Write-up scholarship guidelines
Aim
- Timely completion of Domestic and International Postgraduate Research Students by funding candidates during the writing up of revisions, prior to the submission of their final bound thesis to Research Degrees Committee. These scholarships will be tax exempt for full time enrolled students.
- Preparation and submission of refereed publications (minimum of 2 outputs for Faculty of Health students, see below for further detail) by Domestic and International Postgraduate Research Students after the submission of their thesis for external examination (examiners' reports pending). These scholarships will be tax exempt for students with or without enrollment for the current semester but who will be studying full time to produce the refereed publications. International candidates would need to be able to demonstrate that appropriate visa arrangements had been approved by DIAC for the term of the scholarship.
These scholarships will be awarded based on nominations received from Faculties and will be funded jointly by the University and Faculty. Funding will support up to a three month period of full-time study/writing.
Eligibility and conditions for award
Eligibility
These awards are available to all Domestic and International Postgraduate Research Students.
Thesis Write Up Scholarship
Applicants must:
- Be currently enrolled or under examination in a QUT Doctorate or Professional Doctorate or Research Masters, and completing revisions following external examination; and
- Be able to write full-time, or demonstrate they can only write part-time due to heavy care commitments or a medical condition precluding full-time study. International student visa conditions do not normally allow for part time candidature; and
- Not be in receipt of any other scholarship.
For this award, the examiners reports must have been received and agreement reached about the nature and extent of revisions required. These requirements must be submitted in writing as a project plan including a timeline featuring milestones to be met in revising the thesis to Research Degrees Committee at the point of application for the award.
Refereed Publication Write Up Scholarship
Applicants must:
- have recently submitted for external examination (examiners' reports pending)
- be able to write full-time, or demonstrate they can only write part-time due to heavy care commitments or a medical condition precluding full-time writing (international student visa conditions do not normally allow for part time candidature)
- not be in receipt of any other scholarship
- provide a project plan outlining the title of at least two articles/publications to be targeted and a timeline featuring milestones to be met in preparing the articles. Normally students are expected to submit a minimum of two articles/publications however in exceptional circumstances students may apply for approval to submit one article/publication and one other research output (eg. Conference submission).
Disability
The definition of disability applied is consistent with QUT Policy A/8.6 Disability services policy , which includes the following definition of a disability:
As outlined in the relevant legislation, a disability may be temporary or permanent, total or partial, physical, psychological or psychiatric, life-long or acquired. Also included are people who require devices or aids for assistance, or are accompanied by guide dogs.
Also consistent with this policy, it is expected that in the processing of applications for scholarship and scholarship extension:
Reasonable accommodations are to be provided for people with disabilities. It is the responsibility of the student or staff member to substantiate their eligibility for disability services.
Term of award
A nominee offered an award by the University shall indicate acceptance of the offer within 7 days of its receipt.
Scholarships will normally commence within 14 days of the issue of the offer. The University may withdraw the scholarship if the nominee does not commence by the prescribed date.
The period of tenure for an award shall be three months full time or six months part time and cannot be extended (Note: International student visa conditions do not normally allow for part time candidature).
Approval may be granted for a taxable part-time award where the Faculty advises that the nominee can demonstrate heavy care commitments or a medical condition precluding full-time study, for example:
- care responsibilities for a pre-school child
- care responsibilities for school aged children as a sole parent with limited access to outside support
- care responsibilities for an invalid or disabled spouse, child or parent
- medical condition which limits the capacity to undertake full-time study/writing.
The Faculty and Research Degrees Committee will require from the nominee a Statutory Declaration or other proof to substantiate any of the conditions above. Part-time awards are not available to an applicant seeking to undertake simultaneous full time paid employment.
Part time awards would not normally be approved for internal international students as this would not be consistent with visa requirements.
Part-time award holders are expected to progress at half the rate of a full time award. Part-time awards are taxable.
By the conclusion of the period of tenure of the award, the award holder is required to:
- submit a final bound copy of their thesis to the Research Degrees Committee, or
- provide proof to the Research Degrees Committee of the submission of two items for publication as approved by the Faculty.
Conditions of Taking Up the Award
Progress Report
The Faculty shall require award holders to complete a progress report six weeks after the date of commencement of the award. Failure to present the progress report will normally result in the termination of the scholarship. The award holder must maintain regular communication with a nominated supervisor during the tenure of the award, and document this communication.
Accommodation
The Faculty should ensure that the applicant has adequate access to resources to facilitate their study or writing. This may involve providing office space or ensuring that the applicant can be given access to space at one of the Library's Researchers Centres.
Supervision
Applicant and principal supervisor must be committed to meeting once per week during the term of the award. Scholarships This award cannot be paid concurrently with any other scholarship.
Employment
A person to whom a full time award is made, cannot take full-time or substantial part-time employment during the tenure of the award. As a guide an award holder would normally undertake no more than 15 hours a week of employment and not more than eight hours during 9am-5pm Monday to Friday.
Leave
Due to the limited term of the scholarship, there is no allowance for leave. However, emergency or exceptional circumstances may be considered on a case by case basis by Research Degrees Committee. Application should be made on the forms that are used for other scholarship holders.
Other requirements
An award holder shall comply with all relevant course requirements, regulations and rules (including disciplinary provisions) of QUT.
Termination of award
Research Degrees Committee may terminate an award if:
- after due inquiry it concludes that the award holder has not satisfied the conditions of award
- after consulting a nominee's supervisor/School/Centre/Faculty and having taken account of all relevant circumstances, the Committee is of the opinion that the award holder has either effectively discontinued his/her studies/writing or is making unsatisfactory progress towards the completion of the thesis revisions or publications, as specified
- the award holder takes an unapproved period of absence.
Unless otherwise advised the award shall terminate two weeks after the final thesis or publications are submitted or at the end of the scholarship whichever is earlier.
Funding
- An award shall normally carry a stipend consistent with the current APA rate. The level of the stipend will not be reduced during the period of the award. This stipend cannot normally be paid concurrently with any other scholarship.
- The Faculty/School will bear half the cost of the stipend and accept all costs should the award holder fail to submit materials as directed at the conclusion of the term of the award.
- Normally where a sufficient case is made, applicants will be funded until the semester's allocated budget for this scholarship is exhausted. The Research Degrees Committee reserves the right to determine the duration for the award up to a maximum of the equivalent of 3 months full time depending on the extent of the task to be carried out
Nomination process
The Student must complete and submit (via the Faculty Research Services Team) the Nomination for QUT Postgraduate Research Student Write Up Scholarship form (DOC file, 46 KB)
For nomination of part time candidates a statement addressing relevant terms of the award is required.
A condition of nomination is that the Faculty accepts all costs associated with the award where the award holder fails to submit at the conclusion of the term of the award. The nomination form must be signed by relevant authorities as indicated on the form.
Allocation Process
The nomination by the Faculty will normally be sufficient to ensure the award of a scholarship provided the candidate meets all the eligibility criteria & conditions of award.
The Research Degrees Committee will be authorised to approve funding of applicants for a period up to the maximum allowed.
Selection criteria
Selection is based on:
- Provision of a detailed project plan with milestones to ensure completion and submission of the thesis revisions/refereed publications (x2 minimum) within the term of the scholarship.
- Nominees meeting the conditions of eligibility
- Demonstrated capacity to meet milestones
- Supervisor's agreement and availability for regular meetings, at least fortnightly
- Faculty/School/Centre acceptance of the conditions of award - i.e., their liability for costs should the nominee fail to submit at the conclusion of the term of the award
- School and Faculty signatures confirming their support for the nominated candidate
- An appropriate statement regarding the part time status of the candidature, if relevant.
- Normally, a nominee can only be awarded one write up scholarship.
- Normally, a nominee cannot be awarded funding for a publication write up while the thesis revisions are still in progress.
- If an international student, the application must include evidence of appropriate visa provisions for internal international students for the term of the award.
Offer rounds
Nomination forms can be submitted by Faculties throughout the year for consideration by the Research Degrees Committee. The Research Degrees Committee will allocate funds each semester to support this scheme and will close the round for the semester when funds have been exhausted.
Administration of scholarship
- Nomination forms should be forwarded to RDC via the Faculty Research Services Team to the Scholarships Officer, Research Students Centre, Level 4, 88 Musk Avenue, QUT Kelvin Grove Campus.
- Prior to nomination, the Faculty must confirm the nominee's eligibility and fulfillment of the selection criteria for the scholarship and their willingness to accept the terms and conditions of award and provide an account code.
- Following Research Degrees Committee approval, the Scholarship Officer will forward advice to the Faculty who will provide a completed response to offer form to initiate payments to the award holder.
- Progress Reports should be provided to the Scholarships Officer through the Faculty.
- Where the candidate defaults on providing progress reports the Faculty will notify the RSC to discontinue payments.
- Where the award holder is required to submit a final bound thesis, it must be received by the Examinations Officer, Research Students Centre by the end of the term of the award. Where the award holder is required to submit publications, confirmation of submission is to be provided to the Research Students Centre by the end of the term of the award. Normally, this would involve forwarding to the Scholarships Officer a copy of the letter to the publisher and a copy of the document submitted for publication.
- Faculty/School/Centre funds for scholarship payments will be taken from the account detailed on the Nomination form unless otherwise advised.
