Guidelines for external supervisors
This page is for external supervisors of graduate researchers.
What is the role of an external supervisor?
As an external supervisor, you play a crucial role in guiding the intellectual development and training of graduate researchers. It’s a role that puts you in a unique position to introduce specialist knowledge and expertise that will help elevate a graduate researcher’s project. Your expertise may come from your own research or from working within industry, business, the community, not-for-profits or government.
As an external supervisor, you should have the right skills and experience to guide and mentor a graduate researcher in a specific aspect of their project, with an understanding of its unique academic, technical, creative or scientific merit. By collaborating with the rest of the supervisory team – who may have different but complementary areas of expertise – you will help to enrich the graduate researcher’s experience. Together, the supervisory team’s collective knowledge will encourage the best possible research outcomes for the graduate researcher.
Examples of external supervisors
- An academic staff member employed by another academic institution.
- An honorary, emeritus or adjunct appointee at another academic institution.
- A scientist employed by a scientific research organisation.
- A University of Melbourne supervisor whose formal employment or honorary appointment ceases and who continues to supervise their current graduate researchers.
- A retired academic who is active in research and does not hold an honorary appointment.*
- A specialist employed in an industry, business, community, government or non-profit organisation
- A specialist in the creative industry.
- A self-employed person with expertise relevant to the project.
- An Indigenous Elder, community leader or knowledge holder.
* 'Active in research' means that you continue to write, review, or disseminate material related to your research area.
Your influence
As a member of a supervisory team, you play a key role in the graduate researcher’s experience during their candidature. You are there to provide guidance and mentorship and share your research, industry, creative, or technical expertise.
Supervisors should take an active role in helping graduate researchers to develop. This could mean initiating meaningful opportunities and introducing them to new networks. If you are an active researcher, pass on your knowledge about publishing in high-quality journals in your field, co-authorship and responsible research conduct. For creative practitioners, share your knowledge about publishing creative content, co-creation and responsible conduct for practitioners.
If you work outside academia, consider facilitating a graduate research internship. This can help develop the graduate researcher’s research, professional and transferable skills. Help them to understand your industry or community’s concerns and needs so they may consider them within the scope of their research.
For more information about your responsibilities, visit the Graduate Research Hub.
Supervising graduate researchers
Provide specific and detailed feedback, keeping in mind that the graduate researcher may receive conflicting advice from other supervisors. Building trust and fostering a collaborative culture will enable the graduate researcher, and their supervisory team, to openly discuss different views and their impact on the project and candidature timeline.
Refine and adjust your supervision style to fit the needs of the graduate researcher. If you have previously completed a research degree yourself, remember that the style used by your own supervisor when you undertook research training may no longer be appropriate, so consider what each particular graduate researcher, and the context in which they are doing the work, may need.
As a member of the supervisory team, it is important to recognise your limits and seek support or direction from the principal supervisor when necessary. They are your main point of contact with the University, and they will also invite you to progress meetings and to manage the related administration. As an external supervisor, you will usually not have access to administrative systems, staff services or supervisor training.
Joint PhD researchers have a principal supervisor at the University of Melbourne and the partner institution. The principal supervisor at each university manages the administration relating to their institution.
Recognising your contribution
Your contribution to the graduate research project is highly valued; therefore, you are assigned a ‘load’ on their record to acknowledge this. A lower percentage means that your contribution towards the project is limited in scope or time. A higher percentage indicates that your contribution and responsibility towards the success of the project is greater. Before you begin your supervision, you should clarify expectations and discuss your load with the principal supervisor.
Your name will appear on the graduate researcher’s Evidence of Enrolment statements while they are enrolled and their Evidence of Qualification when they have completed their degree.
Behaviour
You are expected to behave with professionalism, ethics and integrity. Always ensure that respect for the graduate researcher underpins your decisions and actions. Remember, you have a significant influence on their wellbeing, conduct, thesis quality and future career direction.
There is an inherent power imbalance between the supervisory team and the graduate researcher because the supervisors are in a position of authority. This can lead to exploitation and inappropriate behaviour. This type of behaviour is unacceptable and does not comply with the University of Melbourne Appropriate Workplace Behaviour Policy MPF1328. You are expected to comply with all University of Melbourne policies that relate to staff, students and visitors.
Issues may arise during supervision, including health, personal, or behavioural matters. These issues should be referred to the committee chair. If you are not sure who the committee chair is, the faculty administrator can find this information for you.
You may also need to declare and manage any conflicts of interest involving the University, supervisory team or graduate researcher. In some cases, conflicts cannot be managed or resolved. For instance, you cannot supervise a graduate researcher if you have a close personal relationship with them or their advisory committee chair.
Approval process
To become an external supervisor, you will need formal approval from the University of Melbourne. The approval process typically commences after you are invited to supervise the graduate researcher. To get the process started, you will need to complete the External Supervisor Agreement. Keep in mind that a new agreement must be completed each time you are appointed to supervise a graduate researcher at the University of Melbourne.
If you are appointed as an external supervisor as part of a jointly awarded PhD, please complete the External Supervisor Record (Joint Award) form so that we can record your details on our student system.
Leaving the University
If are an employee or honorary at the University of Melbourne, and this arrangement finishes but you will continue supervising your current graduate researchers, the University must record you as an external supervisor. You can discuss the next steps with your faculty administrator.
Approval steps for external supervisors
- Complete an External Supervisor Agreement and attach your CV, or an External Supervisor Record (Joint Award) form if applicable.*
- Your employer must endorse your involvement by completing the employer section.**
- The faculty dean or dean’s delegate will review your application.
- After approval, your title, first name, last name, gender, date of birth, address, suburb, state, country and email address are recorded on a limited access section of the University of Melbourne HR database.
- Your name and assigned supervisory load are added to the enrolment record of the graduate researcher that you will supervise.
- The faculty or department invite you to commence supervision.
* If you are an Indigenous Elder or knowledge holder or you are supervising a joint PhD graduate researcher, you do not need to attach a CV.
**If your graduate researcher is enrolling in a joint PhD, you are self-employed, or an Indigenous Elder or knowledge holder you do not need employer approval.
Your personal information is treated in accordance with the University’s Privacy Policy.
Resources
Graduate Research Hub information for graduate researchers
PhD and Masters by research timelines
University of Melbourne Policy Library
Melbourne Policy Library all University of Melbourne policies
Graduate Research Policy MPF1321 see reference to advisory committees in Schedule 1: Advisory Committees and Schedule 2: Supervisory roles and responsibilities
Research Data Management Policy MPF1242
Appropriate Workplace Behaviour Policy MPF1328
Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response Policy MPF1359