thesis review milestone uq

Thesis review milestone

Your Thesis Review should take place 10-12 months (PhD) or 5-6 months (MPhil) after the Mid-Candidature Review (or the part-time equivalents). It should be approximately three months before the expected submission date of your thesis.

If there are valid reasons why this will not be possible then the Postgraduate Coordinator should be consulted and an application made to the Graduate School to extend the milestone due date.

Thesis Submission

Your Thesis Submission should take place within 3 months of your Thesis Review.

If there are valid research reasons why more time is required, you will need to apply to the Graduate School (via your myUQ portal) for an extension. You are allowed a maximum of 3 extensions across your candidature.

Please note that an extension will only be granted for research reasons out of your control. If your delay is due to health or personal reasons, you will need to apply for an interruption to candidature (official leave).

• Read School of Chemical Engineering HDR Milestone Guidelines (PDF, 350.9 KB) for detail
• Download the Milestone 3 form (DOCX, 35.8 KB) prior to your confirmation.

See UQ Graduate School website for additional information.

• Faculty of Medicine Progress Review Guidelines
• Information and services
• Higher Degree by Research
• Manage my candidature
• My progress reviews

Before reading the guidelines outlined on this page, ensure you have reviewed all the information about Progress Reviews , including the criteria for each review, and the  Higher Degree by Research Candidature Progression Procedure .

How to organise a Progress Review

The following guidelines outline the management and conduct of HDR Progress Reviews in the Faculty of Medicine*. These guidelines should be used in combination with the Higher Degree by Research Candidature Policy  and the  Higher Degree by Research Candidature Procedure . Further instructions to help you to arrange your upcoming review are available here.

Progress Reviews Snapshot

Note: Documents should be submitted by the census date of the research quarter in which your review is due.

Panel Composition

Your Progress Review Panel (PRP) in the Faculty of Medicine will consist of a Chair and two Reviewers. The Chair must be a UQ academic staff member, with sufficient discipline knowledge related to the HDR topic and experience with HDR Supervision and chairing Progress Reviews. Where possible, the Chair should not have a strong conflict of interest (COI) with your advisory team. A list of recommended PRP Chairs across the Faculty of Medicine is available online.

Reviewers should have a good knowledge of your area of research but should not: be working on the same project, report to (or supervise) a member of your advisory team or be a member of your advisory team.  It is important that Reviewers are recognised as being independent and can give un-conflicted advice to both you and your advisory team.

Please complete the promoting your review form to advertise your Progress Review.

Confirmation of Candidature Review (R1)

Your Confirmation of Candidature Review will include the submission of your review documents, a 20 minute oral presentation, and a meeting with the review panel (typically of 1 hour duration).

The document (maximum of 40 pages for PhD or 20 pages for MPhil, excluding references and appendices, using 1.5 line spacing) should review prior work in the area under study, including a full citation of the directly relevant literature. It should establish the research objectives and pose the formal hypotheses if these are relevant. The proposal will also concisely and clearly describe the proposed research methodology and scheme of analysis, and briefly describe work already completed.

As a guide, the following elements are usually included in this document:

• Title page (name of candidate, title of project, names of advisors and their signatures to indicate that they have read the document).
• Brief summary/introduction to define the key concepts of the project and the rationale for the project (i.e., why are you doing this study?).
• Literature review: Critical up-to-date review, which should demonstrate a good knowledge of the field and identify knowledge gaps.
• Hypothesis development and Aims of the project: This should be related to issues identified in the literature review.
• Research methodology, including a clear statement of the methods to be used, resource requirements (are all pieces of equipment and funds to complete the study available to you, or do you need to look for collaborators who can provide these?), data analysis methodology to be used, ethics requirements and approvals etc.
• Preliminary data (if any; max. 5 pages).
• Timeline for undertaking the proposed work and completing your thesis.
• Reference list.
• Appendices (only if applicable).

Your reviewers will provide you with written feedback. Your chair will also prepare a written report detailing the recommendations of the Progress Review Panel to the Dean, UQ Graduate School.

Progress Review 2 (R2)

Your second Progress Review will include the submission of your review documents, a 20 minute oral, and a meeting with the review panel (typically of 1 hour duration).

The document (maximum of 25 pages, excluding draft chapter/journal article, using 1.5 line spacing) should include:

• Summary of completed work – this can be in the format of a draft results chapter or a journal article to which you have contributed substantially – including a statement of progress made since Review 1.
• Detailed plan/outline for completing the thesis, including a timeline.
• Plans for disseminating your work, e.g., plans for conference attendance, papers to be written etc.

Progress Review 3 (R3)

Your third Progress Review will include the submission of your review documents, a 30-45 minute oral presentation, and a meeting with the review panel (typically of 1 hour duration).

The document should include:

• Thesis preliminary pages ( using the UQ template ) with expanded contents/outline of thesis.
• Draft of the thesis (with at least 1 completed chapter other than the literature review).
• Outline of any publications that will arise from the HDR research.
• A detailed plan and timeline for completing the thesis.

Information for Panel Members and Advisory Team

For the principal advisor and advisory team.

• Discuss the progress review requirements with the candidate.
• Do this at least 8 weeks before the progress review due date. 
• You can find the due date of your student’s next progress review through the  Academic Portal . Log into the portal and navigate to > Profile > RHD Advising (Under Teaching and Supervision on the left-hand menu).
• Endorse their progress review request and complete the Principal Advisor Statement embedded in the request
• Progress review documents.

Understand what is required during a higher degree by research (HDR) progress review.

View information about the Chair’s role

Learn how to run a progress review

Read about the Chair’s report

• AIBN progress review guidelines
• Institute for Molecular Bioscience Progress Review Guidelines
• Institute for Social Science Research Progress Review Guidelines
• Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation Progress Review Guidelines
• Queensland Brain Institute Progress Review Guidelines
• School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability Progress Review Guidelines
• School of Architecture, Design & Planning Progress Review Guidelines
• School of Business Progress Review Guidelines
• School of Chemical Engineering Progress Review Guidelines
• School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences Progress Review Guidelines
• School of Civil Engineering Progress Review Guidelines
• School of Communication and Arts Progress Review Guidelines
• School of Dentistry Progress Review Guidelines
• School of Economics Progress Review Guidelines
• School of Education Progress Review Guidelines
• School of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Progress Review Guidelines
• School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Progress Review Guidelines
• School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry Progress Review Guidelines
• School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences Progress Review Guidelines
• School of Languages and Cultures Progress Review Guidelines
• School of Law Progress Review Guidelines
• School of Mathematics and Physics Progress Review Guidelines
• School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering Progress Review Guidelines
• School of Music Progress Review Guidelines
• School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work Progress Review Guidelines
• School of Pharmacy Progress Review Guidelines
• School of Political Science and International Studies Progress Review Guidelines
• School of Psychology Progress Review Guidelines
• School of Social Science Progress Review Guidelines
• School of Veterinary Sciences Progress Review Guidelines
• School of the Environment Progress Review Guidelines
• Sustainable Minerals Institute Progress Review Guidelines

HDR Progress reviews

• Current Students
• Higher Degree by Research

All details concerning the requirements and coordination for HDR Progress Reviews can be found at:  https://my.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/higher-degree-research/manage-my-candidature/milestones-and-progress-reviews .

All candidates will be required to follow the progress review procedure from RQ3 2022. Up until the end of RQ2 candidates have the option of following the legacy Candidate Milestone process as summarised below.

School of Civil Engineering reference document:

Civil Engineering Milestone Guidelines

As part of your candidature, you will need to complete three milestones before you submit your thesis :

• Confirmation of Candidature
• Mid-candidature Review
• Thesis Review

Action required by candidate:

Log onto mySI-net ( www.sinet.uq.edu.au ) using your student username (s4******) and password, and confirm the following:

• Your milestone due date and advisory team (Research 'Tab' - Candidature)
• If your thesis title is not correct, submit a request to change thesis title through the  HDR Candidature Management Portal
• Complete the Research & Integrity Module . You only need to do this once during your candidature

Confirm the date you are will undertake your milestone to [email protected] , or submit a request for extension in the HDR Candidature Management Portal if you are unable to complete the milestone by the due date.

At least two weeks prior to your milestone:

• each member of the milestone review panel
• the Postgraduate Coordinator
• Book the venue through EAIT Timetables Team ( [email protected] ) or through UQ Book IT ( https://uqbookit.uq.edu.au ). Confirm if video-conferencing facilities are required.
• If you are giving a seminar (mandatory for Confirmation of Candidature milestone), complete the HDR confirmation seminar request form (DOCX, 13.9 KB) and email it to [email protected] so your seminar can be advertised through the school. This will also be listed on our webpage under news and events.

Action required by advisor:

At least two months prior to seminar:

• Confirm Associate Advisor if not already listed ( Change of Advisory Team )
• Submit nomination of Chair and additional members of the Milestone Review Panel​ (DOCX, 48.9 KB) for the Postgraduate Coordinator's approval

A Review Panel of at least three members of the School must be appointed for each candidate; essential members being:

• Chair of Review Panel (a senior academic with suitable discipline insight who is not involved in the candidate’s research);
• at least one member of staff who is not a member of the Advisory Team and who has expertise in the general area of the thesis project;
• a representative student member is optional,
• discipline experts external to the School are optional.

Confirm time and date of milestone is suitable for all panel members.

Submitting your milestone attainment request

Submit your Request to Attain Milestone in the HDR Candidature Management Portal . Remember to upload your milestone report and completed evaluation form with your request.

Upload with your request:

• Milestone report (one is required for each milestone)
• Milestone evaluation form – completed by the Chair of milestone panel
• Confirmation of Candidature Evaluation form (DOCX, 34.1 KB)
• Mid-candidature Review Evaluation form (DOCX, 30.9 KB)
• Thesis Review Evaluation form (DOCX, 31 KB)

If you have any further questions, please email [email protected] .

You can also request the following changes through the HDR Candidature Management Portal if required:

• Change of Advisory Team
• Change of Research Project
• Change of Thesis Title

Extension of milestone

Milestones are to be completed no later than two weeks after the due date. If you cannot complete the milestone within this time period, please submit an Extension of Milestone request on the HDR Candidature Management Portal for a maximum 3 month extension.

Requests for extension should be submitted no later than two weeks prior to your milestone due date. Generally, only one extension will be approved for a milestone; however, a subsequent extension will be considered on a case-by-case basis for extenuating circumstances only

Progress Review Seminars

One of the many advantages of completing your HDR at UQ is knowing that you will be supported every step of the way. UQ Medicine has a progress review process tailored to the specific skills and attributes required in your field of research.

• Past sessions

Knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours regarding balancing the risks and benefits of sun exposure

Ferroptosis regulates t cell homeostasis and function in health and chronic disease, understanding the factors associated with engagement in workplace exercise programs for office workers, taking a strengths-based approach to mental health in rural communities, using data to drive change in maternal and perinatal deaths in ethiopia., asessing the climate-resilience of the nepal heatlh system, study of cranioplasty outcomes to inform novel methods for skull bone reconstruction, implementation approaches, challenges and facilitators, and impacts of the comprehensive care standard in acute care hospitals in australia, an exploration of the relationship between professional identity and personal identity in senior oncologists and how this may be related to their professional experience., investigating the equity of access to telehealth and proposing strategies to reduce the digital divide, progress review 3 - characterisation of a novel antimicrobial against mycobacterium tuberculosis, augmenting cellular trafficking in breast cancer: the hook-related protein family and prochlorperazine combination therapy, improving smoking cessation for people experiencing serious mental illness, characterizing human tissue biomechanics and indexing haptic properties of clinical procedures for the development of realistic procedural trainers, addressing frailty in older people with haematological malignancies, addressing children’s mental health issues in japanese schools: is online teacher training for neuroscience-informed mental health intervention effective, rheumatoid arthritis in australian women, adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: insights into health profiles and paraspinal muscle activation, quantifing muscle and bone (a)symmetry in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis, enhancing echocardiographic and hemodynamic assessment of aortic stenosis, incremental hemodialysis, consumer and caregiver experiences and the incremental dialysis to improve health outcomes for people starting hemodialysis (inch-hd) trial, forgotten fathers, navigating a new role: a constructivist grounded theory approach to exploring nursing experiences and roles in antimicrobial stewardship in the intensive care unit, evaluation of the economic factors and clinician drivers influencing telehealth uptake and sustainability in general practice settings, utilising multimodal mri to model disease activity before and after highly active disease modifying therapy in newly diagnosed multiple sclerosis., characterization of the biomechanical properties of human tissues and indexation of the haptic forces of clinical procedures in the development of realistic procedural training devices, latent tb screening and treatment: exploring a model of care in primary care in australia, understanding the contribution of psychosis and bipolar disorder to premature mortality, comprehensive geriatric assessment: how does it work and what are the key active ingredients, public knowledge about the health and environmental effects of tobacco filters and attitudes towards policies to address them, using non-invasive brain stimulation to improve attention in children with acquired brain injury, understanding voluntary childlessness among australian women: from socio-demographic and health behaviour characteristics to subsequent health and well-being, in vivo mrs applied to breast cancer, development of a high-throughput, cost-effective, sequencing-based tool for detecting antimicrobial resistance in neisseria gonorrhoeae, the landscape of chronic kidney disease in sri lanka: beyond endemic chronic kidney disease of unknown aetiology (ckdu), neurocognitive assessments in patients undergoing car-t therapy, applied predictive algorithms in clinical care in hospitals, the impact of intensive motor training to improve gross motor function in young children with bilateral cerebral palsy, cdcp1: a novel theranostic target for cholangiocarcinoma, mesenchymal stem cell-derived liver-on-a-chip as an emerging platform for the study of stem cell migration, international epidemiology and management of hospital-acquired blood stream infections in critically ill patients., the influence of obesity on knee replacement outcomes in australia, health information needs and preferences for parents and guardians of children undergoing cardiac surgery, the effects of maternal exposure to elevated ambient temperature on adverse birth outcomes in queensland, australia, using 4d high-resolution imaging to understand vulnerabilities in early embryonic divisions, improving the approach to stillbirth investigations in australia, referral patterns, disease progression and impact of the kidney failure risk equation (kfre) in a queensland chronic kidney disease registry (ckd.qld) cohort, implementation challenges and impacts of the comprehensive care standard in acute care hospitals in australia, using large-scale data to explore the association between the use of chronic disease medical treatments 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gonorrhoea management strategies in australia, home video sleep recording as a predictor of paediatric osa, personalized therapy for chronic lymphocytic leukemia, defining the clinical phenotype of autoimmune associated epilepsy, defining the role of cgas in mitotic cell death, oxysterols drive inflammation via gpr183 during influenza virus and sars-cov-2 infection, virtual toxicology service: from phone advice to remote specialist care delivery. developing a new model of care for specialty management, spatial transcriptomics: defining the cellular milieu within the clear cell renal cell carcinoma microenvironment, leap-2: a novel and critical player in alcohol use disorder and alcoholic liver disease, outfoxing pseudomonas and burkholderia infections in chronic lung disease, strategies to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease in aboriginal and torres strait islander australians, decoding appetite and pathophysiology of the brain in motor neuron disease, local delivery of 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microbiota in crohn’s disease, exploring magnetic resonance for differentiating between progressive and non-progressive chronic kidney disease, management of therapeutic anticoagulation in a digital hospital environment, smoking cessation uptake and referral for pregnant women, women with a history of infertility, miscarriage, stillbirth: an exploration of non-communicable diseases in later life, risk stratification and novel interventions in acute and chronic pulmonary thromboembolic disease, optimising implimentation of new technologies into the lung cancer diagnostic pathway, the differences in coagulation disturbances of the acute respiratory distress syndrome subphenotypes, understanding health inequity and evaluation of strategies to improve health outcomes in children with chronic kidney disease, co-creation of an aboriginal and torres strait islander youth health assessment, deciphering the endosomal machinery of the cargo sorting process by endosomal transport carriers, 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and predictors of prenatal alcohol exposure and its effect on fetal and adolescent health, stimulating the counter-regulatory renin-angiotensin system: a unique approach to prevent alzheimer’s disease, understanding key epithelial cells in lung infections, three-dimensional segmental analysis of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis during growth, effectiveness of uv-c on aerosolized pseudomonas aeruginosa and mycobacterium abscessus, speckle tracking echocardiography in critical care, elucidating the role of patterned neuronal activity during neuromotor maturation in vitro, exploitation of immunogenic cell death and proteosome inhibition to improve cancer immunotherapy., defining the function of fbxo16 in centrosome and microtubules, the association between bitter taste receptors in the heart and cardiovascular disease., management of malignant polyps in queensland, the role of fbxw7 in mitosis and chromosomal instability, donor site morbidity of composite free flaps in head & neck surgery, circadian rhythm function, sleep, body composition, and metabolic health in early survivors of childhood brain tumours, the friends project, neural correlates underlying visual working memory, development of novel inhalable drug delivery systems that utilize albumin trafficking pathways to enhance absorption from the lungs, diagnosis of latent tuberculosis in highly immune suppressed individuals - addressing the challenges and alternative diagnostic strategies, exploring incidence and prognosis in triple-negative breast cancer in australia, bed and breakfast: exploring the relationship between the behaviours that underpin circadian rhythm disruption and breast cancer outcomes, antibiotics provision by community drug retail outlets, and views on community drug retail outlet level antibiotic stewardship: mixed-methods study with a focus on non-urban towns of gondar and gojam in the amhara region, ethiopia., frailty and goals of care in older people with moderate to severe chronic kidney disease, systems genomics of autism spectrum disorder, longitudinal evaluation of glucocorticoid receptor isoforms and glucocorticoid-responsive genes in medical patients on prednisolone., optimising care of critically ill patients through improved antibiotic dosing, wearing masks to reduce exposure to traffic-related air pollution and improve respiratory health in children, in vivo and ex vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy breast cancer study, type 2 diabetes and nafld: development of an integrated diagnostic and risk stratification pathway, molecular mechanisms of rp105-dependent macrophage activation in response to mycobacterial infection, does spinal muscular control and health profile differ between people with and without adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (ais), increasing adherence for continuous positive airway pressure (cpap) usage in vulnerable australian populations with sleep apnoea, the hepatitis c virus treatment cascade among people transitioning from correctional facilities in south-east queensland, characterization of humoral immunity and biomarker discovery in colorectal cancer (crc), a kinase-dead csf1r muation associated with adult-onset leukoencephalopathy has a dominant-negative impact on csf1r signalling, intraoperative lidocaine infusions: development of an optimised infusion dosing regimen for obese patients, the incidence of laryngopharyngeal reflux (lpr) in intubated and ventilated patients in the intensive care unit. a prospective longitudinal observational cohort feasibility study, in vitro evaluation of combination antibiotic regimens for the treatment of multidrug-resistant acinetobacter baumannii infections, artificial mesenchymal stem cell for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, improving cardiovascular outcome reporting in kidney transplant clinical trials, the genomics of postpartum depression, engaging with queensland mothers throughout the perinatal period in a digital age, confirmation - applications of molecular genetics in translational breast cancer research, investigation of the perioperative thrombotic and haemostatic risk after orthopaedic surgery with an emphasis on obesity, utilising the multi-disciplinary resources at tertiary centres to improve outcomes from pancreatic cancer., novel theranostic targets for metastatic colorectal cancer, osteoporosis diagnosis and fracture prediction using ct vertebral attenuation in lung cancer screening, mapping australia's mental health services: building capacity for integrated regional planning, ferroptosis: a novel layer of regulation for t cell homeostasis and function, measuring outcome following a bloodstream infection, hypnotherapy for procedural pain and distress, design and fabrication of a functional msc-derived liver-on-a-chip, appraisal of a regional smoking cessation campaign in central queensland: the “10,000 lives” initiative, forgotten fathers, studies of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, transdisciplinary stroke assessment: can it improve allied health efficiency and care on an acute stroke unit, perinatal mortality and morbidity audit and classification to drive practice change in perinatal death and “neonatal near-miss”, characterising the role of dscam2 in synaptic vesicle recycling and memory formation in drosophila, improving drug therapy for children with sepsis and life-threatening infections.

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Higher Degree by Research Examination (with Oral Examination) Procedure

Section 1 - purpose and scope, section 2 - process and key controls, section 3 - key requirements, thesis format, nomination of the chair of examiners, nomination of examiners, requirements for thesis formatting, thesis submission, examination, examination outcomes, thesis corrections, repeating the oral examination, revise and resubmit, meeting degree requirements, access to a thesis, section 4 - roles, responsibilities and accountabilities, dean, graduate school, chair of examiners, principal advisors, section 5 - monitoring, review and assurance, section 6 - recording and reporting, section 7 - appendix, flowchart describing examination process, definitions, terms and acronyms.

(1) This Procedure describes the process at The University of Queensland (UQ or the University) for Higher Degree by Research (HDR) examination for the award of PhD, MPhil and PDR degrees that require an oral examination. The award of an HDR degree is based on an assessment of the quality of the thesis and of the candidate’s performance at the oral examination. External examiners with recognised disciplinary expertise make a written assessment of the thesis and participate in the oral examination. Following discussion with the external examiners, the Chair of Examiners makes an outcome recommendation to the Dean, Graduate School. The decision to recommend conferral of the degree is made by the Dean, Graduate School for approval by the Provost.

(2) All HDR examinations must be conducted in accordance with the principles and requirements described in the Higher Degree by Research Examination Policy and those described in this Procedure.

(3) An overview of the process for HDR examination is illustrated in the flowchart in the Appendix. 

(4) The thesis must be a coherent scholarly work that meets UQ standard for examination. Candidates should submit a thesis for examination in an approved format, suitable for their discipline and project. Approved formats can be viewed in the  Higher Degree by Research Examination Guideline .

(5) To obtain permission to submit a thesis in a format not listed, the Principal Advisor should prepare a proposal for endorsement by the Head of the Academic Organisational Unit (AOU) to then submit to the Dean, Graduate School for approval. The process and criteria for this are outlined in the Guideline . 

(6) The Chair of Examiners is an academic staff member of the University who has sufficient domain knowledge relating to the topic of the thesis.

(7) The Principal Advisor nominates a Chair of Examiners with the endorsement of the Postgraduate Coordinator (PGC).

(8) Following the attainment of the Thesis Review Milestone and prior to thesis submission, the Principal Advisor nominates a minimum of three examiners. The candidate has an opportunity to review and comment on the nominations. Nominations of examiners must be endorsed by the PGC.

(9) All actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest (COIs) must be declared by the advisory team members and the candidate at the time of nomination of thesis examiners.

(10) The Dean, Graduate School will invite two nominated examiners to participate.

(11) Additional nominations from the Principal Advisor may be requested. All examinations should be treated as confidential. Where an additional level of legal protection is required, in the case of material that may be commercial-in-confidence, give rise to a patent, or be legally or culturally sensitive, then a request for a Confidentiality Agreement should be made at the time of nomination of examiners.

(12) Examiners will be advised to seek independent legal advice prior to signing the Confidentiality Agreement.

(13) The thesis should not exceed 80,000 words for a PhD or 40,000 words for an MPhil. The word limit includes all footnotes and appendices but not the bibliography. Requests to exceed this word limit must be approved by the Dean, Graduate School.

(14) Formatting should be: line spacing 1.5, Times New Roman or Arial 12pt font, all four margins 20mm.

(15) A thesis must adhere to the templates provided by the Graduate School.

(16) The thesis examination process is initiated when:

• An approved Thesis Submission request has been received by the Graduate School.
• The thesis and abstract have been uploaded to the University’s digital repository as instructed by the Graduate School.

(17) An HDR candidate will maintain enrolment in the program until the oral examination is completed after which their enrolment status will change to ‘under examination’ until an outcome of the examination is determined. This enrolment status does not consume load and a tuition fee is not incurred.

(18) If an HDR candidate has submitted their thesis and has been enrolled for 4 years FTE, but not yet completed the oral examination, then they will be placed ‘under examination’. For a candidate who has not submitted their thesis by 4 years FTE enrolment, a review of candidature may be conducted in accordance with the  Higher Degree by Research Candidature Procedure  (section 3).

(19) Where a candidate requests permission to submit without the Principal Advisor's approval, the candidate must make a written case to the Dean, Graduate School. Following consultation with the Head of the enrolling AOU, PGC and Principal Advisor, a decision will be made by the Dean, Graduate School.

(20) The examination comprises a review of the thesis and an oral examination.

Examination of Thesis

(21) All examiners are provided access to an electronic copy of the thesis by the Graduate School.

(22) Examiners are asked to assess the thesis document against the following quality measures:

• Does the thesis demonstrate a significant and original contribution to knowledge (PhD) or show originality in the application of knowledge (MPhil)?
• Does the thesis engage with the literature and the work of others?
• Does the thesis show an advanced knowledge of research principles and methods relating to the applicable discipline?
• Is there a clear and discernible coherence in the presented research, its arguments and conclusions?
• Is the thesis convincingly written?

(23) Examiners are requested to return their written reports along with the summary form within 5 weeks of receiving the thesis. Once both reports are received, they will be distributed to the Chair of Examiners and the candidate.

(24) After the requisite time period the Dean, Graduate School may elect to replace an examiner if there has been undue delay in receiving the examiner's report.

Oral Examination

(25) The oral examination panel is comprised of:

• The Chair of Examiners; and
• Examiners – examiners may participate in person or using video conferencing. The examination may proceed with the approval of the Dean in exceptional circumstances with one examiner and comments from the second examiner if the attendance of both examiners is not possible (all reports must be taken into consideration).

(26) The advisory team does not form part of the examination panel.

(27) Examiners are asked to assess the candidate’s performance in the oral examination against the following quality measures:

• Did the candidate demonstrate detailed knowledge of the thesis?
• Did the candidate demonstrate an understanding of their research in the broader context of their discipline?
• Was the candidate able to defend the methodology and conclusions of the thesis and display an awareness of any limitations?
• Did the candidate effectively communicate the results of the research in terms of impact and application of new knowledge?
• Did the candidate as an individual demonstrate a substantive and independent contribution to the discipline?

Possible Outcomes from the First Examination

(28) The candidate be awarded the degree without further changes.

(29) The candidate be awarded the degree, without further examination, after the changes (see Thesis Corrections – clauses 36 to 38) required by examiners have been made to the satisfaction of the Chair of Examiners and the Dean, Graduate School.

(30) The candidate not yet be awarded the degree but be allowed to repeat the oral examination component in response to the comments and recommendation of the oral examination panel. Before the degree is awarded, the candidate must also make any changes to the thesis required by the examiners to the satisfaction of the Chair of Examiners and the Dean, Graduate School.

(31) The candidate not yet be awarded the degree but be allowed to submit for re-examination a thesis revised in response to the comments and recommendations of the examiners (see Revise and Resubmit – clauses 43 to 50), which may also require a repeat of the oral examination.

Possible Outcomes from a Second Examination

(32) The candidate be awarded the degree without further changes.

(33) The candidate be awarded the degree, without further examination, after the changes (see Thesis Corrections – clauses 36 to 38) required by examiners have been made to the satisfaction of the Chair of Examiners and the Dean, Graduate School.

(34) The candidate be awarded an MPhil (for a PhD re-examination only) - the candidate has not demonstrated a contribution to knowledge that is of sufficient significance or originality for a PhD but fulfils the criteria for an MPhil.

(35) Fail - the thesis is not of the appropriate standard for the award of any Higher Degree by Research and/or the candidate has not adequately met the expectations for the oral examination component.

(36) Corrections to the thesis in response to an outcome requiring changes but no further examination are required to be completed within 3 months.

(37) The enrolling AOU will forward a fully endorsed Recommendation to Confer Degree to the Dean, Graduate School once satisfied the candidate has made the changes requested by the examiners or satisfactorily defended on academic grounds the absence of changes.

(38) A candidate can request a 3-month extension to complete the thesis corrections. Candidates who do not submit their thesis corrections for review following this extended period may be withdrawn from the program without academic penalty.

(39) If a candidate is required to repeat the oral component of the examination, this must be undertaken within 3 months of notification.

(40) The oral examination will be repeated with the Chair of Examiners and both original examiners, whenever possible.

(41) If an examiner is unable to participate in the repeat of the oral examination, a replacement examiner will be nominated by the Principal Advisor and appointed by the Dean, Graduate School.

(42) Upon repeating the oral examination, the possible outcomes are listed at clauses 32 to 35 – Possible Outcomes from a Second Examination.

(43) When a candidate is required to revise the thesis and repeat the examination, they will have up to 12 months to do so.

(44) Following revision of the thesis, the submission process – as outlined in Thesis Submission clauses 16 to 19 – is repeated.

(45) Both the written and oral components of the examination are repeated.

(46) If either of the original examiners is unable to continue to participate, a replacement examiner will be nominated by the Principal Advisor and appointed by the Dean, Graduate School.

(47) Examiners will be sent the revised thesis, the examiners' original reports (including oral examination report if applicable) and the candidate's response to the examiners' comments.

(48) Where the examiners disagree on the examination outcome following revision of the thesis, the Dean, Graduate School may appoint a third examiner nominated by the Principal Advisor. This examiner is appointed to provide an independent assessment of the thesis and will not be provided with the original examiners’ reports. All three reports will then be considered by the Dean, Graduate School in determining an examination outcome.

(49) The possible outcomes for the examination are described from clauses 32 to 35 – Possible Outcomes from a Second Examination.

(50) Candidates who are not able to resubmit their thesis for examination within 12 months of the first examination, may request an extension.

(51) Once a candidate has fulfilled the requirements of the examination process, the Graduate School will direct the candidate to confirm their thesis title and 100-word abstract. Once this is completed, the candidate will receive confirmation from the Graduate School that degree requirements have been met.

(52) Upon submitting the thesis for examination, a candidate must indicate whether they intend to have the thesis made available immediately upon conferral as Open Access or to apply for an Embargo placed on access on the basis of academic, cultural, ethical, legal or commercial reasons. The application must be supported by the candidate's Principal Advisor and must be approved by the Dean, Graduate School. The Dean will consider the principles for academic freedom when determining whether or not to embargo a thesis, which recognise the importance of academic freedom and the right to disseminate, and only deny this in limited circumstances where there is a compelling case. If approved, the embargo will be set for a 3-year period in the first instance. Where the candidate and Principal Advisor have differing views on the selection of the access option, the matter will be referred to the Dean for determination.

(53) In circumstances where a candidate has transferred their IP to the University, after consultation with the candidate, the Principal Advisor will make a recommendation to the Dean, Graduate School on the thesis access arrangements, taking academic, cultural, ethical, legal and commercial factors into consideration. In cases where the Principal Advisor is not employed by the University, a recommendation will be sought from the Head of the AOU.

(54) Every three years for theses under Embargo, the Graduate School will contact the thesis author, or the Principal Advisor in the case where IP has been transferred to the University, to advise that the Embargo period is due for review. Where the Principal Advisor is not employed by the University, the matter will be referred to the Head of the enrolling AOU for a recommendation.

(55) Requests for renewal of the Embargo will be considered by the Dean, Graduate School. In the absence of an approved request for an Embargo extension, a thesis will transfer to Open Access.

(56) The University's responsibilities, together with any relevant academic, cultural, ethical, legal or commercial factors will be considered when determining whether a request for an Embargo extension will be approved.

(57) The Provost approves the conferral of the degree, upon recommendation from the Dean, Graduate School.

(58) The Dean, Graduate School (or their delegate) decides on the examination outcome of the HDR candidate and provides recommendation for the conferral of the degree to the Provost.

(59) The Chair of Examiners is a UQ staff member that provides academic oversight of the HDR examination process, including the oral examination, as described in the Higher Degree by Research Examination Guideline .

(60) The Chair of Examiners provides outcome recommendations to the Dean, Graduate School and oversees the oral examination component, where applicable.

(61) Principal Advisors are approved UQ staff members that take primary academic responsibility for the candidate during their candidature.

(62) The detailed academic role, accountabilities and eligibility for Principal Advisors are specified in the  Eligibility and Role of Higher Degree by Research Advisors Policy .

(63) Advisors are suitably qualified persons who provide expertise related to the candidate’s research and are available to provide advice throughout candidature.

(64) The detailed academic role, accountabilities and eligibility for Advisors are specified in the  Eligibility and Role of Higher Degree by Research Advisors Policy .

(65) Review of, and compliance with, this Procedure is overseen by the Dean, Graduate School and the Academic Board's Higher Degree by Research Committee.

(66) All thesis examination transactions, activities and approvals are recorded within UQ’s student system.

(67) All student records including final outcome, applications and University decisions are filed in the student’s electronic record.

(68) The  linked flowchart describes the examination process. 

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