1. Thesis preparation

It's essential to carefully proofread your thesis before submission.

You may employ a professional editor to assist you with the task of proofreading. The links below from the Institute of Professional Editors provide information about thesis editing:

• Australian standards for editing practice
• Guidelines for editing research theses.

You can also use the UQ Union's Proof Reader List.

Writing in a language other than English

The body of your thesis must be written in English, except where you have permission from the Dean of the Graduate School to write your thesis in a language other than English.

Discuss writing your thesis in a language other than English with your advisory team as early as possible and seek permission from the Dean of the Graduate School at graduateschool@uq.edu.au.

In considering a request, the Dean will take into account:

• your research topic
• the extent to which this topic is associated with the nominated language
• the University’s capacity to provide linguistic expertise on your advisory team
• the availability of expert examiners who can read the thesis in the nominated language, and
• whether writing in English would compromise the argument of your thesis.

We may ask you to prepare a confirmation document in the nominated language to determine the quality of your academic writing in that language. A lack of English language proficiency is not an appropriate reason for seeking to write a thesis in a language other than English.

If you are given approval to write your thesis in a language other than English, you will still have to:

• meet the University's English language proficiency admission requirements
• work in an English-language environment
• speak with university colleagues in English
• write an English language abstract (as well as a language other than English abstract)
• complete progress reports and other documents in English.