usyd phd thesis length

University of Sydney Handbooks - 2016 Archive

The university of sydney - education and social work (postgraduate) handbook 2016.

• Education & Social Work (PG) Handbook
• University Home
• Master of Indigenous Languages Education
• Master of Learning Sciences and Technology
• Graduate Certificate / Graduate Diploma in Learning Sciences and Technology
• Master of Policy Studies
• Master of Social Work
• Graduate Certificate in Human and Community Services
• Doctor of Philosophy
• Doctor of Social Work
• Master of Philosophy
• Master of Education (Research)
• Resolutions of the Faculty
• Resolutions of the Senate

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is a degree completed entirely by research. Students undertaking this degree will work with an allotted supervisor and an associate supervisor. The degree is available in both full-time and part-time modes. Full-time candidature is normally three to four years of study, while part-time candidates can take up to eight years.

Course Convenor

Direct entry.

Direct entry candidates may be required to attend lectures, or enrol in units of study subject to the supervisor's and nominated faculty officer's approval. Applicants may qualify if their research proposal is accepted and they satisfy one of the criteria listed below:

• a bachelor's degree with first or second-class honours in an appropriate area of study that includes a research thesis based on primary data, not a literature review
• a master's degree by research in an appropriate area of study that includes a research thesis that draws on primary data
• a master's degree by coursework with a 12,000 to 15,000 words research thesis or dissertation that draws on primary data, not a literature review, with a grade point average of at least 80 percent in the degree.

Conditions of candidature

PhD candidates are required to complete a probationary year and to produce an extended thesis proposal (10,000 to 12,000 words) at the end of their first year of full-time or the part-time equivalent candidature. The normal length of a PhD thesis is approximately 80,000 words. Examination is by presentation of the thesis. The Rules governing the degree of Doctor of Philosophy are the University of Sydney (Higher Degree by Research) Rule 2011 and the Thesis and Examination of Higher Degree by Research Policy 2015 . The most recent versions of these rules are found on the Policy Register sydney.edu.au/policies .

Pathway A entry

Pathway A entry is open to applicants whose research proposal is accepted and who satisfy one of the following criteria:

• a bachelor's degree with first or second-class honours in an appropriate area of study, but which did not include a research thesis, or
• a master's degree by coursework (with no thesis or dissertation component) with a grade point average of at least 75 percent and an amount of scholarly writing and/or research expertise which, in the opinion of the admissions committee, is equivalent to a master's research thesis. Copies of these must be submitted with the application.

Pathway A conditions

Pathway A candidates are required to complete one core unit of study and at least one other elective unit from the units of study list below:

Core units - Education

Core units - social work, elective units.

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Finding theses

University of sydney theses, higher degree by research theses.

We hold theses written by the University’s Higher Degree by Research (PhD or Masters by Research) students in our collections.

You can find a University of Sydney thesis by searching the  Library catalogue . Select the “Advanced search” and then select “USYD Theses” from the “Material type” dropdown menu.

You can also find digital theses by searching directly in the Sydney eScholarship repository .

Access a digital or digitised thesis

Many of the University’s digital and digitised theses are openly available for download through the Sydney eScholarship repository .

Theses marked “University of Sydney Access” are only available to current University staff and students. Libraries and private researchers can request to purchase a copy of a University of Sydney Access only thesis for AUD$18.50 (incl. GST, within Australia) or AUD$40.00 (international requests).

To purchase a digital thesis, you need to complete one of the relevant request forms below and submit it to [email protected] :

• Individuals requesting a thesis, or library requesting on behalf of an individual
• Libraries requesting a copy to be included in their collection

All requests for copies of material held at the University of Sydney Library must comply with the  Copyright Act of 1968 .

Access a hard copy thesis

Theses that are only available in printed format can be viewed in the Rare Books and Special Collections Library , Level 1, Fisher Library.

We are currently running a project to digitise hardcopy theses. You can request an update to find out where a particular thesis is in our digitisation queue by emailing [email protected] .

We don’t digitise theses on request.

Honours or postgraduate coursework theses

Search for an honours or postgraduate coursework thesis in the repository , then use the filters on the left side of the results page to narrow by “Type”.

You can also search the Honours and Postgraduate Coursework theses collection for a faculty, school or discipline (if available).

There are limited numbers of honours theses in the Sydney eScholarship repository as we have strict requirements for submission of honours theses . If you can't find the thesis you're looking for, we suggest contacting the relevant faculty office.

Theses from other Australian and New Zealand universities

Find a thesis from other Australian or New Zealand universities by searching:

• Australian theses via Trove
• Libraries Australia for Higher Degree theses awarded from 1989 onwards
• Education Research Theses for citations and abstracts from theses submitted from 1919 onwards.

If you’re interested in a thesis that isn't available online, you can request the item through our Resource Sharing Service .

International theses

For theses written and submitted at universities outside of Australia, try the following resources:

• Open Access Theses and Dissertations
• DART-Europe E-theses Portal
• British Library Electronic Digital Thesis Online Service (EThOS)
• EBSCO open dissertations
• French Thesis-On-Line Repository
• History Online – postgraduate theses in History submitted in the UK since 1995
• Index to Theses – listing of theses with abstracts accepted for higher degrees by universities in Great Britain and Ireland since 1716
• Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations – North American theses
• ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global

Related information

For more help finding and accessing theses, speak to our friendly library staff.

• Thesis submission and examination
• Submitting your thesis

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• How Long Is a PhD Thesis?
• Doing a PhD

It’s no secret that one of the most challenging aspects of a PhD degree is the volume of work that goes into writing your thesis . So this raises the question, exactly how long is a thesis?

Unfortunately, there’s no one size fits all answer to this question. However, from the analysis of over 100 PhD theses, the average thesis length is between 80,000 and 100,000 words. A further analysis of 1000 PhD thesis shows the average number of pages to be 204 . In reality, the actual word count for each PhD thesis will depend on the specific subject and the university it is being hosted by. This is because universities set their own word length requirements, with most found to be opting for around 100,000.

To find out more about how these word limits differ between universities, how the average word count from STEM thesis differ from non-STEM thesis and a more detailed breakdown from the analysis of over 1000 PhDs, carry on reading the below.

Word Count Differences Between Universities

For any PhD student writing a thesis, they will find that their document will be subject to a word limit set by their university. In nearly all cases, the limit only concerns the maximum number of words and doesn’t place any restrictions on the minimum word limit. The reason for this is that the student will be expected to write their thesis with the aim of clearly explaining their research, and so it is up to the student to determine what he deems appropriate.

Saying this, it is well accepted amongst PhD students and supervisors that the absence of a lower limit doesn’t suggest that a thesis can be ‘light’. Your thesis will focus on several years worth of original research and explore new ideas, theories or concepts. Besides this, your thesis will need to cover a wide range of topics such as your literature review, research methodology, results and conclusion. Therefore, your examiners will expect the length of your thesis to be proportional to convey all this information to a sufficient level.

Selecting a handful of universities at random, they state the following thesis word limits on their website:

• University of Edinburgh: 100,000
• University of Exeter: 100,000
• University of Leister: 80,000
• University of Bath: 80,000
• University of Warwick: 70,000

The above universities set upper word limits that apply across the board, however, some universities, such as the University of Birmingham and the University of Sheffield, set different word limits for different departments. For example, the University of Sheffield adopts these limits:

• Arts & Humanities: 75,000
• Medicine, Dentistry & Health: 75,000
• Science: 80,000
• Social Sciences: 75,000-100,000

Although there’s a range of limit, it’s safe to say that the majority fall within the 80,000 to 100,000 bracket.

Word Count Based on Data from past Theses

A poll of 149 postdocs.

In mid-2019, Dr Eva Lantsoght, a published author, academic blogger and Structural Engineering Professor, conducted a poll which asked postgraduate doctoral students to share the length of their final thesis. 149 PostDoc students responded to the survey, with the majority reporting a length falling within the ‘80,000 – 120,000 words’ bracket as seen below.

Analysis of 1000 PhD Theses

Over a three-year time period, Dr Ian Brailsford, a then Postgraduate Learning Adviser at the University of Auckland, analysed 1000 doctoral thesis submitted to his university’s library. The PhD theses which formed the basis of his analysis were produced between 2008 to 2017 and showed:

• Average number of pages = 204
• Median number of pages = 198
• Average number of chapters = 7.6

We should note that the above metrics only cover the content falling within the main body of the thesis. This includes the introduction, literature review, methods section, results chapter, discussions and conclusions. All other sections, such as the title page, abstract, table of contents, acknowledgements, bibliography and appendices were omitted from the count.

Although it’s impossible to draw the exact word count from the number of pages alone, by using the universities recommended format of 12pt Times New Roman and 1.5 lines spacing, and assuming 10% of the main body are figures and footnotes, this equates to an average main body of 52,000 words.

STEM vs Non-STEM

As part of Dr Ian Brailsford’s analysis, he also compared the length of STEM doctorate theses to non-STEM theses. He found that STEM theses tended to be shorter. In fact, he found STEM theses to have a medium page length of 159 whilst non-STEM theses had a medium of around 223 pages. This is a 40% increase in average length!

Can You Exceed the Word Count?

Whilst most universities will allow you to go over the word count if you need to, it comes with the caveat that you must have a very strong reason for needing to do so. Besides this, your supervisor will also need to support your request. This is to acknowledge that they have reviewed your situation and agree that exceeding the word limit will be absolutely necessary to avoid detriment unnecessary detriment to your work.

This means that whilst it is possible to submit a thesis over 100,000 words or more, it’s unlikely that your research project will need to.

How Does This Compare to a Masters Dissertation?

The average Masters dissertation length is approximately 20,000 words whilst a thesis is 4 to 5 times this length at approximately 80,000 – 100,000.

The key reason for this difference is because of the level of knowledge they convey. A Master’s dissertation focuses on concluding from existing knowledge whilst a PhD thesis focuses on drawing a conclusion from new knowledge. As a result, the thesis is significantly longer as the new knowledge needs to be well documented so it can be verified, disseminated and used to shape future research.

Finding a PhD has never been this easy – search for a PhD by keyword, location or academic area of interest.

Related Reading

Unfortunately, the completion of your thesis doesn’t mark the end of your degree just yet. Once you submit your thesis, it’s time to start preparing for your viva – the all-to-fun thesis defence interview! To help you prepare for this, we’ve produced a helpful guide which you can read here: The Complete Guide to PhD Vivas.

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Postgraduate Theses in the School of Mathematics and Statistics

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Thesis submission and examination

Once you’ve completed your research, you’ll need to prepare your thesis for submission and examination.

Submitting your thesis for examination

You can submit your thesis for examination at any time during the year. You must submit your  Intention to Submit form  two months before your intended submission date. 

Along with other information about your candidature, this form will ask you to provide information regarding any research internships you may have undertaken during your candidature. A research internship can be either paid or unpaid, and can form part of enrolment or be undertaken during an HDR period of suspension.  Your internship may have been arranged by UTS, your supervisor, a third-party provider, or you may have arranged it yourself.  If you signed an agreement, contract, or other internship project proposal, you will be asked to upload a copy of this document.

You must submit your digital thesis and accompanying documents to the faculty research administration office. If your thesis examiners request hard copies, you will need to supply them. 

Your thesis must include a certificate of original authorship, student statement and supervisor certificate stating that the work is ready for examination.  This is now an online process, please go to our Policies, guidelines and forms page for more information and checklists to help you with your submission.

Thesis requirements

Based on the type of thesis you submit and the degree you’re studying, your thesis will need to meet a range of designated requirements that govern:

• word length
• language of the thesis
• order of contents
• certificate of original authorship, including RTP statement
• page numbering
• thesis abstract
• large diagrams, charts and tables
• referencing.

Your thesis must also include or acknowledge any published or publishable work you develop during your candidature.

Including COVID-19 impacts in your thesis

UTS recognises that many graduate research students’ research projects have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, some projects have been repositioned by modifying or changing methodologies, project scope, number of experiments, number or type of participants, etc. Every student’s project is different and, as such, the extent and the specifics of the impact is different.

Students whose research has been impacted by restrictions related to the pandemic are encouraged to consult with their supervisory panel about how best to reflect these impacts in their thesis, and if in fact, it is relevant to do so.

Some approaches to reflect the impact of COVID-19 in theses may be:

• A brief statement included in the front matter of the thesis which provides a summary of COVID-19 impacts on the research.
• Detailed statement(s) of COVID-19 impact in the: a.  Introduction chapter or sections to position the scope of the project. b.  Methods chapter or sections of the thesis to clearly describe, explain and justify the shifts in methodology. This may include highlighting unintended but resulting innovations in methodology. c.  Discussion and/or Conclusions chapters or sections to indicate future research directions such as when originally planned approaches can again be undertaken; insights about implications of the work in continuing or post-pandemic contexts.

Using a professional editor or proofreader

You can use the services of a professional editor or proofreader to help prepare your thesis for submission. These professionals can provide copyediting and proofreading advice; however, they cannot shape or change the substance or structure of your work.

It’s important to make sure you understand the rules around using an editor or proofreader before you engage a professional. As a starting point, you should read the following documents:

• Guidelines for Editing Research Theses
• Australian Standards for Editing Practice

You should also request permission from your supervisor before you engage an editor or proofreader.

iThenticate access

UTS provides access for staff and students to a plagiarism detection program called iThenticate. It is important to remember that plagiarism is not always intentional, so making use of this tool can provide peace of mind.

To access iThenticate, you will need to log a request via ServiceConnect using your student login credentials and follow these steps:

• follow this link to the ServiceConnect home page
• select 'Requests'
• select 'user account, system and file access' from the left-hand list of options
• select iThenticate access
• complete the online form and submit, you will receive an email with access information once your request has been assessed and approved. If you have any questions relating to your request or access, please contact the IT Support Centre via ServiceConnect or by phone on 9514 2222.

Nominating thesis examiners

You should start discussing potential examiners with your supervisory panel at least two months prior  to the date you intend to submit your thesis.  A  minimum of four potential examiners must be identified and any conflicts of interest considered. This list should be ready, along with your  Intention to Submit  form. 

Once the potential list of examiners has been agreed upon, you need to complete your part of the  Nomination of Examiners  form.

The examination process will be confidential and you will not know who the final examination panel will include. 

Your principal supervisor and your faculty RAO will then nominate your thesis examiners to the Graduate Research School before you submit your thesis. The Dean of the Graduate Research School is responsible for approving and appointing the examiners.

Examiners must have relevant expertise in your field of endeavour, with no existing or potential conflict of interest. A minimum of 2 and maximum of 3 examiners are required for PhD theses. 2 examiners are required for masters by research theses. All examiners must be external to UTS.

If you have concerns about your thesis being examined by a particular person, you should raise these concerns with your supervisor for consideration during the examiner nomination process.

Conflict of interest

To ensure the examination process remains impartial, examiners must not have the potential for real or perceived conflict of interest, as outlined in the Australian Council of Graduate Research ACGR Conflict of Interest in Examination Guidelines  and the Nomination of Examiners (FAQ) .

People who might be perceived to have a conflict of interest with a student include, but are not limited to:

• someone who has a working relationship with the student (e.g. if the examiner has acted as a referee for the student to gain employment)
• current or former colleagues or friends (e.g. if the examiner is a friend, associate or mentor of the student)
• family members (including family by law, e.g. if the examiner is stepfather, sister-in-law, etc, to the student)
• other professional or social relationship (e.g. if the examiner has had personal contact with the student that may give rise to the perception that the examiner may be dealing with the student in a less than objective manner).

Thesis examination process

Once all of the requirements for your examination have been met and confirmed by your faculty research administration office, the Graduate Research School (GRS) will change your enrolment status to ‘under examination’ and copies of your thesis will be sent to the nominated examiners. The thesis examination process can take 3-6 months to complete.

Under examination:   please note, this status effectively 'stops the clock' on your candidature.

Once your examiners have returned their reports to the Graduate Research School, they will be collated and forwarded to your faculty Responsible Academic Officer (RAO).  The RAO will consult with your supervisory panel and prepare a Thesis Examination Resolution, which will go before the Faculty Research Degree Committee (FRDC).

After reviewing, the FRDC will make a final recommendation, or defer to the Thesis Examination Committee (TEC) as required. 

For further information, please refer to the Graduate Research Final Examination Procedures which outlines responsibilities and expectations for managing the range of options of examiner reports, reconciling disparate reports, moderation and re-examination.

Please note that the examination process remains confidential until a resolution is reached by either the TEC or the FRDC.

Possible examination recommendations

(for thesis examination forms created before 31 dec 2023).

There are 6 possible recommendations (see corresponding Procedures ):

Recommendation​ 1

That the candidate be admitted to the degree, subject to the correction of typographic errors without any amendments.

Recommendation ​2

That the candidate be admitted to the degree subject to the correction of any nominated minor clarifications and textual amendments to the satisfaction of the Responsible Academic Officer.

Recommendation​ 3​

That the candidate be admitted to the degree subject to specific criticisms of the thesis as recommended by the examiners being addressed to the satisfaction of the Responsible Academic Officer, and any rewriting not changing the substantive conclusions of the thesis.

Recommendation​ 4

That the candidate be not admitted to the degree but be permitted to re-submit the thesis in a revised form for re-examination following a period of further study.

Recommendation​ 5

- PhD students: That the candidate be invited to revise and resubmit the thesis for a research masters degree. - Research masters students: That the candidate not be awarded the degree and not be permitted to resubmit.

Recommendation 6

That the PhD candidate not be awarded the degree and not be permitted to resubmit.

(for thesis examination forms created from 01 January 2024)

Possible recommendations for both masters by research and doctoral degrees are (see corresponding Procedures ):

• Pass - No amendments to content required; or only amendments involving typographical errors, formatting issues or other edits that have no bearing on the intellectual quality of the overall thesis. The RAO verifies the edits have been addressed.   
• Pass with amendments - Amendments to content are required. In this case, Examiners must provide a list and explanation of each required revision. The student must address the examiners’ criticisms to the satisfaction of the RAO. These revisions will be reviewed and verified by the RAO in consultation with the supervisory panel .   
• Resubmission and re-examination – Substantial and/or considerable changes to in the content of the thesis are required but can be resolved with major  revision. Examiners must provide a list and explanation of the required changes. Based on the examiner recommendation on the revised thesis, the RAO in in consultation with the supervisory panel, makes a recommendation to the TEC. A resubmitted thesis may only be awarded a result of 1, 2 or 4*.
• Fail - The thesis has serious irredeemable flaws and is not of a standard to be awarded the degree.

Depending on the recommendation you receive, you may be notified that you can submit your final thesis for graduation, or you may need to continue working on your thesis and resubmit it at a later date. In rare cases, you may not have the option to resubmit.

If you are required to revise your thesis, you must complete the Thesis Revision Response template  to accompany your resubmitted work.  All actions should be completed within the timeframes specified in the Graduate Research Final Examination Procedures  and the UTS Student Rules (11.20) . 

Thesis examination committees

Thesis examination committee.

The TEC, acting for the Higher Degree Research Board, establishes and oversees the thesis examination process. This includes (but not limited to):

• setting the examination criteria and reporting requirements
• setting the requirements for faculties to make recommendations related to examination outcomes
• consideration of examination outcomes, including consideration to  UTS Student Rules 11.20.5 to 11.20.7
• setting re-examination procedures
• recommending to admit/not to admit candidates to degrees
• communication between the TEC and faculties is facilitated by the GRS

2024 TEC meeting dates:

• Thurs 18 Apr (papers due to GRS Mon 8 Apr)
• Thurs 23 May (papers due to GRS Mon 13 May)
• Thurs 20 Jun (papers due to GRS Mon 10 Jun)
• Thurs 18 Jul (papers due to GRS Mon 8 Jul)
• Thurs 22 Aug (papers due to GRS Mon 12 Aug)
• Thurs 19 Sep (papers due to GRS Mon 9 Sep)
• Thurs 24 Oct (papers due to GRS Mon 14 Oct)
• Thurs 21 Nov (papers due to GRS Mon 11 Nov)
• Thurs 12 Dec (papers due to GRS Mon 2 Dec)

Faculty Research Degree Committees

The FRDCs are responsible for considering/approving the recommendation of the RAO for examination outcomes.

Large faculties may establish school-level examination committees, which report to the FRDC. Responsibilities will include considering/approving the recommendation of the RAO for examination outcomes and communicating the outcome to the supervisory panel and graduate research student.

Please contact your faculty research office for further information, including meeting dates.

Preparing for completion

Once you’ve been notified that you can submit your final thesis for conferral, you’ll need to supply the following documents to your faculty:

• your thesis abstract
• a digital copy of your thesis and confirmation of  digital submission to the library
• a completed thesis revision response
• a final bound copy of your thesis (if required by your faculty).

After you’ve received a recommendation from your faculty, the Dean of the Graduate Research School (GRS) will recommend to the Academic Board that you be admitted to the degree. You will receive a conferral information email from GRS confirming the date of your conferral and information on how to apply for a statement of completion.

Please contact your faculty research office for their submission deadline for each conferral.

2024 conferral dates and deadlines

Conferral dates, and faculty to GRS submission deadlines:

• February Conferral — Wednesday 14 February 2024 Faculty to GRS deadline: Friday 19 January 2024
• March 2024 Conferral — Wednesday 20 March 2024 Faculty to GRS deadline — Friday 23 February 2024
• May Conferral — Wednesday 15 May 2024 Faculty to GRS deadline — Friday 19 April 2024
• July Conferral — Wednesday 24 July 2024 Faculty to GRS deadline — Friday 28 June 2024
• September Conferral — Wednesday 4 September 2024 Faculty to GRS deadline — Friday 9 August 2024
• November Conferral — Wednesday 20 November 2024 Faculty to GRS deadline — Friday 25 October 2024

Reimbursement of thesis costs

If you are a research scholarship holder and you have spent money on thesis editing and/or printing costs, you may be eligible for reimbursement.

Reimbursement information is contained in the Conditions of Award (CoA) for your scholarship—if your CoA contains a Thesis Allowance section, you can apply for reimbursement within 12 months of your thesis submission date. To apply for reimbursement, please fill out the  Scholarship Allowance Claim Form  and attach original tax invoices as evidence of your expenditure.

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.

Thesis preparation, submission and examination

Rules and procedures for your thesis.

It is important that you understand your responsibilities and the relevant procedures you need to follow during the thesis submission process.

Nomination of examiners

The University requires nomination and selection of graduate research thesis examiners to be based on the principle that students receive an impartial examination by high-quality examiners in the relevant field of research.

The examiners must not have had any involvement in the preparation of the thesis, as a member of the supervisory panel or as an academic advisor for the student. The University expects all supervisors, faculties and examiners to report all actual or potential conflicts of interest.

The University applies the Conflict of Interest Guidelines [PDF 28MB] of the Australian Council of Graduate Research.

PhD/MPhil students

You should discuss possible examiners with your Principal Supervisor and other supervisors at least three months in advance of your thesis submission date. Your supervisor will contact the possible examiners to ascertain their availability to examine your thesis.

Once confirmed, your supervisor will submit an electronic examiner nomination via the HDR Thesis Examination portal to the Thesis Examination Subcommittee for review and approval. This normally includes a list of:

• Five examiners for a doctoral degree
• Four for a Master of Philosophy degree

You will have to electronically confirm the selection of the nominated examiners.

For further information on the nomination of examiners, see Schedule 2 in the HDR Thesis Preparation, Submission and Examination Policy.

Master of Research (MRes) students

You should discuss with your Principal Supervisor the names of any persons that you do not wish to examine your thesis at least two months before your expected thesis submission date.

Your supervisor will contact possible examiners to ascertain their availability to examine your thesis. Once confirmed, your supervisor will submit an electronic examiner nomination via the HDR Thesis Examination portal to the Thesis Examination Subcommittee for review and approval.

For further information on the nomination of examiners, see the Master of Research - Thesis Preparation, Submission and Examination Procedures and Schedule 2 in the HDR Thesis Preparation, Submission and Examination Policy .

Thesis preparation

Before you submit your thesis, it is important to ensure you are following all content, presentation, formatting, and length requirements. These may vary depending on your faculty, department or examiner’s needs. While your supervisor can guide you, it is ultimately your responsibility to ensure you follow University standards.

Your thesis must showcase the results of your original research during your candidature, with Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) theses requiring a distinct contribution to knowledge.

Unless agreed under a formal Joint or Cotutelle enrolment contract, a student may not submit as the main content of the thesis any work or material which has been previously submitted for any degree successfully completed at Macquarie University or elsewhere. However, they may incorporate that work or material in the thesis if the student specifies the work or material which has been so incorporated. At least half of the work done towards the thesis must be undertaken while formally enrolled as a graduate research student at Macquarie University.

While the presentation of research may vary, it generally includes a written component. Non-written thesis formats and media must be approved by your Faculty Executive Dean.

Your thesis must be written in English and be of satisfactory literary presentation. Theses written in full or in part in another language require approval by the Thesis Examination Subcommittee, which must be sought as soon as possible by your supervisor. If you are on a joint enrolment contract, you will not require separate approval for submission in a language other than English.

Note: The use of Generative AI to wholly generate a research output for examination is prohibited. Text-based Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT fall within the broad definition of contract cheating services according to the TEQSA Act 2011 (Cth), s5. Refer to the ' Using Generative Artificial Intelligence in Research' Guidance Note for further information.

Thesis by publication

A thesis by publication may include relevant papers, such as conference presentations, which have been published, accepted, submitted or prepared for publication for which at least half of the research has been undertaken during your enrolment. The papers must form a coherent and integrated body of work, which focusses on a single thesis project or set of related questions or propositions. The papers are one part of the thesis, rather than a separate component or appendix.

As a general rule, you will need to have enough papers to support the important findings from the research, presented in a logical and coherent way. Most theses by publication have between 2 and 8 papers in combinations of sole and co-authored papers.

You must complete (and submit with your thesis for examination) an  Authorship Contribution Statement  to document the contribution of all authors to each of the proposed or published research papers. This requirement is in accordance with the  Macquarie University Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research and the  Authorship Standard . If there are multiple authors (5+) on the Authorship Statement, the contribution of each author must be noted but the form can be signed only by the student and supervisor (and corresponding author, if not supervisor). You may also choose to include the details of the contribution of all authors in the footnotes/endnotes or cover page for each experimental chapter.

In addition, section 1.6.55 of the Research Training Program (RTP) Guidelines sets out the requirement that the Commonwealth's contribution is acknowledged in research publications by RTP students where related to a research project.

The acknowledgement must include mention of the student's support through an 'Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship'.

An example acknowledgement statement would be:"This research is supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship."

For further information on thesis by publication, see Schedule 1 in the HDR Thesis Preparation, Submission and Examination Policy and the Examiner Guidelines [PDF 202KB].

Creative component

If you are including a creative component, you must specify its size in relation to the critical component. Creative components must be submitted in a form which enables further examination/re-examination and allows for Library deposit.

Students may also choose to merge their creative and critical components, as in ficto-critical writing or essay films. In this case, you still have to include an explicit critical analysis in written form. Its length is based on Faculty expectations but is often 25,000 words for an MPhil thesis and 50,000 words for a PhD thesis.

For further information on theses with creative components, see Schedule 5 in the HDR Thesis Preparation, Submission and Examination Policy and the Examiner Guidelines [PDF 202KB].

Relationship between Master of Research (MRes) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The research project undertaken in the MRes is intended as a gateway to your PhD or MPhil project. However, the MRes thesis does not form part of your MPhil or PhD directly but works to help you better understand your research area and demonstrate your research ability.

If your topic for your PhD or MPhil thesis is related to your MRes, you must include a clear statement outlining what work was done for the MRes. If you must include any text or data from your MRes thesis in your PhD or MPhil thesis, you must identify this as such, as it is non-examinable. Failure to do so is a breach of Academic Integrity.

Presentation and formatting

The written component of your thesis should be presented:

• in A4 pdf format
• double or 1.5 spacing
• margins no less than 3cm on the left border, 1.5cm on the right border and 1.5cm on the top and bottom
• pages numbered consecutively

If one of your examiners requests a hard copy of your thesis for examination, you will have to submit a copy with a temporary binding of a stitched and glued soft cover or in hardback form (spiral binding or a loose-leaf binder of the spring-type or screw-type is not acceptable). During binding, the edges should be trimmed.

Preliminary pages

A thesis should incorporate the following pages in order:

• the thesis title
• your names and degrees
• your university department
• date of submission/re-submission.
• If applicable, the name of the organisation, institute or laboratory where the research was conducted
• a table of contents
• a summary of approximately 200-300 words for MRes/MPhil and 300-500 for PhD
• a signed statement [DOCX 16KB] indicating that:
• the work has not been submitted for a higher degree before
• you have referenced all sources and the extent to which you used them
• your Ethics Committee approval and protocol number (if applicable).

Cotutelle students should submit a statement [PDF 115KB] indicating that the thesis is being submitted in accordance with their Cotutelle agreement. If you have completed a thesis by publication , you must also specify your specific contribution to the conception, data collection, analysis and writing of each paper. The contribution of others to the preparation of the thesis or to individual parts of the thesis should also be specified in the thesis.

• Impact of COVID-19 changes on the thesis (if applicable). If you have had to make changes to your research due to the impact of COVID-19, you may want to include a statement [DOCX 28KB] about the impact of COVID-19 in your thesis. Note that this form should be used only to explain changes to the expected experiments or thesis direction. As the standard for thesis award remains the same, this form should not be used to justify the submission of poor quality work.
• Acknowledgements (if applicable).
• The written component of the thesis.

Diagrams, figures and tables

These may vary depending on your department.

These are general suggestions for normal practice:

• Diagrams and figures should be inserted in the appropriate place in the text.
• All figures should include a legend either at the bottom or next to the figures.
• Small tables should be inserted in the text. Lengthy or bulky tables should appear as an appendix.

Thesis length

Note: the maximum thesis length does not include footnotes or references.

The editing process for research students is governed by the ‘ Guidelines for Editing Research Theses ’ as set out by the Institute of Professional Editors Limited (IPEd). As per the Guidelines, professional editing services can assist research students with copyediting (including language and illustrations) and proofreading to ensure that all thesis components are complete, consistent and correctly placed.

Whether you engage a professional editor or ask someone you know who is a good writer to check your manuscript, they will need to abide by these Guidelines and should be acknowledged in your thesis.

For more information about getting your thesis edited, check out our ‘ How do I get my thesis professionally edited ’ guide.

Thesis submission

Before you submit your thesis, it is important to ensure you prepare any additional required documents required.

Required documents

In addition to your thesis, you may also be required to submit other documents with your submission. You should prepare these documents before you commence the submission process.

Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement

The Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement (AHEGS) is provided by Australian higher education institutions to graduating students on completion of the requirements for a particular higher education award. It provides a description of the nature, level, context and status of studies that were pursued by the individual named. Its purpose is to:

• assist in both national and international recognition of Australian qualifications
• promote international mobility and professional recognition of graduates.

For the Statement to be issued, you have to provide a thesis abstract of strictly no more than 100 words.

You must upload the abstract as part of your thesis submission in the HDR Thesis Examination Portal .

Ethics approval

If you were required to obtain Ethics approval for your research, you will need to provide a copy of the Macquarie University Ethics Committee letter with your thesis.

You must upload the approval letter with your thesis submission in the HDR Thesis Examination Portal . You should also have this information on hand to complete the required fields in the portal.

Unofficial academic transcript - PhD/MPhil students only

If you had to complete coursework units ( HDRT units ) during your candidature, you will need to upload an unofficial copy of your academic transcript with your thesis submission. You can download a copy of your transcript from eStudent .

Six Digit Field of Research (FOR) codes

You will have to provide at least one Field of Research (FOR) code on your thesis submission form. You can review the FOR codes on the Australian Bureau of Statistics website . If you are unsure which code to list, contact your supervisor for advice prior to commencing your thesis submission.

Submitting your thesis

When your thesis is complete and appropriately formatted, you must submit your thesis via the HDR Thesis Examination Portal . For more information view the instructions for submitting your thesis via the HDR Thesis Examination Portal [PDF 684KB].

Note for Master of Research (MRes) students: If your thesis is submitted late, you will be penalised one percentage point from your final MRes thesis grade per calendar day until your thesis is submitted. Submission will be taken as the date your thesis is submitted electronically via the portal.

If your supervisor is unable or unwilling to approve your thesis submission, the matter should be referred to the Faculty’s Associate Dean, Research Training and Partnerships for resolution.

Once your thesis is submitted, your candidature is considered to be 'Under Examination' (UX).

For information about the examination process, see the HDR Thesis Preparation, Submission and Examination Policy .

Cotutelle and Joint Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) students

If you are enrolled in a Cotutelle or Joint PhD program, refer to your agreement for additional information relating to your examiners and thesis examination. Joint PhD students with a lead university that is not Macquarie University must provide the following information to [email protected] to ensure your enrolment is not ceased:

• evidence of your thesis submission
• 100 words abstract for your Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement
• a point of contact at the partner university

Celebrating your thesis submission

Then it’s time to promote yourself!  Join the Graduate Research Academy Network LinkedIn group and share a short statement of the most interesting, unusual or exciting thing about your research (no more than 25 words). Don’t forget to upload your selfie too!

Professional Portrait

To better equip you during your future job searches and improve your online profile, the GRA is also offering you the opportunity to have your professional portrait taken for free . Having a great-quality professional headshot is a fantastic way of showing confidence in your professional capabilities. You can use the images on your social media profiles, your resume, your website or blog, your business cards and even marketing collateral.

The next photo session dates will be advised soon. Keep an eye out here.

If you have any questions about this service, please contact  [email protected] .

Examination and completion

After your thesis is submitted and your examiners finalised, your thesis will be sent for examination. Each examiner is sent your thesis together with examination instructions guidelines. Your examiners are required to complete their examination and provide their report within four weeks for MRes theses and five weeks for PhD and MPhil theses. Students and supervisors should not contact examiners during the examination process.

For detailed information about the examination process, see the HDR Thesis Preparation, Submission and Examination Policy .

Examination outcomes

• Award: The thesis meets all required standards in terms of the nature and quality of work undertaken, and the degree can be awarded without any further work by the student, other than the correction of typographical errors and small lapses of expression and presentation in the final copy.
• Award (after Corrections): The thesis meets all required standards in terms of the nature and quality of work undertaken, and the degree can be awarded without further examination once the student has made a number of corrections and clarifications in the thesis. The corrections are to be completed to the satisfaction of the Thesis Examination Subcommittee and are required to be completed within one month for MRes students and two months for MPhil/PhD students.
• Revision and re-examination: The thesis does not yet meet all required standards for the award of the degree and the student should complete a further period of research and writing. Normally, under this category, a student would re-enrol for a period of up to one-year full-time (or equivalent). The thesis will then be submitted for re-examination.
• Not award: The thesis does not meet the required standards for the award of the degree, and does not warrant a further period of research and writing.

MRes students will also be awarded a percentage score for their thesis. The maximum mark a thesis can receive after re-examination is 64%.

For further information about examination criteria and outcomes, see the HDR Thesis Preparation, Submission and Examination Policy.

Revise and resubmit

In some cases, you may be advised to revise and resubmit your thesis for re-examination. During re-examination, examiners are requested to determine whether or not the revised thesis now meets the requirements of the degree as specified.

Re-submission must occur within one year from the date of the decision for revision for PhD and MPhil students and three months from the date of the decision for revision for MRes students.

For re-submission, you will need to submit your thesis in accordance with the relevant submission requirements. You must also include documentation that addresses the matters raised in your initial examination. This documentation must not be examiner-specific.

• Initial examiners will receive an invitation to re-examine your thesis. Re-examiners are allowed access to your unrevised thesis, along with all reports from the University and initial examiners (subject to privacy requirements).
• If your initial examiners are unavailable, there may be new examiners appointed. You should make no direct contact with your examiners – any contact you wish to make must be approved by the Research and Research Training Committee.
• If you do not complete your re-submission in the determined time-frame, you will be deemed to have failed the requirements for the award of your degree.
• If you fail to meet the requirements of the degree on re-examination, you cannot apply for further re-examination.

Note that revision of your thesis requires you to re-enrol and pay any required fees.

For further information about the resubmission process, see the HDR Thesis Preparation, Submission and Examination Policy .

Final thesis submission

All graduate research students, including PhD, MPhil and MRes students must submit a final digital copy of their thesis for inclusion in the in Macquarie University Theses which is Macquarie University’s open access digital collection. Access to graduate research theses is facilitated through the University Library.

Macquarie University Theses is designed to promote globally, preserve locally and provide open access to the research theses of Macquarie University's students. Records from Macquarie University Theses are also accessible from sources such as Trove Australia, Google and Google Scholar. The Macquarie University’s open access digital  theses collection gives your research greater potential readership, ensures your research is protected from destruction and provides security through adherence to metadata standards and access rights. The Library and the GRA work together to implement, manage and oversee the submission of digital theses for inclusion in Macquarie University Theses.

Further information and FAQs can be found Theses @ Macquarie University .

Once the thesis has been examined and passed by the Research and Research Training Committee, you have to submit  a ‘HDR Thesis Submission to Library Request’ eForm accompanied by the final digital copy of the thesis.

To submit, you must:

• Log in to  eStudent
• Click in the Forms tile
• Search for the ‘HDR Thesis Submission to Library Request’
• Complete the form

After submission of the eForm, your request will go to the Graduate Research Academy. You will receive an email notification confirming that your request has been completed.

The Library will accept your digital thesis in PDF, Word and RTF format. The final display format on Macquarie University Theses is PDF and the Library will convert your thesis into this format as required. If you intend to submit your thesis in PDF format, security protection or password access should not be applied.

Parts of your thesis may be subject to copyright. If you are concerned about copyright issues related to your thesis, check Macquarie's  information on copyright , talk to Macquarie University's  Copyright Coordinator or speak to your Research Librarian.

The University recognises that in particular cases commercial and confidentiality issues may necessitate a moratorium on the digital version of a thesis. This needs to be addressed at the earliest point during the candidacy. Approval from the Research and Research Training Committee (RRTC), with support from the Head of Department, is required for such access restrictions to be imposed on a thesis. For further information, please email [email protected] .

If your thesis contains material you have written and have published or is in the process of being published, you can request an embargo on your thesis. For further information about embargos, please contact the Library by emailing [email protected].

A thesis may include supplementary files, e.g. creative component or data files, that you wish to restrict from full open access. If this is the case, please email the Library at [email protected] to discuss options for managing restrictions to supplementary files.

Hardbound guidelines

If your faculty requests a hardbound copy of your thesis, you should prepare the thesis in accordance with the following requirements:

• The spine should state the title of the thesis (abbreviated if necessary), your family name, and the date of submission or re-submission.
• The words should be in gold lettering of suitable size.
• When published papers are submitted as additional evidence, they should be bound in the back of the thesis as an appendix. When they form part of the thesis body, they should be bound into the thesis itself.

International students

If you are an international student Visa holder, your visa date will be checked by the University when your thesis examination outcome has been finalised. If your visa is found to have more than 4 weeks’ validity, the Graduate Research Academy will report the thesis submission to the Department of Home Affairs (DIHA) . You are responsible for contacting DIHA regarding your change of visa status. If you wish to stay in Australia to wait for examination results, DIHA will need to be consulted. Contact DIHA directly for advice.

For further information about thesis preparation, submission and examination, see the HDR Thesis Preparation, Submission and Examination Policy .

Celebrate your achievement!

Then it's time to promote yourself again by sharing your success and selfie photo on the  Graduate Research Academy Network LinkedIn group!

• Graduate Research Academy
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Doctor of Philosophy

By choosing to study a Doctor of Philosophy at UNSW, you can make a significant, original contribution to knowledge and understanding in the arts, humanities, or social sciences.

A PhD in Arts, Design & Architecture will provide you with advanced specialist research training and expert knowledge in an international context. It will open doors to academic research and professional roles nationally and internationally.

Constructing your thesis

You'll demonstrate excellent research skills by producing a high-quality thesis in your field of interest. Your research will be supervised by scholars who are progressive thinkers, creators and national leaders in their fields.

Your thesis will provide evidence of your independent investigation and summarise the research you've completed over three to four years.

You'll be considered an integral part of the Arts, Design & Architecture research community and can mix with a diverse grouping of enquiring and adventurous scholars.

The minimum length of candidature is 3-years and the maximum length is 4-years.

Candidates are required to submit a thesis for examination not exceeding 100,000 words in length.

Research areas

We offer supervision in a wide range of subject and research areas that contribute to the faculty's research strengths. UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture encourages interdisciplinary collaboration within the faculty and across the university.

Find a research supervisor

Entry requirements

Admission to the Doctor of Philosophy degree requires one of the following qualifications:

a completed undergraduate degree with Honours 2-1 or equivalent (for example, at UNSW, this is graded as distinction level or 75%+)

a completed Masters by Research degree or equivalent postgraduate qualification that includes a substantial research component written as an academic thesis, awarded at or above distinction level or equivalent

in exceptional circumstances, sufficient evidence of research experience that demonstrates exceptional research skills and the ability to undertake the proposed research program.

All applicants must meet the  English language entry requirements  of the university.

Art, Design & Media

Built Environment

Built Environment (practice-based PhD)

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Indigenous Studies

Social Sciences

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Research skills for HDR students

• Overview and planning
• Theses including publications
• Originality

Structuring your thesis

• Literature reviews
• Writing up results
• Interpreting results

The structure of your thesis will depend on the kind of thesis you are writing.

In some cases, there are conventional structures that are expected in the discipline. For example, theses that are empirical, experimental, and/or quantitative in nature generally follow the structure: introduction including aims, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, conclusion.

In other theses that are not quantitative in nature (typically those dealing with ideas, concepts, theories and arguments), the structure will arise from the nature of the subject matter and your treatment of it. In these theses, the structure varies greatly. It may be based on considerations such as your research design or methodology, or your individual stance on the topic.

For example, if you’re a researcher in the humanities, you have to make many decisions about the scope and focus of your thesis topic, and how best to present these to your reader. You need to pay special attention to communicating the structure so that your readers feel comfortable. They should always know which direction you’re going in and why.

Since your thesis needs to show your own analysis of the literature and other evidence/data you might be using, you need to have a clear analytical framework (or set of analytical frameworks) to make this analysis clear to the reader. You may need to experiment with this framework, in outline form, several times before committing yourself to writing.

This material was developed by the Learning Hub (Academic Language and Learning), which offers workshops, face-to-face consultations and resources to support your learning. Find out more about how they can help you develop your communication, research and study skills .

See our handout on Writing a thesis proposal (pdf, 341KB) .

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