The Australian Graduate Research Good Practice Principles articulate a set of standards considered to be essential for the delivery of graduate research programs. The Graduate Research Good Practice Principles have been developed and endorsed by the Australian Council of Graduate Research (ACGR) and contain high level statements about governance, policy and procedural standards that ACGR believe are necessary components of quality graduate research programs.
Along with the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research, the Graduate Research Good Practice Principles are listed by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Authority (TEQSA) as one of two Reference Points for the 2015 Higher Education Standards (HES) Framework Domain 4.2: Research Training. TEQSA Reference Points are significant codes or frameworks that TEQSA considers may be helpful to higher education providers in considering how particular standards may be met or demonstrated.
Use of the Reference Points is not mandated by TEQSA. However, institutions delivering graduate research programs in Australia are encouraged to use the Graduate Research Good Practice Principles to review and monitor their graduate research program delivery and support structures to ensure that they meet the Research Training Standards of the HES Framework.
Accompanying our Good Practice Principles we have a number of Good Practice Guidelines that are designed to support institutions as they develop their strategies and processes in particular important areas of operation. These are not referenced by TEQSA and are purely available for individual universities to consider as relevant to their institutions.