A successful graduate experience relies on a collaborative relationship between you and your supervisor. Your academic path is influenced by various factors, including the structure of your program, personal responsibilities, and any professional commitments you may have. By entering into a graduate program, you have made a commitment to devoting the time and energy necessary to engage in research and writing a thesis/dissertation which constitutes a substantial and original contribution to knowledge in a field.
The supervisor has a right to expect from the student ability, initiative and receptivity to feedback. While attending to milestone completion expectations, aspects related to your progress should be flexible and adjusted through regular communication. This timeline helps shape the nature of supervision from how frequently you both meet, the quality of your interactions, and the delivery of and your response to timely, constructive feedback. Timely completion of your degree is in your best interest.
Visit the Faculty of Graduate Studies Graduate Supervision website for more information on Master's Supervision, Doctoral Supervision, Role of the Graduate Program Office, Supervisory Committees, Annual Progress Reports, and Conflict Resolution.
View and complete the Annual Degree Progress Report (pdf). This annual report formally documents a graduate student's academic progression, ongoing supervisory engagement, and fulfillment of program milestones toward degree completion.
It is clearly established that completion rates are enhanced and average completion/withdrawal times reduced if supervisory committees meet regularly (at least annually) with each student, usually in the spring, and carefully evaluate the student’s activities and progress, keeping in mind any delays attributable to disability related circumstances.
A thesis/dissertation supervisory committee shall meet annually with the student, normally in the spring, to carefully evaluate the Annual Degree Progress Report (pdf) submitted by the student and submit a completed copy of the report to the Graduate Program Director after the meeting.
In accordance with program requirements and procedures, students in non-thesis program options may be required to submit a progress report to the Graduate Program Director. Reports to the Graduate Program Director of unsatisfactory progress may require a student to withdraw from a program of studies, or withdraw from the graduate program in which the student is enrolled.
As some programs have their own Annual Degree Progress Report students and supervisors are to consult with the GPD. Otherwise, students and supervisors are asked to read and complete the FGS Annual Degree Progress Report (pdf). This annual report, to be completed each winter term and signed by both graduate student and supervisor, formally documents a graduate student's academic progression, ongoing supervisory engagement, and fulfillment of program milestones toward degree completion.
- View the YorkU Doctoral Dissertation and Defence Timelines (.pdf).
- 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.
Editing
- Proofreading Tips (.pdf). It can be difficult to see the mistakes in work – we are familiar with it and know what’s coming next, so try to disrupt that familiarity.
- 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.
- Testing Your Text (.pdf). Students can check the flow of an argument or line of reasoning. They can test their text by evaluating it against set criteria or asking themselves a set of questions. Testing can be done for a sentence or two, a paragraph or longer sections.
Writing
- View the Advice on Academic Writing resources that cover planning, researching, using sources and revising.
- Visit Reading, Writing and Referencing for information on the writing process, academic style, connecting ideas and feedback assessment.
- Read the Writing Centre Guide for Graduate Student Support. This guide invites graduate students and their supervisors to reflect on the often-unspoken dynamics of academic writing, highlighting how reciprocal, respectful communication practices can foster both scholarly success and developmental integrity.
Videos
- Watch Introduction to Graduate Level Writing with Katie Steeves from McMaster University.
- Watch Learning to Love the Conference Spotlight. Expert advice about graduate and scholarly conferences, presentations skills, stories about how to nail that talk – even when things slip off the rails, and learn strategies for getting that key idea across.
- Watch Navigating the Ethics Approval Journey in Graduate Studies. A discussion on what graduate students need to understand and do as they approach the milestone. Key aspects of the Research Ethics Protocol Form for Graduate Student Theses or Dissertations are demystified with a particular emphasis on working with human participants. Topics include understanding risk assessment, the outlining of goals, objectives, participant criteria and recruitment, proposed methodologies and data analysis.
- Watch Publishing Your Work. A panel of distinguished writers and mentors tackle some of the most common concerns, worries, and questions about academic publishing such as choosing a journal, working with co-authors, finding a scholarly voice, responding to reviewers, predatory journals and how to write for a public audience.
- Watch Starting from Scratch! First Steps in a Major Research Project. The FGS Dean and a panel of experienced experts from across York discuss everything from outlining a proposal, managing data and sources, to sketching early drafts and avoiding disorganization and burnout.
You've made it! You're a graduate student at York University. All around you are thought leaders, support systems and opportunities to grow. Step one is accepting this wonderful opportunity within graduate studies that comes through the process of mentorship, where you embrace the role of a mentee. Mentors are struck with the task of nurturing and cultivating the next generation of faculty, researchers, and industry leaders - people just like you! The 2022 International Summit of the Council of Graduate Studies list the following attributes of successful mentees:
- Recognize agency and personal responsibility for the mentoring process.
- Commit to activity and progress through their program by working with mentors to meet program requirements and achieve development milestones.
- Commit to using practices of self-reflection and personal development.
- Participate in developing shared expectations through IDPs and mentorship contracts.
- Seek out mentors outside the primary mentoring relationships, such as peers, employers, and other faculty.
- Seek out career and professional development resources offered by the program or institution throughout their time as a mentee.
- Be proactive in seeking out available opportunities, not waiting until the end of a program.
Feedback
We constantly exchange feedback, both explicitly through speech and writing, and implicitly through gestures and tone. It is important to distinguish feedback from evaluation: feedback is a formative tool that uses descriptive, constructive, and nonjudgmental language to support growth, while evaluation is summative, judging performance against a standard.
Effective feedback depends on a positive relationship between giver and recipient, creating an environment that supports development and welcomes space for feedback discussions. Ensure there is enough time so that the discussion about feedback is not rushed and everyone can express their ideas.
Feedback is an essential part of the learning process and therefore important that your supervisor points out both positive features as well as areas of improvement, and provides detailed feedback in an organized and timely manner. Getting regular, constructive feedback from supervisors has been shown to be a major factor in students’ satisfaction with the supervisory relationship (Zhao, Golde, & McCormick, 2007, Woolderink et al. 2015).
Receiving Feedback from Your Supervisor
Feedback is a vital piece of your graduate studies journey, so consider feedback as a resource not a judgement.
- It is important to be aware that sometimes your supervisor/committee may provide A LOT of feedback at one time, so read and consider it in small manageable chunks.
- Let things marinate before you respond.
- Your findings may be challenged so think critically about the feedback and adopt a growth mindset (.pdf) so that you can see how it can help guide improvements, prepare you for your defense and improve the overall quality of your work.
- If you are not sure how to take a comment or suggestion, have a discussion with your supervisor to clarify the meaning, the intent of the feedback and do this early on.
Discussion Questions for Feedback Expectations
- "Have I shared, or have we discussed, how I prefer to receive feedback on my work?"
- “I sometimes feel uncertain about how direct I should be in sharing my ideas, as I’m used to a more indirect communication style.” (vice versa)
- “I find written feedback most helpful.”
- Consider how you will ask for and receive feedback (e.g., individual meetings, group meetings, email)?
- Consider how long your supervisor needs to provide feedback after you have asked for it, and how long do they expect you to take to implement the feedback (e.g., by revising a draft)?
- Keep in mind that research has shown that learning is most effective if revisions are made immediately after feedback is received (Brookhart, 2012).
How to Have Efficient and Productive Feedback Meetings
- Use Meeting Notes (.docx) and a Meeting Agenda (.docx).
- Agree on the reason for the feedback meeting, including what problems are relevant and worthwhile discussing (e.g., is the focus on big-picture concepts or technical specifics?).
- Express your level of understand of your supervisor's comments. If something is not clear, ask for more information or clarification or an example.
- Be aware that when a lot of time and effort has been put into your work, it may be tempting to sway the discussion to tweaking what has been done rather than considering other alternatives. This may be observed as dismissing undesired discussion topics, bringing up preferred topics, or defensiveness.
- Remember that the goal of the feedback discussion is to help you learn and produce your best work. The path leading to this goal may not always be the easiest, shortest or most desirable, but will be worth the effort when the goal is achieved.
Self-Assessment
- After completing a piece of writing, for example, reread and reflect on whether you understand everything or if you need to revisit something.
Additional Support
- For graduate students who need additional support and resources to improve their writing, there is the Writing Centre, Learning Commons, the ESL Open Learning Centre, Academic Advising the Multimedia Language Centre and the Glendon Writing Centre.
- Read the Developing Engagement with Feedback Toolkit (DEFT) (.pdf) from the Higher Education Academy written by Dr. Naomi Winstone, University of Surrey and Dr. Robert Nash, Aston University. The DEFT Toolkit (.pdf) was developed to support educators and students to work together in partnership, to overcome some of the key barriers to student engagement with feedback. The resources contained in the toolkit are designed to be flexible, such that an educator can choose different elements that seem most applicable to their students’ discipline area or level of study.
Adapted from Receiving and giving effective feedback. Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of Waterloo and Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, McGill University. This work is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
- Read the FGS Ethics & Proposal Review Process (.pdf). This is a Quick Guide for Students, Faculty & Staff.
- Visit Research Ethics for helpful information for graduate students embarking on research associated with their graduate studies. Information includes: what to review, research involving Indigenous people, how to submit a research proposal and ethics protocol, risk assessment, forms and processes.
- Read the YorkU Guiding the Graduate Students' Research Ethics Process: A Supervisory Checklist (.pdf). This checklist is intended to support graduate supervisors as they guide students through the research proposal milestone and research ethics submission process.
- Watch Scholarly Skills Workshop: Navigating the Ethics Approval Journey in Graduate Studies. Listen to Associate Dean, Academic Dr. Cheryl van Daalen-Smith discussing what grad students need to understand and do as they approach this important milestone. Key aspects of the Research Ethics Protocol Form for Graduate Student Theses or Dissertations were demystified with a particular emphasis on working with human participants.
- View Ph.D. Completion Fund which is support for eligible doctoral students in their final term of full-time study. Information includes eligibility, when to apply, how to apply and allocations.
Supporting the professional development of our graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in a multifaceted way drives the mission of Graduate Studies at York and is key to creating success.
The Graduate & Postdoctoral Professional Skills (GPPS) program is divided into six broad areas to connect you to opportunities and resources that will help you develop your professional plans and goals, and to strategically meet those goals:
- Career Exploration and Planning
- Communication
- Health and Wellness
- Managing Time and Resources
- Research Dissemination
- Teaching
Other units and centres at York also strive to support graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in specific research areas. They offer a variety of workshops, presentations, resources, and opportunities with a focus on a particular community. Professional development resources relevant to specific research area include (note: this list is not exhaustive):
The Individualized Development Plan
Visit the IDP Website at the Faculty of Graduate Studies at YorkU
- Read the Individualized Development Plan (IDP) (.docx) from YorkU. The IDP is a useful tool to help graduate students assess their skills and interests. It helps refine their research and/or professional skills-orientated goals during and nearing the completion of their studies.
- Read the one-page IDP Guide for Supervisors/Faculty Mentors (.pdf). Designed for academic supervisors and other faculty mentors seeking a short overview of graduate professional skills programming and to encourage a productive dialogue with supervisees around career planning and exploration.
- View an example IDP Lesson Plan (.docx) and IDP Worksheets (.docx). This is a 60-75 minute activity designed for instructors to go over a select portion of the IDP with students as part of an appropriate course in the program. It can be used, for example, as a primer for faculty members introducing the IDP to students, in workshops for students, or as a lesson within a seminar course in which you review student success strategies.
- View an example PowerPoint presentation (.pptx). Use the resource to introduce the IDP in a variety of settings, including program orientations, program executive meetings, colloquiums, symposiums and more.