Thesis and examination
This section contains information about the requirements for the presentation of your thesis, how to submit it and what the examination process involves.
Preparing your thesis
When preparing your thesis you must ensure to have considered the details set out in the guidelines for thesis preparation and submission [431 kB].
Your thesis can be presented in one of these three forms:
- A standard thesis
- A thesis by creative works accompanied by exegesis, or
- A thesis by compilation.
Also refer to:
Referencing styles can differ in each discipline and you should discuss the appropriate referencing style with your supervisor before you begin your research.
Accepted referencing styles include:
- APA
- Chicago Author-Date
- Harvard
- Vancouver.
If you intend to use a professional editor, you must do so in accordance with the Guidelines for editing research theses.
Submitting your thesis
- The Nomination of Examiners must be approved prior to submitting the thesis. Ensure you have prepared your Thesis Title page and Declaration as per the required format
- If you are including publications in your thesis, ensure you have secured your co-author’s approval and have included relevant attribution statements
- Ensure your final thesis title is the same as that on your student record. If you change the final thesis title, you must submit the Variation to candidacy details form to the CMGS for approval
- Obtain a Turnitin similarity report for your thesis
- Initiate the Thesis submission via the thesis submission link
- For more information, please refer to Perth’s HDR guideline and policies under the “Thesis submission” tab.
A thesis that contains material that may reasonably affect the security of persons, nations, industry or commerce may be declared confidential for a specified period of time. If there are some concerns about the content and confidentiality of a thesis, prior to its submission, the Director of Graduate Research/ Associate Dean of R&D and Chair of CMGSC may recommend to the Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research Excellence, to consider whether the thesis should be declared confidential. When a thesis is declared confidential, the University cannot display, copy or circulate the thesis during the period of confidentiality.
If your research is being funded by or using the resources of an external organisation, they may wish to enter into a confidentiality arrangement with the University. In these circumstances, the sponsor and the University will negotiate mutually agreed confidentiality arrangements before the commencement of the study.
On the request of the Director of Graduate Research and Chair of CMGSC, thesis examiners can be required to sign a confidentiality agreement. This will usually occur because of security concerns or commercial arrangements.
Once you have fully complied with the requirements for submission of thesis, the Thesis Examinations Officer will amend your enrolment status to Under Examination, which is the status you hold following submission of the thesis and before the University Graduate Studies Committee determining the thesis classification. When Under Examination, you won’t incur any fees. If you are a scholarship recipient, your scholarship will cease.
Fees calculated are pro-rata, up to the date of final submission of your thesis.
If you require more time to submit your thesis for examination, you must complete the Request for extension of time to submit thesis form and submit it for an approval to CMGS.
The examination process
Approximately three months before the anticipated date of submission, the CMGS will appoint your thesis examiners based on the nomination made by your thesis committee.
The names of your examiners must be kept confidential and only the thesis chair and Bentley’s GRS may communicate with them during the examination process. Examiners may request that their names be kept confidential indefinitely.
Timeframe
The timeframe for the examination process varies and is largely determined by the length of time it takes the examiners to submit their reports. Normally you should expect to be advised of the examiners’ recommendations within three months of the date of submission.
Examination process
The examiners review the thesis in terms of your understanding of the field of study, your ability to conceive, plan and conduct a program of research, the originality of your work and the significance of the contribution you have made to that field. Generally, a thesis should be excellent in its standard of presentation, English expression, grammar, etc., and also contain a substantial amount of material that you (and usually your Supervisor) have published, or is suitable for publication in a refereed journal. The examiners are also required to assess the thesis in relation to your stated thesis objectives. Examiners submit an independent written report on your thesis to the Graduate Research School.
The examiners’ reports are forwarded to your Thesis Chair, who together with your Supervisor, assesses the reports to determine whether they are in substantial agreement. This determination must take into account the content and context of the reports (i.e. qualitative assessment of the reports) as well as the overall classification (i.e. quantitative assessment of the reports). The Thesis Chair will either find that there is substantial agreement among the examiners, or, in the event of no clear weight of opinion, will recommend the appointment of an Adjudicator.
Substantial agreement
If the Thesis Chair finds there is a clear weight of opinion, they will recommend:
- No amendments
If the examiners have pointed out minor typographical errors, these must be corrected. - Minor amendments
If minor textual and/or structural amendments are required, the Thesis Chair will advise you in writing of the specific requirements. You should complete these in as short a time as possible to the satisfaction of the Thesis Chair. - Substantive amendments
If revision of specific sections of the thesis is required, the Thesis Chair will advise you in writing of the specific requirements. These must be done to the satisfaction of the Thesis Chair. - Re-examination
After considering the examiners reports, your Thesis Chair will advise you in writing that you are required to revise your thesis for re-examination. The maximum time allowed to undertake the revision is twelve months. Once your revisions have been completed, you should provide the Thesis Chair with a copy of the revised version, together with a statement that clearly sets out how you have responded to the examiners’ and Thesis Chair’s comments, and a Turnitin similarity report for your revised thesis. You will then submit your revised thesis and statement addressing the examiner/s recommendation - Fail
If your thesis is recommended as failed by the examiners, you are entitled to appeal against this decision on the following grounds: (i) procedural irregularities or conduct in the examination of the thesis; or (ii) documentable evidence of prejudice or bias on the part of one or more examiners.
No clear weight of opinion
Where the recommendations of the examiners do not allow determination of a result based on a clear weight of opinion, the Thesis Chair, having discussed the reports with the supervisors, shall recommend the appointment of an Adjudicator who shall adjudicate between the examiners’ disparate reports on the basis of the thesis presented (in original form, or as re-examined).
In consideration of a thesis which has not been previously re-examined and with due reference to the examiners’ reports, the Adjudicator shall recommend: Pass (no amendment, minor or substantive amendments), re-examination or Fail.
In consideration of a thesis which has been re-examined, the Adjudicator shall recommend Pass or Fail.
After the external examination is completed, GRS will compile the examiners’ reports and forward them to your thesis chair. Address the examiners’ feedback in a rebuttal, revise your thesis and have your thesis committee to review the revised thesis.
Once approved, deposit your final thesis in HDR e-Space and complete the HDR exit survey and clearance form.
Once all requirements are completed, you will receive an “Approve to Graduate” notification.
Useful links:
- Deposit of final thesis (HDR student access only)
- HDR student exit survey (Google Form)
- HDR student clearance form [.xls 51KB]
- Post-HDR thesis examination flowchart [.pdf 471KB]
For students who are required to amend or resubmit their thesis for re-examination, they have 6 months to amend their thesis (for students who have received a pass outcome) and 12 months (for students whose thesis is required to be re-examined).
If they require an extension, then they must complete this Request for extension of time to Submit thesis form (Part B).
Should an extension is not be granted by the CMGS Committee, the process of cancelling a student’s enrolment shall commerce.
Please liaise with CMGS Admin Officer at GradSchool@curtin.edu.my for permanent thesis binding arrangements.
When the Dean of Graduate School has classified your thesis as passed, your name will be placed on the graduation list for conferral of the Award by the University Council.
The Graduations Office will notify you via OASIS on how to register to attend a graduation ceremony, or be sent the Award by registered mail.