Confirmation Review

The first year of your PhD will be considered a probationary year, after which time you are required to undergo a Confirmation Review which will confirm your registration as a PhD student. The confirmation review is intended to confirm whether or not you and your research project have the potential for successful research at doctoral level and completion within a maximum of four years, of which the last year is considered a writing-up phase.

The purpose of the confirmation review is to ensure:

• Satisfactory progress has been made on the EDS

• Your training needs have been identified in the Training Needs Analysis

• The research project has potential for successful completion within the allotted time

• You are capable of carrying out work in the proposed research plan

• An adequate amount and quality of progress has been made during the first year

You must submit the following documents by the deadline set on PROMPT.

• Data Management Plan (DMP)

• Training Needs Analysis (TNA) form

• Confirmation Review Report 

You will then be required to undergo an oral examination with two independent members of EEE academic staff.

Confirmation reviews must be handed in by the end of month 9 (counting from your registration start date).  The PGR Student Support Officer will then arrange the viva examination for the confirmation review at the next set of reviews. Confirmation Reviews take place in September, November/December, February/March and June/July . 

In the case of a failed first attempt, the outcome report to Faculty will be to 'defer' the student until they have undertaken a second attempt. This second attempt must occur within 6 months of failing the first confirmation review.

Please note that a delayed submission of the report does not justify another delayed submission of the second report. If students fail their second attempt, no further attempts are permitted and the student is transferred to MPhil registration.

EEE reserves the right to perform spot checks on plagiarism.  A plagiarised confirmation report will be treated like a failed attempt, i.e. if it concerns the first submission, the student will have a second attempt; if it concerns the second submission then no further attempt will be permitted and PhD studies will terminate.

You will need to start this by clicking here and then share it with your supervisors who can provide comments and give advice. This is relevant for anyone, whether you work experimentally or more theoretically.

The information below will help and guide you through the correct procedures on completing the EEE TNA form successfully.

• state whether you have attended EDS courses such as the compulsory module (FCE6100 Professional Behaviour & Ethical Conduct)

• state if you have passed the training as GTA and/or have demonstrated in an undergraduate lab (list it by name)

• state what safety courses you have passed  (online or in practice)

• if you have participated in some kind of extra-curricular activity then list this under section B, e.g. under networking skills (don't list regular group meetings here)

A typical report will be around 26 pages in length (excluding references), with no more than 15,000 words and no more than 20 figures in total. Also it should be below 40 pages in total, including references and appendix. The confirmation report should include:

1. An introduction to the research project (2-4 pages) - this should set the scene, the context and importance of the research problem. Particular attention should be paid to the impact the research will make to the scientific community and, where relevant, to the wider society.

2. A review of the research area (8-12 pages) - this should demonstrate that a thorough literature review has been undertaken identifying all key work. It should show independent thinking and critical evaluation of the research methodologies.

3. A description of the research undertaken in the first year (8-12 pages) - whilst the main research output for a PhD is largely achieved in Years 2 & 3, this part will indicate progress towards the PhD goal and of the candidate's potential to successfully complete the PhD programme. The report should also include evidence that the candidate is developing the skills they need to complete the research successfully.

4. A project plan (2-4 pages) - this will describe the research tasks to be undertaken, their estimated duration and how the programme will be completed successfully in three years. Areas to focus on are the hypothesis or problem development, research planning abd approaches to problem solving. For each objective describe what particular hypothesis or problem is being addressed, what methodologies are proposed as the solution, and what the novel contribution is.

5. References - a comprehensive list of references.

6. Appendix - any relevant supporting material.

The Confirmation Review viva should take place in person. You can request the meeting to be online, and must contact the PGR Student Support Officer to discuss this in advance. 

The assessment will take the form of a 10 minute presentation to be prepared by the student candidate, followed by 30 minutes of questions and answers with the panel members. The review panel will comprise 2 academic members of staff who have not had any association with your research project. The presentation should give a brief overview of the research field and also of the research undertaken in your first year. This will be followed by a discussion between you and the assessors who will typically ask both broad and specific questions related to the student's research and research training.

The EEE PGR Student Support Officer will organise the viva for you and confirm these details with you.

Outcome of the Confirmation Review

Following the confirmation review the possible outcomes are:

• Pass - confirmation of doctoral status

• Resubmit (without viva) - your result is pending until you have provided the necessary amendments to your original confirmation review. You will not need to undertake another viva.

• Resubmit (with viva) - your result is pending and a second attempt is permitted - this is to take place within 6 months of the first meeting date. This can be either submission of an improved report or both, a new report with a second viva exam

• Fail - student is transferred to MPhil programme (this normally only occurs following a second attempt)

Following Faculty approval of the Department's recommendation that registration should remain as PhD, you will receive formal notification in the form of a certified copy of the confirmation review form detailing the revised registration period and time limit. If you do not pass the confirmation review, you will be permitted to resubmit your report and undergo a second and final review which must be completed in a maximum of 6 months following the date of the first meeting. If you fail this, your registration will automatically be transferred to MPhil.

*Any student who fails their confirmation review and is transferred to MPhil will have their time limit reduced to 3 years in line with the MPhil time limit.

Timetable and Outline of Confirmation Review Procedures

You are required to undertake the following within the specified timescales. All dates specified are from the date of initial registration and are available on PROMPT.

Month 3 - Complete the Training Needs Analysis Form (TNA) with your DDP (2nd) supervisor at the first supervisory meeting. 

Month 9 - Submit confirmation report to PROMPT

Month 11-12 - Confirmation review meeting arranged by Student Support Officer

Month 12-13 - Student receives a copy of the feedback form completed by the Confirmation Review Assessors

None or Late Submission of Confirmation Report

Prior to your submission date (end of month 9) you will be informed of a date of your confirmation review meeting. It is essential therefore that you submit your report by month 9 to allow assessors adequate time to review the report in advance of the meeting. If your report is not submitted by the deadline your meeting will be cancelled and you will have failed your first attempt. You will then be granted a second and final attempt which must be submitted within 6 months. If you fail to submit by the revised deadline you will automatically be transferred to MPhil registration.

You may appeal against an unfavourable decision. In the first instance, a case should be made to the Postgraduate Tutor. If there is a conflict of interest then the case is referred to the Head of Department or to an independent senior academic member of the Department. You are also encouraged to contact Research & Innovation Services for guidance. More details can be found on the University of Sheffield Complaint and Appeals Procedure web page.