My UM
My UM
Search

During the PhD project

Supervision & Professional development

Mandatory & other PhD courses

Mandatory PhD courses 

Maastricht University offers three mandatory online modules for all PhD candidates. Because of the basic nature of the training courses, PhD candidates are advised to complete these online courses in the first year of their PhD trajectory. The three courses consist of modules and cover the following themes: 

  1. Research Ethics & Integrity  
  2. Open Science (Introduction to Open Science, Introduction to Research Data Management, Open Access Publishing)
  3. Science Communication (Impact, Science Communication, Developing and Managing your Online Presence) 

 

Here you can find more information about the modules and a link to register. For each online module, PhD candidates can download a proof of participation. Upon completion of (all) the online module(s) of each theme, the PhD candidate should register for an interactive, interdisciplinary session connected to the theme. In these sessions, PhD candidates of different disciplines can exchange views and broaden their perspective on the themes.

Other PhD courses 

 

Courses offered by Maastricht University 

The Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences (FHML) offers courses for all FHML PhD candidates. Many of these courses are free of charge for all SHE PhD candidates. A number of these courses are face-to-face, though the online course offer is growing. For example, there are online introductory courses in statistics, qualitative research and academic writing. The University Library also offers a range of courses free of charge for PhD students. The FHML and library course offer can be found here. 

For internal PhD candidates, the Maastricht University Staff Career Centre offers a range of courses that are particularly aimed at PhD candidates, such as time management, self-management and career management. 

All PhD candidates, including external candidates, can make use of the online training offer of GoodHabitz, in the areas of productivity, inspirational leadership, communication and health, safety & well-being. 

 

PhD courses offered by ICO 

The Interuniversity Centre for Educational Research (ICO) also organizes PhD courses. In order to receive their ICO certificate, all ICO PhD candidates are required to participate in a specific number of ICO modules. Participation is free of charge for ICO members. The training courses mainly take place in Utrecht in the Netherlands and are spread over a period of several weeks. More information is available on the ICO website. 

 

Other courses 

Candidates can take courses at other institutions on a needs-basis. Internal candidates can budget for these courses in the SHE PhD budget. External candidates have to fund these courses from their own budget or apply for a SHE scholarship.

PhD coordinator, PhD representative & confidential PhD counsellors

A PhD coordinator is available for all PhD candidates involved in SHE. The SHE PhD coordinator, Janneke Frambach, arranges a meeting with each internal PhD candidate at the start of the PhD project. The PhD coordinator informs all PhD candidates about the SHE PhD policy and procedures, PhD courses, supervision of PhD candidates, and other relevant aspects. The PhD coordinator can also be contacted by PhD candidates and PhD supervisors when problems are encountered within the PhD project or team. 

The PhD coordinator is furthermore responsible for use of the monitoring system TRACK, and for organizing the PhD conference ‘SHE Academy’. The PhD coordinator is responsible for PhD-related topics within the SHE Research management team and represents the interests of SHE PhD candidates and supervisors at Faculty and University level. 

Next to the PhD coordinator, there is a PhD representative at SHE; one of the PhD candidates who represents the interests of SHE PhD candidates. The PhD representative, Annemarie Sänger, is a member of the SHE Research management team and the FHML PhD Committee. PhD candidates can contact Annemarie with any questions related to their PhD experience.

Confidential PhD counsellors

A confidential contact person is available for PhD candidates within SHE: Herma Roebertsen. PhD candidates can contact the confidential contact person for all issues they would like to confidentially talk about. PhD candidates are recommended, if possible, to first discuss their concerns with their supervisors and to search within their team of supervisors for solutions if problems are experienced. However, if there are particular issues that they would prefer to talk about with an outsider or if they need advice on how to discuss a topic with their supervisors, there is always the possibility to contact the PhD confidential contact person. Candidates can also choose to contact the PhD coordinator.

Furthermore, there is an independent external confidential advisor available for PhD students at FHML/MUMC+, emeritus professor Maria Jansen. PhD candidates experiencing problems that they prefer to discuss with a person who operates fully independent from SHE, can contact Maria. As a confidant, she will stand ‘beside the PhD candidate’ while listening. She will treat everything said in strict confidentiality and will not register anything. The goal is to help the PhD candidate get back on track. Maria can be reached via email: maria.jansen@maastrichtuniversity.nl

Social safety

The FHML/MUMC+ Platform Scientific Integrity (PSI) has launched a roadmap for scientific integrity and social safety for PhD candidates. The roadmap provides directions on how to act and who to turn to in case of questions related to potential data breaches, scientific integrity, impartiality, and social safety.

Ethics, integrity, data management and open access

Good ethical practice and data management are of crucial importance at all stages of a research project. SHE considers scientific integrity as a core value of responsible research conduct. All PhD candidates sign the Netherlands Code of Conduct for Research Integrity upon the start of their project. 

We urge PhD candidates to consult the Research Guidance sections on the SHE website for key information, a helpful roadmap, and further guidance on scientific integrity issues. This includes information and instructions on ethical approval, data management, open access publishing (including APC discounts), and the use of AI in research. 

In addition, PhD candidates and supervisors are encouraged to consult the FHML webpage of scientific integrity, where they can find the MUMC+ Research Code, which was developed in line with the Netherlands Code of Conduct for Research Integrity and the UM Integrity Code of Conduct. The webpage furthermore contains a comprehensive overview of issues to consider regarding scientific integrity for PhD candidates and supervisors. It includes information on what to do and links to available websites/tools. Furthermore, the FHML/MUMC+ Platform Scientific Integrity (PSI) has launched a roadmap for scientific integrity and social safety for PhD candidates. The roadmap provides directions on how to act and who to turn to in case of questions related to potential data breaches, scientific integrity, impartiality, and social safety.

Research data management 

With regard to European regulations for privacy (GDPR) and national policy concerning research data, PhD candidates must follow the UM data management guidelines, which has implications for the storing, sharing and transferring of research data. More information and practical tools are available here, including a template and instructions on how to create a Data Management Plan. 

If candidates need to transfer research data from one institution to another, a Data Transfer Agreement needs to be drafted. The Privacy Team within FHML has a template for this and they can help set this up: avg-fhml@maastrichtuniversity.nl . For the actual transfer of data, there are two tools available: SURFfilesender and SURFdrive. Both allow to encrypt data (up to 2GB) and are compliant with security protocols and legislation. 

Publication policy

Open access publishing

Maastricht University encourages open access publication of research, in accordance with national policy. More info about open access can be found here, including contact info of the library’s Open Access team, which is available for questions. Maastricht University has agreements with many scientific publishers, allowing Maastricht University researchers and PhD candidates (internal and external) to publish open access free of charge. PhD candidates can check whether an agreement exists with a journal/publisher that they want to publish in, meaning that a reduced or no fee needs to be paid. You can search for journals using the following Open Access Journal Browser. Many major journals in our area are on this list: Medical Education, Medical Teacher, and so on. In case costs are charged for open access publication, PhD candidates need to cover these from their individual research budgets. Scholarship opportunities are available for external candidates. 

Finding the optimal journal

Finding the optimal journal for your article can be a challenge. Maastricht University’s library offers guidance through a 10-point list of selection criteria. SHE does not require that articles are published in journals with an impact factor. Together with your team of co-authors you decide where to submit your work. Most important to consider is the target audience, how they can be reached and how the work can be most impactful. One aspect to consider in this regard, is that your work is findable through a searchable database such as (but not limited to) Medline, ERIC or CABI Global Health (EBSCO). It is important to consider the review quality offered by journals. Good quality peer-review is a hallmark of meaningful science. Be aware that there is also a growing number of so-called predatory journals, which are to be avoided. Here too, the UM library offers helpful guidance. See this link for the most up-to-date information on predatory and questionable research practices.

Mentioning the SHE affiliation on all publications

During their registration as SHE PhD candidate, candidates need to include their SHE affiliation on all publications, including ones that might not be part of the dissertation. Please mention SHE next to your department/institution. There is a specific way of referring to SHE, which is important for the FHML team to find and collect publications: 

Template for candidates who are employed at UM or MUMC+: 

name department, name and abbreviation of Research School, university and/or hospital, city, country 

Examples: 

  • Department of Educational Development and Research, School of Health Professions Education (SHE), Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
  • Department of Internal Medicine, School of Health Professions Education (SHE), Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands 

Template for external candidates, to be used in addition to the affiliation to your own department and institution: 

Name and abbreviation of Research School, university, city, country 

Example: 

  • School of Health Professions Education (SHE), Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands

Wellbeing & progress: Evaluation meeting and TRACK questionnaire

PhD candidates and supervisors are strongly encouraged to discuss and evaluate the progress of the project, wellbeing of the PhD candidate, and team collaboration at a regular basis during their team meetings. It is advised to furthermore schedule a progress meeting once a year to discuss these topics in more depth, including the quality of the supervision; PhD training courses that were done or still need to be done; teaching activities; career development plans; problems encountered and agreements for improvement. The annual questionnaire sent to the candidate through TRACK can be used as input for this meeting. 

Once a year, TRACK sends out a questionnaire to the PhD candidate to evaluate progress, supervision and wellbeing. The questionnaire is confidential; the PhD coordinator is the only one with access to the answers. PhD candidates are suggested to use this annual moment to place these themes on the agenda of one of their team meetings. They might use (part of) their answers to the questionnaire as input for this meeting; only if they feel comfortable to share this with the team. 

The PhD coordinator monitors the questionnaires to maintain quality of the PhD program. If the responses suggest that further action is needed, the PhD coordinator will first contact the PhD candidate in question to discuss this. When deemed necessary, a meeting might be organized between the PhD candidate and supervisors to discuss solutions. It is also possible to consult the PhD coordinator or confidential PhD contact person (see above). 

Once a year, ICO PhD candidates are asked to fill out the ICO monitor. In other words, all full time internal SHE PhD candidates are also monitored by the national research school ICO.

Evaluation meeting / assessment interview (internal candidates only)

For internal PhD candidates who are employed within the Department of Educational Development and Research or other departments of Maastricht University or MUMC+, it is the responsibility of the chair of the department to schedule an annual evaluation meeting. In addition to the PhD supervisors, it can be decided to invite another staff member who might be better informed about the non-PhD related activities of the candidate to the meeting. During the interview a review form provided by the HR office is used. 

For full time internal PhD candidates, at the end of the first year, a formal assessment will take place. An HR representative is present at this meeting as well. The promotor must give an advice to either continue or stop participation of the candidate in the PhD program. The final go/no-go decision after year 1 will be taken by the scientific director of SHE. A signed copy of the first-year assessment report is sent to HR.

TRACK evaluation periods

Every six months, supervisors are asked to record the PhD project progress in TRACK. This is an evaluation of the project progress for which the team as a whole is responsible. It is not an individual evaluation of the PhD candidate. 

Supervisors are asked to record three aspects:

1. Qualification 

Green: Good - The project is progressing according to the project schedule. There might be a small delay (e.g. 1-6 months), but it is still feasible to catch up during the remainder of the project or to complete the project with minor delay. 

Orange: Attention - The project is progressing, but is substantially behind schedule (more than 6 months). It is unclear or unlikely that the project can be completed before the originally planned end date. The project schedule has to be revised. (see below how to revise the expected completion date)

Red: Insufficient - The project is not progressing. It is highly unlikely that the project will be completed before the originally planned end date. The project schedule has to be revised. (see below how to revise the expected completion date). A decision has to be taken about continuing or discontinuing the project. 

2. Reason 

Supervisors are asked to describe the reason(s) for the qualification, which provides relevant info to SHE and can be regarded as more important than the actual qualification. 

3. Progress 

Supervisors indicate the numbers of months that the project is behind or ahead of planning to achieve the planned end date.

Changing the expected completion date in TRACK

The default duration of a PhD project is 4 years for internal candidates. For fulltime internal candidates, this duration is fixed and aligns with the employment contract. For other candidates, the duration might differ. External candidates on average take 5-6 years to complete the program. It is important for SHE to have an accurate overview of the expected completion dates of PhD projects. 

At minimum once a year, the feasibility of the expected completion date should be discussed within the team (e.g. during the annual progress meeting). In case the date needs to be adapted, the candidate changes the date in TRACK (Field: Expected completion of PhD). Note that changes of the expected completion date have to be discussed with and approved by the team as a whole. Expected completion date = the date that the manuscript is ready to be sent to the assessment committee.

Possibility to put the PhD project “on hold” (external candidates)

In case of personal or other circumstances that inhibit a PhD candidate to work on their project for a certain period of time, there is a possibility to temporarily place the project “on hold”. For the duration of the project as a whole, the project can be placed on hold for a maximum of three times, with each on hold period lasting six months. These periods can be consecutive or intermittent. During these period(s), no tuition fee is required. 

In addition, the following conditions apply: 

  • The decision to place the project on hold is taken jointly with all members of the team (PhD candidate and supervisors).
  • The PhD candidate informs the PhD coordinator, who has to approve the “on hold” status. Consequently, the PhD secretariat is informed.
  • During the on hold period, there is no guidance and supervision with regard to the project.
  • When resuming the project after the on hold period, the PhD coordinator is informed, and, if necessary, a new expected completion date will be determined (see above). 

NB. In exceptional situations, the PhD coordinator can be consulted to discuss if an individual arrangement is necessary.

Methodological, financial & language editing support

Methodological support

Good methodological research designs, be it qualitative, quantitative or otherwise are of paramount importance at all stages of a research project. What methodology to select? How to design your study? How to sample participants for your study (and how many)? How to align your interview technique with your qualitative methodology? How to analyze repeated measurements and multilevel data? How to deal with missing responses? How to explore, interpret and report on research findings? And so on…

Do not hesitate to ask for advice early in your research design process!

  • Quantitative research consultation: for questions and consultancy regarding quantitative research, PhD candidates within SHE can contact Jeroen Donkers (please use email address “statconsult-educ” at “maastrichtuniversity.nl”). Based on topic, expected methods, and availability of the PhD candidate and consultants, a PhD candidate will then be assigned to one of the following consultants: Dr. Jeroen Donkers, Dr. Saskia van Laar, or Dr. Shahab Jolani.
  • Qualitative research consultation: for questions and consultancy regarding qualitative research methodologies and methods, PhD candidates within SHE can contact the SHE qualitative research consultants, Janneke Frambach and Renée Stalmeijer.
  • For questions about what research paradigm and research methodology to select, you can consult all of us. For some background on this we refer to this introductory paper by Megan E.L. Brown (2019): https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40670-019-00898-9
  • For help with literature search and review studies, candidates can reach out to a dedicated team at the UM library

Language editing support

Writing up their research may be quite a distressful job for many PhD candidates. SHE PhD candidates who need support with manuscript editing, may send the final draft manuscripts of their studies to the SHE language editor, Angelique van den Heuvel. Likewise, non-Dutch speaking PhD candidates may send their final dissertation summary to Angelique for translation into Dutch. To ensure a smooth process and optimize the turnaround time, please take the following policy into account: 

  • Drafts of manuscripts submitted to Angelique before journal submission must comply with the formal requirements of the journal they will be submitted to (maximum number of words, structure/headings, etc.);
  • The language support does not include significant shortening or translation of manuscripts: concise writing and academic writing in English are skills that PhD candidates should develop during their PhD trajectory;
  • PhD candidates can enlist the aid of the language editor only after having consulted their PhD supervisors, who can help in gauging the specific language needs;
  • Requests for editing services, summary translations excepted, can be made only when the final draft is ready: the language editor cannot reserve time in her schedule in advance for anticipated manuscripts;
  • The turnaround time will be 2 months maximum for manuscripts, and 4-6 weeks maximum for summary translations. Upon receipt of a text, the editor will provide a rough estimate of the actual turnaround time;
  • In relation to the previous point, only in the case of summary translation and other editing requests linked to the completion of the PhD dissertation, prior notification of such requests will be appreciated, so that the editor can factor these into her workflow.

Financial support

SHE offers several scholarships to financially support external PhD candidates in their PhD work, for example related research costs, course work, conference visits and article processing fees. More information is available here.

If you are struggling with finances, please contact the SHE PhD coordinator. 

SHE activities, events, and Special Interest Groups

SHE presents 

Once PhD candidates are officially accepted into the programme, they will present their project proposals during a (virtual or onsite) "SHE presents" meeting. This provides each PhD candidate the opportunity to make themselves and their projects known to the research community and their fellow PhD candidates, and to increase the candidate's sense of belonging to the SHE research community. SHE presents videos can be found on the SHE YouTube channel.

SHE Special Interest Groups 

SHE has a number of Special Interest Groups (SIG), i.e. groups of junior and senior researchers who have organized themselves around a certain area of interest. It is encouraged that SHE PhD candidates participate in one (or more) SIG’s. Most SIG’s hold regular meetings with their group. A description of the SIG’s and their contact persons can be found here.

SHE Journal Club 

SHE organizes a number of journal club meetings per year during which relevant literature is discussed between SHE researchers. The meetings last one hour and take place at Maastricht University. Online presence is facilitated. During each meeting one paper is discussed. This paper typically is a state-of-the-art paper that is selected by a staff member or the organizing team. The discussion is organized around the reading questions that are formulated by the staff member or the PhD candidate who has put forward the paper. 

SHE Academy 

Biennially (every odd-numbered year) the PhD conference ‘SHE Academy’ is organized in Maastricht. The goal of this meeting is community building and exchange of ideas among SHE researchers and PhD candidates, for both internal and external PhD candidates. PhD candidates are strongly encouraged to attend at least one SHE Academy meeting during their PhD project. Find here more information about the SHE Academy.

Relevant professional associations and conferences

The following professional associations might be of relevance for SHE PhD candidates. Two Dutch associations are of interest: NVMO (Dutch Association for Medical Education) and VOR (Dutch Association for Educational Research). The Department of Educational Development and Research has a collective membership of NVMO, due to which all PhD candidates are automatically member of this association. The NVMO also has a network for PhD candidates and organizes a meeting once a year for PhD candidates and supervisors. See www.nvmo.nl. The VOR is the Dutch association for educational research. The VOR also has a network for PhD candidates, entitled VPO (VOR PhD consultation). They also organize a meeting for their PhD candidates once a year www.vorsite.nl. 

At the international level the following associations might be of relevance: AERA, EARLI and AMEE. The AERA is the American Educational Research Association. PhD candidates of SHE do not need to subscribe as a member, because promotors within SHE are members, due to which PhD candidates can subscribe to the AREA meetings. www.aera.net. The EARLI is the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction. This association also has a network for Junior Researchers (JURE) that is of interest to junior researchers and PhD candidates. They organize pre-conferences for junior researchers before the EARLI conference (once in two years) that can be attended by PhD candidates. www.earli.org. Furthermore, conferences on specific topics are organized by special interest groups within EARLI. The AMEE is the Association for Medical Education in Europe and also organizes a conference once a year. www.amee.org.

Relevant conferences

PhD candidates are encouraged to present their work at national and international conferences. Interesting Dutch conferences are: Onderwijsresearchdagen (ORD, organized by the Dutch Association for Educational Research/VOR) and the NVMO conference (organized by Dutch Association for Medical Education). Interesting international conferences are: AERA (American Educational Research Association), EARLI (European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction), and AMEE (Association for Medical Education in Europe). Naturally there are many more. At the annual AMEE conference, SHE organizes a social gathering for all SHE students, staff, alumni and SHE partners.

Teaching opportunities (internal candidates)

Full time internal PhD candidates are expected and encouraged to fulfill educational roles at Maastricht University, such as tutor, block planning group member, skills teacher, etc. at about 10% of their appointment. Part time internal PhD candidates may fulfill educational roles as agreed in their appointment. Once a year, usually in April/May, acquisition for the fulfillment of the different educational roles within the Department of Educational Development and Research takes place. All starting internal PhD candidates at this department are asked to schedule a meeting with the education coordinator of the Department of Educational Development and Research, Herma Roebertsen, to discuss their teaching ambitions and which educational roles might fit their interests and expertise. 

Internal candidates are also encouraged to register for faculty development courses, such as tutor training, University Teaching Qualification course, and others.

Exit procedure: ending the PhD project

There is a variety of reasons why PhD candidates and supervisors may have to discontinue the PhD project, such as change of jobs, career switch, lack of progress, lack of funding, health reasons, etc. 

  1. a. If the PhD candidate wishes to discontinue the project, it is important to discuss this with the team of supervisors. After that, step 2 can be followed.
    b. If the team of supervisors considers to discontinue the project, it is important to discuss this with the PhD candidate in an early stage. If the reasons involve lack of progress or poor progress, and the PhD candidate opts to continue, a plan for remediation needs to be agreed upon with the team. This plan should include sufficient opportunities for the PhD candidate to show progress and receive feedback. This process should be monitored and documented, e.g. with help of PhD TRACK. If the progress is insufficient, and the supervisory team decides to discontinue the project, the supervisory team needs to communicate clearly with the candidate this decision and send a discontinuation request to SHE. After that, step 2 can be followed. 

  2. The first supervisor (promotor) sends a request to discontinue the PhD project to the SHE scientific director and the SHE PhD coordinator. The team of supervisors and the PhD candidate are included (cc) in the email. The request includes a motivation for discontinuing the project. If the reasons include lack of progress or poor progress, the motivation needs to be substantiated with documentation of remedial opportunities and evaluation meetings with the candidate. 

  3. The scientific director and the PhD coordinator review the request and motivation. After approval of the discontinuation, the scientific director sends a formal letter of discontinuation to the PhD candidate, with copies to the team of supervisors, the PhD coordinator and the SHE office coordinator. 

  4. The PhD coordinator invites the candidate for an exit interview.

  5. The SHE office coordinator documents the discontinuation and motivation, and deregisters the PhD candidate, which includes e.g. removal from TRACK, SHE mailing list and other systems.