Model Publication Scheme

This page provides categories of information and will direct you to the relevant section of our website.

8.1 General Information

This category covers general information about how to make contact with the institution. It includes information about how to complain about the institution, and how to serve formal documents on it. It is aimed at providing very general information for the public. More detailed information will be provided in other categories.

General information table
Category	Description	Comments
Name and address	The name of the institution, and the address of its principal office	Queen Margaret University, Musselburgh, East Lothian, EH21 6UU
Principal officers	Names of the principal officers of the institution	Please visit the Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor and Senior Management Team webpage.
Contact information	Information on how to contact the institution	Please visit the Contact us webpage. All calls should be made to +44 (0)131 474 0000.
Location	Information on the institution's principal and other main locations, including campus maps	Queen Margaret University is based on a single campus in Musselburgh. Please visit the Location and Getting here webpage.
Opening hours	Opening hours of the institution's principal office(s)	Monday – Thursday: 9am – 5pm Friday: 9am – 4.30pm (Reception manned from 8.30am – 6pm, Monday – Friday) Please note that the Learning Resource Centre (LRC) has different opening hours to those stated above
Academic year dates	Information on the dates of the institution's academic years	Please visit the Academic Calendar webpage
Holidays	Dates of closure of the institution	Please visit the Academic Calendar webpage. With the exception of the Learning Resource Centre, the University is closed for eight days in December and January.
Complaints	Procedures on how to complain about the institution	Please visit the University’s Complaints Procedure or email Complaints@qmu.ac.uk.
Document serving	Contact details for serving legal documents on the institution, e.g. Court Orders	University Secretary, Queen Margaret University, Musselburgh, East Lothian, EH21 6UU

8.2 Access to Information and Records Management Policies

This category tells people how to request information from the institution, both under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act and the Data Protection Act. It also covers institutional procedures for these pieces of legislation.

Information and records management and access
Category	Description	Comments
How to make a request for information and freedom of information enquiries contact	Details of how to request information from the institution under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act, the Data Protection Act, and the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations. Central contact point for Freedom of Information enquiries	Please visit the How to Submit an FOI Request and the How to Submit a Data Subject Access Request webpages. Requests can be made verbally and in writing: Email: FOI@qmu.ac.uk. Phone: +44 (0)131 474 0000 and ask for Freedom of Information when prompted. Post: Freedom of Information, Governance & Quality Enhancement, Queen Margaret University, Musselburgh, East Lothian, EH21 6UU
Information legislation policies	Institutional policies and procedures on Freedom of Information, Data Protection and Environmental Information	Please visit the FOI and Data Protection webpage.
Records Management and archiving policy	Policies and guidance relating to our records management, records and information retention and archiving policies	Please visit the Records Management webpage.

8.3 Governance

This category covers information relating to the way the institution is governed and how decisions are made. It includes information on the legal status of the institution, which individual member of staff or group within the organisation is responsible for specific functions and where they fit in the overall organisation structure.

Governance
Category	Description	Comments
Legal Framework	Information on how the institution was established and its standing from a legal perspective	Please visit the Court Members’ Handbook page, available on the University Court webpage.
Governance Structure	The institution's governance structures and related operational procedures	Please see the Court Members’ Handbook, available on the University Court webpage.
Governance precepts	The institution's arrangements for compliance with good governance precepts	Information regarding our arrangements for compliance with governance precepts can be found in within the Court Members’ Handbook, which is available on University Court webpage. Queen Margaret University employs both internal and external auditors to ensure robust systems of internal control and accurate and transparent annual accounts. Internal and external audit functions are contracted out.
Conflict of interests policy	The institution's conflict of interests policies	Please see Clauses 7 and 10 of Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh (Scotland) Order of Council 2007, and clauses 4 and 7 of the Court Standing Orders, available on the University Court webpage.
Register of interests	Institutional register of interests	Details are provided within the profiles of individual Court members, please email FOI@qmu.ac.uk
Institutional structure	A description of the institution's major organisational units and how these relate to each other	Please visit the Schools and Divisions website for details of the academic organisational structure. Information on the Professional Services organisational units is available on request. Please email FOI@qmu.ac.uk.
Major committees	The activities of major committees with devolved decision-making powers	Please visit the Regulations, Policies and Procedures webpage for committee terms of reference and a committee structure. Please visit the University Court webpage for Court publications, minutes, and the Court Member Handbook. Minutes and papers of meetings of statutory bodies and other major committees are available on request. Please email FOI@qmu.ac.uk.
Subsidiary companies	Information on the names, addresses, broad functions and purposes of companies where the institution is a majority shareholder	QMU Enterprises Ltd - c/o Queen Margaret University Undertakes commercial letting of University accommodation and provision of commercial consultancy services by members of University staff.
Honorary degrees	Policies, procedures and awards of honorary degrees	Please visit the Awards of the University page and the Honorary Graduates website

8.4 Financial Resources

This category covers information on the institution’s strategy and management of financial resources. The finance department provides accounting, procurement and contracting services, helping to make best use of resources and fulfilling statutory responsibilities.

Financial Resources
Category	Description	Comments
Financial statements	The institution's annual accounts	Please visit the Finance webpage.
Budgetary processes	Policies and procedures for making budgetary allocations to major budgetary units	The narrative at the front of the statement of accounts provides an overview of the financial control environment, which would include budgetary processes. Please visit the Finance webpage.
Budgets overview	Summary of overall budget and budgetary allocations to major budgetary units	Available on request, please email FOI@qmu.ac.uk.
Financial regulations	Institution's financial administration manual	Available on request, please email FOI@qmu.ac.uk.
Insurance	Summary information on the institution's major insurance policies	Available on request, please email FOI@qmu.ac.uk.
Senior staff remuneration	Principal's remuneration and statistical information on remuneration of other senior staff required to be published under the SFC Financial Memorandum	These are included in the University’s statement of accounts. Please visit the Finance webpage.
Investments	Summary information on institutional endowments and investments	The University does not hold any investments. Details of endowment reserves are included in the notes to the Statement of Accounts. Please visit the Finance webpage.

8.5 Corporate Planning

This category provides information on the institution's mission and major strategic plans.

Corporate Planning
Category	Description	Comments
Mission	Institution's Mission statement	Please visit the Vision, Mission and Values webpage.
Corporate plan	Institution's corporate or Strategic Plan	Please visit Our Strategic Plan webpage.
Strategies	Major institutional strategy documents	Please visit Our Strategic Plan webpage. Further information may be available on request, please email FOI@qmu.ac.uk.
Performance indicators	Indicators used by the governing body and senior management to measure overall institutional performance	Key performance indicators may be available on request, please email FOI@qmu.ac.uk. Please visit the Policy, Strategy and Facts and Figures webpage.
Planning procedures	Internal procedures for planning and resource allocation	Available on request, please email FOI@qmu.ac.uk.

8.6 Procurement

Collaborative procurements may be led by central bodies such as Procurement Scotland, APUC Limited, Excel, NHS National Procurement or Central Government Procurement Centre of Expertise. Information about the procurement services these organisations provide to the institution may be obtained direct from the organisations.

Procurement
Category	Description	Comments
Procurement policies	Institution's overall strategy for procurement of non-pay expenditure and policies for compliance with legal obligations on major procurement exercises	Please visit the Finance webpage. The University is a member of Advanced Procurement for Universities and Colleges (APUC) Limited. Please email FOI@qmu.ac.uk for further information.
Procurement procedures	Institution's procurement and purchasing manuals	Please visit the Finance webpage.
Procurement contacts	Contact information for procurement and purchasing information	Please visit the Finance webpage.
Tender documentation	EU-prescribed call for competition contract notices, invitations to tender, and pre-qualification questionnaire documentation for significant procurements	Available on request, please email FOI@qmu.ac.uk.
Supplier contracts	EU-prescribed award notices of major contracts over EU thresholds	Available on request, please email FOI@qmu.ac.uk.

8.7 Management of Research

This category covers information relating to the institution’s management and funding of its research activities; it does not include the actual results or data of research undertaken.

Management of Research
Category	Description	Comments
Research funding	Statistical information on the major sources of the institution's research funding	Please visit the following website and webpages: Scottish Funding Council website; Finance webpage (Strategic Report and Financial Statements); and Research and Knowledge Exchange webpage.
Research quality	Results of external measurement of the quality of the institution's research	Please visit the Research and Knowledge Exchange webpage.
Research strategies	Summary information on institutional-level strategic plans for research	Please visit the Research and Knowledge Exchange Unit’s Strategy and Policy webpage.
Research management structures	A description of the structures the institution uses to manage its research activity	Please visit the Research Centres, Institutes and Groups webpage.
Research support arrangements	Institution's procedures for supporting research	Please visit the Research and Knowledge Exchange Unit’s Strategy and Policy webpage.
Research ethics	The institution's research ethics policies and procedures	Please visit the Research Ethics and Governance webpage.
Research students policies and procedures	The institution's policies and procedures for supervising and examining research students	Please visit the Graduate School’s Current Students page.

8.8 Commercialisation and Knowledge Transfer

This category provides information about the institution's mechanisms for supporting the commercialisation of outputs from its research activities.

Commercialisation and Knowledge Transfer
Category	Description	Comments
Support arrangements	A description of how the institution supports commercialisation of the knowledge generated by its research activities.	Please visit the Knowledge Exchange and Commercialisation webpages.
Contact information	How to get information about the institution's commercialisation activities.	Please visit the Knowledge Exchange and Commercialisation webpages. Please email the Research and Knowledge Exchange Development Unit using RKEDU@qmu.ac.uk.
Commercialisation funding	Statistical information on the major sources of the institution's funding for commercialisation and knowledge transfer.	Please visit the following website and webpages: Scottish Funding Council website; Research and Knowledge Exchange webpage. Available on request, please email FOI@qmu.ac.uk.
Commercialisation resources	A description of institutional facilities and resources for supporting commercialisation activity.	Please visit the Services for Business and Industry webpage.
Commercialisation outcomes	Statistical information about the institution's commercialisation of its research activities.	Available on request, please email FOI@qmu.ac.uk.
Consultancy services	How to get information about the institution's consultancy services.	Please visit the Contract Research and Consultancy webpage. Please email the Research and Knowledge Exchange Development Unit using RKEDU@qmu.ac.uk.

8.9 Human Resources

This category covers information on the institution’s strategy and management of human resources, rather than information relating to individual members of staff (exempt from disclosure as personal information). The information available covers Personnel policies and procedures (including terms and conditions of service and all current versions of the information specified in each category).

Human Resources
Category	Description	Comments
Staff profile	Statistical information on staff	Please visit the Policy, Strategy and Facts and Figures webpage, and the Equality and Diversity webpage.
Recruitment policies	Policies, statements, procedures and guidelines relating to recruitment	Please visit the HR Policies and Procedures webpage.
Employment terms	Generic terms and conditions of employment
Performance management	Policies and procedures relating to performance management
Promotion	Policies, statements, procedures, guidelines and statistics relating to promotion, regrading and salary reviews	Please visit the Policy, Strategy and Facts and Figures webpage, and the Equality and Diversity webpage.
Pensions	Policies and guidelines on pension arrangements for staff	Please visit the Working Life at QMU webpage or email FOI@qmu.ac.uk.
Discipline	Disciplinary procedures and policies	Please visit the HR Policies and Procedures webpage.
Grievance	Grievance procedures and policies
Employee relations	Collective bargaining and consultation procedures with recognised Trades Unions and Professional Organisations and agreements reached
Public interest disclosure	Information required for compliance with the Public Interest Disclosure Act
Staff development	Policies and procedures relating to the ongoing development of staff	Please visit the Develop webpage.
Staff records	The institution's policy on the collection, maintenance and use of personal information about staff.	Please visit the Privacy Statement webpage.
Staff facilities	Description of the facilities and services available exclusively to members of staff.	Please visit the Working Life at QMU webpage.

8.10 Physical Resources

Institutions are often substantial land and property owners in their own right. This category covers information at a strategic level relating to the institution’s management of its physical resources. Some of this information is required to be published under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004.

Physical Resources
Category	Description	Comments
Description of estate	Overview of the institution's estate	Please visit Our Campus webpage. Campus drawings are available on request, please email FOI@qmu.ac.uk.
Estate development plans	Plans for major changes to the estate, including plans for use of major external capital funding	Please visit the website: Edinburgh Innovation Park Available on request, please email FOI@qmu.ac.uk.
Buildings under construction	Summary information about buildings under construction	The University currently has no buildings under construction, and has no plans to construct any new buildings within the period to August 2020.
Maintenance	Maintenance arrangements and policies for buildings and grounds	Available on request, please email FOI@qmu.ac.uk.
Estates indicators	Performance indicators on major estates functions	Please visit the Higher Education Statistics Agency website. Available on request, please email FOI@qmu.ac.uk.
Environmental policies	The institution's environmental policies, practices and overview of their impact	Please visit the Sustainable Scotland Network website. Please see the Sustainability and Green Travel Plan and Strategy webpages.

8.11 Health and Safety

This category covers information about the institution's health and safety policies, risk assessment policies, procedures and record.

Health and Safety
Category	Description	Comments
Policies	Policies, procedures and guidelines relating to health and safety	Please visit the Regulations, Policies and Procedures webpages.
Annual Reports and statistics	Reports to governing body on health and safety issues Summary statistics on accidents and incidents within the institution	Available on request, please email FOI@qmu.ac.uk.

8.12 Equality and Diversity

This category provides information about the institution’s policies and strategies regarding equality and diversity.

Equality and Diversity
Category	Description	Comments
Equal opportunities policies and guidance	Equality and diversity policies, statements, procedures, and guidelines	Please visit the Equality Policy, which is available on the Equality and Diversity webpage.
Equal opportunities consultation	Information about consultation procedures required for compliance with statutory equality duties	Please visit the Equality and Diversity webpage.
Equality management infrastructure	Information on committees and other groups engaged in determining equality and diversity policies	Please visit the Equality and Diversity webpage for details of the Equality and Diversity Committee’s remit.

8.13 Support for Disabled People

This category provides information about the institution's policies, procedures, and support for disabled people, including information about accessibility of major buildings and services.

Support for Disabled People
Category	Description	Comments
Disability policies	Policies, procedures and guidelines relating to support for disabled people	Please visit the Inclusive Learning and Teaching Policy on the Regulations, Policies and Procedures webpage, and the Equality Policy, which are available on the Equality and Diversity webpage. The Disabled International Students: Student Guide is available but has yet to be published.
Support structures	A description of the institution's support structures for disability issues	Please visit the Disability Service and Library: Support for Disabled Students webpages.
Accessibility of buildings and services	Information about accessibility of each of the institution's main buildings and services	Queen Margaret University is located at a purpose built campus that is accessible. The University undertakes periodic access audits and this and the relevant action plan are available on request. Please email FOI@qmu.ac.uk.
Contacts	Details of how to get information about support for disabled people	Please visit the Disability Service webpage. Please email DisabilityAdvisers@qmu.ac.uk.
Strategies	The institution's strategies for improving support for disabled people, and mechanisms for monitoring these	Please visit the British Sign Language (BSL) Action Plan webpage.
Statistics	Summary statistics on support for disability within the institution.	Available on request, please email FOI@qmu.ac.uk.

8.14 Student Administration & Support

This category contains information on how the institution manages the administration and progression of their students from admission to course completion, including student support services.

Student Administration & Support
Category	Description	Comments
Course information	Degree programmes offered by the institution	Please visit the Study Here and Programme Specification webpages.
Recruitment and admissions	The institution's admissions procedures and policies	Please visit the How to Apply webpage, and the Admissions Policy and the Contextual Admissions Policy on the Regulations, Policies and Procedures webpage.
Fees and charges	Tuition fees and other charges to students	Please visit the Fees and Funding webpage.
Scholarships and bursaries	Scholarships and bursaries available to students	Please visit the Scholarships for New Students webpage
Registration	The institution's arrangements for registering students	Please visit the Induction webpage.
Induction	The institution's student induction arrangements	Please visit the Induction webpage.
Examinations	Arrangements for examinations	Please visit the Examinations and Assessment webpage.
Progression	Regulations governing student progression	Please visit the Assessment Regulations and the Board of Examiners Regulations on the Regulations, Policies and Procedures webpage.
Learning support provision	Description and availability of the academic and non-academic learning support provision offered by the institution.	Please visit the Services for Students, Library Services and the Effective Learning Service webpages.
Student liaison	The structure and functioning meetings of staff/student consultative committees or other liaison groups	Please see the Management Of Programmes Procedures and the Programme Leaders Handbook.
Student records	The institution's policies on the collection, maintenance and use of personal information about students	Please visit the Privacy Statement webpage.
Student discipline	The institution's policies and procedures for disciplinary proceedings against students	Please visit the Code of Conduct, Academic Appeals Regulations, and Student Disciplinary Regulations on the Regulations, Policies and Procedures webpage.
Student accommodation	Availability, conditions of use and range of accommodation services offered by the institution	Please visit the Accommodation webpage.
Graduation arrangements	Information about awards ceremonies	Please visit the Graduation webpage
Student complaints	Procedures for dealing with student complaints about the institution	Please visit the University’s Complaints Procedure and Complaints Form on the Regulations, Policies and Procedures webpage. Please email Complaints@qmu.ac.uk.
Student facilities	Description of the academic, leisure and other facilities and services available exclusively to students	Please visit the Campus Life and Learning Facilities webpages.
Relationship with the Students Union/ Association	The legal and structural basis of the institution's relationships with the Students Union/Association	Please visit the QMU Students' Union Constitution on the Students’ Union website.
Students Union/ Association [1]	Information on the operation and activities of the Students Union / Association	Please visit the Students’ Union website.

The Current Students webpage links to the following webpages:

General Information for Current QMU Students. Includes induction, examinations, managing your studies, graduation, document requests, term dates and fees and charges.

Current Student A - Z. Provides useful links, alphabetically, for current students.

Effective Learning Service. Offers guidance and support to all students who wish to develop their academic writing and study skills.

Thinking of Leaving. Make an informed decision with our help.

Student Experience at QMU. Ways to provide feedback to the University.

The Doctoral Candidates' Association (DCA). Information for doctoral candidates by doctoral candidates.

Services for Students. Sources of support to help you make the most of your time at University.

Library. Information on the Learning Resource Centre (LRC)

[1] Required only in cases where the institution has any legal responsibility or liability for ensuring that Students Unions (and similar Associations and organisations) are properly run.

8.15 Teaching Quality

This category contains information regarding the management of teaching quality in the institution including mechanisms for reviewing and ensuring the quality of teaching provided[2].

Teaching Quality
Category	Description	Comments
Programme approval	Programme approval and monitoring arrangements	Please visit the Quality Assurance Handbook - Programme Development, Monitoring and Review, available on the Resources for Validation and Review webpages.
Assessment	Assessment procedures and summaries of reviews of their effectiveness	Please visit the Assessment Regulations, within the Regulations tab, on the Regulations, Policies and Procedures webpage. External Examiners have oversight of assessment for individual programmes Annual summaries of External Examiner feedback are available on the Information on Quality at QMU webpage.
Student satisfaction	Summary results of any institutional mechanisms for measuring student satisfaction with their HE experience	Please visit the Student Experience at QMU webpage.
Institutional internal reviews	Summary of the findings of the institution’s own internal reviews of quality and standards	Annual Statements to the Funding Council are available on the Information on Quality at QMU webpage.
Professional accreditation of courses by external bodies	The nature of and duration of accreditation by professional, statutory or regulatory bodies, including accreditation and monitoring reports.	Please visit relevant programmes on the Studying at Queen Margaret University webpage. Further information available on request, please email FOI@qmu.ac.uk.
Validation	A description of courses where the institution acts as an external examination body or validates the examinations and qualifications of others, including ‘joint awards’.	Please visit the Partnerships webpage
Assessments of the institution’s provision by the QAA	QAA reports [3]	Please visit the Queen Margaret University webpage on the Quality Assurance Agency website.

[2] Information which institutions are required to make available by their Funding Council or by a regulatory body is information included in the ‘Government and Regulator Relations’ category (8.18).

[3] QAA: Quality Assurance Agency

8.16 Information Services

This category covers those functions within the institution that provide access to information for the student body and both academic and administrative staff. These include libraries, computing services, archive services, and information support services. Such functions may be managed separately from each other, or in various combinations. These services routinely explain their facilities (and the conditions of their use) to students, staff and the general public and it is information of this nature that is included within this category.

Information Services
Category	Description	Comments
Library facilities	Availability and conditions of use of library facilities	Please visit the Library webpage. All relevant Policies relating to Library Services are available on the LibGuides site.
Computing facilities	Availability and conditions of use of computing facilities	Please visit the IT Services and Acceptable Usage Policy webpages.
Other information facilities	Availability and conditions of use of facilities	Please visit the Effective Learning Service website.
Major strategy documents	High-level aims and strategies of information services units	The Learning Services Team are guided by the: Student Experience Strategy, available on the Quality Enhancement webpage; Infrastructure Strategy; and the Information Technology Strategy The Infrastructure Strategy and the Information Technology Strategy are available on request. Please email FOI@qmu.ac.uk.
Collections	Scope of major collections held by the institution	There are no major collections held by the University.
Open archives	Information about records held by the institution’s archive facilities for permanent preservation and designated as open irrespective of the date of creation.	The University archive is located within the Learning Resource Centre. Visits are by appointment only Please email LRChelp@qmu.ac.uk.
Other archive facilities and special collections	Description of the institution's archive facilities and special collections

Withheld information

Material referenced by catalogues will generally be exempted as ‘otherwise accessible’ under s.25 of the Act, since it is available in terms of the ‘Library Facilities’ Category above.

8.17 External and Community Relations

This category covers information relating to the institution’s relationship with its external environment. These include how it manages its relationship with the local community and how it retains contact with its former staff and students.

External and Community Relations
Category	Description	Comments
Alumni	Arrangements for keeping in touch with former staff and students	Please visit the Alumni and Friends webpage.
Community Relations	Description of the facilities and services available to the local community	Please visit the QMU and the Community webpage.
Development activities	Promotional material relating to institutional fundraising objectives	Please visit the Opportunities to Give webpage. Please contact development@qmu.ac.uk for additional information. See also our stakeholder magazine, QMYOU. We feature information on major donations and initiatives in the magazine.
Public Relations	Information created specifically to publicise facilities and activities.	Please visit the QMYOU webpage. QMYOU is our stakeholder magazine. Please also visit the News and Events section of our website.

8.18 Government and Regulator Relations

This category covers information the institution provides to government and external regulators and information provided to the Scottish Funding Council for monitoring purposes.

Government and Regulator Relations
Category	Description	Comments
Funding body statistical reports and returns	Information that the institution is legally obliged to make available to its funding body	Statistical returns to the Scottish Funding Council are available on request, please email FOI@qmu.ac.uk. The University’s Outcome Agreements are available to view on the Scottish Funding Council website. Statistical returns to HESA are available to review on the Higher Education Statistics Agency website. The Discover Uni website details official data for undergraduate courses and the University’s satisfaction scores in the National Student Survey, and jobs and salaries data after study.
Other statutory reports	Information which the University is legally required to publish	Other statutory reports are available to view on the following websites: Companies House Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator