Researcher development

A postgraduate research degree is awarded by The University of Manchester for research and training. As such the University expects that all doctoral students will undertake a suitable programme of training and development based on both the needs of the researcher and the research topic.

In the first instance these needs should be discussed with the supervisory team during the initial supervisory meeting and concrete objectives set. Students are required to complete a development needs analysis in discussion with their supervisors in order to agree a training and development plan and this can be done using the ‘Researcher Development Form’ in eProg.

Training and development needs will also be discussed and assessed at mid-year and annual review panels. Successful completion of the agreed programme of skills development and training will be a condition of progression between each year of study.

ResearcherDevelopment@Manchester

ResearcherDevelopment@Manchester provides a range of professional, personal an career development training and opportunities to support PGRs at various stages of the studies. Training workshops in the four domains of the Researcher Development Framework (RDF) can be accessed through the PGR Training area of Researcher Development website below. 

Training in methods and research design are determined and conducted at School and discipline levels, as well as through dedicated research methods centres such as methods@manchester and artsmethods@manchester. For specialist research training you may need to take courses within your own or another school or even another faculty.

methods@manchester

Methods@Manchester is a resource that highlights the depth and breadth of methodological expertise in social sciences and humanities at the University of Manchester.

The website contains useful resources both at the University of Manchester and nationwide. Regular methods-related events are held through the year. For more details please see the Methods@Manchester website below or email methods@manchester.ac.uk 

artsmethods@manchester

The artsmethods@manchester programme, launched in October 2011, is a series of talks and workshops focussing on interdisciplinary and methodological expertise in the arts, languages and cultures at the University of Manchester.  For more details please see the artsmethods@manchester website below or email artsmethods@manchester.ac.uk

Methods North West

MethodsNW is a regional hub for research methods innovation, celebrating the collective strength, depth and breadth of methodological expertise across the participating Universities of Manchester, Liverpool, Lancaster and Keele.

MethodsNW brings together social science researchers at all levels and by providing a network for collaborations between staff and research students across all four institutions.

Other relevant information

Professional development for researchers

Researcher Development Framework (RDF)

In 2010 the national Researcher Development organisation Vitae published the Researcher Development Framework (RDF). The RDF is a professional development framework for planning, promoting and supporting the personal, professional and career development of world-class researchers. 

It articulates the knowledge, behaviours and attributes of successful researchers.

It is recommended that researchers familiarise themselves with the Researcher Development Framework at a very early stage in their research programme in order to plan and reflect upon their professional development as a researcher. All workshops in the Researcher Development Programme are mapped according to the RDF.

As the RDF is a national framework it enables researchers to record their professional development in a way that is recognised by other academic institutions and employers.

SALC training and seminars

Running in tandem with the artsmethods@manchester programme, further training is available at School and subject levels, notably to take account of the specialist training needs of students, eg. in Linguistics and English Language and in the Centre for Translation and Intercultural Studies (CTIS).

CTIS runs weekly research seminars on Thursday afternoons in both semesters. Invited speakers present their current research, giving students an excellent opportunity to interact and exchange ideas with leading scholars in the field. In addition, CTIS organises specialised research training masterclasses for PhD students (usually one per semester). Part seminar and part surgery, the masterclasses focus on a specific aspect of research methodology which is pertinent to translation and interpreting studies and allow students to raise and address issues relevant to their own work.

A series of ‘Conceptual Skills' seminars take place throughout the academic year. These are held weekly; they are given by specialists across the range of subject areas providing a grounding in fundamental concepts, such as ‘Culture and Ideology’ and ‘Gender and Film', that inform work across the School. Student participation in discussion involves problem-solving, critical thinking and evaluation.

It is important to stress that these seminars are interdisciplinary and are also open to students from other subject areas wishing to acquire research skills outside their specialism. Postgraduate students from other schools in the Faculty of Humanities and from other faculties also attend and participate in the discussions which are an integral part of the seminars.

You are also encouraged to attend the lectures and masterclasses organised by CIDRAL, the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in the Arts and Languages. Linguistics-specific events include a seminar series and the annual Manchester Forum in Linguistics.

If you are interested in getting involved in the organisation of the Forum in Linguistics or the seminar series, make contact with one of the students mentioned on the relevant web pages. CTIS holds a day of peer presentations in the first semester of each academic year, providing a forum for existing and new research students to present their work and to get to know each other. The presentations are also attended by staff from the supervisory teams. 

Other training opportunities

The library offers a range of workshops to help you with your research. Career development advice and training is readily available through the University's Careers Service, which offers a variety of services including Postgraduate-specific pages and a careers blog. The University Language Centre also offers induction and basic training for ab initio language learning and English-language support for non-native speakers.