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SRE 2011 FAQS: Allocating your time

How should I record different types of activities?

The survey instrument will ask you to record the number of hours you spend on each of five different categories of work. These are:

Research – ACG
All time spent on activities related to existing research projects which have been funded by schemes listed on the Australian Competitive Grants Register. Include time spent on administrative tasks relating to ACG research here. Do not include grant application preparation here.

Research – Other
All time spent on existing research projects NOT funded by ACG sources. Include time spent on administrative tasks relating to that research here. Do not include grant application preparation here.

Teaching
All time spent on activities related to Teaching, where face to face, online or mixed mode delivery. Do not include activities related to HDR supervision and training here.

Research Training - Other
All time spent on supervising and training Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students and Honours by Research students. Do not include activities related to Postgraduate Coursework students here.

Other
All time spent on work activities not covered by the other listed categories.

Include grant application preparation and travel to conferences here. Do not include the time taken to complete this survey.

Leave
Hours spent on formal leave - e.g. sick leave, annual leave, etc.

Note time spent on work-related activities may instead be recorded in the categories above if undertaken while on leave."
You must have a clear understanding of the specific research projects you are working on at any one time in order to accurately assign the time spent on “Research – ACG” and “Research – Other”.

Please refer to the Allocating Activities table which provides a clear set of examples of activities listed against each appropriate category.

Should you be unsure of how to record a particular activity please contact Kerrie Legge.

What happens if an activity is applicable to more than one category?

You should make the best attempt to allocate a proportion to each applicable category relative to time spent on each. If largely one category applies, you may reasonably allocate all of the time spent on that activity to one category.

Last year I was asked to record time taken to complete the survey, do I have to record this time this year?

No, the time taken to complete the survey must not be included in your survey response. This is not an activity that would be ongoing throughout the academic year so it should not be captured by the survey.

How do I know if my research is Research ACG or Research Other?

Time spent working on ACG projects should be recorded in the “Research – ACG” category. You can check the ACG Register to identify whether a project is ACG or not.

Where time spent on research is not ACG funded, then it should be included in the “Research – Other” category. This category includes projects funded by non-ACG grants, internal grants and unfunded projects.

How do I record time spent on administrative activities?

Data integrity is important and the hours you record for the survey must be a true record of activity during the survey period. The department will be reviewing the de-identified data and following up anomalies with universities. Further, as the survey will directly influence the level of research funding the University receives under the SRE, it is important that the data we provide is as accurate as possible.

How do I record time spent preparing grant applications?

You should record time spent preparing grant applications during the survey period under the “Other” category.

Only activities that relate to your existing research should be included in the “Research - ACG” or “Research – Other” categories.

Where do I include completing OH&S, Quarantine and OGTR procedures?

All research related administrative duties should be recorded under the relevant research category, i.e. “Research - ACG” or “Research – Other”.

I have clinical duties as part of my job description. How do I record these?

Time spent on clinical duties directly related to your existing research, should be recorded under the relevant research category, i.e. “Research - ACG” or “Research – Other”.

Time spent on clinical duties not directly related to research should be recorded in the “Other” category.

If you undertake clinical practice as part of your employment with another body (for example the State health system) this time must not be included in the survey.

How do I record time spent developing an article for publication?

If the article for publication is being developed out of your existing research then you should record that time under the relevant research category, i.e. “Research - ACG” or “Research – Other”.

What about time spent on activities related to a grant, such as publication preparation, where the funding has ended?

These activities should be attributed to the relevant research category, i.e. “Research - ACG” or “Research – Other”, regardless of the fact that the grant has ended.

I am preparing patent applications based on the outcomes from my ACG project. How do I record these?

This time should be recorded in the "Research – ACG” category.

I am travelling to and attending a conference. How do I record these hours?

Time spent actually attending a conference pertaining to your existing research should be recorded under the relevant research category, i.e. “Research - ACG” or “Research – Other”.

Time spent travelling should be recorded in the “Other” category, unless you are actually engaged in research activities while travelling (for example writing a paper on the plane).

Where do I record time spent on unfunded research?

This time should be recorded in the “Research – Other” category.

What if I have no hours of research recorded?

If your role includes research but you did not undertake any research activities during the survey period, you must record zero hours against the “Research – ACG” and “Research – Other” categories.

If your role does not include research and you believe you have been sent the survey in error, please contact Kerrie Legge.

Although I am on leave during the survey, I have been busy with my research. Is the time counted toward the survey?

You may record the time spent on research while on leave. Record your actual hours spent on research under the relevant research category, i.e. “Research - ACG” or “Research – Other”.

If the time spent on research is less than the number of hours of formal leave then record the remainder in the “Leave” category. Note: For academic staff 1 full day's leave counts as 7.5 hours and for general staff 7 hours.

If you are on Special Studies Program Leave or Conference Leave, treat this as regular work time and record your activities in the appropriate categories.

What if my role includes a significant proportion of research centre management and leadership work, how is that recorded?

Time spent on centre or project management (e.g. financial management, managing supplies, human resource management, reporting requirements) should be recorded in the “Other” category.
Time spent on leadership in designing research programs and/or advising colleagues about their research projects should be recorded under the relevant research category, i.e. “Research - ACG” or “Research – Other”.

Where do I record time spent with HDR and/or Honours students?

Time spent teaching should be recorded in the “Teaching” category.

Time spent supervising students should be recorded in the “Research Training” category, unless your student’s project is funded by an ACG or non-ACG grant. In most cases, research as part of a HDR degree is funding through the Research Training Scheme (RTS) not ACG or non-ACG grants.

Time spent directly working on or discussing your research with HDR and/or Honours students should be recorded under the relevant research category, i.e. “Research – ACG” or “Research – Other”.

Note: Honours students doing research are treated in the same way as HDR students.

I am giving feedback on a PhD thesis being prepared as part of an ARC Linkage. How do I record these hours?

As the thesis is part of an ACG funded post doctorate this time should be recorded in the "Research - ACG" category.

If it was related to a non-ACG funded post doctorate the time would be recorded in the "Research - Other" category.

If it was related to a HDR student who is not funded under a grant the time would be recorded in the "Research Training" category.

I am a staff member and a research student. Do I include my research?

You should only include time spent on research undertaken while being paid by your institution. Time spent on duties related to your employment should be recorded under the appropriate categories, with time spent on research recorded under the relevant research category, i.e. “Research - ACG” or “Research – Other”.

Time spent on research undertaken as part of your degree that is separate to your paid work must not be included in the survey.

If your research forms both part of your employment and part of your degree, then you should record your time under the relevant research category, i.e. “Research - ACG” or “Research – Other”.

Please consider carefully the specific research projects you are working on at any one time in order to accurately assign the time spent on research undertaken as part of your employment and research undertaken as part of your degree.