Thesis Preparation

The academic program rules and specifications for thesis outline the requirements for what needs to be included in your thesis and how it should be formatted. It is important to familiarise yourself with the requirements.

During 2020 and in some cases extending into 2021, the work of many PhD and MPhil candidates has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.  The effect on individual candidates has varied considerably, ranging from negligible to significant compromises to the scope of research, extent of experimentation and/or validation that could be completed.  While the University has extended the length of candidature for many candidates, to help compensate for any such effects, there remain many cases in which this has not fully compensated for the impact of the pandemic on the research undertaken.

Any candidate whose work has been compromised in this manner is advised to explain the nature and extent of those effects within their theses, to assist examiners to understand the context of their work and any limitations imposed that were beyond their control. However, the University’s expectation is that theses and creative works submitted for examination will nevertheless meet the standard required for qualification for the degree in that it:

1. displays original and critical thought;
2. is a significant contribution to knowledge;
3. relates the topic of research to the broader framework of the Discipline within which it falls; and
4. is clearly, accurately and cogently written and suitably illustrated and documented.

The declaration page for your thesis needs to include specific text. On occasion this text is updated so it is important that you ensure that the most recent version is used in your thesis.

All students are encouraged to publish their research during candidature. Publications both give you an advantage for future employment, and show your examiners that your research has been accepted through a peer review process already. It is very important that you read the guidelines for including publications and associated FAQs to ensure that you are including a publication appropriately, review possible format options and example theses that include publications, and consult with your supervisor regarding the structure of your thesis. You will also need the Statement of Authorship form for all publications you include. You can view an example statement of authorship.

Of course you are not required to include publications in your thesis, you can choose to submit a conventional thesis, a combination thesis with some publications and work written specifically for the thesis, or a thesis with a major work. Descriptions of the different thesis types are in the 'Thesis' section of the Research Student Handbook.

See further information on how to format your thesis when including publications, including example thesis formats.

Note that the Statement of Authorship is a different requirement and process to the Authorship declaration.  The Authorship declaration is used to ensure that all authors provide consent for publication to comply with the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research whereas the Statement of Authorship is for authors to provide consent for the inclusion of the publication in your thesis and allow your examiners to have an understanding of your contribution.

If needed, the register of external editors is a list of professional editors that have been recommended by University of Adelaide academic staff, or who have been accredited by the Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd). Editors must comply with the guidelines for the editing of research theses by professional editors and the Australian standards for editing practice.

The University has a zero tolerance policy for plagiarism amongst researchers and research students. It is important to ensure that you have appropriately acknowledged sources and ownership of materials that you are including in your thesis. It is strongly encouraged that you review your thesis using iThenticate to ensure that you have not inadvertently included unacknowledged text

As part of approving the submission of your thesis your supervisor will need to confirm that they have reviewed it using iThenticate to ensure that it is your work.  Instructions on how to activate and use iThenticate are available. Find out more in the 'Conduct of Research' section of the Research Student Handbook.

The Guidelines for use of generative AI tools in the preparation of Research Outputs by Higher Degree by Research Students will assist you in understanding the University’s expectations for the use of these tools in the preparation of research outputs related to the Higher Degree by Research (HDR) program, including your thesis.

Information Technology and Digital Services provide online courses through MyUni on how to effectively use Word and other programs which can assist in creating your thesis.

You are required to submit a single PDF file to the Adelaide Graduate Research School for examination. Multiple files will only be accepted in exceptional cases and where creative works are being submitted, ie: an exegesis and novel or exegesis and music compositions.