School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering 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 Mechanical and Mining Engineering. These guidelines should be used in combination with the Higher Degree by Research Candidature Policy and the Higher Degree by Research Candidature Procedure. Further instructions to help you to arrange your upcoming review are available here.

Progress Reviews Snapshot

Progress review requirements
	Confirmation of Candidature (R1)	Review 2 (R2)	Review 3 (R3)
Candidature Documents	Candidate statement Individual Development Plan (IDP) Summary of Development Activities (DOCX, 31.6 KB)	Candidate statement Individual Development Plan (IDP) Summary of Development Activities (DOCX, 31.6 KB)	Candidate statement Individual Development Plan (IDP) Summary of Development Activities (DOCX, 31.6 KB)
Project Documents	Confirmation report (approx. 40 pages) Research Plan (DOCX, 32.5 KB) iThenticate report	Summary of achievement since confirmation Updated Research Plan (DOCX, 32.5 KB)	Summary of achievement over duration of candidature Draft of thesis manuscript with expectation of at least 3 chapters fully complete
Review Meeting	60 minutes	60 minutes	60 minutes
Oral Presentation	Open seminar to research group/centre 40 minutes presentation + 10 minutes questions	Closed presentation to review committee 10 -15 minutes (as part of 60 minutes review meeting)	Closed presentation to review committee 10 – 15 minutes (as part of review meeting)

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 Mechanical and Mining Engineering will consist of a chair, a reviewer and your advisory team. The chair is typically not part of the research group. The reviewer should have sufficient research domain knowledge to assess the viability of the proposal and the candidate’s progression relative to discipline expectations.

Confirmation of Candidature Review (R1)

Your confirmation of candidature review will include the submission of your candidature and project documents, an open seminar presentation of 40 minutes with 10 minutes of questions, and a 60 minute meeting with the review panel. Where possible, seminar and review meeting should be scheduled on the same day with seminars preceding review meeting. However, seminar presentations might be scheduled as part of a standing seminar series. The review meeting can be scheduled on a later day, but as close as is practicable to the seminar presentation.

The candidature documents will include your candidature statement (submitted online), individual development plan and a 1-2 page summary of activities completed since commencement.

The key document for Review 1 is the Confirmation Report. This document is to be presented in a scholarly style. It should convey: an introduction, motivation and background to the research topic; a critical literature review; statement of thesis objectives; reporting of research achievements to date (ie. Progress on the topic); and needs to describe the research plan for the remainder of the project. The page count should be approximately 40 pages (not including Bibliography and Appendices). MPhil Confirmation Reports of 30 pages are acceptable. PhD Confirmation Reports should not exceed 50 pages.

Written feedback will be provided by your panel after the review meeting. Your chair will also prepare a written report detailing the recommendations of the Progress Review Panel to the Dean, UQ Graduate School.

Progress Review 2 (R2)

Your second progress review will include the submission of your candidature and project documents, a 60 minute meeting with the review panel, which includes a closed oral presentation of 10—15 minutes on the thesis progress and plans.

The candidature documents will include your candidature statement (submitted online), individual development plan and a 1-2 page summary of activities completed since confirmation.

At Review 2, the candidate should bring to the meeting: a short written summary of achievements (1-2 pages), an updated thesis development plan; and any manuscripts (in draft, submitted or accepted) related to their project.

Progress Review 3 (R3)

Your third progress review will include the submission of your candidature and project documents, a 60 minute meeting with the review panel, which includes a closed oral presentation of 10—15 minutes summarising the progress on the project, progress on the thesis manuscript, and the remaining work required towards submission.

The candidature documents will include your candidature statement (submitted online), individual development plan and a 1-2 page summary of activities completed since review 2.

A week in advance of the Review 3 meeting, the candidate should submit a draft of the thesis manuscript to the panel. The candidate should bring to the review meeting a short written summary of the achievements throughout the candidature, and copies of any manuscripts (in draft, submitted or accepted).