Departmental Research Training

The PGR Work in Progress (WiP) seminars and departmental research groups may also be considered training opportunities: in presentation skills, building an argument, accepting constructive criticism, and more. Attendance at PGR WiPs is mandatory.

Rules for how PGR WiP is run are as follows:

1. You are REQUIRED to attend this seminar during your normal period of enrolment (years 1-3 for full-time students). You should not attend if you are on Leave of Absence and it is optional during your continuation year. If you cannot attend a particular meeting you should send your apologies to the convenor. If you cannot attend systematically, you should seek permission from the Board of Studies to have this requirement waived.

2. You are REQUIRED to present at least once per year during your normal period of enrolment (years 1-3 for full-time students). You should not present if you are on Leave of Absence and it is optional during your continuation year. There are enough slots, so do sign up.

3. Sessions last up to 90 minutes and presentations should be 30-45 minutes long. You are not required to use PowerPoint or make handouts, but it is your responsibility to communicate with the audience effectively so that there can be a substantive discussion. You should regard stimulating the discussion as one of your primary objectives, so clear statement of thesis and arguments is essential.

4. There will be a three-minute break at the end of the presentation before discussion starts. The Chair will then take a list of those who want to ask a question and invite them to speak in the order the Chair thinks most appropriate. All questions from students will be taken before any questions from staff.

5. If your supervisor attends, they won’t ask questions but will give feedback on your presentation and handling of the discussion afterwards.

6. Once the discussion has begun, you should attract the Chair's attention if you wish to speak. We use the hand/finger convention: raising your hand means you have a new question, raising a finger means you have a point to add to the current discussion.

7. If you are presenting, you should notify your supervisor, TAP members and any other staff who you would like to attend well in advance.

At the start of the academic year, a PGR WiP sign-up sheet will be available on Google Drive, with details of dates, times, and locations of the seminars for the entire year. This is where you can sign up to make a presentation – be sure to discuss this with your supervisor first. If you have any questions about the sign-up sheet, see Janet Eldred, the PG Researcher Administrator.

• Information about the department's research groups is in the handbook section, Departmental research opportunities.

• There is an annual Away Day training session for departmental GTAs.