Please see the Guidance Notes for Graduate Students

The University is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and expects its students to maintain these standards in their research.

The University's policy on Conflicts of Interest, Data Management, Health and Safety, Human Subjects Research, Intellectual Property, Mentoring, Peer Review, Publications and Authorship, Research involving Animals, Research Misconduct and Training are given on its Research Integrity webpages.

The University's Academic Integrity in Research: Code of Practice and Procedure describes the procedure for dealing with misconduct due to fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, or deception in proposing, carrying out, or reporting results of research, and deliberate, dangerous or negligent deviations from accepted practice in carrying out research.
Graduate students should be familiar with University's policy on plagiarism and citation, and new students are required to complete the online course Good practice in citation and the avoidance of plagiarism (accesible via Weblearn) before they are given access to the University network. Members of the University have a responsibility to report incidents of misconduct and allegations will be investigated in strictest confidence.

Academic misconduct is unethical; it devalues your research, the work of your colleagues and your institution.

Problems and advice:

Graduates who have personal, academic or administrative problems and who are uncertain of the proper way to resolve these problems have several possible courses of action open to them. It is usually best to talk to your supervisor first and to the Departmental Graduate Tutor for administrative help. Financial problems are often best taken to colleges.

People and organisations to which you can turn for support are:

• Your Supervisor, who can consult the appropriate authorities on their behalf.
• The Departmental Graduate Tutor, Professor Nigel Emptage
• In your College, you can consult the Senior Tutor, Tutor for Graduates or their own College Advisor.

The Graduate Studies Office in the University Offices is a source of advice on forms, deadlines and other advice on the degree process. The Education Committee has oversight of all matters relating to the education of students with in the University.

The Student Counselling Service at 11 Wellington Square acts in strict confidence and is experienced in helping students with a wide variety of physical and psychological disabilities relating to academic work. Other useful sources of support are listed on the Health and Welfare pages of the University website.

Details on how to make complaints in relation to your degree are available on the Complaints Procedure of the University website.

Harassment and bullying:

Harassment or Bullying are unacceptable forms of behaviour and the University is committed to protecting individuals from any form of harassment or bullying that might prevent them from pursuing their work or studies or from proper use of University facilities.

The University Code of Practice on Harassment includes bullying, frequently asked questions and advice on what to do about harassment. Complaints of harassment will be taken seriously and may lead to disciplinary proceedings.

Students may contact the Departmental harassment officers: Professor Fran Platt and Professor Nigel Emptage.

Training and skills:

There are many teaching and learning opportunities for Students in the University, and the research councils recommend that Graduate Research Students should spend 10 days a year on graduate skills training and attend at least 50 seminars. Courses are listed on the Medical Science Skills Programme website.

Some training and skills form a compulsory part of the course, whilst others are tailored individually. Your Supervisor will advise you on your training programme. Documentation of training in skills and training is required at the Transfer of Status and Confirmation of Status, though this is not currently part of the formal assessment.

Students are encouraged to keep a logbook of training, alongside seminars and other meetings they have attended. They should record progress in training in their termly reports, which they can access via the Graduate Supervision System (GSS) using their university single user login.

The University expects its Graduates to develop skills in the following areas.

• Research Skills and Techniques: an advanced knowledge of your field, critical analysis, the ability to recognise and validate problems, the development of hypotheses and concepts.
• Research Environment: an awareness of context, rights and data protection, good practice, health and safety, funding and exploitation.
• Research Management: understand project management, the use of information and other resources, and the use of information technology.
• Personal Effectiveness: willingness to learn and acquire knowledge, creativity, innovation, self-awareness, self-discipline, motivation, thoroughness, recognition of boundaries and appropriate use of support, initiative and self-reliance.
• Communication Skills: contribution to public understanding, support of others, defend results in public arena and viva, write clearly and appropriately.
• Networking and Team Building: develop co-operative networks and good working relationships, understand the impact of our own behaviour, listen, give and receive feedback.
• Career Management: Understand the need and show continued professional development, take ownership of career, transfer skills, present skills effectively.

The University has created a web based personal skills development tool for its members, called ASPIRE which is accessed through the Weblearn site. 

The University Language Centre on the Woodstock Road provides excellent teaching in foreign languages. The University Computing Service on the Banbury Road supplies equally well recommended courses in the IT centre, as well as software on licence to University Students and Staff (you will need to show your University Card).

Annual Leave:

DPhil students receive an annual leave entitlement of 38 days (inclusive of public holidays and closure days). All students should check the dates of their annual leave with their supervisors and a holiday form must be completed. Additional leave due to bereavement or medical reasons may be agreed at the discretion of your supervisor and department.