1. Thesis preparation

The best way to understand the requirements for a successful thesis is to study some examples of recently written theses in your own discipline. The Library website has instructions for finding UQ theses. You can search by keyword, school and year.

You can also search for the theses written by recent recipients of the Dean's Award for Outstanding Higher Degree Theses. These are theses that received commendations from their examiners.

The following pages provide further guidance on preparing your thesis up to the point of examination. To learn more about submitting your thesis, examination outcomes and when you can call yourself ‘doctor’, refer to our Thesis Submission, Thesis Examination and Award of Degree guides.

How to support your examination process

• Discuss potential examiners at Progress Review 3 with your advisory team and Progress Review Panel
• Discuss your intended thesis submission date with your advisory team. Your HDR dashboard will provide you with a submission due date. Submission on or around this date will help ensure a timely thesis examination.
• Ensure your Principal Advisor (PA) reaches out to potential examiners to confirm they are happy to examine and are aware of when you will submit.
• Check that your advisor has nominated your examiners and a Chair of Examiners via their dashboard in the UQ Research Data Manager.. They will be asked to do this upon your attainment of Progress Review 3.

The thesis examination can be a long process, but if you have concerns about any steps stalling, you can reach out to us at the Graduate School with your questions.

Be mindful that once your thesis is with the examiners, they are given 6 weeks to review a PhD thesis (4 weeks for MPhil), but it may take longer. If your examiners have had your thesis for more than 8 weeks, the Graduate School may ask your Principal Advisor to reach out to the delayed examiner.