New and Returning
PhD Students Meeting
October 2015
PGR Team
Professor Robert (Bob) Borsley
Director of Research Students
e-mail: rborsley@essex.ac.uk
PGR Team
Dr. Beatriz De Paiva
Assistant Director of Research Students
e-mail: bdepaiva@essex.ac.uk
Admin Team
Graduate Team
Abigail Ueno (Abi)
Graduate Administrator
(LG PGT/PGR)
e-mail: aueno@essex.ac.uk
Phone: 01206 872199
Other Members of
the Admin team...
Also in 4.305…
Mrs Valerie Hartgrove (Val)
Undergraduate
Administrator (LG)
Mrs Sarah Bevan
Student Administrator
e-mail: vhartg@essex.ac.uk
Phone 01206 872196
Room 4.305
e-mail: sbevan@essex.ac.uk
Phone: 01206 872306 Room 4.305
(LA UG/PG, EMLC, Proficio)
Departmental Admin Team...
Mrs Samantha Durling (Sam)
Departmental Administrator
4.324a
Phone: 01206 872201

Mrs Caralyn Elmer (Carrie)
Departmental Administrative Assistant
4.307 (just inside 4.305)
Phone: 01206 872083
Ethical Approval's/ Finance
Languages for all.
Mrs Sharon Gynn
LfA Administrator
e-mail: lfaadmin@essex.ac.uk
Phone: 01206 873614
Completely separate initiative from our department.
1 Free language module per student*
Language Portfolio – Online learning.
Language Express – Evening classes
More information can be found via
www.essex.ac.uk/languagesforall
Essex Modern Language Certificates (EMLC)
Essex Modern Language Certificates are designed for students who wish to accumulate
credits for a separate award in modern languages. They are also available to members of
the public and staff working at the university.
You can choose from a wide choice of modules in French, German, Italian, Spanish,
Portuguese and Chinese ranging from beginner to honours level.
You will study language modules that are each worth 30 credits. You can choose to study a
single module, or you can accumulate the credits towards a recognised qualification in
modern languages.
Certificate of Continuing Higher Education in Modern Languages (60 credits)
Certificate of Higher Education in Modern Languages (120 credits)
Diploma of Higher Education in Modern Languages (240 credits)
Each 30 credit module costs £556 for registered University of Essex students
More information can be found at:
http://www.essex.ac.uk/langling/language_certificates/default.aspx
Departmental Office Hours
During Term Time:
Monday
09:30 – 12:30
14:00-16:15
Tuesday
09:30 – 12:30
14:00-16:15
Wednesday
09:30 – 12:30
CLOSED
Thursday
09:30 – 12:30
14:00-16:15
Friday
09:30 – 12:30
14:00-16:15
Location: 4.305 (entrance 2NE)
Social Space - 4.305a
It
is located next to the
Departmental Admin Office.
Photocopier
cards are
available from the main office
(£2 for 40 copies)
Coffee/tea
machine. Kitchen
and Study area.
International
magazines
available for reading.
How do we contact you?
We will not send you messages to your private email
addresses/accounts so....
Please ensure that you check your university email
account regularly, especially in the first few weeks of
each term. Notifications will include:
•
•
Research Group meeting info.
Messages from the Registry
research team
• Supervisor meetings
• Supervisory Boards
Integrated PhD Students – 1st Year
 Please meet with your supervisor and discuss your
modules.
 You need to choose 90 credits of taught modules/
research assignments.
 Please inform Abi by email of the modules you would
like to take (course codes please e.g. LG575-7-AU)
 In the summer you will be asked if you would like to
incorporate your MRES dissertation in to your PhD or
accept an MRES (this means you cannot use your
dissertation in your PhD thesis).
Submission of Assignments and
Dissertations

You will need to submit an electronic copy (watermarked)
via FASer by 16.00 noon on the day of the deadline.

Submissions are online only.

You can upload your file as many times as you like before the deadline
and delete previous versions BEFORE the deadline only.

Late submission – two marks deducted per day (including weekends
and public holidays!) after 7 days is a ZERO. However, a dissertation is
not considered coursework and cannot be submitted late. If you do not
submit on time you will automatically be awarded a mark of ZERO.
Integrated PhD Students – 2nd Year
 2nd year = starting research (continuing work started on
your MRes thesis or starting on a separate topic).
 Your results for your taught year should be available
after the exam board in November.
 In January you will be considered at the RSPC against
our progression criteria.
Research Groups
There are also a number of research groups intended mainly
or PhD students, each concerned with a particular area of
linguistics.
These are small, informal groups of students and interested
members of staff, and their main function is to encourage
discussion and mutual help among research students. You
will be expected to participate in at least one of these and, at
some point in each year of study, to give a presentation
based on your research. You should not feel daunted by this
prospect, but you should regard it as an opportunity for you to
present your ideas to a wider audience and to get feedback
on them. Information about the various research groups can
be found at:
http://www.essex.ac.uk/langling/research/groups/default.aspx
Ethical Approvals
All students planning to undertake a research project
involving human participants (e.g. a project involving
tests, questionnaires, interviews, reaction time
experiments, etc.) must obtain ethical approval
BEFORE STARTING data collection. Information can
be found on the departmental webpage.
Our ethics co-ordinator is Dr Mike Jones.
Studying away from the University
 Just a reminder that if you are going away from the University to carry
out research/ do data collection during the academic year you have to
make an application to the Dean of the Graduate School that needs to be
approved before you go.

To do this a form needs to be completed, to get the form you need to go
via the ESF system https://www.essex.ac.uk/esf/.
 The form is called: Research Study Away Approval and should be
completed if you are away for 6 weeks or more. If you are away for that
length of time please remember to return the key to your study room so
we can allocate your place to someone else temporarily.
 You can do supervisory boards via Skype if needed and to have agreed
regular contact with your supervisor during this period. If you do not keep
to these agreed contact meetings you may breach the conditions of your
study visa.
 If you are leaving for a shorter time, please inform the department.
Supervisory Boards
 The Department appoints a separate Supervisory
Board to oversee the work of each individual research
student (so that each student has his or her own
Supervisory Board).
 This consists of a chair, an adviser and the supervisor
(or, where there are two supervisors, a chair and the
two supervisors).
 The progress of all students, whether full-time or parttime/distance, is reviewed twice a year by Supervisory
Boards: in December and in June.
Research Students Extenuating Circumstances
...are formally defined as “circumstances
beyond a student’s control which could
cause him or her to perform less well in
coursework or examinations than he or
she might otherwise have been expected
to do and which affect the student for a
significant period of time”
If you experience any problems of an
academic or non-academic nature,
please seek advice from your Supervisor,
Administrator or the Student Support
Office.
More information can be found online via
http://www2.essex.ac.uk/academic/stude
nts/pgr/index.htm
Training and Development: Proficio
All doctoral students are automatically registered
on Proficio; you can log onto the system using
your University of Essex username and
password.
Browse the hundreds of courses available online
(http://www.essex.ac.uk/study/pgr/proficio/) and
discuss your training needs with your supervisor.
There are a wide range of single and multi-day
courses available, as well as online training
courses that you can complete in your own time.
LG595 Professional development activities for
research students
All research students are expected to participate in the programme of
professional development (LG595) which involves events organised by the
Department and by the University. You will receive details of the
programme at the induction meeting you have with the Directors of
Research Students at the beginning of your first year. You may also
benefit throughout your period of registration by attending workshops run
by the University’s Learning and Development team. The topics may vary
from year to year, but include topics such as ‘Presentation skills’,
‘Assertive communication’, ‘Getting going on writing up research’,
‘Surviving the viva’. For the programme of events go to:
http://www.essex.ac.uk/ldev/
Attendance at any professional development courses or events should be
recorded on your Supervisory Board report forms, and will be monitored at
meetings of your Supervisory Board.
You will be expected to attend at least four of the workshops offered
throughout the academic year as part of LG595.
http://orb.essex.ac.uk/lg/lg595/
External Conferences and Funding
 Attending conferences in your field may benefit your research and your
future academic career.
 The amount of money available for this purpose varies from year to year,
and in some years there may be none at all. Normally if successful it is
around £300.
 Normally a student will only be eligible for one conference support grant
in any one University financial year (1st August to 31st July). If you wish to
be considered for such support, you should first speak to your
supervisor, who will give you an assessment of the prospects of success
in the context of the Department's financial position.
 Secondly, you should complete a ‘Conference funding application form’
(obtainable from the departmental website:
http://www.essex.ac.uk/langling/current/default.aspx, under the
document and resources tab) and pass a hard copy signed by your
supervisor to the Assistant Director of Research Students (can be
passed via the administration office.
Essex graduate student conferences
 Last year we hosted three student-run conferences.
 SociolinguistEssex, held in June, showcased work by students on our
MA and PhD courses in sociolinguistics
 Essex Graduate Conference in Linguistics (EGCL), held in spring,
featured talks in all areas of theoretical or applied linguistics, including
sociolinguistics and psycholinguistics.
 Language at the University of Essex (LangUE) is an international
postgraduate conference bringing together student researchers from
the UK, Europe, North America and Asia, as well as internationally
renowned keynote speakers.
 Students organise every aspect of these conferences, from judging and
selecting abstracts, to arranging the programme and managing
publicity, to inviting keynote speakers.
 We expect you to take part in at least one of these conferences every
year, either as an organizer, or as one of the speakers, or as a member
of the audience.
 We will provide information on this years conferences at the link below:
http://www.essex.ac.uk/langling/conferences/default.aspx
PhD Study Room Space






Students will have two weeks to collect a key from the departmental
office and pay a deposit of £5.00. This deposit is paid back when the
key is returned.
Desks are allocated on a first come, first served basis and individual
needs.
If there are not enough desks you would be placed on a waiting list,
and notified when one becomes available.
Students who are on intermission should clear their area/workspace to
allow other students to use their space in their absence. The same
applies to students who are away on data collection or on vacation for
more than six weeks.
A desk in a PhD study room is not a store room for your personal
belongings; please consider the other students who share your room
with you. Your belongings may be moved and placed in storage for you
to collect, if they are interfering with the comfort and use of the room.
To apply for a space in a study room you will need to make a case
(150-300 words) to the Assistant Research Director, Dr Beatriz de
Paiva (bdepaiva@essex.ac.uk).
Becoming a GTA

Job vacancies will be circulated via email
during the Spring/Summer terms for
teaching in the following academic year.

If successful you would need to attend
compulsory Training provided by the
University and need backing of your
supervisor.

You are unable to apply if you are in the
Further Completion stage of your course.
Course Reps
What are course reps?
The course reps are students that have been elected to represent you with any issues you
might have regarding your course. If you ever have a problem or question they're there to
help you out.
Why do we have course reps?
They are an important part of ensuring that the University is providing quality education for
you and every other student.
How can they help?
Course reps can help make your voice heard and raise any issues or problems you may
have with your course. The course reps sit on the Student & Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC)
which discusses a range of topics - this is their chance to raise your views directly with their
departments of the University and seek a resolution.
How can I become a course rep?
Students who wish to apply should express their interest to the Student Union (SU will be
publicising via social media/emails) All selected representatives will be required to attend the
(compulsory) Course Rep training session on Saturday 18th October.
Staff Student Liaison Committee
This Committee provides a forum for representatives of both
students and academic staff to discuss problems that arise in the
Department: policy, improvements and so on. It is an important
committee.
There will be separate meetings for one for PGT and PGR students.
Course reps consult fellow students about matters they wish to have
discussed by the committee, and forward these to the Graduate
Administrator for inclusion on the agenda.
You’ll get points from being a Course rep which can go towards the
‘Big E’ award.
Plagiarism i.e. Cheating

Copying work without acknowledging the source.

We take this very seriously!

Every assignment is automatically checked for plagiarism.

Dr Vineeta Chand ran a session earlier today specifically
on Academic writing, ethics & avoiding plagiarism. If you
missed this then you should familiarise yourself with this
important topic. Information can be found on the university
website. If you have any questions please raise them with
your supervisor. Do not commit an academic offence.
Support Services
Departmental advisory team
 Abigail Ueno (Graduate Administrator)
 Your Supervisor
- Named in the handbook or offer letter
Central Services
 Student Support Office (Silberrad Student
Centre)
 Student Union Advice Centre (Square 4)
 Nightline (North Towers)
 Visa Advice (SU Advice Centre or Silberrad
Student Centre)
Useful contacts continued…
 Information centre (Square 3)
 Computing Help desk (off Square 4)
 The Registry/ Graduate School (Silberrad Student
Centre)
- Letters/ Certificate of Registration/Student
Documentation Ordering System/ Council tax letters
 Employability and Careers centre
- The big E/ Essex Award.
Useful tips
What is your registration number?
This is your Registration number
 It’s a number and doesn’t
have letters in it.
Handbooks?
Masters and PhD Handbooks are available online
only via our Departmental Website.
http://www.essex.ac.uk/langling/current/default.aspx
Useful tips
Printing
The department will reimburse your printing
up to the amount of £50 per year. Please
collect all printer credit receipts and submit
together to make one claim per year.
Library Tours
There will be tours of the library for our new
Research Students at 2pm on 28th and 30th
October.
Social Media
 You may like to follow us on Facebook
(https://www.facebook.com/lalessex) or Twitter
(@EssexLang_Ling) to learn about things that are
happening in the Department (seminars etc).
 Any questions about your course etc. should still
directed via email to your supervisor/administrator.
More information can be
found here;
www.essex.ac.uk/langling