This section highlights a range of local and global supports for graduate supervisors and students, recognizing that successful supervision is a shared and evolving process. The curated resources have been gathered from universities, research institutions, and academic organizations around the world to offer guidance to promote inclusive practices, foster meaningful dialogue, and strengthen the supervisory relationship. Whether you are navigating expectations, addressing challenges, or planning for future goals, these tools are designed to enrich the supervision experience at every stage.
Introduction to Supervision
Roles and Responsibilities of a Graduate Supervisor
- Read the Starting Supervision (.pdf) checklist from the University College Dublin with questions supervisors can ask themselves to ensure readiness.
- Read the YorkU Characteristics of Effective Supervision (.pdf). One way to reflect on your effectiveness as a graduate supervisor is to assess the characteristics and practices associated with effective supervision. This resource can be used as a starting point for you to explore areas to develop along with areas to leverage.
- Visit the University of Ottawa's Guide to Best Practices, Roles and Responsibilities for best practices and useful resources related to supervisory relationships at the graduate level.
Policies, Principles and Guidelines
- Read the Australian Graduate Research Good Practice Principles (.pdf) from the Australian Council of Graduate Research Inc.
- Visit Carleton University for the Graduate Supervision Responsibilities and Expectations Policy.
- Read The UBC Guide (.pdf) for the Principles of Excellent Graduate Supervision that outlines seven flexible, interrelated and research-informed principles that characterize high-quality graduate student supervision.
Setting Expectations
- Read Expectations in Supervision (.pdf) from the University of Oxford. A document to read statements and then estimate your position in each.
- Read Graduate Supervision Form: Discussion Points (.pdf) for a healthy working relationship between students and thesis directors from the University of Ottawa.
Communication Resources
- Read the Compassionate Communication Toolkit (.pdf) from McMaster Okanagan Mental Health and Well-being Task Force. This Toolkit has been developed to support staff, faculty and student leaders who want to learn more or be reminded about how to communicate effectively and compassionately, with mental health and well-being and psychological health and safety in mind. It builds on best practices and evidence and incorporates suggestions from faculty, staff and students.
- Read Navigating Activating Conversations in the Classroom (.pdf) from Western University. We want students to stay engaged when conversations are activating or triggering because this can be an important opportunity to learn how to self-regulate.
- Read Supervision Conversation Starters (.pdf) from Ontario Tech University.
Academic Support Resources
- Read Proofreading Tips (.pdf). It can be difficult to see the mistakes in work – we are familiar with it and know what’s coming next. Students can try to disrupt that familiarity.
- Read Reverse Outline (.pdf). Once a student has completed a draft of an assignment, or a section of it, they can make an outline or skeleton to help revise and restructure the text. The reverse outline technique helps students to stand back and think about how parts of a text are related.
- Read Testing Your Text (.pdf). Students can check the flow of an argument or line of reasoning. They can test pieces of text by evaluating them against set criteria or asking themselves a set of questions. Testing can be done for a sentence or two, a paragraph or longer sections.
- Watch Introduction to Graduate Level Writing by Katie Steeves from McMaster University.
Milestones and Goal Setting
- View the Moveable Thesis Planner (.pptx). Share with students this template, with suggested tasks, from iThinkWell to help them plan.
- View the Moveable Thesis Planner (.pptx). Share with students this template with no tasks, from iThinkWell to add their own tasks and help them plan.
Wellbeing
- Read the Well-being Through the Supervisory Process: A Supervisor Guide for Action (.pdf). This guide provides a framework to intentionally consider how the supervisory process impacts the physical, social, and mental well-being of graduate students. From SFU.
Preparing Your Student for Defence
- Read the Think, Check, Submit Checklist for Journals (.pdf) from Think. Check. Submit.org who help researchers identify trusted journals and publishers for their research.
- Read the Think, Check, Submit Checklist for Books and Chapters (.pdf) from Think. Check. Submit.org who help researchers identify trusted journals and publishers for their research.
Postgraduate Supervision
- Read Eleven Practices for Effective Supervision of Postgraduate Supervisors (.pdf) by James, R and Baldwin, G., from the Centre for the Study of Higher Education and the School of Graduate Studies, The University of Melbourne.
- Read Good Practice in Supervision and Mentoring of Postgraduate Students (.pdf) by Chiappetta-Swanson, C and Watt, S., from McMaster University. This guide is a ready reference for effective practice; is about the role of the supervisor and the quality of supervision; and is a tool for building a flourishing postgraduate environment.
Academic Pathways
Career Search
- Visit the Canadian Association of University Teachers for job posting information.
- View the Chronicle of Higher Education career section. It is a source for higher education job listings and a source for getting the inside scoop on the nature of the market in any given year.
- View the Labour Market information on university professors in Canada.
- Read 3 Tips for Organizing your Job Search blog by Dr. Ramon Goings.
- Visit the University Affairs job search page.
Career Resources
- Watch Building Employability micro-workshop videos from the University of Edinburgh.
- Read Finding the Right Post-doc for Career Success by Solvik, T., from IHE (2021).
- Read the Guide to Career Management (.pdf) from the University of Edinburgh. This guide sets out a range of methods for planning and managing your career, no matter which direction you would like to follow.
- Visit ImaginePhD a free online career exploration and planning tool for PhD students and postdoctoral scholars in the humanities and social sciences.
- Visit InterSECT Job Simulations an online platform that allows PhD-level scientists and humanists, regardless of professional stage, to explore future career options.
- Read Navigating the Academic Job Market blog by Dr. Ramon Goings.
- Read Supporting International Graduate Students’ Career Development by Saunders, L., from University Affairs (2023).
Publishing
- Read How to Publish Compelling, Collaboratively Written Journal Articles by Henville, L in University Affairs (2019).
- View How to Get Published. Tips from Sage Publications.
- Visit Elsevier's Researcher Academy to explore free e-learning modules from research preparation to writing to publication.
Non-Academic Pathways
- Visit DocPro where PhD-holders, businesses, doctoral schools and laboratories can view the skills that PhD-holders develop throughout their careers. This tool is the fruit of collaboration between stakeholders in academia and the corporate world and is designed for:
- PhD-holders seeking to build their resumés for a job search or merely to determine their stage of professional development
- Academic advisors (deans of doctoral schools, university officials, career counselors, laboratory directors, etc.) seeking to better prepare PhD candidates and recent PhD graduates for the job market
- Read Careers Beyond Academia (.pdf) from the Institute for Academic Development from The University of Edinburgh.
- Read Careers Beyond Academia Facts & Myths recap post in which Yasmin Dolak-Struss discussed common doubts and challenges for researchers considering leaving academia (2024) and watch the recording.
- Watch Creating CVs for Careers Beyond Academia in the micro-workshop videos from the University of Edinburgh.
- Read the Guide to Career Management (.pdf) from the University of Edinburgh. This guide sets out a range of methods for planning and managing your career, no matter which direction you would like to follow.
- Visit the Introduction to Research Careers Beyond Academia Toolkit from Euraxess Researchers in Motion.
- Read tips for the Non-Academic Job Search (.pdf) from the University of Toronto.