Thesis submission and assessment

Your exam team will typically consist of two examiners - one internal, one external - that need to be nominated to your faculty for approval.

The approval process requires your supervision team to complete the appointment of research degree examiners (ARDE) form which is then submitted to your faculty-based postgraduate research (PGR) admin staff.

It is advisable to submit the ARDE form as early as possible to allow faculty approval to take place (and for any queries or concerns with the nominations to be addressed).

Since this is a process managed outside of the BCCS you should update the BCCS Manager with significant developments (e.g. when the arrangements are approved).

Format

Your thesis will need to meet the formatting criteria outlines in Annex 4 of the regulations and code of practice for research degrees.

Some aspects of formatting may relate to academic customs within your area of research (e.g. referencing) and may best be directed towards your supervision team.

Plagiarism

The University has a responsibility to check your thesis for evidence of plagiarism. The procedure and review process is outlined in Annex 8 of the regulations and code of practice for research degrees.

You should be aware that you have several practice opportunities to submit your work using the detection software (via TurnItIn) hosted on Blackboard.

You can access the reports yourself to address any omissions or mistakes, or discuss other issues with your supervision team before the final electronic (and printed) submission.

Final submission

You will need to submit two paper copies of your thesis in ‘temporary binding’ (e.g. with a glue or spiral binding) to the Exams Office located in Senate House (second floor).

You also need to submit an electronic copy using the process mentioned above in Annex 8 (i.e. checking for plagiarism via Blackboard).

You should also contact the BCCS Manager to confirm when your thesis has been submitted.

Your viva date, time and location will be arranged with you in discussion with your examiners (and possibly supervision team).

The viva takes place at least 6 weeks following your submission to allow the examiners sufficient time to receive and read over your thesis and to report back comments to the University.

Practical arrangements (examiner accommodation, fees, room-booking, catering, etc.) are managed by your registered faculty-based postgraduate research (PGR) admin staff.

Faculty practices may vary so you should check the faculty-specific guidance for postgraduates as well as sectoin 9.4 of the regulations and code of practice for research degrees for further information.

A common concern for PhD researchers towards the point of submission is trying to ascertain which Exam Board might confirm their exam results and which graduation they will be able to attend.

There isn't an easy answer since this will depend on many factors including the time taken to complete any corrections and the speed at which examiners can report back to the University, which is often outside of our control. 

You can find out when each Research Degrees Exam Board will meet and the deadlines for accepting paperwork (i.e. exam reports) for consideration.

These deadlines will allow you/your supervision team to plan ahead (as best you can) to conduct a viva well enough in advance to allow for the timely completion of potential corrections and for examiners to report back, and from this when you should aim to submit (and so when to complete administrative requirements to start the whole process).