Research Degree Graduate Qualities (how to achieve them)

To achieve RDGQ 2, the research degree graduate:

is prepared for lifelong learning in pursuit of ongoing personal development and excellence in research within and beyond a discipline or professional area.

Generic indicators

A research degree graduate will:

• demonstrate advanced information retrieval and processing skills including data management and bibliographic resources
• be able to apply data analysis software and techniques
• take responsibility for their own continuing professional and academic development
• make professional use of others in support of self-directed learning
• continue to undertake pure and/or applied research and development at an advanced level
• possess a knowledge of the discourse of their discipline or professional area and the learning and thinking strategies that will contribute to their ongoing and future development.

Developing and demonstrating this RDGQ

This quality refers to the skills and knowledge you have gained that will enable you to continue to improve your research skills and to pursue ongoing research in your field.

Your readiness to pursue excellence in research in the future may be developed and demonstrated in:

• active ongoing networks with discipline and professional peers (both formal and informal)
• emerging or ongoing research plans (publication plans including abstracts and target publishers, research collaborations, funding applications in train)
• acquisition of research skills in the process of independent research and supervision
• support activities designed to achieve the above.

Research skills can be grouped around the knowledge and know-how you have attained around the following activities:

• information retrieval and data processing
• a specific research method
• a specific form of data analysis
• academic and research writing
• ethics policies, procedures and practices
• grant and funding applications (of which the research proposal is one form of preparation)
• time management
• project management
• commercialisation of research
• networking
• supervising or inducting junior researchers
• reporting research findings to the public.