A guiding rubric and usage manual for the doctoral supervisor and doctoral student in the discipline of statistics

Abstract

Following the discussions documented by [3], guidelines were devised to support active earlycareer,emerging doctoral supervisors in Statistics in South Africa. These guidelines developedare incorporated into a guiding rubric and this associated usage manual. The rubricis not presented as a formal set of rules, but rather a dynamic document encouraging thegrowth of both the novice supervisor and the doctoral student. The rubric need not be usedin its entirety either, since it is only intended to aid in the supervision process within thediscipline of Statistics; it is not meant to be overwhelming or overbearing in the supervisionprocess.We present the current evolution of this guiding rubric, after discussions with, and feedbackfrom, both novice and senior supervisors within South Africa over the period from 2022-2024.If the rubric is used, the current paper and the conference paper [14] should be cited.This document is compiled with the intention of improving the potential for emerging supervisorsin Statistics to be appointed as primary supervisor, while allowing for the inclusion ofsenior academics as expert co-supervisors or mentors in the team. While the developmentof the doctoral student is the primary goal of this guiding rubric, the development of thenovice supervisor is also important as a secondary goal, contributing to the sustainability ofacademia in Statistics.