Graduate research students

The Melbourne Education Research Institute (MERI) can advise you on managing your candidature. Explore the most common support areas below, or contact the team for advice.

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

The University provides regular updates on its response to Coronavirus (COVID-19), including information on returning to campus. Visit the Coronavirus (COVID-19) update page for the latest news.

To book a COVIDSafe workspace please contact the MERI Graduate Research team.

Your candidature milestones

As a Graduate Researcher at MGSE, you are required to successfully progress through candidature milestones throughout your enrolment. Although you should initially discuss your milestones with your principal supervisor, details can be found on the Graduate Research Hub and include:

Thesis submission and examination

Within six months of your successful Completion seminar, you are required to submit your thesis for examination. To understand your thesis submission and examination, please refer to the Examination section of the Graduate Research Hub.

Making changes to your enrolment

Sometimes you might need to change your study rate to part-time, take leave from your research, or return to full-time study. You might also be travelling interstate or overseas to conduct research. To do so, you will need to make a change to your enrolment. You can make changes on the Graduate Research Hub, which has guides to support you through these processes. Before doing so, please speak with your principal supervisor, who will be involved in approving these requests.

Course Handbook

The Handbook provides detailed information for your course and you are advised to refer to it regularly. When accessing the Handbook, the correct information will be that which corresponds to the year you were admitted to your course. The 2021 Handbook is available for:

Graduate Researcher-Supervisory Agreement

To help manage expectations and foster a smooth and productive relationship, we encourage Graduate Researchers, their supervisors and the chair of their Advisory Committee to download, discuss, and complete the Graduate Researcher Supervisory Agreement. This agreement will help create a mutual understanding across:

  • Frequency of meetings and preferred means of contact
  • Contact between meetings and cancelling scheduled meetings
  • Attendance and work hours
  • Feedback turnaround times
  • Intellectual property and authorship
  • Research Ethics and integrity
  • Facilities and funding.

Download the Agreement (PDF 383KB)

Contact MERI

If you need further support on your candidature, the first point of contact should always be your supervisor. In circumstances where you need additional support or clarification, please contact the MERI Graduate Research team. You will also have access to the MERI Canvas page (University login required). If you do not have access to this page, please email the MERI Graduate Research team for an invitation.

The Melbourne Education Research Institute (MERI) does not provide direct support for your research and thesis writing, however, you can connect with relevant University services below.

Library

Library support for Graduate Researchers includes a wide range of services, including dedicated Education Library Liaisons. Support also includes:

Academic Skills

Academic Skills can provide you with support in multiple areas and formats. These can be online, as part of a workshop, or one-on-one advice. Although a range of resources are offered, those specific to Graduate Researchers are also available.

Ethics

Ethics support is delivered by the Office of Research Ethics and Integrity. It is a good idea to initially discuss ethics with your principal supervisor for guidance on issues relevant to your research project.

Preparing your thesis

Writing a thesis is a significant undertaking. While your supervisor will be able to offer advice, the Graduate Research Hub also provides extensive details on all aspects of writing your thesis and avoiding plagiarism.

Thesis with publication

If you intend to complete your thesis as a thesis with publication, please discuss this first with your principal supervisor. They will be best placed to discuss its structure and advise you on the expectations for a successful thesis in this format. You can find more information on general guidelines for theses with publication on the Graduate Research Hub.

iThenticate

iThenticate is a software system that detects possible instances of plagiarism. You can use it to check the originality of your writing throughout your candidature, as well as when submitting any articles for publication in journals or at conferences. When submitting your thesis for examination, you will need to generate an iThenticate Similarity Report, which your supervisor then approves. For more information, visit iThenticate on the Research Gateway . You can also access a range of iThenticate resources on the iThenticate module of the MERI Canvas page (University login required).

MGSE research support

MGSE can help you with specific research support, including:

  • Funding for your research, including conferences, fieldwork, and statistical assistance
  • Access to University software licences, such as NVIVO
  • Access to workstations on campus
  • Travel and Study Away approval procedures.

To access the Resource Guidelines that detail the conditions of the support listed above, please email the MERI Graduate Research team for more information.

If you are seeking information regarding Financial Aid, please note this is delivered by the University’s Student Services team, which is external to MGSE.

University research services

The University hosts various research support services available to Graduate Researchers. Those frequently used by those at MGSE include:

Before contacting a service, please discuss with your supervisor how to maximise the support on offer.