Dealing with supervisory problems
Even good relationships can break down at some point. It’s vital that you address any problems immediately to avoid disrupting your research. Here are a few tips for avoiding the most common problems:
- Meet your supervisor’s deadlines – they might have specified a date, knowing that they’d be too busy to read your work the following week.
- Don’t make your supervisor the first point of contact for every issue – take a look at the Help and Support page on the Sussex Researcher School (SRS) website for other people.
- Remember the limits of supervision – they’re not there to edit your work or to organise your time.
If you are facing a significant issue, there are official University procedures that must be followed. They are detailed on the Research Student Admin webpages, which is updated each year. In most cases, you will need to first discuss the matter with the Director of Doctoral Studies for your School. You can also request a confidential chat with the Student Centre.