Submitting my thesis

Completion seminar

You must present your research findings at a public completion seminar in the six months prior to submission. If you originally presented a completion seminar more than six months prior to submission, another completion seminar must be held.

At least ten working days before the date of your seminar, please submit a Completion Seminar Form.  The form will ask you for an abstract of your thesis research of no more than 100 words.  This abstract will be used to facilitate publicity of your seminar.

The completion seminar is an important milestone of your candidature. During the seminar you should present the objectives, methods, findings and significance of your research.

This is your opportunity to receive constructive feedback from an expert audience before submission and it provides you with further experience in developing your arguments effectively. It confirms that you understand your research, and illustrates that you have the necessary skills in oral presentations and other research attributes expected of graduate researchers at the University.

Detailed information on completion seminar requirements is available in the Completion Seminar Process.

How to submit

Your thesis should be submitted electronically via the University's Thesis Examination System.

1. Prior to submission, or before your performance or exhibition of a creative component of your thesis, register your intention to submit by logging into the Thesis Examination System (TES). About two months before your submission is the ideal time for this. Your estimated submission date (or your thesis submission date) must not exceed your maximum submission date, ie your expected thesis submission date as listed on the Graduate Research Details page of my.unimelb.
   
   Registering your intention to submit begins the process of the selection of examiners.  You will need to provide a brief (80 words) overview of your research question, methods and results which will be sent to potential examiners.
   
   If you are submitting a thesis with creative outputs, include the weighting of the proportion of written dissertation and creative component/s. You will also be asked to enter your ORCID.


2. Log into TES to submit your thesis. The thesis version you submit should be the version reviewed by your supervisor. You will be asked the following:
   • Confirm that the thesis is your work.
   • Confirm that you have presented a completion seminar.
   • Upload a completed Declaration for publication incorporated in a thesis form, if your thesis contains publications.
   • Provide appropriate Field of Research codes for your research. The Fields of Research are recorded on your enrolment record and will display as discipline/s on academic transcripts and the AHEGS issued by the University once you graduate.
   • Select the type of public access to your final thesis in the University's digital repository, Minerva Access
   • Upload your iThenticate similarity report.  You may also choose to provide an accompanying declaration/explanation with your report.
   • Certify that your thesis conforms with relevant policies and procedures, including Graduate Research Training Policy, Preparation of Graduate Research Theses Process, and Management of Research Data and Records Policy
   • Upload your thesis as a single file (please ensure there are no commas and hashtags in the file name)

After you have submitted your thesis, notifications will be sent to your principal supervisor and Chair of Examiners to confirm that the thesis is ready for examination.

Once you have completed your examination and received a pass you must log in to TES and submit your final thesis and any supporting files. You may include a redacted version of your thesis (if the restriction of your final has been approved). You must enter your ORCID. If you do not have an ORCID, then create one and enter it in TES.

More information

• Read the FAQs on using the Thesis Examination System

Once you submit and your thesis is under examination, you remain a member of the University’s graduate research community. If your student card has expired, you can obtain a new student card from Stop 1 .

You can continue using University-wide facilities and services, such as counselling, careers, library and student services. Check with your local graduate research administrator to find out what faculty /department-based benefits are available to you.

Celebrating your submission

We know that submitting your thesis is a big achievement and we'd love to celebrate this with you at Stop1.

You can pre-book your thesis celebration and gift collection by following these steps:

1. Log into the Stop 1 booking system.
2. Book an appointment using the ‘Documents, Student cards and thesis celebration (Parkville)’ booking type.
3. Follow the instructions in the booking confirmation email before arriving on campus.

Alternatively, you can also access the digital celebration frame and submit a photo to thesis-submission@unimelb.edu.au if you cannot attend campus.

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Extension forms

• Application for an Extension to Submit Final Thesis
• Application for an Extension to Submit a Revised Thesis for Second Examination