Thesis Submission and Examination

All Higher Degree Research students are required to submit their thesis electronically in PDF format to hdrexam@.

The electronic copy of the thesis should be submitted in Adobe pdf format and preferably as one document. If the thesis is submitted in more than one document, each document must not be larger than 30 megabytes. Any colour photos or graphics must be no higher than 300 dpi.

If an examiner requires a physical copy of the thesis, Research Services will contact the student, who will be responsible for the printing of the soft-bound copy(ies). Printing and binding of a thesis can be organised by Fujixerox by either email [email protected] or phone (02) 6771 2420.

A thesis can be printed double-sided however it is important to ensure that the print does not show through the paper.
Please note that theses CANNOT be spiral or comb bound.

Students in the Faculty of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences & Education has additional processes in place for student's submitting their thesis. Please consult the HASSE HDR Portal for further information.

Formatting of Thesis

For assistance with the general formatting of a thesis, please refer to the Guidelines for the Preparation of Research Dissertations

Thesis Submission Forms

The following forms must be provided when you submit your thesis for examination:

1. Thesis Submission Form
2. Statement of Authorship Form
3. Right of Access to Thesis Form
4. Request to Restrict Access to Thesis
5. Copyright Compliance Table
   1. Copyright Compliance Table - Example Form
6. 100 Word Abstract for Graduation

Please use the Thesis Submission Checklist in preparing your thesis for submission.

The following forms must be provided when you submit your thesis for examination:

1. Thesis Submission Form
2. Statement of Authorship Form
3. Right of Access to Thesis Form
4. Request to Restrict Access to Thesis
5. Copyright Compliance Table
   1. Copyright Compliance Table - Example Form
6. 100 Word Abstract for Graduation

Please use the Thesis Submission Checklist in preparing your thesis for submission.

Thesis by Publication

Students submitting in either of these formats are required to include the following 2 forms at the end of each chapter which contains a publication.

• Statement of Authors' Contribution Proforma
• Statement of Originality

Students who enrolled in HDR programs on or after the 5th of August 2015, and who wish to include publications in their thesis, need to refer to the Thesis by Publication Guidelines.

Student who enrolled in HDR programs prior to the 5th of August 2015, and who wish to include publications in their thesis, should refer to the Journal Article Format guidelines.

Students submitting in either of these formats are required to include the following 2 forms at the end of each chapter which contains a publication.

• Statement of Authors' Contribution Proforma
• Statement of Originality

The Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd) also has an Editors Directory which is a national list of freelance editors, who are professional members of IPEd. The Editors Directory can be found in the IPEd website, on the Find an Editor listing.

The School must provide the Recommendation of Examiners to Research Services no later than 4 weeks prior to the student submitting.   Failure to receive this form prior to submission will result in delays in the examination process.

The Examiner Invite Template has been prepared to assist the Principal Supervisor when approaching potential Examiners and to assist with completing the Recommendation of Examiners Form.

In preparing the Recommendation of Examiners, the Supervisors should be aware of any perceived or actual conflicts of interest and ensure these are declared on the Recommendation of Examiners Form.

The Completed Form should be sent to hdrexam@

The Council of Deans and Directors of Graduate Studies in America (DDOGS) has developed the following guidelines around conflicts of interest in the appointment of Examiners:

• Conflicts of Interest Policy
• Conflicts of Interest Procedures

Once a thesis is submitted, it is sent out for examination as soon as possible after the nominated examiners are approved. The examination process normally takes approximately three months, but due to the nature of the process may take longer. Examiners are asked to provide a written report six weeks from the date of receipt of a thesis, but may request additional time.

The Examiners are provided with the Information for Examiners document which details the VCB requirements for the examination, including the criteria they need to address in their examination report.

Once all reports have been received, they are forwarded to the Graduate Research Examination Board who meet on the first Tuesday of each month.  The Board will determine the outcome which will then be communicated to the student in writing, with copies of the Examiner reports.

The outcome determined by the Board can be one of the following:

• (a) Recommend that the degree be awarded;
• (b) Recommend that the degree be awarded conditional upon the making of minor or major amendments/changes as the Board deems appropriate;
• (c) Permit a candidate to revise the thesis for re-examination if, in the opinion of the Board the work is of sufficient merit to warrant this concession;
• (d) Recommend that the degree not be awarded

The Period of time to complete amendments will be advised with the examination result.

Amended Thesis

When submitting an amended thesis, the following must be returned to hdrexam@ by the date indicated in the outcome letter:

• The electronic copy of your Amended Thesis
• The Completion of Amendments to HDR Thesis Form
• A list of amendments/changes made to the thesis
  (Please liaise with your supervisor regarding the format to present this list).

Revised Thesis

Submission of a revised thesis is the same process as submitting the primary thesis. You must provide all Thesis Submission Forms along with your electronic thesis to hdrexam@

Research Meta Data

All research data must be archived and registered in the University library - libraryresearch@ 

The degree is unable to be conferred until this has been completed.

Once a student has submitted their amended thesis to Research Services (if required), they have formally satisfied the requirements of the degree. It should be noted, that students are not deemed graduates until the University has conferred their degree.

Research Services will then process the student’s details to be endorsed by the Graduate Research Examination Board and approved by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) (DVCR) to enable them to graduate in absentia.

The date on which the DVCR gives final approval will be the date of conferral.

The Graduation Unit will then arrange for the Testamur and Academic Transcript to be printed and sent to the student’s home address, or provided to the Dixson Library for the student to collect.

Students must ensure that Research Services have their current postal, home address and mobile number as Graduation documents will only be sent once.

Students are still able to attend the relevant Graduation Ceremony, even though their degree is technically conferred.

After a student receives formal notification from Research Services with their graduation details, an invitation to graduate will be emailed to their VCB email address from the Graduation Unit. The invitation will provide details on how to register to attend the graduation ceremony, and other relevant information.

If a student has received a graduation in absentia, they are still able to attend the graduation ceremony, however they may not receive an email invitation or be able to register online. Instead, they should lodge a request through AskVCB: http://askVCB.custhelp.com/

Further information on Graduation can be found at: http://www./current-students/graduation/your-graduation

The Graduation Unit can be contacted through AskVCB: http://askVCB.custhelp.com/