Supervision and Research
The primary educational emphasis is on the one-to-one relationship between student and supervisor. Supervisors are allocated when students arrive in Oxford. Occasionally, circumstances may require a change of supervisor during the course. Students can expect regular supervision sessions, during which they discuss their work and receive informal and focused feedback from their supervisor. Occasionally, students in the Centre have more than one supervisor.
The Centre’s Director of Graduate Studies oversees the programme of research training. S/he is also a source of general advice for research students and should be the first port of call for any student who wishes to discuss any aspect of their supervision.
College advisors are another source of support and advice and a resource for those facing problems they cannot resolved within their own department.
Thesis formatting
Students will be guided by their supervisor in terms of what work to submit for discussion during supervision. But in general, they should expect to present all work in a suitably formatted and edited form, free of spelling and other errors.
The format of the thesis, itself, may follow OSCOLA (the Oxford Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities) or another useful standard for citations. But students in socio-legal studies often find it more useful to use the Harvard (author-date) system or the Chicago Manual of Style.
Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
The University and Centre are both committed to the highest standards of research integrity. The University has comprehensive information, policies and related documents, along with a collection of resources on its website.
To avoid plagiarism, it is important for students to be aware of and to follow good practice in the use of sources and the making of appropriate references. Students should consult the University’s guidance on plagiarism. There is also an online course. Both supervisors and the Director of Graduate Studies will be happy to discuss any doubts or concerns that students may have.
Graduate Supervision Reporting System (GSR)
At the end of each term, the University requires a brief report on a research student’s progress from student, supervisor, and College adviser. Most students find this a useful opportunity to review and comment on their progress. Further information can be found on the University's Student Self Service pages.
Vacations
The distinction between term and vacation is not sharp for those engaged in research. Most seminars and teaching occurs during the term and supervisors are readily available to meet their students. During vacation, they are sometimes unavailable while conducting their own research or going on holiday, but supervision does not stop and they will ensure continuing guidance and support.