Preparation of Graduate Research Theses Rules

Materials required for submission of the thesis or compilation

1.1 Candidates must provide the following materials on submission of their thesis or compilation for examination:

(a) where multi-authored papers have been submitted as part of the thesis or compilation, agreement by all co-authors that the paper may be included in the thesis, in the format required by the Academic Registrar; and

(b) an electronic version of the thesis or compilation, prepared in accordance with these rules.

1.2 The Academic Registrar may accept or request hard copy theses for examination.

1.3 Hard copy theses submitted for examination are only returned to the student if a request for their return was made at the time of submission or if their return is a requirement of a confidentiality agreement signed by the examiners.

1.4 Each electronic copy of the thesis or compilation must:

(a) be in a single clearly named file;

(b) be printable on international standard paper size A4 paper (297mm x210mm);

(d) have logically numbered pages; and

(e) In the absence of any specific expectations or restrictions, any additional formatting is at the candidate’s discretion.

1.5 If required, each hard copy of the thesis or compilation must:

(a) be thermal bound and have sturdy front and back covers;

(b) have the candidate’s name clearly marked on the spine, with the family name in capital letters;

(d) have left and right margins of at least 3cm;

(e) have logically numbered pages;

(f) any folding diagrams and charts should be arranged to open out to the top and right; and

(g) In the absence of any specific expectations or restrictions, any additional formatting is at the candidate’s discretion.

1.6 The University of Melbourne logo is not permitted to be used in the thesis or compilation.

Thesis format

1.7 The thesis must be presented in the following order:

(a) title page, which must include the following information in the following order:
(i) the title of the thesis;
(ii) the full name of the author (as it appears in the student record);
(iii) the ORCID identifier of the author;
(iv) the degree for which the thesis is being submitted;
(v) month and year of submission;
(vi) month and year of re-submission (if resubmission is required)
(vii) the names of the departments/schools or faculties in which the research was carried out; then
(viii) a statement of whether the thesis is being submitted in partial or total fulfilment of the degree, and whether the degree is being completed under a jointly awarded degree.

(b) an English language summary of the thesis, where approval was granted for the thesis to be written in a language other than English. The summary should include an introduction, chapter outline and conclusion. It should be 5000 – 10000 words in length for a Doctoral Degree (Research) and 2500 –5000 for a Master Degree (Research);

(c) an abstract of 300 – 500 words in length. If the thesis contains creative works the abstract must include a description of the form and presentation of the creative work;

(d) declaration page which must be signed on submission for examination by the candidate and contain declarations that:
(i) the thesis comprises only their original work towards the <name of the award> except where indicated in the preface;
(ii) due acknowledgement has been made in the text to all other material used; and
(iii) the thesis is fewer than the maximum word limit in length, exclusive of tables, maps, bibliographies and appendices or that the thesis is [number of words] as approved by the Higher Degrees by Research Committee.

(e) preface, if applicable. Where applicable, the following information must be included in a preface:
(i) a description of work towards the thesis that was carried out in collaboration with others, indicating the nature and proportion of the contribution of others and in general terms the portions of the work which the student claims as original;
(ii) a description of work towards the thesis that has been submitted for other qualifications;
(iii) a description of work towards the thesis that was carried out prior to enrolment in the degree;
(iv) whether any third party editorial assistance was provided in preparation of the thesis and whether the persons providing this assistance are knowledgeable in the academic discipline of the thesis;
(v) the contributions of all persons involved in any multi-authored publications or articles in preparation included in the thesis;
(vi) the publication status of all chapters presented in article format using the descriptors below;

Unpublished material not submitted for publication
Submitted for publication to [publication name] on[date]
In revision following peer review by [publication name]
Accepted for publication by [publication name] on[date]
Published by [publication name] on[date]

(vii) an acknowledgement of all sources of funding, including grant identification numbers where applicable and Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarships, including fee offset scholarships.

(f) acknowledgments;

(g) table of contents;

(h) list of tables, figures and illustrations where more than 10 such items are included in the thesis;

(i) list of all third party copyright material included in the thesis and whether permissions have been obtained to include this content in the open access version of the thesis;

(j) main text, divided into chapters as appropriate;

(k) bibliography or list of references;

(l) creative works, if applicable, which may be submitted in electronic format. The following forms of creative works are required:
(i) a good quality recording of a performance of dance, drama, music;
(ii) a folio of a good quality recording of a performance and the accompanying musical score for a degree in music composition;
(iii) good quality photographic reproduction or recording of exhibited visual art works.

(m) appendices, if applicable. Appendices must be limited to supporting material genuinely subsidiary to the main argument of the thesis and may include e-prints of journal articles, published creative writing and catalogues and documentation of public performances or exhibited work.

1.8 If the thesis contains accepted or published articles either as a chapter, or in the appendix of the thesis, the author-accepted version of the manuscript should be used.

Format of the compilation

1.9 The compilation must be presented in the following order:

(a) title page as described at 1.7 (a);

(b) preface as described at 1.7 (e);

(d) literature review, that encompasses the historical and current literature;

(e) published papers;

(f) a durable record of any creative works;

(g) general discussion;

(h) summary.

Final copy of the thesis or compilation

1.10 Once a final result of ‘pass’ has been recommended, the candidate must provide an electronic copy of the thesis or compilation for inclusion in the University of Melbourne Library. The final copy must incorporate any necessary amendments or revisions required by the examiners.

1.11 The electronic copy must be prepared in accordance with the University of Melbourne Electronic Repository guidelines.

1.12 The declaration page of the thesis or compilation should not contain a copy of the student’s signature in this publicly accessible document.

Publication authorised by the Academic Secretary, 02 May 2022