FINISHING & SUBMITTING

​Approval to submit a thesis by compilation

Submitting a thesis by compilation requires approval from the Delegated Authority, as per section 16 of the ANU's Procedure: Higher degree by research -- thesis by compilation and thesis by creative works. Fill out the form to make this application, making sure that you email cap.hdr@anu.edu.au to advise that you have done so. The PhD Academic and Research Skills Advisor can advise you further on making this application. Students wishing to submit a thesis by compilation should discuss this with their supervisor at an early stage in their candidature and must notify and obtain the endorsement of their panel least 12 months prior to submission, and no later than 6 months prior to submission. The approval process ensures that the student has received important, discipline-specific guidance on the appropriate quantity and quality of papers for submission as a thesis. Thesis by compilation does not apply to Economics students. The Economics thesis is not a thesis by compilation.

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6 MONTHS BEFORE SUBMISSION

Extensions

If you are unable to submit your thesis by your maximum submission date, you must seek an extension of your program. The application requires your supervisor’s comments and endorsement, endorsement by your Head of Department, and approval by the Delegated Authority.  For more information on extensions, visit the Extension of a research program page on the ANU's Postgrad research students website.

 

Submission planning

See the PhD Academic and Research Skills Advisor to work out a plan for finishing up your thesis. Start making sure your work complies with the ANU's HDR - Submission and examination of theses procedure.

 

Maps and illustrations

CartoGIS Services specialise in the visualisation and analysis of research data; they offer a free service to all CAP staff (academic and professional) and CAP PhD students. Products include static maps/diagrams for publication and presentations, interactive maps (through CartoGIS) for education, research and outreach, and GIS analysis and visualisation. They often need about 4-6 weeks to produce a specialist document and it’s important to have a clear idea of what you want before asking for their support.

 

Start discussing examiners and examination with your supervisor

Although examiners aren't appointed at this stage, you should nonetheless start thinking about who would be appropriate to examine your thesis. Discuss this with your supervisor. Read more about the Examination process. For more information, visit the Submitting a thesis page on the ANU's Postgrad research students website. You should also read the ANU's HDR - Submission and examination of theses procedure.

 

Final PhD thesis seminar presentation (aka ‘Oral Presentation’)

For this milestone, you are expected to deliver an oral presentation advertised to the University and open to the public, between six and three months before your intended thesis submission date. The oral presentation presentation is typically based on an additional research chapter or on an overview of the key results of the entire thesis. You are expected to demonstrate your

• Independent command of the material

• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely the analysis of the material and findings

• Ability to respond appropriately to constructive comment and criticism

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4 MONTHS BEFORE SUBMISSION

Finalise your thesis submission, including copyediting

You may choose to manage your research funding budget to include the possibility of the copyediting of your final thesis draft before submission. This means you will have to weigh the likelihood that your thesis will need copyediting against the potential cost of a copyedit against costs you might forego for other items such as fieldwork, conference attendance, or the purchase of data. The maximum amount you can apply for for copyediting is $2,000. 

 

It should be noted that most theses do not need copyediting and as such you should make an informed decision as to whether or not you want to apply for funding to engage a copyeditor. To this end, your supervisor should be satisfied that a copyedit is needed and a sensible use of possible funds, and you should talk to the PhD academic and research skills advisor well in advance (maybe, even, up to 18 months or more in advance), of making your decision to apply for this funding. This is to ensure that you do not miss out on opportunities to apply for funding that might be more useful to your research earlier in your candidature. 

 

Funding for copyediting will only be considered if the following conditions are met: 

 

1. You are not on a scholarship, stipend, or similar that provides funding for copyediting  

2. Your supervisor, in consultation with the PhD academic and research skills advisor, deems a copyedit necessary 

3. You provide a quote for the requested copyedit 

 

Funding for copyediting will not be released unless you have contacted and agreed to engage an editor who is accredited by the Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd) or who has credentials otherwise deemed suitable by the HDR committee. 

The copyeditor must comply with the ANU’s Guideline: Higher Degree by Research: Editing of Theses, in particular, 

• You must supply the editor with a copy of the ANU’s Guideline: Higher Degree by Research: Editing of Theses 

• The editor can is restricted to working only on standards D and E of the Australian standards for editing practice 

• You must acknowledge in your thesis the editorial assistance provided by the copyeditor 

 

Contact the PhD academic and research skills advisor before proceeding with your copyediting funding application to discuss all possible options. 

Please contact the PhD Academic and Research Skills Advisor if you have any questions, or  if you need the details of any copyeditors that Crawford knows to abide by the above guidelines.

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3 MONTHS BEFORE SUBMISSION

Notice of Intention to Submit

Fill out the Notice of Intention to Submit eForm via ISIS. You will be asked to advise the title of the thesis and the date on which you expect to submit it for examination. This notification sets in train the process for appointing examiners for your thesis. Read more about the Examination process. For more information, visit the Submitting a thesis page on the ANU's Postgrad research students website. You should also read the ANU's HDR - Submission and examination of theses procedure.

 

Nomination and appointment of examiners

When your thesis preparation is in the final stages, your supervisor will likely consult you about examiners. Your discussions would usually be about many potential examiners; however, the final examination panel is not made known to you. Read more about the Examination process. For more information, visit the Submitting a thesis page on the ANU's Postgrad research students website. You should also read the ANU's HDR - Submission and examination of theses procedure.

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2 WEEKS BEFORE SUBMISSION

Formatting your thesis

There are no Crawford-specific guidelines on how to format your thesis. You should, however, follow the instructions on formatting your content in the ANU's Procedure: Higher degree by research - submission and examination of theses. We also recommend that you borrow a thesis or three from the Crawford PhD thesis collection to see how past students have formatted their work before submission. Of course, it would also be prudent to correctly format your thesis documents as soon as you start writing up (so it saves you time and hassle at the end), but that is up to you ...

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DAY OF SUBMISSION

Submit your thesis. yay.

On the day of submission, submit your thesis via the Thesis Submission milestone is ISIS.

 

For more information, visit the Submitting a thesis page on the ANU's Postgrad Research Students website. You should also read the Procedure: Higher degree by research - submission and examination of theses

 

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POST-SUBMISSION

Fill out the departure checklist

You must fill out the departure checklist and submit it to the HDR Administrator or PhD Academic and Research Skills Advisor before you leave.

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Claiming thesis production costs

Crawford does not provide funding for thesis production costs. If, however, you have held a scholarship which entitles you to be reimbursed for thesis production costs, and the time period for submitting a claim has not passed, you should present your receipts when you submit your thesis. If in doubt, check your scholarship conditions of award.

 

Examination

Examiners are asked to provide their written reports on the thesis within 3 months. They are asked to advise within one month if they believe an oral examination is required. Read more about the Examination process. For more information, visit the Submitting a thesis page on the ANU's Postgrad Research Students website. You should also read the Procedure: Higher degree by research - submission and examination of theses.

 

Examination reports and changes

Once your examination reports are in, your supervisor will go through them and provide you with a list of changes that are to be made to your thesis before it can be passed. You have 12 months from the date you receive notification of corrections and/or resubmission of thesis to make the changes -- but we recommend you do them quickly, so as not to lose momentum.

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If you are required to submit final corrections for your thesis, please also complete the response to examiners' reports form. Once completed, please add upload the form to your TC (thesis corrections) milestone e-form together with a marked-up copy of your thesis. Read more about the Examination process.

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Hard-cover binding

After receiving formal notification that your doctorate will be conferred, you may wish to get your thesis bound even though this is no longer a requirement by the examinations office. You might wish to supply hard-bound copies of your thesis to your supervisor and to anyone who helped significantly along the way. If you are doing this, you should also give a copy of your thesis to your supervisor and you should present a final bound copy to the HDR Administrator or PhD Academic and Research Skills Advisor for inclusion in the Crawford School Thesis Collection. It's also nice to give a copy of your work to anyone else you think might appreciate it :)

 

Be a huge success and graduate

Once you have been approved to graduate, your graduation invitation and details about the ceremony will be sent to your ANU student ID email address. You cannot call yourself 'Dr' until you have officially graduated.

 

Access to the ANU Library

This continues until your library/student card expires.