Research Policy

Research Policy

Revised: October 2012 

Research proposals and ethical clearance forms

Research proposals at the Honours, Masters in Clinical/Counselling Psychology, Masters-by-thesis and Doctoral levels should follow the format provided in Edwards (2004), Guidelines for Writing a Research Proposal (2^nd ed.).

Proposals for all Masters-and Doctoral research as well as staff research will be vetted by the internal Departmental committee, the Research Projects and Ethics Review Committee (RPERC), at dates set by the committee and indicated in the document, Information for students about meetings and procedures, for the year in question. Masters and Doctorate proposals will then go forward to the appropriate faculty research committee, the Humanities Higher Degrees Committee (HHDC) or Commerce Higher Degrees Committee, for final approval.

In some cases, additional approval from the Rhodes University Ethical Standards Committee will be required. As stated in the University’s ethics policy, the RPERC will refer ethics protocols to the University's Ethical Standards Committee where:

1.  the project supervisor is unable to agree to the alterations suggested by the Department Human Subjects Committee, and where the project supervisor wishes the decision of that Committee to be reviewed;
2. a minority of the Committee wishes to register dissent from the approval of a protocol given by that Committee.
3. the project involves an application for funding to an external research sponsor or to grant programmes administered by the University, and where human subjects will participate;
4. the project involves an application to an institution or organization to use its members, who are legal minors, as human subjects.

Honours students’ research proposals will be vetted by two staff members in April/May of each year. Should there be a discrepancy between the recommendations of the two assessors, a meeting to resolve the issue will be set up by the Honours Research Coordinator.

Each proposal must be accompanied by an ethics form, the Ethical Standards Research Protocol, and several other documents specified in the aforementioned Information document. In the case of Masters and Doctoral students, the Ethical Standards Research Protocol will be considered by the RPERC at the meeting in which the research proposal serves. In the case of Honours students the Ethical Standards Research Protocols of all students will be vetted by a special subcommittee of the RPERC. The RPERC will issue ethical clearance letters which should be appended to final research project/theses.

Research reports for Honours programme

Research reports follow the format indicated in the Psychology Honours course booklet for the year in question.

Selection of Research for Master-by-thesis and PhD students

Masters-by-thesis and Doctorate students will be approved in two ways:

1) Students approaching the Psychology Department independently will be asked to submit the standard Master’s or doctoral application form together with an academic record and a 3-5 page research project outline (following the structure of a research proposal) in which they outline their research interests and how they envisage conducting the research, together with an academic record. This will be vetted by the RPERC who will decide whether the candidate has the academic potential to complete a thesis and whether the Department has expertise in the relevant area to provide supervision. People with less than 70% for their Honours degree (and less than 70% for their research projects) will not normally be admitted to a Masters-by-thesis degree. An equivalent performance is expected for the Master’s degree for those applying for Doctorate registration. If the Department does not have the requisite expertise, the candidate will be referred elsewhere either within Rhodes University or to another university. Successful students must, once registered, then submit a research proposal to the RPERC, as indicated in the section on research proposals above, within the first year of registration. The proposal is evaluated according to the criteria indicated in the Research Proposal Evaluation form.

2) Students may apply to join a staff member’s research project/s when these positions are advertised. The same procedures as above will normally apply except that the staff member’s recommendation will carry substantial weight in the RPERC’s decision. This does not, however, mean that the RPERC will simply endorse a staff member’s recommendation. The topic of the thesis must be approved by Senate.

Supervision

Supervisors will be allocated to students in the following way:

1) For Honours, staff members will present specified research projects to students at the appropriate time. Each staff member will take on the number of students allocated to them in the workload allocations discussed at the yearly planning meetings. Students will indicate their first and second choice of research project to the Honours Research Co-ordinator. Staff will also be given the opportunity to motivate for supervising particular students who have chosen to work within their research projects or interests. The final allocation of supervisors will rest with a committee consisting of the Honours Course Co-ordinator, Honours Research Co-ordinator, and the overall Postgraduate Research Programme Co-ordinator.

2) For Masters in Clinical or Counselling Psychology students, the academic coordinator will send a list of a number of small-scale research projects with linked supervisors prior to the start of the course. Students who are interested in any of these projects will be encouraged to contact the named supervisors directly. Otherwise students are free to approach other staff members to discuss possible projects. If the staff member is willing to supervise the project, then this person would normally be appointed as supervisor. However, there may be instances where another staff member is better suited to a particular topic, the staff member requested as supervisor already has his/her full load of supervision, or the required expertise is unavailable in the Department. The student will be advised of the outcome by the RPERC.    

3) For Masters-by-thesis and Doctorate students who approach the Psychology Department independently, the student will indicate with whom they wish to study. In most cases, where the application is successful and the potential supervisor indicates interest, this will be granted. However, there may be instances where another staff member is better suited to a particular topic, the staff member requested as supervisor already has his/her full load of supervision, or the required expertise is unavailable in the Department. The student will be advised of the outcome by the RPERC.

4) For Masters-by-thesis and Doctorate students who are working on a staff member’s research project, this staff member will usually be the supervisor. The Postgraduate Research Programme Co-ordinator and, specific to the student, the supervisor, will provide staggered deadlines for students during the year. Students can usually expect feedback on their work within two weeks of submitting material. However, if students fail to meet agreed upon deadlines, feedback may take longer. The last hand-in date for research material is 15 November. If students hand in material after this date, they can expect feedback the following year. The responsibilities of the student and supervisor are indicated in the Higher Degrees Guide: A short handbook for Master’s and Doctoral students at Rhodes University. Students are required – by the Psychology Department and Rhodes University – to have carefully read the latest version of this booklet.

Masters-by-thesis research skills workshops

It is compulsory for Masters-by-thesis students to attend all the research skills workshops in the Psychology Department during their first year of registration for this degree.

Research Presentations

Doctorate, Masters-by-thesis, and Honours students are expected to present their work during the period of their registration. Honours students attend and present at a postgraduate conference held in October. Masters-by-thesis and Doctorate students are expected to present at least once (at this conference) during the course of their registration.

Progress reports and deliverables

Masters-by-thesis and Doctorate students, and their supervisors, will submit a countersigned Degree Progress Report form to the Postgraduate Research Programme Co-ordinator by the end of November of each year of registration.

The Department has developed a set of deliverables that it expects of Masters-by-thesis and Doctorate students, depending on whether they are full-time or part-time students (see document on departmental web-site).

For example, it is expected that a research proposal is approved by the RPERC and the HHDC in the first year of registration. Students who are not managing to meet these deliverables may be deregistered from the programme. At the end of each year students and supervisors will be asked to detail what deliverables the student has produced during the year. A recommendation for the continuation of study, for a conditional continuation or for deregistration should be made. In case of a conditional continuation of registration, particular conditions will be laid out to the student. In the case of deregistration the student may be allowed to make a representation to the Postgraduate Research Programme Co-ordinator for a review of the decision. This should be in writing and should contain substantive reasons for the lack of progress. How these obstacles will be overcome in future should also be outlined. This application will be considered by the Postgraduate Research Programme Co-ordinator, the supervisor, the HOD and one other staff member. A student has recourse to appeal against a deregistration decision with the Dean of Humanities.

Masters in Clinical or Counselling students will not be able to register with the HPCSA after the completion of their internships without having completed their research projects. HPCSA guidelines state that students will be given a maximum period of one year after the completion of the internship to complete their projects. Students who do not meet this deadline will be required to complete a further period of internship.  

Evaluation

Details regarding the examination of Masters-by-thesis and Doctorate theses are indicated in the Higher Degrees Guide: A short handbook for Master’s and Doctoral students at Rhodes University. The last date for submission of theses for graduation in the following year in question is specified in the Rhodes University Calendar. Examination procedures for Clinical and Counselling Masters research reports are the same as those of the masters-by-thesis and are indicated in the relevant course booklet. Honours research project examination details are indicated in the Psychology Honours course booklet for the year in question.