PhD Guide IMR Doctoral School

At the beginning of your PhD project (within 4 weeks), you and your supervisory team must agree on and fill in a “Training and Supervision Plan” (TSP). This document formalises a number of agreements regarding research tasks, the supervision schedule, the types of courses a PhD candidate will be taking, and – in the case of  internal PhD candidates – their teaching duties.

The TSP must be updated every year, based on past developments and the newly developed plans for the year to come. This is done during an annual appraisal interview (jaargesprek, in Dutch) between the PhD candidate and his or her supervisor(s). The TSP template can be downloaded in Hora Finita. Instructions for the Training and Supervision Plan and additional information can be found below. 

Supervision

The PhD candidate’s supervisors supervise the research project and provide feedback, advice and support regarding the candidate’s research and also other tasks – for instance, teaching.

PhD candidates should meet regularly with their supervisors (promotor(s) and/or daily supervisor(s)) in order to discuss their progress in carrying out their research and other tasks, and also in order to agree on the steps to be taken for future research progress.

The supervisor(s) (promotors) should plan an annual appraisal with their PhD candidates; upon the request of the supervisor(s) or the PhD candidate, the daily supervisor(s) can also take part in this meeting. In the annual appraisal, the PhD candidate and their supervisor(s) should review the candidate’s research progress, their research data management, their professional development and performance, as well as the process of supervision (frequency, quality, approach, etc.). New objectives and agreements for the future should be recorded during this meeting.

The TSP serves as a guideline for reviewing research, training, and teaching goals, and making new agreements for the future regarding these issues during the annual appraisal. In the case of internal PhD candidates, a report of the annual appraisal will be sent to the personnel office. The personnel information system also records that the annual appraisal has taken place. The Head of the IMR HR Department may inform the vice dean of research about issues discussed during the annual appraisal if deemed necessary.

The IMR strongly recommends that external PhD candidates have a similar yearly evaluation meeting with their supervisor(s). The procedures involved in the annual appraisal of a joint degree PhD candidate will be discussed on a case by case basis.

Task distribution

Based on a full-time appointment of 1.0 fte, the daily duties of a PhD candidate amount to 1680 hours on an annual basis. All PhD candidates can be involved in carrying out: (a) research, (b) training related to research, and/or (c) teaching. The division of tasks will depend on the conditions of the contract.

Training

PhD candidates have a right to and are encouraged to pursue training in order to improve their skills as academic professionals. The IMR recommends that PhD candidates take 840 hours’ worth of courses during the whole trajectory, predominantly in the first and second year of the PhD trajectory.

The recommended 840 hours’ worth of courses can be:

• Methods courses: addressing quantitative, qualitative, or mixed research methodologies, from issues of research design and philosophies of science, to data collection and analysis.
• Transferrable skills courses: any courses or series of seminars, workshops, or coaching sessions that address skills unrelated to a specific research topic or methodology, and which can also be useful for candidates who go on to pursue a career outside academia (e.g. project management, presentation skills, etc).
• Language courses: academic writing, English courses, and Dutch courses
• Content courses: addressing one or more academic research topics, which can help PhD candidates deepen their understanding of a specific theoretical subject.

Although the IMR recommends a 40%-40%-20% distribution between methods, transferrable skills, and content courses, respectively (thus, 336-336-168 hours each), the precise division may vary depending on the training background of the PhD candidate and the needs of the specific research project.

That being said, determining the distribution of courses that would best fit a PhD candidate’s research topic and skill set will still fall to the PhD candidate and his or her supervisor(s). Thus, PhD candidates can choose to deviate from these recommendations (both the distribution of methods, content, and transferrable skills courses, and following the IMR Training Component), with the provision that they motivate this decision with relevant arguments.

In most cases, PhD candidates will take courses in line with their research project. However, the IMR strongly recommends that PhDs also attend courses that go beyond their specific PhD topic, to enrich their knowledge and skills. For instance, PhD candidates can regularly take part in the IMR’s multidisciplinary research community by attending the seminars and events organized by the IMR Academy.

Three courses/events offered by the IMR Doctoral School are mandatory. You will be invited to these courses. The courses/events are:

1. The IMR PhD Induction Meeting
2. The IMR Research Data Management Workshop (alternative: gROW Course Open Science for PhD candidates)
3. The IMR Research Ethics and Scientific Integrity Course

The IMR also strongly recommends the gROW PhD course Designing a PhD research project.

The IMR further encourages PhD candidates to take seminars, workshops, or coaching sessions that can help them develop their own careers (among which, the Radboud Teaching and Learning Centre’s course offer for improving one’s teaching skills). These can also be added to the Training and Supervision Plan.

All the types of courses mentioned above can be taken at either PhD or Master’s level, from any of the following sources:

• PhD-level courses from the Radboud University’s course offer (the RU gROW PhD Course pool);
• PhD-level courses offered by the Dutch National Research Schools that the IMR is affiliated with;
• PhD-level courses at Dutch or international Summer Schools;
• Master’s-level courses offered in relevant Radboud University Institutes or Faculties;
• PhD- or Master’s-level courses offered by any free massive open online course (MOOC) platforms (provided said courses issue a certificate) .

All PhD candidates can access the PhD-level courses in the RU gROW course pool and Master’s-level courses offered by any of Radboud University’s institutes or faculties free of charge. The courses offered by the Dutch National Research Schools with which the IMR is affiliated are free of charge for internal PhDs; these may be free of charge for IPS and external PhD candidates as well (this will have to be determined on a case-by-case basis). For all other courses, internal PhDs and IPS candidates can use their personal budget (apart from MOOCs). For all the other types of courses, external PhD candidates need to cover the associated fees themselves (apart from MOOCs). If external PhD candidates have been allocated a PhD budget, they can use that for this purpose. Joint degree PhD candidates will follow the guidelines of internal and/or external PhD candidates in this respect; which funding guidelines applies at which point in their PhD trajectory will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Here, more information can be found on PhD Education options.

Teaching

Internal PhD candidates are expected to teach throughout their PhD trajectories as part of their competence development. An internal PhD candidate’s teaching duties amount to a total of 360 hours for the whole four-year PhD trajectory. This does not apply to PhD/lecturers who have a 6-year contract. Their teaching hours are based on the contract with the faculty.

Teaching tasks can be planned in accordance with agreements made between the PhD candidate, their supervisor(s), the chair, and the head of the department. It is recommended that, in the first year of their trajectories, internal PhD candidates dedicate most of their time to research and training.

Internal PhD candidates may also choose to voluntarily take on a considerably larger teaching task per year (starting from the second year), but only with the agreement of their supervisors. External PhD candidates are not expected to teach, nor can they do so without a formal teaching appointment signed with the university.

Internal PhD candidates/junior lecturers with a six-year contract are expected to teach 50% of their time. All these PhD candidates are expected to obtain the University Teaching Qualification (UTQ) during their PhD trajectory. It is, therefore, especially important that a teaching portfolio is created, allowing diverse experience in various teaching skills and formats.

Research Progress Appraisal

The faculty’s appraisal procedure for internal PhD candidates is as follows:

Internal PhD candidates first receive a temporary appointment for one and a half years. Three months before the end of this period, they are informed as to whether or not their contract is extended for the entire duration of the PhD trajectory. A proposal for extending or terminating the appointment is drawn up based on the progress appraisal made by the candidate’s supervisor(s), informed by an assessment of the candidate’s progress by the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC). The dean ultimately decides whether to accept the proposal for extending or terminating the employment contract.

• After 7 months since the start of the PhD candidate’s employment contract, the supervisors and PhD candidate receive a message about the appraisal procedure.
• No later than 9 months after the start of their contract, the PhD candidate should submit a research proposal to the SAC (following the standard IMR PhD research proposal format) and include information about progress of the research project.
• Before 12 months have passed from the start of their contract, the PhD candidate will be invited to present and defend the proposal and research progress to a committee consisting of two members of the SAC, and if desired, other external experts invited by the PhD candidate’s supervisor(s). The supervisor(s) will also be invited to attend the consultation with this committee.
• Before 12 months have passed, the SAC will provide the promotor with written recommendations regarding the PhD candidate’s research progress and quality.
• The SAC’s evaluation can be one of the following:
  • Accepted: implies a positive recommendation for the continuation of the research project;
  • Minor or major concerns: imply that the proposal needs additional work in order to clarify certain issues brought up by the SAC. PhD candidates will have the opportunity to carry out this work over a period of three months. If the proposal addresses these issues appropriately, it will be evaluated as ‘Accepted’;
  • Rejected: implies that the SAC does not have confidence in the PhD candidate’s abilities to successfully finalize their proposed research.
• The verdict will be taken explicitly into account by the promotor when appraising the PhD candidate.
• Before 14 months have passed, the promotor will hold a performance appraisal meeting with the PhD candidate. During this meeting, the promotor will indicate whether they propose to extend or terminate the employment contract, or whether certain conditions must be met.

The faculty’s appraisal procedure for Internal PhD candidates with a six-year contract is as follows:

• After 13 months since the start of the PhD candidate’s employment contract, the supervisors and PhD receive a message about the appraisal procedure.
• No later than 15 months after the start of their contract, the PhD candidate should submit a research proposal to the SAC (following the standard IMR PhD research proposal format) and include information about progress of the research project.
• Before 18 months have passed from the start of their contract, the PhD candidate will be invited to present and defend the proposal and research progress to a committee consisting of two members of the SAC, and if desired, other external experts invited by the PhD candidate’s supervisor(s). The supervisor(s) will also be invited to attend the consultation with this committee.
• Before 18 months have passed, the SAC will provide the promotor with written recommendations regarding the PhD candidate’s research progress and quality.
• The SAC’s evaluation can be one of the following:
  • Accepted: implies a positive recommendation for the continuation of the research project;
  • Minor or major concerns: imply that the proposal needs additional work in order to clarify certain issues brought up by the SAC. PhD candidates will have the opportunity to carry out this work over a period of three months. If the proposal addresses these issues appropriately, it will be evaluated as ‘Accepted’;
  • Rejected: implies that the SAC does not have confidence in the PhD candidate’s abilities to successfully finalize their proposed research.

The faculty’s appraisal procedure for International PhDs with a Scholarship (IPS candidates) is as follows:

• After 7 months since the start of the PhD candidate’s registration with the IMR, the supervisors and PhD candidate receive a message about the appraisal procedure.
• IPS candidates should submit their research proposal and progress report to the SAC no later than 9 months after their formal admittance to the IMR Doctoral School.
• The SAC’s evaluation should be delivered in writing to the PhD candidate’s supervisor(s) no later than 12 months since their formal admittance to the IMR Doctoral School.
• The SAC’s evaluation can be one of the following:
  • Accepted: implies a positive recommendation for the continuation of the research project;
  • Minor or major concerns: imply that the proposal needs additional work in order to clarify certain issues brought up by the SAC. PhD candidates will have the opportunity to carry out this work over a period of three months. If the proposal addresses these issues appropriately, it will be evaluated as ‘Accepted’;
  • Rejected: implies that the SAC does not have confidence in the PhD candidate’s abilities to successfully finalize their proposed research.

The faculty’s appraisal procedure for external PhD candidates is as follows:

• After 13 months since the start of the PhD candidate’s registration with the IMR, the supervisors and PhD candidate receive a Hora Finita message about the appraisal procedure.
• External PhD candidates should submit their research proposal and progress report to the SAC no later than 15 months since their formal admittance to the IMR Doctoral School.
• The SAC’s evaluation should be delivered in writing to the PhD candidate’s supervisor(s) no later than 18 months since their formal admittance to the IMR Doctoral School.
• Before 21 months have passed, the promotor will submit a proposal to Vice-dean of Research regarding the renewal of external PhD candidate’s two-year agreement with the university.
• For the remainder of the external PhD candidate’s trajectory, the decision to renew the formal agreement with the university will be revisited yearly, based on the candidate’s research progress and quality.
• The SAC’s evaluation can be one of the following:
  • Accepted: implies a positive recommendation for the continuation of the research project;
  • Minor or major concerns: imply that the proposal needs additional work in order to clarify certain issues brought up by the SAC. PhD candidates will have the opportunity to carry out this work over a period of three months. If the proposal addresses these issues appropriately, it will be evaluated as ‘Accepted’;
  • Rejected: implies that the SAC does not have confidence in the PhD candidate’s abilities to successfully finalize their proposed research.

In the case of joint degree PhD candidates, the steps and timing of the performance appraisal procedure will be decided on a case by case basis.

For all three categories of PhD candidates, if the supervisor(s) has/have serious reason for terminating the PhD candidate’s formal agreement with the university well in advance of the regular appraisal period, they should directly inform the personnel office. If the termination seems to be necessary, a performance appraisal meeting should take place immediately, in which the supervisor(s) reasons for terminating the agreement should be clearly given. Based on these appraisals, the dean will make the final decision regarding the termination of this agreement, based on recommendations from the vice dean of research and, possibly, the IMR Counsellor for PhD Candidates.

Data Management Plan

In accordance with the RU Doctorate Regulations and IMR RDM policy, IMR PhD candidates who have started after October 2019 have to write a Data Management Plan (DMP) for their PhD project to ensure proper responsible management of research data. The DMP review process is now embedded in Hora Finita. Hora Finita sends out a call to PhD candidates to complete a DMP and request feedback within a month by using the DMP tool. This message is sent out 9 or 15 months after the start of the PhD trajectory, depending on the type of trajectory.

Here, you can find more information on the checkpoint, and, here, you can find more information on the RDM policy and guidelines. The IMR organizes RDM courses for PhD candidates on writing a DMP twice a year. For any questions concerning research data management, please contact the IMR data steward, dr. Francie Manhardt, via rdm [at] fm.ru.nl (rdm[at]fm[dot]ru[dot]nl).

Whom to contact in case of conflicts

In case of conflicts, PhD candidates can request support from (a) the Head of the Doctoral School,  (b) IMR Counsellor for PhD Candidates, (c) the IMR HR Department, or (d) a University’s confidential advisor. Further information pertaining to such matters can be found on the IMR Doctoral School PhD Guide.

The Head of the Doctoral School will attend to the issues raised by the PhD candidate and liaise with the supervisor(s) and other parties (b-d) as appropriate. For issues regarding requests for (additional) funding, clarifications regarding a PhD candidate’s teaching tasks, or any disagreements or conflicts between the PhD candidate and their supervisor(s), the respective head of department is the first person who should be approached for issues that cannot be addressed by a PhD candidate’s supervisor(s).

The IMR Counsellor for PhD candidates is an experienced and well-respected researcher and a successful supervisor who has a well-established network within the faculty. She can offer the PhD candidate the opportunity to speak freely about everything that has to do with obtaining a PhD degree, both positive and negative aspects. When conflicts or problems arise, PhD candidates can ask the IMR PhD Counsellor or the Head of the Doctoral School to act as an intermediary between them and their supervisor(s), or approach the most suitable person to handle and – whenever possible – solve the conflict or problem.

It is important that all data collected or produced during the PhD and other research projects are stored and preserved in a responsible, safe, and accessible way, together with the metadata that are necessary to interpret said data (questionnaires, log books, statistical scripts, transformations, etc.). Here, you can find more information about Research Data Management (RDM) policy at the Institute for Management Research (IMR). There are four general, fixed principles:

1. Writing a data management plan (DMP) is mandatory for externally funded projects as well as PhD candidates who have started their trajectories after October 2019.
2. Necessary security and privacy measures for collecting and storing data should be taken.
3. After the closure of a research project, all data generated at Radboud University should be archived at Radboud University for the long term (minimally ten years, but if relevant longer), including the documentation and metadata necessary for understanding the data.
4. If possible and in line with ethical and legal principles, data intended for the purpose of future reuse, including verification and/or replication, should be made public at the moment of publication of the corresponding book or article at the latest. There can, however, be ethical, legal and/or content-related reasons not to make (part of) the data public.

More information on this policy and research data management as well as practical tips on where to store and archive data can be found here.

Since a DMP is mandatory for each PhD project, PhD candidates will be asked to complete and request feedback on a DMP before 10 months after the start of their PhD trajectory by using the DMP tool. Unless otherwise specified by funders etc., please use the DMP template of the Institute for Management Research, which can be found within the tool. Further completion of the DMP takes place via the DMP tool and email: rdm [at] fm.ru.nl (rdm[at]fm[dot]ru[dot]nl). This includes possible adjustments to the DMP that need to be made. Once the DMP has been approved, PhD candidates and their supervisor(s) receive a message via Hora Finita confirming this.

Furthermore, PhD dissertations are evaluated on proper data management. It is required to write a data management description for PhD theses that are based on research data. This description can be based on the data management plan that has been prepared at the beginning of the PhD project and should address the method of processing, storing, and provisioning of the research data. Here, you can find sample texts subdivided by topics that you need to address in your data management description.

The Doctoral School organizes regular workshops on research data management and writing data management plans for our PhD candidates. You can also learn how to properly store and manage your data by taking Open Science for PhD candidates, a course offered by Radboud University for all internal and formal external PhD candidates.

For any questions regarding research data management don’t hesitate to contact the IMR data steward (rdm [at] fm.ru.nl (rdm[at]fm[dot]ru[dot]nl)).

Control of data

Here, you can find more information on Research Data Management, including information on the control of data.

Agreements on the (co)authorship of papers

To avoid misunderstandings, it is important to document agreements on the (co)authorship of papers at the start of the trajectory. This also pertains to the papers in a paper-based dissertation. In addition, it is important to mention the specific contributions of each author. Below, you can find an example of a text specifying author contribution.

An annual appraisal meeting for PhD candidates is a meeting between the PhD candidate and his or her supervisor (leidinggevende) as parties of equal standing. The meeting is held in order to discuss the PhD candidate’s progress and the role that the supervisor plays in this. Both can benefit from a situation in which the PhD candidate performs well, and both can contribute to the candidate’s performance by continuing to engaging in discussion.

During the meeting, a number of issues can be discussed:

• The PhD candidate’s training and research progress in the past year;
• If relevant, reflections on the PhD candidate’s teaching tasks;
• The PhD candidate’s collaboration with their supervisor(s) and the faculty’s support services;
• The PhD candidate’s work-life balance;
• Career development perspectives;
• Agreements on research, training, and/or teaching tasks for the coming year(s);

For internal PhD candidates, these meetings are obligatory. This is not the case for external PhD candidates, as they are not employed by the faculty; however, the IMR strongly recommends that external PhD candidate also have yearly meetings with their supervisor(s), in order to discuss their research and training progress and make decisions for the comings years.

More information about annual appraisal meetings and the Annual Appraisal Form for PhD candidates can be found here. It needs to be sent to the NSM HR Department (hr.fm [at] ru.nl).

About nine months (for internal candidates) or fifteen months (for external candidates) into your project, the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) will invite you to report on the progress of your PhD project. You will be evaluated based on:

• a project proposal and work plan, and if possible the first research results (a first paper or draft chapter, whether a literature review or preliminary empirical results), all of which you are asked to submit beforehand; and
• your oral report of your progress.

The project proposal should clearly identify and communicate the research problem that is addressed in your PhD project. The proposal should also demonstrate how your research helps deal with the problem, which gap in the relevant academic literature it addresses, and what exactly the research project’s contribution will be. The project proposal should also clearly show your thorough understanding of the literature in the relevant domain(s), by referring correctly to the “classics” and to the most recent articles dealing with the research topic in question. The work plan should establish a time-phased agenda for the PhD project and its sub-projects, identify important milestones, and set deadlines. It should also indicate the journals in which you would ideally like to publish your research.

Not all of the SAC members who will assess the project proposal and plan will be specialists in your research area. The information provided in these documents should, therefore, help them to understand the relevance of the research problem, and show in concrete, convincing terms, that you have chosen the most suitable methods and approach to deal with the research problem. After reading the proposal, a non-specialist should understand the debate(s) in which you are going to participate, what your contribution will be, and that you have an ambitious but realistic plan to carry out your project. Communicating this clearly in a limited number of pages is certainly not an easy task, but the IMR is confident that its PhD candidates will manage to do so.

The SAC will evaluate your progress with one the following labels: accept, minor concerns, major concerns, or reject. ‘Accept’ implies a positive recommendation for the continuation of your project and/or contract. ‘Concerns’ means that the proposal needs additional work in order to clarify certain issues brought up by the SAC – for which you will have the opportunity over a period of 6 weeks (minor concerns) or three months (major concerns). If the proposal addresses these issues appropriately, it will be evaluated as ‘accept’. A ‘reject’ implies that the SAC does not have confidence in your abilities to successfully finish your proposed research. In this case, the SAC would also recommend that you not continue the project after the first 1.5 year term. Although the SAC’s recommendation is not binding, it plays a serious role in the supervisors’ one-year assessment of whether a PhD candidate’s contract – or, in the case of external PhD candidates, their statement of registration – should be extended with a second term or not.

Procedure Evaluation of the Research Proposal by the Scientific Advisory Committee

All IMR PhD candidates are assessed by the Scientific Advisory Committee. The procedure is as follows:

1. Nine or fifteen months into their PhD (depending on the type of PhD trajectory), PhD candidates are asked to submit the design and planning of their dissertation to the Committee in a standard format. For candidates with special circumstances, the time limit can be extended. Candidates who started their project on the basis of an existing proposal that has already been reviewed are also given the opportunity to present the proposal earlier.
2. The PhD candidate presents the proposal to two members of the Committee, in the presence of the supervisors. Sometimes, external experts are invited to participate. The presentation is followed by a short discussion. These sessions usually take 45-60 minutes.
3. On the basis of the presentation and discussion, Committee Members assess the quality and viability of the project in question. This is expressed through a score of:
   -  Accept: No changes are needed, and the project continues as suggested by the proposal.     
   - Minor concerns: There are no doubts about the foundations of the research proposal, but some minor issues need to be addressed. A cover letter outlining a detailed response to the reviewers’ comments has to be submitted within 1.5 months.
   - Major concerns: There are (some) doubts about the foundations of the research proposal. A cover letter outlining a detailed response to the reviewers’ comments has to be submitted within 3 months.
   - Reject: There are doubts about the foundations of the research proposal and its feasibility which are serious enough to advise the research project to discontinue.
4. The assessment is communicated orally to the candidate and the supervisors immediately after the discussion. A written assessment follows within fifteen working days.
5. The results of the assessment are passed on to the supervisors and the Dean, who will take a decision on the continuation of the project.

In practice, this early review of PhD projects offers a good opportunity for feedback and reflection.

Via Hora Finita, the PhD candidate and supervisory team will receive a link to the required forms.

For Internal PhD candidates with a 4-year contract, next to a positive assessment from the Scientific Advisory Committee, a positive Performance Appraisal by the supervisor is needed to extend the employment contract of the candidate. For Internal PhD candidates with a 4-year contract, this is mandatory. For Internal PhD candidates/juniors lecturers with a 6-year contract, this is not mandatory, but highly recommended. Therefore, all internal PhD candidates will receive an invitation for this via Hora Finita. We, therefore, request that the first supervisor (eerste promotor) holds a performance appraisal meeting with the PhD candidate. The Performance Appraisal Form can be downloaded in Hora Finita and needs to be sent to the IMR HR Department (hr.fm [at] ru.nl (hr[dot]fm[at]ru[dot]nl)).

After 18 months or 24 months (depending on the PhD trajectory), PhD Candidates are invited to a meeting with the Doctoral Officer. The purpose of this voluntary meeting is to support PhD Candidates in their PhD trajectory by allowing them to speak freely on their well-being, progress, and relationship with supervisors. The PhD Candidate also has the opportunity to raise any other concerns. The Doctoral Officer provides reflection, feedback, and suggestions. The information discussed is confidential.

After 30 months or 42 months (depending on the PhD trajectory), PhD Candidates are invited to a “Planning the Final Year Meeting” with the Doctoral School. The purpose of this mandatory meeting is to support PhD Candidates in finalizing their manuscript through

• choices that enhance timely completion,
• detailed and realistic planning towards completion,
• and identification of potential issues and discussion how to prevent or mitigate these.

These meetings are led by the Head of Doctoral School and the Doctoral Officer. They provide reflection, feedback, and suggestions to increase timely completion. The PhD Candidate also has the opportunity to raise any other concerns. It is the decision of the PhD Candidate whether they also want to invite members of their supervisory team. If the PhD indicates that they require additional support, the Doctoral School will point them into the right direction (Occupational Health Service, HR, IMR Counsellor for PhD candidates, RU Confidential Advisor, etc. ).

Taking part in the international academic community is an important part of any doctoral training. The IMR strongly encourages its PhD candidates to participate in conferences, seminars and training abroad, and to develop their international network. Being active internationally is rewarding, as it creates opportunities for future cooperation and positions, and has become necessary for those wishing to pursue an academic career. More importantly, meeting scholars working in their field will enable you to develop yourself as independent researchers.

During your PhD project, you will present your work on a regular basis at various national and international conferences. This allows you to attend doctoral workshops, receive feedback on your project and papers from your peers, meet with fellow doctoral students in your domain, and network with internationally renowned researchers. You should try to attend at least one conference per year. To prepare for presentations at these conferences, you are encouraged to enrol in the courses offered by the University’s Human Resources Department to develop your presentation skills.

Later in your training, it is strongly recommended that you try to arrange an extended visit abroad (of a few months). You can either use this stay abroad for conducting fieldwork, or join a research group in another country. PhD candidates can use their own international network or that of their supervisor(s) for help on organising such a visit. The Doctoral Office is also there to offer advice and – if possible – help.

During your PhD project, you will conduct original research that makes a contribution to science and society. In many cases, you will report your research in articles to be published in international peer-reviewed journals. Increasingly, producing a monograph as the result of PhD research is becoming the exception, rather than the rule. Publishing findings in articles during the course of your research not only helps you to receive feedback from independent peers sooner, but also better prepares you for an academic career after graduation. With this in mind, your supervisors will help you to prepare the manuscripts, and select the right journals for your articles.

International conferences are a good opportunity to attend panel sessions on the art and practice of publishing, where editors or associate editors of well-known high quality journals will provide tips and tricks. The Doctoral School also regularly invites experts in a number of relevant academic fields, who can reflect on the process and provide a number of recommendations from their own experience. Beyond this, one of the best ways to prepare articles and to anticipate criticisms from the reviewers is to have them friendly reviewed by colleagues before submitting them “for real”. The IMR PhD Research Day offers a great opportunity for getting a sincere, but friendly, review.

PhD candidates are also encouraged to consider publishing their work in open access journals. Open access is a worldwide movement that aims to provide free, direct online access to scholarly and scientific information such as journal articles, theses, books and research data, and make scholarly publications and data free and available online. In an open access publication, anyone can read, download, copy, distribute and print this information, or look for and search within it, without financial, legal or technical barriers. Many open access journals (about 70%) are now completely free. Most are listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (https://doaj.org/).

The University Library has launched various open access projects to support Radboud researchers and to encourage developments in this area. One of them is the Radboud Repository (http://repository.ubn.ru.nl), which offers academics the opportunity to make the author or publisher version of their article available in Open Access, provided that the publisher agrees and that any agreed upon embargo period has ended. Nevertheless, PhD candidates should always discuss these option with their supervisors, as Open Access journals do not always have the same status as non-Open Access journals.

After you have completed your manuscript and – most importantly – your supervisors have approved it, you can upload the manuscript in Hora Finita. After your first supervisor has accepted your manuscript in Hora Finita, your main supervisor (promotor) can propose a manuscript committee via Hora Finita. Once this manuscript committee has been approved, the committee members can start assessing your manuscript.

This committee consists of an uneven number (at least three) of academic researchers. The committee will decide if the thesis meets the criteria for conferring the doctorate. Within five weeks after receiving the thesis, the reading committee’s chairperson will inform the Dean and your supervisors of the reading committee's decision – either positive or negative. In case of a negative advice, the reading committee will provide structured instructions for improving the manuscript.

Below, you will find an overview of the steps from manuscript to defence.

Steps in the final phase

• The PhD candidate uploads the manuscript in Hora Finita. See here for manual.
• The first supervisor checks whether the manuscript is ready to be submitted to the manuscript committee and carries out a plagiarism check via Hora Finita. See here for manual.
• Subsequently, the first supervisor makes a proposal for the composition of the manuscript committee via Hora Finita. See here for manual.
• The proposal for the composition of the manuscript committee goes through an approval procedure.
• After the members of the manuscript committee have been appointed, they assess the manuscript and are also asked to indicate whether they consider the manuscript worthy of cum laude.
• If the manuscript is deemed potentially cum laude worthy by a majority of the manuscript committee, a separate process starts in which a committee of referees are asked to advise whether the manuscript deserves the designation cum laude.
• If the manuscript has been approved by the manuscript committee, the PhD candidate plans the date for the defence ceremony together with the Registrar's Office. To this end, the PhD candidate receives a message via Hora Finita with contact information. See list below for a detailed overview of the steps involved in planning a defence date.
• Subsequently, the PhD candidate is asked to provide the title page for assessment by the Registrar's Office. See here for manual.
• The first supervisor is asked to make a proposal for the members of the doctoral committee via Hora Finita. See here for manual. Please note that at least one new board member needs to be appointed.

Steps for planning a defence date

• The PhD candidate contacts the Registrar’s Office to explore potential defence dates.
• The PhD candidate and first supervisor explore the dates on which the PhD, manuscript committee members, and the supervisors are available.
• The PhD candidate and Registrar’s Office pick an option for a defence date, which is blocked in the planning of RU PhD defences.
• The PhD candidate confirms this date with the Registrar’s Office.
• The PhD candidate is asked to submit a title page. Upon submitting their title page, the registrar’s reviews it.
• The additional committee members are approached after the defence date has been set, and the doctoral examination board is appointed.

Printing services and reimbursement

Here, you can find more information about the printing of your dissertation and reimbursement of the costs.

Defence

The public defence is a formal ceremony, which takes place in the Aula and follows a strict dress code. The Doctoral Examination Board will be seated in front of you in what is called the corona. After presenting your work in a maximum of 10 minutes, all members of the board (except your supervisor(s)) are required to pose questions; this is the actual defence. One hour after the meeting has formally opened, the Beadle will walk into the hall carrying a large, formal staff, bang the staff on the floor, and announce “Hora est.” (It is time.). This will signal the end of the defence. The examination board will then retreat to deliberate, and, following its deliberation (and assuming all went well), you will ceremoniously be granted the doctoral degree.

The IMR recommends that PhD candidates take a minimum of 840 hours worth of courses, addressing content related topics, methods skills, and transferrable skills. Deciding on a distribution of courses that would best fit your research topic and skill set will still fall to you and your supervisor(s) and is typically addressed when drafting/adjusting your Training and Supervision Plan.

Radboud University gROW PhD Courses

Radboud University offers PhD candidates a wide range of courses, covering scientific skills, research methodology, transferrable skills, personal effectiveness, career development, and coaching.

The IMR covers the costs for these Radboud PhD-specific courses, and all PhD candidates can take part in them free of charge. For more information and registration, consult this webpage.

IMR workshops and events

The Doctoral School organizes workshops and events. You can add (the hours of) some of these workshops and events to your TSP. These are (including the hours):

IMR PhD Induction Meeting

4 hours

IMR Workshop Research Data Management

4 hours

IMR Workshop Research Ethics and Scientific Integrity

11 hours

NSM Library Workshop Efficiently searching for literature in academic databases

4 hours

NSM Library Workshop Conducting and publishing a (systematic) review

5 hours

IMR Workshop SAC PhD Research Proposal and its Defense

1 hour

If you have any suggestions for workshops or events, please contact the phd [at] fm.ru.nl (IMR Doctoral School).

RU and NSM Library Workshops

In addition to the IMR Workshops ‘NSM Library Workshop Efficiently searching for literature in academic databases’ and ‘NSM Library Workshop Conducting and publishing a (systematic) review’ mentioned above, the RU and NSM Libraries offer other courses relevant for PhD candidates. Please consult this webpage for an overview of their courses. See here for their Atlas.ti courses.

IMR Method Clinics

The IMR Method Clinics are monthly informal meetings to discuss the methodological challenges IMR researchers encounter in their research. The clinic takes place in the last week of each month. The IMR Academy sends out a call at the beginning of each month.

The Radboud Summer School and the Summer School in Social Research Methods

The Radboud Summer School is a general event, which offers various courses. Part of this is the Summer School in Social Research Methods, which is a Methods Excellence Network Event hosted by the Nijmegen School of Management.

Language Courses

PhD candidates can take English or Dutch courses free of charge – see here for an overview.

Free writing coaching sessions at the Radboud Writing Lab

The Radboud Writing Lab offers five yearly writing  coaching sessions free of charge. They also organize writing days and weeks.

Research schools

“The IMR is a member of several national and international research schools. PhD candidates in most disciplines within the IMR are also enrolled in these research schools and are encouraged to take courses in light of the skills they need to develop as part of their training programme. Below, you will find a list of the research schools with links to their websites.

• NETHUR (Netherlands Graduate School of Urban and Regional Research)
• NIG (Netherlands Institute of Government)
• NOG (Netherlands Research School of Gender Studies)
• TRAIL (Transport, infrastructure and logistics)
• CERES (Research School for Resource Studies for Development)
• EIASM (European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management) and EDEN (EIASM's Doctoral Education Network)

Radboud University Bachelor's and Master's Courses

You can also request to enroll in Bachelor and Master courses offered at the RU. For an overview of available courses, you can consult the RU course guides.

If you want to take a Master course at our Faculty, NSM, please contact stip [at] fm.ru.nl (stip[at]fm[dot]ru[dot]nl). If you plan to take an official exam for an NSM course, you need to contact NSM STIP well in advance of the exam.

For courses at other faculties, you need to contact that faculty. Please contact the IMR Doctoral Officer via phd [at] fm.ru.nl (phd[at]fm[dot]ru[dot]nl) if you run into problems while trying to enroll in a master course at another faculty.

Overview of additional courses and summer schools

Here, you can find an overview of additional PhD-level courses and summer/winter courses that may be of interest to you.

Internal PhD candidates receive an annual working budget to conduct research, participate in workshops, or travel to conferences. This budget is typically €2000,- per year for 4-year PhD trajectories and €1,333 per year for 6-year PhD trajectories. The faculty’s financial department can assist with an overview of this personal budget (please contact fm.financien [at] fm.ru.nl (fm[dot]financien[at]fm[dot]ru[dot]nl)). Costs for PhD-related activities that take place after the date of leaving employment cannot be reimbursed, even if the claim for these is still submitted during employment.

If you would like to participate in several conferences or training programmes during one year – which sometimes happens during a PhD’s trajectory – , a number of other budgets can also be accessed. Several of these options are also available for external PhD candidates, as outlined below.

The Radboud Internationalization Fund was established by the university’s Executive Board to develop and reinforce the international character of the university and to promote the international mobility of its PhD candidates. Both internal and formal external candidates are strongly advised to always apply for this fund, which provides a fixed contribution for travel and/or accommodation expenses abroad. Currently, this financial contribution is €400,- for travelling within Europe and €700,- for travelling outside Europe. For more information, please visit https://www.ru.nl/phd/practical-information/funding/ or contact the International Office’s dedicated contact person, Ms. Paula Haarhuis.

The Erasmus+ Staff Training programme can be used by PhD candidates to follow training programmes within Europe. Types of programmes include language courses, 1-on-1 job shadowing, attending a Summer or Winter School, or participating in an International Staff Training Week. The programme is mostly meant for relatively longer stays (up to 60 days), and thus cannot be used to attend conferences. More details about the programme and the application procedure can be found on this page. While the programme is predominantly meant for staff development – and thus, mostly targets internal PhDs – external PhD candidates might also be able to make use of this opportunity, depending on the available funding for the year. More details on the matter can be gathered by contacting erasmus [at] ru.nl.

More information on international grant travel opportunities for PhD candidates can be found here (pdf, 4 MB).

External grant options for PhD candidates – both internal and formal external candidates – can be found at http://www.grantfinder.nl/. This database is updated by NUFFIC, the Netherlands Organisation for International Cooperation in Higher Education. The Euraxess portal at http://www.euraxess.nl/ contains additional information on funding.

Moreover, Radboud University has subscribed to Research Professional, a comprehensive online grants database that can be used to search for funding opportunities and receive research news. The database allows users to conduct and save specialised searches by discipline, type of grant, country, etc. The IMR Research Services unit has set up a specialised search for PhD candidates, which can be accessed by visiting www.researchprofessional.com on campus, or by logging into the website (as a guest of the institution or by creating a personal profile) when outside the campus. Training for using this platform is available by participating in online training sessions, which Research Professional arranges for subscribers. For further instructions, you can contact Dr Milena Marchesi or Dr Rudie Trienes, or go to: http://www.researchresearch.com/.

Christine Mohrmann Stipendium

The Christine Mohrmann Stipendium is a research grant introduced by the university’s Executive Board in 1990 and especially targeted towards excellent women PhD candidates. The goal of the Stipendium is to help PhD candidates kick start their academic career after successfully finalizing their PhD research. Candidates awarded the grant – which provides each winning candidate with €3,500,- can use it to finance an extended research stay abroad. Women PhD candidates can apply for the grant in their second or third research year, by submitting a proposal to the SAC which outlines their research project – with a particular focus on its international nature – and the research stay(s) that would be undertaken with the help of the awarded grant (including an estimated budget).

For more details about the Christine Mohrmann Stipendium, please contact Dr Milena Marchesi or Dr Rudie Trienes. In addition, the financial department can provide advice regarding budgeting issues on this and other research proposals. For advice on these matters, please contact Mrs. Suzanne Coppen.

Reimbursement of thesis printing costs

The Radboud University regulations for the reimbursement of thesis printing costs apply to all IMR PhD candidates. A request for reimbursement, to a maximum of €2200,-, must be made within six months after the costs have been incurred. The following documents must be submitted when requesting the reimbursement of thesis printing costs:

• An invoice which shows the thesis printing costs; and
• A statement signed by the Beadle, attesting that he/she has received the required number of copies of the thesis from the candidate.

For more information and the application procedure, please visit: https://www.ru.nl/phd/phd-journey/finishing-your-phd/thesis-printing/.

IMR Doctoral School

If a PhD candidate experiences a problem or conflict with any of their supervisors that cannot be solved between the candidate and the supervisors, the PhD candidate can contact the IMR Doctoral School to address the problem.

Guidance, advice and complaints

Radboud University helps students and staff who need help to successfully complete their studies or work comfortably. Here, you can find an overview of the support that you can make use of.

If a PhD candidate encounters behavior that feels undesirable, they can discuss this with their supervisor and/or one of the RU confidential advisers. Information on the RU confidential advisers can be found here.

Occupational health physician, occupational social worker, and campus psychologist

All IMR PhD candidates can make an appointment with an Occupational Health Physician, Absenteeism Consultant, or Occupational Social Worker. This is always possible, even if you are not ill but want to ask questions regarding your health in relation to your work. For questions and appointments, please contact the Occupational Health & Safety and Environmental Service.

All PhD candidates can also make an appointment with a RU Campus Psychologist.

Although you may have just begun your project, it is not too early to learn about the various possibilities for continuing your career after graduation, at Radboud University and beyond. You may wish to remain in an academic environment, seeking further financing and an academic position. Or you may wish to embark on a new career, using your research experience and expertise – as well the many transferrable skills you have accumulated – to pursue new challenges.

Those wishing to pursue an academic career may consider applying for one of the prestigious grants that are targeted to recent graduates. In the Netherlands, the NWO offers the VENI and the Rubicon grants. The European Union offers the Marie Curie grant scheme to young researchers wishing to gain international work experience. Obtaining one of these competitive grants has almost become a pre-requisite for a successful academic career. It is therefore wise to prepare in advance, and already start to do so at an early stage in your doctoral training. “Preparations” can include publications, research visits, awards, and other achievements that can increase your chances of being eligible.

Thus, discussing such plans with your supervisors early on in your training may be helpful in this respect. Please consult this presentation (pdf, 894 kB) for more information about building an academic profile.

Veni grant 

Rubicon grant

Marie Curie grants 

Academic Transfer is an Internet portal for Master students, PhD candidates, scientists and academic researchers. The portal contains a wide range of job openings at universities, research centres and businesses. Visit this link for more information.

The TRAP network (Temporary Academic Personnel of the Radboud University) organises lectures, seminar/lunches and meetings to promote activities that may benefit your career. For more details, click here.