Your supervisor

Find out more about the role of your supervisor and your responsibilities, in order to foster a good working relationship. 

Establishing a good relationship with your supervisor

Your supervisor plays an important role in your doctoral experience, so it’s crucial that you foster a good relationship with them. There is no simple formula for this, but there are some things you can do to help manage it. 

Understand everybody's responsibilities

You can find out about your responsibilities and your supervisor's by reading your code of practice for research degrees.

Improve your existing skills

Attend our growing and maintaining your supervisory relationships workshop to improve your people skills to strengthen your relationship with your supervisor.

Be independent

Your supervisor will be able to guide you but you will be the lead for your project.

Write

Written work is useful to supervisors as they can see how you have organised your ideas and allows for focused feedback and guidance.

Monthly supervisory meetings

Arranging meetings

Your supervisor will have several other commitments competing for their time, so make sure you give them as much notice as possible when you need to meet with them, especially if this is outside of your agreed meeting schedule. This will ensure they have enough time to prepare for your meeting.

Meeting etiquette

  • Arrive on time for supervisory sessions and make sure you have completed any actions required of you
  • Be open and honest with your supervisors
  • If you are experiencing a problem, talk to your supervisors about it early and find out about other sources of support should you need them
  • Always agree a date for the next supervisory session and stick to it.

Record keeping 

You are expected to log monthly supervisory meetings through Surrey Self-Service. You will be sent an email at the start of each month to log your supervision for that month. This must be logged by the 15th of the following month. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What do I do if I miss the deadline for uploading the meeting notes for a particular month?

If you hold a Student visa you should contact Immigration Compliance via Surrey Support to make them aware that you have missed the deadline but that an engagement did take place. If you are not studying on a student visa, you will need to upload the meeting notes to the following month’s record. The Faculty PGR handbook provided to all PGRs provides a wealth of guidance, instructions, and flag posts you to other key support services, please refer to Useful documents for more information.

I am a new starter and I cannot see my supervision meeting log

Supervision logs are created automatically on the 5th day of each month. If you registered after the 5th day of your month of entry (which is likely to be the case for September starters) then you will not see the first month’s log. Please record your meeting notes in the next available record and if you are studying on a Student Visa, inform Visa Compliance that your first supervisory engagement took place.

Do I have to complete the supervisory log?

Yes. It is a requirement of the Code of Practice that monthly supervisions take place and that a record is made of these. For PGRs studying on a visa, monthly meetings provide evidence of engagement which Visa Compliance are obliged to regularly review in order for the University to maintain its student visa licence. Failure to record the meetings you have with your Supervisor each month will result in the withdrawal of your sponsorship. 

Do I have to use the online template for recording monthly meetings?

Although it is compulsory to use the system to record monthly meetings, you do not have to use the system template. The system allows you to upload documents instead.

I have more than one supervision per month. Can I record more than one monthly meeting per month?

No. But the system has been designed to allow you to upload as many documents as you like. We suggest that you use a separate document to record the meetings and then make one submission via the system each month.

What is the deadline for logging my monthly meeting notes?

You have until AROUND the 15th of the following month to log your meeting notes (the automatic reminders you will receive will show the actual deadline for completion).  For example a January meeting record will be available until 15 February, after which time it will no longer be accessible to you.  See the ‘How to doc…’ here: Useful documents | Research | MySurrey

When does the Supervisor receive a notification to approve the monthly supervison record?

The online system has been designed to support the monthly supervision processes. The system is straightforward to use. PGRs will be sent an email around 5th of each month to log their supervision for that month. After the PGR has submitted the log, supervisors will be sent a notification to check and approve the record.

Does the supervision have to be a face-to-face meeting?

No, it does not need to be face-to-face or take the form of a formal meeting. You are required to log an interaction, which could be face-to-face, a Skype, Teams or Zoom call, an email exchange, or a telephone call.

Does this apply to all programmes?

This applies to all PhD, EngD, MD, PsychD and MPhil programmes.

Does this apply to all modes of attendance?

Yes. Monthly supervisions are a requirement for full-time and part-time PGRs, including those on completing (writing-up) status. 

Who can sign off my supervisor meeting log?

Sign off only requires either your Principal Supervisor or Co-supervisor – not both. If you have a second Co-supervisor, they can also sign off your meeting log. This means whoever you select, your submission will then be sent to that supervisor listed. If you select the Co-Supervisor’s name, the Principal Supervisor will not have access to sign off the notes. 

Why can’t I see my meeting notes after I have submitted the report?

You cannot access your meeting notes until your Supervisor has approved them. Check with your Supervisor to see if they have a pending action regarding your supervision before logging a technical issue with Student Systems. 

What should I do if I upload the wrong file to my supervisory meeting and submit it?

Ask your Supervisor to return the meeting log to you before it is signed off by them.

Do I have to continue to record supervision meetings during periods of temporary withdrawal?

No, you do not need to record meetings during periods of temporary withdrawal, even if you are a student visa holder. The meeting log may still be generated, depending on the date you withdrew, but please just ignore any email alerts. 

Do I have to continue to record supervision meetings once I have submitted my thesis for examination?

Once the thesis has been submitted for examination:

  • PGRs with a Tier 4 student visa need to continue to upload monthly supervision meeting logs until the final version of the thesis has been uploaded to the e-thesis repository.
  • PGRs who are not on a Tier 4 student visa do not need to upload monthly supervision meeting logs.
I am on a Tier 4 visa and planning to take annual leave for a whole calendar month, do I need to submit a monthly meeting log?

The Immigration Compliance Team advise that the PGR doesn't need to submit a report while they're on annual leave. However, if they would like to submit a report just to confirm that they're on leave, that would be helpful.

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