Examination overview

Length of examination

The University aims to obtain a thesis examination outcome in three months, however the length of an examination is dependent on a number of factors:

• Whether the submission of the ‘Notice of Intention to Submit’ form is submitted two months prior the submission of the thesis, thereby ensuring the timely nomination of examiners
• The time taken by the examiners to report, and
• Whether the appointment of additional examiner/s is required.

The University has in place procedures to limit delays in the examination procedure. When Examiners fail to meet deadlines, the Thesis Examinations Office will contact them. In some cases, Examiners can be replaced.

Thesis to be examined confidentially

Except for scheduled contact that may be required between candidate and examiners as part of an examination including an exhibition, performance or professional practice component, during the examination period:

• Supervisors and/or candidates must not knowingly communicate directly with an examiner about the research, the thesis or the process of examination;
• Examiners must not knowingly communicate about the research, the thesis or the process of examination with the supervisory team, candidate or other examiners;
• Examiners must not knowingly disclose the content of a thesis to an external party; and
• Examiners are able to ask for clarification regarding a query related to the thesis through the Griffith Graduate Research School.

There are theses where a greater level of legal protection is required either by the candidate or a third party, such as a funding agency or commercial partner, because the thesis contains material that may be commercial-in-confidence, may give rise to a patent, or may be legally or culturally sensitive. In these cases, a formal deed of confidentiality agreement will be prepared for examiners to sign.

Dispatch of thesis to the examiners

Normally a candidate would have already submitted their ‘Notice of Intention to Submit Thesis’ form two months prior to submission date and the nomination for the examining panel should already be approved. A candidate’s principal supervisors are expected to nominate the examining panel on or before submission of the candidate’s thesis. Should the candidate’s nomination of examiners be finalised before submission of their thesis, their thesis will normally be sent to the examiners as soon as possible and they will be notified by email when this has occurred.

* It is likely that theses submitted closer to the Christmas period will not be processed until January, the following year.

The identities of members of the examining panel are confidential and will only be revealed to the candidate after the conferral of their degree.

Examiners reports

Examiners are asked to report within 6 weeks of receipt of a Doctoral or Master of Philosophy thesis; or 4 weeks in the case of a Master by Research thesis. The Thesis Examinations Office have a follow-up system in place to monitor timelines. Follow-up is initiated at least two weeks prior to the examination due date. Email reminders are sent until the report/s is received or the examiner is replaced. While we are always hopeful that all examiners will comply with this timeline, there are instances of considerable delays in obtaining reports.

We cannot guarantee the timeline and outcome of a thesis examination, therefore, candidates should not make any employment, travel or other arrangements based on the quick turnaround of the examination reporting process.

Examiners will individually and independently assess the merit of a thesis and provide a report:

• In a form that specifies standards and criteria consistent with the Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021 and Australian Qualifications Framework, including, for doctoral degrees, that the thesis demonstrates a significant original contribution to knowledge; and
• Recommend ONE of the following thesis outcome classifications:
  • The candidate be awarded the degree without further changes;
  • The candidate be awarded the degree subject to minor revisions being completed;
  • The candidate be permitted to submit a revised thesis for re-examination;
  • The candidate be considered for the award of an alternate degree, where appropriate ; or
  • The thesis be failed and the candidate not be awarded the degree.

Once both examiners’ reports are received, they are forwarded to the Chairperson of Examiners who will assess the reports and provide a recommendation to the Dean, GGRS on the outcome of the examination. If the examiner’s reports recommend only minor revisions (a grade of 1 or 2), PDF copies are made available to both the candidate and their supervisors at that time. Where extensive revisions are required or opposing recommendations occur (a grade of 4 or 5 or 6 is recommended by one or more examiners), the reports will be made available to the candidate’s supervisors in the first instance. The candidate will be sent a separate email advising them to contact their principal supervisor/s to obtain the reports. This will enable the principal supervisor/s to discuss the results and possible courses of action with the candidate personally.

Recommendation of chairperson of examiners

The Chairperson of Examiners is asked to make a recommendation on the outcome of the examination within 1-2 weeks. This report is considered by the Dean GGRS. The Thesis Examinations Office will write to the candidate and their supervisor(s) with instructions on how to proceed based on the determination made by the Dean GGRS. The Thesis Examinations Office will also make available a copy of the Chairperson of Examiners’ report, except where the appointment of third examiner/adjudicator is required prior to the determination of an appropriate outcome. From the time the reports are sent the Chairperson of Examiners to the outcome email from the Thesis Examinations Office to the candidate, may take 3-4 weeks.

Outcome of examination

The outcome of an examination can take several forms. The following approaches are not prescriptive and may vary from examination to examination:

More details regarding examination outcomes can be found in the HDR Examination Procedure.

Review of the outcome of the examination

The University recognises that the complex nature of the examination process necessitates procedures that give candidates, in certain circumstances, the option to request a review of the outcome of the examination. Griffith University’s Student Review and Appeals Policy and Procedures set out the process for applying for a review of a decision in relation to an HDR thesis examination outcome which affects a candidate's eligibility to graduate.

The grounds for which an examinations outcome can be reviewed are:

• Procedural irregularities in the conduct of the examination; and/or
• Documented evidence of prejudice or bias in the examination process.

A request for review by the candidate rejecting the academic assessment of the merit of their work is not permitted. A request for review cannot be made on the grounds of a complaint about the inadequacy of supervisory or other arrangements during the period of study for which appropriate complaints procedures should have been followed.

Resubmission of a revised thesis

Candidates who are required to revise and resubmit a thesis, studio research or both are not required to enrol during the revision period. The University will provide continued access to email, computing and library facilities during the revision period.

The Thesis Examinations Office will advise candidates about the corrections, revisions or new work required, who will supervise this work, and how long they will have to complete the revisions.

Candidates are asked to provide a detailed statement of the revisions that have been made. If a candidate considers some criticisms and requested corrections/revisions to be inappropriate, the revision statement may be used as an opportunity to address these criticisms.

On resubmission of the thesis the principal supervisor/s must provide a statement that the required revisions have been satisfactorily undertaken.

Except in exceptional circumstances, the maximum period of time available for revision is 12 months after which the thesis is deemed to have failed and a notation of 'Fail' will be entered on the candidate's academic record. Candidates who need additional time to complete revisions must apply to the Dean, Griffith Graduate Research School through the Thesis Examinations Office for permission, stating the reasons for the request.

Once a candidate’s thesis has been revised/corrected and/or re-examined in accordance with the Chairperson of Examiners Report, the candidate’s revised thesis and supporting documents will be sent to the Chairperson of Examiners who will be asked to verify the revisions made and recommend whether that the degree be awarded. Consequently, the Dean GGRS will consider the Chairperson of Examiners’ recommendation and provide an outcome pertaining to the awarding of the degree.

Candidates will be limited to one re-examination.