Working with your Supervisor

Best practices in a student-supervisor relationship

As a research student at UCD, you will have a Principal Supervisor, and co-supervisor if appropriate, assigned to you who will provide quality supervision, mentoring, guidance and advice throughout your programme of study. They will also endeavour to make you aware of all regulations, policies and codes of practice relevant to you.

Building working relationships between research students and supervisors

There is a need from the beginning for all parties (student and supervisors) to have a clear understanding of the institutional requirements of supervisors and doctoral students and the first task is to discuss these and to negotiate how they are going to be met.

Because each grouping of individuals is by definition unique, then each relationship will be different depending on the supervisor’s style and the characteristics of the student. When these are matched there is a basis for a successful relationship; where they are not, the relationship can be marred by problems and difficulties. Supervisors need to check the match between their supervisory styles and the characteristics and needs of the student and, where there is disjuncture, see that steps are taken to align them.*  

*Adapted from A Handbook for Doctoral Supervisors. Second Edition, Taylor, Kiley and Humphrey, 2018. 

• Please refer Appendix 2: Guidelines for good practice between research students and supervisors in the Graduate Research Student Handbook.
• A full list of the role and responsibilities of you as the research student and your principal supervisor is outlined in the (opens in a new window)Supervision of Research Degree Students Policy.
• Please see 'What happens if I stop engaging with my supervisor and/or my programme?'