Setting up for success: Managing your graduate research project

Learn how to work with a supervisor, set goals and other project management skills.

Setting up for success

Working with your supervisor

This resource introduces approaches to setting yourself up for success in your graduate research. It includes activities to help you apply tips and reflect on your own learning, and should take you 15-20 minutes to read and complete. Check out the further resources at the bottom of each section and references on the last page for more information on this topic.

A graduate research project is long and challenging. It has a start and finish date, aims to contribute to a field of study in some way, and involves a network of relationships that need to operate well to maintain its progress.

Your role as a graduate researcher is that of a project manager, who is organised and proactive in leading your project to meet deadlines, overcome hurdles and build productive relationships.

Take time to develop a good working relationship

Working effectively with your supervisor is critical to your graduate research project.

Discuss how you can work most effectively together. To do this you could:

  • Ask your supervisor about their experiences as a research student
  • Talk to other research students about their experiences with their supervisors
  • Read your supervisor's published articles and papers to learn about their expertise, research methods and interests. This may also help you understand the logic behind their advice.

Most importantly, clarify and understand what your supervisor expects of you, both in your written work and during supervision meetings.

Together with your supervisor, set up an initial framework for the way you will work together. This could include being clear about the frequency and format of your meetings and the preferred method of communication between meetings. Monitor how the communication is going regularly throughout your candidature.

Approach feedback proactively

Feedback is crucial to your development as a researcher and writer. Aim to expose your work regularly to your supervisor and other people whom you trust to give you helpful feedback, and treat this as an opportunity to learn and extend your skills.

    • Acknowledge any emotional reaction you have towards feedback, and take distance from your own work, physically and mentally, if you experience strong emotional reactions
    • Break the feedback down into action items and address them one by one in a calm and critical way
    • If you decide not to act on some feedback, plan how you will justify this decision or argue your case in a respectful manner
    • Develop your ability to assess your own work through responding to feedback critically

    • Let your reviewer know (Aitchison, 2020, p. 31)
      • The maturity of the work, for example, whether it is an early or revised draft
      • The nature of the work, for example, a background chapter, a journal article manuscript
      • The kind of feedback being sought, such as on the structure of the writing or the validity of the argument.
    • Ask specific questions, for example ‘To what extent do you think my research protocol, as described on Page 20, aligns with the poststructuralist paradigm?’ instead of ‘How’s my research protocol?’
    • Ask for models or examples, not just explanations, of what they consider to be good writing in your field.

Evaluate your relationship

As a graduate researcher, you can expect the following from your supervisor:

  • A respectful manner
  • Regular meeting times
  • Practical and constructive feedback on your work within an acceptable timeframe
  • Discussion of the directions and issues arising for your work.

If, after careful consideration, you believe there are problems in the way you work together, you need to take action.

In most cases, you should raise your concerns first with your supervisor. To help you navigate this discussion, you may find it helpful to talk with other students about their supervision experiences, or seek support from your faculty and the University:

Both you and your supervisor want you to succeed, so work actively to keep communication channels open and your relationship productive.

Use the module menu to go the next section: Making the most of meetings, where we look at how you can maximise your learning through supervision meetings.

Making the most of meetings

Meeting with your supervisor at regular intervals will help you prioritise your goals and stick to deadlines. You are expected to be proactive in consulting with your supervisor to organise practical details such as meeting times and agendas. To get the most out of meetings, consider how best to prepare, participate and follow up on issues that arise.

Approach meetings as an iterative cycle. 1) Prepare; 2)Participate, and then: 3) Reflect, follow up and implement. Then the cycle starts again with 'prepare'.
The meeting cycle - All these steps are active, including active listening and note-taking

Before the meeting

Make an agenda

...for discussion and send it to your supervisor, with the understanding that they may have other priorities and that you may not have time to cover all of the items.

Your agenda could include:

  • Achievements since the last meeting
  • Issues and questions about your work, readings or resources
  • Insights you have gained and how they have influenced your thinking about your research.

Consider informing your supervisor in advance if you wish to discuss any major issues, such as changes to your time fraction or your research directions.

During the meeting

Take notes

...of your supervisor’s questions, feedback and suggestions. You are expected to respond to what is discussed in the meeting, either by agreeing and following up on feedback or by negotiating and presenting your scholarly viewpoint.

Be objective

...about evaluation and feedback. It is in your supervisor’s best interests as well as yours that you succeed, so try to interpret any challenges to your approach as helpful and instructive. You can disagree diplomatically, and the discussion which follows can improve your understanding and your ability to explain your research.

Seek clarification

...if any discussion points are unclear to you. Consider using direct and polite questions - for example:

  • ‘I don’t understand this point. Can you explain a bit more?
  • ‘Can you explain that again please?'
  • ‘Can you give me one or two examples of where I should have done this?’
  • ‘Can I just check that my next step is to work on …, or should I be focussing on something else?’
  • ‘So, you mean …. Is that right?’
  • ‘What should I prioritise to help me improve?’

After the meeting

Review your notes

...with the intention to:

  • Clarify your understanding of the discussion
  • Record any deadlines in your calendar or planner
  • Add reflections or ideas that came to you as a result of the meeting
  • Capture any new or outstanding issues
  • Plan your next steps towards delivering any short-term goals you committed to.

Email relevant information

...from your notes to your supervisor as a record, if you think that would be helpful for you both.

Follow up

...on any uncertainty or confusion that remains about anything discussed.

You can write these reflections down while they are fresh, then decide whether you will follow up on them with your supervisor via email or in the next meeting.

Use the side menu to go the next section: Managing your research and writing, where we look at the core graduate research tasks and tips for making them manageable.

Managing your research and writing

Apart from monitoring institutional expectations and your working relationships, you also need to plan and execute your research and writing tasks in the long, medium and short term. This requires a high level of organisation and self-management.

Monitor your tasks

It’s important to maintain a long-term vision for your research project as a whole, as well as focusing on smaller tasks that shape your work in the present. Start by thinking about what the main stages of your graduate research course will be and how much time you will have for each stage. These will vary depending on your research context, but a full-time doctoral study typically takes three to four years and may be comprised of the following main tasks and milestones.

    • Reviewing the literature
    • Conducting a pilot/preliminary study
    • Clarifying your research question and aim
    • Establishing a research methodology
    • Preparing a confirmation report and presentation
    • Obtaining ethics approval
    • Completing required coursework.

    • Conducting your primary research, including fieldwork
    • Collecting and analysing data
    • Preparing a progress report and presentation.

    • Conducting supplementary research and/or fieldwork
    • Drawing main findings and conclusions
    • Preparing a completion report and presentation
    • Completing and refining your thesis draft
    • Submitting your thesis and responding to examiners’ reports.

Break tasks down

In the following activities, you will explore how you can break complex tasks down into a series of steps.

For each example task below:

1) Read the suggested steps for breaking down the task and consider how you would approach it. What would you do first? second? last?

2) Drag and drop the steps into the order that seems most logical to you.

3) Click 'submit' to check your answer.

Example 1: Break down the task of "forming a research question"

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Example 2: Break down the task of "Reviewing the literature"

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As part of this process, you may also feel the need to take supporting steps, such as taking a short course on reference management tools or consulting a librarian about your research.

Set SMART goals

When attaching a task to a specific timeframe, consider setting the task as a SMART goal. Make sure that it is:

S
Specific

Containing enough detail so you know what you’ll be working on

M
Measurable

Including the amount of work you aim to complete

A
Achievable

Reflecting a realistic expectation of what you can do

R
Relevant

Belonging to the current stage and scope of your research

T
Time-bound

Having a start and end time

Analyse an example SMART goal

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Identify ongoing tasks

If you plan to include publications in your thesis, these will also be included in your main tasks.

To support the completion of these tasks and enhance your career development, also plan how you can:

  • Organise technology to assist your work, for example:
    • a reference management program for your citations
    • a data analysis program for your primary data
  • Determine how to store and name your files to easily retrieve material
  • Participate in the research community, for example by:
    • attending faculty seminars and networking events
    • presenting at conferences
  • Ensure intellectual property protection for your work where applicable.

Use the side menu to go the next section: Managing your time, where we look at using time management tools to build a balanced routine.

Managing your time

As the manager of your graduate research project, you will need to deliver high quality work to expected timeframes and deadlines with the resources you have access to. It’s equally important to balance time spent on work and time dedicated to other aspects of your life to maintain your wellbeing and productivity in the long run.

Time management tools

Graduate researchers often use a range of stimulators to keep themselves motivated in their work, including deadlines, rewards, supervision meetings, conferences and peer pressure. Although these are great starting points, establishing a system for tracking tasks and progress in the long, medium and short term involves using planners, timetables and to-do lists.

You may wish to review these tasks periodically to ensure they are still relevant to your project.

Planners

A long-term planner can give you a broad and comprehensive timeline of your candidature.

Explore the PhD Planner below by clicking on the hotspots for more information.

Visit the PhD Planner site to download a template.

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PhD Planner

Timetables

You can further break down the activities you’ve planned for each week using a weekly calendar.

A weekly timetable or calendar allows you to:

  • Follow a routine by scheduling time for writing tasks every week.
    This is a common habit of successful writers. If you set up a productive writing routine early on in your candidature, it helps you feel in control of your project and boosts your confidence as a writer.
  • Set deadlines for writing tasks to avoid procrastination.
    Tasks with deadlines usually get done before tasks with no deadlines (Murray, 2017).

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To-do lists

To-do lists are handy for tasks you need to tick off during the day. They can be used in conjunction with a long-term planner and a medium-term calendar.

For example, you can itemise the task ‘Writing Literature Review Topic 1’ into a checklist such as:

  • Gather at least 7 recent references on Topic 1
  • Review writing plan
  • Ask Marie about Smith’s (2022) argument
  • Write at least 500 words
  • Check writing for main ideas.

Now, look at your own planner, timetable or to-do list. Are the tasks you have on them clear to you? If any of these are unclear, how could you replace them with SMART goals?

Maintaining your wellbeing and focus

Keeping yourself in good physical and mental health is important to a successful candidature. However, when you are working under immense pressure, it is easy to compromise your wellbeing. Research has shown that sufficient personal care is a major difference between PhD candidates who cope well and those who don’t (Barry et al., 2018; Murray, 2017).

To sustain your motivation and energy and stay on track during the multiple years of a graduate research project, take steps to develop a healthy routine that prioritises wellbeing alongside your work:

  • Allow and consistently schedule time for self-care, rest, relaxation and recreation, ideally away from electronic devices
  • Take good care of yourself in the basics: sleep, nutrition, exercise
  • Balance your project with the other roles in your life: you are more than your thesis
  • Share your experiences regularly with other graduate researchers or a peer support group.

Give yourself permission to have a life outside your work. Time spent away from your desk is just as valuable and necessary as time spent at it, and a sufficient self-care routine can increase your mental and emotional resilience and aid your productivity in the long term.

Seeking support

Even with careful management, there might be times in your candidature when you may need more support than usual. Counselling and Psychological Services, which are free to UoM students, offer great wellbeing advice and resources to help you not only survive but thrive through your studies.

Use the side menu to go the next section: Demonstrating project management skills, where we look at how you can translate your research skills into employability skills.

Demonstrating project management skills

Managing your graduate research project provides great opportunities to develop skills that can support both your study and employability.

Most of the tasks, tools and structures you are already involved in as part of your graduate research can be expressed in the language of formal project management as it is understood by a broad range of employers. If you can articulate your skills using this language, it can give you an edge in job applications.

Use Project Management language

This video introduces some basic concepts in project management as they apply to a graduate research project, without going into specialised approaches such as ‘Agile’ or ‘Waterfall’. As you watch, think of examples where you've demonstrated these skills in your own work.

Video: Demonstrating Project Management skills

Monitor your progress

Review the graduate research examination criteria.

Then, review your research or thesis progress so far:

  • To what extent has your work demonstrated each of the criteria?
  • How can you improve each aspect further in the next stage of your research?

Final tip

Managing a graduate research project involves not only disciplinary and technical knowledge about your topic but also a high level of planning, organising and relationship-building skills. To set you up for success, use planners and timetables to help you monitor your progress, maintain regular communication with your supervisor, and build a sustainable routine that centralises your wellbeing.

For more information and support in your writing, explore Academic Skills Graduate Research services