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Harvard Griffin GSAS strives to provide students with timely, accurate, and clear information. If you need help understanding a specific policy, please contact the office that administers that policy.
When preparing the dissertation for submission, students must meet the following minimum formatting requirements. The Registrar’s Office will review the dissertation for compliance and these formatting elements and will contact the student to confirm acceptance or to request revision. The Harvard Griffin GSAS resource on dissertation formatting best practices expands on many of the elements below.
Please carefully review your dissertation before submitting it to ProQuestETD. The Registrar’s Office will email you through ProQuest if they have identified major formatting errors that need correction. Students will be provided with a brief extended deadline to make only the requested formatting updates.
Students can refer to the resource on Dissertation Formatting Best Practice Resource for information on best practices for front and back matter
Individual academic programs may require additional formatting elements to meet the standards of a specific field or discipline. Students are responsible to ensure that their Dissertation Advisory Committee is in support of the final formatting as signified by the sign off on the Thesis Acceptance Certificate. Any deviation from these requirements may lead to rejection of the dissertation and delay in the conferral of the degree.
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Faculty of --> faculty of graduate research, thesis length.
Research theses have a word limit that you must comply with.
A PhD thesis should not exceed a total of 100,000 words in length (or 70,000 for most professional doctorates), including scholarly apparatus such as footnotes or endnotes, essential appendices and bibliography. A doctoral thesis should however, be concise. Examiners often criticise excessive length, which frequently indicates poor judgement.
When you submit, you will be asked to certify that your thesis falls within the relevant word limit.
In exceptional circumstances, the Dean—Wellington Faculty of Graduate Research may grant permission for you to submit a longer thesis. You will need to apply for permission to exceed the word limit well in advance of submission.
Word limits
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Word limits
Thesis word limit inclusions and exclusions The thesis word count includes everything from the start of chapter 1 up to the end of the last chapter. This means: Including all words included within:
Illustrative materials - May include: audio recordings and photographic slides, these can be emailed to [email protected]
Some examiners may prefer to work from a printed version of the student's thesis rather than the PDF, if this is the case:
PRINT COPIES MUST NOT BE POSTED PRIOR TO OFFICIAL DISPATCH BY THE RESEARCH DEGREES EXAMINATION TEAM
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If you look for an answer to the question, how long is a PhD thesis, you will notice that there is a lot of contradictory information on the internet because there is no one-size-fits-all answer for PhD students. Each university sets its maximum and minimum word count limits for PhD students.
So how many words is a Ph.D. thesis? At UWS London, your PhD thesis should not typically exceed 40,000 words for PhD students studying Mathematics, Technology, Science, and Engineering – this excludes ancillary data. For PhD students studying in all other fields, a PhD thesis should not exceed 80,000 words.
80,000 words should equate to around 350 pages, depending on how many photographs, tables, and figures are included. When you submit your thesis, you must also submit a statement of length. This statement confirms your thesis doesn’t exceed the word limit that has been set by your PhD committee.
As for the minimum word limits, your PhD thesis should be near the maximum limit; however, it should never exceed it. The word limit includes the contents page and the appendices, excluding the acknowledgements, the abstract, the footnotes, the references, the bibliography, abbreviations, the glossary, and any notes made on translations.
All limits of length are set by your university degree committee. If, for any reason, you need to increase the specified word limit set by your university for your field of study, you will need to make a written request for permission to go above the set word count. You will also need to apply for permission to extend the word count of your thesis if you need to increase your word limit following your viva after the corrections are made.
Spending time thinking about the structure of your thesis will always be time well-spent. To start the structuring process, organise the material you have already drafted into distinct chapters. Your thesis should read as a continuous story you are trying to write. What works well for some PhD candidates while structuring their thesis works less for others; you can try discussing the structure with someone with a background in your field of study, using mind-mapping techniques, creating a storyboard, using index cards, or placing post-it notes on a whiteboard.
PhD structures can vary by field; however, they are commonly structured in the following way:
Once you have sketched out a rough structure, many PhD students find it beneficial to assign a word count for each chapter and section. However, you should always remain flexible between the sections and chapters until you have a final draft. If after you have your final draft, you find that you have exceeded the specified word count, you will likely find that you can cut out unnecessary words during the editing process. In terms of thesis writing, PhD candidates typically have a planned writing approach or a generative writing approach.
For planned writers, it may be helpful to define sections under each chapter and break down sub-sections to paragraph by paragraph level. With this method, you can work methodically through each section and put a tick mark next to completed tasks on your PhD thesis plan.
For generative writers, it is typically easier to put ideas down on paper before arranging and organising them. If you use this approach, you will need to ensure you have imposed a structure afterwards; by summarising each paragraph or subsection as bullet points to create an overview of the structure. Re-ordering the sections or subsections may be required to strengthen the cohesion of your writing, and additional sub-headings may have to be written to make your thesis flow better. For both planned writers and generative writers, it is crucial to keep reviewing your thesis and structure as your writing and research develops. Amendments are a natural part of the process as you become aware of what your PhD thesis needs to include to demonstrate your understanding and contribution to your field of study.
After years of research and study, when it is finally time to start writing the PhD thesis, many candidates can feel overwhelmed by the task and the word count, which is significantly higher than what they encountered while writing their undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations. The good news is that there is no need to be daunted by the process. By spending a fraction of your research time on finding ways to maximise your chances of success, by the time you submit your PhD thesis, you will feel confident in how you have showcased your creative knowledge and your contribution to your field of study. Below, we have outlined some tips you can follow to make the writing-up stage as stress-free as possible.
Though wordcount is important, PhD candidates should pay mind to plenty more than their thesis wordcount when drafting and structuring. Writing as concisely as possible with adequate and clear exposition is just as important for PhD candidates aiming for no corrections or minor corrections following their PhD viva.
Remember that even the most experienced and eloquent writers, in academia or otherwise, never hit the ground running and knock it out of the park with the first draft. As the adage goes, you can’t edit a blank page; even if you start with rough bullet points that outline your subsections, these can be built on and around until you have fully mind-mapped your thesis. In time, your thesis will take clear and concise form; there is no use trying to stride over the finishing line before you have entered the race! Rewriting and editing is never a sign of failure or literary inadequacy; many writers spend most of the writing process editing their work!
By the time you have reached the writing-up stage as a PhD candidate, you will have already leaned on your PhD supervisor to flesh out your ideas and develop your creative knowledge. Your supervisor may not be able to map or write your thesis for you, but they can provide invaluably helpful tips on structuring your thesis. Never replace online advice for the guidance your PhD supervisor can offer you! To allow your supervisor to help, create rough drafts that you can bring to your meetings; in time, you can refine them as the writing-up stage approaches.
Contrary to popular belief, academic writing doesn’t need to be dry. While the amount of flair you can put into your work will vary with respect to your field of study, there is nothing to say that you can’t use your voice – to an extent. As long as your PhD reads clearly and concisely and proves you are worthy of your doctorate title, you will impress your examiners in your viva!
By using active wording in your thesis instead of passive phrases, you can simplify your work and make it read with more authority and conviction. To write actively instead of passively, always allow the subject in the sentence to act on the target. For example, a passive phrase would be “The philosophical discourse was changed by Foucault. The active equivalent of that phrase would be, “Foucault changed the political discourse”. It takes time to develop these habits; however, online tools, such as Grammarly, can help you to notice when you are writing passively or using excessive and unnecessary words.
Even though your thesis plan sets a roadmap of what needs to be completed, chronological writing can ultimately kill your creativity. Always write when the material or epiphanies are fresh in the mind – if you save them for later, there is a chance that they could be forgotten, or they may lose their substance or contextual importance. During the writing-up stage, some research could be more pertinent to chapters you have not turned to yet. Remember you will always return to each section later to ensure your full thesis is coherent.
Looking to find out how long the PhD will take to complete? Whether you want to complete it in the UK full-time or part-time; it is a big commitment, which shouldn’t be taken lightly. The gratification may not be immediate, but the rewards can be lifelong when considering the professional careers that are more accessible for PhD holders, the increased earning potential and the sense of satisfaction that comes with creating unique knowledge and gaining a title only a minute fraction of the global population will only acquire.
The information outlined in this article will give you plenty of clues on how to construct your thesis and which parameters you should use while structuring and drafting it. However, your PhD supervisor will be in the best position to inform you of the limits of length and stylistic requirements for your particular field of study. At UWS London, all our PhD supervisors are committed to ensuring all our PhD candidates receive the support, information, and guidance required for their writing-up stage and PhD Viva to run as smoothly as possible.
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Home > Research > Griffith Graduate Research School > Preparing your thesis > Formatting
Candidates are responsible for the formatting of their thesis, in consultation with their supervisor. Some elements provide more detailed guidelines for particular fields of study. Candidates must seek the approval of the Dean, Griffith Graduate Research School if they believe that thesis preparation demands a major departure from these guidelines. The request must be supported by the candidate's supervisors and endorsed by the Dean (Research).
A major consideration in the presentation of the thesis is the ease with which an examiner can undertake the task of examination. To this end, the following factors should be taken into account when preparing the thesis.
A thesis is intended, among other things, to demonstrate a candidate's capacity to report on the research in a clear and succinct manner. It is recognised that the length of a thesis may vary according to the topic and the discipline (e.g., a PhD thesis is normally between 70,000 - 80,000 words). There is some variation in international standards regarding the length of a doctoral thesis and candidates should consult their supervisors regarding appropriate word limits in their disciplines. A very short thesis may suggest a lack of scope in a project while a very long thesis may suggest a failure in judgment through inclusion of material that could be left out.
Griffith University sets upper limits on the length of a higher degree research thesis, not including bibliography, appendices or footnotes:
Doctor of Philosophy (including named PhDs ) | 100,000 words |
Master of Philosophy | 50,000 words |
Doctor of Education | 80,000 words |
Doctor of Musical Arts | 80,000 words |
Doctor of Visual Arts | 20,000 words |
Master of Arts Research | 30,000 words |
Master of Design Research | 40,000 words |
Master of Education and Professional Studies Research | 30,000 words |
Master of Medical Research | 40,000 words |
Master of Music Research | 15,000 to 40,000 words |
Master of Science | 60,000 words |
Master of Visual Arts | 10,000 words |
These upper limits may be exceeded only in exceptional cases where approval has been given by the Dean, Griffith Graduate Research School on application from the candidate and with the support of the principal supervisor and Dean (Research).
The contents of the thesis must take the following order:
1. Title page
Must contain:
Refer to this sample title page ( PDF , 20k) for a visual example.
2. Synopsis or abstract (approximately 700 words)
3. Signed statement of originality
The statement of originality ( DOCX , 17k) must include the words:
"This work has not previously been submitted for a degree or diploma in any university. To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the thesis itself."
The signature can either be a scanned copy of a physically signed statement of originality, or it can be a digital signature applied directly to the PDF copy of the thesis.
4. A table of contents, a list of all diagrams and illustrations, and a list of supplementary material , if any.
5. A statement acknowledging the extent and nature of any assistance received in the pursuit of the research and preparation of the thesis
This should include a list of any work published in the course of the research that is included in whole or in major part in the thesis itself, editorial assistance and so on.
6. An acknowledgement of published papers included in the thesis*
* This acknowledgement is relevant only for submitting candidates who choose to include full copies of published papers in chapters of their thesis, rather than write the full thesis in standard thesis style with reference to published papers or inserting the papers as appendices. To establish which statement is required, refer to our published papers requirements diagram ( PDF , 72k) . Please choose one of the below statement types:
7. The main text
This is where the hard work of the thesis is reflected. For candidates wishing to include papers within the body of their thesis, please also check if there are any group and discipline requirements outlined within the requirement for inclusion of papers within the thesis drop-down .
8. A statement of contribution to co-authored published papers included in the thesis**
** This statement is relevant only for candidates submitting full copies of co-authored papers in chapters of their thesis. To establish if a statement is required, please see the published papers requirements diagram (PDF 72k).
If required, this statement must be included at the beginning of each relevant chapter. If the chapter includes more than one published paper, the statement and set of signatures should be included for each paper.
9. Appendices (including a confidential appendix, where appropriate)
10. Bibliography
11. Other material separate from the body of the thesis and submitted as part, or in support of the thesis
Candidates should pay careful attention to the referencing and bibliographic requirements of advanced research. Training in the use of bibliographic software packages such as EndNote is available through Griffith University Learning Services and should be completed at an early stage of candidature.
A fundamental requirement of research practice is the acknowledgement of the work of others. Failure to acknowledge the work of others may constitute plagiarism and is regarded by Griffith University as academic misconduct ( PDF , 297k) , for which penalties (including exclusion from a program) may be imposed. The strict requirements of an academic thesis for referencing and bibliographic records need to be understood in this context.
Candidates must acknowledge other researchers upon whose work or publications they have drawn. Adequate documentation of sources is expected and relied upon by the thesis examiners who may wish to consult sources quoted in a thesis.
Only recognised referencing styles should be employed, and candidates should consult with their supervisors on the most appropriate form of referencing for the field in which they are working. It is essential that the style of referencing adopted be followed consistently. See the Griffith University referencing guidelines for more detailed advice.
All books and articles mentioned in the body of the thesis must appear in the bibliography or reference list as appropriate. In some fields, the bibliography or reference list contains a record of works consulted, even if not actually cited in the text.
For further resources on referencing articles in the thesis, please see Articles in thesis .
It is expected that the thesis will be written in English, however a candidate may make a case to the Dean, Griffith Graduate Research School that a thesis would be more appropriately written in a language other than English. In considering a request, the Dean, GGRS will take into account the candidate's research topic, the capacity of the host element to provide continuity of linguistic expertise in the supervisory team, the extent to which the thesis is intimately associated with the study of that language, the availability of expert examiners able to read the thesis in the nominated language, and whether its presentation in English would impair the quality of the thesis. A candidate's lack of proficiency with the English language is not an appropriate reason for seeking to write the thesis in a language other than English.
A thesis that is written in a language other than English must have an Abstract in English as well as in the language in which it is written. Approval to write a thesis in a language other than English does not absolve the candidate from meeting Griffith University's English language proficiency requirements at admission to candidature.
This provision does not prevent the reproduction of texts in the original language where there are no adequate English translations available, or where the use of the original text is important to the understanding of the thesis as a whole.
In general, gender inclusive language should be used.
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Phd thesis word limit, what is the word limit for a phd thesis.
You should aim to write a thesis of 80,000 words. The word limit is exclusive of words in tables, maps, bibliographies and appendices. Footnotes are included as part of the word limit.
If you need to exceed 100,000 words, you must submit a request to the Chair of the Higher Degrees Research Comittee via the Graduate Research Examinations Office before you submit your thesis. This must include:
Last updated: Dec. 10, 2021, 5:58 p.m.
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Writing your thesis or dissertation is hard work. join the community and make writing social., the structure of your dissertation.
Dissertations vary in format, style, and content across disciplines, and as doctoral education evolves, these variations are subject to change. Two common forms of dissertation are the “big book thesis” of 60,000 to 100,000 words (traditional) and the papers model, where the student writes four or five papers of “publishable quality” with a total of approximately 60,000 words (Dunleavy, 2003, p. 5). Joined papers usually require an introduction and a conclusion to make them into a cohesive whole. This blog post discusses the “dissertation by publication model.” Although these two formats pose different problems for the writer, there are structural challenges common to both.
Structure types
Some disciplines have a built-in expectation of structure; for example in the Social Sciences, you may be expected to use the template Introduction/ Literature Review/ Methods/ Results/ Discussion/ Conclusion. In English, you might be expected to produce a topic dissertation of six or more chapters, with several topic chapters sandwiched between the introduction and conclusion.
How to structure your dissertation
Dunleavy is an excellent source on organization. Reading chapters 3 (Planning an integrated thesis) and 4 (organizing a chapter or paper) can help you to understand the overall and chapter level organizational challenges and how to approach them. His book, Authoring a PhD , is in our library (LB2369 D85). Following are key points from those chapters. And following those summaries are some other considerations about structure.
A different perspective on structuring your dissertation
Other recommended resources:
Can you recommend any other resources on organization? Email Madeline at [email protected]
Page written by Madeline Walker; last updated February 2, 2023.
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I just don't understand why the overall findings & implications of a PhD cannot be communicated in the style of a research paper?
Succinctness is a virtue in a field characterised by time pressure.
The research output is equal to or less than that of a 3 year postdoc - which is always communicated as a research paper.
Just seems like added embellishment for the sake of embellishment.
What am I missing?
I don't know where your 150 page idea comes from since I have never heard this as a guideline. However, in my field, "staple theses" are common, composed of roughly 3 papers stapled together (either already published or publishable drafts), with an added introduction and conclusion that tie the works together and may get a bit deeper into background than is acceptable in a published manuscript.
Therefore, they must be at least the length of three research papers, and aren't typically all that much longer than that. However, theses are also typically formatted in a longer form, more similar to the original word-processed manuscript, whereas journal articles are composed in a dense, newspaper-like format. Figures may have their own pages. In sum, a manuscript that is 10-15 published pages can easily be 30-50 pages in this format.
No embellishment necessary to get to 150 pages.
I'd also add that a post doc in my field who only produced 1 paper in 3 years would probably have their next job in industry; a graduate student with only one paper will have been quite disappointing (it may happen that only one paper is publishable due to being scooped or unexpected failures, but even those outcomes can be part of a thesis). Not necessarily, it's possible that paper could be highly impactful, and might be reasonable in some subfields, but generally that would not be a suitable output for an academic career.
Edit: decided to pull up my own thesis from the archives. 230 pages. Of those, 53 pages are "thesis-only" pages; the other 177 pages are verbatim copies from 2 published papers and a third draft manuscript which was later revised and published, all reformatted to fit the thesis formatting requirements. Of the remaining 53 pages of "fluff," 6 pages are title/contents/acknowledgements/abstract, and about 19 are references for the introduction/conclusion chapters, so about 28 extra pages of generously spaced writing, to be treated as "embellishment" if you wish, or alternatively, to provide enough background and context for the work for someone familiar with the field but not previously familiar with my research area, such as members of my thesis committee besides my advisor.
In summary, even if my thesis had nothing but 3 published/publishable manuscripts, it would already be >150 pages.
Succinctness may be a virtue, but page limits means that papers are often overly terse. They also commonly leave out important information, helpful steps, and additional but less eye catching results. The presentation and style of a paper is also often geared towards experts in a field, while you have more freedom to be pedagogical and explicit in a dissertation. Factor in a double-spaced one-column format and some front matter, and it's easy to get to 150 pages and beyond.
In fact, one of my papers during the PhD (physics) was five pages long when published, plus references (not counted in page limit). Six pages of supplemental material was deposited along with the paper, for a total of 11 pages. The corresponding chapter in the dissertation is 46 pages long, with some details still relegated to appendices... The main difference in presentation, however, isn't the length or layout - it's that I attempted to make the description more self-contained. A new graduate student may actually get a reasonable idea of the background and calculations from reading this chapter and the introduction. In contrast, there's no way the same grad student could get all details from the paper and be able to reproduce the calculations without following a bunch of references, well unless they already were an expert . And if you do read those papers, the amount of material to go through would quickly exceed 150 pages anyway.
Yes, many dissertations could be made more compact, but why? The dissertation is a rare opportunity where you don't have to compromise style or contents. It's an opportunity to provide an alternate description than already exists in preprints or published papers that can be useful to another audience. It's also a place where you can make deposit certain results, derivations, proofs or procedures that don't fit elsewhere in explicit form for later use by yourself as well as others. So if you want to write a shorter dissertation yourself, that's alright, but avoid judging others for trying to be more pedagogical than the journal paper form allows.
Your question includes a number of assumptions, which are not universal and may be simply wrong for some areas.
Number of pages, as well as the number of outputs, is an very poor metric of research effort and performance. Some universities may put an upper boundary on the number of pages to make sure that their supervisors are not overwhelmed with the amount of material they have to read and comment on during the supervision (after all, Universities want their staff to do a lot of work apart of supervising the particular student). I don't think that the lower boundary is very usual.
Having said this, there is definitely an expectation that a PhD theses should contain a detailed introduction and thorough literature review. After all, a PhD student should study the area and then train themselves to become a professional researcher in this area. In contrast, a postdoctoral researcher is already expected to be trained and their work is only to do novel research. For a PhD student, a lot of emphasis is on studying the methodology, and writing about it takes time and a significant number of pages.
Finally, compare the number of references: a typical journal paper could have 30, while a PhD theses can easily have 300. This clearly shows that the scope of a PhD theses is much wider than the scope of an academic research paper, while a paper may be more focused and deep.
The approach to writing will vary by discipline. The best way to make sure you are doing the right thing is to talk to your supervisors, plan the structure of your thesis and start writing early and regularly.
In creative arts disciplines where your thesis may take the form of creative works and a dissertation, you should also discuss the form and presentation of your thesis with your supervisor, to ensure that it is presented as a cohesive whole. You can refer to the thesis with creative works page for further information on formatting , weighting and the examination process for creative works.
The rules governing thesis content, language and word limits are contained in the Graduate Research Training Policy while the formatting and preface requirements for theses, compilations and creative works are provided in the Preparation of Graduate Research Theses Rules . You can also refer to the sample thesis title page .
If your thesis includes some of your publications, or material extracted from some of your publications, format requirements are explained under Including your published material in your thesis .
The University repository, Minerva Access , stores completed theses and is a good resource for viewing how others have presented their work. Just browse by types and choose Masters research thesis, PhD thesis or Doctorate .
You will need to add an Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID) to your thesis title page. Information on the ORCID and how to apply for one is available from the University Library
If your thesis includes third party copyright material, the Preparation of Graduate Research Theses Rules requires you to include a list of the material and whether or not you have gained permission from the copyright owners to make this material publicly available as part of your thesis. When creating the list, please use the Template for Listing Third Party Copyright Material . For further information on copyright and dealing with the copyright of others, see Copyright & Research .
Check the Handbook entry for your course for specific word limits and, where applicable, for the proportion of the thesis to be presented as a creative work.
The maximum word limit for theses (including footnotes but excluding tables, maps, bibliographies and appendices) are:
You should aim to write a thesis shorter than the maximum allowed, for example 40 000 for a Masters thesis or 80 000 words for a PhD. Any thesis that exceeds the maximum limit requires permission to proceed to examination, which must be sought via the Graduate Research Examinations Office prior to submission.
It may have been necessary for you to significantly alter your research plan, due the COVID-19 pandemic or other major disruption. In some cases, this may mean that the thesis you submit is not typical for your discipline. In your thesis, you should discuss any methodological changes you have made and explain how the changes arose because of the disruptions. Theses usually also include discussion of possible future research; you may wish to outline research that could be done once conditions change. Your discussion in the thesis of COVID-19 or other impacts will guide the examiners’ understanding of the reported work and the environment in which it was undertaken.
This guide discusses how to explain the impact of COVID-19 disruptions in your thesis. You should consult with your supervisors to decide what approach suits your situation best.
When you include statements within your PhD, other than in the Acknowledgements, they must be objective and within the scope of matters that examiners consider. You can include statements about the impact of COVID-19 or other significant external disruptions on matters such as the scope of the thesis; experimental design; or access to resources including facilities, collections, cohorts of experimental subjects, fieldwork, laboratories, and performance spaces. Note this list is indicative only. If in doubt, contact your supervisor or advisory committee chair about other relevant inclusions.
It is not appropriate to include emotional statements, how your experience compared to others (examination is not competitive), nor impacts such as the need to work remotely, or personal statements on mental or physical health, family, finances, nor the behaviour or availability of supervisors. Examiners are not asked to consider these matters.
While these factors may have had a profound impact on many candidates during the disruptions, there is no concept of ‘special consideration’ in examination of theses. Challenges to candidature are expected to be managed prior to submission and are not considered by examiners. For example, if access to supervisors was a difficulty, alternative arrangements should have been made. Examiners are not asked to make allowance for such factors.
If the disruptions led to significant changes to your project, you could address this in a single location.
For example, you might include a section that addresses the impact that the disruptions had on the entire thesis, or on multiple chapters within the thesis in a systematic and explicit way.
The introduction is where candidates lay out the thesis for examiners and so provides an opportunity to present objective statements regarding the impact of COVID-19 on the thesis. If the disruptions meant that different methodologies were pursued in different parts of the thesis, the introduction is a good place to explain why in a cohesive way.
Alternatively, statements can be added to the preface, to provide context to the work as a whole.
A final conclusions chapter is used to summarise the work and outline future research opportunities. If the disruption prevented you from undertaking particular research activities, you can use this section to highlight these gaps in the study and how they might be addressed.
Carefully explaining how the methodology was shaped by the disruption demonstrates your capacity to think beyond the PhD and to adapt to changing conditions. It can show that you are creative, flexible, and exploratory as a problem-solver.
The skills expected of a strong candidate include an ability to formulate a viable research question and to analyse information critically within and across a changing disciplinary environment.
You have the opportunity to demonstrate these attributes, even if the investigative component of the research was impeded. Remember that the core goal is research training, not the achievement of specific research outcomes.
If the disruptions impacted just one or two chapters of your thesis, they still need to stand alone as quality research.
One option is to explain the original design and how it was revised, either in the chapter introduction or in the section where it best fits in your narrative. It is important to explain to the examiners why you chose that methodology, particularly if it is unusual for your discipline. For example, the disruption may have affected the number or type of interviews that were conducted or have forced a change from experimental work to computational modelling.
Again, writing a focused discussion of the impact of the disruptions on a specific piece of work is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the qualities and skills that an examiner seeks in a strong candidate.
You may wish to note that your thesis was completed during COVID-19 disruptions, even if there was no specific identifiable impact on the scope of the thesis or the project design. The appropriate location for this note is in the acknowledgements section because it is not examined. Remember that although this is the section where you might offer gratitude for family, friends, supervisors, inspirations, and supports; not every examiner will read the acknowledgements.
Your thesis must be your own work, and you must clearly understand your role as well as the roles of your supervisors and others throughout the editorial process.
The Graduate Research Training Policy limits the editing of theses by others to that permitted in the current Guidelines for Editing Research Theses .
As editorial intervention (other than by your supervisors) should be restricted to copyediting and proofreading, as covered on page two of the Guidelines for Editing Research Theses , it is important that you understand the types of editing as explained on the Institute of Professional Editors Limited (IPEd) website.
The University does not maintain a list of editors. If you would like help finding a suitable editor, the Institute of Professional Editors Limited (IPEd) has a register of accredited editors.
If your thesis has had the benefit of editorial advice, in any form, you must provide the name of the editor or company providing the service and a brief description of the service rendered, in terms of the Standards, in the preface of your thesis.
Prior to submission, or prior to your performance or exhibition of a creative component of your thesis, register your intention to submit by logging into the Thesis Examination System (TES). About 2-months prior to your submission is the ideal time for this. Your estimated submission date, or your thesis submission date, must not exceed your maximum submission date, i.e. your expected thesis submission date as listed on the Graduate Research Details page of my.unimelb .
Registering your intention to submit begins the process of the selection of examiners. You will need to provide a brief (80-word) overview of your research question, methods and results which will be sent to potential examiners. If you are submitting a thesis with creative work, include the weighting of the proportion of the written dissertation and creative component/s. You will also be given the opportunity to name up to two people that you consider to be unsuitable examiners, along with substantiated reasons. You are encouraged to create and enter an ORCID .
Preparing to submit your thesis soon? Download our Thesis Submission Checklist to assist you.
More information
Read the FAQs on using the Thesis Examination System
You must be admitted to the relevant graduate research degree in order to submit your thesis. If your candidature is suspended, cancelled or terminated and you wish to submit, you must first apply for reinstatement and readmission . Before applying for readmission you should contact your supervisor or head of department to discuss your thesis. If your supervisor is no longer available please contact the graduate research team for your faculty , or the faculty nearest in discipline to your former department.
Please note: These programs and workshops are subject to change, based on bookings and demand.
Students who have enrolled in dissertation or thesis credits will prepare a manuscript to publish through ProQuest/UMI Dissertation Publishing. You own and retain the copyright to your manuscript. The Graduate School collects the manuscript via electronic submissions only. All manuscripts are made available through ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database (PQDT), in ProQuest/UMI’s Dissertation Abstracts International, and through the University’s institutional repository, ScholarWorks.
Getting started with campus resources:
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ProQuest electronic submission site
Set up an account with ProQuest and wait for a password sent via email. ProQuest offers email and phone support, 1-877-408-5027 , frequently asked questions, etc. Visit the site early to familiarize yourself with the submission process.
The Graduate School requires standardized formatting for the dissertation and thesis documents. Students will follow a style guide (APA, MLA, etc.) to prepare their document; however, the document must comply with University formatting requirements listed below.
Fonts should be easy to read. Times New Roman, Arial, or a similarly clear font is preferred; type size must be 10, 11, or 12 points. Script and italic typefaces are not acceptable except where absolutely necessary i.e. in Latin designations of species, etc.
In preparing your dissertation or thesis for electronic submission, you must embed all fonts. In Microsoft Word 2013, this is done by accessing the FILE menu; selecting OPTIONS, select SAVE. From the SAVE menu check the box labeled, ”Embed fonts in the file.” If the file size is a concern, check the box next to “Do NOT embed common system fonts."
Large tables, charts, etc., may be reduced to conform to page size, but the print must remain clear enough to be readable. You can also attach a PDF for electronic submissions.
Every page, with the exception of the title page, the copyright page, and the committee approval page is numbered in the upper right-hand corner, one-half inch from the top of the page and one inch from the right edge of the page. Do not underline or place a period after the number. Do not use a running header.
Tables and appendices are part of the document and must conform to the same margin and page numbering requirements.
Assemble pages in the following order:
No page number on this page. Although not required, we strongly recommend you insert a copyright notice in your manuscript following the title page. Essential components of the copyright notice include the copyright symbol, full legal name of the author, and year of first publication. Follow the format of the sample provided below.
(Lower case Roman numeral “i” page number)
Abstracts are required for all theses and dissertations. ProQuest no longer has a word limit on the abstract, “as this constrains your ability to describe your research in a section that is accessible to search engines, and therefore would constrain potential exposure of your work.” ProQuest does publish print indices that include citations and abstracts of all dissertations and theses published by ProQuest/UMI. These print indices require word limits of 350 words for doctoral dissertations and 150 words for master’s theses (only text will be included in the abstract). You may wish to limit the length of your abstract if this concerns you. The abstracts as you submit them will NOT be altered in your published manuscript.
Each copy of your thesis or dissertation will be checked for margins, clarity of copy, and pagination. The Graduate School will run the manuscript through the Turn It In plagiarism tool.
Electronically submitted theses/dissertations are available in electronic format only; no hard copies will be produced. Students are responsible for binding any copies for personal use or for distribution to their advisor, department, or committee members.
Mandatory processing fees are required for all theses ($85.00) and all dissertations ($95.00). Log into your Student Center in MyNEVADA. Under the Finances section, click on the link “Purchase Miscellaneous Items.” Select the applicable processing fee to pay (Dissertation or Thesis) and complete the transaction. You will receive a receipt that generates overnight. Please keep this item as proof of payment for your records. Our office will automatically check for payment posted.
You must certify in ProQuest that any copyrighted material used in your work, beyond brief excerpts, is with the written permission of the copyright owner. Attach copies of permission letters to the agreement form.
Students have the opportunity to register a copyright on their graduate work with the U.S. Copyright Office. It is strictly optional, and there is a $75.00 fee associated with the service. Students submitting electronically pay online. Paying for the claim to copyright is a voluntary action, which allows a court of law to award monetary damages if the copyright is infringed. You may file a Registration of Copyright yourself by sending a properly completed application form, a nonrefundable filing fee of $45.00 and a nonreturnable copy of your thesis or dissertation to the United States Copyright Office. Application materials and instructions are available from:
Register of Copyrights Copyright Office Library of Congress Washington, D.C. 20559-6000 Information is also available at the Copyright Office’s website: lcweb.loc.gov/copyright
ScholarWorks - the University's institutional repository - assists in collecting, preserving, and distributing the university's intellectual output accessible to end-users on local and global levels with few if any barriers. The repository will provide long-term access to the items deposited and can accept works from all the University faculty/staff/students. A wide variety of items including Articles, Datasets, Presentations, Technical Reports, Thesis and Dissertations, Posters, Conference Papers, etc. in all file formats can be deposited into the repository. The repository supports creative commons licensing and open-access publishing without any cost.
The discovery services and search engine optimizations ensure that major search engines easily discover the uploaded content. This increases the visibility, citations, and overall impact of the research. All items deposited in the repository receive a persistent URL that can be used for citations. Various statistics are collected with the built-in statistics module and Google Analytics modules. Information on monthly/yearly views, number of downloads, demographic information, etc. is available for each deposited item upon request.
All the ETDs uploaded into ProQuest are automatically deposited into the University's ScholarWorks repository. The embargo period set in ProQuest during deposit is carried over to the ScholarWorks repository. Any changes to the embargo period after deposit can be made by contacting ProQuest at 1-800-521-0600 as well as the ScholarWorks administrator at [email protected] .
Do I need to upload my ETD into the ScholarWorks repository?
Can I extend the embargo period on my Thesis/Dissertation after uploading it to ProQuest?
Can I make my ETD open access in the ScholarWorks repository?
These guidelines apply to those theses or dissertations which consist of a number of papers either previously published or being published concurrently with the submission of the thesis or dissertation. Acceptance and publication of the articles are not criteria for this alternative. Each of the papers should constitute a separate chapter of the overall work. Preceding the papers should be an introductory section. This section may be one or more chapters but should include:
The student’s advisory committee should determine the format and specific content of this introductory section.
The number of individual papers constituting chapters of the thesis/dissertation is determined by the student’s advisory committee. These chapters may be formatted in the same style required by the journals to which they are to be submitted. However, the margins must conform to those of the overall thesis, i.e. left margin = 1.5"; right margin = 1"; top margin = 1"; bottom margin = 1.25". In addition, each page must be numbered consistent with the rest of the thesis/dissertation, that is, the first page of text is numbered 1 with each subsequent page numbered consecutively until the end, to include all appendices, indexes, etc.
Following the chapters consisting of individual papers, there must follow a summary, conclusions and recommendations section. This section may be formatted as one or more chapters.
Work reported in the articles should represent a major contribution by the student that is the review of the literature, the conceptual framework and/or research design for the reported work. The statistical analyses, summaries, conclusions, and recommendations should represent the student’s own work.
For publication purposes, other researchers may be named as additional authors. This would be especially appropriate when publication is dependent upon extensive revision of the initial manuscript submitted and the faculty involved assumes responsibility for the revisions, or when the student is using an existing database.
When a student chooses this option, the articles will be submitted to the journals agreed upon by the concerned academic unit. Responsibility for follow-up, revisions, etc., should be identified in a written document and agreed upon by the student and faculty member(s) involved.
Please be sure to read the above instructions before proceeding with documents.
Forms for filing a master's thesis Forms for filing a doctoral dissertation
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COMMENTS
How Long Is a PhD Thesis?
How long is a PhD dissertation? [Data by field]
guidelines-for-the-PhD-dissertation.pdf - HSPH.Harvard.edu
A minimum word length exists for PhD theses: 70,000 words (50,000 for MLitt theses) The word limit includes appendices and the contents page but excludes the abstract, acknowledgments, footnotes, references, notes on transliteration, bibliography, abbreviations and glossary. The Contents Page should be included in the word limit.
A Guide to Writing a PhD Thesis
Tips for writing a PhD dissertation: FAQs answered
How long is a dissertation?
How long is a Thesis or dissertation? [the data]
Length. Most dissertations are 100 to 300 pages in length. All dissertations should be divided into appropriate sections, and long dissertations may need chapters, main divisions, and subdivisions. ... The words "Dissertation Advisor:" followed by the advisor's name, left-justified (a maximum of two advisors is allowed) ... offering PhD ...
An undergraduate dissertation is typically 8,000-15,000 words. A master's dissertation is typically 12,000-50,000 words. A PhD thesis is typically book-length: 70,000-100,000 words. However, none of these are strict guidelines - your word count may be lower or higher than the numbers stated here. Always check the guidelines provided ...
Formatting Your Dissertation | The Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin ...
Thesis length | Te Here Tāura Rangahau / Faculty of ...
Word limits. PhD - not to exceed 100,000 words; MPhil - not to exceed 60,000 words; MD(Res) - not to exceed 50,000 words MPhilStud - not to exceed 30,000 words; Professional Doctorates - at least 25,000 words and not to exceed 55,000 words; Thesis word limit inclusions and exclusions The thesis word count includes everything from the start of chapter 1 up to the end of the last chapter.
80,000 words should equate to around 350 pages, depending on how many photographs, tables, and figures are included. When you submit your thesis, you must also submit a statement of length. This statement confirms your thesis doesn't exceed the word limit that has been set by your PhD committee. Read more.
Does the length of a PhD thesis matter?
Many dissertations are as long as a standard book. 900 pages is larger than most books. Reply reply More replies. 3.2K votes, 760 comments. 21M subscribers in the dataisbeautiful community. DataIsBeautiful is for visualizations that effectively convey….
Length of thesis. A thesis is intended, among other things, to demonstrate a candidate's capacity to report on the research in a clear and succinct manner. It is recognised that the length of a thesis may vary according to the topic and the discipline (e.g., a PhD thesis is normally between 70,000 - 80,000 words).
What is the word limit for a PhD thesis? You should aim to write a thesis of 80,000 words. The word limit is exclusive of words in tables, maps, bibliographies and appendices. Footnotes are included as part of the word limit. If you need to exceed 100,000 words, you must submit a request to the Chair of the Higher Degrees Research Comittee via ...
Following are key points from those chapters. And following those summaries are some other considerations about structure. Chapter 3: In a typical big book dissertation of 80,000 words, you will have roughly 8 chapters of 10,000 words each. The opening or "lead in" material (one-to two chapters) sets up the core material so it can be ...
In summary, even if my thesis had nothing but 3 published/publishable manuscripts, it would already be >150 pages. I recognise that PhD theses vary in length; however in general theses have a substantially higher word count than a research publication. Number of papers as a marker of progress is annoying too.
not more than 60,000 words for the MPhil degree and 100,000 words for the PhD degree. In both cases this length relates to the main body of the thesis only, ie, it includes references, and footnotes but excludes the bibliography, table of contents , abstract, acknowledgements and any appendices. In summary (MPhil 60,000/PhD 100,000) Main body ...
Writing my thesis | University of Melbourne
Students who have enrolled in dissertation or thesis credits will prepare a manuscript to publish through ProQuest/UMI Dissertation Publishing. You own and retain the copyright to your manuscript. The Graduate School collects the manuscript via electronic submissions only. All manuscripts are made ...
What is the minimum number of words for your thesis ...