Working with your Dissertation Supervisor
Once you have decided on your area of interest, a supervisor can be identified. Your supervisor is there for your benefit. S/he will aim to make sure you progress smoothly throughout your dissertation study by helping you to plan your course of research as well as monitoring your subsequent progress.
It is most important that you discuss your research question, approach, and proposed methodology before starting out on the proposal research process. Your proposal may need to be ethically reviewed before you begin (see Section 3). It is not a good idea to try to ‘go it alone’ from the beginning. If you send in a complete draft of a dissertation for comment by your supervisor which contains a lot of material which has not been discussed or submitted at earlier stages, you may find that much of the work you have done is inappropriate or has to be radically changed.
You should feel free to seek advice from your supervisor on any matter of importance associated with your research (e.g. ethical, methodological or theoretical). You should also alert her/him to any personal or professional matters which may cause you difficulties in carrying out your research. At all times, it is your responsibility to contact your supervisor and to keep her/him informed of your progress and/or concerns. In cases of difficulty, or even anticipated difficulty, it is always better to get in touch sooner rather than later!
The responsibilities of supervisors are not precisely defined as each will have their own way of working. You can reasonably expect, however, to receive advice on:
- relevant literature
- formulating ideas
- your proposed plan of work
- appropriate methods of data collection and analysis
- problems encountered while your research is underway
- discussion of your analysis and conclusions
- the writing process
When you first meet with your supervisor you should discuss how to make the most of the supervisory relationship and the time available. In particular, try to be clear from the outset about periods when you and your supervisor are especially likely to be 'out of action' because of other known commitments.
These are not hard and fast rules but many students and supervisors have found at least some of the practices listed below to be helpful. You may like to discuss them with your supervisor, who will no doubt wish to add her/his own recommendations and preferences.
(i) Written Notes of Meetings/ Telephone Conversations
When you meet or speak on the phone to your supervisor make notes and, immediately after the conversation, write them up - summarising what was talked about and any conclusions reached. Keep one copy in your own ‘progress file’ and send another copy to your supervisor. The essential point is that you should take responsibility for documenting the deliberations, decisions and actions taken jointly with your supervisor. This is not just to keep everything on record but it will help you to organise your own thoughts and feelings after each discussion. If you have any concerns at all about what has been suggested, implied or agreed, take this up with your supervisor immediately and try to clarify the situation.
(ii) Progress Reports
Most supervisors are busy with many duties in addition to supervision and so are unlikely to be persistent in day-to-day checking of your progress. Receiving a short written ‘progress report’ from you each month (even if you feel it has not been a very productive period and you have little to report) will help to keep the topic of your research fresh in your supervisor’s mind. Additionally, copies of these reports kept in your own progress file will form a useful record, acting as an adjunct to your research diary (see P22) when you reach the writing-up stage of your work.
(iii) Providing Outlines
Rather than sending your supervisor a lengthy manuscript to read with no outline and no indication of what issues are important, it is extremely helpful if you also provide the following kinds of additional material (making sure that you keep a copy of everything yourself!):
(a) A ‘transmittal note’ listing what is being sent and a reminder of the date by which your supervisor has agreed to return comments. (Do try to agree mutually convenient send/return by dates as far in advance as you can to accommodate the many other known commitments that you and your supervisor will need to take into account.)
(b) Issue summary: a short statement on the contents of the batch of materials being sent and a brief description of each issue on which you would especially like to receive comments.
(c) Outline of the chapter(s)/sections enclosed, including a list of headings and subheadings. It may also be helpful, as your work builds up, to attach a list of all chapter headings so that your supervisor is reminded of where the current material fits into the context of the whole dissertation.
(d) The material to be read. Try to break it up into sections with subheadings. Please try to ensure that your drafts are free from spelling errors, typos, etc., and that all references contained in the draft are complete and accurate. This not only makes your supervisor’s task easier but maintains a good standard of presentation throughout which should help to prevent any last-minute panic!
Your supervisor will try to work with you throughout your dissertation as a ‘critical friend’, offering advice and support as requested. Although s/he will be able to advise you on the basis of past experience about what is expected of a ‘good’ dissertation, please bear in mind that s/he cannot tell you whether or not your dissertation will ‘pass’: this is a decision made at the Exam Board. (The marking criteria for dissertations is available on p26.) Your supervisor will give you the best professional advice s/he can, but ultimately it has to be your decision as to whether or not your dissertation is ready for submission.
Please note that, if you have any serious difficulties arising from your supervisor-supervisee relationship, you should contact the Programme Director immediately. If the Programme Director is also your supervisor, you should contact the Director of Learning and Teaching in the School of Education (for contact details, see ‘The Sheffield Team’ section on MOLE, or email edupgt@sheffield.ac.uk).