Higher degree by research - COVID-19 advice

At this stage we have suggested a deferral for all HDR candidates planning to commence in April (RQ2) or July (RQ3) to now commence in October (RQ4). The Graduate School will contact you to provide updates regarding commencement dates. If you have any queries, please contact us at graduateschool@uq.edu.au

If you are an international candidate you will be able to commence once you arrive in Brisbane or your campus of study. Please consult this information regarding current Queensland border restrictions which outlines exemption to restrictions applied for the purposes of study. You may have to quarantine once you have arrived and student services can assist with services to assist you in quarantine. For details please see the Student FAQ tab.

If you would prefer to defer your studies please contact us at graduateschool@uq.edu.au

You should discuss your research project with your advisors and plan upcoming research activity to enable you to work from home if necessary, including not starting any new research activity that you will have difficulty maintaining from home.

Check your computer to ensure you have the software you need. These guides to working from home, and remotely accessing UQ IT systems, may prove useful.

Seek approval from your enrolling unit (School or Institute) to relocate any IT equipment you will need at home (a monitor or desk top computer etc).

If the campus is closed, all HDR candidates will be expected to work from home during that period, unless otherwise on approved leave or interruption. If you are unable to continue with your current research plan from home, speak with your advisors to make adjustments to enable you to continue to make some research progress. If you are sick, you may be eligible to apply for leave.

Whilst working at home remember to maintain regular contact with your advisory team and lodge fortnightly Research Progress Reports in your Research Data Management (RDM) record.

If possible, you should proceed to undertake your milestone as this will help document your research progress to date. The format of this may need to be adjusted and your PGC can advise you on this matter. Many HDR candidates have found Zoom is effective to host a milestone meeting.

Your milestone is about your progress in candidature and should take into account any adjustments made or impacts due to COVID-19. You do not need to submit an extension request now as the milestone process will take into account any adjustments you have had to make and provide you with guidance on how you can adjust your research activity going forward. Use the milestone as a tool to assist you with planning the remainder of your research project.

You should discuss your situation with your advisors and update your research plans and timelines to accommodate the current situation. This includes making adjustments to work from home and postponing any travel. In most cases adjustments will be able to be accommodated within candidature.  For more information on research continuity see website on preparing for disruption to research activities.

Plan or reorder your activities if you can to enable you to maintain some progress. It is optimal for you to continue to proceed where you can, noting limitations you encounter and any disadvantage you experience in the Research Progress Reports. This also helps ensure you can continue to receive your scholarship.  If it becomes apparent later that there has been an impact on your progression due to COVID-19, this will be assessed at that time and your research progress reports will help support any request for extension that you make.

You should discuss the impact of the inability to undertake fieldwork with your advisor and develop a plan with alternatives, if possible. Restrictions on travel are not predictable at this time and we recommend you have a strong contingency in place should travel not be possible for an extended period of time.

If you believe that your progress has been affected, document this in your fortnightly Research Progress Reports with a description of the impact on your candidature. This information may support a request for an extension of candidature or scholarship if required. It is very important to continue to try to maintain research activity, making progress where you can in the meantime.

You should undertake your milestone if you can to help you obtain advice and plan the remainder of your candidature.

If, after discussion with your advisors, you conclude that it isn’t possible to continue your candidature at present you may be considering an interruption to your studies.

Please be aware that an interruption will suspend your scholarship payment and, for international candidates, may impact your visa status. The Graduate School can discuss this option with you but please note the University is unable to provide advice on visas. We recommend you contact the Department of Home Affairs.

Please contact the the Graduate School to discuss options.

Depending on how much time you need to dedicate to work you may wish to record the effect of this work in your Research Progress Report. If the impact on your time is significant you should consider moving to a part-time enrolment or take an interruption.

We recommend advisors communicate with research partners regularly to highlight current circumstances and any impact occurring to the timing of the delivery of project key deliverables due to COVID-19 working arrangements.

Advisors should discuss with partners any revised research plans and to keep email records on agreements to vary these plans. If they have concerns about delivery against contractual deliverables or believe that you may not be able to continue with a project, it is advisable to work with your advisor and discuss with your research partnership manager (RPM) in the first instance.

Unfortunately, all international travel is suspended until further notice. Please refer to the FAQ under Students regarding insurance claims for expenses incurred due to changes to travel plans.

This would depend on the Australian Government protocols in place at the time. If you interrupt your study ensure you check the Department of Home Affairs website for updates. Before interrupting we recommend you also review the protocols of your home country to ensure you are able to enter when you plan to travel.

If you have concerns or need support, contact: Student Services: + 61 (07) 3365 1704 or toll free (within Australia): 1800 512 391. Email: student.services@uq.edu.au    or make an appointment online.

If you are well enough to continue to set goals and make some progress, please continue to document this in your Research Progress Reports, noting a health-related impact if applicable.

Please consider taking leave if you are severely impacted and require a break and support from mental health services.

UQ provides financial assistance grants to support students short-term. Please visit the Student Services page for more information.

Contact your enrolling unit (School or Institute) about relocating any equipment you need such as a monitor, or desk top. Each unit is keeping a log of equipment during this time. If you are having difficulties then ask your HLO to assist.

In the interests of physical distancing and reducing the transmission of COVID-19, the University of Queensland Library has closed most of its locations and its print collections until further notice.  However, we are aware that researchers, higher degree by research (HDR) students, and honours students may require access to print collections for their research and will provide a priority retrieval service for those students and staff who require items housed in the following libraries at UQ St Lucia: 

• Central Library
• Law Library

Process for obtaining print items

1. Email circ@library.uq.edu.au by 3pm on weekdays (excluding public holidays) and provide the details of the items you require. Please include the title, author, and call number location to assist with retrieval. If your are a student, please include your student number.  
2. Items will be retrieved from the collections and cleaned.
3. Items will be ready for you to collect (UQ ID card required) between 11am and 1pm on the following Tuesday or Friday. Please go to the AskUs service point on Level 1 and follow directions to the collection point.
4. There is no need to return borrowed items until the library print collection reopens but if you would like to return items please use the book return chute located near the collection point on Level 1 of Central Library.

Scan and deliver service

We will also provide scanned copies of journal articles, book chapters, conference proceedings, and theses held in the following libraries: 

• Central Library
• Law Library 
• Library Warehouse 

Please follow the usual document delivery process to place requests. We will scan the item and send you an email with a link to the digital copy.  

Process for consulting items from Fryer Library

The Fryer Reading Room is temporarily closed until further notice for the health and safety of our clients. Fryer Library staff are available to assist you online and can help you obtain the information you need from Fryer physical collections while they are unavailable. Our staff are available via email, fryer@library.uq.edu.au, 9am-5pm Monday to Friday. We are happy to answer your queries about Fryer Library collections and can offer consultations for researchers, academics and students via phone and Zoom calls.

Try to maintain some progress where you can to keep your project going and also ensure you retain your scholarship if you have one. For some, reducing to part-time or taking an interruption at this time might be a better option, depending on circumstance. These options are not usually available to international candidates but there is some temporary flexibility for international candidates to be able to enrol part-time and also to remain on shore whilst on interruption.

If you need to change your candidature status, please discuss with your Advisors and contact the Graduate School for advice on these options.

If you are receiving a UQ scholarship you will have access of up to 10 days of sick leave each year, and up to 60 days additional sick leave throughout your candidature. You will need to apply for this via my.UQ. If you need more than the initial 10 days, a medical certificate will be required.

Commonwealth Research Scholarship guidelines don’t provide carer’s leave. If you need this, you may consider taking your annual leave or interrupting your study. Alternatively, if you can make some progress in your research, but it is impacted by your carer’s responsibilities, document this clearly in your fortnightly Research Progress Reports and continue where possible.

Candidates who have already completed 15 points of CDF activities and had a placement scheduled through the Graduate School will be considered on a case by case basis regarding the second scholarship extension. The Graduate School will work with you to postpone placements where possible.

We are in the process of moving many CDF courses to an online format where possible. In very few cases, workshops may need to be cancelled and affected students will be informed. Please check the CDF website for the latest updates. All webinar links will be sent out approximately a week prior to the scheduled session.

You can still make an appointment to speak with our careers advisor with appointments now being conducted via Zoom.

Right now more than ever it is important to reach out to your peers and support network.

See how to stay connected.