Preparation of Graduate Research Theses Process

1. Overview

1.1. This process supports the Graduate Research Training Policy (MPF1321) by setting out how to prepare a graduate research thesis.

2. Purpose

2.1. The thesis is the final output of a candidate’s research. It may be either a dissertation embodying the result of original research, or a dissertation and creative output that together embody the results of original research.

3. Process

Materials required for thesis submission

3.1. On submission, candidates must provide:

• a) an electronic version of the thesis
• b) an originality report for the submitted thesis
• c) where co-authored publications are in the thesis, declarations are required from both the principal supervisor and coordinating author of the publication that they agree to the publication being incorporated into the thesis. These declarations must be provided in the format provided on the Graduate Research Hub.

3.2. The Pro Vice-Chancellor for graduate research may request printed copies of the thesis for examination.

3.3. Printed copies are only returned to the candidate if they made a request for their return at submission or if required under a confidentiality agreement.

3.4. The written components of the thesis must:

• a) be in a single clearly named file
• b) be printable on international standard paper size A4 paper (297mm x210mm)
• c) have left and right margins of at least 3cm, and
• d) have logically numbered pages.

3.5. If a printed version is required, each copy of the thesis must:

• a) be thermal bound and have sturdy front and back covers
• b) have the candidate’s legal name clearly marked on the spine, with the family name in capital letters
• c) be printed double-sided, and
• d) any folding diagrams and charts should be arranged to open out to the top and right.

3.6. The University of Melbourne logo is not to be used in the thesis.

3.7. The thesis, including the declaration page and any appendices should not contain signatures of the candidate or any other person.

Thesis format

3.8. Unless otherwise required under a joint PhD agreement, the thesis must be presented in the following order:

• a) a title page that follows the format shown in clause 3.9
• b) if the thesis is written in a language other than English, an English-language summary that includes an introduction, chapter outline and conclusion. It should be 5000–10,000 words long for a doctoral degree (research) and 2500–5000 for a masters degree (research). [Note, theses can only be written in another language if approved by the Pro Vice-Chancellor in early candidature]
• c) an abstract of 300–500 words. If the thesis contains creative outputs, the abstract must include a description of the form and presentation of those outputs
• d) a declaration page following the format shown in clause 3.10
• e) a preface, if applicable, that contains the information shown in clause 3.11
• f) an acknowledgement of all sources of funding, including grant identification numbers. If you are a recipient of an Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship, including RTP fee offset scholarship, you must include the following acknowledgement “This research was supported by the Commonwealth through an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship [DOI: doi.org/10.82133/C42F-K220].”
• g) other acknowledgments
• h) a table of contents
• i) a list of tables, figures, and other illustrative materials (note this is optional)
• j) a list of all third-party copyright material that requires permission for open-access publication. You will need to seek approval to include for each item listed and note this in the open-access version of your thesis
• k) the core thesis content, divided into chapters as appropriate. If the thesis contains a dissertation and creative outputs, they should be organised as an integrated whole or as mutually reinforcing parts of the thesis
• l) a bibliography (that is, list of references)
• m) appendices, if applicable.

3.9. The title page must include the following elements, in the order shown below:

• a) the title of the thesis (and the titles of the dissertation and creative outputs if they are different from the thesis as a whole)
• b) the full name of the author as it appears in the student record;
• c) the ORCID identifier of the author;
• d) the degree for which the thesis is being submitted
• e) month and year of submission
• f) month and year of resubmission (if resubmission is required)
• g) the names of the departments/schools or faculties in which the research was carried out, and
• h) the name of the jointly awarding institution (if the degree is jointly awarded).

3.10. The declaration page must contain declarations by the candidate that:

• a) the thesis comprises only their original work towards the except where indicated in the preface
• b) due acknowledgement has been made in the text to all other material used
• c) the thesis is no longer 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 Pro Vice-Chancellor for graduate research, and where relevant that
• d) the thesis comprises XX% dissertation and YY% creative outputs as agreed by the advisory committee at confirmation, where XX and YY total to 100.

3.11. The preface must contain:

• a) a detailed description of the contributions the candidate has made to any co-authored publications, draft publications, or publications in submission incorporated into the thesis, including components that the candidate regards as their sole work
• b) where a publication or part of a publication has been used, the place in the thesis where the content has been incorporated (e.g., text on page(s) xx is from [name of publication], or that chapter yy is adapted from [name of publication]). These publications or any draft publications and publications in submission should not be included in the bibliography of the thesis.
• c) a description of any work in the thesis that has been submitted for other qualifications
• d) a description of any work that was carried out prior to enrolment in the course
• e) a description of whether any digital editorial assistance or generative AI tools were used in preparing the thesis, and the extent of its use. The declaration is expected to be specific, detailed and exhaustive. Examples of such disclosures include:
  • i. Generative AI was used in this thesis to improve clarity and expression. Logs of use including dates and input text are available on request
  • ii. Generative AI was used to create diagrams xx, yy. The prompts and applications used for the generation of these diagrams are noted in the footnote of each image
  • iii. AI tools were used to generate the data visualisation shown in diagram xx. I have confirmed that the visualisations are an accurate reflection of the data. The tool used was yy on date zz.
• f) a description of whether any third-party human assistance was provided in preparing the thesis and whether these parties are knowledgeable in the academic discipline of the thesis. This declaration is expected to be specific, detailed, and exhaustive
• g) the citation and publication status of all publications incorporated into the thesis and appendices using these categories:
  • i. Unpublished material in preparation for publication but not yet submitted, including preprints
  • ii. Submitted for publication to [publication name] on [date]
  • iii. In revision following peer review by [publication name]
  • iv. Accepted for publication by [publication name] on [date]
  • v. Published by [publication name] on [date]

3.12. Ethics applications must not be included in the thesis or the appendices.

Creative outputs

3.13. Any creative outputs must be submitted in electronic format. The following forms of creative outputs are required:

• a) a good quality recording of a performance of dance, drama, music
• b) a folio of a good quality recording of a performance and the accompanying musical score for a degree in music composition
• c) good quality photographic reproduction or recording of exhibited visual art works
• d) a link to a live website or content hosted online. No alterations are permitted to the website or online content while the examination is in progress.

Publications incorporated into theses

3.14. Publications may be used in place of a thesis chapter and sections of a publication can be incorporated into a thesis if:

• a) the work was undertaken during candidature and the candidate made a substantial contribution to it in line with the Authorship Policy (MPF1181);
• b) the coordinating author and principal supervisor has consented to their inclusion and has declared that requirements in 3.8 a) have been met; and
• c) it is not subject to any obligations or contractual agreements with a third party that constrain its inclusion in the thesis.

3.15. If more than one candidate was a major co-author of a publication, all of the candidates who meet the criteria in clause 3.8 may incorporate the publication, or a section of the publication, in their respective theses.

3.16. If an included publication in the thesis is a literature review or survey paper, it must be supplemented by an analysis of any relevant work published since the review was written.

3.17. Where accepted or published manuscripts are incorporated into the thesis as complete publications:

• a) the publisher version should be included in the thesis, provided this does not breach the publisher agreement
• b) otherwise the author-accepted version of the manuscript must be used.

Appendices in the thesis

3.18. Material may only be included in the appendices if it supports the main argument of the thesis. Appendices may include peer reviewed material, reports, materials such as questionnaires or tabulations of data, published creative writing, catalogues, and documentation of public performances or exhibited work.

3.19. Where a section of a publication has been used in the thesis, it is recommended that the full version of the publication be included in the appendices.

Style of the thesis

3.20. Originally written material and the bibliography should follow the preferred style of the academic discipline.

Assistance in preparation of the thesis

3.21. Any editorial assistance provided in preparation of the thesis must meet the requirements for academic integrity, including complying with the Statement on research integrity and digital assistance tools.

3.22. Supervisors may only provide direct editorial intervention in accordance with the following sections of The Australian Standards for Editing Practice:

• a) Standard C: Substance and Structure
• b) Standard D: Language and Illustrations, and
• c) Standard E: Completeness and Consistency.

3.23. Assistance from other parties, including by use of digital tools, must be limited to editorial intervention in accordance with the following sections of The Australian Standards for Editing Practice:

• a) Standard D: Language and Illustrations, and
• b) Standard E: Completeness and Consistency.

3.24. Candidates must maintain a record of any digital assistance use, including the programs or applications used, dates and prompts. These records may be requested by supervisors, viva committee chairs, examiners and chairs of examiners.

Final copy of the thesis

3.25. Once a final result of Pass has been recommended, the candidate must provide a durable electronic copy of all components of the thesis for inclusion in the University of Melbourne repository. The final copy must incorporate any necessary amendments or revisions required by the examiners.

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

Thesis changes after completion

3.27. No part of the thesis may be modified once the chair of examiners has approved completion of the degree.

3.28. If potential serious errors are identified in the thesis, they must be referred to the Academic Registrar, who will consult with the PVC for Graduate Research as outlined in the Graduate Research Training Policy.

3.29. If a corrigendum or partial retraction is required, the author must provide the corrigendum or retraction statement using this template [PDF].

Preparation of Graduate Research Theses Process version 5.

Authorised by the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Graduate Research), 17 June 2026.

Version	Date	Change
1	1 January 2025
2	19 February 2025	Typographical errors at 3.21
3	11 June 2025	Text change at 3.8k, 3.11e and 3.11f
4	19 January 2026	Text change at 3.8f, 3.8i, and 3.8j
5	9 April 2026	Text change at 3.8b
6	17 June 2026	Clause added at 3.27; text change at 3.28 and 3.29