How to write a progress report?¶
During your PhD you will have to write a report to present your progress to an external panel. At Deakin University the first progress report is referred to as the Confirmation of Candidature (CoC). The CoC takes place after the 1 year mark and is designed to asses your research project. This article will provide tips for preparing progress reports.
What happens at a Confirmation of Candidature?¶
A CoC involves giving a presentation, writing a report and having a discussion with a panel. The CoC process is designed to identify if you need extra support and if the supervisors are doing their job, it’s not an examination. Work with your supervisor panel on the report prior to submission.
Fig. 2 Presenting during your PhD is a great opportunity to get feedback on your research.¶
The 5 P’s of a progress report¶
Project¶
The panel are checking to ensure that you have a research project that can be completed within the time frame (~3 years in Australia). Present your project by describing the motivation, research questions, methodology and expected outcomes. Your supervisor will work with you to scope your PhD project. Clearly describe your research problem and provide evidence with supporting references.
Problems¶
You will also have the opportunity to voice any problems you have regarding your PhD, advisory panel or progress. This is where you can provide feedback to your supervisors and signal the need for additional support. Hopefully your supervisors have worked closely with you and there are few problems. During a CoC this will the the form of an informal discussion and should not appear in your written report.
Plan¶
Your report should also provide a plan for completing your research. Use a GANTT chart to present your project against dates, aim to fill 3 years and allow for a couple of months buffer. On the GANTT chart highlight publications and when research questions are addressed. Also include a risk assessment table with the following columns: risk, severity (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH), likelihood (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH), and your mitigation strategy. Ensure that you describe the milestones and publications in a separate section along with the GANTT chart.
Progress¶
On the GANTT chart indicate your current progress and provide a separate section where you describe what you have done. The current progress can be list of key outcomes including drafted/submitted ethics applications, publications, technical reports and presentations. Outcomes must have been completed during the time of your candidature. Attach the artefacts as an appendix and refer to them in the Current Progress section.
Presentation¶
Your presentation should provide the essence of your report. Think of the presentation as a visual representation of the extended abstract where the most slides are used to present the motivation/problem. Look at TED talks for inspiration before filling your slides with loads of text. The aim of the slides is to communicate the core ideas of your research without needing to listen to you. Iterate over the slides with your supervisor to refine the story.
General tips¶
Write the extended abstract first to debug your own thoughts.
Work on an outline of the presentation to get early feedback from supervisors.
Create separate figures for the methodology for each research question.
Include a risk mitigation table with your research plan.
List out the core milestones of your research plan and associated outcomes.
Practice your presentation with a group of colleagues prior to the official presentation.
Expect to do multiple iterations of the report and presentation.
Done right, the first progress report is a roadmap for the rest of your PhD so it is well worth putting in extra effort.