Preparing and Submitting Your Thesis

When preparing your thesis you must ensure your have considered the details set out in the Guideline for Thesis Preparation and Submission

Your thesis can be presented in one of these three forms:

• A standard thesis;
• A thesis by creative works accompanied by an exegesis; or
• A thesis by compilation.

Referencing styles can differ in each discipline and you should discuss the appropriate referencing style with your supervisor prior to beginning your research.

Accepted referencing styles include:

• APA
• Chicago Author-Date
• Harvard
• Vancouver

If you intend to use a professional editor, you must do so in accordance with the Guideline for Professional Thesis Editing.

Nomination of Examiners

Approximately three months before the anticipated date of completion, two (2) thesis examining panel members should be nominated by the thesis committee.

The Nomination of Examiners Form needs to be submitted by Principal Supervisor via the GRS Perth online system for approval.

Examiners shall possess a Doctoral qualification with recognised standing in the field of study or be deemed by the Chair of Graduate Studies Committee to be of equivalent status. The Examiners should not have perceived or actual conflict of interest with the candidate, supervisory team and university. Please refer to the details in Guidelines for Conflict of Interest for Thesis Examination.

Thesis will only be accepted by the Examinations Office if the application of nomination of examiners has been received and approved.

Submitting Your Thesis Preparation

1. The Nomination of Examiners must be approved prior to submitting the thesis.
2. Ensure you have prepared a Title Page as per the required format.
3. Ensure your Declaration follows the title page.
4. If you are including publications in your thesis, ensure you have secured your co-author’s approval and have included relevant attribution statements.
5. Ensure your final thesis title is the same as that on your student record. If you change the final thesis title, you must submit the Variation to Candidacy Details Form to the Curtin Malaysia Graduate Studies for approval.
6. Obtain a Turnitin similarity report for your thesis (<30%). Please refer to this link for the details about Turnitin.
7. Initiate the Thesis submission via the thesis submission link
8. For more information, please refer to Perth’s HDR guideline and policies under the “Thesis submission” tab.

A thesis that contains material that may reasonably affect the security of persons, nations, industry or commerce may be declared confidential for a specified period of time. If there are some concerns about the content and confidentiality of a thesis, prior to its submission, the Director of Graduate Research/AD, R&D and Chair of CMGSC may recommend to the Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research Excellence, to consider whether the thesis should be declared confidential. When a thesis is declared confidential, the University cannot display, copy or circulate the thesis during the period of confidentiality.

If your research is being funded by or using the resources of an external organisation, they may wish to enter into a confidentiality arrangement with the University. In these circumstances, the sponsor and the University will negotiate mutually agreed confidentiality arrangements prior to the commencement of the study.

On the request of the Director of Graduate Research and Chair of CMGSC, thesis examiners can be required to sign a confidentiality agreement. This will usually occur because of security concerns or commercial arrangements.

Once you have fully complied with the requirements for submission of thesis, the Thesis Examinations Officer will amend your enrolment status to Under Examination, which is the status you hold following submission of the thesis and prior to the University Graduate Studies Committee determining the thesis classification.  When Under Examination, you won’t incur any fees. If you are a scholarship recipient, your scholarship will cease.

Fees calculated are pro-rata, up to the date of final submission of thesis.

PhD students shall be enrolled for a maximum period of four (4) years of equivalent full-time study or a maximum period of eight (8) years equivalent part-time and MPhil students shall be enrolled for a maximum period of two (2) years of equivalent of full-time-study or a maximum period of four (4) years of part-time study. The time limits shall be adjusted for approval period periods of Leave of Absence and include any enrolment in a research degree.

For students who require more time to submit their thesis for examination, they must complete Request for Extension of Time to Submit Thesis Form and submit it for an approval to CMGS.

Approximately three months before the anticipated date of completion, as nominated by the thesis committee and approved by Faculty’s Associate Dean of R&D, the Curtin Malaysia Graduate Studies Committee will appoint your examiners.

The names of your examiners must be kept confidential and only the thesis chair and Bentley’s GRS may communicate with them during the examination process. Examiners may request that their names be kept confidential indefinitely.

Timeframe

The timeframe for the examination process varies and is largely determined by the length of time it takes the examiners to submit their reports. Normally you should expect to be advised of the examiners’ responses within three months of the date of submission.

Examination Process

The examiners review the thesis in terms of your understanding of the field of study, your ability to conceive, plan and conduct a program of research, the originality of your work and the significance of the contribution you have made to that field. Generally, a thesis should also be excellent in its standard of presentation, English expression, grammar, etc., and contain a substantial amount of material that you (and usually your supervisor) have published or is suitable for publication in a refereed journal. The examiners are also required to assess the thesis in relation to your stated thesis objectives. Examiners then submit an independent written report on your thesis to the Graduate Research School.

The examiners’ reports are then forwarded to your Thesis Chair, who assesses the reports to determine whether they are in substantial agreement. This determination must take into account the content and context of the reports (i.e. qualitative assessment of the reports) as well as the overall classification (i.e. quantitative assessment of the reports). The Thesis Chair will either find that there is (1) substantial agreement among the examiners, or, in the event of (2) no clear weight of opinion, will recommend the appointment of an Adjudicator.

Substantial agreement

If the Thesis Chair finds there is a clear weight of opinion, they will recommend to the University Graduate Studies Committee via CMGS

• No amendments
  If the examiners have pointed out minor typographical errors, these must be corrected.
• Minor amendments
  If minor textual and/or structural amendments are required, the Thesis Chair will advise you in writing of the specific requirements. You should complete these in as short a time as possible to the satisfaction of the Thesis Chair.
• Substantive amendments
  If revision of specific sections of the thesis is required, the Thesis Chair will advise you in writing of the specific requirements. These must be done to the satisfaction of the Thesis Chair.
• Re-examination
  After considering the examiners reports, your Thesis Chair will advise you in writing that you are required to revise your thesis for re-examination. The maximum time allowed to undertake the revision is twelve months. Once your revisions have been completed, you should provide the Thesis Chair with a copy of the revised version, together with a statement that clearly sets out how you have responded to the examiners’ and Thesis Chair’s comments, and a Turnitin similarity report for your revised thesis. You will then submit your revised thesis and statement addressing the examiner/s recommendation .
• Fail
  If your thesis is recommended as failed by the examiners, you are entitled to appeal against this decision on the following grounds: (i) procedural irregularities or conduct in the examination of the thesis; or (ii) documentable evidence of prejudice or bias on the part of one or more examiners.

No clear weight of opinion

Where the recommendations of the examiners do not allow determination of a result based on a clear weight of opinion, the Thesis Chair, having discussed the reports with the supervisors, shall recommend the appointment of an Adjudicator who shall adjudicate between the examiners’ disparate reports on the basis of the thesis presented (in original form, or as re-examined).

In consideration of a thesis which has not been previously re-examined and with due reference to the examiners’ reports, the Adjudicator shall recommend: A, B1/B2, C or Fail.

In consideration of a thesis which has been re-examined, the Adjudicator shall recommend Pass or Fail.

After the external examination is completed, ROC.GRS will compile the examiners’ reports and forward them to your Thesis Chair. The Chair will then share these reports with you so that you can address the examiners’ comments and suggestions.

For students who are required to amend or resubmit their thesis for re-examination, they have 6 months to amend their thesis (for students who have received a pass outcome) and 12 months (for students whose thesis is required to be re-examined).

If they require an extension, then they must complete this Request for Extension of Time to Submit/Resubmit Thesis form (PART B).

Should an extension not be granted by the CMGS Committee, the process of cancelling a student’s enrolment shall commerce.

Please liaise with CMGS Admin Officer at GradSchool@curtin.edu.my for permanent thesis binding arrangements.

When the Dean of Graduate School has classified your thesis as passed, your name will be placed on the graduation list for conferral of the Award by the University Council.

The Graduations Office will notify you via OASIS on how to register to attend a graduation ceremony, or be sent the Award by registered mail.