these themes are animal welfare, biomechanics, genetics, bioinformatics, pathology, epidemiology and public health.
Research Programmes
Comparative Physiology and Medicine https://intranet.rvc.ac.uk/DeptResearch/CPM.cfm
Livestock Production and Health https://intranet.rvc.ac.uk/DeptResearch/livestock-production-andhealth.cfm
Research Centres
Animal Welfare Science and Ethics Animal Welfare lies at the heart of much Royal Veterinary College research. The Animal Welfare Science and Ethics group was established in 2005. They have three complementary strands of expertise: animal welfare science, animal behaviour and ethics.
Centre for Emerging, Endemic and Exotic Diseases The RVC's Centre for Emerging, Endemic and Exotic Diseases (CEEED) is a state-ofthe-art facility for infection and immunity research.
2

Clinical Investigation Centre The Clinical Investigation Centre team work closely with clinicians across all veterinary disciplines in order to improve our understanding of disease conditions affecting animals and thereby reduce suffering and improve quality of life. Contract Research Services The Contract Research Unit represents a team of experienced project managers dedicated to providing access to a range of services for both animal and human health related companies, ranging from small biotechnology to large pharmaceutical as well as pet nutrition companies. Lifelong Independent Veterinary Education (LIVE) LIVE is a Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL). Its aim is to ensure that veterinary education meets the needs of committed independent learners, from entry to retirement, through an innovative programme of educational development and research. Structure & Motion Laboratory The Structure and Motion Laboratory is part of the Comparative Physiology and Medicine Research Programme at the Royal Veterinary College. With state-of-theart facilities and multidisciplinary expertise, the laboratory has an international reputation for excellence. Veterinary Epidemiology, Economics and Public Health Group (VEEPH) Research in the VEEPH group has a direct impact on shaping policy both at national and international level. The group has expertise in livestock and companion animal epidemiology, veterinary public health, animal health surveillance programmes and animal health economics.
3

MPhil/PhD Programme of Study
Introduction The content of this handbook must be read in conjunction with the Code of Practice for Postgraduate Research Degrees. You were given a copy of the Code at induction and the current version will be emailed to you at the start of each academic year. You can also find a copy on the Graduate School site on RVC Learn. The RVC Code of Practice outlines your roles and responsibilities, as well as those of your department and your supervisors, the resources and support you may expect, details of managing and monitoring student admission and progression, the processes leading to examination, quality assurance processes and student liaison, feedback, complaints and appeals. You will have a primary supervisor and at least one co-supervisor. Your primary supervisor is ultimately responsible for the supervision and administration of your progression (registration, annual appraisal, nomination of examiners to the Research Degrees Committee, entry to examination, and arrangements for the oral examination ("viva")). Please make sure you have read, and are familiar with, the content of the Code of Practice, which is updated annually.
4

General Conditions of Study
Students may be governed by terms and conditions set by individual grant-awarding authorities or places of employment. Where this is not the case, or where no specific guidance is provided in alternative terms and conditions, the following apply:
Absence
a) If a student is absent through illness, the supervisor must be informed. If the absence is for more than 5 consecutive weekdays, medical certification from their doctor must be given to the supervisor and a copy sent to the Graduate School. For periods of sickness absence exceeding 4 weeks (and up to a maximum of 12 months), the student must inform the Graduate School and request an interruption to study (which will require the approval of the Student Performance and Development System (SPDS)). The request must be approved by their supervisor and supported by medical certification.
More information regarding the Sickness Policy for Postgraduate Research Students and eligibility for receiving sickness pay can be found on the Graduate School site on RVC Learn. Information regarding SPDS can be found on the Intranet here;
b) Applications to interrupt study must be made in advance (except in cases of illness where this is not possible) and must be approved by SPDS, via the Graduate School.
c) Interruptions to the course of study may be permitted for a number of reasons: illness, maternity/paternity leave, personal and family reasons. It should be noted that these reasons are not exhaustive, and SPDS may grant interruptions for other reasons it considers acceptable.
d) Students will not normally be permitted to interrupt their studies for more than 12 continuous months. However, it is recognised that a longer interruption may be necessary in certain circumstances where there is a compelling reason but this will require approval from the Principal and is only considered in very exceptional circumstances.
e) Requests to interrupt study should be made on the change in registration status form which can be found on the Graduate School site on RVC Learn. Medical and/or other supporting evidence must always be provided, together with a supporting statement from the student's supervisors.
f) The College permits postgraduate research students to interrupt their degree for a maximum period of 12 months in total throughout the duration of their degree for the purpose of maternity leave or adoption leave where the student is the primary carer.
More information regarding the Maternity Policy for Postgraduate Research Students and eligibility for receiving maternity pay can be found on the Graduate School site on RVC Learn.
5

Appraisal
All students, whether studying on a full or a part-time basis, are required to attend an annual appraisal in order that their progress can be assessed. Further details about appraisal formats can be found in Appendix A of the Code of Practice for Postgraduate Research Degrees.
Supervisors are responsible for identifying and contacting assessors at the start of each studentship; this is not the student's responsibility.
Attendance
MPhil/PhD students are expected to spend a minimum of two thirds of their studentship based at the College.
Requests for exemption from this requirement will be considered by a sub-group comprised of the Vice Principal for Research & Innovation, the Head of the Graduate School and one Research Degrees Committee (RDC) or Research Strategy Committee (RSC) member. Such requests will normally be made as part of the approval process for a studentship project. However, if circumstances change, requests may be submitted by a student's supervisor via the Research Degrees Officers, Lisa Matamala-Shaw/Nasima Begum or Carole Tilsley (rdofficer@rvc.ac.uk), after the student has begun their programme of study.
Exceptions that do not require specific approval are: Part-time students Full-time students who have an RVC co-supervisor but who are based at a partner research institute (e.g. Pirbright; APHA; AHT) Full-time students working with a non-RVC co-applicant on a jointly held studentship
Change of Circumstances
A change in circumstances may require a student to interrupt their studies. Interruptions are approved by the SPDS upon completion of the appropriate form (see Absence section (e)). Students who have been interrupted will remain registered with the College but the time does not count towards the period of registration. No fees are payable during this time. Students who are considering withdrawing from their programme of study should discuss this with their supervisors and the Head of the Graduate School before finalising their decision. Once they have made the decision to leave, they should send a signed letter to the Head of the Graduate School; an email is not sufficient.
Communications to Press, Radio and Television
Communications to the press, radio, television or on social media networks expressing personal views may not be communicated from the College address (including email) except by permission of the Principal.
The consent of the Principal is required before expressing views in public on matters connected with the work of the Royal Veterinary College.
6

Extensions
Extensions to study are only applicable for *3 year studentships and should be submitted using the extension request form that can be found on the Graduate School site on Learn. An extension must be requested prior to the end of the studentship and has to be approved by the Head of the Graduate School and the Vice Principal for Research & Innovation. Note that the maximum permissible extension to a *3 year studentship is one year and that tuition fees are payable for the duration of the extension. The total registration period must not exceed *4 years and the expectation that the student will submit their thesis within *4 years of their start date remains.
*pro-rated for part-time study
Full-time Study
Students studying on a full-time basis are expected to complete their PhD within 34 years. Students on a 3-year programme will be transferred to `writing-up' status at the start of a fourth year, once the Head of Department gives their approval. In order for a student to be allowed to transfer to writing-up status, the Head of Department must be satisfied that the work still required to be completed up to submission of the thesis is such that it can be satisfactorily completed using minimal supervision, primarily related to reading and commenting on draft thesis chapters, access to the library and other facilities, and use of personal office space and computing facilities in the Department. If additional resources are required, particularly project-related resources or a higher level of supervision, the registration will continue. A tuition fee will be payable, which is collected only after 3 years and 6 months if the thesis has not been submitted by this point. Registration will not normally be considered beyond a fourth year although in exceptional circumstances an application can be made for a fifth and final year of study. Written requests with supporting documentation should be sent to the Graduate School and will be considered by the Head of the Graduate School and the Vice Principal for Research & Innovation. The maximum registration period for a PhD student is 60 months for a full-time student and the pro-rata equivalent for a part-time student. Students entering a fifth year of study who have not submitted their thesis will be expected to pay a fee of £1170
Good Research Practice
The College expects all students undertaking research to recognise that it is their responsibility to carry out their work with rigour and integrity and to the highest possible ethical standards. See Appendix A for further details.
Health and Safety
Students are required to conform to the College's Health and Safety regulations at all times and will be asked to sign confirming that they have read the College's safety regulations. Students are expected to understand the process of risk assessment and how it impinges on their work following health and safety training provided locally at the start of their programme.
7

Holidays
Not more than 40 days, including public holidays, may be taken in each year of a research studentship, and pro-rata for parts of a year, at times agreed with the supervisor. Not more than 20 days holiday may be taken at the end of the research studentship.
Income Tax
A student stipend is not normally regarded as income for income tax purposes. It should, however, be noted that earning from sources such as teaching and demonstrating received during the award must be processed through payroll, be subject to normal employment law and follow HR requirements, policies and guidelines. Students on placements who receive a salary in addition to the PhD stipend should contact the HMRC to discuss the tax implications for their particular situation.
Intellectual Property (IP) Rights: Commercial Confidentiality
The intellectual property position of registered students of the College who are employed by, or whose studentships are funded by, certain independent organisations (e.g. Pirbright; APHA) may be governed by the policies of those organisations.
Students sponsored by a company or a CASE studentship will almost certainly be required to sign a legal agreement with the company covering rights to any IP arising from the sponsored project.
IP generated in the course of their studies by students who are also employees of the College, will automatically belong to RVC.
Subject to the above, postgraduate students will be formally requested to assign all IP that they may generate in the course of their studies to RVC. In return, they will be able to benefit from the same incentives and rewards as if they were members of staff. This is a condition of undertaking commercially sensitive projects as a student at RVC. Students who do not wish to make such an assignment may be transferred to alternative research projects.
Nature of Study
Study for the MPhil/PhD can be undertaken on either a full-time or part-time basis. All PhD students are initially registered for an MPhil with an expectation that upgrade to PhD registration will take place at the appraisal after one year of fulltime study (or the equivalent for part-time students).
Part-time Study
Employees of the College can only be registered as part-time students and are not eligible for the travel and council tax discounts available to full-time students. It is expected that College employees and other students studying on a part-time basis will complete their studies within 4-8 years of their start date, in accordance with the proportion of time allocated to their studies. Students can be registered for part-time study between 50% and 80%. Research students registered at the RVC
8

but pursuing their studies at an agreed partner research institute (PRI) can be either employees of that organisation or students. Depending on the research being undertaken, employees of PRIs may be spending all or only some of their time pursuing their degree. These students have a local supervisor as well as one at the RVC. If the research is being undertaken on a full-time basis, completion is expected within 3-4 years. All other PRI students are expected to complete within 4-8 years of their start date.
PRI students on 3-year studentships will be transferred to `writing-up' status at the start of their fourth year if studying full-time; for part-time PRI and other parttime students this will take place at the equivalent point to a full-time student's fourth year. As above, a tuition fee will be payable for that year and any student entering a fifth year of study will have to pay £1170
Teaching, Demonstrating and other Paid Work
Students may undertake teaching, demonstrating and, subject to the supervisor's approval, other paid work directly relating to their training, provided that the total demand on their time, including time spent in preparation, does not normally exceed six hours a week and in all cases must not exceed 180 hours per year, averaged over the course of the academic year. The limit of 180 hours incorporates related activities such as preparation and assessment or demonstrating. It is felt that further commitments would interfere with an individual's studies.
Students who are involved in teaching will need to complete the mandatory teaching workshop entitled "Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (TLiHE)" see Research Student Training & Education Programme for further details.
Attending the entire TLiHE course (8 weeks) is a requirement for anyone who is doing, or intends to do, more than 6 hours of teaching in any one academic year on behalf of the RVC at, or outside, the College. Teaching is defined as including small group teaching, directed learning, tutorials, practicals, distance learning, research training and assisting with undergraduate/MSc project supervision. Teaching for distance learning courses includes teaching using webinars and asynchronous or synchronous discussions and tutorials. PhD students should not deliver timetabled lectures except in specific and exceptional circumstances and never for core and mainstream topics. The TLiHE course is a postgraduate Masters-level course comprising 5 credits and students who complete the course and assessment will receive a certificate.
The employment of PGR students is subject to normal employment law and must follow normal HR requirements, policies and guidelines.
Tuition Fees
Students who have accepted the offer of a 3-year studentship and who do not submit their thesis by the end of the studentship will move to 'writing-up status'. They will be required to pay a reduced annual fee for this fourth year of study which will be collected after 3 years and 6 months, only if their thesis has not been submitted. Any student who has not submitted their thesis within 4 years will be charged a late submission fee of £1170 The maximum period of PhD registration is 5 years.
9

Value of the Award
The annual stipend (maintenance award) will be stated in the offer letter and is payable in 12 equal monthly instalments, in arrears. Payments for periods of less than 12 months will be reduced proportionately.
Working Hours
Whilst there is an officially agreed upper limit to the number of days holiday a post-graduate research student may take per annum (pro-rated for part-time study), the College has no specific regulations on working hours for research students. That said, the success of a project should not depend upon a student having to work excessively long hours over protracted periods of time and, as a guide, full-time students should expect to spend, on average, 40 hours per week on their thesis studies (pro-rata for part-time students). Note that the College places a limit on the hours of paid work a full-time research student can undertake (see section on Teaching, Demonstrating and other Paid Work).
Working hours are not fixed and will, to some extent, be determined by the nature of your research project. In addition, some people like to start work early in the day and leave early; some prefer the opposite. Your supervisors are likely to have a view on what hours they expect you to be in College but there may be times when you'd prefer to work off-site, for example if you're writing (an abstract, report or paper), or catching up with some reading. Provided the arrangement has been agreed with your supervisors in advance, and you keep in regular contact, normally there should be no reason why you are not able to do so.
The key point is that you get things done and that you meet project milestones and agreed deadlines in a timely manner. A demanding workload is a normal part of studying for a research degree and you will have to manage your time well. You will need to work flexibly around the requirements of your experimental or other investigative work, and this may well involve working in the evenings and/or weekends for some periods of time. However, if at any stage during your studies you feel that the demands being placed upon you by your supervisors are unreasonable, do not hesitate to speak to a member of staff in the Graduate School, a mentor (if you have one) or one of the PG Advisors. The same applies if at any time you find you are struggling to meet the demands of a reasonable workload.
10

Typical Structure of MPhil/PhD Programme for Full-time Students

Year 1

Year 2 (and Year 3 for 4 year PhDs)

Year 3 or 4 (Final Year)

You register with the Graduate School. PhD students are initially registered for the MPhil degree.
You attend PhD Induction in early October. Students beginning at other times will have an induction with the Head of the Graduate School.

You re-enrol with the Graduate School. Registration is required annually.

You will have the option to have a peer-mentor assigned to you who will help you to settle into your 1st year. You will also be allocated a PG Advisor.

You complete and return the 3and 6-month progress forms (in the student log) to the Graduate School

You attend the postgraduate statistics course and pass the examination (the exam is standard set so the pass mark will vary each year).

You attend appropriate training courses for particular techniques or purposes required for your research.

You complete the following mandatory training courses within 3 months of your studentship
- Research with Integrity (online)
- Working with your supervisor (online)
- General Data Protection Regulations (online)
- Health and Safety Induction - Good Research Practice

You attend training days organised by the Graduate School or by HR and seminars, conferences etc., as agreed with your supervisor.

You attend training days organised by the Graduate School or by HR, and seminars, conferences etc., as agreed with your supervisor.

You complete the following mandatory online training courses within 12 months of your studentship
- Conferences, presenting and networking
- Getting published in the sciences
11

- Managing your research project
You attend general research training and specific courses for particular techniques or purposes required for your research.
You attend training days organised by the Graduate School or by HR and seminars, conferences etc., as agreed with your supervisor.
You attend and present a graphical abstract at the annual PG Research Day, and take part in the Research Impact competition.
You attend at least 50% of the postgraduate seminars, a minimum of 6 of the College's research seminars and 6 other talks on topics relating to your field of study.

You attend the annual PG Research Day and present a poster.
You attend at least 50% of the postgraduate seminars, a minimum of 6 of the College's research seminars and 6 other talks on topics relating to your field of study
You present once at the postgraduate seminar series.

If you have not presented a poster at the annual PG Research Day / taken part in the Research Impact competition you must present at an external conference.
You attend and give a talk at the Annual PG Research Day.
You attend at least 50% of the postgraduate seminars, a minimum of 6 of the College's research seminars and 6 other talks on topics relating to your field of study

You present once at the postgraduate seminar series.
Your primary supervisor identifies two assessors who will monitor your progress through annual appraisal and be available for additional discussion concerning your progress
You submit an appraisal report by the first anniversary of your registration (see p21 for details). Forms and further information are available from the Graduate School site on Learn.

You submit an appraisal report or prepare a presentation and short report by the anniversary of your registration
You attend an appraisal meeting with your two assessors and your supervisor.

You present at the postgraduate seminar series if, for an approved reason, you are not able to give a talk at the PG Research Day.
If you are in year 3 of a 4 year PhD, you submit an appraisal report or prepare a presentation and short report by the anniversary of your registration You attend an appraisal meeting with your two assessors and your supervisor.

You attend an appraisal meeting with your two assessors and your supervisor. You are upgraded to PhD if your progress has been satisfactory.
12

You submit your thesis for examination after 3.5 years (3-year studentships) or before the end of your 4th year at the latest.

Typical Structure of MPhil/PhD Programme for Part-time Students (50%)

Year 1 and 2

Year 3 and 4

Year 5 and 6

You register with the Graduate School. PhD students are initially registered for the MPhil degree.
You attend PhD Induction in early October in year 1. Students beginning at other times will have an induction with the Head of the Graduate School.

You re-enrol with the Graduate School. Registration is required annually.

You will have the option to have a peer-mentor assigned to you who will help you to settle into your 1st year. You will also be allocated a PG Advisor.

You complete and return the 3and 6-month progress forms (in the student log) to the Graduate School at 6 months and 12 months, respectively (pro-rated for 6080% part-time students).

In year 1 or year 2 you attend the postgraduate statistics course and pass the examination (the exam is standard set so the pass mark will vary each year).

You attend appropriate training courses for particular techniques or purposes required for your research.

You present once at the postgraduate seminar series. If you are 6080% part-time you should present in year 1
You complete the following mandatory training courses within 4-6 months of your studentship - Research with Integrity
(online) - Working with your supervisor
(online) - General Data Protection
Regulations (online) - Health and Safety Induction - Good Research Practice

You attend training days organised by the Graduate School or by HR and seminars, conferences etc., as agreed with your supervisor.

You attend training days organised by the Graduate School or by HR, and seminars, conferences etc., as agreed with your supervisor.

You complete the following mandatory online training courses before the end of year 2 of your studentship (pro- rated for 6080% part time students)
- Conferences, presenting and networking
- Getting published in the sciences
- Managing your research project

You attend general research training and specific courses for particular techniques or purposes required for your research.

You attend training days organised by the Graduate School or by HR and seminars, conferences etc., as agreed with your supervisor.

You present a graphical abstract at the annual PG Research Day and take part in the Research Impact competition in either year 1 or 2. If you are 6080% part-time you should present in year 1.

You attend PG Research Day in year 3 or 4 and present a poster.

During years 1 and 2, you attend at least 50% of the postgraduate seminars, a minimum of 6 of the College's research seminars and 6 other talks on topics relating to your field of study (pro-rated for 6080% part-time students).

During years 3 and 4 you attend at least 50% of the postgraduate seminars, a minimum of 6 of the College's research seminars and 6 other talks on topics relating to your field of study.

You present once at the postgraduate seminar series during years 1 and 2. If you are 6080% part-time you should present in year 1

You present once at the postgraduate seminar series, either in year 3 or 4.

Your primary supervisor identifies two assessors who will monitor your progress through annual appraisal and be available for additional discussion concerning your progress

In year 6 (pro-rated for 6080% part-time students) you give a talk at the annual PG Research Day.
During years 5 and 6 you attend at least 50% of the postgraduate seminars, a minimum of 6 of the College's research seminars and 6 other talks on topics relating to your field of study.
You present at the postgraduate seminar series if, for an approved reason, you are not able to give a talk at the annual PG Research Day in year 6 (pro-rated for 60-80% parttime students).

At the end of year 1 you have a At the end of year 3 you

light touch appraisal.

have a light touch appraisal.

At the end of year 2, you submit an appraisal report by the anniversary of your registration (see p21 for details).

At the end of year 4 you submit an appraisal report or prepare a presentation and short report by the anniversary of your registration

At the end of year 5 (prorated for 60-80% part-time students) you have a light touch appraisal.

Students registered at 80% should submit their appraisal report 14-15 months into the studentship (pro-rated for those registered 60 70%)

Students registered at 80% should submit their appraisal report 28-30 months into the studentship (pro-rated for those registered 60 70%)

At the end of year 2 (pro-rated for 60-80% part-time students), you attend an appraisal meeting with your two assessors and your supervisor. You are upgraded to PhD if your progress has been satisfactory.

At the end of year 4 (prorated for 60-80% part-time students), you attend an appraisal meeting with your two assessors and your supervisor.

Appraisal forms and further information are available from the Graduate School site on Learn.

Before the end of year 6 (pro-rated for 6080% parttime students) you submit your thesis for examination.

Developing your Skills as a Researcher
Employers of postdoctoral researchers not only seek individuals with specialist knowledge who are able to undertake complex procedures but those with particular generic skills. The knowledge, behaviours and attributes expected of highly skilled researchers are set out in the Researcher Development Statement (RDS), which is derived from the Researcher Development Framework (RDF). To learn more about the RDF and RDS go to: https://www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers-professional-development/about-the-vitaeresearcher-development-framework
To assist you with developing and recording the skills you will need as a successful researcher, the RVC offers a number of online and face-to-face training events. You are expected to take full advantage of this training and should be aiming to participate in the training programme and appropriate other professional and career development activities to an equivalent of 10 days per year. Each training activity is assigned a number of points. Research students are expected to accrue 20 points per year (or 60-70 points over a 3-4 year studentship). Half a day's training is worth one point; 10 days of training per year is therefore equivalent to 20 points per year (pro-rated for part time students).
You will record the training points that you have accrued and your structured meetings with your supervisor in your Student Log.
Training Requirements for externally based RVC students
There will be no minimum period of attendance each year for externally based MPhil/PhD students but they must attend an induction, visit the College to meet face-to-face with their supervisor(s) at least once in each year of the studentship and undertake the following mandatory skills training:
Year 1: Complete the on-line courses Research Integrity, Working with your supervisor, Selecting a conference, presenting and networking, Getting published in the sciences and Project management in the research context; complete the PG statistics course and take the exam; attend and present a graphical abstract Postgraduate Research Day (and submit the associated poster abstract and research impact statement)
Year 2: Present a poster at Postgraduate Research day Year 3/4: Attend and give a talk at Postgraduate Research Day
Annual appraisal must be undertaken at a face-to-face meeting.
Academic Skills and Seminars
These will be enhanced as part of your research programme. You are required to attend the two weekly College seminar series to broaden your knowledge. You will be expected to attend at least 50% of the postgraduate seminars (Tuesdays), a minimum of 6 of the College's research seminars (Wednesdays) and 6 other talks on topics relating to your field of study. RVC seminars are video-linked across the two campuses. You are required to sign a book recording your presence at each seminar. Where students are not largely based within the RVC they must provide evidence at appraisal of seminar attendance elsewhere.
16

Recordings of the seminars are available on Echo 360 on the Graduate school site of Learn.
In addition, in consultation with you supervisor and relevant course/module leaders, you may attend courses within the College that are part of the undergraduate or postgraduate curriculum, or undertake courses that are part of the College's Distance Learning programmes. A fee will be payable for any MSc modules that you take so please discuss this with your supervisor before enrolling on any module. You may also be able to attend courses run by other institutions or outside organisations.
Some specialist training will be mandatory before you start laboratory or field work e.g. handling radioactive substances, use of experimental animals. This is for legal and safety reasons.
Transferable (key or professional) skills
These are defined as essential work skills that are not specific to any one subject or profession.
Training: What are your needs?
At induction you will be introduced to the process of completing a Learning Needs Analysis. You will use your Student Log to monitor your training needs and your progress with them. The College provides a number of training opportunities throughout the year. These are detailed in the Postgraduate Training Booklet.
Statistics Course
This is provided as a series of eight sessions. All sessions are held in the College's computer rooms and are delivered by Dr Ruby Chang, a chartered statistician.
A mandatory exam is held at the end of the compulsory sessions which all students are expected to pass, after which a certificate will be issued.
The timetable and content for the 2019/20 course can be found in the Postgraduate Training Booklet and on the Graduate School site on RVC Learn.
Training Opportunities and Booking Information
For information and booking details about all of the training on offer at the RVC please refer to your Postgraduate Training Booklet.
Postgraduate students may attend staff training sessions if places are available. For more information and booking details go to the staff training section on the intranet home page (see below) or http://intranet.rvc.ac.uk/hr-internal/trainingand-development/training-programme.cfm
The Graduate School keeps a record of your attendance at skills training sessions.
17

Training Cancellation Policy
There will be no charge for a cancellation made with at least 3 working days' notice.
A £25 cancellation fee (payable by student or supervisor) will normally be charged for last minute cancellations (less than 3 working days' notice) or failure to attend without good reason.
If you are unwell on the day of the workshop, please e-mail rdofficer@rvc.ac.uk or telephone the Graduate School (020 7468 5134) as soon as possible after 9am. If there is no-one available to take the call, a message should be left on the answer machine.
Bloomsbury Postgraduate Skills Network
The purpose of the BPSN shared skills training programme is to allow research students in the participating institutions to enhance their generic research skills and personal transferable skills, through attending training courses and workshops at other member institutions. Whilst each institution offers its own training to its registered students (and handles their registration separately), the BPSN programme allows access to a variety of training opportunities from other member institutions.
The skills attained from the programme are intended to help research and also to enhance life skills and employability; the members are leading higher education institutions within Bloomsbury, from smaller specialist institutions to large multifaculty ones.
The programme of training courses on offer from the participating institutions continues to change as the year proceeds; please review the programme on offer at regular intervals in order to ensure that you make the most of the opportunities open to you. More information can be found at: http://courses.grad.ucl.ac.uk/bloomsbury/
Eligibility A list of BPSN member Institutions can be found at: http://courses.grad.ucl.ac.uk/bloomsbury/eligibility.pht
N.B. only research students from these institutions are eligible to attend BPSN courses.
The BPSN website functions to:
allow students to register on skills training courses at participating institutions
provide information on useful resources.
Please note that some of these courses are very popular, and places may be limited. To avoid disappointment please register early. Please also note that once a student has registered for a course, s/he will be expected to attend.
18

Attendance / Cancellation Fees Once a student has registered for a course he/she will be expected to attend. Cancellations should be notified as soon as possible in order that students on the waiting list can be offered the place.
The BPSN reserves the right to charge a cancellation fee of £50 where a student does not attend a course / workshop without giving 2 working days' notice.
How to use the BPSN Registration System http://courses.grad.ucl.ac.uk/bloomsbury/how-to-use.pht Details of Training Available http://courses.grad.ucl.ac.uk/bloomsbury/list-training.pht Further Information on Generic and Transferable Skills Training http://courses.grad.ucl.ac.uk/bloomsbury/generic-skills.pht
UKCGE: The Council for Graduate Education
UK Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE) is the leading independent representative body for Postgraduate Education in the UK. Its mission is to be the authoritative voice for postgraduate education in the UK, providing high quality leadership and support to its members to promote a strong and sustainable postgraduate education sector.
To its members, UKCGE communicates valuable information and research, facilitates networking through events and forums, provides an influential lobbying function and produces relevant publications. The council's website (http://www.ukcge.ac.uk) is a reference tool where all of these opportunities are brought together for relevant and interested parties. The council encourages all users to explore the website and contact the UKCGE office with any comments or questions.
Workshops and Working Groups The Council runs a full programme of workshops on a wide variety of postgraduate issues. Working groups investigate and report on a range of current postgraduate issues. A list of these and other published reports can be found on the publications section of their website.
Publications UKCGE produces regular publications, which are available to both members and non-members. The newsletter is produced three times a year to keep members up to date on UKCGE activities, to inform of relevant developments in the postgraduate arena and to provide topical book reviews. In addition to this, UKCGE produces conference and workshop summaries for the majority of its events and these can be accessed through the website.
19

Vitae: Realising the Potential of Researchers Vitae (www.vitae.ac.uk) is a national organisation championing the personal, professional and career development of doctoral researchers and research staff in higher education institutes and research institutes. Postgraduate research students benefit directly and indirectly from the work that Vitae undertakes. Vitae is committed to enhancing the quality and output of the research base in the United Kingdom, through supporting the training and development of the next generation of world-class researchers.
20

Annual Appraisal

The College is committed to a system of annual appraisal of all students registered for higher degrees (MPhil, PhD and DProf). This applies to all full-time and parttime research students.

Full-Time Students Full Appraisal

50% Part-Time Students (pro-rated for 60-80% part-time
students) Light touch Appraisal

Year 1*

Appraisal will consist of a 5,000word report and an oral with 2 assessors to discuss the project+

Appraisal will consist of a 2-page progress report to be reviewed by 2 assessors

Year 2*
Year 3* (4y F/T students only)
Year 4*
Year 5*

Good or Excellent Appraisal will consist of a 2page progress report, a 20-30 min presentation and associated oral with 2 assessors to discuss the project
Good or Excellent Appraisal as above

#Weak or very poor Appraisal as above
#Weak or very poor Appraisal as above

Appraisal will consist of a 5,000word report and an oral with 2 assessors to discuss the project Performance at this appraisal will determine the format of the appraisal at year 4 DProf students would typically have completed 120 credit taught modules
Light touch Appraisal

Submission

Performance at year 2 appraisal: excellent / good #weak / v poor

Appraisal will consist of a 2page progress report, a 20-30 min presentation and associated oral with 2 assessors to discuss the project

Appraisal as in year 2
Performance at this appraisal will determine the format of the appraisal at year 6

Light touch Appraisal

Year 6*
Year 7* Year 8*

Performance at year 4 appraisal: excellent / good #weak / v poor

Appraisal as in year 4

Appraisal as in year 2

Light touch Appraisal

Submission

NOTE: At each full appraisal for full- and part-time students, supervisors will complete a progress appraisal form (Form 1), students will complete a comments form (Form 4) and assessors will complete evaluation and recommendation forms (Forms 2, 3 and 5).

At each light touch appraisal (for part-time students) supervisors will complete a progress appraisal form (Form 1), students will complete a comments form (Form 4) and assessors will complete a recommendation form (Form 5).

*If in any year of appraisal a student does not satisfy their assessors, remedial action may be needed, the nature of which will depend on the individual circumstances.

#A "satisfactory" performance at appraisal could result in a requirement for either a 5,000-word report or a short report and presentation + oral at the next full appraisal.

+iCASE students are required to submit a placement plan and objectives (normally) at the year 1 appraisal. A reflective practice document written by the student will be considered at the appraisal following completion of the placement.

Note for LIDo students: LIDo students who join the RVC in year 1 of the LIDo programme will have a light touch appraisal towards the end of year 1 and have their first full appraisal towards the end of year 2

Full Appraisal The first full appraisal consists of evaluation of a 5,000-word report (excluding references and appendices but including figure legends and footnotes) and a meeting with the student. The content of the report and the students' progress with their research and skills development training will be discussed. Students also have the opportunity to raise any issues relating to their programme of study. The appraisal is conducted by two assessors, who are members of academic staff not directly involved in the project. The primary supervisor is expected to be present, but not to participate unless invited to do so. The assessors evaluate the student's report and performance in the meeting by completing appraisal documents. These a) provide feedback to the student and their supervisors on progress and any areas for attention and future development and b) record recommendations to the Graduate School based on student progress. The assessors will remain the same throughout the duration of studies. Supervisors also provide feedback on the student's development as a researcher. Upgrade to PhD registration will be considered for students at the year 1 appraisal (year 2 for part-time students and 14-15 months into the studentship for those registered 80% part-time) and a recommendation made about the format of the next year's appraisal.
LIDo students who join the RVC in year 1 of the LIDo programme will have a light touch appraisal towards the end of year 1 and have their first full appraisal towards the end of year 2
If a student performs well during their first full appraisal, the next full appraisal will normally consist of a short written summary of their progress over the past year to be submitted to their assessors in advance of the appraisal meeting, together with a PowerPoint presentation about their work which will be discussed with their assessors at the meeting. As in the first full appraisal, a set of forms will be completed by all the relevant parties and returned to the Graduate School. A recommendation about the format of a subsequent full appraisal (if required) will be made based on the student's performance at the second full appraisal.
Light Touch Appraisal Part-time students will be appraised at the end of each year of study (for DProf students this will be one year after completion of Methods of Enquiry 1) but in years 1, 3, 5 and 7 (if relevant) the appraisal will consist of a short written progress report which should include research plans for the next year. This will be sent to the assessors for review, together with the supervisors' assessment form 1 and the students' comments form 4. Assessors will be asked to recommend to the Graduate School whether the student should be allowed to continue with their studies and/or if any remedial action is required by using form 5. They are not expected to meet with the student but may ask to do so if they think it is necessary. In years 2, 4 and 6 (if relevant), the appraisal process will be as described above for full-time students.
Supervisors are responsible for identifying assessors and organising (with the student and the assessors) a suitable date, time and place for the appraisal meeting.
Appraisal forms and guidelines can be found on the Graduate School site on RVC Learn.
23

The Research Degree Examination
(1) Appointment of Examiners
Research degree examiners must be approved by the Research Degrees Committee, 4 - 6 months before the student expects to submit their thesis. Under no circumstances should students be asked to identify or contact prospective examiners.
a) For all students registered for a research degree at the RVC, examiners for MPhil, PhD and the research component of the DProf examinations are approved by the Research Degrees Committee (RDC). The RDC meets four times a year before Academic Board. It is the responsibility of the supervisor to ensure that examiners are approved in a timely manner. It is strongly recommended that nominations are submitted to the meeting occurring no later than 4 months before anticipated submission of the thesis.
b) Supervisors must complete a standard examiner nomination form. Forms are found on the Graduate School site on RVC Learn. They must be submitted to the secretary of the RDC, (rdofficer@rvc.ac.uk), no later than 8 working days before the Committee meets. Notice of meetings is posted on the Intranet.
c) A draft abstract of the thesis must be attached to the form. (This is solely for assessing the suitability of the examiners and need not be the final thesis abstract.)
d) Two examiners must be nominated of whom one is normally an internal examiner from within the University of London (and normally from a school/College of the University other than the RVC) and the other an external examiner (from outside the University of London). At least one examiner is expected to have experience of examining University of London PhDs. If there is no-one in any of the other schools/Colleges of the University of London who would be able to examine the thesis, two external examiners and an Independent Chair with experience of examining for the University of London or an examiner from the RVC may be nominated to serve. In some circumstances it may be necessary to appoint 3 examiners to ensure that all aspects of the thesis are comprehensively examined. An examiner should have no association with the submitted work and in no circumstances would be the supervisor or one of the assessors at annual appraisal. It is recognised that, occasionally, an internal and external examiner will, between them, be able to cover all aspects of the work presented by the candidate but lack previous experience of examining University of London research degrees. In these circumstances, an Independent Chair who has experience of examining for the University of London should be appointed. An examiner with no or limited experience of examining level 8 research degrees (or level 7, for MPhil examinations) should always be paired with a highly experienced co-examiner.
e) The RVC Research Degrees Officer will email the student, supervisors and all examiners to confirm the appointments.
(2) Thesis requirements
(a) Length
The length of an RVC PhD thesis should be no more than 100,000 words including figure legends and footnotes but excluding bibliography and appendices.
24

The length of an RVC MPhil thesis should be no more than 60,000 words including figure legends and footnotes but excluding bibliography and appendices.
Appendices should only include material which the examiners are not required to read in order to examine the thesis (but to which they may refer if they wish).
These are upper limits and not targets. Students should consult with their supervisor(s) about the length of thesis that is appropriate for each particular research topic and be mindful that brevity without sacrifice of clarity will be appreciated by examiners.
Extensions to the word limit will not be permitted.
(b) Content and Structure
(i) PhD thesis The scope of the thesis should be what might reasonably be expected after 3, or at most 4 years of full-time study. It must:
Be written in English to a satisfactory literary standard and bound in accordance with RVC regulations. See Appendix B
Consist of the candidate's own account of their investigations, the greater proportion of which shall have been undertaken during the period of registration under supervision for the degree.
[The part played by the candidate in any work done jointly with the supervisor(s) and/or fellow researcher workers must be clearly stated by the candidate and certified by the supervisor.]
Form a distinct contribution to knowledge in the field and afford evidence of originality shown by the discovery of new facts and/or the exercise of independent critical power.
Indicate in what respect the described studies have advanced the subject.
Not contain work already submitted for another degree but may contain data obtained in conjunction with a supervisor or fellow researchers, provided that the student clearly states their personal role in the investigation and the statement is testified by the supervisor.
[Work already published, including work published in joint names, may be included only if it is adapted to form an integral part of the thesis and thereby makes a relevant contribution to the main theme of the thesis. A series of publications alone is not acceptable as a thesis. Publications may be bound at the back of the thesis as appendices.]
Give a critical assessment of the literature, describe the methods of research and its findings, include discussion of those findings and indicate in what respects they appear to the candidate to advance the study of the subject. In so doing the candidate will demonstrate a deep and synoptic understanding of their field of study by placing their work in a wider context, objectivity and the capacity for judgement of complex situations.
Demonstrate research skills relevant to the work presented.
25

Not exceed the prescribed word limit (see thesis length).
Include a full bibliography and references.
Be of a standard to merit publication in whole or in part or in a revised form (for example as a monograph or a number of articles in peer-reviewed journals).
(ii) MPhil Thesis
The scope of an MPhil thesis should be what might reasonably be expected after 2 or at most 3 years of full time study. It must:
Be written in English to a satisfactory literary standard and bound in accordance with RVC regulations. See Appendix B
Consist of the candidate's own account of their investigations, the greater proportion of which shall have been undertaken during the period of registration under supervision for the degree.
[The part played by the candidate in any work done jointly with the supervisor(s) and/or fellow researcher workers must be clearly stated by the candidate and certified by the supervisor.]
Be either a record of original work or of an ordered and critical exposition of existing knowledge and shall provide evidence that the field of study has been surveyed thoroughly.
Not contain work already submitted for another degree but may contain data obtained in conjunction with a supervisor or fellow researchers, provided that the student clearly states their personal role in the investigation and the statement is testified by the supervisor.
[Work already published, including work published in joint names, may be included only if it forms an integral part of the thesis and thereby makes a relevant contribution to the main theme of the thesis. A series of publications alone is not acceptable as a thesis. Publications may be bound at the back of the thesis as appendices.]
Be an integrated whole and present a coherent argument.
Give a critical assessment of the relevant literature, describe the method of research and its findings and include a discussion on those findings.
Not exceed the prescribed word limit (see thesis length).
Include a full bibliography and references.
26

(3) Submission Process
When the thesis is complete, it should be bound as per RVC specifications (see Appendix B for details). Two copies must be taken to the Student Centre in Camden between 09.00 and 17.00 Monday to Friday (3 copies if 3 examiners have been appointed). An additional copy should be taken to the oral exam.
A PDF copy of the thesis should either be given, or sent by e-mail, to the Research Degrees Officer at rdofficer@rvc.ac.uk at the time of submission or just before. This will be run through Turnitin (plagiarism software).
Whenever possible, students should take their thesis to the Student Centre in Camden in person. Along with their thesis, students must submit the Consent to Publish and Declaration of Originality and Word count forms. These are available on the Graduate School site on RVC Learn.
The Research Degrees Officer will send the thesis to the examiners and will work with the supervisor to arrange a date for the viva (oral examination) with the examiners. The supervisor is responsible for arranging the room booking, notifying any others concerned, and ordering appropriate refreshments.
(4) Examination of the Thesis
The thesis is read and evaluated by the examiners and you will be asked to attend an oral examination (viva). This is normally held within 3 months of submission of the thesis.
The Oral Examination
All students are required to attend the oral examination (viva) at the RVC (Camden or Hawkshead campus) in person. It is therefore advisable that they remain in the country between submission of the thesis and the viva. Oral examinations via Skype are not normally permitted but may be considered in very exceptional circumstances, which must be approved by the Head of the Graduate School.
Any disabled students who are unable to undertake the usual viva must have discussed appropriate alternative arrangements with their supervisor and the student support manager and/or medical advisors if appropriate. They must send notification, in writing, of the recommended adjustments to the Graduate School at or before thesis submission.
Supervisors are expected to arrange a `mock' oral examination with the student to prepare them for what to expect.
Students are required to take an exact copy of the thesis to the viva, although it does not need to be a hard-bound copy. With the student's and examiners' permission, the supervisor may attend the viva, but must not participate unless directly requested by the examiners.
Normally there will be 2 examiners, one from the University of London and one external to the University, although occasionally both examiners may be external to the University of London. In some circumstances it may be necessary to appoint 3 examiners to ensure that all aspects of the thesis are comprehensively examined. When 2 external examiners are used and in other circumstances, such as when the examining team has had limited experience of examining University of London PhDs, or on re-examination of a thesis, an Independent Chair (from the
27

RVC) will also be present. They will not have read the thesis and will not play an active part in the examination. They are present to oversee the examination process.
At the oral examination, the examiners will be establishing that the work is the student's own and that the student understands the work they have done. The student will be expected to defend their approach and interpretations, have a good general knowledge of the subject and be familiar with any relevant material published since submitting the thesis. Students should be prepared to answer both very detailed questions about their work and those on the broader context of their studies.
PhD Examination Outcomes
There are a number of options open to the examiners in determining the result of the PhD examination. They may recommend that:
1. The Candidate be awarded the degree of PhD 1.1. The candidate be awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy without further work.
1.2 The candidate be awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy subject to minor amendments to the text made within 3 months and to the satisfaction of the internal examiner.
2. The Candidate be permitted to re-submit for the degree of PhD 2.1 The candidate must make major amendments to the satisfaction of the examiners and re-
submit the revised thesis within 6 months without a further oral examination.
2.2 The candidate has failed to satisfy the examiners at the oral examination but will be permitted to revise and re-submit the thesis within 18 months without a further oral examination.
2.3 The candidate has failed to satisfy the examiners in the oral examination but will be permitted to re-present the same thesis within 6 months with a further oral examination.
2.4 The candidate has failed to satisfy the examiners at the oral examination but will be permitted to revise and re-submit the thesis within 18 months with a further oral examination.
3. The Candidate be awarded/permitted to re-submit for the award of MPhil* The candidate has failed to satisfy the examiners at the oral examination and will be invited to be considered for the award of MPhil.
4. The Candidate be adjudged to have failed to satisfy the examiners for award of either MPhil or PhD
The candidate will not be permitted to re-submit for an MPhil or PhD.
Students are normally told the examiners' recommendation immediately after the oral examination. They will be officially informed of the result by the Graduate School and will receive a copy of the examiners' joint report, which will document any required changes. Students and supervisors are reminded that the Graduate School will not send official notification of a result to the University of London until an electronic copy of the final thesis (including any revisions required, and subsequently approved, by the examiners) has been received, and any outstanding fees or monies owed by the student to the College have been paid. The degree certificate will be sent by the University 2-3 months after this. If, for a
28

specific purpose, earlier certification is required, the Graduate School can provide a provisional statement. Students are also reminded that they must not contact, petition or lobby the examiners before, during or after the oral examination, whatever the outcome. In the circumstance of a student not reaching the required standard, the Research Degrees Officer or Head of the Graduate School will inform the student about the options available. The student and supervisor should then discuss the way forward. MPhil Examination Outcomes There are a number of options open to the examiners in determining the result of the MPhil examination. They may recommend that: 1. The Candidate be awarded the degree of MPhil 1.1. The candidate be awarded the degree of Master of Philosophy without further work. 1.2 The candidate be awarded the degree of Master of Philosophy subject to minor
amendments to the text made within 3 months and to the satisfaction of the internal examiner. 2. The Candidate be permitted to re-submit for the degree of MPhil 2.1 The candidate must make major amendments to the satisfaction of the examiners and re- submit the revised thesis within 6 months without a further oral examination. 2.2 The candidate has failed to satisfy the examiners at the oral examination but will be permitted to revise and re-submit the thesis within 18 months without a further oral examination. 2.3 The candidate has failed to satisfy the examiners in the oral examination but will be permitted to re-present the same thesis within 6 months with a further oral examination. 2.4 The candidate has failed to satisfy the examiners at the oral examination but will be permitted to revise and re-submit the thesis within 18 months with a further oral examination. 3. The Candidate be adjudged to have failed to satisfy the examiners for award of MPhil The candidate will not be permitted to re-submit for an MPhil.
29

Thesis Revisions
The student may be required to make revisions to the thesis, as specified in the examiners' joint report. Depending on the nature and extent of the revisions required, the student may be given 3 months (minor revisions), 6 or 18 months (major revisions) to complete the changes and re-submit the thesis. The revised thesis, together with an itemised list of changes made, should be emailed to the Research Degrees Officers (rdofficer@rvc.ac.uk) and they will correspond with the examination team or supervisors (depending on who will approve the amendments). Students and supervisors should be aware when planning dates and/or travel for the oral examination (viva) and other commitments that further work may be required after the viva and before the award of the degree. It is important that students allow sufficient time to make the required revisions. Supervisors will continue to provide advice throughout the process of revising the thesis.
Submission of Thesis Amendments
In the event that a student thinks it unlikely they will meet the 3-, 6- or 18-month deadline, they should contact the Graduate School (where possible at least 2 weeks beforehand) to explain the extenuating circumstances. With the agreement of the examiners, the Research Degrees Officer will then set a new deadline for submission of the corrections which will take account of the nature of the extenuating circumstances. If the Research Degrees Officer does not receive the thesis by is only made aware of the failure to meet the 3-, 6- or 18-month deadline by the examiners, s/he will request an explanation from the student. If there are extenuating circumstances, a new deadline for submission of the corrections will be set with the agreement of the examiners. If there are no extenuating circumstances, a new submission deadline will be set and the student may be subject to attending another viva. In the event that a student fails to meet the new submission deadline and has no extenuating circumstances, the student will fail the examination.
In the event that a student does not send their revised thesis to the Research Degree Officer by the deadline set, and has not been in touch with the supervisory team/Graduate School in the interim, every endeavour will be made to contact the student (including sending a letter by recorded delivery to the student's last known address) up to one month after the submission deadline with the following request/information:
1) That they attend an SPDS meeting on a set date to explain any extenuating circumstances;
2) That non-attendance at the SPDS meeting without a satisfactory explanation will automatically result in registration being terminated;
3) That the student will have the right of appeal following normal College procedures.
This procedure will also apply if a student has not submitted their thesis within 4 years (prorata for part-time students) from the date of registration (excluding any approved interruptions) and does not reply to any communication from their supervisors or the Graduate School.
Appeals Procedure
Under the Procedure for Consideration of Appeals by Candidates for Research Degrees, any student who wishes to appeal against the examiners' decision must make an application to the Academic Registrar within 2 months of notification of the result. Advice on making an appeal is available at the following link under the subheading General: http://www.rvc.ac.uk/about/the-rvc/academic-quality-regulations-procedures
30

Overview of the Examination Process

Examiners are nominated
Submission of thesis
Arrange oral examination (viva)
Oral examination (viva) Examination result

Names are sent to the Research Degrees Officer for consideration by Research Degrees Committee 4-6 months before the expected submission date.
2* copies of the completed thesis should be bound (to RVC specifications) and taken to the Student Centre, with the declaration and consent to publish forms. A PDF of the thesis should be emailed to the Research Degrees Officer at the time of or just before submission.
* 3 if 3 examiners have been appointed
The supervisor should arrange the examination date, room booking and notify all those concerned.
The examination must take place in person at the RVC (Camden or Hawkshead campus). You must take an exact copy of the thesis to the examination (viva). It does not have to be hard bound.
Examiners will usually inform the student of their recommendation verbally after the oral examination (viva). The Graduate School will send formal notification on receipt of the examiners' joint report. It usually takes 2-3 months from receipt of the final version of the thesis (examiner approved if revisions were required) for the degree certificate to be sent to the student by the University of London.

A Z of General Information
Absence
Please see information under General Conditions of Study on page 5 of this handbook.
Accident and Reporting Procedure
The RVC uses an online incident reporting system called SafetyNet for all staff and students to report incidents, accidents and near misses. More information can be found here: https://intranet.rvc.ac.uk/professional-services/estates/health-and-safety/information-a-toz.cfm#Accident-Incident-Reporting
Advice Centre
The Advice Centre team is here to offer advice, information and guidance to help you make your time at the Royal Veterinary College a success. We offer confidential and impartial support to all RVC students on a variety of matters including:
· Wellbeing Support · Money and Welfare Advice · Disability, Learning Difference and Long-Term Health Issues · International Student Matters · Counselling and Psychological Support · Careers · Housing
Email: advice@rvc.ac.uk Phone: 0208 051 3500
Wellbeing Support Student Advisers are available to provide advice and guidance on any general or wellbeing issues you may be experiencing. They provide a confidential and supportive space to discuss any current difficulties that might be impacting on your studies or student life. They can advise on what might help you to improve your situation and work together with you to offer the most appropriate support. They will also be able to signpost you to other appropriate support and make follow up appointments or referrals for further assessment and support as necessary.
Appointments with Student Advisers are available Monday Friday and you can book these via RVC Learn.
Drop-in sessions with Student Advisers are also available daily on a first come, first served basis, as follows:
· 11am-1pm Mon/Tues/Thurs/Fri at both Camden and Hawkshead Campus.
Counselling We also offer counselling. Counselling can help you with any emotional or psychological difficulties that may be preventing you from making the most of your time at the RVC. Counselling is ordinarily provided for up to six sessions over consecutive weeks, usually on the same day and at the same time each week. If you think you may benefit from counselling the
32

first step is to discuss this with a Student Adviser by booking an appointment or attending a drop in session.
Support for International Students Our International Adviser offers guidance on visa issues and support on issues related to living in the UK.
Disability Support Our Disability Adviser can provide advice and support to students with disabilities, learning differences and long-term health issues including: · Screening for specific learning difference (e.g. dyslexia) · Applying for the Disabled Students Allowance · Advice on special exam arrangements and other reasonable adjustments
Email: disability@rvc.ac.uk Phone: 0208 051 3500 Appointments can be booked through RVC learn
Money Matters The Money and Welfare Adviser is here to support you with financial issues during your time at university · Student Finance · Tuition Fees · Student Loans · Benefits · Grants and Bursaries · Budgeting Advice · Council Tax · Hardship Funds
Email: moneymatters@rvc.ac.uk Phone 0208 051 3500 Appointments can be booked through RVC learn
Full information on all available support can be found here.
Complaints
The College has procedures in place to deal with the different types of complaints that can be made. In each case, the aim is to ensure that the problem is resolved at an early stage, in a timely manner and to the satisfaction of all parties. All complaints will be handled in strict confidence.
Further information about the complaints procedures and links to the relevant documents are given on page 51 of this document in the section on College Regulations and Policies.
Data Protection
The Academic Registry holds records about you, the essentials of your academic progress, correspondence between us and background details. You are entitled to see these.
33

We will not divulge details to third parties without your permission so make sure your friends and family know how to contact you, because we won't tell anyone.
If an outside company needs us to confirm any of your details, including course, address or date of birth, they need to send us a declaration signed by you that says you are willing for us to release this information. Without this we cannot even confirm your student status.
Debt
Students should take note of the General Regulations for Students, paragraph 4. Please note the following:
4.4. A student who is in debt to the College for tuition fees will not be permitted to progress to the next academic year or to receive their degree until a payment plan or full payment has been agreed with the Director of Finance.
4.5. A student who is in tuition fee debt to the College and breaks their agreement with the Director of Finance may have his or her registration terminated, at the discretion of the Principal.
4.6. Debts arising from fines, accommodation or other purchases from the College will be subject to commercial debt recovery procedures. Students with such debts will not be permitted to attend a Graduation Ceremony until the debt is paid.
Students having difficulty, for whatever reason, in paying tuition fees, hall fees, or any other fees owing to the College, are strongly advised to discuss their problem at an early stage with the Warden of the Hall of Residence and/or the Money and Welfare Adviser (moneymatters@rvc.ac.uk) or tel. 0207 468 5037). Discussion with a supervisor may also be helpful. The College will make every effort to view the situation of individual students sympathetically, but is bound ultimately to collect any income owing to it. The College operates a small Hardship fund administered by the Money and Welfare Adviser who can provide details about the application procedure.
Educational Development
Educational Development tutors are available if you have been out of education for a while, are not used to the academic system here and/or generally need some advice on study skills and strategies. Contact EDtutors@rvc.ac.uk or visit their pages on RVC Learn to find out more about their services, book a 1-2-1 appointment and access online support materials.
Enrolment
Make sure you always enrol promptly with the Graduate School and keep them informed of changes to any of your contact details or relevant personal details. That way council tax exemption certificates, certificates of attendance and communications from RVC can be dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Ethics and Welfare Committee
The RVC is committed to ensuring that we promote animal welfare as our first priority. It is acknowledged, however, that it is necessary to undertake research to achieve this aim. As an academic institution research is also undertaken for knowledge acquisition of the basic and
34

medical sciences; clinical training and for treatment trials aimed to improve the health and welfare of animals and human patients. All have the potential to have adverse effects on research participants. British law places a very strong burden of responsibility on scientists undertaking any research to ensure that any adverse effects are eliminated or minimised, and always fully justified.
The Committee, which is a committee of the Council of the Royal Veterinary College and to which it reports, was set up initially to meet the legal requirements within the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 [A(SP)A]. It is responsible for the Animal Welfare & Ethical Review Body (AWERB) that reviews Project Licenses (PPLs). In addition, it must ensure that clinical research projects, which are done by veterinary surgeons licensed to practice in the UK [as recognised veterinary practice can legitimately be done under the Veterinary Surgeons Act (1966)] and other research projects on animals that do not fall under A(SP)A are ethically sound this is done through the Clinical Research Ethical Review Board (CRERB). In particular, it is able to advise and arbitrate on those projects where there may be doubt or debate about the appropriate legislation for the study. Thus the Committee ensures that members of staff of the RVC do not contravene the law, thereby protecting both the College and the individual. Most importantly, its principal aims are to ensure that any potentially harmful effects on animals involved in research studies are minimised and to ensure that the outcomes of the research will have maximum benefits for animals and/or people through improved understanding of diseases and disorders, and enhanced treatment modalities.
The Committee is also responsible for ensuring that any studies involving people, be they students, members of staff, animal owners or members of the general public, are conducted ethically with due regard to ensuring that there is no compulsion, maintaining both confidentiality and anonymity based on the concept of informed consent.
There are three sub-committees who deal with the ethical approval of research, depending on the type of research undertaken. These are:
AWERB for projects involving the A(SP)A CRERB for clinical animal and human research not involving the A(SP)A SSRERB for research involving social science, case records or archives
More information about the Committee can be found on the Intranet here.
Health
Students who are not already registered with a doctor should do this as soon as possible on arrival.
You can find your nearest NHS practice by entering your postcode in www.nhs.uk.
Camden Campus
Students living in RVC halls of residence in the Bloomsbury area may register with the University's Central Institutions Health Service. This is situated at 20 Gower Street, London WC1E 6DP (tel: 020 7467 6800) which is within walking distance of the Halls and a short bus ride away from the College in Camden Town. The Service provides NHS clinics (medical, dental, psychotherapy) and home visits for students registered with the Practice. University Vision in the University of London Union Building, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HY (tel: 020 7636 8925) can provide eye care for University students at discounted rates.
Hawkshead Campus
35

Students living in halls of residence on campus should register with the local medical practice Parkfield Medical Centre. Their contact details are The Walk, Potters Bar, Herts, EN6 1QH (tel: 01707 291 041).
Medical treatment for overseas visitors and students
Students resident overseas who are attending courses at the College for a period of more than six months are eligible for treatment under the National Health Service and should register with a general medical practitioner (GP). Before any treatment is given make sure it is clear that you wish to be treated on the NHS and not as a private patient or you will have to pay a fee. When you attend a hospital or register with a GP, you should take evidence that you are in the UK as a student for example, your passport, evidence of your address in the UK and a letter from the RVC confirming that you are following a course of study with us.
Identity Cards
You will be issued with a College identity (ID) card when you register. This MUST be worn at all times when you are on the premises. If you lose your identity card, you will have to apply for a replacement at a cost of £10. The swipe card access system is used on both sites.
Insurance
At home Responsibility for students' belongings rests with the individual. We advise that you take out contents insurance whilst attending the College.
Travelling on College business
When a student is to undertake study or research overseas, they must inform the Graduate School where and when they intend to travel.
Policy document: Finance - Insurance
All RVC students who are undertaking placements, study or research overseas (i.e. away from their country of residence *) as part of their registered degree programmes are protected by the College's Personal Accident & Travel Insurance. * Under the definitions for this insurance, the country of residence is deemed to be the UK for any student who is undergoing education in the UK.
The College, in order to protect itself and those acting on its behalf, maintains legal liability insurance policies that are of relevance to students undertaking overseas work, study or research activities:
Public Liability covering accidental death of or injury to any person (other than an employee) &/or accidental damage to property for which the College has a liability at law or is found to be legally liable.
Employers Liability covering liability to employees [as are defined in the policy wording] for death, injury or disease arising out of or in the course of their employment and for which the College has a liability at law or is found to be legally liable. For further information on College Insurance Policies, please follow this link: http://intranet.rvc.ac.uk/Finance/Insurance.cfm
36

Journal Access

If students have any issues regarding accessing journals while off site, the instructions here should be useful.

If you require access to journals that the RVC does not subscribe to, there is an Inter-Library Loan facility available. Please see the information here. The cost is £8 per article.

If there are journals that you think RVC should provide access to, students can suggest titles via YouSayWePay wepaybook@rvc.ac.uk

Keeping in Touch

The Graduate School normally contacts students via email to inform them of events, seminars, training opportunities and general correspondence regarding the Research Degree programme.

All students are assigned an RVC email address upon registration. We therefore require all students to use their RVC email address for College correspondence, including students based off-site. Library and Information Services Division (LISD)

Web Address: http://intranet.rvc.ac.uk/ASD/LISD/Index.cfm

Library

Camden Library Opening Hours Term Time

Issue desk ext: 5162 Vacation

Mon - Fri

8.30am - 8pm

9am - 5pm

Sat - Sun

Closed

Camden open access IT suite and study rooms have 24-hour access

Hawkshead Library Opening Hours

Mon-Fri Sat Sun

Term Time 8am 10pm 9am 6pm 12pm 4pm

Issue desk ext: 6457 Vacation 8.30am 7pm 10am 5pm 12pm 4pm

Hawkshead open access IT suite has 24-hour access. Library Services Contact Details

Sally Burton Gwyn Jervis

Hawkshead Customer Services Manager
Research Data and IT
37

X6214 X5177

sburton@rvc.ac.uk gjervis@rvc.ac.uk

Procurement Manager

Angie Poole (Camden) AV support

Chris Kench (Hawkshead) AV support

IT Helpdesk

General enquiries

Library

General enquiries

Bookshop

Book purchasing at a discounted rate

X5181 X5181 X5181 (24 hrs) X5180 (24 hrs)

apoole@rvc.ac.uk ckench@rvc.ac.uk helpdesk@rvc.ac.uk library@rvc.ac.uk bookshop@rvc.ac.uk

For library tours, induction, information and EndNote training at Camden: Michael Murphy, mmurphy@rvc.ac.uk

For library tours, induction, information and EndNote training at Hawkshead: Anna Griffiths, agriffiths@rvc.ac.uk

For information regarding journal access see here. Information Technology Services (IT)

Computer Access Both Camden and Hawkshead have learning resource centres with a number of open access computers.

What do IT services provide? Drop-in student computing facilities, PCs and printers in "open access" rooms, which are also bookable for classes and training sessions Advice and assistance in using the standard software packages and dealing with PC hardware and configuration issues Support for PCs on staff desktops Advice on designing and specifying new IT systems, procurement and installation services Management of the College's network infrastructure Management of central servers and systems e.g. email, finance system "Quick Access" PCs in various places, for email and web access

Contacting IT All requests for service should be made through the IT Helpdesk, who have responsibility for entering your requirements into the Service Request database and ensuring that your job is attended to in a suitable timeframe and you are kept informed of progress.

Helpdesk telephone number

020 7468 5181 or ext. 5181

For Service Request logging and "first line" telephone help is available from 9am to 5pm Mon Fri and technical staff are on duty from 9am to 5pm Mon Fri. Advice is normally provided over the phone, but if you require more than a few minutes of technical staff time, then your job will be added to the queue of outstanding work. Jobs are prioritised according to the type of request; please refer to the IT Service Level Agreement targets for more details (IT Department pages intranet.rvc.ac.uk). You can also email enquiries to: helpdesk@rvc.ac.uk

You can also visit the Helpdesk office in the LRC at both Camden and Hawkshead.

Computer Accounts and Passwords When you join the RVC a computer account will be created for you; this will enable you to login to the College network, use "open access" PCs and printers and access e-mail. If you have any problems related to your computer account contact the Helpdesk.
Office 365 and webmail You can access your email mailbox at mail.rvc.ac.uk using your full RVC email address and password. The new email system gives you 50GB of mailbox space, a 150MB attachment limit, and lifetime access for RVC students. Your new account also entitles you to up to five free downloads of Microsoft Office 365 software for Windows or Mac.
How to update passwords remotely Computer password format If you log in to the RVC computer network and receive a message that a password change is due shortly, please remember that passwords must be at least 6 characters long and not contain parts of the user name (since this makes it easier to guess).
Also, passwords must contain 3 out of 4 of the following types of characters: English uppercase characters (A through Z) English lowercase characters (a through z) Base 10 digits (0 through 9) Non-alphanumeric characters (e.g., !, $, #, %)
Please note the server retains the list of last 10 passwords used and thus it is important to utilise a different password.
Please contact the IT Helpdesk if you have any doubts over these issues. If your password expires, the IT Helpdesk will reset this for you. Please email them at helpdesk@rvc.ac.uk.
Email The IT Department provides an email service for all staff and students, all new students will receive accounts on the new Exchange/Outlook system. See the RVC student guide to email (available at the Helpdesk offices and all open access facilities) for instructions on how to use the system.
LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com) is a free resource of video tutorials on various subjects in personal development, leadership and management, IT packages, teaching and education... To access this resource, go to RVC Learn log in to Learn using your usual RVC details then click on "Learning Resources" and then LinkedIn Learning (bottom of the drop down). Use you RVC email address to log in.
IT Code of Conduct All students and staff are required to abide by a few sensible rules that are designed to protect the College against legal actions, ensure data is stored securely and to minimise unnecessary inconvenience. Please see the Acceptable Use Policy, in the IT Department pages on the RVC Intranet site for further details http://intranet.rvc.ac.uk/ASD/LISD/PoliciesRegulations.cfm
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is regarded as a serious and punishable offence. Any quotations of work published in printed or electronic form should be attributed and the source appropriately cited.
39

More information regarding plagiarism can be found on RVC Learn here. You will be required to complete a declaration at the beginning of your studies and your thesis will be put through anti-plagiarism software (Turnitin). Postgraduate Academic Progress Issues If you have a problem that is affecting your ability to study, whenever possible, you should approach your primary or a co-supervisor in the first instance. However, if this is not possible, perhaps because the problem is to do with supervision, or you simply aren't comfortable talking to your supervisors, you can arrange to see the Head of the Graduate School informally. Please email or come to the Graduate School Office to make an appointment.
40

Student Performance and Development System (SPDS)

SPDS deals with matters of academic progress that are beyond normal supervisory activity. The terms of reference and further information about the Committee can be found at https://intranet.rvc.ac.uk/professional-services/learning-and-wellbeing/studentperformance/index.cfm Students may refer themselves to SPDS at any time by contacting the Research Degrees Officer. They may also be referred to the system by their supervisor(s), assessors or the Head of the Graduate School, if a student has given cause for concern in relation to their academic progress.

The contact email for the SPD team is SPD@rvc.ac.uk

Postgraduate Student Advisors

In addition to speaking to the Head of Graduate School, students are welcome to contact any of the members of staff listed below for general advice on matters relating to their studies.[Do we want to put their pictures in they do for the CTS students?]

Name

Telephone

Dr Siobhan Abeyesinghe

6947

sabeyesinghe@rvc.ac.uk

Siobhan is part of the Animal Welfare Science & Ethics group at the RVC. She is based in the

Pathobiology and Population Sciences (PPS) department at the Hawkshead Campus.

Prof. Brian Catchpole

6388

bcatchpole@rvc.ac.uk

Brian is part of the Comparative Physiology & Medicine research group at the RVC. He is based

in the PPS department at the Hawkshead Campus.

Dr Mandi De Mestre

6440

ademestre@rvc.ac.uk

Mandi is part of the Comparative Physiology & Medicine research group at the RVC. She is

based in the Comparative Biomedical Sciences (CBS) department at the Hawkshead Campus.

Dr Rob Fowkes

5445

rfowkes@rvc.ac.uk

Rob is part of the Comparative Physiology & Medicine research group at the RVC. He is based in

the CBS department at the Camden Campus.

Prof Virginia Luis Fuentes

6333/6820

vluisfuentes@rvc.ac.uk

Virginia is Head of the Cardiology Service and splits her time between clinics in the Queen

Mother Hospital in Hawkshead, teaching and research

Prof. Andy Pitsillides

5245

apitsillides@rvc.ac.uk

Andy is part of the Comparative Physiology & Medicine research group at the RVC. He is based

in the CBS department at the Camden Campus.

Dr Claire Russell

5409

crussell@rvc.ac.uk

Claire is part of the Comparative Physiology & Medicine research group at the RVC. She is

based in the CBS department at the Camden Campus.

Dr Carol Thomas

6211

cthomas@rvc.ac.uk

Carol is part of the Livestock Production & Health research group at the RVC. She is based in

the PPS department at the Hawkshead Campus.

Dr Tim West

6891

twest@rvc.ac.uk

Tim is part of the Comparative Physiology & Medicine research group at the RVC. He is based in

the CBS department at the Hawkshead Campus.

Pregnancy

Should any student be pregnant, become pregnant, or plan to become pregnant, they should contact the Research Degrees Officer or Head of PG Administration as soon as possible, so that appropriate advice can be given. They should be aware that there are risks to the pregnancy that can result from exposure to animals and the performance of laboratory or clinical duties. There is particular risk from zoonotic pathogens, the use of some drugs, and during radiography. A copy of the Maternity Policy for Postgraduate Research Students and eligibility for receiving maternity and paternity pay can be found on the Graduate School site on RVC Learn.

Use of Experimental Animals

Experimental work using animals is performed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA). All such work requires a Home Office Project Licence which gives the authority to perform specific regulated procedures on specific animals at a specific place or places. In addition all personnel who carry out procedures on experimental animals must be in possession of a Home Office Personal Licence which grants them permission to carry out the required procedures. It will be necessary to attend Home Office training courses before applying for a personal licence for the first time.

Experimental work performed under ASPA can only be carried out in specified areas of the College, which have been authorised by the Home Office as suitable for that purpose. There are designated areas located at all the College's campuses, namely Camden, Hawkshead and Bolton's Park Farm.

There are a number of people at the College who have specific responsibilities under ASPA (see below). It is advisable to discuss any work you may wish to undertake with one or more of these individuals before making any firm plans. They will be able to ensure that understand all aspects of the legislation and that your work is properly licensed, assist you in reserving space for the animals and be available to offer advice as your project progresses.

The College Ethics and Welfare Committee (see earlier) considers and approves experimental work to be undertaken at the College under APSA and in the clinics. You can also approach the Committee if have any questions or problems relating to the ethics and/or welfare of animals kept at the College.

Position BSU Manager

Name Kelly Jones

Phone Number or Email kljones@rvc.ac.uk

Establishment Licence Holder

Prof Jonathan Elliott jelliott@rvc.ac.uk

Named Person Responsible for Compliance Named Animal Care and Welfare Officers (NACWO):

Prof Jonathan Elliott

jelliott@rvc.ac.uk

BSU HH

Jessica Josephson Kelly Jones Chris Davies

jjosephson@rvc.ac.uk kljones@rvc.ac.uk chdavies@rvc.ac.uk

BSU Camden

Tony White Laura Smith
43

twhite@rvc.ac.uk lksmith@rvc.ac.uk

Jo Dlugozima Kelly Jones

QMH/CIC

Tracy Van Der Merwe Zoe Meads

Named Information Officer (NIO)

Prof Jonathan Elliott

Named Training and Competency Kelly Jones

Officers (NTCO)

Jessica Josephson

Named Veterinary Surgeon (NVS):

Noelia Lopez

Home Office Liaison Contact

Liz Wilkinson

Secretary to the Ethics and Welfare Committee (and contact for the Ethics Committee)

Secretary to Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Board (AWERB) and Clinical Research Ethical Review Board (CRERB)

Contact for ethical approval applications for staff and PhD students: Home Office Courses Contact

Chair of Social Science Research Matthew Grigson

Ethical Review Board

Secretary to SSRERB

Emily Hicks

jdlugozima@rvc.ac.uk kljones@rvc.ac.uk tvandermerwe@rvc.ac.uk zameads@rvc.ac.uk jelliott@rvc.ac.uk kljones@rvc.ac.uk jjosephson@rvc.ac.uk nlopez@rvc.ac.uk 5300 lwilkinson@rvc.ac.uk
hocourses@rvc.ac.uk 6802 4612

Student Union
All postgraduate students are automatically members of the RVC Student Union which runs and supports many clubs and societies within the College. More information can be found at http://su.rvc.ac.uk/
There is a PG Officer who represents postgraduate student interests on College Committees and is able to offer support and advice. Details of the current PG Officer are given at the beginning of this handbook.
The RVC SU is affiliated to the University of London Students' Union (ULU), which means students are entitled to be members of ULU as well. Go to http://www.ulu.co.uk/ for more information about the work and activities of ULU. Proof of student status can be obtained from the Graduate School.

Work International Students Students from a European Economic Area (EEA) country* do not need permission to work in the UK. You will need to show an employer your passport or identity card as proof that you are a national of an EEA country. *citizens of Switzerland enjoy the same rights as EEA nationals. Students studying at UK institutions who are not EEA or Swiss nationals are authorised to work in the UK subject to the terms of their Tier 4 visa. More information can be found at the following: http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/International-Students/Study-work--more/Working-during-yourstudies/How-many-hours-a-week-can-I-work/# Any student wishing to work in the UK will need to apply for a National Insurance (NI) number. Please contact the Research Degrees Officer for advice on how to apply. Student Social Media Policy _________________________________________________________________________ The Royal Veterinary College recognises that social media provides unique opportunities to participate in interactive discussions, engage with the wider community, and share information using a wide variety of media. The College encourages students to engage in appropriate and responsible use of social media, which allows for useful communication channels and maintains the wellbeing of individuals and the wider community. However, use of social media can pose risks to both students and the College. These include risk to the College's reputation and compliance with legal obligations. Students may also be at risk of committing offences or projecting an image that does not conform to their professional standards, which may have long term effects on their professional reputation. To minimise these risks the College requires students to adhere to this policy, which outlines student responsibilities when using social media.
45

Facilities, Maps and Travel
General
Inter-Campus Mail Internal mail is sent between the campuses once daily. Mail leaves Camden at 10.30 each morning, and leaves to return from Hawkshead and Bolton's Park at about 11.15am. Internal mail for another College site must be left at Reception in Camden or the post room at Hawkshead, with the addressee's name, department and campus clearly written on the envelope. Small, folded pieces of paper can easily get lost.
Inter-Campus Travel The nearest railway station to the Hawkshead campus is Brookman's Park but Potters Bar station, which is also close by (approximately 5 min by car), is reached by a fast train (20 minutes) from Kings Cross station and is served by a College bus service. To get from Potters Bar station:
The College runs a shuttle bus service which leaves the station forecourt at regular intervals throughout the day on Mondays to Fridays. For an up-to-date timetable go to: http://intranet.rvc.ac.uk/InformationAndServices/HawksheadBusTimetables.cfm
A minicab company is located in the station forecourt (telephone 01707 650077)
Sports Facilities The College's Sports and Wellbeing Centre (SAWC) is situated at the Hawkshead campus. There are a number of football, rugby and cricket pitches and two hard tennis courts. These facilities are available for any member of staff or student attending the College. Health and Safety regulations must be complied with at all times. Use of the football, rugby and cricket pitches is by pre-booking only by ringing ext. 6321. There are a number of Sports Clubs, including Rowing, Mountaineering etc. For more information about RVC sport clubs please see the following link: http://su.rvc.ac.uk/pages/sports-a-z.
Students have access to a gym at both campuses. Access is via your College ID card. In order to have your ID card activated, you will have to attend an induction session. To book an induction, please go to https://learn.rvc.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=293
Camden
Bicycles Please ensure that your bicycle is securely locked using a D Clamp. The bicycle shed is located at the rear right hand corner of the building behind the skips. Please do not lock bicycles to the railings outside the College entrance or anywhere down the main drive near the gates: if they don't get stolen first, they'll be `relocated' by the College authorities.
Lost Property When found, should be handed in at Reception where it will be logged. Enquiries about lost property can be made there.
Motor Vehicle Parking Parking is very limited with only a few designated staff being permitted to park on site. There is no provision for student car parking. If you do need to drive to College you will need to park
46

using a `pay' car park or the pay and display parking in Royal College Street. Both are expensive.
Printing and Photocopying There are photocopiers in a number of locations around the campus. Your college ID card is needed to log into the photocopiers and credit can be purchased from the issue desk in the library. Copyright rules must be followed. College printer and photocopy paper may not be removed under any circumstances.
Restaurant The Lightwell café in Camden is open from 8am until 4pm Monday to Friday, serving snacks, cakes, sandwiches and drinks. Vending machines are situated at the back of the café, to the left hand side of the serving counter.
During term time, the restaurant is open from 8am - 10am for breakfast; from 10am-12pm for grab & go items including sandwiches, drinks, cakes, confectionery and crisps; and from 12pm2pm hot food and the salad bar are available.
It is STRICTLY FORBIDDEN for laboratory coats, wellington boots, overalls and similar clothing to be worn in, or taken into, the restaurant or café. Catering staff have been asked not to serve anyone who is wearing or carrying any such clothing.
Security Entry/Exit to the College is by the Main doors on Monday to Friday until 6pm. Students can access the main building via the side door after 6pm on weekdays and at the weekends. Doors have special magnetic release locks. Please ensure that you always carry your College ID/swipe card with you. You may be asked to show this in order to gain access to the College. If you see anything or anyone that you feel to be suspicious, please report it to staff at reception.
Please familiarise yourself with College Fire and Emergency evacuation procedures. The fire alarms are tested every Monday morning at 10am. This test alarm will ring for 10 seconds if the alarm rings for longer, please evacuate the building immediately using the nearest exit (do not use the lift) and go directly to the assembly point which is on Royal College Street, across the road, directly in front of the RVC.
Anyone staying in the building after 6.30pm must sign the Register in reception.
Smoking The College operates a `No Smoking' policy. Smoking outside the front entrance is also not permitted.
Telephones Students are not permitted to use College telephone or fax machines for private business.
Hawkshead
Bicycles Please ensure that your bicycle is securely locked using a D Clamp. There is a secure area located behind the Eclipse building (beside the post room) where bicycles can be stored.
Lost Property When found, should be handed in at Reception where it will be logged. Enquiries about lost property can be made at Reception.
47

Motor Vehicle Parking Post Graduate students may apply for a parking permit based on various extenuating circumstances including: Blue Badge Holders, being a carer or parent with child care responsibilities, having no or extremely limited public transport access etc.
Applications will be reviewed by representatives from the College Transport Management Group and the Infrastructure Services team whose decision will be final.
More information can be found at https://intranet.rvc.ac.uk/professional-services/estates/facilities/parking.cfm
The Hawkshead campus is not only a teaching campus, but also a place where clients bring sick animals. This makes for a very busy campus in terms of traffic. For these reasons, certain areas are restricted to visitors and staff only.
No parking by students is allowed in the Queen Mother Hospital car park, except out of hours for students on clinical rotations. Please note that your insurance may be invalidated if you park in a non-authorised parking space and damage is caused to your motor vehicle by any delivery or other vehicle or by an animal.
Printing and Photocopying There are photocopiers in a number of locations around the campus. Your college ID card is needed to log into the photocopiers and credit can be purchased from the issue desk in the library. Copyright rules must be followed. College printer and photocopy paper may not be removed under any circumstances.
Restaurant The café on the ground floor of the Eclipse Building is open from 8am until 4pm Monday to Friday, serving snacks, cakes, sandwiches and drinks. During term time, sandwiches can be made to order until 3pm each day.
During term time, the restaurant is open from 8am-10am for breakfast; from 10am-12pm for grab & go items including sandwiches, drinks, cakes, confectionery and crisps; and from 12pm2pm hot food and the salad bar are available.
Vending Machines (cold drinks and snacks) are placed around the Campus.
It is STRICTLY FORBIDDEN for laboratory coats, wellington boots, overalls, and similar clothing to be worn in, or taken into, the restaurant or cafe. Catering staff have been asked not to serve anyone who is wearing or carrying any such clothing.
Security The College has a 24 hour security presence. The Security Guard is generally to be found in the Gatehouse at the Main Entrance and can be reached on ext. 6258. The guard also has two-way radios available for student use. Any student concerned about working late at night should ensure that the guard is aware of where they are and borrow a radio in order to be able to keep in constant touch in the case of an emergency. Students working in one of the hospitals must immediately contact the Duty Clinician in the case of a clinical emergency or the Security Guard for any other reason.
Please familiarise yourself with College Fire and Emergency evacuation procedures. The fire alarms are tested every Tuesday from 7.30 11am. This test alarm will ring for 10 seconds if
48

the alarm rings for longer, please evacuate the building immediately using the nearest exit (do not use the lift) and go directly to the nearest assembly point. This varies depending on the building you are in so please ask where this is when you begin your studies. Telephones Students are not permitted to use College telephone or fax machines for private business. There is a telephone in Odiham Hall that can be used for internal calls only. Potters Bar and the Surrounding Area The Hawkshead campus is situated near to Potters Bar in the south of Hertfordshire. This is an excellent location for motorways, plus the rail links into London make Potters Bar a popular location. Other towns and villages near to Potters Bar include Borehamwood, Brookman's Park and Hatfield and the London suburb of Barnet, Potters Bar was once a Roman town and evidence of this can be seen at Potters Bar Museum. This museum includes exhibits from a Roman tile kiln and it was this connection with pottery that helped to give Potters Bar its name. There are plenty of restaurants and pubs to choose from in the town. There is also a theatre Wyllyotts - which puts on a varied schedule of shows and entertainment throughout the year. The following link gives you more information regarding what to do in Potters Bar and its surrounding areas: http://www.pottersbar.org/
49

Maps & Travel Camden Campus Contact Details: The Royal Veterinary College Royal College Street London NW1 0TU Tel: +44 (0) 20 7468 5000 The Campus is approximately 1 mile north of King's Cross/St. Pancras and Euston mainline and underground railway stations, all of which are located on the Euston Road.
The closest Underground stations are: Mornington Crescent (Northern Line (Charing Cross Branch)) King's Cross (Northern Line (Bank Branch), Piccadilly, Victoria, Hammersmith and City and Circle Lines).
Travel Directions From King's Cross or St. Pancras International Station From Kings Cross Station or Kings Cross/St Pancras Underground Station follow signs to St Pancras International Station. Once in St. Pancras International Station make your way to the Midland Road exit. This is between the Great Northern/Thameslink ticket barriers. Leave via the Midland Road exit turning right immediately and walk straight on (keeping St. Pancras Station on your right hand side). Within about 10 metres cross the road at the pelican
50

crossing. Continue walking the way you were heading (with St. Pancras Station on your right) for about 5 minutes; in that time, you should pass a sign pointing straight on for Kentish Town and Camden Town, then a traffic light T-junction, several bus stops and St. Pancras Parish Church (on the opposite side of the road). Shortly after you see St. Pancras Church cross the road using the zebra crossing and continue heading in the direction that you were travelling. This will bring you to another traffic light junction. Here you should cross St Pancras Way at the Pedestrian Crossing and then turn right after Goldington Buildings. This is Royal College Street the home of our Camden Campus. Our main entrance, which has a flag flying above it, is approximately 150 metres up Royal College Street on the right hand side, past the London Bioscience Innovation Centre.
Alternatively, you can take either the 214 or 46 bus from just outside King's Cross on the Pancras Road up to the College.
From Mornington Crescent Underground Station Turn immediately right on leaving the Station and head east along Crowndale Road. Proceed over the traffic lights at the junction with Camden Street and pass the row of shops on your left. Turn left at the next junction to take you into Royal College Street. Cross this road and the main entrance to the College is approximately 150 metres on the right hand side.
From Euston Station If arriving by mainline train, leave by the left hand exit (next to WH Smiths, the newsagent) as you enter the concourse on leaving the platform. If arriving via the Victoria line, proceed up the escalator onto the concourse and head straight ahead to the east exit. Walk along the colonnade and turn left into Eversholt Street. Proceed along Eversholt Street and turn right into the south side of Oakley Square at the first set of traffic lights. Turn right again at the next set of traffic lights into Crowndale Road. Pass the row of shops on your left. Turn left at the next junction to take you into Royal College Street. Cross this road and the College is approximately 150 metres on the right hand side.
Hawkshead Campus
Contact Details: The Royal Veterinary College Hawkshead Lane North Mymms Hertfordshire AL9 7TA Tel: +44 (0)1707 666333 Fax: +44 (0)1707 652090
The campus is located near the town of Potters Bar in Hertfordshire which is just a short train journey away from London's King's Cross station, and not far from the main roads leading north from London.
51

Travel Directions
By Road Approaching the campus from the south, most visitors enter the local road system from either Junction 23 (with the A1(M)) or Junction 24 of the M25. From the north, follow the Veterinary College road signs in to Hawkshead Lane for the Hawkshead Main Site.
[Larger vehicles (such as those carrying animals or making deliveries) are urged to approach (and leave) the College's Hawkshead Main Site from the east - such as from Junction 24 of the M25 then via the A1000 through Potters Bar to Hawkshead Road, then into Hawkshead Lane.]
Cyclists and pedestrians are urged to take particular care in the generally narrow and unlit local byways around the campus.
By Rail The nearest railway station is Potters Bar which is approximately 5 minutes by car from the Hawkshead main site.
Trains (operated by Great Northern and Thameslink) generally run every thirty minutes, during normal working hours with a reduced service at the weekend, from London King's Cross; the journey takes about 20 minutes.
A minicab company is located in the Potters Bar railway station forecourt (telephone 01707 650077). The College runs a shuttle bus service which leaves the station forecourt (Mondays to Fridays and reduced service on weeekends)
52

College Regulations and Policies

General Regulations for Study and Awards

These Regulations apply to all RVC students and can be found here.

Academic Misconduct

Academic misconduct is defined for this purpose as:

An attempt by a student to complete an examination, project or other assessment

by any means considered to be unfair.

This definition includes actions such as

Plagiarism (see below for more details)

unreasonable collusion between a group of students and

research misconduct (see below for more details)

falsifying results

taking unauthorised materials or devices into examination

rooms without permission

other breaches of the General Assessment Regulations

If a student misrepresents a case of extenuating circumstances in order to gain

extension to a deadline or any other advantage in assessment this shall be

considered as academic misconduct.

The definition of plagiarism used by RVC Plagiarism is the copying and use of someone else's work, whether intentionally or unintentionally, as if it were the student's own. Another person's work includes any source that is published or unpublished that has been produced including words, images, diagrams, formulae ideas and judgments, discoveries and results. Direct quotations, whether extended or short, and from the published or unpublished work of another person must always be clearly identified. Quotations must accurately refer to and acknowledge the author or person who originally wrote or produced the work. Paraphrasing using other words to express another person's ideas and judgments must be acknowledged (in a footnote or bracket following the paraphrasing).

The definition of Research Misconduct used by RVC Research Misconduct includes (but is not limited to): fabrication; falsification; misrepresentation of data and/or interests and/or involvement; piracy (deliberate exploitation of the ideas of others without their consent); plagiarism and failure to follow accepted procedures or to exercise due care in carrying out your responsibilities for i) avoiding unreasonable risk or harm to animals or humans used in research and the environment ii) the proper handling of privileged or private information on individuals collected during the research.

More information on Academic Misconduct and the procedure to be followed where academic misconduct is suspected can be found here.

Appeals Procedure
Students may wish to put forward a case regarding their results or continuation of study as result of various factors. Depending on the factors cited, the case will be considered either as an Appeal a potential Administrative Error or a Complaint.
A student who makes an appeal will suffer no disadvantage as a result of making an appeal.
Details about the Appeals procedure, including the grounds for making an appeal and how to prepare for an appeal can be found here
Complaints Procedure
Complaints made against the action(s) of a member of staff or the operation of a College service are addressed using the Complaints procedure. Complaints which are of wider concern should normally be made through collective channels, such as PG representatives on College committees.
Details about the complaints procedure, including the grounds for making an appeal and how to prepare for an appeal can be found can be found here
Complaints that involve bullying or harassment are dealt with through a separate procedure. Any student who finds themselves in a situation of apparent harassment or bullying is advised to keep a record of the incident(s) and in the first instance, to seek support and information from an appropriate person. The advisor will provide support and information on the best possible way forward in dealing with the problem, and can be consulted at any stage during this process. Taking advice does not oblige the individual to take any action, but it does provide an opportunity to discuss their perception of events and their effects and to consider the options available:
The Dignity at Work policy, procedure for dealing with alleged bullying and harassment and a list of Harassment Advisors trained for this purpose, can be found under D at the following link: http://www.rvc.ac.uk/about/our-people/human-resources/a-to-z
Professional Requirements Procedure
Given the nature of the work at RVC, which in all courses involves exposure and access to animals and drugs, expectations of professional requirements apply to all students. These expectations are clearly stated in the Code of Professional Requirements which can be found here.
54

Appendix A
Good Research Practice (GRP) The College's guidelines on GRP apply to all personnel, new and existing, who carry out research within the RVC. Awareness of GRP is an important part of an individual's training requirement. The GRP documents can be found on the Intranet at the following link and links are included below: http://intranet.rvc.ac.uk/DeptResearch/good-research-practice.cfm
Research Integrity The College expects all staff and students undertaking research to recognise that it is their responsibility to carry out their work so with rigour and integrity and to the highest possible ethical standards. The College has introduced a "Research Integrity Quiz" and accompanying presentation. It is compulsory for all PhD students to complete the quiz within 3 months of starting their PhD and the Graduate School will be monitoring the completions. The quiz and presentation are available at: https://learn.rvc.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=870 Other useful information produced by the College relating to research integrity can be found on the Intranet at: https://intranet.rvc.ac.uk/DeptResearch/Docs/ResearchIntegrityforstaffandstudents_2018.doc x
55

Appendix B
Instructions and notes on submission, format and binding of theses submitted for the degrees of MRes, MPhil and PhD
For the requirements of a thesis (including any length limitations), the current Regulations for the relevant degree should be consulted.
Every candidate submitting a thesis for examination must do so in accordance with the following instructions:
1. Title Page The title page must bear
- the officially-approved title of the thesis - candidate's full name as registered (followed by any previous qualifications, if desired) - the name of the College/Institute at which the candidate was registered and the degree
for which it is submitted - The month and year which it was submitted - The following copyright statement:
"The copyright in this thesis is owned by the author. Any quotation from the thesis or use of any of the information contained in it must acknowledge this thesis as the source of the quotation or information."
The title page should be followed by a signed declaration that the work presented in the thesis is the candidate's own (format given in Appendix A of these instructions).
2. Abstract The title page should be followed by an abstract summarising the work presented in the thesis and consisting of no more than 300 words.
3. Acknowledgments The acknowledgments of the thesis are written in gratitude to all those who were instrumental in bringing the thesis to fruition.
4. Table of Contents The acknowledgements should be followed by a full table of contents (including any material not bound in) and a list of tables and figures.
5. Layout Margins at the binding edge must be not less than 40mm (1.5 inches) and other margins not less than 20mm (0.75 inches). Double or 1.5 line spacing should be used throughout, except for indented quotations or footnotes where single spacing may be used.
6. Pagination All pages must be numbered from the first to the last space in one continuous sequence, i.e. from the title page to the last page, in Arabic numerals from 1 onwards. This sequence must include everything bound in the thesis, including figures, diagrams, blank pages, bibliography, appendices etc. Any material which cannot be bound in with the text must be placed in a pocket inside or attached to the back cover or in a rigid container similar in format to the bound thesis.
56

7. Presentation Theses must be presented in a permanent and legible form in a clear and legible font (e.g., Times New Roman 12 or Arial 10). You must make every effort to correct grammatical and formatting errors before submission. It is not the task of Examiners to act as editors and/or proof-readers of a thesis.

8. Paper A4 size paper (210 x 297 mm) should be used. Plain white paper must be used, of good quality and of sufficient opacity for normal reading. The thesis can be printed double-sided, provided that good quality paper is used.

9. Referencing Either the Harvard or Vancouver style of referencing should be used. Detailed information on referencing can be found on RVC Learn at: https://learn.rvc.ac.uk/mod/book/view.php?id=41713&chapterid=69253 Detailed information regarding plagiarism can be found on RVC Learn at: https://learn.rvc.ac.uk/mod/book/view.php?id=41713&chapterid=69037

10.

Published work

Papers describing information contained in the thesis that have been published can be included

as an appendix.

11.

Number of copies

In normal circumstances two copies must be submitted to the RVC Graduate School. Three

copies need to be submitted if you are being examined by three examiners. Each candidate is

required to bring one additional copy to the oral examination paginated in the same way as the

copies submitted to the RVC and adequately bound. An exact electronic copy (PDF format) of

the thesis should also be sent to the Research Degrees Officer just before or at the time of

submission.

12.

Binding

All submitted copies of the thesis must

be soft-bound with pages glued in;

be covered in medium blue cloth (water resistant material);

be lettered in gold up the spine with Degree (PhD), Year, and Surname and Initials, with

letters 16 or 18 point (.25 inch).

[The date on the copies of the thesis submitted for examination in November and December should be that of the following year.]

13.

Binders

Addresses of binders are available from the Graduate School and RVC Learn.

14.

Additional Information

Examiners often require candidates to make minor amendments to otherwise successful theses. They may either give you the annotated theses back after the oral examination or ask the Research Degrees Officer to do so.

If you are asked directly by your examiners to make amendments, you should forward an electronic copy of the revised thesis to the Research Degrees Officer who will pass it on to either the examiners or the supervisor, depending on who is to approve the corrections (this decision is made by the examiners and communicated in the examiners' report).
57

The Research Degrees Officer will not issue the result of the examination to successful candidates until the Graduate School has received the final electronic copy of the thesis and the examiners (or supervisor) have confirmed that any required amendments to the thesis have been made. Once the examination is successfully completed, the library log an electronic copy of the thesis so that the research undertaken can be publicly available. A hard-bound copy should be printed and given to the supervisor(s), if requested. If at any stage you are uncertain what to do, please ask the Research Degrees Officer at the RVC.
Revised September 2018 Appendix A Student Declaration form On submitting the thesis, a student will be required to insert the following signed Declaration into their bound thesis: I certify that:
1. The thesis being submitted for examination is my own account of my own research; 2. My research has been conducted ethically; 3. The data and results presented are the genuine data and results actually obtained by me
during the conduct of the research; 4. Where I have drawn on the work, ideas and results of others this has been appropriately
acknowledged in the thesis; 5. Where any collaboration has taken place with other researchers, I have clearly stated in
the thesis my own personal share in the investigation; 6. The greater portion of the work described in the thesis has been undertaken subsequent
to my registration for the higher degree for which I am submitting for examination; 7. The thesis submitted is within the required word limit as specified by the RVC; the total
number of words is given below.
Student signature.................................................................................. Date:
Word count:..............................................
58

Appendix C
Travel Prior to any overseas travel on College/Research business you must complete a risk assessment. Overseas Travel Risk Assessment Policy Overseas Risk Assessment Form A Overseas risk assessment Form B A summary of the Approval process for Students Travelling Overseas can be found HERE This process MUST BE FOLLOWED for all travel overseas. Policy document: https://intranet.rvc.ac.uk/Finance/Insurance/PA&Travel%20RSA%20Covernote.pdf
59

Appendix D
GUIDELINES ON PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS AT WORK
This guide is intended to provide information to employees regarding personal relationships within the College, in order to avoid any perceived, actual or potential conflicts of interest or misuse of authority.
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 The College values and relies upon the professional integrity of its employees, particularly where an employee has supervisory responsibilities or a professional relationship with a student.
1.2 So that employees conduct themselves and are perceived to conduct themselves in a professional manner, it is necessary to recognise and take account of personal relationships which might affect working relationships.
1.3 The College is committed to promoting equal opportunities and eliminating discrimination.
Accordingly, these guidelines will be applied fairly and consistently and with due regard to equality of treatment.
1.4 The guidelines do not form part of employees' contracts of employment. They will be kept under review and may be revised from time to time.
2 SCOPE AND PURPOSE
2.1 The guidelines apply to all individuals working at all levels and grades, including full time and part- time employees.
2.2 In the context of these guidelines:
(a) a 'personal relationship' is a personal relationship which is: (i) a family relationship; (ii) a business/commercial/financial relationship; or (iii) a sexual/romantic relationship; and
(b) a 'working relationship' is any situation in which individuals will interact in the course of their day-to-day work. This includes situations where one of the individuals in the personal relationship is not an employee of the College. For example, they might be an agency worker, or work for a contractor.
2.3 The guidelines apply to personal relationships between:
(a) employees of the College; (b) an employee of the College and an agency worker, casual worker,
consultant, contractor or supplier, and/or
60

an employee of the College and a current student of the College,

2.4 Although most social and personal relationships need not present a difficulty, it is recognised that there will be certain circumstances where employees may need to avoid taking certain decisions or undertaking certain roles in order to protect themselves and the College from any potential allegations of impropriety, unfair bias, abuse of power or conflict of interest.

2.5 These guidelines are therefore intended to:
(a) provide guidance in areas where a personal relationship overlaps with any working relationship and particularly where it might cause:
(i) a conflict of interest (for example where an employee's personal interests clash with their professional obligations);
(ii) breach of confidentiality; (iii) unfair advantage; or (iv) allegations of abuse of power;
(b) ensure that an employee in a personal relationship is not open to allegations that it has affected a working relationship; and
(c) enable the situation to be managed, if considered necessary, with a view to avoiding difficulties within any working relationship.

PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN EMPLOYEES AND/OR AGENCY

WORKERS, CASUAL WORKERS, CONSULTANTS, CONTRACTORS OR

SUPPLIERS

3.1 To maintain professionalism and avoid embarrassment to others, an employee in a personal relationship should avoid public displays of affection in the workplace. This includes, for example, kissing, touching and holding hands.

3.2 Where an employee is in a line management or supervisory position, that employee must not be involved in any recruitment, appraisal, promotion, disciplinary or grievance process or in any other process involving the other. Where authorisation is required for any financial matters e.g. expenses claims/salary changes or allocation of external funding for an employee with whom a personal relationship has been declared, additional independent authorisation must be sought.

3.3 When an employee has been in a personal relationship, but it has come to an end, they must throughout remain professional and ensure that the ending of the relationship does not affect their work or their working relationships.

3.4 Employees should at all times conduct themselves in a manner consistent with their role and duties and the College's policies and procedures (including those relating to equality and diversity and dignity at work).

PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN EMPLOYEES AND CURRENT STUDENTS

4.1 It is vital that trust and confidence exist between employees and students to ensure that students maximise their learning experience. The professional relationship between a student and an employee of the College is a central part of the student's educational development. A personal relationship could compromise this professional relationship and damage the teaching and learning environment for other students and employees.
4.2 Employees are strongly discouraged from entering into a personal relationship with a student they are responsible for teaching, tutoring, supervising or assessing. It would be considered unprofessional for an employee to seek actively to initiate a personal relationship without regard to the problems that may ensue.

4.3 If a consensual personal relationship does develop between an employee of the College and a student they are responsible for teaching, tutoring, supervising or assessing, the employee must declare the relationship to their line manager without delay. Any such disclosure will be treated sensitively.

4.4 The College reserves the right to discontinue the responsibility of the member of staff for teaching, tutoring or supervising a student with whom they have a personal relationship.

4.5 In no circumstances will an employee be permitted to take part in the assessment of a student with whom they have a personal relationship.

4.6 In the event that the supervision of a Post-Graduate student involves two employees who are in a personal relationship, a third supervisor should always be assigned.

CONFIDENTIAL DECLARATION OF A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP IN A LINE

MANAGEMENT OR SUPERVISORY WORKING RELATIONSHIP

5.1 Where a personal relationship exists or develops within a line management or supervisory working relationship, the line manager's manager must be informed. Upon receiving this information, the line manager should seek further guidance from Human Resources.

5.2 Employees may be reluctant to disclose their personal relationship, but it is important that the College is able to assess any risk of conflict of interest, unfair advantage or breach of confidentiality and discuss with employees concerned, ways in which such issues can be avoided.

5.3 Information relating to a disclosure of a relationship will be handled with confidence. Employees will be treated with sensitivity during this process.

5.4 Upon learning of the personal relationship, the College will consider what, if any, steps need to be taken. Due regard will be given to the potential effect of the relationship on others in the College, any potential negative effect on the workings of a department or team and the professional

conduct of the College's business.

5.5 The employee concerned will be consulted with a view to reaching agreement regarding the appropriate action. No action will be taken without first discussing it fully with the employee concerned.

5.6 The College may, at its discretion, make alternative management arrangements. This may include transferring some of an employee's duties or transferring an employee to another department. Any actions to be taken will be confirmed in writing to any employee concerned.

5.7 In no circumstances will an employee be permitted to appraise another employee with whom they have a personal relationship, nor will they be permitted to sign off expenses or other administrative documentation.

5.8 If it is considered necessary to inform other employees about the personal relationship (for example, in order to explain a change in management arrangements) this will be discussed first with the employee concerned.
5.9 If the circumstances of the personal relationship change, the employee must also advise their line manager, who may seek advice from Human Resources. The previously agreed actions will be reviewed in consultation with the employee and any further appropriate action taken.

PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS NOT IN A LINE MANAGEMENT OR SUPERVISORY

WORKING RELATIONSHIP

6.1 Even where there is no managerial/supervisory relationship with an employee in a personal relationship, there may still be a risk of a conflict of interest, breach of confidentiality or unfair advantage being perceived to be gained from the overlap of a personal and working relationship.

6.2 Where there is any possibility of conflict of interest, breach of confidentiality or unfair advantage, the relationship should also be declared as above.

6.3 An employee should seek the guidance of Human Resources if in any doubt as to whether or not there is or might be a risk of a conflict of interest, breach of confidentiality or unfair advantage.

6.4 Upon learning of the personal relationship, the College will consider what, if any, steps need to be taken, as above.

6.5 The line manager/head of department, in consultation with HR, may consider transferring one party or both parties, making alternative line management or supervisory arrangements or implementing other appropriate arrangements to eliminate the conflict of interest, depending on the circumstances. In very rare circumstances, such alternative arrangements may not be feasible and the College may then have to consider dismissing one or both parties.

7. FAILURE TO DISCLOSE A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP IN ACCORDANCE WITH THESE GUIDELINES
7.1 In the event that an employee fails to declare a personal relationship where required to do so in accordance with these guidelines, or where it would have been prudent to do so, disciplinary action will be taken. Serious cases will be dealt with as gross misconduct.

8. HARASSMENT & BULLYING

8.1 Employees are reminded that unwanted attention given by either party, whether at work or outside work (for example, when a personal relationship has ended) could constitute bullying and/or harassment. In such cases disciplinary action may be taken. Serious cases will be dealt with as gross misconduct.
9 DATA PROTECTION

9.1

Any personal data provided to the College as a result of this

policy will be treated in accordance with the principles set out in the

Data Protection Act 1998.

10. FURTHER GUIDANCE

10.1 Employees may seek further guidance, on a confidential basis, from the HR department. Last Reviewed August 2016

Microsoft Word 2016 Microsoft Word 2016