Application Guidelines  

Graduate Research Assistant Scheme

Introduction

The Centre for Research and Innovation (CRI) offers this set of guidelines to recommend appropriate roles and responsibilities for Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) and for their recruitment and appointment.

Position Definition

Application is open to all Malaysian and International citizens who are already offered to study in a Masters (by research) or PhD programme at Quest International University Perak.  A successful applicant is not allowed to receive any other financial support or scholarship/fellowship, and should not be engaged in any type of employment.

Applicant’s number of semesters must not exceed: 

1. Masters : 4 semesters.
2. PhD : 6 semesters.

Requirements:

1. Candidate must possess at least a Bachelor’s degree (for Master) or Master degree (for PhD) in a related discipline;
2. Should be registered into Master/PhD program within 6 months after being successfully recruited;
3. Bachelor’s or Master degree with CGPA > 3.0 or equivalent;
4. Excellent proficiency in English (written and spoken);
5. Able to work independently with minimal supervision;
6. Right sense of urgency, hardworking, pro-active, and willing to learn new skills/things;

Tuition Waivers:

• As a research assistant, you are required to pay the tuition fees and the miscellaneous fees;
• Fee waiver is subject only on a case by case basis.

1. Appointment Status: Full-time

2. Monthly Stipend: Graduate Research Assistants typically are paid on the beginning of the following month. The allowance criteria are as follows:

3. Reappointment:

The Director of Centre for Research and Innovation (CRI) is responsible for verifying eligibility for an assistantship and making offers of reappointment on a semester basis to the recommended candidates by executing an Appointment Agreement containing the terms and conditions of the assistantship, including title, stipend, term of appointment, and other terms and conditions of appointment (if any) and a Duties and Responsibilities addendum as appropriate that specifies the (1) educational requirements; (2) job requirements; (3) duties, and (4) performance standards for the appointment. GRAs are expected to achieve a satisfactory level of progress as agreed upon with their supervisor (s) for every semester. The GRAship will be terminated for those whose supervisor(s) deem the candidate’s progress of the research is below expectations.

4. Working Hours:

GRA is required to complete 20 working hours per month. If the maximum working hours is not achieved, a prorate allowance will be provided based on the number of working hours. The GRA is required to fill in the GRA attendance form for each session which will be verified by the Supervisor and HOD/HOP/PC.

5. Supervision:

Each Graduate Research Assistant is assigned a supervisor at the time of appointment. These supervisors are responsible for providing guidance and support to the graduate assistants and to ensure that they are prepared to carry out the duties of their assistantships.

6. Key Performance Indicator (KPI):

Provide research and writing assistance to the supervisor and Research Centre. The GRA responsibilities vary greatly and may include, but are not limited to:

• Tutoring individual or small groups of students;
• Assisting a faculty member with tutorials or practical classes;
• Assisting lab staff for the preparation of practical classes;
• Assisting in performing other tasks or events such as preparation of exhibition and presentations, education fair, etc.;
• Publish at least one (1) paper in ISI-indexed journal during the candidature;
• Applications should be forwarded to the Chief Operating Officer (COO) in the following order through the Supervisor/Head of the Project, and Director of Centre for Research and Innovation (CRI).
• After endorsement from the Director of the CRI, the application will be submitted to the COO’s office for final approval.

Application Process:

 Contract

• By accepting the assistantship you enter into an agreement you are obliged to honor. If it becomes necessary for you to leave this position during the course of the year please give the University at least one (1) month advance notice. Please be aware that you will forfeit your tuition and fees waiver and be liable for the full payment of tuition and fees;
• You will be expected to operate within the University guidelines and follow University policy and practice at all times;
• Assisting with research requires you to comply with all legal and ethical policies including those governing the use and care of animals, biosafety, and human subjects;
• Failure to comply with work expectations could result in verbal counseling and repeated offenses could lead to termination.

*Note: Subject to change

List of Research Centres:

• Data Ecosystem Research and Development Centre (DERDC)
• Centre for Pharmaceutical Product Development & Commercialization
• Centre for Infectious Diseases and Phytochemical
  Studies (CIDPS)
• Centre for Angiogenesis and Natural Product Research (CANPR)
• Innovation & Technology Center (ITC)

Here is where you can find the latest research groups created by QIU academics.

• Aquatic Disease Research Group CRI
• Crop Production and Precision Agriculture Research Group CRI
• Entomology Research Group CRI
• Microbial Technology Research Group CRI
• Natural Product Research Group CRI
• Plant Sciences and Biotechnology Research Group CRI
• Specialised Chemicals Research Group CRI

List Of Research Funding:

• Internal Grant Scheme (IGS)
• National
• International
• Private

• Plagiarism Checker- Turnitin
  Turnitin is a recognised worldwide originality check as the standard in online plagiarism prevention. it matches the text within an assignment by comparing a student’s submission against an archive of internet documents, internet data, a repository of previously submitted papers, and a subscription repository of periodicals, journals, and publications.
  Turnitin website (click here)
  
  
• Referencing Style
  Referencing is citing or crediting the sources of information you have used in your writing or assignment.
  To see the referencing style, click here
  Malaysia Citation Centre (click here)

• Predatory journals
  What is predatory journals (click here)
  List of blacklisted journals by MOE (click here)
  How to spot predatory journals (click here)

• List of Malaysian Journals in MyCite (click here) 

• Scopus Journal List (click here) 

Presenting your paper at a conference provides a great opportunity in your researcher’s life. It provides an initial platform to discuss your research findings and engage with others in the field.

Below are the links to conferences to present your paper:

• http://bit.ly/Conferences-Malaysia
• https://blog.bizzabo.com/education-events
• https://www.2021.icres.net/pages/1/call-for-papers
• https://conferenceindex.org/conferences/scopus/malaysia

Enago Academy offers comprehensive and up-to-date resources for researchers, publishers, editors, and students to learn and share their experience about research and publishing. 

There is a lot of useful information which postgraduate students can refer to at the website such as the way of reporting, publishing and promoting research.

For more information, please visit Enago Academy Homepage