The Internal Medicine MMed Research Portal

All official communication about the MMed and the examination process is sent to your UCT address (studentnumber@myuct.ac.za). Keep the account active and monitored, or set up forwarding.

• PeopleSoft help: Student Self Service Help · sss-helpdesk@uct.ac.za
• Faculty notices and training are circulated via the Health Sciences Postgraduates site.

1. Research question — stated clearly and concisely.
2. Background and rationale — why the topic matters; the gap addressed.
3. Aims and objectives — what the study intends to answer.
4. Methods — design, setting, population, data source, analysis plan.
5. Ethical considerations — risks, consent, confidentiality, vulnerable groups.
6. Anticipated significance — contribution to care, service or knowledge.

Guide: FHS014hlp

1. Study design and setting — justify the design for the question.
2. Population, sampling and recruitment — eligibility, sample size, recruitment.
3. Data collection — sources, variables, instruments, quality assurance.
4. Data management and analysis plan — capture, storage, cleaning, statistics.
5. Ethics, consent and governance — consent, confidentiality, permissions.
6. Budget and timeline — realistic milestones through to submission.

Guide: FHS015hlp · Faculty forms: FHS forms library

1. Prepare the proposal according to your division's guidelines — your supervisor provides these.
2. Independent scientific review — your supervisor arranges review by two independent experts in the field (they need not be UCT staff). Your supervisor and co-supervisors may not act as reviewers.
3. If your division runs postgraduate seminars, presenting there may satisfy this review, with sign-off from two academics not directly involved in your project.
4. Complete the Departmental Research Proposal Checklist (DRPC) and collect signatures from the two reviewers, your supervisor, and co-investigators.
5. DRC and HOD approval on the signed DRPC — then submit the approved proposal with it for ethics review, and send the signed proposal plus the FHS PGO forms to the FHS Postgraduate Office for faculty approval.

• Every new protocol submitted for DRC/HOD signature must include the online Protocol Submission Tracking form together with the FHS013 (form · guide).
• Postgraduate submissions additionally require the signed DRPC.
• DRC/HOD office: Lydia Brown · 021 406 6200 · J Floor, Old Main Building, Groote Schuur Hospital.

Research involving human participants, human data or research animals also requires HREC or RAEC review — see Stage 5.

Compile one combined PDF: DRC-signed FHS013 · synopsis · protocol · appendices · participant information sheet and consent forms (if applicable) · cover letter with the thesis title and document list.

The supervisor submits by email to hrec-submissions@uct.ac.za using the prescribed subject-line format:

• Full Committee Review — PI name
• Expedited Review — PI name
• PI Response — HREC reference — PI name

Checklist before sending: FHS HREC new-protocol checklist.

Administrative screening checks completeness first. Then:

• Expedited review — usually 2–4 weeks.
• Full committee review — allow at least a month.

On approval you receive a letter and an HREC reference number. Email a copy of the approval letter to the DRC before research commences, quote the reference in all correspondence, and submit amendments and annual progress reports on time — approval must still be current when the thesis is submitted.

Queries: hrec-enquiries@uct.ac.za · FHS Human Research Ethics

Form D8 must be lodged at least six weeks before the intended submission date. Upload with it:

• D8 Intention to Submit — signed by trainee and supervisor.
• D15 Intellectual Property assessment.
• Updated abstract as PDF — named Abstract-open.pdf (or Abstract-Restricted.pdf if neutralised).
• Valid HREC approval letter (renewed if expired).
• D16 Open-access suppression — only if an embargo applies.

The Faculty Office then asks the supervisor to nominate examiners and complete supervisor forms.

• Thesis.pdf — saved exactly as Thesis.pdf, with the D19 plagiarism declaration bound inside, immediately after the title page.
• D18 Declaration / word count — uploaded as a separate PDF.
• Final or updated abstract (same naming convention).
• Title-change form if the final title differs from the approved title.

Type in the comment box: “I confirm that the uploaded document is the thesis/dissertation to be examined.”

• As a guide: submit by 15 March for June graduation and 15 August for December graduation — always confirm with the Faculty Office.
• Submitting before the start of the academic year avoids fees; before mid-July may qualify for a 50% rebate.
• Run a Turnitin similarity check on the draft via your Faculty Amathuba site and review it with your supervisor — the report itself is not uploaded with the thesis.

• Hold an MMed, Master's or equivalent, or demonstrate equivalent research standing through a peer-reviewed publication record.
• Provide discipline-specific expertise; appoint a co-supervisor where additional expertise is needed.
• Be available for regular meetings and timely feedback.
• Limited prior supervision experience → complete a Faculty-approved supervisor training course.
• External primary supervisor → a UCT-based co-supervisor with a valid UCT staff number must be appointed.
• Appointments and changes are approved by the HOD and recorded on the MOU / Change of Supervisor form.

• Submit at least two nominations: one external to UCT, one internal and independent of the project.
• For each: name and title, position and affiliation, contact details, and a concise summary of expertise and relevance.
• Avoid conflicts of interest — recent co-authorship, shared funding, close collaboration or personal connections.
• The supervisor may check availability only; the Faculty Office formally invites examiners and manages all correspondence.
• Examiner identities are confidential from the student at all stages. Breaches can delay graduation and trigger formal Faculty review.

Is ethics approval needed for all MMed research? All research involving human participants, material or data requires HREC oversight — approval, waiver or exemption. Database and folder-review studies still go through DRC then HREC.

Must HREC approval be current at thesis submission? Yes — the thesis will not proceed to examination without evidence of current approval or renewal.

When is D8 due? At least six weeks before the intended submission date.

Who contacts examiners? The supervisor may establish willingness only; all subsequent contact is via the Faculty Office.

• NRF · SAMRC · Wellcome · NIH · professional societies.
• Find calls via Pivot-RP, the UCT Research Announcements newsletter, and the FHS Research Noticeboard.
• Obtain institutional clearance through the UCT Research Office before applying, and align budgets with the departmental finance team.