University-wide supervisor Community of Practice (CoP)

The university-wide supervisor Community of Practice (CoP) is a collaborative online space for postgraduate research (PGR) supervisors to connect, share best practice, troubleshoot, build community, and grow their supervisory skills and knowledge.

About the Community of Practice (CoP)

An image of a circle made up of many colors.

The CoP is a Microsoft Teams page and corresponding Sharepoint site where supervisors can connect, ask questions, and share best practices. It includes a resource library of supervision tools as well as academic literature on supervision. The CoP also provides a central space to inform supervisors of upcoming relevant events, workshops, resources, or news relevant to supervisory practice at the University of Edinburgh and beyond.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Expand the sections below to find answers to some frequently asked questions.

The CoP is for any PGR supervisor at the University of Edinburgh, though it is also open to Postgraduate Taught supervisors who are supervising dissertation projects. The CoP is open to both new and experienced supervisors. We welcome and encourage supervisors from any and all disciplinary fields to join as interdisciplinary/cross-disciplinary practice and resource sharing is also encouraged.


No, joining the community of practice is not a requirement. While not required, we hope the CoP will be a useful resource to you in your practice.


Yes, we encourage and hope that supervisors will share tips, resources, events, or anything related to good supervisory practice. You are also welcome and encouraged to ask questions of your peers.

Please keep in mind that the CoP is meant for supervision-related content only and that any identifiable personal information about student(s) and/or colleague(s) should not be shared.


You can join the CoP here:

Community of Practice (CoP)

Or, by emailing PhDsupervisors@ed.ac.uk.


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