The University of Canberra Thesis: Requirements, Format and Submission

Almost everything a University of Canberra candidate needs sits in one PDF: the HDR Thesis Submission and Examination Guidelines. The process around it, including deadlines and outcomes, is set by the Examination of Higher Degree by Research Theses Policy. Read both once early, then use this guide as a working map.

Word limits and what your thesis has to demonstrate

UC's guidelines say that calculation of thesis length may exclude footnotes, bibliography, tables and appendices. The same passage adds a caution worth taking seriously: footnotes should not be unnecessarily long, and appendices should be limited to material necessary to support the main argument. Do not use the exclusion as a place to hide half a chapter.

The examination criteria are published too, which is more useful than it sounds. A PhD thesis is assessed on whether it makes a distinct and significant contribution, affords evidence of originality, contains a substantial amount of material suitable for publication, and is well ordered and satisfactory in its literary presentation.

A Masters by Research thesis is assessed against a different bar: a sound knowledge of the field including recent contributions, analytical and critical evaluation skills of a high order, a substantial critical review of the field, an original contribution in the form of new knowledge or a new presentation of existing knowledge, and material suitable for publication in whole or in part.

Those criteria are effectively a checklist for your introduction and conclusion. Make sure a reader can point to where each one is satisfied.

Creative theses carry a minimum exegesis length

UC allows the research product to be a creative work rather than a written text in some PhD and Masters courses. Where it is, the exegesis has a floor:

The exegesis and creative work may be integrated, and UC's language is that they must operate in a symbiotic relationship, with theory informing practice and vice versa. The academic rigour of the exegesis is described as critical to whether the thesis meets the requirements of the degree.

If your research product is likely to involve an installation, exhibition or performance, UC expects examination arrangements to be resolved when the project is approved, not later. That includes resource implications such as the cost of bringing examiners to Canberra. Raise it at admission.

A thesis including published works

UC permits a thesis that incorporates one or more publications, or that is presented as a series of publications. It does not lead to a different degree; it is a thesis format.

The rules are clear enough to plan against:

• Papers must have been published or accepted for publication by a reputable, high profile journal requiring full peer review. Refereed conference papers, scholarly monographs and book chapters can also be included.
• Papers must have been published while enrolled in the relevant degree.
• Manuscripts rejected by a journal and not reworked for submission must not be included.
• Manuscripts submitted but not yet accepted, manuscripts ready for submission, and traditional chapters can all sit alongside published work.
• An introductory chapter and a conclusion chapter are compulsory. The introduction places the published works in context and clarifies the need for the research, how the publications link into a cohesive argument, and the contribution of the thesis as a whole.

For co-authored work, you are expected to be the lead author on the majority of the articles included, and co-authors must complete a written statement of each author's contribution using UC's Declaration of Co-Authored Publication Chapter form. One form per publication, placed either at the start of the relevant chapter or as a preface to the thesis.

One consequence worth knowing before you choose this route: a thesis including publications is examined as a conventional thesis, except that examiners cannot recommend changes to already published material. That protects your published chapters and puts more weight on your framing chapters.

If you are weighing a traditional structure against a publication-based one, it is worth thinking through properly rather than defaulting. Our thesis writing support is built around exactly that decision.

Formatting

UC accepts both electronic PDF and hard copy theses for examination, and your Primary Supervisor is responsible for telling you which format the examiners prefer before you submit. Ask about this early, because it changes what you have to produce.

You may determine the spacing appropriate to appendices yourself.

If an examiner wants a hard copy, it must be single sided and presented in a soft cover, securely bound so it lies flat when opened. Spiral binding is given as an example. A loose leaf binder is explicitly not acceptable, and arranging and paying for the binding is your responsibility.

The order of the front matter

UC prescribes this sequence:

1. Title page, identifying the work as a thesis submitted for the named degree of the University of Canberra, with your name, the full thesis title, and the month and year of submission.
2. Abstract, as the second page, usually in the order of 250 to 500 words.
3. Form B, the Certificate of Authorship of Thesis, whose wording must be bound into the thesis, preferably as the third page, and signed by both you and your Primary Supervisor.

A table of contents goes at the beginning and a list of references at the end. Acknowledgement of assistance and advice received belongs in the prefatory comments. Any publications, papers or creative research products for which you were granted advanced standing should be identified by reference or included as appendices.

Formatting the final approved thesis is different

This catches people out. Once you pass, the formatting rules change for the copy you deposit.

At completion you submit one double-sided hardbound copy and an electronic PDF copy to the HDR Support team. The hardbound copy has its own rules:

• All main headings must be on facing pages, meaning odd numbered pages. That includes the title page, contents page, Certificate of Authorship, abstract, chapter titles and appendices.
• Insert a blank page between consecutive main heading pages, or at the end of a chapter, where the next chapter would otherwise begin on an even numbered page. All blank pages must be numbered.
• Page 1 starts at the beginning of Chapter 1. Everything before it takes roman numerals.
• The title page must show the approval date of course completion, not the date you submitted for examination.
• The spine is lettered with the title (abbreviated if necessary), then the initials of your given names, your surname in full, and the year the thesis was submitted. Lettering runs lengthwise from the top.

Candidates are also expected to give bound copies to their supervisors.

Referencing and writing standards

UC does not prescribe a single referencing style for HDR theses. Its guidelines say advice on bibliographical standards may be given by your supervisory panel or by your Faculty or Research Institute, and that it is essential the thesis provides accurate and consistent acknowledgment of sources.

The University also states plainly that it seeks simplicity and directness of writing style, and expects a high standard of proofreading and editing from the candidate: spelling, grammar, sentence structure and consistent forms of referencing must be evident in submitted work. That expectation sits on you, not your editor.

Editing and proofreading

UC's editing policy is built on the Australian Standards for Editing Practice (ASEP) and it draws the line clearly.

Your academic supervisors are expected to provide editorial advice on matters of substance and structure; language including clarity, voice, tone, grammar, spelling and punctuation; and the use of illustrations and tables. They may also assist with copyediting and proofreading.

You may use a professional editor, but:

• Discuss it with your Primary Supervisor first, and give the editor a copy of the policy before they start work.
• Professional editorial intervention should be restricted to copyediting and proofreading, covered by ASEP Standards D and E.
• On matters of substance and structure (Standard C), the editor may draw attention to problems but must not provide solutions. Examples may be offered to guide you in resolving problems yourself.
• If the thesis is edited electronically, you and the editor must agree how you will check each suggested change before accepting it. UC suggests returning marked-up text as a PDF. The editor should keep all marked-up versions on file.
• Where a thesis has had professional editorial advice of any form, the editor's name and a brief description of the service rendered, in ASEP terms, must be printed in the acknowledgements or other prefatory matter.

Submitting for examination

The Examination of HDR Theses Policy sets the deadline that governs your last few months.

Submit the completed Intention to Submit a Thesis for Examination form to the HDR Support team no less than four weeks before you submit the thesis. Four weeks is a short runway compared with many Australian universities, so build it into your plan rather than treating it as paperwork.

The thesis submission steps are then:

1. Your Primary Supervisor completes the Appointment of Examiners form, nominating two external examiners.
2. You save the thesis as one PDF, including any creative artefacts, no more than 10MB.
3. You upload that PDF to your UC Student OneDrive.
4. You complete the Thesis Submission online form, including the link to your OneDrive file.
5. The Certificate of Authorship and, where applicable, the Declaration of Co-Authored Publications are already embedded in the thesis.

The 10MB limit is tight for image-heavy work. Compress figures properly rather than at the last minute, and check that nothing has degraded past legibility after you do.

Once the supervisory panel approves, the thesis goes to examiners within five to ten working days.

Enquiries go to [email protected].

UC's guidance notes a general recommendation that theses are submitted after 3.5 years of candidature. Treat that as planning context rather than a rule about your particular candidature, and confirm your own timeline with your supervisory panel.

Examination

The Faculty appoints a minimum of three external examiners for both Doctoral and Masters theses, and the University asks examiners to complete the examination and submit reports within two months of receiving the thesis.

Each examiner recommends one of:

Oral examination is possible but not routine

Before making a final recommendation, an examiner of a Doctoral thesis may recommend that the candidate be examined orally. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor makes the final determination as to whether an oral examination is conducted.

In practice, write as if there will not be one. Every methodological choice and every limitation has to be defended on the page, because you may not get a chance to defend it in a room.

Appeals

An appeal against an examination result must be made in writing to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor within two months of being advised of the result. The grounds are procedural rather than academic: procedural irregularities, documentable prejudice or bias, or failure to consult on examiner selection. You cannot appeal simply because you disagree with an examiner's judgement.

After the examination

The final electronic thesis goes to the HDR Support team in PDF format, alongside the double-sided hardbound copy.

UC maintains a research repository for preserving and disseminating scholarly material, and your thesis is added once the final copy is submitted, unless it is subject to an embargo. You authorise this by submitting Form C, Retention and Use of the Thesis by the University.

If your thesis includes published papers, you are expected to understand the copyright transfer agreements you signed with those publishers and to complete Form C accordingly. Check those agreements before you fill the form in, not after.

Pre-submission checklist

• Length is within 100,000 words (PhD) or 60,000 (Professional Doctorate or Masters by Research).
• Creative thesis: exegesis is at least 30,000 words (PhD) or 10,000 (Masters).
• A4 page size, serif font at size 12, footnotes at size 9, line spacing 1.5 or double.
• All four margins set to 2.5 cm.
• Preliminary pages in lower case roman numerals from i; main body numbered consecutively.
• Title page names the degree, the University of Canberra, my name, the full title, and the month and year of submission.
• Abstract of roughly 250 to 500 words as the second page.
• Form B Certificate of Authorship bound in, preferably as page three, signed by me and my Primary Supervisor.
• Declaration of Co-Authored Publication Chapter form included for every co-authored publication.
• Any professional editor briefed with UC's policy, restricted to copyediting and proofreading, and named in the acknowledgements with a description of the service.
• Ethics approvals in place and recorded.
• Confirmed with my Primary Supervisor whether examiners want hard copy or PDF.
• Intention to Submit form lodged at least four weeks before submission.
• Final file is one PDF, including creative artefacts, under 10MB.
• Thesis uploaded to UC Student OneDrive and the Thesis Submission online form completed with the link.

Honest gaps

Referencing style. UC does not prescribe one. Your supervisory panel, Faculty or Research Institute advises. Consistency matters more than the choice.

Ethics process detail. The thesis guidelines require accurate acknowledgment of sources and cover formatting, but do not set out the human research ethics approval process. UC handles HREC approval separately through its research ethics and integrity function, and approval must be in place before you collect data. Ask your supervisor and your Faculty ethics contact for the current forms and committee meeting dates rather than relying on a figure quoted anywhere else.

End-to-end examination time. UC publishes the two month examiner reporting request and the five to ten working day dispatch window, but not a typical total time from submission to outcome. Assume it will take longer than two months.

AI and generative tools. The thesis submission and examination guidelines set out the professional editing policy in detail but do not address the use of generative AI tools in preparing a thesis. If you have used them, ask the Graduate Research team and your supervisor what disclosure UC currently expects before you submit, rather than assuming silence means permission.

Faculty-specific rules. UC explicitly says candidates should refer to any specific formatting requirements of their Faculty or Research Institute, and that faculties may develop their own guidelines for theses by published works. Ask your Associate Dean Research or Research Institute Director whether yours has any.

The short version

Set the 2.5 cm margins and the 12 point serif font on day one. Get Form B signed by your Primary Supervisor well before submission week, because it needs two signatures and it is bound into the thesis.

Then mind the two hard numbers: four weeks for the Intention to Submit form, and 10MB for the final PDF. Neither is negotiable on the day, and both are entirely avoidable as problems if you handle them a month out.