ANU Annual Progress Review for HDR Students: How to Prepare Your Report, Organise Your Panel, and Document Outcomes

28 April 2026 3 min read

All Higher Degree Research (HDR) students at the Australian National University (ANU) — including Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and Master of Philosophy (MPhil) candidates — must complete an Annual Progress Review (APR) before the end of each academic year. Under the Research Training Program Guidelines published by the Australian Research Training Program (RTP) in 2016, all Commonwealth-funded HDR students must demonstrate their research progress through a formal review mechanism; otherwise their scholarship renewal and enrolment status may be affected. The ANU Dean of Students (Research) states clearly in the HDR Student Handbook (updated 2024) that the core purpose of the APR is to assess whether a student is meeting milestones within a reasonable timeframe and to set a clear plan for the next phase of research. The review typically involves submitting a written report, organising a supervisory panel meeting, and documenting published or submitted research outputs. The whole process must be completed by 30 November each year.

The Basic Framework and Timeline of the Annual Progress Review

The ANU APR process follows a uniform academic-year cycle, though individual Colleges may differ in detail. According to the APR Operational Guidelines issued by the ANU Dean of Students (Research) in 2024, the review cycle begins in March each year: students must complete a draft self-assessment report by August, and hold a formal review meeting with their Supervisory Panel before October. The final report must be submitted through ANU’s HDR Management System (HDRMS) by 30 November. Students who fail to submit on time receive a warning notice; if the review is missed twice in a row, the research scholarship may be at risk of suspension — a rule set out in clause 5.3 of the HDR Student Progress Policy in the ANU policy library.

Key dates are: 1 March — the system opens for report entry; 31 August — students submit their self-assessment draft; 1 October to 15 November — the supervisory panel meeting window; 30 November — final report deadline. For students enrolled for less than 12 months, the first APR may be deferred to the 15th month after enrolment, but a deferral application with reasons must be submitted to the Dean of Students (Research).

Basic Structure of the Report

The APR written report usually has five core sections. The first is the research project summary, a 300-to-500-word overview of the current research question, methodology and key progress to date. The second is milestone achievement, where students go item by item through the tasks completed or delayed against the Research Plan agreed at enrolment, with concrete evidence such as experimental data, fieldwork records or literature review chapters. The third is the publication and dissemination record, covering published papers, conference presentations, preprint submissions or manuscripts under review. The fourth is skills development, describing research training courses attended during the year, such as the academic writing workshops or data management lectures offered by the ANU Dean of Students (Research). The fifth is the work plan for the next stage, setting out a detailed timetable for the coming 12 months.

Role and Responsibilities of the Supervisory Panel

ANU requires every HDR student to have a Supervisory Panel consisting of a Primary Supervisor, a Co-supervisor and an Independent Assessor. Under clause 4.2 of the ANU Research Supervision Policy, the Independent Assessor must have no direct collaboration or conflict of interest with the student or the Primary Supervisor, and is usually another professor from the same college or a related field. Supervisory panel meetings must last at least 45 minutes. At the meeting the student gives a 10-to-15-minute oral presentation and then takes questions from the supervisors and assessor. After the meeting, the panel completes the Meeting Minutes Form and uploads it to HDRMS; the form must be signed by all members.

How to Prepare the Written Report

Preparing the APR written report starts with organising your research records. The ANU Dean of Students (Research) recommends that students keep a research progress log by June each year, recording tasks completed each month, difficulties encountered and solutions found. The log’s contents can feed directly into section two of the report, “Milestone Achievement”. When writing the report, avoid subjective phrasing; support conclusions with specific data or events. For example, instead of writing “the experiments went smoothly”, write “between April and June 2024, 120 PCR amplification experiments were completed, of which 85 successfully amplified the target gene fragment, a success rate of 70.8%”.

Data organisation and citation is a critical part of the report. Students must list all academic outputs published or submitted during the year, including journal articles, conference abstracts, book chapters and preprints. For manuscripts not yet formally published but already through peer review, note “under review” in the report and include the submission date and journal name. The ANU Library’s 2023 Open Access Policy requires all HDR students to deposit the final accepted version of their papers in the ANU Open Research Repository, and this should be noted in the report.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

According to an ANU Dean of Students (Research) statistical analysis of past APR reports in 2022, the three most common mistakes are: goals set too vaguely (42% of returned reports), no evidence of progress provided (31%), and no mention of ethics approval renewal (18%). Ways to avoid them: break research goals into quantifiable sub-tasks — e.g. “complete the draft of Chapter 3” rather than “advance thesis writing”; include figures or data tables as appendices; and if the research involves human or animal subjects, state the ethics approval number and the latest approval date in the report.

Organising the Supervisory Panel Meeting

The supervisory panel meeting is the most interactive part of the APR process. Students must send the draft written report to all panel members at least two weeks before the meeting so they can review it in advance. The meeting usually begins with the student’s oral presentation, which should focus on key findings and unresolved problems rather than repeating the whole report. The ANU Dean of Students (Research) recommends keeping the presentation to 10-12 minutes, leaving the rest of the time for questions. The Independent Assessor typically probes the soundness of the research methodology, the rigour of the data interpretation and the feasibility of the next-step plan — be prepared for these questions.

Meeting minutes and follow-up actions are easy to overlook. After the meeting, the Primary Supervisor must complete the Meeting Minutes Form within 5 working days, listing all discussion points, supervisor advice and the action items the student has committed to. The form is signed electronically by all members and uploaded to HDRMS. If significant revisions are proposed at the meeting, the student should submit a revised plan to the supervisor for confirmation within two weeks. ANU policy states that failing to upload the minutes in time can result in the APR being treated as “not completed”.

Remote and Hybrid Meetings

For students overseas or doing fieldwork away from campus, ANU permits remote supervisory panel meetings via video conferencing platforms such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Under the Remote Meeting Guidelines issued by ANU Information Technology Services in 2024, students must record the entire meeting (with the consent of all participants) and upload the recording to ANU cloud storage as a backup. Remote meetings should be scheduled with time zones in mind so all members can attend during normal working hours. ANU recommends a 5-minute technical test before the meeting to avoid connectivity problems eating into review time.

Documenting Outputs and Publication Strategy

The “Publication and Dissemination Record” section of the APR report is not just a summary of the past year’s outputs — it is also important evidence for future scholarship renewal. Under the Research Output Assessment Framework published by the Australian Research Council (ARC) in 2023, HDR students’ publication records should be categorised: published papers (with journal name, volume/issue and DOI), accepted manuscripts (with acceptance date), manuscripts under review (with submission date and journal name), and conference presentations (with conference name, date and location). For co-authored papers, students must clearly state their own contribution, usually as first author or co-first author.

Preprints and open access have become an important trend. ANU Library 2023 statistics show that about 67% of the university’s HDR students upload preprints to platforms such as arXiv, bioRxiv or SSRN before formal publication. Preprint information can be included in the APR report, but must be noted as not yet peer-reviewed. In addition, if the research involves data sharing, the report should state where the data are stored, such as the ANU data sharing platform (ANU Data Commons) or an external database like Figshare.

Research Translation and Impact Records

Beyond academic publication, the APR report can also document non-traditional research outputs, such as policy briefs, patent applications, software tools or open-source code repositories. The ANU Innovation and Commercialisation Office’s 2024 Research Impact Guide recommends including such outputs in the report and explaining their potential social or economic impact. For example, if the research developed a new algorithm, you can note how many times it has been cited by other projects on GitHub, or that a technology licensing letter of intent has been signed with a company. These records help students demonstrate a well-rounded profile when applying for research positions or industry roles later.

Common Problems and Solutions

Research progress delays can occur during the APR process. Clause 7.2 of the ANU HDR Student Progress Policy allows students to explain the reasons for delay in the report and provide a revised timetable. Common causes include equipment failure, fieldwork affected by weather, ethics approval delays or health problems. Students must attach supporting evidence, such as equipment repair records, travel restriction documents or medical certificates. If the delay exceeds 6 months, the student must develop a Remedial Plan together with the supervisor and submit it to the Dean of Students (Research) for approval. The plan must include specific remedial measures, milestones and assessment criteria.

Supervisor changes are another common issue. If a student changes their Primary Supervisor or Co-supervisor during the APR cycle, the report must note the date of the change and the name of the new supervisor. ANU requires both the outgoing and incoming supervisors to sign the Supervisor Change Form, and to describe how continuity of the research project was maintained through the handover. If the Independent Assessor raises concerns about inadequate supervision at the meeting, the student may request the Dean of Students (Research) to assign an additional supervisor for short-term support.

Ethics Approval and Data Management Updates

Students conducting human or animal research must confirm in the APR report that their ethics approval is still valid. ANU Human Research Ethics Committee approvals are typically valid for 12 months and must be renewed annually. If the research protocol changes materially — such as adding a new population sample or modifying the experimental procedures — students must submit a variation application before the APR. On data management, ANU requires all HDR students to comply with the Research Data Management Policy, stating in the report where data are stored, how often they are backed up, and the sharing plan. Students who fail to meet data management requirements may face suspension of research.

Review Outcomes and Next Steps

After the APR is completed, the Dean of Students (Research) issues one of three outcomes based on the supervisory panel’s assessment: Satisfactory Progress, At Risk or Unsatisfactory Progress. According to ANU internal statistics for 2023, about 78% of students received a “Satisfactory Progress” rating, 15% were listed as “At Risk”, and 7% were rated “Unsatisfactory Progress”. Students rated “At Risk” must submit an improvement plan within 60 days, with monthly progress checks by the supervisor. Students rated “Unsatisfactory Progress” twice in a row are required to exit the research program, though they may apply to transfer to a coursework master’s degree.

Outcome notification and appeals work as follows: the Dean of Students (Research) publishes the formal outcome via HDRMS within 10 working days of the meeting minutes being uploaded. Students who disagree with the outcome may submit a written appeal to the College Research Committee within 14 working days of receiving the notice. The appeal must include specific reasons and supporting evidence, such as a written statement from the supervisor or an external expert assessment. Clause 8.1 of the ANU Student Appeal Policy explicitly prohibits an appeal from having an adverse effect on the student’s academic record.

Scholarship Renewal and Visa Requirements

The APR outcome directly affects research scholarship renewal. Both the ANU International Research Scholarship (AURS) and the domestic research scholarships require a successful APR each year for renewal. Under condition 8202 of the Student Visa Conditions published by the Department of Home Affairs in 2024, HDR students holding a student visa (Subclass 500) must maintain satisfactory academic progress or face visa cancellation risk. An “Unsatisfactory Progress” rating in the APR report may be treated by the Department of Home Affairs as a breach of visa conditions; students must submit an explanation letter and improvement plan to the department within 28 days of receiving the rating.

FAQ

Q1: How long after submitting the APR report will I get the outcome?

The ANU Dean of Students (Research) usually issues the formal outcome within 10 working days of the supervisory panel meeting minutes being uploaded. 2023 data shows that about 85% of students received their outcome within 15 working days; the remaining 15% were delayed to 20 working days because additional review was needed. You can check the latest status in HDRMS.

Q2: What if my supervisor hasn’t responded to my report before the APR meeting?

Send the report at least two weeks before the meeting and confirm receipt by email. If the supervisor still hasn’t replied 3 days before the meeting, contact them through the college administrative office, copying in the Dean of Students (Research). ANU policy requires supervisors who miss an APR meeting without justification to submit a written explanation to the Dean of Students (Research). In 2022, about 6% of meetings were rescheduled for this reason.

Q3: Will the APR outcome affect my scholarship amount?

A “Satisfactory Progress” rating does not affect the scholarship amount, but an “At Risk” rating can lead to suspension of scholarship payments until the student submits an improvement plan and it is approved. Under the ANU scholarship terms for 2024, payments during the suspension period are deducted on a daily basis but back-paid once the scholarship is restored. Two consecutive “Unsatisfactory Progress” ratings result in scholarship termination, and the student must then self-fund tuition and living costs.

References

Australian Department of Education 2016, Research Training Program Guidelines
Australian National University Dean of Students (Research) 2024, HDR Student Handbook
Australian National University Policy Library, HDR Student Progress Policy (last updated 2023)
Australian Research Council (ARC) 2023, Research Output Assessment Framework
Australian Department of Home Affairs 2024, Student Visa Conditions, condition 8202