Good supervision practice includes a written appointment process, workload limits, competence review, progress milestones, research-ethics approval, and a fair defence. Institutions that claim a research mission should be able to produce that file without assembling it for the visit.
A list of supervised works — theses, dissertations, major projects, and equivalent mentoring records — is the basic evidence that supervision actually occurs. Names, titles, years, and outcomes belong in a register. External lecturers who supervise need the same vetting as employed staff: selection, induction, conflict-of-interest rules, and periodic review.
Assessment integrity now includes responsible-AI rules. Students and supervisors should know what assistance is permitted, how sources are cited, and what happens when an item is defective or a submission is not the candidate’s own work. Identity verification at defence should be proportionate and recorded.
Quality-assurance bodies can review whether those controls exist and whether the LMS and the regulations match. They cannot invent a national right to supervise doctorates that the law of the seat has not granted.
