Preparing for probation in the
Social Sciences and Arts
Dr Susie West March 2015
Aims and objectives of this
session
• Purpose and value of the Probationary Assessment
• Ways to prepare for the Probationary Assessment
• How to move on from the Probationary Assessment
Why? first, before How?
• ‘how’ is defined within the relevant VRE section; there is
a long form…
• ‘why’ is more useful for thinking about what you should
be contributing and what other people are looking for in
this process
What is the Probation process?
• Just that: a process, based on a series of actions and
events: some writing and some talking/listening
• Your one-stop shop is the VRE: Forms > P for Probation
> read the Guidance section
• Submit a structured report; document your skills and
training activities; present your research to a seminar or
conference audience; meet your probation panel of two
Social Sciences or Arts academics
What is the PA for?
• Gatekeeping function for registration upgrade from
M.Phil to PhD.
• Quality assurance
• And more…as we move on to the value of the PA
Do I need to be scared?
What is the value of the PA?
1) the structured report
• A viable research question
• A critical literature review which situates the proposed
research
• A research proposal, including an outline of proposed
method(s), a critical justification for them, and where
appropriate, preliminary data and analysis;
• A work plan for the project with a detailed timetable of
dates for completion of component parts and thesis
submission.
2) Document your skills and
training activities
• Activity:
What is the value of doing this?
3) Present your
research
• Opportunities in the first year
fte of your research
• Value to you of doing this?
4) The probation panel meeting
• Structured discussion of your written submission
• Two friendly academics, hand-picked by your
supervisors
• Value to you?
The probation process should
help…
• Activity:
Summarize three things that you want to get out of the
probation process, apart from passing…
That structured report in detail
• Viable research question
• A critical literature review which situates the proposed
research
• A research proposal, including an outline of proposed
method(s), a critical justification for them, and where
appropriate, preliminary data and analysis;
• A work plan for the project with a detailed timetable of
dates for completion of component parts and thesis
submission.
Critical literature review
• Shonil’s session on becoming a professional researcher
• Paul’s session on critical thinking and justifying your
research
• What are you going to do next as a result?
Research proposal
Arts and Social Sciences
• assume that standard
methods and approaches will
be taken for granted ‘behind’
your data retrieval
• Be explicit if you are doing
something uncommon (e.g.
methods from different
discipline) and justify
• Be clear where a method is
particularly important or being
applied innovatively
• Explain your work, don’t just
describe
In the meeting
•
•
•
•
•
‘mini viva’ or ‘upgrade panel’
One supervisor observes and makes notes
You bring your documents with you
Two academics offer comments and questions
They complete a short report afterwards as part of the
single Probationary Assessment form
• Options for passing and improving…
After the PA
Writing as a recursive process
Potter ed. p. 115
Your PA is a snapshot and
thus time-specific
• Framework for managing
change
• Literature review will mature
• Research questions will refine
• Methods may expand
• Analysis will deepen
• You will find your own voice
Top tips
• Project management is half
the battle
• We want you to succeed
• Chapters 6 and 7 in Doing
Postgraduate Research, S.
Potter ed, really do have
useful things in them! Go back
and check your understanding