phd thesis submission extension

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Extending your submission date

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Please note that applications submitted after your submission deadline will be declined.

Doctoral, MSc and MLitt students please note that applications received any earlier than 3-6 months before the thesis submission deadline will be declined and you will be asked to reapply at the appropriate time.

Masters students, please note that applications received any earlier than 2 months before the thesis submission deadline will be declined and you will be asked to reapply at the appropriate time.

Applications should only be submitted if you know that you need additional time and not 'just in case' you do.

If you are a research student who is not self-funded, the terms and conditions of your funding may specify a thesis submission date that is earlier than your submission deadline displayed in CamSIS. If you are unable to meet your funder’s deadline you should discuss this with your funding scheme and supervisor as soon as possible. You only need apply for an extension through your CamSIS self-service if you are unable to submit your thesis by your University submission deadline.

Extension requests for coursework other than the thesis or dissertation (for example, essays, portfolio coursework, the First Year Assessment) should not be submitted via CamSIS - please contact your Department for advice on how to apply.

For taught courses, short deadlines which would not impact on the dates on which the marks would be considered by the Exam Board and Degree Committee can normally be considered locally - see below under 'Your submission date and how to apply'. 

Note that a longer extension may result in you completing and graduating later than the rest of your cohort, so you should seek clarification on the impact of this from your Department, Faculty or Degree Committee, particularly if the timing of your degree completion will have an impact on your future plans, such as further study, employment or visa applications. 

For all applications made via CamSIS self-service, each case is considered in line with the policy of the Postgraduate Committee, which is set out in the guidance on this page. 

Instructions on how to submit an application can be found on the   'Applying for a change in your student status' page.  Please check the guidance below before applying.

If you have any questions about applying for an extension, please submit a query here:  student-registry-help.admin.cam.ac.uk

All requests for an extension must include the following information:

• Visa issues
• Medical issues or family circumstances, where a period of intermission should have been requested or a break from study is currently needed
• Attending conferences
• Writing/publishing papers
• Undertaking further research, unless your supervisor, department or Degree Committee make a very strong academic case for this
• A safety net 'just in case' additional time is needed
• Employment - this includes employment if you are working while completing corrections to your thesis after your viva
• Job applications
• Not wishing to leave Cambridge
• Continued funding
• Poor planning -  it should be feasible to complete your research project within the maximum time-frame for your degree (for example, 4 years for a full-time PhD). Therefore reasons such as having collected too much data or a change of direction (unless due to circumstances outside your control) will not normally be considered valid
• Wanting to incorporate new material at a late stage unless there is a very strong case for this material being  essential  to your thesis rather than merely enhancing its quality
• Needing time for proofreading, editing or support with academic writing or wanting more time in order to improve the quality of your thesis  - students are expected to produce a thesis to the required standard within the normal time-frame for submission. In planning your thesis you should factor in time for proofreading/editing. 

Research students who do not submit their thesis by their submission date and do not have an extension approved, will be withdrawn from study. They may be able to apply for  reinstatement  when their thesis is ready for submission for examination but not to continue studying. Temporary withdrawal may not always be possible. You can find more information about the effects of withdrawal from study on the  Withdrawal from Study  page.

Students on taught Masters courses should contact their Department for information about the penalties applied for late or non-submission of work. 

PhD students are advised to read the information outlined on the International Student Office webpage:  https://www.internationalstudents.cam.ac.uk/immigration/student-visa/extending-your-visa-current-phd-student

 It is advisable for MPhil students to contact the International Student Office to check the implications of a change to your submission deadline. Some considerations include:

• Graduate visa eligibility – you may no longer be eligible if your new deadline means that degree approval would not be considered on the same timeline as the rest of your cohort.
• Student visa extension –   Masters students are not normally eligible for a student visa extension.
• ATAS requirements – If ATAS is required for your course and nationality, a change in your course dates may mean that a new ATAS certificate is necessary.

The International Student Office can be contacted by emailing [email protected] . 

Your submission date (thesis/dissertation)

If applying for an extension to the deadline for submitting corrections to your doctoral thesis following your viva, you need to apply in the same way. 

If you are on a taught Masters course and your course does not include a dissertation but you have an extension for other work approved by your Department which means your marks cannot be considered by the Exam Board and Degree Committee with those of your cohort, please forward the approval for your extension to  [email protected]  so that we can update your record to show why this is still active beyond your original completion date.

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The Thesis Process

The thesis is an opportunity to work independently on a research project of your own design and contribute to the scholarly literature in your field. You emerge from the thesis process with a solid understanding of how original research is executed and how to best communicate research results. Many students have gone on to publish their research in academic or professional journals.

To ensure affordability, the per-credit tuition rate for the 8-credit thesis is the same as our regular course tuition. There are no additional fees (regular per-credit graduate tuition x 8 credits).

Below are the steps that you need to follow to fulfill the thesis requirement. Please know that through each step, you will receive guidance and mentorship.

1. Meet with Your Research Advisor

Upon admission to the program, set up an introductory meeting with your Research Advisor to discuss potential thesis topics as well as course selections that can support your thesis path. 

When you have completed between 24 and 32 credits, you work more intensively with your assigned Research Advisor to determine a specific thesis topic.

Log in to MyDCE , then ALB/ALM Community to schedule an appointment with your assigned Research Advisor via the Degree Candidate Portal.

Failure to work with your Research Advisor initially and then more intensively may result in your Crafting the Thesis Proposal (CTP) Application not being approved (see below) and/or the selection of a different thesis topic.  

Thesis Topic Selection Guidelines

Every effort is made to support research interests that are grounded in your ALM course work, but faculty guidance is not available for all possible projects. Therefore, revision or a change of thesis topic may be necessary.

• The above point about topic selection is particularly pertinent to scientific research (e.g., biology) that is dependent upon laboratory space, project funding, and access to private databases.
• This point is also critical for our candidates in ALM, liberal arts fields (i.e., anthropology, English, government, history, international relations, psychology, and religion) who are required to have Harvard faculty direct their thesis projects. Review Harvard’s course catalog online ( My.Harvard.edu ) to be sure that there are faculty teaching courses related to your thesis topic. If faculty are not available, you will need to choose an alternative topic.
• Your topic choice must be a new area of research for you. You cannot re-purpose prior research. If you want to draw or expand upon your own previously written scholarship for a small portion of your thesis, you need to obtain the explicit permission of your research advisor and cite the work in both the proposal and thesis. Violations of this policy will be referred to the Administrative Board.

We’ve put together this guide  to help frame your thinking about thesis topic selection.

While it is natural to follow your interests in selecting a thesis topic, it is important to avoid choosing a topic where your own passions might produce insurmountable biases and assumptions. A thesis is not a piece of advocacy work where you are out to prove something that you already believe. Thesis projects must take a fair and balanced stance by bringing in differing points of view from respected scholars in the field. 

2. Prepare Your Crafting the Thesis Proposal Application

Once you and your Research Advisor have confirmed your thesis topic, the next step in the process is to prepare and submit the CTP Application in order to gain registration approval for the Crafting the Thesis Proposal (CTP) tutorial or course.

The CTP Application process confirms that you have done enough prior reading and thinking about your thesis topic to generate a pertinent and answerable research question. Pre-CTP preparation is critical as it helps to ensure that you will benefit from and succeed in the CTP.

Application Approvals and Denials. Your Research Advisor will provide feedback on your CTP Application.  If your application is not approved after 3 submissions, your Research Advisor cannot approve your CTP registration. 

If not approved, you’ll need to take additional time for further revisions and submit a new CTP Application during the next CTP submission cycle (if your five-year degree completion date allows).

Application Eligibility Requirements. To be eligible to submit a CTP Application, you need to (1) be in good standing and (2) have completed a minimum of 32 degree-applicable credits, including the research methods/statistics and Engaging in Scholarly Conversation requirement, if required for your field.

Advising Note for Psychology Candidates View More

Students in psychology sometimes face difficulty securing necessary IRB approvals for certain projects. For this reason, Research Advisors will not approve proposals that raise significant concerns about feasibility. Such concerns include cases where projects would require the researcher to possess a level of expertise or experience exceeding documented capabilities, as well as instances where the researcher is unlikely to be able to obtain appropriate faculty supervision for a proposed topic, question, method, or procedure. You must schedule an appointment with your Research Advisor at least three months in advance of the CTP Application deadlines to discuss potential research projects to ensure adequate time for assistance in developing a viable project idea.

Advising Note for Biology and former Biotechnology and Bioengineering and Nanotechnology Candidates View More

Thesis projects in these fields are designed to support ongoing scientific research happening in Harvard University, other academic institutions, or life science industry labs and usually these are done under the direction of a principal investigator (PI). Hence, you need to have a thesis director approved by your research advisor  prior  to submitting CTP Application. Your CTP Application is then framed by the lab’s research. Schedule an appointment with your research advisor a few months in advance of the CTP Application deadlines in order to discuss potential research projects and thesis director assignment.

The CTP Application is sent to our central email box:  [email protected] by the following firm deadlines:

• June 1 for fall CTP
• November 1 for spring CTP.  
• September 1 for the three-week January session (ALM sustainability candidates only)
• International sustainability students who need a student visa to attend Harvard Summer School must be officially admitted to the degree program before February 1, must submit the CTP Application on February 1, and must register for the CTP course on March 1 in order to submit timely I-20 paperwork. See international students guidelines for more information.

3. Register and Successfully Complete Crafting the Thesis Proposal

Once your CTP Application is approved, you register for the Crafting the Thesis Proposal (CTP) tutorial or course as you would any other degree requirement.

The goal of the CTP is to produce a complete, well-written draft of a proposal containing all of the sections required by your Research Advisor. Creating an academically strong thesis proposal sets the foundation for a high-quality thesis and helps garner the attention of a well-respected thesis director.

Thesis proposals typically include approximately 15 to 20 pages of text, in addition to any required reference sections, such as bibliographies and glossary/definition of terms.

Tutorial experience. The fall and spring CTP  tutorials are not courses in the traditional sense. Although there will be assignments for you to complete during the CTP, with due dates, and there will be times when you and your classmates meet as a group with your Research Advisor, there won’t be a regularly scheduled class meeting time for the CTP. 

The main work for the CTP will consist of your working independently on your proposal with your Research Advisor by submitting multiple drafts and scheduling individual appointments.

Grading. You need to make self-directed progress on the proposal without special prompting from the research advisor. You receive a final grade of SAT or UNSAT (failing grade).

You are expected to incorporate all of your Research Advisor’s feedback and be fully committed to producing an academically strong proposal leading to a thesis worthy of a Harvard degree. If you are unable to take advice from your Research Advisor, follow directions, or produce an acceptable proposal, you will not pass the CTP.

The CTP for sustainability is a three-week course in the traditional sense and you receive a letter grade, and it must be B- or higher to receive degree credit for the course.

Academic Integrity. Successful CTP completion also includes a check on the proper use of sources according to our academic integrity guidelines. Violations of our academic integrity policy will be referred to the Administrative Board.

Maximum of two attempts . If you don’t pass the CTP, you’ll have — if your five-year, degree-completion date allows — just one more attempt to complete the CTP before being required to withdraw from the program. If you fail the CTP just once and have no more time to complete the degree, your candidacy will automatically expire. Please note that a WD grade counts as an attempt.

If by not passing the CTP you fall into poor academic standing, you will need to take additional degree-applicable courses to return to good standing before enrolling in the CTP for your second and final time, but only if your five-year, degree-completion date allows. If you have no more time on your five-year clock, you will be required to withdraw from the program.

Human Subjects

If your thesis, regardless of field, will involve the use of human subjects (e.g., interviews, surveys, observations), you will need to have your research vetted by the  Committee on the Use of Human Subjects  (CUHS) of Harvard University. Please review the IRB Lifecycle Guide located on the CUHS website. Your research advisor will help you prepare a draft copy of the project protocol form that you will then finalize with your thesis director to send to the CUHS. 

Given the amount of time that can be required for IRB review, drafting of the required CUHS project protocol forms need to be started with your Research Advisor during the CTP tutorial, before a thesis director has been assigned.

4. Post-CTP Proposal Approval, Thesis Director Assignment, and Registration

Successfully completion of the CTP means you have completed a well-written full draft proposal. Ordinarily, this full draft is not a final accepted proposal. Most students reach the final accepted proposal stage by submitting additional changes and edits to their RA post-CTP.

Post-CTP Changes and Edits Deadline. We expect you to work diligently and quickly with your RA post-CTP to move from full draft to final proposal stage. Indeed, you should have an approved final proposal and be registered in the thesis soon after CTP completion, within weeks, but no later than 3 months. You cannot delay. If you take longer than 3 months after the CTP to register for the thesis, you may be required to retake the CTP.

Thesis Director Assignment. Once your RA has determined that your draft has reached the final proposal stage, you move to the thesis director assignment stage. The Research Advisor places you with a thesis director by sending out your final proposal to prospective Thesis Directors.

Do not approach faculty to ask about directing your thesis.  You may suggest names of any potential Thesis Directors to your Research Advisor, but it must be the Research Advisor who makes contact with them. (If they are eligible/available to direct your thesis, after you have an approved thesis proposal.) You are not permitted to approach faculty to ask them about directing your thesis. The decision of your Research Advisor regarding the appointment of your Thesis Director is binding.

Registration. When a Thesis Director has been identified or the thesis proposal has been fully vetted by the preassigned life science Thesis Director, you will receive a letter of authorization from the Assistant Dean of Academic Programs officially approving your thesis work and providing you with instructions on how to register for the eight-credit master’s thesis. The letter will also have a tentative graduation date as well as four mandatory thesis submission dates (see Thesis Timetable below).

When registering for the thesis, you will have two weeks to pay in full.  This is an eight-credit course, so be sure to have the necessary funds available when you register.

You must be good academic standing to register for the thesis. If not, you’ll need to complete additional courses to bring your GPA up to the 3.0 minimum prior to registration.

Thesis Submission Deadlines and Graduation Timetable

The thesis is a 9-to-12-month project that begins after the Crafting the Thesis Proposal (CTP); when your Research Advisor has approved your proposal and identified a Thesis Director.

The date for the appointment of your Thesis Director determines the graduation cycle that will be automatically assigned to you:

As you can see above, you do not submit your thesis all at once at the end, but in four phases: (1) complete draft to TD, (2) final draft to RA for format review and academic integrity check, (3) format approved draft submitted to TD for grading, and (4) upload your 100% complete graded thesis to ETDs.

Due dates for all phases for your assigned graduation cycle cannot be missed.  You must submit materials by the date indicated by 5 PM EST (even if the date falls on a weekend). If you are late, you will not be able to graduate during your assigned cycle.

If you need additional time to complete your thesis, you need to formally request an extension by emailing that petition to:  [email protected] .  Regardless of when you started, the maximum allotted time to complete your thesis, including any granted extensions of time is 12 months.

Advising Tip to Meet Your Five-Year Deadline: The last possible time you can register for the CTP to meet your five-year deadline date is the fall term two years prior or, if a sustainability student, in the January session one year prior. It is not, however, recommended to wait this long. Indeed, it is vigorously discouraged.

For example, if your five-year deadline is May 2026:

• Complete the CTP in fall 2024 (or in January 2025, if a sustainability student)
• Be assigned a Thesis Director (TD) in March/April 2025
• Begin the 9–12-month thesis project with TD
• Submit a complete draft of your thesis to your TD by February 1, 2026
• Follow through with all other submission deadlines (April 1, April 15 and May 1 — see table above)
• Graduate in May 2026

5. Working with Your Thesis Director

You must work diligently and independently, following the advice of your Thesis Director in a consistent, regular manner equivalent to full-time academic work to complete both the research and the writing phases of your thesis by your required timeline.

You are expected to incorporate all of your Thesis Director’s feedback and be fully committed to producing an academically strong thesis worthy of a Harvard degree. If you are unable to take advice from your Thesis Director, follow directions, or produce an acceptable scholarly thesis product, you will not receive a passing grade.

You are required to produce at least 50 pages of text (not including front matter and appendices). Chapter topics (e.g., introduction, background, methods, findings, conclusion) vary by field.

Once registered in the thesis, we will do a 3-month check-in with you and your Thesis Director to ensure progress is being made. If your Thesis Director reports little to no progress, the Dean of Academic Programs reserves the right to issue a thesis not complete (TNC) grade (see Thesis Grading below).

6. Thesis Template, Format Review, and Academic Integrity Check

All ALM thesis projects must written in Microsoft Word and follow a specific Harvard Extension School format. A properly formatted thesis is an explicit degree requirement; you cannot graduate without it.

You are required to use the Extension School  ALM Thesis Template  or the Extension School ALM Thesis Template for Creative Writing  (specifically designed for creative writing degree candidates). The template has all the mandatory thesis formatting built in.

Besides saving you a considerable amount of time as you write your thesis, the template ensures that your submitted thesis meets the mandatory style guidelines for margins, font, title page, table of contents, and chapter headings. If you use the template, format review should go smoothly, if not, a delayed graduation is highly likely.

Your Research Advisor will complete the format review  prior  to submitting your thesis to your Thesis Director for final grading according to the Thesis Timetable (see above).

Academic Integrity. Format review also includes a check on the proper use of sources according to our  academic integrity  guidelines. Violations of our academic integrity policy will be referred to the Administrative Board.

7. Mandatory Thesis Archiving

Once your thesis is finalized, meaning that the required grade has been earned and all edits have been completed, you must upload your thesis to Harvard University’s electronic thesis and dissertation submission system (ETDs).

Uploading your thesis ETDs is an explicit degree requirement; you cannot graduate without completing this step. Furthermore, no changes to the thesis are allowed once it has been graded and archived in ETDs.

The thesis project will be sent to several downstream systems:

• Your work will be preserved using Harvard’s digital repository DASH (Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard).
• Metadata about your work will be sent to HOLLIS (the Harvard Library catalog).
• Your work will be preserved in Harvard Library’s DRS2 (digital preservation repository).

By submitting work through ETDs @ Harvard you will be signing the Harvard Author Agreement. This license does not constrain your rights to publish your work subsequently. You retain all intellectual property rights.

For more information on Harvard’s open access initiatives, we recommend you view the Director of the Office of Scholarly Communication (OSC), Peter Suber’s brief introduction .

Thesis Grading

You need to earn a grade of B- or higher in the thesis. If you fail to complete substantial work on the thesis, you will earn a grade of TNC (thesis not complete). If you have already earned two withdrawal grades, the TNC grade will count as a zero in your cumulative GPA.

If you earn a grade below B-, you will need to petition the Administrative Board for permission to attempt the thesis for a second and final time. The petition process is only available if you are in good academic standing and your five-year, degree-completion date allows for more time. Your candidacy will automatically expire if you do not successfully complete the thesis by your required date.

If approved for a second attempt, you may be required to develop a new proposal on a different topic by re-enrolling in the CTP and being assigned a different thesis director. Tuition for the second attempt is calculated at the current year’s rate.

If by not passing the thesis you fall into poor academic standing, you’ll need to take additional degree-applicable courses to return to good standing before re-engaging with the thesis process for the second and final time. This is only an option if your five-year, degree-completion date allows for more time.

The Board only reviews cases in which extenuating circumstances prevented the successful completion of the thesis.

Harvard Division of Continuing Education

The Division of Continuing Education (DCE) at Harvard University is dedicated to bringing rigorous academics and innovative teaching capabilities to those seeking to improve their lives through education. We make Harvard education accessible to lifelong learners from high school to retirement.

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UGC allows extension of up to 6 months for submission of MPhil or PhD thesis

The university grants commission has allowed extension of up to 6 months beyond june 30 for submission of mphil or phd thesis after taking into consideration the study time lost due to covid-19..

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EXTENSION ON A CASE-TO-CASE BASIS

Ugc official tweet.

In view of lost time during COVID period, UGC approves that HEIs may give an extension of up to six months beyond 30 June 2022 for M.Phil./PhD. thesis submission on case-to-case basis after a review of student's work. pic.twitter.com/w1Ch20wmvb — Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar (@mamidala90) May 9, 2022

OFFICIAL STATEMENT

"The UGC has approved that an extension of up to six months beyond June 30 may be given to MPhil and Ph D students for thesis submission by their respective higher education institutions on a case-to-case basis based on the review of the students' work by the Research Advisory Committee and on the recommendation of the supervisor and head of a department," the UGC official said to PTI.

/images/cornell/logo35pt_cornell_white.svg" alt="phd thesis submission extension"> Cornell University --> Graduate School

Submitting your thesis/dissertation.

Submission of the final thesis/dissertation must be within 60 days of the final exam. Students who miss the 60 day submission deadline are ineligible to register in future terms.

The Graduate School uses ProQuest to administer the electronic thesis/dissertation (ETD) submission and committee approval process that results in publication in ProQuest Dissertations and Theses (PQDT) database and Cornell’s Library Repository, eCommons. Before initiating the electronic process, students are required to complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates (for doctoral students only). A SED Certification of Completion is provided to the student when the survey has been completed. Once the survey is completed, the final ETD can then be submitted to the Graduate School using the ProQuest system. The SED Certification of Completion is required for submission to ProQuest.

ProQuest Submission Steps

In order to complete the submission process, you will need to have the following:

• A single PDF file of your thesis or dissertation
• Your abstract
• Supplemental material
• SED Certification of Completion 

Step 1: Begin Submission Process

Master’s students go to  Cornell Master’s ProQuest site, doctoral students go to  Cornell Doctoral ProQuest site. Click on the “sign up and get started today” button and follow instructions to begin the submission process.

Submission Process: Submission steps are outlined on the left menu. You will see the items checked off as you progress through the submission steps. You must click “Save & Continue” at the bottom of each page, even pages on which you do not enter any information. Using the left menu, you can return to any page and make changes until the point of final submission.

Step 2: Publishing Options

Traditional Publishing:  “Traditional Publishing” is automatically selected and is included in the Cornell Thesis and Dissertation filing fees.

Delayed Release:  ProQuest provides six months, and one and two year embargoes. The Graduate School recommends you discuss the publishing options with your advisor. If your advisor is unavailable or has no opinion, the conservative approach is to choose a two-year embargo.

Step 3: Read and Agree to ProQuest and University Distribution License

Both ProQuest and Cornell University distribution licenses will be presented for your acceptance.

Step 4: Enter Thesis/Dissertation Information

In addition to the mandatory information, such as title and abstract, you will have the opportunity to select up to three categories (subject areas) and six key words that describe your ETD. This information will make it easier for others to find your work when searching the web.

Step 5: Upload PDF and Supplemental Files

Upload PDF: Whether you use the PDF conversion tool provided by ProQuest or you convert your document to PDF yourself, review your PDF to ensure your formatting remains as you intended after conversion.

Supplementary Materials: If supplementary materials – such as audio, video, and spreadsheets – are an integral part of your ETD, you can submit them as supplementary files during the online submission process.

Step 6: Upload Required Documents

The SED Certification of Completion if you are a Ph.D. candidate is required for submission to ProQuest.

Step 7: Register for Copyright

You can complete this process through ProQuest for a fee, or you complete the process independently through the U.S. Copyright Office.

Step 8: Order Copies

If you would like to purchase additional copies of your thesis/dissertation for yourself, your field, or your committee members, you may order bound copies through ProQuest (Order Copies page). The required bound archival copy for the library is automatically ordered for you and included in the Cornell thesis and dissertation filing fees.

Select the “Decline – do not order” option if you don’t wish to order additional copies.

Bound copies can also be ordered through Cornell Print Services .

Step 9: Review and Submit

Once the thesis editor has reviewed the formatting of your thesis/dissertation, you will receive an email to let you know whether any corrections are required. You will then have five days to make the changes and upload the revised PDF. You will not be certified for graduation until the formatting of your ETD has been fully approved by the Graduate School. You will receive a confirmation email of final acceptance.

Step 10: Submitting Revised PDF (if needed)

You will receive an email describing the formatting changes needed with instructions and a link for resubmission.

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UGC extends MPhil, PhD thesis submission deadline for another 6 months

This is the fourth extension granted to research scholars to help them make up for time lost owing to covid-19 pandemic, lockdowns.

University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked higher education institutions to extend the deadline for the research scholars to submit their MPhil and PhD thesis.

The varsities and colleges have been asked by the higher education regulator of the country to extend the deadline for up to six months beyond June 30, 2022. This has been done post considering the research and study time lost due to Covid-19, inform officials.

UGC Secretary PK Thakur in a missive sent to all varsities and also put up by UGC on its official website — https://www.ugc.ac.in/— has informed that extension of date for submission of thesis for terminal MPhil/PhD students in continuation of UGC Public Notice dated December 1, 2021, on this very subject, and keeping in view the larger interest of the research scholars, it has been decided by the UGC that an extension of up to six months, beyond June 30, 2022, maybe given to the students by their respective higher educational institutions, on case-to-case basis based on the review of student’s work by the research advisory committee and the recommendation of the supervisor and the head of the department of each case. Such extension may also be granted for submitting evidence of publication and presentation in two conferences. However, tenure of fellowship will remain up to five years only, the missive says.

“In principle, Allahabad University will be implementing the UGC directions regarding the extension of date of submission of PhD thesis. Since the approval of extension is to be on a case-to-case basis we are evolving the criteria and after permission of the competent authority, the notification regarding this will be issued soon,” said AU PRO Prof Jaya Kapoor.

The decision for this latest extension in this regard was taken by the UGC at a meeting held on May 6, 2022, while the notification was issued on May 17, 2022.

This extension however is the fourth one granted to research scholars to help them make up for the time lost owing to the pandemic and resulting lockdowns.

Earlier, UGC through its notification dated December 1, 2021, had granted an extension of six months beyond December 31, 2021, ie till June 30, 2022, and before that through a notification dated March 16, 2021, also it had granted a six months extension beyond June 30, 2021, ie till December 31, 2021. Through a notification dated December 3, 2020, UGC had granted its first extension to MPhil and PhD students, who were to submit their thesis by December 31, 2020, giving them time till June 30, 2021, for submission of their thesis owing to the pandemic and the lockdown.

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UGC grants 6 months extension again to MPhil, PhD students for thesis submission

The fresh extension will now allow thousands of mphil and phd candidates to submit their thesis by end of december 2021, ugc said however, the tenure of fellowship will remain up to five years only.

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UGC extends PhD thesis submission fourth time to help researchers

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Submission date and extension of time

This page outlines the final date by which your thesis should be submitted, the expected completion date and extensions of time. 

Full-time students

Maximum submission date.

This is the final date by when your thesis should be submitted to the Examination Schools. Check whether you are required to submit sooner by any funding body supporting your studies.

The maximum submission date is usually 12 terms for DPhil students and nine terms for MLitt or MSc (by Research) students from the start date of your studies and is amended accordingly based on any suspension of status or extension of time. The Graduate Studies Assistant in your department / faculty will be able to tell you your maximum submission date.

Expected completion date

The expected completion date is the maximum submission date plus six months. This is to allow adequate time for your viva examination, and if requested by the examiners, to undertake any minor corrections required and to submit your revised thesis.

The extra six months is not additional time for you to complete your research as your maximum submission date remains the same.

Extension of time: DPhil students

You are expected to submit your thesis within 12 terms of starting your course. You will lose your DPhil status if you have failed to complete your thesis within 12 terms of being admitted as a research student, and will no longer be registered as a student of the University.

Extension of time: MLitt and MSc by Research students

You are expected to submit your thesis within nine terms of starting your course. You will lose your status as a MLitt or MSc by Research student if you have failed to complete your thesis within nine terms of being admitted as a research student, and will no longer be registered as a student of the University.

Applying for an extension: all students

In exceptional circumstances extensions of time can be given for up to six terms for DPhil students, and up to three terms for MLitt and MSc by Research students. Your department/faculty/division will normally only approve one term of extension at a time.

If you are funded by a research council or charity you may need to make a separate application to the funding body in parallel to that being made within the University. Your funding body’s regulations for extension of time will not necessarily be the same as those of the University. Ask your department for advice on extensions in the first instance.

If your application for an extension of time is declined by your department or faculty and you are dissatisfied with this decision, you can follow the University Student Complaints Procedure .

Part-time students

The maximum submission date is usually 24 terms (eight years) from the start date of your studies and is increased accordingly based on any suspension of status or extension. The Graduate Studies Assistant in your department / faculty will be able to tell you your maximum submission date.

You are expected to submit your thesis within seven or at most eight years of starting your doctoral course. You will lose your DPhil status if you have failed to complete your thesis within 24 terms of being admitted as a research student, and will no longer be registered as a student of the University.

In exceptional circumstances extensions of time can be given for up to three terms. Your department/faculty/division will normally only approve one term of extension at a time.

If you are funded by a research council or charity you may need to make a separate application to the funding body in parallel to that being made within the University. Your funding body’s regulations for extension of time will not necessarily be the same as those of the University.

If your application for an extension of time is declined by your department or faculty and you are dissatisfied with this decision, you can follow the  University Student Complaints Procedure .

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• Thesis submission date and scholarship extension
• Information and services
• Higher Degree by Research

To apply for an extension please submit a HDR Completion Plan (DOCX, 55.5 KB) . This will help us assess and process your application for extension. Ensure you outline your remaining work and your plan for completion. You will need to seek the support of your Principal Advisor to complete this request.

If you have already exceeded 4 years of candidature (equivalent full-time PhD and Prof Doc only), you may not be eligible for an extension. Please contact us to request an appointment to discuss your options.

If your submission extension is approved, you will automatically be considered for any tuition scholarship extensions that you may be eligible for.

If you hold a UQ living stipend, you may be eligible to apply for the Career Development Scholarship . Check to see if you meet the eligibility requirements before applying.

Please note:  You can find information about your current scholarship/s on your my.UQ page – click on “My Candidature”.

Submitting your request

Once your form is completed with your Principal Advisor's support, submit it to the Graduate School.

Submit your request

Relinquish your scholarship.

If you would like to relinquish your scholarship for any reason, please use the online form.

Relinquish scholarship

• 1. Thesis preparation
• 2. Thesis submission
• 3. Thesis examination
• 4. Award of degree

DocumentsHub.Com

Sample request letter for extension .

Sample Letter Request For Extension of Thesis / research work Submission. Request an extension of your thesis submission date.

Sample Letter Requesting Extension of Time

[Your Name]

[Recipient’s Name]

[Recipient’s Address]

Subject: Extension Request

Dear [Recipient’s Name],

I am writing to request a brief extension of time for [briefly state the reason]. I kindly ask for [number of days] additional days to ensure the quality of my work. Your consideration is greatly appreciated.

Requesting a Deadline Extension

[Your Address]

[City, State, ZIP Code]

Subject: Deadline Extension Request

I am writing to respectfully request an extension for the upcoming deadline on [mention the deadline date] for [briefly explain the project or task]. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I require [number of days] extra days to ensure the project’s completion to the best of my abilities. Your understanding and consideration are greatly appreciated.

Request Letter to Extend Date

[Recipient’ Name]

Subject: Request for Deadline Extension

I am writing to formally request an extension for the deadline of [mention the original deadline date] for [briefly describe the task or project]. Unfortunately, due to [briefly explain the reason for needing an extension], I am unable to meet the original deadline.

I kindly request an extension of [number of days] to ensure that I can complete this task effectively and to the best of my abilities. I understand the importance of meeting deadlines and apologize for any inconvenience caused. Your understanding and consideration of this request would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sample Request Letter for Extension

Subject: Letter of request for extension for submission of thesis

Respected Graduate Studies office,

I am writing this letter to request an extension in the deadline for submitting my Master thesis. The date for submission is Sep 19, 2023, but I still have some writing work pending and fear that I will not be able to complete it within the original time frame.

Kindly consider the following reasons why I could not complete my research on time: At this stage in the research we are considering filling a patent file before we submit the thesis to the external reviewer only we need few weeks. Kindly consider my personal circumstance since I got pregnant and I had some complications during that time and after the childbirth. I wasn’t in any condition to work or study and hence, was unable to do any work on my thesis during almost one year. (A medical report is attached with the form). further more, I ‘m working in a full time job which slowed me down to finish my experiment work.

Considering my problem, kindly grant me an extension of few weeks only for submitting the thesis. I assure you that I will complete and submit my thesis well before the revised deadline.

Yours Sincerely,

————————–

Sample Deadline Extension Appeal Letter

To, The Dean, Allied University, Texas, United States of America.

Respected Sir,

With due respect, it is to state that I am student of M. Phil and I had scored good GPA in my two semesters of theory, but now this year is my thesis year and the date for submission for the thesis is ————, but I am unable to meet up the deadline as my some writing work is still pending because patent is to be reviewed by external reviewer before submission of the research thesis. I am pregnant as well and is facing complications in it and was unable to study or do any work related to the research and as a proof of my words I am attaching medical certificate of mine with this application and I am a working woman as well. All the three reasons are genuine in their nature and I need few weeks more in submission of the final research paper.

Kindly see to this matter and grant me more time for the completion of my thesis. Thanking in anticipation.

Yours Truly,

Ms. Rita Ronny,

Sample Letter for Extension

It is stated with due reverence that I am the student of this estimable university. I am in my final year and I have to submit my research project on 23rd of March. It is to inform you that recently my brother died and I could not handle myself. This drastic loss took a lot of my mental peace and time. It is my request to extend the submission date of my final research project. My nature of reason is very genuine and I hope you comprehend. I am sure that I will complete it by that time and submit you promptly.

Yours Faithful,

——————

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• The thesis is in its final version. Once submitted, revisions cannot be made to your thesis unless you are instructed by Graduate Student Services and Progress (GSSP) to do so. More information on formatting requirements can be found below.
• The full text is in one file.
• The full text is in Adobe PDF format.
• The complete file size is no more than 1,000 MB
• A user account is created at ProQuest ETD Administrator (different than your UMN username and password).
• Once you have fulfilled the requirements, submit your thesis at ProQuest ETD Administrator . 
• In addition, fill out and submit the Thesis/Dissertation Approval and Deposit Agreement .

You must follow the University of Minnesota formatting and submission guidelines . The guidelines found in your department or in the University Library to format your thesis may not meet current formatting guidelines. The Graduate School website includes additional writing resources for graduate students that may support you while writing your dissertation or thesis. GSSP cannot provide technical support.

Formatting your thesis or dissertation

+ the full text of the thesis.

Requirements: The full text must be in Adobe PDF format and must be one file. "Full text" refers to all introductory pages, the body of the manuscript, bibliography, and appendices.

Requirements: Every page of the thesis, including all appendices, notes, and the bibliography, must have top, left, right, and bottom margins of 1 inch (2.6 cm).

Additional recommendations: If intending to print your manuscript, a left margin of 1.5 inches (3.9 cm) is recommended.

+ Pagination

Requirements: You are responsible for correctly numbering and organizing sections in your thesis. Page numbers cannot be placed on the left-hand side (portrait orientation) or the top margin (landscape orientation) of the thesis.

• The title and copyright page must not be numbered or counted. Page numbering for the rest of the introductory material is required and is expressed in lowercase Roman numerals, beginning with page “i”.
• The main text, illustrations, bibliography, and appendices are considered the body of the manuscript.
• Every page in the body of the text, through the bibliography and appendices, must be numbered in Arabic numerals starting with page 1.

+ Tables and figures

Requirements: Color may be used in tables, charts, or graphs. However, references to color may not be made, as reproductions may be in black and white. Identification of lines and figures on graphs and charts must be made clear by the use of line symbols rather than variation in color. Captions may be single-spaced.

Additional recommendations: A list of figures is recommended if you include figures, and a list of tables is recommended if tables are included in the dissertation. Students should follow the standard within their field of study. If included, each list must contain the page number of where each figure or table can be found in the thesis. The list of figures or list of tables must be represented in the table of contents if included in the thesis.

+ Bibliography

Requirements: The bibliography may be single-spaced and should appear either at the end of each chapter, or before the appendix . Students should follow the standard within their field of study. If a cumulative bibliography is used, the bibliography must be represented in the table of contents.

It is recommended that students include an abstract following the standard within their field of study. 

Requirements: If included, the abstract may appear as a comprehensive section in the introductory materials or as a section in each chapter.   

Request to delay the release of your thesis/dissertation

You may need to delay the release of a thesis or dissertation to the public. During this holding period, GSSP will not release the thesis/dissertation to the public. Any copies of the thesis/dissertation purchased through ProQuest will be fulfilled after the hold expires. ProQuest has assembled a  guide to help you decide if you need to hold your thesis/dissertation .

At one time, you may request a hold that is:

If needed, you may also submit an extension to your first hold request. You can hold your thesis/dissertation for up to 4 years total. This is in accordance with the University of Minnesota Board of Regents’ policy regarding the withholding of research results. You are responsible for extending the hold request before the expiration date if necessary.

When your hold or your extension expires, your thesis/dissertation will be released for circulation to ProQuest, University Libraries, and the University Digital Conservancy (part of University Libraries). We will not contact you when the hold or extension expires. We are unable to honor any hold requests that we receive after the thesis/dissertation has been released.

If you have questions or would like to release the hold on your thesis/dissertation before the expiration date, please  contact GSSP .

Submit a hold request

• Your major, degree, and graduation month and year
• The title of your thesis/dissertation
• The reason and a brief explanation of your hold request
• The length of time for the hold request
• Your advisor’s/co-advisor’s UMN email
• The form will be routed to your advisor(s) for approval.
• The hold period begins immediately after the official degree conferral date (last working day of graduation month).
• You’ll receive an email confirmation when the form is processed.
• Keep a record of the expiration date of your hold.

Submit an extension

• Your student ID number and UMN email
• Length of your previous hold request
• Length of time you wish to extend the hold (total hold cannot exceed 4 years)
• A brief explanation for the extension request
• Keep a record of the expiration date of your extension.
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Submission, Examination and Completion

Submission, examination and completion.

Thesis Submission Deadline

Submitting your thesis is the final act before examination. Your thesis must be submitted before the end of your period of study and will show on MyPGR as your “expected completion date”. There is no minimum period of study (except for the DEdPsy, DClinPsy, DClinRes, DClinPrac, DClinPrac (Res)). Funded students are encouraged to submit their thesis by the end of their funding period, which may be earlier than the maximum period of study. Maximum periods of study for all programmes are specified in the periods of study scheme in the ' Statement of Procedures: Periods of Registration and Changes to Registration Status for Graduate Research Students '.

Nomination of Examiners

Before a postgraduate researcher submits their thesis for examination, examiners must be appointed. In the UK system there are normally two examiners, one from within your own University (the internal examiner) and one from outside (the external examiner). In some cases more than two examiners. It is your supervisor’s responsibility to nominate suitable examiners and (if appropriate) a Non Examining Independent Chair (NEIC). Your supervisors may discuss examiners with you. Examiner(s) should be nominated at least three months before the expected submission date . Your supervisors, or anyone previously involved in the supervision of your research, cannot act as examiners, although they may be present during the viva as a non-speaking observer.  The internal should be someone in or close to your field of study but are not required to be in the same department. The external examiner must be an expert in the same research field.  Once examiners have been appointed and the thesis submitted neither you nor your supervisors should have direct contact with the examiners, except to arrange the formalities of examination. It is the responsibility of the internal examiner to arrange, with the external, the NEIC if applicable and the student, the examination of the thesis.  The examiners will read the thesis, provide preliminary reports on it, and then meet the student for an oral examination (‘viva voce’ or ‘viva’) if applicable.

The contacting of external examiners by students regarding any aspect of their programmes of study is prohibited and will be treated as an offence under the University's Disciplinary Procedures. External examiners are requested to inform the PGR Admin Office should such an occurrence take place.

For more information please see the University's Code of Good Practice: Boards of Examiners for Degrees by Research.

Presentation of Thesis

PGR theses/dissertations are submitted in electronic format as a PDF file. Supporting material such as datasets, visual or audio material, if applicable, may be submitted as supplementary files in any standard file format. You do not need to plan for a hard copy of the thesis to be printed, as we no longer accept hard copy thesis submission.

Please ensure that your electronic thesis conforms to the formatting requirements outlined in the Presentation of theses/dissertations for degrees in the Faculty of Graduate Research: statement of procedures .

Generative AI statement : all students  must  include a statement in the title page of their thesis/dissertation which confirms if and how they have used Generative AI in the creation and preparation of their work. Full details are available under Section 5 at in the TQA at  11 - Presentation of theses/dissertations for Postgraduate Research degrees: statement of procedures - Teaching Quality Assurance Manual - University of Exeter

For students on ' by Practice' research degrees in the Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences , please read the supplementary information about ' by Practice' thesis requirements , available here .

Your thesis may be printed and sent to your examiners by the PGR Administration Office as a hard copy document if requested by an examiner. We may print a standard A4 copy for an examiner upon request so please indicate any printing requirements (i.e. colour pages) in your  Submission Form

If you wish to have a hard copy of your thesis, you will need to make your own arrangements for printing it. Print Services may be able to do this for you.

If you are considering submitting your thesis in an alternative or non-traditional format, you should refer to the PGR Alternative Thesis Guidance and FAQs . 

Students will be required to complete the Change Format of Thesis form, which should be returned to the PGR Support Team by the following deadline:

• Doctorate programmes: 24 months after your programme start date.
• Research Maters (MPhil, MbyRes): 12 months after your programme start date.

For HASS programmes, additional information is available in the HASS  Faculty PGR Handbook . 

Submission of thesis

Please note: the following submission process applies to all PGR students across our Exeter and Cornwall Campuses, and all enquiries should be sent to [email protected] .

When you are ready to submit your thesis:

• Please email a completed ‌ Submission Form  to [email protected] .  Where signatures are required in Parts A and B please include either scanned signatures or provide accompanying emails from the relevant signatories to be accepted in lieu of a scanned signature.  Please advise if your thesis will comprise multiple files.
• You will receive an email from the PGR Administration Office acknowledging receipt of your submission form. A submission folder will then be created in your name, and you will receive an explanatory email containing a link to the folder where you can submit an electronic copy of your thesis and any supplementary files. You will not be able to submit your thesis until you receive this link.
• When you receive the email containing the link to your submission folder, please upload your full thesis in PDF format (where possible) to the Submission Portal.  Please also upload any supplementary files.
• The PGR Administration Office will check your submission and contact you if there are any problems with your submitted document(s).  Please note that we will check whether the files open and are legible. Your submission will not be checked for completeness or proof-reading.
• Once your electronic thesis has been checked and accepted for examination your submission folder will be locked and you will be notified by email.
• If your Board of Examiners has already been appointed, your thesis will be sent to your examiners immediately and your Internal Examiner will contact you in the following weeks to discuss the arrangements for your viva voce exam.
• If your examiners have not yet been appointed, or your External Examiner has been asked to sign a confidentiality agreement prior to receiving your thesis, there may be a delay between the submission of your thesis and the date it is sent to your examiners for examination.  You will be informed if this is the case.

We would like to make you aware of the normal timelines that apply for the examination process as they may impact on your post-study plans .  Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee any changes to accommodate your needs .  Once you have submitted your thesis for examination we aim to send it to the board of examiners within seven days .  On receipt, they start scheduling a viva which can take place anytime within the next three months. After the viva takes place, the board has three weeks to return the viva report and it may take an extra week to obtain Dean’s approval. For amendments, please refer to 12 - Handbook for Examination of Postgraduate Research programmes - Teaching Quality Assurance Manual - University of Exeter and note that, upon receiving your amendments, examiners will be permitted up to 6 weeks for minor amendments or 8 weeks for major amendments to return a decision.  

If you are an MbyRes or MPhil student the above will only apply if a viva has been deemed necessary which is not the case in all instances.  

Resubmission of a Thesis

If you are re-submitting your thesis for a second examination, please follow the submission process above.  You will also need to pay a resubmission fee via the student finance team via the Make a Payment webpage . Please note that SID is not able to take payments by phone or in person- please use the make a payment webpage. Details of the amount to be paid will be confirmed separately after your first examination.

Please note, this does not include submissions for minor or major amendments or for outstanding amendments, none of which constitute a ‘resubmission’ and for which there is no fee to pay. Submission information for these categories will be sent to you with your list of amendments.

Submitting Minor or Major Amendments (not including Resubmission of thesis)

• Notify the PGR Administration Office at [email protected] that your amended thesis is ready for submission.
• You will receive an email from the PGR Administration Office acknowledging your message.   A submission folder will then be created in your name, and you will receive an explanatory email containing a link to the folder where you can submit an electronic copy of your thesis and any supplementary files. You will not be able to upload your thesis until you receive this link.
• When you receive the email containing the link to your submission folder, please upload your full thesis in PDF format to the Submission Portal.  Please also upload any supplementary files.
• The PGR Administration Office will check your submission and contact you if there are any problems with your submitted document(s).  Please note, that we will check whether the file opens and is legible. Your submission will not be checked for completeness or proof-reading.
• Once your electronic thesis has been checked and accepted for approval by your examiner(s) your submission folder will be locked and you will be notified by email.
• Your amended thesis will be sent to your examiners for review.

Examination (Adjustments, Alternative Assessments and viva requirements)

Examination 

It is important that you prepare for the viva. You are recommended to visit the University’s Researcher Development Online service, which has an e-learning course on ‘Preparing for your Viva’, and Researcher Development also has a ‘Preparing for your Viva’ session.

Please refer to the TQA Chapter 12 - Handbook for Examination of Postgraduate Research programmes and in particular, “section 7: The examination” for the detail about the examination policies. Below is some guidance for staff and students about the arrangements for the examination.

The University calendar also confirms the assessment requirements and further details about the examination.

We offer flexibility in the format for viva voce examinations:

• Virtual viva: where every attendee uses an online platform to attend the viva – no two attendees are in the same room
• Blended viva: where at least one attendee joins by video link, but two or more attendees are in the same room
• In-person viva: where all attendees are in the same room and there are no remote attendees

Whilst we will do our best to accommodate your preferences, there may be circumstances where one or more attendee must participate remotely. It is expected that decisions about attendance at the viva will be made in the contact of the University’s Sustainability Policy  and with particular regard to prioritising low-carbon solutions such as video link as opposed to travelling to campus.

To agree that an examination may proceed with a virtual or blended viva, your Faculty DPGR needs to:

• make sure that it is feasible for all participants to proceed in the proposed format, which includes appropriate communications technology access, which must be satisfactorily tested in advance, to minimise the likelihood of any disruptions to communications in the viva;
• If you have an ILP: make sure that any adjustments to the viva required can still be made.

We're aware that circumstances can change even if appropriate arrangements are in place for your viva to proceed, please do get in touch with your PGR support team if you have concerns that this will no longer be feasible for you (please mark your email as urgent if your viva is due to take place within two weeks of making contact).

Read about the experiences of some of our past students who have completed their viva through the Doctoral College Blog :

• Preparing For Your Viva – Our Top Tips
• Viva Survivor: a drama in four acts
• Preparing for your online viva, by Hannah Littler .

Reasonable Adjustments

The University is committed to the provision of individual reasonable adjustments to academic study and assessment to ensure that barriers to learning are removed, so that students do not face discrimination arising from disability. Reasonable Adjustments may be required to formal assessments (including upgrade and thesis/dissertation examination by Viva Voce and the assessment of other taught modules of the Professional Doctorates), supervisory meetings, data collection etc in order help students to overcome barriers to learning.

Students with a disability or long-term health condition are encouraged to discuss their needs and requests for reasonable adjustments to learning or examination with the AccessAbility Team (Exeter campuses) or the Accessibility Team (Cornwall campuses) prior to their examination/assessment being scheduled. The AccessAbility/Accessibility team will create or update your Individual Learning Plan which will recommend adjustments. There are a range of adjustments which can be accommodated in the examination/assessment process depending on the needs of the student. In rare circumstances, some adjustments cannot be implemented and if this is the case, we will work with yourselves and Disability services to come up with an alternative. 

Please refer to the TQA, Inclusive Practice within Academic Study for further details.

When is a Viva Required?  

The University does not necessarily require MbyRes and MPhil students to undergo a viva. A viva examination is necessary in one of the following cases:

• a viva examination is judged to be necessary by one or more of the examiners
• there is substantial disagreement between the examiners
• the examiners are inclined to make a recommendation other than award of the degree for which the work was submitted (in such circumstances, the examiners may still require the satisfactory completion of minor amendments appropriate to the award in questions.)
• the student is keen to have a viva examination.

The examination of PhD thesis requires a viva in all instances.

Please bear in mind that there will be a period of time elapsing between submission of your thesis and the examination, as the examiners need to read it and write their preliminary reports. The examiners also need to write their recommendations after your viva regarding amendments. In addition, you may need to spend some time making these amendments, which will have to be approved by the examiner(s).  All this takes time, which is why it is very important to try to submit your thesis prior to your viva as soon as possible, if this is academically appropriate.

Outcomes of Examination

On the basis of reading your thesis and the oral examination, the examiners will produce a joint report with a recommended outcome. At the first examination of an MbyRes, MPhil and PhD the recommendation will be:

• the degree may be awarded,
• the award of the degree should be subject to minor amendments (such as corrections of typographical, spelling and grammatical errors and /or limited revisions of material in the thesis). Minor amendments should be made within 12 weeks of receipt of the examiners’ instructions regarding what changes are required.
• the award of the degree should be subject to major amendments , where more extensive revisions than that implied by a decision of minor amendments need to be made, but which will not normally require any significant extension of the original research to be undertaken. Major amendments need to be completed within 6 months of receipt of the examiners’ instructions regarding what changes are required.
• Resubmission of thesis. This is where more substantial work is required for the thesis to meet the requirements for the award in question, and students will be given 18 months to complete amendments suggested by the Board of Examiners. At the end of the resubmission period, the student may be asked to attend a second viva.

Following resubmission, there are other possible outcomes of the examination. For full details and regulations, see the Code of Good Practice: Boards of Examiners for Degrees by Research

Completion, Award and Graduation

After the examination and any required amendments have been approved, the examiners will recommend that the relevant research degree should be awarded. Once this has been confirmed by the University’s Senate the research degree can be said to be completed.

Open Research Exeter (ORE)

Once you have been recommended for award by your board of examiners you will need to submit your final thesis to Open Research Exeter (ORE) before your award can be formally approved.

Once you have received email confirmation that you have successfully deposited your thesis into ORE, the final stage in the award process is the formal approval of your award by the University Executive Board (UEB).

UEB Award Lists for research students are prepared and signed by the Vice Chancellor every Monday throughout the year. Where the Monday is a Bank Holiday this will be done on the Tuesday. No UEB will be held during the University Closure period at Christmas.

You will be sent an email by the Postgraduate Administration Office once your award has been formally approved.

International Students - Research students holding a valid Student or Tier 4 visa, who have completed a degree at a UK Higher Education Provider, are able to apply for a Graduate visa that allows them to remain in the UK and work, or look for work, for 3 years after they have completed a PhD.

For full details of the Graduate route including when to apply visit Graduate Route | International Student Support | University of Exeter

Your graduation day is a special occasion to celebrate your academic achievements at the University of Exeter.

The University will have a summer graduation, normally in July, in both Exeter and Cornwall, and a winter graduation, normally in December, in Exeter only.

Should your award date have already passed, or be in the run-up to the graduation dates, you will be invited to register for the day via your Exeter and personal email addresses. It is important that you ensure you are eligible to graduate by having you award formally approved by the Vice Chancellor's Executive Group (VCEG) approximately one month before the date of the graduation, and any outstanding academic-related debt cleared approximately 2 weeks before the date of the graduation. Should either of requirements not be completed you will need to wait until the next graduation date.

For more information about Graduation Ceremonies and to register to attend please visit the Graduation website .

Degree certificate

You can choose whether to receive your degree certificate at a Graduation Ceremony or in absentia which means that your certificate will be posted to your home address. It is important to note that your certificate can only be issued after the official date of award, and once you have received email confirmation from the Postgraduate Research Office.

Your certificate will display your full name, and the full details of your degree.

For information about the Graduation Ceremonies and to register to attend please visit the Graduation website .  

Current students

Submit your dissertation (thesis).

You must submit an electronic copy of your dissertation (thesis) for your exam and another for the Turnitin check.

Submissions will be accepted up to 11:59 pm (UK time) on your final submission date. If your submission date falls on a weekend, a bank holiday, or a university closure day , you can submit by 11.59 pm (UK time) the next working day.

Late submissions will not be examined.

Submit your dissertation

You must not send a copy of your dissertation to your examiners at any time.

You must submit an electronic copy of your dissertation for your exam and upload another copy for the Turnitin check.

Once you have submitted your dissertation, you cannot make any changes to it.

Exam submission

This copy counts as your formal submission and must be submitted by your deadline.

• Convert your file to a PDF.
• Name the PDF file ‘PGR_submission_[student surname]_[student first name]_[student number]'.
• Email the PDF of your dissertation to  [email protected] .

If your file is too large to send via email, you can use the Facility for the Upload of Large Files (fluff) .

Contact  [email protected]  if you have any questions or if your dissertation includes physical material, such as creative works.

UK export control

If you think your dissertation is covered by UK export control , discuss this with your supervisors before submission.

If there are export control considerations, contact [email protected] to arrange an alternative submission method.

Turnitin upload

You must also upload an electronic copy of your dissertation to Turnitin via Blackboard. This is for a pre-exam academic integrity and plagiarism check.

You must notify your School of the upload. The specific email address will be on Blackboard.

Contact your School PGR administrator if you need help with uploading to Turnitin.

Exceptional circumstances

In exceptional circumstances, where there are contractual, security or safety issues, the Turnitin check can be replaced by a manual check. This must be approved by the Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (PGR).

If there is an exceptional reason, you or your main supervisor can complete a  Request for an alternative plagiarism review (Office document, 56kB)  and send the completed form to your faculty office.

Extensions or suspensions

If you think you need a suspension or an extension, discuss this with your supervisor first.

You can request a suspension and extension form from your School PGR administrator (this will be on Blackboard).

If there are unforeseen circumstances near your final submission date, you can request a short emergency extension from the Faculty PGR Director.

Student visa

If you are studying on a student visa, you must discuss any changes that may affect your visa status with a  Student Visa adviser . If there are unforeseen circumstances near your final submission date, you can request a short emergency extension from the Faculty PGR Director and seek visa advice if needed.

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Thesis extension

The duration of doctoral studies within GAUSS should be three years. Therefore, the thesis should be submitted three years after you started to work on the doctoral project and got accepted for one of the GAUSS programs. The oral examination and publication of the thesis does not have to take place within this three year deadline. An aspired extension by six months of the thesis submission deadline has to be discussed in the third Thesis Advisory Committee Meeting. The application for maximum two extensions (up to a total duration of four years) has to be directed to the Thesis Advisory Committee and communicated to the doctoral program and the GAUSS Office (Please use the application form ). Any extension resulting in doctoral studies lasting longer than four years have to be approved by the program committee or the deanery of the faculty. More information on the application for an extension of the doctoral studies can be found in this handout .

Doctoral Thesis/Dissertation

Writing the dissertation is one of the key tasks during a PhD and there are some aspects, which need to be taken into consideration. The GGNB kindly provides thesis guidelines , which can be also used by all GAUSS students. Special thanks at this point goes to the author Prof. Reinhard Jahn for sharing his experience and knowledge.

Please be also aware that it is mandatory to use one of the cover pages listed in the doctoral regulations (sample page in English or German ). Two of our doctoral students have created an unofficial LaTeX template for a dissertation at GAUSS. This LaTeX template was created by PhD students for PhD students - there is hence no official affiliation with GAUSS. If you are interested in this template, please write a short e-mail to the GAUSS Office and we will provide you with a download link (Disclaimer: neither GAUSS nor the authors of the template assume any liability for any errors or adverse consequences resulting from the use of the template).

Use of KI models like ChatGPT

In spring 2023 the University of Göttingen issued guidelines for the use of ChatGPT and AI-based language models . All students and faculty members are advised to carefully read and acknowledge these guidelines in the preparation of their thesis and throughout the review process. As pointed out in the guidelines, the guidelines can be only of provisional nature due to the rapid progress in AI development.

Excerpts from the current University guidelines (as of March 2023):

• The use of ChatGPT must […] be completely transparent. Explicit labelling of passages created with ChatGPT is required. Students should also explain in which way ChatGPT was used for the creation of the examination performance. An example template can be found [below].
• Such fully transparent use of ChatGPT should have neither positive nor negative effects on the assessment of the examination performance.

Declaration on the use of ChatGPT and comparable tools in the context of examinations In this thesis, I have used ChatGPT or another AI as follows.: [ ] not at all [ ] during brainstorming [ ] when creating the outline [ ] to write individual passages, altogether to the extent of ...% of the entire text [ ] for the development of software source texts [ ] for optimizing or restructuring software source texts [ ] for proofreading or optimizing [ ] further, namely: … I hereby declare that I have stated all uses completely. Missing or incorrect information will be considered as an attempt to cheat.

Examination board

The examination board shall contain experts in all research areas dealt with in the doctoral thesis. According to the doctoral regulations ( German , English translation ) §11, at least one of the two referees has to be a member of the thesis advisory committee and at least one of the two referees has to be a member of the professorial group at the University of Göttingen. Both referees have to be accredited for examination in the respective doctoral program. Usually, the first two members of the thesis advisory committee (main supervisor and examination accredited person) are appointed as referees. In case of external members of the examination board (without general examination accreditation in GAUSS), it is mandatory to apply for an individual examination accreditation for each of the external members 2-3 month before you apply for the admission to the doctoral examination. More information on examination accreditations can be found here . Of the four additional members of the examination board, at least one has to be accredited for examination in the respective doctoral program (including individual examination accreditation) whereas the three other members must be accredited for examination in any GAUSS doctoral program.

The referees (in case of a proposed "summa cum laude": one additional external referee, chosen by the program committee/dean's office) have then up to four weeks to evaluate the thesis. Usually, the oral examination will take place approximately two weeks later. At least four members of the examination board (including at least two referees) have to attend the oral examination.

Submission of the Thesis

With submitting your PhD thesis, you need to apply for admission to the oral examination. Both has to be done online via a single Lucom form. Required documents and further information about the online procedure can be found under the subheading PhD Thesis Submission .

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Thesis preparation and submission

Submission of a thesis is an exciting milestone for both students and supervisors and one that should be celebrated.

Before submitting

Writing a thesis is a lengthy process, often requiring multiple redrafts and revisions.

Drafts should be provided and reviewed on a regular basis to keep up momentum as the submission deadline approaches. Please ensure that all course requirements (MDP compulsory module; Milestones; Program Training-Coursework/Professional Development) have been completed before progressing with your submission.

The information below has been provided to you to make your experience as easy as possible. You may also like to refer to the  Graduate Research Thesis Examination Procedure for further insight into the thesis examination process.

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Thesis format.

The first thing to consider is in what format the thesis will be presented. We recommend students and main supervisors discuss this as early as possible, and jointly agree on the most appropriate option:

• Traditional thesis: A similar format to research reports and papers where the research question is proposed, methodology is described and the results are discussed and conclusions established.
• Thesis including published works:  Overall format is the same as a traditional thesis but particular chapters will include any submitted publications. You should carefully review the Thesis Including Published Works requirements for thesis formatting and published works with your supervisors to determine if your thesis will be suitable for this format.

Thesis Preliminary Pages

All theses must use the approved  thesis preliminary pages . These pages include compulsory information such as copyright and authorship declarations.

Ensure each page is completed and the declaration signed. If these pages are not presented correctly, the thesis will be returned to you to make the necessary amendments.

If applicable, theses must include in the acknowledgement section:

• Any generative artificial intelligence tools used by students as a part of their research or in the preparation of their thesis. Please see the Guidance of Generative AI webpage for further information.
• Any support received from the Australian Government in the form of a Research Training Program Scholarship and/or Research Training Program fee offset, using the statement “This research was supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship.”
• Any editorial services provided by a third party, noting that written approval must be obtained from the student’s main supervisor prior to engaging the services of a professional editor.

The thesis must meet all requirements before it can be dispatched to examiners.

Selecting and Nominating Examiners

The main supervisor is responsible for approaching potential examiners for their students' thesis. Initial discussions normally take place at the student’s final milestone review and it is recommended that examiners are approached at least 4-6 weeks before expected submission.

Students are entitled to participate in informal discussions regarding potential examiners.

Nominated examiners, and replacement examiners, must be endorsed by the Chair of Examiners. Students will be formally notified of their examiners following dispatch of the thesis.

The supervisory team should identify 2-4 potential examiners to ensure 2 examiners can be confirmed prior to thesis submission.

All examiners must be external to the University and must:

• be of appropriate standing in the field of study concerned;
• hold a qualification equal to the level of the award they are examining or have equivalent experience and expertise;
• have previous experience as a supervisor or examiner at the AQF level at which they will examine;
• be from different institutions; and
• be free from any form of conflict of interest with the student or their supervisors.

The main supervisor is encouraged to use the template invitation email when contacting potential examiners to ensure they capture all the required information they will need to successfully nominate examiners within the thesis submission portal.

Students enrolled in a Live Music or Theatre Performance degree: The main supervisor will also need to complete a  Live Music/Theatre Performance Nomination of Examiners form prior to the live performance. For further information please contact the  Faculty of Arts .

In addition, when considering appropriate examiners, please note that if an examiner is subject to  Sanctions laws , we are unable to provide payment for their thesis examination.

Examiner Conflict of Interest

The  Graduate Research Thesis Examination Procedure outlines the rules around the eligibility of individuals to act as examiners for Graduate Research Theses.

Supervisors and Chairs of Examiners should carefully review the Conflict of Interest Guidelines for the nomination of higher degree by research thesis examiners prior to proceeding with nominations.

To ensure independence of the examination process, an examiner will not be approved where there is an actual or perceived serious conflict of interest with the student; a supervisor; Monash University; subject matter; or with another examiner.

Submitting a thesis for examination

Before submitting a thesis, please make sure the following has been considered and/or completed.

Please note that students are not required to submit physical copies of their thesis. Thesis submission and examination is completed online via the Thesis Examination Portal. A student will only be required to submit a soft thermal-bound copy of their thesis if an examiner has requested one for the purpose of their assessment.

Thesis Summary

To celebrate and recognise the substantial achievement of our students, a graduation booklet is provided to the general public that attend a graduation ceremony. The 100-word summary which is required as part of the submission will be included in the Monash graduation booklet.

Please ensure the summary is written in such a manner that members of the general public can easily understand what the research entails.

Author Agreement

Students can access the Author Agreement of the Examinations Portal as many times as necessary. It is also encouraged to record copyright information here at any stage during candidature. Students will be prompted to complete the Author Agreement once they commence the online thesis submission.

Students have two embargo options for their thesis. This means no one will be able to access the thesis for the nominated duration:

One year embargo (subject to approval)

• To protect information for publishing purposes

Three years embargo (subject to approval)

• To protect information of commercial value
• To protect patent applications
• To protect intellectual property
• To honour pre-existing contractual agreements that require confidentiality
• To protect individual rights to privacy (e.g.: cultural sensitivities)

Students can  specify when and who can access their final thesis from the University's Research Repository ( Bridges ). Any third-party copyright material included in the thesis is declared in this section.

Open access increases the visibility of your research, through discovery via Google Scholar, Trove and similar services. While Open access creates the possibility for more readers and citations of your work, there are very rare cases where theses have been illegally misappropriated for sale.

You may want to contact the University's Copyright Officer at [email protected] if you need further guidance on the above.

Specialisation

The specialisation indicates the field of research conducted and appears on academic transcripts. Each Faculty has a list of options available for their students to select.

Main Supervisor and Chair of Examiners Endorsement

Once a student has completed their part of the submission, the main supervisor will be notified to:

• Review the details entered by the student to ensure the submission is ready for examination
• Complete the Supervisor Statement
• Provide examiner details
• Indicate the Monash Chair of Examiners

A student’s status will be changed to 'submitted' once the Supervisor Statement is complete and they will no longer be considered an enrolled student.

The Monash Chair of Examiners is a representative of the students’ Academic unit or Faculty and is responsible for endorsing the submission and approving the examination to commence. If the holder of this position has a possible conflict of interest (eg. previously supervised the student), please contact the local administrator to find an appropriate delegate.

Following endorsement, the Monash Graduate Research Office will complete some final checks and process the submission before dispatching the thesis to the examiners.

While under examination

The entire examination process normally takes four to six months, however it can take longer.

Examiners are asked to provide a written report and a recommendation for the thesis within 6-8 weeks of them having received it. Communication with the examiners by the students or supervisors is strictly prohibited. The Monash Graduate Research Office will follow up any outstanding examiners' reports, if necessary.  We unfortunately are not able to provide details on the content or status of the reports until both reports have been received and reviewed by the Chair of Examiners.

When ready, reports will be provided to students along with details on what will happen next. It is quite common for examiners to request amendments be made to a thesis. There is no need for concern if examiners have advised changes are required.

Final Submission and Award of Degree

When ready, the final thesis is submitted online. Information on how to do so is included in the email with the examiner reports.

Thereafter, reviews will be completed by the student’s main supervisor and the Monash Chair of Examiners before the degree is awarded by the Monash Graduate Research Committee and title is conferred by the University.

Congratulations! Now that the degree has been awarded, students are encouraged to attend a graduation ceremony to celebrate this outstanding achievement with family, friends and colleagues.

Accessing Monash Systems After Completion

Library Access: Library access remains for up to 90 days after your have submitted your thesis.

IT Access: All access to the Monash intranet and your student email account will cease 90 days after you've been awarded your degree. Speak with eSolutions service desk ([email protected]) if you require access outside of this.

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Academic regulations

Academic regulations for research degree provision 2024/25.

Last updated: 18 September 2024

• The Registration Period
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• Appendix One – Specimen thesis title page
• Appendix Two – Author’s Declaration example
• Appendix Three – Specimen front cover for final thesis

1. Principles

1.1. The University may award the degrees of Master of Arts by Research (MA by Research), Master of Science by Research (MSc by Research), Master of Research (MRes), Master of Philosophy (MPhil), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Doctor of Philosophy by Publication (PhD by Publication), Professional Doctorate and International Doctorate to registered candidates who successfully complete approved programmes of supervised research. Students enrolled for any of these programmes shall be considered research students.

1.2. Programmes of research may be proposed in any field of study within the competence of the University, provided that the proposed programme is capable of leading to scholarly work and to its presentation for assessment by appropriate examiners. The written thesis may be supplemented by material in other than written form. All proposed research programmes will be considered for research degree registration on their academic merits and without reference to the concerns or interests of any associated funding body.

1.3. The MSc by Research or MA by Research may be awarded to a candidate who has successfully completed an approved programme requiring completion of taught elements and whose thesis represents an independent contribution to knowledge. The thesis should demonstrate the investigation and evaluation or critical examination of an approved topic The candidate must present a thesis for assessment and be prepared to defend it by viva voce examination, or other approved alternative examination, to the satisfaction of the examiners. If both examiners produce individual reports to indicate that the thesis is of sufficient strength not to warrant a viva voce examination, the oral (or other approved alternative) examination may be dispensed with.

1.4. The MRes may be awarded to a candidate who has successfully completed an approved programme requiring completion of taught elements and whose thesis both reflects on research methods and represents an independent contribution to knowledge. The thesis should demonstrate the investigation and evaluation or critical examination of an approved topic. The candidate must present a thesis for assessment and normally be prepared to defend it by viva voce examination, or other approved alternative examination, to the satisfaction of the examiners.

1.5. The MPhil may be awarded to a candidate who has successfully completed an approved programme requiring completion of taught elements and whose thesis represents and independent, significant contribution to knowledge. The thesis should demonstrate the investigation and evaluation or critical examination of an approved topic, together with an understanding of research methods appropriate to the chosen field. The candidate must present a thesis and defend it by viva voce examination, or approved alternative examination, to the satisfaction of the examiners.

1.6. The PhD may be awarded to a candidate who has successfully completed a programme of scholarly research and whose thesis represents an independent, significant and original contribution to knowledge, or who has completed an integrated programme of study comprising advanced instructions as well as scholarly research demonstrated by thesis. The thesis should demonstrate the investigation and evaluation or critical evaluation of an approved topic, together with an understanding of research methods appropriate to the chosen field. The candidate must present a thesis and defend it by viva voce examination, or approved alternative examination, to the satisfaction of the examiners. The work, or elements of it, should be worthy of publication, may include a proportion of published work, and in the case of a practice based study may include artworks, performance and/or artefacts.

1.7. The PhD by Publication may be awarded to a candidate where the submission consists of previously published research of doctoral standard and the accompanying critical reflection and commentary on the submitted publications demonstrates their independent, significant and original contribution to knowledge and scholarly research.

1.8. An appropriately titled Professional Doctorate may be awarded to a candidate who has successfully completed an approved programme requiring completion of taught elements at advanced level and supervised, independent research of clear value, relevance and application to a defined area of professional practice, concluded by the submission of a thesis or approved alternative to be examined by viva voce examination, or approved alternative examination, at Doctoral level.

1.9. The International Doctorate may be awarded to a candidate who has successfully completed a programme of scholarly research and whose thesis represents an independent, significant and original contribution to knowledge, or who has completed an integrated programme of study comprising advanced instruction as well as scholarly research demonstrated by thesis. The thesis should demonstrate the investigation and evaluation or critical examination of an approved topic, together with an understanding of research methods appropriate to the chosen field. The candidate must always present a thesis written in English for this award. The thesis should have been reviewed by 2 academics from 2 different countries. The candidate must defend the thesis by viva voce examination, or approved alternative examination, to the satisfaction of the examiners. The work, or elements of it should be worthy of publication, or may include a proportion of published work.

1.10. Each award title incorporating taught elements has regulations for the taught components that comply with the University’s Academic Regulations for Taught Provision .

1.11. Co-operation with industrial, commercial, professional or research establishments may be undertaken for the purposes of research leading to research degree awards. Co-operation may be formalised with one or more bodies external to the University; such bodies are referred to as collaborating establishments. Formal collaboration will normally involve the candidate’s use of facilities, data or other resources, including advice and supervision, which are provided jointly by the University and the collaborating establishments.

2. The Registration Period

2.1. The maximum periods of registration should normally be as follows:

2.2. A candidate must pay such fees for their programme of study as shall be determined by the University. The University publishes a Fees Policy which gives further information.

2.3. A candidate must submit the thesis before the expiry of the maximum period of registration.

2.4 . Where a candidate is prevented, by ill-health or other good cause, from making progress with the research, they may suspend study for a specific period, for not less than 3 months and not more than one year. Candidates may request suspension of studies beyond one calendar year, but this must be supported by the School. Approved periods of suspension of studies count against the maximum registration period and therefore do not change the end date for the maximum registration period.

2.5. Candidates who have been awarded a fixed term funded studentship must ensure that a period of suspension of studies is permitted under the terms of their contract. It is the student’s responsibility to check their eligibility, including any limitations on number or duration of suspension of study periods, before submitting their request.

2.6. Candidates may apply for an extension in exceptional circumstances to extend the period of registration beyond the expected period, for not less than 1 month and not more than one year.

2.7. Candidates successfully upgrading to a new award will have the period spent on studying for the initial award incorporated into the maximum submission dates for the new award.

2.8. Where the submission consists of pre-published material accompanied by a critical reflection and commentary on the submitted publications and their contribution to knowledge and research methods appropriate to the discipline, the period of registration may be shortened.

2.9. The registration period must not be less than 12 months full-time and 24 months part-time study.

3. Registration

3.1. The University Research Committee (URC) delegates its powers to the University Research Degrees Committee (URDC) to note and approve examination arrangements, examination reports, and awards of research students in the University.

3.2. URDC retains oversight of the approval of research degree projects, upgrade of registration, supervision and change of supervision and change in mode or programme of study of research students in the University.

3.3. An application should not be approved unless:

a) The candidate is suitably qualified; b) The candidate is embarking upon a feasible research programme; c) Supervisory expertise and capacity is available and likely to be sustained; and d) The University is able to provide appropriate facilities and research environment for the conduct of scholarly research in the area of the research programme.

3.4. An applicant for registration for a research Master’s degree should normally hold a first class or upper second class Honours degree or a qualification that is regarded by the University as equivalent to such an Honours degree.

3.5. An applicant for direct registration for Doctor of Philosophy should normally hold a Master’s degree in a discipline relevant to the proposed research.

3.6. An applicant for a Professional Doctorate should normally hold a Master’s degree in a cognate area, or a Bachelor’s degree in a cognate area plus at least two years’ professional practice, or be capable of otherwise demonstrating professional competence of high standing in the area of the research.

3.7. The candidate must demonstrate sufficient command of the English language to complete the programme of work satisfactorily and to prepare and defend a thesis in English.

3.8. Candidates may register on a full-time or part-time basis.

3.9. On occasion applications may be approved from a person proposing to work largely outside the UK, provided that the following criteria are met:

a) There is satisfactory evidence of the adequacy of the support and facilities available for the research both in the University and abroad, for example through the designation of an appropriate collaborating institution outside the UK. b) The supervisory arrangements enable frequent and substantial contact between the candidate and the first and second supervisor; c) Personal contact between the student and first supervisor must be sufficiently frequent for the first supervisor to have continuing confidence in the candidate’s progress.

3.10. A candidate may apply to upgrade their award in the following ways:

a) Master of Science by Research or Master of Arts by Research to Master of Philosophy or Doctor of Philosophy; b) Master of Philosophy to Doctor of Philosophy;

3.11. A candidate may apply to upgrade when all mandatory research modules (or agreed equivalent programme) have been satisfactorily completed and the supervisory team has deemed that they have made sufficient progress on the research to provide evidence of its potential development towards the intended award.

3.12. A candidate who is registered for any higher award and who is unable to complete the approved programme of work may, at any time prior to submission of the thesis for examination, apply to URDC to convert the registration to an appropriate lower award, provided that the registration period for the lower award has not been exceeded.

3.13. Where there is a requirement for the thesis to remain confidential for a period of time after completion of the work, application for approval should normally be made at the time of submission. The period approved should normally not exceed two years from the date of the viva voce examination.

3.14. A Project Approval of Research Degree Project shall not be considered for approval more than three times.

3.15. A Project Approval of Research Degree Project may be exempted for Masters by Research students by the Postgraduate Research Lead under the following conditions:

1) All supervisors and the Postgraduate Research Lead agree that the research proposal is of equal quality and coverage to the requirements in the Project Approval Form. 2) The project is a pre-existing supervisor designed project that the student is being engaged to fulfil.

3.16. A candidate must ensure engagement with mandatory progression monitoring points and regular recording of supervisory meetings to meet the University’s policy with regard to Engagement & Attendance. 

3.17. Failure to comply with mandatory monitoring points may result in the instigation of the University withdrawal procedures.

4. Creative works

4.1. Candidates may undertake a programme of research in which the candidate’s own creative work forms, as point of origin or reference, a significant part of the intellectual enquiry. Such creative work must have been undertaken as part of the registered research programme. In such cases, the presentation and submission may be partly in other than written form.

4.2. The creative work must be clearly presented in relation to the argument of a written thesis and set within its relevant theoretical, historical, critical or design context. The thesis must itself conform to the usual scholarly requirements and be of the appropriate length (see Section 13).

4.3. The final submission must be accompanied by some permanent record (this may be electronic or physical) of the creative work, which should, where practicable, be bound with the thesis or included in a digital submission.

5. Published Work

5.1. Candidates may undertake a programme of research in which the candidate’s own published work forms, as a point of origin or reference, a significant part of the intellectual enquiry.

5.2. Any joint publications that are included in the thesis must include a statement of contribution agreed with and signed by co-authors in the appendices to the thesis.

5.3. The published work must be clearly presented in relation to the argument of a written commentary and set within its relevant context. The commentary must itself conform to the usual scholarly requirements and be of the appropriate length.

6. Supervision

6.1. For each research degree candidate, the School within which the research will be based will approve the appointment of a supervisory team. One supervisor, who must be a member of the University staff, should be designated the first supervisor and the other(s) the second supervisor(s). A second supervisor may be external to the University.

6.2. The first supervisor has responsibility for supervising the candidate on a regular and frequent basis agreeing an adequate record of actions and plans with the student. There must be sufficient frequent personal contact between the student and the first supervisor to enable the first supervisor to assess and confirm the candidate’s progress. The first supervisor is also responsible for the recording of student monitoring data for Student Route visa students.

6.3. Individual supervisors will normally not supervise more than 8 research students at any one time unless they are highly experienced and have sufficient time allocated to them to do so.

6.4. Ultimate responsibility for progress on the research degree programme resides with the candidate who must ensure that satisfactory progress is made at all times against targets set in supervision.

7. Assessment Offences

7.1. A student’s work submitted for assessment must be their own. Practices that compromise this principle are defined by the University in their guidance on Assessments and Examinations .

7.2. If assessment offences are suspected for work completed for taught elements of research degrees then the procedures relating to these are covered by the University’s Academic Regulations for Taught Provision .

7.3. If the supervisory team suspects that formative work (produced during the preparation of the thesis but not prepared for assessment on a taught module) includes practices that compromise the principle that the student’s work is expected to be their own (as per the definitions linked to in paragraph 8.1), this must be reported to the relevant PGR Lead. The PGR Lead shall nominate an interview panel to meet with the student and the supervisory team to determine whether the work shall be deemed not to be their own. If the student’s work is not deemed to be their own, the work will be considered within the category of “errors of attribution” or “assessment offences”.

7.4. The panel will normally be chaired by the PGR Lead. Where the PGR Lead is also the supervisor of the candidate concerned, another experienced supervisor should be nominated to act as Chair. No member of the interview panel should be involved in the consideration of a case in which they have an interest.

7.5. Where “errors of attribution” are found by the nominated panel, a temporal plan should be agreed to rectify the errors and progress towards this must be reviewed at the next Progress Review. The student will be called to a formal interview if any elements of the plan have not been met.

7.6. Where “assessment offences” are found by the nominated panel, the finding should be reported to URDC acting as the Assessment Offences Board of Examiners. If the recommendation that the student has committed an “assessment offence” is upheld there, this finding must be placed on the student’s record as a first offence and must be taken into consideration in subsequent Annual Progress Reports and progression decisions. If, subsequently, a second offence is found, the student will be required to attend a formal interview at a special meeting of the Annual Progression Board and will be required to withdraw from their programme of study and the University.

The examination

8.1. The examination may not take place until the examiners have been approved. The viva voce examination should normally be completed within 3 months of the formal submission of the thesis for examination, unless there are exceptional circumstances.

8.2. The examination for a research degree should have two stages: first, the candidate’s submission of the thesis and the examiners’ independent preliminary assessment of it; and second, the defence of the thesis by viva voce or approved alternative examination. In the case of the MA/MSc by Research and the MRes, where the Examiners’ independent preliminary assessments agree that the thesis reaches the required standard for the intended award, they may recommend that the viva voce is dispensed with.

8.3. A candidate should be examined orally or by another approved alternative on the programme of work and on the field of study in which the programme lies.

8.4. Where valid reasons are presented in advance that the candidate would be seriously disadvantaged if required to undergo a viva voce examination, an alternative form of examination may be approved by URDC. Such approval will not be given on the grounds that the candidate’s knowledge of English is inadequate.

8.5. All candidates must attend their viva voce examination or approved alternative. Failure to attend may result in actions up to not being awarded any degree and not being permitted to re-submit the thesis unless independent notice of serious mitigating circumstances is received.

8.6. The viva voce examination should normally be held in the University and must be attended by all examiners. In special circumstances URDC may give approval for the examination and/or resubmission to take place elsewhere.

8.7. URDC will approve examination arrangements using the most appropriate platform for the candidate. This may be either face to face examination, or online.

8.8. If it is proposed that the examination is held away from the University, the application for examination arrangements must specify the location.

8.9. The candidate’s supervisor(s) may, with the permission of the student, be present at the viva voce examination in a non-speaking capacity. Others may, with the permission of the candidate and agreement of the examiners, be present at the viva voce in a non-speaking capacity.

8.10. URDC should make a decision based on the reports and recommendation(s) of the examiners in respect of the candidate. The formal power to confer the degree rests with URDC.

8.11. Where evidence of the use of unfair means, such as plagiarism , in the preparation of the thesis comes to light during examination this must be discussed in detail in the joint examination report to assist URDC in its consideration of the matter, if necessary in consultation with the examiners URDC will undertake an investigation and if the use of unfair means is upheld by the investigation panel, they will take appropriate action, which includes failing the thesis with no possibility of re-examination.

8.12. URDC should ensure that all examinations are conducted, and the recommendations of the examiners are presented, wholly in accordance with these regulations. In any instance where URDC is made aware of a failure to comply with all the procedures of the examination process, it may declare the examination null and void, and appoint new examiners.

8.13. The degree of MSc/MA by Research, MRes, MPhil, PhD, PhD by Publication, Professional Doctorate or International Doctorate may be awarded posthumously on the basis of a thesis completed by a candidate, which is ready for submission for examination. In such cases URDC should seek evidence that the candidate would have been likely to have been successful, had a viva voce examination taken place.

9. The candidate’s responsibilities in the examination process

9.1. The candidate should submit one digital copy of the thesis before the expiry of the registration period. The candidate should submit the author’s declaration and candidature form with the thesis:

9.2. The submission of the thesis for examination should be at the sole discretion of the candidate. Although a candidate would normally be unwise to submit the thesis for examination against the advice of the supervisor(s), it is their right to do so. The supervisor(s) should record in writing that the thesis has been submitted against advice and submit a copy of this record to both the School PGR Lead and Research Administration Office. The supervisor’s agreement to the submission of a thesis does not guarantee the successful outcome of the examination.

9.3. The candidate should satisfy any conditions of eligibility for examination required by the Committee including the successful completion of any mandatory taught modules, or Annual Progress requirements.

9.4. The candidate should take no part in the arrangement of the examination and should have no contact with any of the examiners between the appointment of the examiners and the viva voce examination.

9.5. The candidate should ensure that the thesis format is in accordance with the requirements of the regulations (see section 13 below).

9.6. Any work which breaches the University’s Research Ethics: Handbook of Principles and Procedures will not knowingly be assessed.

10. Examiners

10.1. A candidate should be examined initially by at least two and not more than three examiners, of whom at least one is an external examiner. The first supervisor is responsible for contacting and nominating the examiners, and should consult with the candidate concerning the suitability of the examiners. Should the candidate and supervisor(s) disagree on the proposed appointment of external examiners, the matter will be referred to the University Research Degrees Committee for a final decision.

10.2. Examiners should not be appointed unless experienced in research in the area of the candidate’s thesis. At least one examiner should also have experience of examining at least two candidates at the level of award being sought.

10.3. An independent internal examiner shall be defined as an examiner who is:

a) A member of staff of the University, but not a member of the supervisory team; or

b) A member of staff of the candidate’s collaborating establishment, but not a member of the supervisory team.

10.4. Where the candidate is on the permanent staff of the institution no member of staff may serve as an examiner.

10.5. The internal examiner should not :

a) Have/have had any significant collaboration with the candidate nor have given any substantive advice to the candidate on their research (except in the case of a resubmitted thesis).

10.6. The external examiner should not :

a) Have/have had any significant collaboration with the candidate nor have given any substantive advice to the candidate on their research (except in the case of a resubmitted thesis);

b) Be either a current or former member of staff, governor or near relative of a member of staff of the University of Gloucestershire, unless at least 5 years have elapsed since their relinquished the post;

c) Be a former higher degree student of the University of Gloucestershire or of any of the supervisors at another higher education institution, unless at least 5 years have elapsed since the degree was conferred;

d) Normally be invited on a regular basis (more than once every 2 years) to examine research degrees at the University of Gloucestershire;

e) Show evidence of reciprocal examining arrangements to an extent that could encourage unprofessional, biased assessment.

10.7. No candidate for a research degree should act as an examiner.

10.8. The University shall determine and pay the fees and expenses of the external examiners.

11. Examination

11.1. Each examiner must read and examine the thesis and submit an individual preliminary report on it to the School.

11.2. The preliminary reports will indicate whether the thesis is of a sufficient standard to go forward for viva voce or other approved alternative examination, or in the case of the MA/MSc by Research or MRes, whether the thesis is of a sufficient standard for the viva voce to be dispensed with.

11.3 . The preliminary reports should either indicate an agenda for discussion in the viva voce examination or form the basis for the compilation of a joint report by examiners in cases where the viva voce examination is to be dispensed with.

11.4. In the case of the MPhil, PhD and the Professional Doctorates, the preliminary report should be sent to the relevant School at least 7 working days before any viva voce examination is due to be held.

11.5. In the case of the MA/MSc by Research and MRes, the preliminary report should be sent to the relevant School at least 14 working days before the proposed viva voce.

11.6. The examiners cannot recommend that a candidate fail outright without holding a viva voce examination or other approved alternative examination. However, students may use the maximum period of registration permitted for the programme (para. 2.1) and examiners may recommend that the thesis be returned to the student for further work if time in registration remains

11.7. Following the viva voce or other approved examination, the examiners should prepare a joint report that must be sufficiently detailed to enable URDC to make a well-founded decision about the award. A summary of the report may be made available to the student and only if the examiners have agreed upon an unequivocal recommendation. They should make it clear to the candidate at the end of the viva voce examination that their joint report is their recommendation, but that the final decision on the award rests with URDC.

11.8. The report should make one of the following recommendations. That:

a) The candidate be awarded the degree unconditionally;

b) The candidate be awarded the degree subject to the correction of typographic and similar errors to the satisfaction of the first supervisor. Typographic errors or similar may be communicated via an annotated copy of the thesis or through a list in the examination report. Such corrections should be of a scale capable of completion by the candidate within one month of the viva voce;

c) The candidate be awarded the degree subject to minor amendments, to the satisfaction of the internal examiner where present or a nominated external examiner if not. In this case the examiners should provide in writing for communication to the candidate by the viva chair a list of the minor corrections by the candidate within three months of the viva voce examination;

d) The candidate be awarded the degree subject to major amendment to the thesis to the satisfaction of a nominated examiner. In this case the examiners should provide in writing for communication to the candidate by the viva chair a list of the amendments and corrections required. Corrections should be made within six months of the relevant meeting of URDC;

e) The candidate not be awarded the degree, but be permitted to re-submit the thesis in revised form and be re-examined, with or without a viva voce examination. The examiners should recommend resubmission only if there is sufficient evidence of original work and if the amount of further work to be undertaken is not so substantial as to constitute a new thesis. A recommendation should be made concerning the maximum period of time for resubmission, which is normally between 6 and 12 months from the relevant meeting of the URDC;

f) In the case of a PhD examination, the candidate not be awarded the degree of PhD, but be awarded the degree of MPhil subject to the presentation of the thesis amended as necessary to the satisfaction of the examiners. The amendments should be made within three months of the relevant meeting of URDC

In the case of a Professional Doctorate, the candidate not be awarded the Doctorate but be awarded a lesser award consonant with the assessed work completed and /or thesis submitted.

In the case of an MPhil examination, the examiners may recommend that the candidate not be awarded the degree of MPhil, but be awarded the degree of MSc or MA by Research subject to the presentation of the thesis amended to the satisfaction of the examiners;

g) The candidate not be awarded any degree and not be permitted to re-submit the thesis. In this case the examiners should prepare an agreed general statement of the deficiencies of the thesis and the reason for their recommendation, which should be submitted to the Research Administration Office for transmission to URDC and subsequently to the candidate;

h) No recommendation can be made for reasons outlined within the examiner’s report. Further investigation will be required to provide a decision based on categories a – g above.

11.9. One re-examination may be permitted by URDC, subject to the following requirements:

a) A candidate who fails to satisfy the examiners at the first examination (including at the viva voce or approved alternative examination, or any further examination required) may, on the recommendation of the examiners, and with the approval of URDC, be permitted to revise the thesis and be re-examined;

b) The examiners must provide the candidate, through URDC, with written guidance on the deficiencies of the first submission; and

c) The candidate should submit for re-examination normally within the period of one calendar year from the date of the relevant Committee meeting. Where the viva voce examination has been dispensed with, the re-examination should take place within 6 months of the resubmission of the thesis. URDC may, where there are good reasons, approve an extension of this period.

d) Where the viva voce examination has not been dispensed with for the re-examination, the candidate must attend their viva voce.

11.10. URDC may require that an additional external examiner be appointed for the re- examination.

11.11. On completion of re-examination the examiners should make one of the following recommendations to URDC in accordance with paragraph 12.8, excepting that 12.8.g shall not apply to the re-examination.

11.12. Where the examiners’ recommendations are not unanimous, URDC will normally appoint an additional external to give a ‘blind’ reading of the thesis. Following this appointment, a report should be submitted to URDC within one month and URDC will make a decision based on this report.

11.13. If the degree is not awarded, the examiners should prepare an agreed statement of the deficiencies of the thesis and reason for their recommendation, which should be forwarded to URDC and to the candidate by the Research Administration Office.

11.14. Failure to submit amendments as recorded on the approved examination report to the satisfaction of the nominated supervisor or examiner to the timeframe agreed by URDC will result in the recording of a no award outcome

12.1. The written language of the thesis must be English unless it is the purpose of the thesis to translate or otherwise engage with a language other than English. This intention should be noted on the Project Approval Form.

12.2. If the candidate proposes a change to the approved title of the thesis after the Project Approval, they must submit the amended title to the Research Administration Office

12.3. An abstract of approximately 300 words must be bound into the thesis on the page following the title page. The abstract should provide a synopsis of the thesis, stating the nature and scope of the work undertaken and of the contribution made to the knowledge of the subject treated.

12.4. The thesis must acknowledge published or other sources of material consulted and any assistance received. It is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure that the final version of the thesis lodged with the University’s Research Repository carries full and acknowledged permissions for any copyrighted materials. For more information about including copyrighted materials, please refer to Keeping Your Thesis Legal , a booklet available from the Library, Technology and Information Services.

In the event that permission cannot or will not be granted by the copyright holder, it will be the student’s responsibility to submit a second digital version of their final thesis which redacts the items or sections which do not carry the appropriate permissions.

12.5. Where a candidate’s research programme is part of a collaborative group project, the thesis should indicate clearly the candidate’s individual contribution and the extent of the collaboration. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that a signed declaration is included in the final copy stating how far the work contained in the thesis was the candidate’s own work, or how far it was undertaken in collaboration with, or with the assistance of, others.

12.6. The candidate is free to publish material from the thesis in advance of its submission, but reference should be made in the thesis to any such output.

In the event that a publisher does not permit the candidate to deposit a full text version of their thesis to the Repository it is the candidate’s responsibility to submit a second redacted version with links to the DOI or a publisher’s URL of the publication(s).

12.7. The text of the thesis is

• for an MSc or MA by Research 30,000 words for an MRes 25,000 words
• for an MPhil 50,000 words
• for a Professional or International Doctorate 60,000 words for a PhD 80,000 words

12.8. The final word count must not be exceeded by more than 10% of the stated amount for the award. Ancillary data, bibliography, appendices, and footnotes or endnotes are not included in the word count.

The University reserves the right to suspend the examination process if the thesis is found to be in breach of the stated word count (excluding appendices, tables, diagrams, bibliography and references).

12.9. Where the thesis is accompanied by material in other than written form, or the research involves creative writing or the preparation of a scholarly edition, or the thesis is related to an integrated programme of taught study, or the thesis contains previously published material, the balance of the thesis should normally be within the range:

• for an MSc or MA by Research 10,000 – 12,000 words for an MPhil 15,000 – 20,000 words
• for a PhD 20,000 – 40,000 words
• for a PhD by Publication 10,000-25,000 words
• for a Professional or International Doctorate 40,000 words – 50,000

12.10. The following requirements should be adhered to in the format of the submitted thesis.

a) Upon initial submission for examination, the thesis will be submitted in digital form. b) The thesis should be formatted in A4 portrait format. c) Text should be present in 12point size, in a clear font such as Times New Roman or Arial d) A consistent margin should be applied throughout the thesis e) Double or one-and-a-half spacing should be used in the typescript except for indented quotations or footnotes where single spacing may be used. f) Pages should be numbered consecutively through the main text including photographs and/or diagrams included as whole pages. Page numbers should be printed in the header or footer of each page title page. g) The title page should give the following information in the following order (see also specimen title page below):

i. The full title of the thesis (including any sub-title), followed by the volume number if there is more than one; ii. The full name of the author; iii. ‘A thesis submitted to the University of Gloucestershire in accordance with the requirements for the degree of…in the School of…’; iv. The name of the collaborating establishment(s) if any; v. The month and year of first submission; and vi. The word count (appendices, tables, diagrams, bibliography and references are excluded from the word count).

h) Text placed within headers should be excluded from the title page; abstract page; author’s declaration; acknowledgements (if applicable); and table of contents.

i) The candidate should include on the page following the abstract page a signed author’s declaration confirming that the material presented for examination is their own work or how far the work contained in the thesis was the candidate’s own work, , or how far it was conducted in collaboration with, or with the assistance of others, and stating that the thesis is not being submitted for any other academic award and where necessary include evidence showing where permission(s) for copyrighted material have been received.

j) The candidate should not be precluded from incorporating in the thesis, covering a wider field, work which has already been submitted for a degree or comparable award, provided that it is indicated which work has been so incorporated. In addition, a disclaimer that the views expressed in the dissertation are those of the author and not of the University should be included on this page.

See Appendix Two for an example Author’s Declaration.

k) Following successful completion, a ‘perfect’ digital copy of the final thesis should be submitted to the Research Administration Office for retention by the University. No award can be made until the digital copy has been submitted.

l) The ETHOS electronic deposit form should be submitted with the final thesis. As well as being deposited into the British Library’s EThOS (national online thesis scheme site) the candidate’s thesis will also go into the University’s Research Repository. A digital copy must be submitted even if the candidate has been granted an embargo or temporary moratorium. In this case, the thesis will be will be placed in a dark-archive or kept securely by the Research Administration Office. For details, please refer to Keeping Your Thesis Legal , a booklet available from the Library, Technology and Information Services.”.

m) The copyright in the thesis should normally be vested in the candidate, unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Right of appeal

13.1 Students have the right to appeal against a decision of a Board of Examiners and will not suffer any disadvantage or recrimination as a result of making an appeal in good faith. Students considering making an appeal should consult the University’s guidance on Appeals and Complaints .

13.2 Procedures for submitting and hearing an academic appeal are documented in the assessment procedures section of the University’s Academic Regulations for Taught Provision .

APPENDIX ONE – Specimen thesis title page

A PROFESSION UNDER PRESSURE:

THE INCREASING INCIDENCE OF STRESS-RELATED DISORDERS AMONGST CONTRACT RESEARCHERS

BLANCHE DELAMERE

A thesis submitted to The University of Gloucestershire in accordance with the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Health

Word Count: ______            

APPENDIX TWO – Author’s Declaration example

I declare that the work in this thesis was carried out in accordance with the regulations of the University of Gloucestershire and is original except where indicated by specific reference in the text. No part of the thesis has been submitted as part of any other academic award. The thesis has not been presented to any other education institution in the United Kingdom or overseas.

Any views expressed in the thesis are those of the author and in no way represent those of the University.

Signed …………………………………………….. Date ……………………………….

APPENDIX THREE – Specimen front cover for final thesis

B. DELAMERE

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