School of Pharmacy Progress Review Guidelines

Before reading the guidelines outlined on this page, ensure you have reviewed all the information about Progress Reviews, including the criteria for each review, and the Higher Degree by Research Candidature Progression Procedure.

How to organise a Progress Review

The following guidelines outline the management and conduct of HDR Progress Reviews in the School of Pharmacy. These guidelines should be used in combination with the Higher Degree by Research Candidature Policy and the Higher Degree by Research Candidature Procedure.

Progress Reviews Snapshot

Progress review requirements
	Confirmation of Candidature (R1)	Progress Review 2 (R2)	Progress Review 3 (R3)
Candidature Documents	Candidate statement Individual Development Plan (IDP) Portfolio of Activity in the form of an academic CV incorporating a summary of development activities	Candidate statement Individual Development Plan (IDP) Portfolio of Activity in the form of an academic CV incorporating a summary of development activities	Candidate statement Individual Development Plan (IDP) Portfolio of Activity in the form of an academic CV incorporating a summary of development activities
Project Documents	Research proposal iThenticate report	Research synopsis Thesis chapter or manuscript if undertaking a thesis with publications iThenticate report	Research synopsis Thesis outline Thesis chapter or manuscript if undertaking a thesis with publications iThenticate report
Oral Presentation	Open 20-30 minutes presentation + 10 minutes questions	Closed 20-30 minutes presentation + 10 minutes questions	Open 30-40 minutes presentation + 10-15 minutes questions
Review Meeting	50 minutes	50 minutes	50 minutes

Note: Documents should be submitted by the census date of the research quarter in which your review is due.

Panel Composition

Your Progress Review Panel (PRP) in the School of Pharmacy will consist of a Chair, who will also review your work, and at least one additional Independent Reviewer.

The Chair should be:

An academic staff member of the School of Pharmacy who is familiar with the research discipline, or in the case of multi-disciplinary projects, is familiar with part of the research discipline represented in the project.
This person is required to chair the progress review oral presentations and meeting.
They must be a member of UQ’s HDR Principal Advisor Registry and must hold a degree of a level equivalent to or greater than the one the thesis is being examined for.
They cannot be a current or former member of the advisory team.
A person who does not meet all the above criteria may be appointed to the role of Chair at the discretion of the Director of HDR.

Note: The Progress Review Chair is usually also nominated as the Chair of Examiners for the examination process. Principal advisors should select members who meet the criteria mentioned above, as well as the UQ Chair requirements, and who are not heavily loaded with chairing duties. Refer the Director of HDR for your school for further guidance.

The Independent Reviewer/s should be:

At least one person who has expertise in the research discipline, or in the case of multi-disciplinary projects, is familiar with part of the research discipline represented in the project.
This person can be affiliated with UQ or external to UQ.
They cannot be a current or former member of the advisory team.
The Chair and the Independent Reviewer cannot be the same person.
They do not need to hold a degree of a level equivalent to or greater than the one the thesis is being examined for, but they must be experts who can provide academic feedback on the project and progress review materials.
It is advisable to have more than one Independent Reviewer for multi-disciplinary projects to ensure that disciplinary expertise covers the entire project.

Note: candidates should ensure that your panel members have received all of the required documents, and have been requested to provide feedback to the Chair regarding these documents prior to the progress review meeting.

Progress Review Meeting/Presentation

If circumstances permit, UQ Pharmacy HDR Progress Review seminars and interviews should preferably be run in dual mode (i.e., in person and online).

Running the Progress Review seminar and interview only online via Zoom should be reserved for when:

UQ guidelines preference online events;
when students are enrolled in remote mode; or
when events at PACE are prevented by government/UQ directives.

Meeting availability

You can use doodle poll to help you find a date and time that suits you, your advisors, and the panel. We recommend scheduling at least 2 hours for this meeting. Do not keep the poll open for too long as people’s availability can change.

Book a room

Students can use UQ Book It to book certain rooms and resources for Reviews 1 and 3 if required (you must log in with your UQ Staff account - guide here).

Various ‘PACE MEETING ROOMS’ are suitable for Review 2 where smaller room capacity is required.

Larger room capacity in the PACE Building for Reviews 1 and 3 include the following ‘UQ LEARNING SPACES’:

0870-5034 - PHARMACY AUSTRALIA CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE, SEMINAR ROOM
0870-5035 - PHARMACY AUSTRALIA CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE, SEMINAR ROOM
0870-5061 - PHARMACY AUSTRALIA CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE, LEARNING THEATRE

Zoom online meeting link

Please create a Zoom link for your meeting (user guide here). Please make the Chair the Alternate Host.

Candidature and Project Document Feedback

Panel members should provide feedback to the Chair on the supplied candidature and project documents prior to the progress review meeting. The Chair will vet this feedback and provide it to the student.

Confidentiality agreement

If a Confidentiality Agreement is required, they are available for in-person (PDF, 96.9 KB) or online (PDF, 106.5 KB) progress review presentations – ensure all panel members sign it before sending any project documents to the panel. If you are unsure if a Confidentiality Agreement is required your Principal Advisor or the Research Partnerships Manager should be able to advise.

Advertise your presentation

QAEHS students should discuss how to advertise their Progress Review 1 and 3 with their Principal Advisor.

As a requirement of Progress Reviews 1 and 3, Pharmacy candidates are required to give an open oral presentation. School of Pharmacy students should email their HLO at least 2 weeks before the Progress Review presentation takes place with the following information:

Progress Review #
Seminar Title
Date
Time
Venue/room (if applicable)
Zoom link
Principal Advisor
Associate Advisor/s
Chair
Independent Reviewer/s

An invitation will be sent to School of Pharmacy academics and HDR students. Where room capacity is limited for audience members, please provide a Zoom link only.

Confirmation of Candidature Review (R1)

Your R1 will include the submission of your candidature and project documents, an open 20 to 30-minute oral presentation and 10 minutes of question time, followed by a 50-minute meeting with the Progress Review Panel.

Oral presentation feedback forms (DOC, 41.5 KB) for R1 are optional. Students should provide it to their panel/advisory team where required.

Research proposal

Research proposal abstract.
A critical review of recent and relevant literature, leading to the research project hypothesis and aims.
Summary of research methodology, resources, research progress to date (this may include preliminary results and discussion), timeline to thesis submission, and at least ONE of the following as applicable to your research (max. 1 page each): research knowledge translation plan (DOCX, 35.3 KB); and/or a research commercialisation plan (DOCX, 24.1 KB); and/or a consumer and community involvement plan (DOCX, 26.6 KB).
References (using a consistent referencing style appropriate for your specific field of research).
Appendices (only if applicable).

You should adhere to the following guidelines. References and appendices are not included in the page limits.

Research proposal components
Components of the research proposal	PhD	MPhil
Research proposal abstract	max. 1 page	max. 1 page
Critical literature review leading to research hypothesis and aims	max. 32 pages	max. 16 pages
Summary of research methodology, resources, research progress to date (this may include preliminary results and discussion), timeline, and a maximum of 1 page each for the research knowledge translation plan; and/or research commercialisation plan; and/or consumer and community involvement plan, as applicable	max. 12 pages	max. 8 pages
Total pages excluding references and appendices	max. 45 pages	max. 25 pages
Document formatting: A4 page size; 1.15 to 1.5 line spacing; 11- or 12-point Arial or Times New Roman font (or equivalent), 2.5 cm margins.

Progress Review 2 (R2)

Your second progress review will include the submission of your candidature and project documents, a closed 20–30-minute oral presentation and 10 minutes of question time, followed by a 50-minute meeting with the Progress Review Panel.

Oral presentation feedback forms (DOC, 41.5 KB) for R2 are optional. Students should provide it to their panel/advisory team where required.

Research synopsis (PhD: max. 12 pages; MPhil: max. 8 pages; excluding references and appendices)

Research project rationale incorporating summary of background literature, hypothesis and aims.
Outline of the thesis structure showing thesis chapter headings.
Updated summary of research methodology, resources, timeline to thesis submission, and at least one of the following as applicable to your research (max. 1 page each): a research knowledge translation plan (DOCX, 35.3 KB); and/or a research commercialisation plan (DOCX, 24.1 KB); and/or a consumer and community involvement plan (DOCX, 26.6 KB).
References (using a consistent referencing style appropriate for your specific field of research).
Appendices (only if applicable).
Document formatting: A4 page size; 1.15 to 1.5 line spacing; 11- or 12-point Arial or Times New Roman font (or equivalent), 2.5 cm margins.

Thesis chapter or manuscript if undertaking a thesis with publications (no page limit)

At least one of the following documents, to demonstrate satisfactory progress:
- A thesis chapter, which may be in draft form and should not be the introductory chapter (literature review) because it was used for confirmation of candidature (R1).
- A manuscript that will be included in your thesis, which may be in draft, submitted, or published form.
- Other, depending on the research area. Please consult the Chair and the DHDR for approval, prior to submitting the document.

Progress Review 3 (R3)

Your third progress review will include the submission of your candidature and project documents, an open 30–40-minute oral presentation and 10-15 minutes of question time, followed by a 50-minute meeting with the review panel.

Oral presentation feedback forms (DOC, 41 KB) for R3 are optional. Students should provide it to their panel/advisory team where required.

Research synopsis (PhD: max. 12 pages; MPhil: max. 8 pages; excluding references and appendices)

Research project rationale incorporating summary of background literature, hypothesis and aims.
Updated summary of research methodology, resources, timeline to thesis submission, and at least one of the following as applicable to your research (max. 1 page each): a research knowledge translation plan (DOCX, 35.3 KB); and/or a research commercialisation plan (DOCX, 24.1 KB); and/or a consumer and community involvement plan (DOCX, 26.6 KB).
References (using a consistent referencing style appropriate for your specific field of research); and
Appendices (only if applicable).
Document formatting: A4 page size; 1.15 to 1.5 line spacing; 11- or 12-point Arial or Times New Roman font (or equivalent), 2.5 cm margins.

Thesis outline (no page limit)

Summary information about the thesis by completing a UQ thesis preliminary pages template, which includes the thesis title and a complete abstract.
Expanded outline of the thesis structure showing thesis chapter headings and subheadings.

Thesis chapter or manuscript if undertaking a thesis with publications (no page limit)

At least one of the following documents, to demonstrate satisfactory progress:
- A thesis chapter, which may be in draft form and should not be: (a) the introductory chapter (literature review) because it was used as evidence for Confirmation of Candidature (R1); or (b) the chapter that was submitted for Progress Review 2.
- A manuscript that will be included in your thesis, which may be in draft, submitted, or published form. It cannot be the same manuscript that was submitted for Progress Review 2.

Information for Panel Members and Advisory Team

Understand what is required during a higher degree by research (HDR) progress review.

View information about the Chair’s role

Learn how to run a progress review

Read about the Chair’s report