Candidature matters

The Research Students Centre

The Research Students Centre is the administrative unit that oversees higher degree research programs at the QUT level. Consequently, the QUT Business School recommend all changes to candidature but the Research Students Centre approves the changes. You should become familiar with the website of the Research Students Centre.

Candidature milestones

You can expect four milestones in the PhD program:

Milestones for the Master of Business (Research) are admission and examination.

Annual Progress Report

All higher degree research candidates must complete an Annual Progress Report (APR) in September each year.

You'll complete the APR online. If you don't submit an APR, it is taken seriously enough to lead to a "show cause" requiring you to explain why your candidature should not be terminated.

You'll receive a large number of emails regarding how to complete this task. Please complete the APR in a timely manner.

Leave of absence

You must submit an online leave-of-absence request through QUT Virtual/Services tab if you are away from study for any length of time.

Be sure to log in under your student identity so that you can access student forms. Sick leave requires a medical certificate covering the period of illness, and maternity leave also requires a medical certificate.

If you are an international student:

  • we'll approve leave only in extremely exceptional circumstances, because of visa regulations
  • you'll need approval of overseas field work if you'll be travelling outside Australia
  • you should carefully consider, before applying for leave:
    • your eCoE (Electronic Commencement of Enrolment)
    • visa
    • scholarship
    • tuition fees.

If you are on a scholarship you should check your scholarship and stipend rules determine the implications of your proposed leave.

Leave of absence guidelines (PDF file, 102.69 KB)

Changes to candidature and online forms

You can access a range of candidature online forms via QUT Virtual > Services tab > Postgraduate Research, or on the Research forms page. These forms include:

  • requests for leave of absence (online)
  • change of thesis title (online)
  • change of supervision (paper)
  • change of enrolment status (paper)
  • extension to various milestone dates (online)
  • confirmation processing (online)
  • the Annual Progress Report (online).

PORTIA

We recommend that you become familiar with PORTIA (Postgraduate Research Training Information Assistant). PORTIA provides students, supervisors and staff with access to research candidature information. Data is drawn from the Research Master database. You can view current milestone dates and access a timeline planning system to schedule key events in PORTIA. Students and supervisors are encouraged to use the system to record meetings or share notes and ideas. Log-in is via QUT Virtual and only the first 10 letters of the QUT Virtual password are required.

Employment

If you're a full-time, higher-degree research student you may undertake limited employment only.

If you're a scholarship holder you must consult the rules and conditions of whatever scholarship you receive.

If you hold an Australian Postgraduate Award or a QUT Postgraduate Research Award the scholarship may be terminated if you don't:

  • commit at least 30 hours per week to study, averaged over each year of the scholarship
  • show satisfactory study progress at all times.

If you're an international student, you also have restrictions placed on employment through your entry visa to Australia.

Training and workshops

We offer workshops and programs to help you with study challenges, including specialist language development programs for international research students. Other workshops aim to develop independent research practice.

Most workshops are free and cover many aspects of research study, including:

  • time management
  • managing stress
  • project management
  • critical analysis (both qualitative and quantitative)
  • managing key QUT research milestones, for example Stage 2 and literature review
  • supervisory relationships
  • networking with other higher degree research students.

We schedule workshops each semester, in a variety of areas.

Research students training resources


Study management


Counselling services workshops

Workshops and programs

Intellectual property and copyright

The term intellectual property (IP) is used to describe a broad range of creations, including:

  • patentable inventions and processes
  • registrable designs and trademarks
  • computer programs
  • confidential information and 'know-how'
  • literary and artistic works subject to copyright.

Additionally, we sometimes request that students assign certain intellectual property to QUT. As a general rule, we own intellectual property developed by our staff. The Office of Commercial Services acts as our agent in intellectual property dealings. Our intellectual property policy may be found in the Manual of Policies and Procedures (MOPP), Section D/3.1.

Under the provisions of the Commonwealth Copyright Act, certain exclusive rights are conferred upon the copyright owner of a work. These rights are essentially exclusive rights of:

  • reproduction
  • publication
  • performance of material comprised in the work.

It may be an infringement of copyright if you incorporate an original work in which copyright subsists, or part of it, in your thesis.

QUT copyright guide

Plagiarism

All universities take plagiarism very seriously, and students can expect to be disciplined if it occurs.

Plagiarism involves representing another person's ideas or work as your own. It may include resubmitting your own work for another assessment item.

Common forms of plagiarism include:

  • direct copying, summarising, or paraphrasing of another person's work without appropriate acknowledgement of the sources.
  • using or developing an idea or hypothesis from another person's work without appropriate acknowledgement.
  • representing the work of another person as your own work.
  • copying and presenting as your own work, non-word based materials such as:
    • diagrams
    • musical scores
    • audiovisual materials
    • art works
    • plans.
  • using another person's experimental results as your own, or without appropriate acknowledgment.

The Research Students Centre is developing anti-plagiarism software for students who are writing a thesis. This software is based on the existing "Safe Assign" tool. We hope that the new program will be available mid-2012. If you are a higher-degree research student enrolled in QUTBS, we will notify you when this software is available.

Grievances and personal matters

Problems sometimes arise for students and supervisors of a research degree. Many problems can be prevented if students and supervisors meet regularly and discuss:

  • their expectations of the academic relationship
  • any personal and professional difficulties.

The first port of call in resolving difficulties is always the supervisory team.

Other sources of assistance that can be useful are:

For problems that require formal resolutions, we refer you to the grievance procedures in the Manual of Policies and Procedures.

Contacts

QUT Business School - Research Support Office

  • Level 7, Z Block, Room Z704
    Gardens Point
    2 George St
    Brisbane QLD 4000
  • Postal address:
    Research Support Office - QUT Business School
    2 George St
    Brisbane QLD 4001