This page gathers useful resources for faculty members teaching or supervising PhD students at the Graduate School for Social Research. It includes key ethical guidelines, tools to support high-quality teaching and supervision, and selected professional development opportunities. Additional materials will be added as they become available.
Code of Ethics for Researchers (Polish Academy of Sciences)
This Code, adopted by the General Assembly of the Polish Academy of Sciences on 5 December 2024, outlines the ethical principles that should guide the conduct of researchers in Poland. It covers responsibilities in research, teaching, and public communication, and serves as a reference point for academic integrity across disciplines.
European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers (European Commission)
This document defines the roles, responsibilities, and entitlements of researchers and their institutions. It promotes ethical research practices, transparent recruitment, and supportive working conditions. The Charter is a core policy document of the European Research Area.
GSSR’s peer review of teaching is a supportive, collegial process that helps instructors reflect on and improve their courses. It includes a review of the syllabus, a classroom visit, and a follow-up discussion between peers, all guided by the Polish Qualifications Framework Level 8 (PQF8).
The goal is to share good practices and offer constructive feedback in a confidential and professional setting.
To support GSSR instructors in their professional development, we recommend the following free, high-quality online courses that focus on pedagogy in higher education, including doctoral-level teaching:
Coursera – University Teaching Courses
Coursera partners with leading universities to offer free courses on pedagogy and curriculum design. Recommended options include:
- University Teaching (The University of Hong Kong)
- Foundations of Teaching for Learning (Commonwealth Education Trust)
- Learning to Teach Online (UNSW Sydney)
Harvard University – Teaching and Education
Harvard’s free online courses include resources for educators seeking to improve instruction and student engagement. Particularly relevant are:
- Leaders of Learning
- Introduction to Data Wise: A Collaborative Process to Improve Learning & Teaching
View Harvard’s Education Courses
FutureLearn – Teaching in Higher Education
Developed by top European universities, FutureLearn courses explore contemporary methods in university teaching and assessment. Notable course:
- Assessment in Higher Education (Erasmus University Rotterdam)
Explore FutureLearn’s Teaching Courses
- The UK Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE), Research Supervisors’ Network
The UKCGE is the national representative body for postgraduate education research. It is an independent educational charity which relies on voluntary contributions from individuals and institutions in the postgraduate sector.
https://ukcge.ac.uk/networks/research-supervisors
Enhancing Practice in Research Supervision (Stan Taylor)
- DocEnhance PhD Supervision Course
A flexible resource bank offering videos, exercises, and reading on defining supervisor-candidate roles, managing expectations, and handling common challenges in supervision.
https://courses.docenhance.eu/
- The GO-GN Guide to Doctoral Supervision
Farrow, R. (ed.), Ashman, M., Baff, D., Bozkurt, A., Dubien, D., Eldridge, B., Elias, T., Iniesto, F., Jacobsen, M., Jhangiani, R. S., Johnson, K. R., Johnston, S. L, Katz, S., Khetarpal, M., Mayisela, T., McGreal, R., O’Reilly, J., Peramunugamage, A., Pete, J., Pitt, B. & Vladimirschi, V. (2024). The GO-GN Guide to Doctoral Supervision. Global OER Graduate Network / Open Education Research Hub.
https://go-gn.net/gogn_outputs/go-gn-guide-to-supervision/
- Doctoral Supervision: A Best Practice Review
Polkinghorne, Martyn, Julia Taylor, Fiona Knight, and Natalie Stewart. “Doctoral supervision: A best practice review.” Encyclopedia 3, no. 1 (2023): 46-59. https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia3010004
- The Turing Way handbook for collaborative, ethical, and open data science.
An open science, open collaboration, and community-driven project that aims to make data science accessible, comprehensible and effective for everyone. This resource offers useful tools for fostering good research practices in projects involving data and team collaboration.
https://book.the-turing-way.org/