Doctoral education aims to cultivate the research skills and knowledge necessary to undertake independent inquiries. Supervisors play an important role in this process, mentoring students about research trends, conduct, and guiding their academic careers in general.
The HEC Approved Supervisors program aims to assist PhD students in this regard by pairing them with qualified and experienced faculty members of HEC recognized universities, degree awarding institutions, and R&D organizations. PhD students funded under HEC in-country scholarship programs will work with HEC-approved supervisors for three years.
Under HEC Approved Supervisors Program, the supervisors are being scrutinized over the defined eligibility criteria and then approved by the competent authorities. After getting approved their names with key details are published on HEC official website. They are being evaluated on three years basis to categorized them as active researchers.
- The supervisor must ensure that the scholar attends university/laboratory regularly, and is maintaining full-time status. They must report any significant inconsistencies to the HEC Indigenous PMU.
- The supervisor is responsible for reporting the HEC Indigenous PMU when/if their student leaves the program for any reason.
- The supervisor must inform the HEC of any changes in a scholar's proposed study plan that may extend his or her time of study
- The supervisor is responsible for ensuring the timely completion of the scholar's PhD. To this end, they should make a study plan with their students, complete with a timeline of major goals, consistent with the HEC scholarship period (2 years for the MS and 3 years for the PhD).
- The supervisor is also responsible for ensuring that the scholar, in keeping with their agreement with the HEC, is not employed while they are studying specially at MS/MPhil level.
- Supervisors of Indigenous scholars must ensure, consistent with HEC regulations, that they are physically enrolled on campus. The HEC does not allow distance learning for Indigenous Scholars.
- Supervisors must ensure that scholars do not change their scholarship program (from Indigenous to foreign) without the approval of the HEC.
- Supervisors must submit a profile to be published on the HEC website. This is a pre-requisite for dispersal of funds.
- Supervisors must not advise scholars beyond the prescribed boundaries of the HEC.
- Supervisors must ensure that their advisee recognizes the role of the HEC in their final PhD thesis.
- Supervisors must support their advisees as they submit their Academic Progress Report and Funds Utilization Report to the HEC.
- Supervisors must also extend their full cooperation to their scholars as they complete their PhD.
- Supervisors are also expected to guide their scholars on matters of moral and personal growth (patience, self-confidence, and civic responsibility).
Rules and Regulations of PhD Supervision
A PhD supervisor of a student is a member of a
universityfaculty whose role is to guide
the PhD candidates , helping them select coursework, as well as shaping, refining and directing the students' choice of
sub-discipline in which they will be examined or on which they will write a
dissertation. The PhD Students generally choose supervisors based on their areas of interest within their discipline, their desire to work closely with particular PhD faculty, and the willingness and availability of those faculty to work with them. The HEC Approved Supervisor is required to be familiar with the regulations and guidelines which is being implemented within HEC. It include but not limited to:
- Guide the student in a choice of research topic; a suitable topic of research which can be completed as a research project and written up within the prescribed period of study (normally three to maximum up to eight years).
- The supervisor must insist the student no later than 6 months after PhD course work completion, the scholar should complete the basic structure of the research project, an appropriate research method, a realistic plan of work, and any additional required study including Skills Development Training.
- The Supervisor must ensure that, where applicable, risk assessment of laboratory and/or field-based activities has been carried out in accordance with HEC rules and university /departmental procedures and that the student receives the required safety training.
- Supervisor must monitor the progress according to agreed milestones (and revising same based on issues in the field).
- The PhD Supervisor must establish a practice of regular meetings with the student at which all matters relating to the research project can be discussed. Provide commentary, constructively and within a reasonable timeframe, on the student's oral and written work. Ensure that the written evidence of the meeting is kept within the Department and HEC.
- The supervisor must alert the student to what they may expect from the supervisor by way of a critique of work. (Some supervisors have a policy of only reading their student's work once; others are happy to read it more often)
- The supervisor must complete annual progress reports in conjunction with the student ensure supervision of maximum 12 students out of them 05 maximum at the level of PhD.
- Encourage the student to present work in progress from time to time, as appropriate, attend relevant conferences, meetings and workshops and publish their work in recognized / impact factor journals.
- Provide guidance on the preparation of the thesis and the viva voce examination.
- The supervisor should ensure that the timely submission of PhD thesis by the student and it should be presented in appropriate board within 06 months of submission. The Supervisor should ensure to get the foreign evaluators report maximum up to 06 months after final thesis submission.
- The supervisor must guide to student who act like an author who submits substantially similar work to more than one publisher must disclose this to the publishers at the time of submission.
- The supervisor must ensure that the student in familiar with the HEC policy on plagiarism.
Students and supervisors will decide on the topic of research before the student commences their study at the University or in the early months of study. The project will depend on:
- The student's background and interests with study aptitude
- The student's motivation for the topic
- The supervisors' areas of expertise
- Availability of the supervisors during important periods of the candidature
- Available resources and relevant training
- Suitability for the research degree in which the student is matriculated.
- Analysis of whether the project can be completed within the prescribed period of study.
- Any requirements stipulated by funding agency like HEC Indigenous PhD Scholarships etc.
Close contact between PhD supervisors and students is essential. The frequency of meetings will depend on the subject area, and the stage of the student's training. Meetings may occur weekly in the first few months of candidature in order to scope and define the research project.
A Student always owns copyright in a thesis. Unless the Student has agreed in writing to assign Intellectual Property to others, the Student owns Intellectual Property created by that Student.
An effective supervisor has been well described as someone who enables the candidate to:
- initiate and plan a research project
- acquire the research skills to undertake the project and gain adequate access to resources
- complete the project /Thesis on time
- produce a high-quality thesis
- be successful in examination;
- disseminate the results
- Lay the basis for their future career.
The Code of Ethics is based on three universal ethical principles. These are 'Equity and Justice' and Respect for People.
Soft Skills for PhD Supervisors need to have:
- Communication.
- Conflict Resolution.
- Leadership.
- Critical Thinking.
- Interpersonal Skills.
- Time and Priority Management.
- Diversity and Generational Differences in the Workplace.
- Problem Solving.
