A dissertation supervisor guides a student throughout the dissertation assessment journey. He tells the nature of dissertation inquiry and the standards to be expected from students.
UKCGE has presented an estimation that, on average, a supervisor supervises five doctorate candidates. So, there are 110,675 doctoral candidates enrolled in UK universities in 2021. Consequently, there are 22,135 principal research supervisors in the UK.
So, when several students intend to perform research activities, the journey can’t be successful without the assistance of a supervisor. That is why it must be understood how fair a supervisor can be for research students. The guide below elaborates on the role of a supervisor in your research journey.
What Is a Dissertation Supervisor For?
Many students wonder what a supervised dissertation is, especially in 6 semesters. It is because, in the 7th semester, they will come in research years after completing their coursework. A dissertation supervisor is helpful for research students in their research activities and then compiling it in thesis form. They assist in the journey, from selecting the topic to planning, data collection and experimentation.
Remember that a supervisor is only helpful in the task execution. Completing your project involves literature study, data collection, analysis, writing, etc.; writing a dissertation is one of the crucial steps of this journey. Most students do not have essential academic writing skills, and they acquire online dissertation help from expert writers. This way, the writing process goes flawlessly, and they can better focus on other domestic and academic tasks.
What Are The 5 Roles of A Research Supervisor?
Supervising dissertation students can be a daunting task. Countless responsibilities surround a whole year and even three years during a PhD. Further, the more the supervisor is honest in his duty, the more likely the research student will perform well. So, there are some key responsibilities that supervisors must bear. The results would make a successful dissertation that ultimately grants honour to the supervisor.
1. Induction
A dissertation supervisor must know the academic background of the student in detail. This way, he or she can highlight the area of interest where further research can be conducted. They should advise the student in choosing the best topic for their dissertations.
Other than that, they must ensure students that they properly understand the subject chosen for research. So, their research will go smoothly without any hindrance in the supervision of an expert.
2. Supervision
A supervisor ensures that all the research activities, from data collection to experimentation and its compilation in this document, will be accomplished within the tuition fee. For this purpose, they must guide the student accordingly.
In discussion with the student, a dissertation supervisor should discuss the satisfactory timetable for the research. However, students and the supervisor must agree to deal with urgent problems, such as emails, calls, or urgent meetings.
3. Academic Progress
A dissertation supervisor ensures that students comprehend the set standards. As a result, they must suggest remedial action or training as appropriate. They will monitor your academic progress and comply with all the department requirements concerning progress and final submission.
4. The Final Stages
Before submitting your final dissertation, the supervisor needs to read it thoroughly. This way, they can provide feedback to make necessary edits to it. They must ensure that students understand the submission process and should help with oral examinations by taking mock tests. If a student asks to resubmit his thesis, it’s the supervisor’s responsibility to guide him unless the final submission is made.
5. Paper Publication
The supervisor’s duty does not end after this submission to the departmental authorities. It must accompany the paper publication. The whole process of selecting journals to obtain their permission for paper publication will be done under the supervision of the dissertation supervisor. For this purpose, you should first email the dissertation sample to the supervisor to decide on further proceedings.
Does Your Supervisor Mark Your Dissertation?
When a research student performs his research activities or writes a dissertation, a rising concern is who will mark his dissertation for final grades. Two supervisors independently mark a dissertation. One is your supervisor, and the other one is the external supervisor.
The University of Cambridge says dissertation supervisor must tell their students they will not mark their thesis. All will be done independently by the external examiners. So don’t expect any favour from me rather work on producing a masterpiece that is enough on its own.
How to Become a Dissertation Supervisor?
Are you wondering what kind of expertise is expected from a dissertation supervisor? A supervisor must be an expert in the area of interest under study. In some dissertation projects, there is a need for particular expertise to supervise multi-disciplinary and cross-sectoral research. Students get enough support from their supervisors regarding funding, fee waiving, data collection, experimentation, and career planning.
Questions To Ask from the Dissertation Supervisor
Once you submit your synopsis to the department and it is approved, you are overwhelmed by the number of queries to be asked from your dissertation supervisor. Students who have never gone through the research process and are starting from scratch worry about losing the confidence to perform it. Instead, you should frequently meet with your supervisor to ask certain questions.
According to the University of Ottawa, some of the most frequently asked questions from supervisors include,
- Is the thesis topic exciting and valuable?
- Are the available laboratory infrastructure and facilities enough to perform experimentation?
- How can you fund your research activities?
- How often should students meet the dissertation supervisor?
- How much time does the professor need to provide feedback?
Conclusion
The dissertation supervisor’s role in assisting students’ research activities is undeniable. All must be done under his supervision, from topic selection to the final submission. The story does not end here; the publication of a paper in the journal afterwards also needs your supervisor to come to the front end in handling the process. So, don’t expect your dissertation journey to proceed successfully without your supervisor’s assistance.
The role of a supervisor is important, but remember some aspects truly need to be handled by the student. Most importantly, it includes your dissertation writing process. Even your supervisor can look at the overall structure, but small writing details must be addressed independently. For that purpose, you can avail of dissertation writing services from the experts of The Academic Papers UK to get a perfect paper. You can also see their previously written sample to ensure your dissertation will not go into the hands of any inexperienced writer.
