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
• 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 completed the HDR Thesis Examination (HTE) request via my.UQ, which is used to formally nominate examiners. This will be sent to your Principal Advisor after Progress Review 3, and must be endorsed by the Chair and Director of HDR before it comes to you to endorse.

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 the reports are with the examiners, they are given 5 weeks to review a PhD thesis (4 weeks for MPhil), but often take a little longer. If your examiners have had your thesis for more than 8 weeks, the Graduate School may give your Principal Advisor permission to reach out to the delayed examiner.