Finding the Right Supervisor: Strategies for Success
- Boon Yih Mah
- Jan 24, 2022
- 9 min read
"Select the supervisor, not the institution."
After deciding to pursue a postgraduate degree, particularly in full-time, full-on research mode, the next step is to find the right supervisor. Before commencing with the degree, the choice of supervisor will really make a difference, either positively or negatively, throughout your postgraduate journey. Thus, it is worth putting at least as much time into researching and finding an appropriate supervisor.
Research highlights that the supervisory relationship is one of the most critical determinants of postgraduate success, influencing both completion rates and student satisfaction (Mainhard et al., 2009). Are you still clueless about who to choose as your supervisor? If yes, here are the simple reasons:
You don’t know him/her personally.
You are not aware of how to look for the supervisor's background.
You are clueless about how to access the right resources when searching for a supervisor.
You are still new and unfamiliar with the system of your postgraduate studies.
A. Right Supervisor
A supervisor is someone with whom a doctoral candidate or student will be dealing for most of their studies. Thus, avoid someone who knows little about your research area but can only correct your grammar, spelling mistakes, or statistical analysis. The right supervisor should possess the following attributes:
An expert in the area that you wish to do your research in
A well-known scholar in your field
Someone you feel as privileged to be a student of
Someone who can offer valuable lessons to be learnt through their expert guidance
Someone you can benefit from
B. Expectations
a. Expertise
A supervisor is the main contact of a postgraduate, acting as the main supervisor or co-supervisor. He or she should actively seek new knowledge or expand existing knowledge. Your supervisor can show you new or alternative directions to support your practice. He or she also has your back and can advise when things get tough. Below are the roles of a supervisor with expertise:
1. knowledge expert
2. problem-solver
3. technical advisor
4. innovator
5. influencer
b. Compatibility
The postgraduate journey can be short (three years) or long (eight years), depending on the individual's encounters and preparedness. It can be either an enjoyable or stressful journey. As you will spend a lot of time with your supervisor, you must avoid someone who adds unnecessary stress. Supervisory relationships that balance professionalism with trust and approachability contribute to student success and wellbeing (Ismail et al., 2011). Therefore, you should find someone who can:
Get along with someone you already know personally;
Have a good working relationship with;
Encourage and motivate you when the going gets tough;
Be very influential in the success of your studies;
Be inspired;
Have constructive discussions;
Be challenged;
Be able to crack a joke and have a laugh now and then, and
Share the same work ethic, style, or standards, such as deadline-driven vs. flexible.
c. Availability
If there is an opportunity, find someone who is always readily available to lend a helping hand in times of need, whether through face-to-face contact, email, phone, or even messenger. Having a supervisor who is mostly out of the office due to heavy work commitments can be frustrating—when you get stuck on something and need it explained to you in person, it makes a lot more sense. However, having a very busy supervisor is still manageable if he or she has excellent communication skills and a strong research team to assist students. Do consider these:
Will he or she travel a lot?
Can he or she communicate well?
Does he or she take forever to reply to your message?
Has he or she served on many committees and other commitments?
d. Topic
Generally, your focus should be a research topic with a relevant need and current or future demand. Besides, you must be passionate, interested in, and intrigued by your research topic. If you have a topic in mind that you can pursue and that inspires you to make a success of it, you should make it known to your potential supervisor and observe their feedback. If you have noticed a supervisor as your favourite choice, but your research topic is not of his or her interest or passion, do not proceed regardless of how attractive his or her personality may be. You will find it very tough, miserable, stressful, and boring if you decide to do a research topic proposed by your supervisor that does not interest or excite you.
e. Needs
Are you a busy working adult? Are you a businessman or an entrepreneur? Are you planning to get married? Are you planning to give birth? Are you a parent of many kids? If you have other side commitments or priorities, you need to clarify them with your supervisor and discuss how they may (or may not) affect your studies. Supervisors are all different, with different priorities and work styles. Some supervisors are considerate, but others are less supportive. When supervisors acknowledge and support student needs, the relationship tends to be more sustainable and less conflictual (Singh & Kaur, 2022). To prevent any tension between the two of you, you must find a supervisor who will be understanding and not prohibit you from other involvements.
C. Tips and Tricks Solutions
a. Stage 1
Determine whether you can work with a particular person for whatever reasons.
Make initial decisions based on hearsay.
Invest as much time as possible into researching and choosing an appropriate supervisor.
Check out his or her personal webpage and social media sites.
Check out his or her publications.
Check out his or her secured grants.
Search online for their track records:
How many students have they supervised?
How many students have graduated on time?
Get in touch with his or her current and ex-students.
Ask them about their experiences.
They would give you an honest review and perspective.
Check whether your choice can supervise alone or has to co-supervise.
b. Stage 2
Get to know who is who by developing a shortlist of potential supervisors.
Schedule an appointment/phone/email your favourite supervisor.
Send an introductory email with a nicely prepared CV.
Be sure to distinguish between preliminary and exploratory interviews and the actual request to become one's supervisor.
c. Stage 3
Be professional: Meet on time and be prepared.
Please chat with him or her.
Ask all relevant questions and get direct answers.
Ask about grants if applicable.
Ask about research assistant (RA) opportunities.
Ask about opportunities to put your stamp on the project.
Discuss expectations on both sides:
What are your career goals?
What are your work and learning styles?
What are your timeframes for thesis completion?
How will these fit with the potential supervisor?
Be flexible in your expectations for a thesis topic.
Being too rigid might turn off a supervisor who is not working in that area.
Seek to make the research your own.
d. Stage 4
Make sure to call back each person you meet.
Tell him or her:
You want him or her to be your main or co-supervisor;
You decided to work for someone else, or
You are still making a choice.
D. Frequent Q&As Solutions
a. Should I choose a supervisor who is almost like my current status?
No. Having someone with the same expertise or point of view as you is pointless. Instead, you must be challenged to learn, grow, and develop in new ways to advance to the next level of qualification, which you will not be able to achieve if you choose someone "exactly like you"!
b. Should I pick someone with a similar research method practice?
Yes. If your proposed research is designed based on qualitative or quantitative methods, then having someone who understands that methodology and the relevant research procedures is crucial for you. Similarly, if you deal with complex data-processing problems, such as statistical analysis, having an expert in quantitative research in that field is a significant asset.
c. Should I decide on my potential supervisor directly during the first meeting?
You need not make an abrupt decision when you meet with him or her as your potential supervisor–if you get the impression that someone wishes you to be his or her supervisee without detailed discussion, that could be the wrong person for you!
4. Should I only approach a professor instead of an associate professor as my main supervisor?
No. The selection criteria are based on the five expectations emphasised earlier.
5. Do I need a co-supervisor?
It is conditional. Having two supervisors is only necessary, not a luxury–if you are doing interdisciplinary research and there is no one accessible who is considered an expert in both subjects. However, be wary of being split between two supervisors who provide contradictory instructions. The second supervisor is frequently picked for his or her competence in technique; for example, he or she is the founder of a specific framework, model, or theory that you must apply in your study.
6. Should I approach the institution or the supervisor first?
Both are also possible. It is often easier to write to a well-established institution by indicating your interest. The person or committee responsible for postgraduate supervisor appointments at the university will likely contact the relevant professor, associate professor, or lecturer and seek their consent.
7. Why do some professors or associate professors hardly reply to my emails and messages?
The schedules of locally and internationally famous academics are quite tight. They are probably short on time and have many PhD students reporting to them.
8. Why was my proposal rejected?
Unless your study proposal is exceptional, the chances of prominent professors accepting students who write to them directly are small. There must be something unique about your proposal that sets it apart from the pack!
9. Should I accept my supervisor's proposal, though I have a different point of view?
It is conditional. There are various situations in which you should not accept your supervisor's proposal:
The subject area is different.
The topic is different.
Other lecturers in your area of interest are readily available within the university or outside.
10. Can I change my supervisor once I am assigned or halfway through my course?
Yes. It is easier to do if the new supervisor is affiliated with the same university and agrees to be your new supervisor. If no one at the same institution can do so, you may need to recruit someone from another university.
E. Seeking Supervisors in UiTM Solutions
UiTM Expert Profile is a research information portal for UiTM academic staff, where you can find relevant information through the available menus. Click on the expert's name to access the individual page. Watch the video above to better understand how the UiTM Expert Profile works. I will take mine as an example to show you a better picture. On UiTM Expert, you can search me as follows:
by Name: Type "Mah Boon Yih" as the keyword;
by Area of Expertise: Type "Language Development through Technology" as the keyword, or
by Faculty: Select ACADEMY OF LANGUAGE STUDIES.
In Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), you can log in to UPTracks to nominate your supervisors using the i-student portal ID and password. At least two supervisors must be appointed to guide the student in preparing a thesis coherent with the specialisation theme. A doctoral degree or similar academic and professional credentials/expertise/experience in the subject or area of the student's study must be proposed as a doctoral student's main supervisor.
The main supervisor must be appointed among UiTM academic staff. A co-supervisor may also be recruited from among academic staff, both internal and external to the institution, who have been chosen for specialised knowledge or scholarship in the defined area of study and approved by the faculty. When an offshore research degree program/student is accepted, co-supervisors from the twinning institution can be assigned; these arrangements should be arranged as soon as practicable.
A supervisor must have a minimum qualification of the equivalent degree level enrolled by the student and at least two years of experience in teaching and research or as a co-supervisor. A supervisor appointed as Pensyarah Kehormat may continue to supervise the students. If the main supervisor is seconded to another institution/industry, he or she may continue supervising the students as co-supervisors. For supervisors without the required qualifications, as mentioned, extensive experience in research and supervision is an additional criterion and is subject to the university's approval.
However, the designated main and co-supervisors must agree to undertake supervisory obligations. To prevent ethical concerns and maintain impartiality and independent judgement, neither the main supervisor nor the co-supervisors must be close friends or family of the student or any other supervisors. They should also not be enrolled as postgraduate students at the university or elsewhere.
F. Let's Ponder...
Supervision is a wonderful opportunity to develop and grow towards the highest academic qualification.
Each student-supervisor relationship is unique, and no single type of supervisor fits all!
Some very successful ones are informal and distant; others are close and dynamic.
As a postgraduate student guided by your chosen or assigned supervisor, you assist your supervisor in the research he or she is interested in and working on.
Your supervisor will gain credit for training and producing another graduate student; a good supervisor will effortlessly help you gain knowledge and earn an academic qualification.
Your success is your supervisor's success because of cause and effect!
It is, in fact, a positive partnership.
References
Ismail, A., Abiddin, N. Z., & Hassan, A. (2011). Improving the development of postgraduate research students. International Education Studies, 4(1), 78–89. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v4n1p78
Mainhard, T., van der Rijst, R., van Tartwijk, J., & Wubbels, T. (2009). A model for the supervisor–doctoral student relationship. Higher Education, 58(3), 359–373. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-009-9199-8
Singh, N., & Kaur, J. (2022). Sustainable supervisory relationships between postgraduate international students and supervisors: A qualitative exploration at a Malaysian research university. Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education, 13(2), 188–204. https://doi.org/10.1108/SGPE-03-2022-0047
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