RD5 confirmation review
RD5 assesses whether you are working at the level required for your target degree. It centres on a substantial original piece of work, with its scope and format agreed at RD4.
Applies to research students except PhD by Published Works.
Prepare
- Revisit the RD5 expectations recorded on your RD4.
- Produce an original piece of work with enough opening and closing context to explain its place in your thesis. It can be incomplete; part of a literature review is an example.
- Show the relevant award criteria. For a PhD: independence, significance and likely original contribution to knowledge.
- Respect the maximum: 6,000 words for PhD/DBA/Prof. Doc; 4,000 for the MRes row. The table omits LLMRes: confirm its limit with the School rather than assuming the omission grants an exemption.
- Include a detailed plan for the remainder of your studies.
- Circulate work at least one week before the meeting.
- Confirm format, presentation requirements, adjustments and committee-paperwork timing.
At the meeting
The panel examines the work and discusses it with you in the format agreed at RD4. The IPC chairs, including separate confidential conversations with you and the supervisory team.
Possible recommendations
- Proceed and confirm PhD, MRes/LLMRes, or DBA/Prof. Doc registration.
- Refer for revision and a further review by the same panel. The entire revision/review/decision process must finish within three months full-time or five months part-time. Referral is available only once.
- Recommend termination for unsatisfactory progress.
A lower-award or termination recommendation must be supported by documented evidence of reasonable attempts to provide support. RD5 should not be an unexplained reversal of consistently positive supervision feedback.
The School RDC considers the recommendation; the DoS communicates the decision to you and the team. A change of target degree requires a revised proposal and another RD4 as described in §4.4. See Changing target degree and Progress concerns and withdrawal.
Source: Framework §4.4, pp. 41–43. Read the source.