outcome thesis examination

Adelaide Graduate Research School

Thesis Examination

After you submit your thesis, please make sure you are across the examination process below and complete the final steps to finishing your degree.

The examination

Detailed information on how the examination will be conducted is in the  ’Examination’ section of the   Research Student Handbook (please see the examination chapter). Your thesis will be sent electronically to 2 examiners who will be asked to submit their reports within 8 weeks.

How long will my thesis examination take?

We ask examiners to complete the examination and provide their reports to the Adelaide Graduate Research School within eight weeks from their receipt of the thesis.  To expedite the examination process, the Adelaide Graduate Research School reminds examiners if their reports have not been received by the due date and follows up with additional reminders where necessary. In practice, it takes an average of three months before you will receive notification of the outcome of your examination.

Why may my thesis take longer than 3 months to examine?

There are a couple of key reasons why an examination can take longer than usual.

Firstly, examiners are busy people and sometimes they have commitments or circumstances which necessitate them requesting an extension of time to complete their assessment. On rare occasions, an examiner may even need to withdraw from an examination due to ill health or other personal circumstances.  Where a situation like this arises, the Adelaide Graduate Research School will consult with your supervisor to agree on the most expedient way to move the examination forward (e.g. agree to the extension request or appoint a new examiner).

Secondly, time can be added to the examination process where the examiners make discrepant recommendations on the outcome of a thesis examination, e.g. one examiner recommends that the degree be awarded (with or without amendments), whilst the second examiner recommends that the thesis is revised and resubmitted, or failed. In such cases, the University will normally appoint a third independent examiner. Where this happens, the length of the examination process may be significantly increased.

Please be aware that while the Adelaide Graduate Research School works to ensure that examinations are completed as quickly as possible, some things are outside of our control and so we cannot guarantee that you will receive an outcome by a specified date.  We do appreciate that waiting for an examination result can be a nerve-wracking and frustrating time for students. We look forward to hearing about your successful outcomes too!

Your examination outcome

If you are not completing an oral examination.

You will receive an email advising of the outcome of your examination along with copies of the reports from your examiners. The email contains advice on the examiners’ recommendation and what steps you need to take to complete the requirements and be qualified for your degree.

Descriptions of the recommendations that examiners can make and how an outcome is determined can be found in the  ’Examination’ section of the   Research Student Handbook .

If you are completing an oral examination

You will receive an email with copies of the reports from the examiners and advice on when your oral examination will occur and who the Chair will be.  Further information on the oral examination and how that will proceed can be found on the oral examination webpage .

After you receive your outcome email

Your outcome email will detail what you need to do. You will need to submit the following to the Adelaide Graduate Research School:

The Australian Higher Education Graduate Statement (AHEGS) is a formal document describing the University of Adelaide and your degree requirements.  A 100 word description of your research must be submitted on a special template for inclusion in the AHEGS. Once you have completed your 100 words on the template you should email it to your principal supervisor and request their approval by return email.  Once you have your principal supervisor’s approval send that email, along with the approved AHEGS template to the Adelaide Graduate Research School.  This should be done at the time of your thesis submission, or at the latest, before your final thesis is submitted after it has been examined. Your AHEGS statement is required before you can be qualified and be eligible for the conferral of your degree.

Download the AHEGS template

Exit survey

The Adelaide Graduate Research School is interested to learn of your experiences during your candidature with a view to improving the experiences of current and future students. Answers to the questions in the exit survey are anonymised and aggregated so that your answers cannot be attributed to you. Please complete the exit survey, preferably just before submitting your thesis for examination, or at the latest, before your final thesis is submitted after it has been examined.  A completed exit survey is required before you can be qualified and be eligible for the conferral of your degree.

Complete the exit survey

Your final thesis

You will need to consult with your supervisors regarding the content of the examiners’ reports and make any required changes. The final approved version of your thesis should then be submitted to the Adelaide Graduate Research School along with a Final Thesis Lodgement form.

Download the final thesis lodgement form

When you submit your thesis you will be advised of several important deadlines for conferral of your degree and graduating. It is important that you check MyAdelaide to ensure that you have applied to graduate by the dates indicated on the Graduations website . Information is available in the ‘Graduation’ section of the Research Students Handbook . All queries regarding graduation ceremonies and academic transcripts should be directed to the Graduations Office , not the Adelaide Graduate Research School.

• Thesis submission and examination

Thesis examination and outcomes

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Postgraduate Education in Higher Education pp 359–374 Cite as

Examination of Doctoral Theses: Research About the Process and Proposed Procedures

• Ronel Erwee 7 &
• Chad Perry 7 , 8  
• Reference work entry
• First Online: 12 June 2018

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Part of the book series: University Development and Administration ((UDAA))

Despite some standard thesis examination guidelines having been established by institutions, examination of theses by individual examiners was known in the 1990s and early 2000s to be an irregular and idiosyncratic process that could delay completion of candidature. This chapter reviews research that established this disappointing position about issues in the examination process and what happened a decade after this initial situation. It then proposes some standard procedures to make sound thesis examination procedures for institutions and examiners. These procedures cover many issues that affect the thesis examination process like the definition of a degree, selection of examiners, criteria to evaluate the contribution of the research, and proposals for future policies and practices.

• Doctoral thesis examination
• Examiner selection
• Guidelines for doctoral examiners
• Doctoral examination policies

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School of Management and Enterprise, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia

Ronel Erwee & Chad Perry

Australian Institute of Business, Adelaide, SA, Australia

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Ronel Erwee

Open Access College, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia

Meredith A. Harmes

Marcus K. Harmes

School of Linguistics, Adult and Specialist Education, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia

Patrick Alan Danaher

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Erwee, R., Perry, C. (2018). Examination of Doctoral Theses: Research About the Process and Proposed Procedures. In: Erwee, R., Harmes, M., Harmes, M., Danaher, P. (eds) Postgraduate Education in Higher Education. University Development and Administration. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5249-1_4

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• You are currently on: Doctoral examination process

Doctoral examination process

A step-by-step outline of the examination process for PhD and named doctorate candidates.

The examination process can be a time of great stress. This page aims to relieve that stress by giving you, as a doctoral candidate, an idea of what to expect.

Examination process overview

A successful examination usually follows the following basic steps:

• Intention to submit notification
• Initial thesis submission
• Thesis examination
• Oral examination
• Outcome and final submission

The Doctor or Fine Arts examination process is a little different: the oral examination takes place before the thesis examination and at the same time as the performance or exhibition. Find out more by reading the regulations at Doctor of Fine Art Examination Procedures .

Timeline and updates

The examination process runs from initial submission to final submission. The process generally takes up to 6 months, though it may be longer in some cases. Your examination will be managed by a dedicated Examinations team at the School of Graduate Studies.

Candidates on Wahapū will receive regular automatic updates at key stages of the process, and will be able to log into the system at any time to check the progress of the examination.

Important documents

It's a good idea to familiarise yourself with the following important documents (or the appropriate documentation for your programme of study/Statute) before the examination process begins:

• Doctoral Examination Procedures
• Doctoral Thesis Examination - Pre-Examination Procedures
• Doctoral Oral Examination Process
• Doctoral Thesis Examination - Post-Examination Procedures
• PhD Statute / Regulations for Named Doctorates

Stage one: Intention to submit

Preparations for your examination begin when you notify the School of Graduate that you are preparing to submit your thesis via an Intention to Submit. This nudges your supervisors to begin the process of appointing your examiners. It must be done at least three months in advance of your proposed submission date to ensure that your examiners are in place before you submit your thesis.

If your examiners are not in place, there will be a delay to your examination process.

Find out more at Intention to submit doctoral thesis .

Stage two: Initial thesis submission

Once your thesis is fully up-to-date and you have prepared the required forms and/or additional material, you can make your initial submission online via Wahapū (or in person if completing the process manually).

Your enrolment at the University ends when you make your initial submission, but you will continue to have access to the library and the University's IT services.

International candidates who plan to stay in New Zealand after they have submitted their thesis are eligible to apply for a Post Study Work Visa. Learn more at  Post Study Work Visas for international doctoral candidates.

Stage three: Thesis examination

Once the School of Graduate Studies has accepted your thesis it will be made available to your examiners if they are in place. If they are not in place, the examiner nomination and approval process may cause a delay to your examination.

The timeline for returning the examiner reports is 6 weeks, but it is common for thesis examinations to take longer than this. All examiners are followed up regularly until the reports are submitted.

Stage four: Thesis examination recommendation

You will be informed via email once your thesis examination recommendation has been confirmed.

Possible recommendations are:

• Proceed to oral (with or without revisions)
• Minor corrections or resubmission of the Portfolio of Clinical Research (DClinPsy only)

Revise and resubmit

Award another degree, stage five: oral examination.

When the School of Graduate Studies approves a ‘Proceed to oral’ recommendation, the Examinations team will begin organising your oral exam. You will be asked to provide your oral examination preferences, such as dates and invitees. Once you have done this, you will be able to access the examiner reports via your Wahapū Examination record.

Once your exam has been organised, you will receive an email notification with all the details. 

For more information about the oral examination, please see the Doctoral Oral Examination Procedures .

Stage six: Outcome advised

The School of Graduate Studies will advise you of the official outcome of your oral examination by email once it is approved. Any prior indication of the outcome is not official until approved by the Board of Graduate Studies (or delegate).

The possible outcomes are:

Stage seven: Final submission

You can make your final submission only once you have been directed to do so by the School of Graduate Studies.

Final submission occurs after you have:

• Completed your oral examination; and
• Received an email from the School of Graduate Studies informing you of the result of your degree and directing you to make your final submission; and
• Satisfactorily completed any required corrections or revisions to your thesis (if relevant)

Read more about the requirements for your final thesis submission on AskAuckland, here: Final thesis submission.

Other outcomes

A Revisions outcome means that your thesis will meet the required standard once the specified minor changes have been made. A list of revisions required may be provided by a member of the examination committee (usually the AH Nominee). You will not be re enrolled but will be given a time limit in which you are required to complete the revisions.

A Revise and resubmit outcome means that your work is not yet at the required standard for your degree, but that the Examiners and/or Examination Committee believe that you will reach the required standard with a little more time. You will meet with members of your Examination Committee to discuss the required revisions and will be provided with a report to guide you.

You will be re-enrolled in your programme for the requisite number of months and will be liable for all fees for this period.

When you come to resubmit your thesis, you must create a new examination record in Wahapū. The process starts at the Initial thesis submission stage.

This outcome means that your work does not meet the standard required for your programme, but instead makes you eligible for an alternative award.

You will be offered the opportunity to graduate and be awarded the specified degree. This will be organised within your faculty or LSRI.

This outcome means that your work does not meet the standard required for an award. You will not be offered the opportunity to graduate and will be awarded no degree.

Related links

• School of Graduate Studies
• Examinations
• Doctoral forms

• Oxford Thesis Collection
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A study of the PhD examination: process, attributes and outcomes

The idiographic nature of the PhD examination raises challenges for assessment in higher education. While the examination follows different processes internationally, the submission and evaluation of a thesis or dissertation that demonstrates originality is common to all. In many countries, this is complemented by a viva (oral examination), which in the UK is held in private. The confidentiality of the viva contributes to examiners’ judgements being considered highly individual, especially...

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