Policy for advising graduate students – advisor and advisee rights and obligations

1. Objective

The aim of this policy is to define the rights and obligations of advisors and research students engaged in master’s degree and PhD work. The instructions in this policy document are subject to the School of Graduate Studies Rules and Regulations handbook. In exceptional cases not covered by the regulations and policy documents, students may turn to the School of Graduate Studies who shall act as the definitive authority. Similarly, in case of disagreement between student and advisor – relevant parties may turn to the department head, the dean of the faculty or to the School of Graduate Studies.

2. Advisor obligations

a) Advising graduate students is a way to advance research and excellence at a university, to develop new knowledge and to impart it to the next generation of researchers. Bar-Ilan University recommends to its academic faculty members to join the advisory circle, to take on research students and train them, to initiate advising of suitable students and to respond favorably to candidates who have requested their advisory services. At the same time, academic faculty members have the right to refuse an offer to advise a student, among other reasons and especially if the advisor is already overloaded with advisees or when research funding is short; if in the judgment of an academic faculty member a student is not ready or capable of bringing their work successfully to completion; if the research topic is not in the potential advisor’s field of expertise; or if it is not suitable in its scope and scientific value to master’s or doctoral work. 

b) A preliminary interview or meeting should be held with the student, during which expectations between advisor and candidate are coordinated, the research topic is selected by mutual agreement and research objectives are defined at a scope suitable for the degree. The advisor is to verify that the research is conducted as is appropriate in the particular field. 

c) Admission of students to the PhD program is conditional until approval of the research proposal. During this time, advisors may rescind their agreement to advise a student, if they have found that the student is not fit for the chosen research or if disagreements or conflicts have arisen between them.

d) Advisors are to train and guide their advisees as researchers and colleagues in the scientific community. Advisors should serve as research role models, providing a rich, intellectual environment for their students. Where possible, advisors are to assist students by including them in a variety of academic activities, such as conferences, workshops and courses that are related to their research topic.

e) Advisors should treat their students with respect, listening to their views and encouraging independent thinking. If professional disagreements between advisor and advisee arise, the intellectual autonomy of the student should be respected, up to the point at which the advisor can no longer support the final research outcome. In such cases, the departmental committee for graduate studies is to be engaged, whereby the advisor should request them to find a resolution that would be agreeable for both parties. Furthermore, advisors are not to force their opinions and views on the research findings of their students, even if they do not line up with their own views or earlier findings. The role of the advisor is to guarantee that results are obtained using appropriate methodologies and that the interpretation is in keeping with what is accepted in the discipline.

f) Advisors should be involved in all stages of research, dedicating time to their students for discussion on research topics, meeting with them on a regular basis during their research period – at least once in three months. For students in experimental research, advisors should be available to discuss research outcomes, to plan continued steps of research and to process findings and prepare them for publication.

g) Advisors should read drafts and intermediate chapters written by their students (research proposal, thesis, dissertation) within a reasonable time frame to avoid delays in research progress or submission.

h) In cases where students expect to obtain a grant from the advisor’s personal funding, the advisor should notify the student of the amount and duration of the grant, as well as details regarding grant amount if the student is awarded a competitive grant from an external foundation. Awarding a grant from the advisor is subject to policy on academic rights for fertility treatment, pregnancy bedrest, pregnancy, maternity/paternity/adoption leave or receipt of a child for custody/foster care, which require grant payment during the period of absence and an extension of time. At their own discretion, advisors may encourage students to submit grant requests to competitive foundations.

i) Advisors should avoid assigning students administrative tasks that are unrelated – directly or indirectly – to their degree-related research work. Students are, however, expected to take part in maintenance tasks of research equipment and infrastructure that serve them in their research, as well as to train new research students.

j) Advisors and students may agree to allow a student to engage in additional academic activity for pay, in accordance with policy of additional work as established in Bar-Ilan’s scholarship and grant policy document, so long as the additional work does not detrimentally affect research progress.

3. Student obligations

a) Students must work in cooperation with their advisor per the agreed-upon schedule for research progress, with consideration and attention to the advisor’s instructions.

b) Students must act in accordance with ethical standards of scientific endeavors and reporting.

c) Students must act with mutual respect and cooperation with other students, colleagues, academic faculty and administrative staff.

d) Students must make research data and outcomes available for advisor perusal at all times. For experimental laboratory research, students are expected to deposit all data banks with their advisor upon completion of their master’s degree or PhD.

e) Students may consult with colleagues, including students in the research group, research advisory committee members and other academic faculty members on any research-related matter, as long as these do not violate intellectual property rights of students and/or advisors. In cases where research has potential applications that require confidentiality, advisor approval is required.

f) Students may approach the party responsible for graduate studies in the academic unit for assistance in topics related to their research.

g) Students who feel they have been treated unjustly may approach the department office or the department head on the matter. If the problem is not resolved, they may approach the dean of the School of Graduate Studies.

 4.     Copyright and intellectual property

a) Names of students in academic journal articles or in conference lectures should appear in the list of authors in the appropriate order reflecting their contribution to the study, as is accepted in the field.  If the advisor is not on the author list of the published article, the advisor’s name should be mentioned where appropriate, as is customary.

b) Division of copyright in scientific publications, patents and other intellectual property, and in royalties stemming from them, should be decided based on what is customary in the relevant research discipline and the particular contribution of the advisor and the student.

5. Research hours

a) Students who have been awarded a full scholarship must dedicate all their effort and time to conducting research, in particular experimental research. Advisors, however, should avoid demanding of their students time and effort that is beyond reasonable for the circumstances. Students should not be asked to conduct research on official rest day. Student rights to reasonable break time from their research work should be respected.

b) Students have the right to be absent due to parenting in keeping with regulations specified in university policy documents.

6. Advisory termination

a) An advisor may choose to stop advising a student. In cases of dissatisfaction with the student’s research progress, the advisor should issue a warning as early as possible, to call the student in for a talk and give them a proper opportunity to present their position and to make improvements. It is advisable to document the discussion in writing and to notify the departmental committee chair on the matter. Termination of advising should be done after notification of such has been given at least one month in advance, with the reasons clearly specified.

b) Advisory termination does not necessarily result in termination of studies, but continued study is dependent upon departmental committee chair approval and finding a new advisor. In cases where there is justification, the party responsible for graduate studies in the academic unit may assist in finding an alternate advisor. In the case of experimental laboratory research, students must deposit with the original advisor(s) the data collected and research outcomes before moving to the new advisor. Rights of the knowledge accumulated by the prior research shall be determined based on the relative contribution of the advisor and the student.

7. Program duration and deadlines for submission of research work for review

a) Advisors and students shall work toward completion of research and summarizing it in writing, per standard schedule specified in the policy documents; that is, within two years from commencement of studies for the master’s degree, and within four years for the PhD. Absence due to maternity/paternity leave or another approved leave of absence is not counted.

b) An extension of studies shall be approved upon receipt of a clearly justified request, submitted by the advisor and the student together to the School of Graduate Studies.

c) If advisor and student disagree on whether research work is ready for submission for review, advisors or students may request a decision by the party responsible for graduate studies in the unit. In exceptional cases, the relevant party may decide, after hearing the advisor and the student and consulting with the research advisory committee and the dean of the School of Graduate Studies, that the research work be submitted for review without agreement of the advisor, if it is deemed justified.