Examination and graduation

Thesis examination process and submission for graduation

As a student of a Higher Degree by Research (HDR) program you are required to submit a thesis for examination. In most cases your thesis will be examined using an electronic copy. Some theses by Creative Works may, however, include an exhibition that examiners attend. The exegesis accompanying the creative work will be examined using an electronic copy.

Prior to submission you and your supervisors are encouraged to review the HDR thesis presentation schedule as it provides important information about your thesis. Thesis templates and formatting guidelines are available from the research students forms webpage.

When preparing your thesis for examination, supervisors will provide editorial advice to you. If you choose to use external editors for proof-reading and editing, you will need to:

discuss this with your principal supervisor first
provide the external editor with a copy of the HDR thesis submission schedule
ensure the external editors familiarise themselves with the Australian standards for editing.

On average, the examination process takes between 4-6 months, however examination times may be extended due to reasons which are outside the control of the University. There is no requirement for international students to remain on-campus during the examination or revision period.

All HDR theses will be examined in accordance with the HDR thesis examination procedure. The final, awarded, version of all UniSQ HDR theses are lodged with the UniSQ Library in an electronic format.

One month prior to submitting your thesis for examination, you should confirm with your supervisors that they have nominated your examiners. Whilst you as the candidate will not, at this stage, know who the examiners are, the sooner your supervisors nominate them, the sooner the GRS can commence vetting them and the sooner we will be able to send your thesis to them.

Your Principal Supervisor will contact three suitably qualified examiners and submit a completed Nomination of Examiner's Form to the Graduate Research School. Once reviewed, the form will be forwarded to the Dean (Graduate Research School) for final approval.

Before you submit your thesis to the GRS for examination, you will need to generate an iThenticate Similarity Report for it and review that with your supervisors. Both you and your supervisors must be satisfied that any matches highlighted by the Similarity Report do not constitute plagiarism. Specific instructions are available here.

To submit your thesis you must provide both a completed Statement by HDR Student form and Statement by Supervisor form along with an electronic copy (PDF preferred) of the full thesis, which is to be emailed to grs@unisq.edu.au, provided on USB, or a link to the thesis in a secure cloud storage service provided.

The Graduate Research School (GRS) will forward your thesis to the approved examiners. The examiners are asked to return their reports to the GRS within six (6) weeks of the receipt of the thesis. Your thesis will be examined according to the criteria outline in the HDR Thesis Examination Procedure. At UniSQ the examination process is confidential which means the details of the examiners are not normally released.

When all required examiners' reports have been received, they are forwarded to the Dean (Graduate Research School). The Dean grades the overall outcome of the examination based on the examiners' report and the matrix listed in the HDR Thesis Examination Procedure.

Once a decision has been approved by the GRS, you will be notified of the examination outcome.

You may be required to undertake revision to your thesis following examination. In these cases you must demonstrate that you have engaged clearly and thoroughly with the feedback and prepare a summary document that specifically details how the thesis has been revised to address the feedback.

You must submit the following to your Principal Supervisor for endorsement by the date nominated by the GRS:

electronic copy of the thesis with revisions highlighted or identified through track changes
final electronic copy of the thesis (no track changes, highlighting or similar mark-up)
a document summarising the examiners’ requested changes and how you have addressed and/or defended them. This might be indicated in a table or similar format but must make reference to the specific page numbers where the revisions or suggested revisions occur.

To assist you with responding to the examiner comments, we have created the following templates for you to use if you wish:

Template 1

Template 2

You will need to provide the Principal Supervisor’s endorsement and the documents (listed in Step 7) to the GRS. Depending on the outcome of the examination, the revised thesis will be reviewed by the relevant HDR Coordinator/affiliated department delegate or an independent Review Panel.

Note: in cases of major revisions or re-submission you will be required to re-enrol in the next available semester.

The recommendation on the award of the degree is forwarded to the Dean, Graduate Research School for approval. Once the degree has been provisionally awarded, the GRS will notify you and your supervisors in writing.

The due date for the final requirements for graduation will be communicated to you in writing. You will be required to supply the following final requirements prior to your preferred graduation ceremony:

The HDR Thesis Information Form. This form is how you submit your final, approved and awarded thesis to the UniSQ Library. It captures information vital to indexing your thesis in the UniSQ Library, such as Field of Research Codes, any embargo period, and keywords, as well as the 100-word abstract you are required to provide as your Australian Higher Education Statement (AHEGS).
Research Exit Checklist (DOCX 53KB)

Once all the final requirements have been submitted to the GRS, your final grade is awarded and you will be approved for graduation. The Graduation Office will confirm your graduand status after Results Release in your final semester, and provide the opportunity to attend an upcoming graduation ceremony. Your testamur will be conferred and presented by the Chancellor at the ceremony. If you are unable to attend a graduation ceremony, you may request your testamur be mailed or couriered.