Welcome to research

You have just embarked on a transformative journey as a research degree student – congratulations! But what do we mean by research in this ‘research-intensive’ environment? Research involves exploring fundamental questions through rigorous investigation and analysis. These questions can be about almost anything: natural phenomena, cultural understanding, the way people organise and operate, the ways we design new processes and procedures, about our understanding of who and what we are and how this defines the human condition, and so on.

Research involves learning the mechanics of doing experimental or theoretical work, but also in questioning the methods and tools used, and in developing new ones.

Researchers work within a discipline and a tradition, but are also engaged in questioning its assumptions, re-conceiving and re-drawing its boundaries with other disciplines. Undertaking research is also then a process of defining what constitutes research itself, questioning and testing orthodox views and approaches as you go.

Your research degree is a unique chance to develop and lead your own project and follow it through to a conclusion which you can defend. You will have either proposed a topic yourself or been given a broad scope to explore but by the end it will definitely be your project albeit with some ideas from others who you discuss it with. There will be successes and false starts along the way: not all your ideas or investigations will lead anywhere, but both the fruitful routes and what turn out to be dead-end paths form a critical part of the learning process of research. Your project will be very much yours to defend and promote, and at the end you will have the skills to propose and plan other research projects.

What is research at UCL?

UCL has a proud tradition of thinking differently. Established in 1826 to open up education in England for the first time to students of any race or religion, UCL’s founding principles of academic excellence and research aimed at addressing real problems confronting the world and they continue to frame our approach today. UCL’s commitment to disruptive thinking remains profound, and we aim to encourage all our researchers to follow novel paths of enquiry that expand the limits of knowledge and to cross disciplinary and organisational boundaries.

UCL 2034, UCL’s highest level institutional strategy puts it like this: “London’s Global University: a diverse intellectual community, engaged with the wider world and committed to changing it for the better; recognised for our radical and critical thinking and its widespread influence; with an outstanding ability to integrate our education, research, innovation and enterprise for the long-term benefit of humanity.”

What is research in my field?

Research varies enormously across different fields of enquiry.

At its most basic level there are differences in the research methods, methodologies and materials employed, and in the day to day activities. You will notice that even within your department there are researchers using very different approaches and working in quite different ways.

Exploring your field, learning about its territory and methods and how these interconnect with other disciplines is all part of the excitement of research and a formative part of becoming a researcher as you develop your own approach.

Some research by its very nature sits across disciplines and UCL encourages all researchers to think about cross disciplinary approaches that are increasingly needed to address global challenges.

Your supervisory team is key to helping you understand the expectations of research in your field of study, as well as providing you with advice on selecting the practical methods and theoretical frameworks that fit your project best. As you become more experienced they will also assist you in becoming independent as researcher and thinker, one who is able to assess the merits of particular research methods, question them and find new ones with confidence. They will also help you to understand the context in which research takes place, the standards and requirements of professionalism in research, and the wider impact of research in society.

What is the outcome?

The main outcome of a research degree is a trained researcher – the thesis documents the evidence to support this. During your research programme you will produce a thesis which documents your original ideas about your chosen focused topic, the methods you have chosen, the evidence to support your ideas, the discussion and conclusions that arise, and all presented within the context of current and past developments. You will develop the research skills and experience for a range of careers, outside academia as well as inside, where tasks require creativity, rigour and depth.

You will be given many opportunities to develop these skills through your research work but also through activities within your department or division, through attending and presenting at conferences, and through courses and opportunities available through the Doctoral Skills Development Programme.

You will find that undertaking a research degree is a very different experience to the taught undergraduate or postgraduate courses with which you are familiar, or from your recent professional environment if that is where you have come from. It will be demanding certainly, but also we hope rewarding. There are many people within UCL to help you, within your Department or Division but also within Professional Services as outlined in this Compass.

In particular your supervisory team will assist, question, support and challenge you: they will help you develop as an independent thinker and ultimately someone who takes responsibility for your own personal and professional development.

“Exploring your field, learning about its territory and methods and how these interconnect with other disciplines is all part of the excitement of research and a formative part of becoming a researcher as you develop your own approach.”

Research integrity

UCL is committed to ensuring the highest standards of integrity in all aspect of its research activities and expects that all those involved with research at UCL maintain a similar commitment. As a researcher you are expected to read and abide by the UCL Statement on Research Integrity, which sets out the standards expected of those involved in research at UCL, including adherence to the UCL Principles of Integrity: honesty, rigour, transparency and open communication, care and respect, and personal responsibility. www.ucl.ac.uk/research/integrity/integrity-at-ucl

Individual responsibility

As a researcher it is important to ensure your research is conducted, and the results of your research disseminated, honestly, accurately and in accordance with professional standards. Acting professionally in your research covers a range of professional knowledge and behaviors including awareness of:

methodology, analysis and data management, including data protection and confidentiality;
principles of professional conduct and appropriate practice in your discipline;
legal requirements and local approvals, including funder conditions;
research ethics and approval processes;
health and safety,
conflicts of interest;
responsible research innovation;
public engagement and global citizenship;
intellectual property rights and copyright;
respect for equality and diversity;
appropriate authorship, citation, referencing and the avoidance of plagiarism.

Research integrity also extends to your personal behaviour, and how you conduct yourself in working collaboratively with others, during peer review, in declaring potential conflicts of interest, and in showing care and respect for other researchers and disciplines, research participants and their data, and the research record. It is your responsibility to be proactive in seeking advice and support as well as keeping up to date with the latest standards and changes in guidance and legislation relating to your discipline area/s throughout your research career. These are not simple issues, but such concerns are an essential part of the rigours of academic research.

Research Integrity at UCL

The Research Integrity website (www.ucl. ac.uk/research/integrity)acts as UCL’s living Framework for Research Integrity, and draws together information on all elements of research integrity, including ethical funding, research ethics and the relevant policies and guidelines, such as research data management, open access and conflicts of interest. It also provides guidance on areas such as research collaboration, overseas research, peer review, publication and authorship, and mentoring.

In addition, the Research Integrity Training Framework is there to assist you in identifying and fulfilling your knowledge and training needs in these areas: www.ucl.ac.uk/research/integrity/research-integrity-training-framework

There are also relevant training opportunities available, such as Introduction to Research Support and Integrity; an introductory session relevant for all those intending to undertake research at UCL and applicable to all disciplines. Your supervisory team and other specialists at UCL will also help you to gain the knowledge and confidence you need for your particular project and staff across UCL are available to advise and support you.

UCL Code of Conduct

As a researcher at UCL you are expected to read and adhere to the UCL Code of Conduct for Research, which sets out the general principles of conduct expected of UCL researchers, as well as signposting relevant associated UCL policies, for example the student IPR Policy, and Guidance for the Storage and Disposal of Data and Samples. It is designed to be read in conjunction with the UKRI Policy and Guidelines on Governance of Good Research Conduct that sets out the expectations of our key funders and partners on research integrity.

Further information on UCL’s Research Governance Framework and the Code of Conduct can be found on the Research Governance web pages.

UK Concordat to support research integrity

The Concordat to support research integrity is the UK’s national framework for research integrity. The Concordat sets out 5 commitments for researchers, employers of researchers and funders to support and environment and culture of integrity within research.

UCL’s Principles of Integrity were taken from the Concordat’s five core elements of integrity under commitment one: Maintaining the highest standards of research integrity. It is expected, therefore, that researchers at UCL adhere to the responsibilities for researchers set out under the Concordat. You may also find this paper prepared by the American National Academies useful. Most of the discussion is relevant to researchers in all disciplines even though the title is “On Being a Scientist”.

Ethics and research

Research ethics forms an integral part of proper scientific conduct. UCL is therefore committed to:

the promotion of excellent research practice and to maintaining the highest standards of rigour and integrity in all aspects of our research;
developing our research staff and students to be ethical researchers;
establishing a culture where integrity underpins all our research activities.

Stop and Think!

All research raises ethical issues and these will vary across research areas and disciplines. It is very important that researchers consider the ethical implications of their research ‘early’ in the research planning process.

‍Protecting You

Ethical Approval ensures that you and your participants are protected if something goes wrong.

Keep in Mind

All research, particularly that involving humans, carries some degree of risk. You always need to consider if the research you are doing might raise issues related to privacy, equality, diversity, health and safety, local or cultural sensitivities, even if the risk might be very small or even negligible.

Why is ethics review important?

Ethical review by a research ethics committee (REC) ensure that research projects adhere to accepted ethical principles and standards (www.ucl.ac.uk/research-ethics/ethical-approval) and is conducted in such a way that any potential adverse impact is in proportion to its expected benefit. It also ensures that researchers are accountable for their work, having thought about the ethical implications of their research and pledging to conduct their research in an ethical way. This allows UCL to preserve the rights, health and safety, and privacy of all involved.

One aim of ethical review is to protect participants and/or their data. People are a valuable part of the research process and not merely a means of accessing data, and we need to ensure that we treat them, and all their data, with due care and respect.

Another aim of ethical review is to protect you as the researcher. Careful consideration of research ethics principles and potential risks may help inform your research methods or increase participant recruitment, and as a result, enhance the quality of your research. In addition, most funding and publishing bodies request that projects have ethical approval (where required). Obtaining ethical approval can also help to demonstrate that you are undertaking a legitimate research study.

How do I know if I need to apply for ethical approval?

Unless it is deemed exempt, all research (including pilot studies) by UCL staff and students involving living human participants and the collections and/or use of their data requires ethical approval. Further information on UCL's ethics policy is available on the Do I need ethical approval? web page.

Research that does not involve human participants and/or their data also has the potential to raise ethical issues, i.e. environmental studies that have the potential to impact on or change the environment, archaeological excavations in disputed territories, studies involving access to sacred sites or the analysis of sacred cultural objects where access is restricted or where there are particular modern sensitivities or issues. Even where formal ethical approval is not required, it is expected and good research practice to apply the same standards of ethical responsibility, ensuring that all ethical issues are considered and planned for within the research design, and that participants and their data are afforded the same level of care and respect.

Ethical approval must be obtained prior to commencement of a study; retrospective approval will not be granted. You need to be certain if your research requires ethical approvals prior to commencement as:

Ethical approval must be obtained prior to commencement of a study; retrospective approval will not be granted. You need to be certain if your research requires ethical approvals prior to commencement as:

Funders often require this as part of their conditions of award;
Publishers may require proof of approval for publication;
Not obtaining the appropriate permissions could be classed as potential research misconduct under UCL’s Procedure for investigating and resolving allegations of misconduct in academic research (2017) and may lead to disciplinary action;
Not receiving approval could impact on a research participant’s settlement in the event of a claim and could damage UCL’s insurance profile. The individual researcher bears personal responsibility for any claim.

Which Research Ethics Committee do I apply to?

It is important to note that depending on the nature of the research project and/or the data or participants, ethical approval may be needed from the UCL Research Ethics Committee (the central REC or a departmental REC), a REC operating under the Health Research Authority (HRA), an overseas REC, or a combination of the above. The Guidance on which committee to apply available on the research ethics website can help here.

Responsibilities after approval

Ethics considerations and responsibilities do not stop after the project has been ethically approved but are part of the project lifecycle. Your approval will be awarded on certain conditions that will need to be adhered to; for instance, ensuring that you seek an amendment to your ethical approval if changes are made to your research after approval has been granted. For more information see Responsibilities after approval.

Guidance and support for researchers

The UCL Research Ethics website provides detailed guidance for researchers on how to apply for ethical review, as well as guidance documents on a variety of ethical areas, such as working with children, oversees research, internet mediated research and writing recruitment documents such as information sheets, including templates.

For further advice you can email the Research Ethics team at ethics@ucl.ac.uk

‍Remember – It is expected that all studies that require ethical approval have that approval in place prior to the start of the research. Ethical approval will not be granted retrospectively.

Communicating your research to the outside word

Contributing to the advancement of your discipline and developing novel lines of enquiry are fundamental to doctoral research, but all researchers at UCL are also expected to disseminate the results of their research through appropriate channels, including publication, teaching, commercialisation and engagement with policymaking and the public.

Public Engagement: UCL has one of the most established and largest Public Engagement teams in the country. The UCL Public Engagement Unit is situated within UCL Culture and provides advice, training, funding, resources and activities to help UCL researchers listen to and engage with communities and to embed public engagement within all stages of the research cycle.

Innovation: UCL Innovation &Enterprise offer students training and support to encourage creative and entrepreneurial ideas and mindsets out of UCL’s incubator hub, Base KX, in the heart of King’s Cross.

Public Policy: UCL Public Policy connects UCL researchers, staff and students with policy professionals to inform policy with evidence.

Volunteering: the Volunteering Services Unit is based in the Students’ Union UCL and funded directly by UCL. It is one of the biggest volunteering departments in the UK and aims to help you get involved in exciting community volunteering opportunities across London.

Impact: all doctoral theses at UCL now include a requirement to write an impact statement. This will allow you to gain some experience in writing about the potential impact of your work and convincing others of its importance – a vital skill in many areas of future work, not just academic careers. There is a course on how to write impact statements available via the Doctoral Skills programme.

Open Science & Scholarship

Open Science, Open Scholarship or Open Research – what name issued is less relevant than the grouping of principles and practices which this term encompasses.

Open Science introduces different approaches to the way research is done – while it often is considered to only refer to opening access to research publications, it can also include sharing your research data, your research or lab notebooks, your code or software, and even your thesis itself. Open Science also has important broader facets such as transparency and ensuring the reproducibility of your research as much as possible. Finally, it includes citizen science, sometimes called citizen social science or participatory research.

A commitment to openness is a fundamental attribute of UCL’s research culture and much is done within the institution to support open approaches to all academic endeavours. The global pandemic has highlighted the importance of openness and sharing in research leading to UCL’s statement on the importance of Open Science. UCL’s involvement in Open Science predates 2020 though, and we have long taken a lead, nationally and internationally, in adopting and supporting open approaches to research. Following this, UCL established the Office for Open Science and Scholarship in October 2020, to act as a focal point for open research and education activities and a gateway to the support provided within the institution.

The Office for Open Science provides an active programme of events, such as an annual conference, and regular blog posts and a termly newsletter. It also brings together activities within UCL and beyond into a programme of webinars and training sessions. It also brings together services supporting Open Science and Scholarship at UCL, such as Open Access Services, Research Data Management Support, Metrics and Bibliometrics, UCL Press, Research Transparency & Reproducibility and Citizen Science.

Regardless of whether open principles and practices are already well-embedded in your research discipline, UCL believes that the key to making open science the norm within the research environment is engagement with early career research, as a result an active (and growing) programme of training and development opportunities is available. Further information, training opportunities and more ways to stay in touch are listed on the Open Science and Research Support web pages.

Key documents and tools for all research students

Having a clear picture in your mind of the regulations and requirements of your research programme from the outset, and of where to start in making the most of the huge range of opportunities open to you at UCL, is vital. Your plans and goals will change as you grow and develop as a researcher, but clear short and long term aims and regular review of progress is key to actively managing your research project and your time at UCL.

The wealth of information and opportunities can be somewhat overwhelming however, particularly when you are just starting out. This page lists the four key documents and tools for all UCL research students to assist you in the successful management and completion of your programme.

Code of Practice for Graduate Research Degrees

The Code of Practice sets out what you as a research student can expect from your supervisory team and from UCL, and what your supervisors and others in UCL can expect from you. The Code provides an invaluable and user-friendly map of the landscape of your research degree, together with signposts to key policies,procedures and the roles of key personnel such as Supervisors, Departmental Graduate Tutors and Faculty Graduate Tutors.

It is important that you read this document carefully at the outset of your time at UCL and keep it for reference.

UCL Academic Manual

The UCL Academic Manual brings together in one location the academic regulations, policies and procedures for UCL research students. It details the regulations for our research degrees from admission to the final completion of the degree together with the formal processes and requirements at each stage. Here you will also find full details of the requirements of your final thesis – its length, writing and presentational conventions, but also the criteria by which it will be judged.

The Academic Manual is available online via the Doctoral School’s Essential Information web page.

Research Student Log

The Research Student Log is an online project management tool designed to assist you throughout your degree programme at UCL. Its use is mandatory for all UCL research degree students and it provides a framework for planning and recording your research progress and scheduled supervisory meetings, together with help in analysing, planning and charting evidence of your academic and transferable skills development. See page 18 for further details on the Log.

The Doctoral School Website

www.ucl.ac.uk/docschool

The Doctoral School website is the place to find out about all the support provided for you as doctoral students. It is updated regularly.

Essential Information
Strategy,Governance and Policy
Support& Advice
Funding& Scholarships
Events& Competitions
Networks& Societies
Representation& Surveys
Postgraduate Teaching Assistants
International Study

IRIS

The Institutional Research Information System (IRIS) is the research portal for UCL connecting to Research Staff and Postgraduate Research Students. The portal allows you to search for researchers, publications, activities, groups, themes and departments with active research activities and publications at UCL.

UCL DOCTORAL SCHOOL