PhD students' Second Year Report and Dissertation Schedule

All research students must submit a Report and Dissertation Schedule at the end of their second year. This should be a single document, usually between 2000 and 4000 words.

The Report should indicate the progress made in relation to that intended in their first- year Thesis Proposal, including comment on significant changes to the original ideas and on their implications for the research as a whole.

The Schedule should outline the planned content of the dissertation. This can be most usefully done by providing a chapter-by-chapter outline, with a review of what work has been completed for each chapter and what work remains to be done during the third year. A timetable must be included, that schedules this work and, in particular indicates when the draft and final versions of the dissertation will be produced.

As with the first year Report and Proposal, the student should submit three copies of the document(s) to the Secretary of the Degree Committee by July 31 (or corresponding dates: Lent start - Oct. 30 or Easter start - Jan. 31) for assessment and discussion by two readers who will usually be independent of the supervisor except where a suitably qualified assessor cannot be found. The two readers will submit their joint report to the supervisor who will then copy the text into the relevant Cambridge Graduate Supervision Reporting System report; supervisors are invited to comment. The report will be submitted to the Degree Committee.

Supervisors should pay particular attention to the plan for the remaining research and timely completion of the dissertation, and may request a revised Schedule. The assessment should be completed by September 30th and the Secretary of the Degree Committee notified of the outcome.

Where progress has been poor and it appears the chance of successful completion is low, the student should be given written notice of the danger, with copy to the Secretary, and warned that the lack of progress may lead to termination of funding. Reports may be soft-bound in comb-binding or stapled.

Secretary of the Degree Committee

October 2010