Western Sydney University runs its graduate research examinations through the Graduate Research School, and the document that matters most to you is the Higher Degree Research Examination Handbook. The rules behind it sit in the HDR Procedures - Examinations. This guide follows the order you will meet them, from writing through to award.
There is no prescribed word limit
This is the first thing Western Sydney candidates need to understand, and it cuts both ways.
The Handbook states plainly that a typical doctoral thesis is between 60,000 and 100,000 words, that there is no prescribed word limit, and that you should seek the advice of your supervisory panel. Thesis length does not include footnotes, references or other similar details.
The freedom is real, but so is the risk. Without a ceiling, a thesis can sprawl. Agree a target with your panel early and treat it as binding on yourself, because examiners are assessing whether the study is comprehensive and the argument is well made, not whether you reached a number.
For Master of Research candidates the picture is different again: WSU's Master of Research produces a thesis in the 20,000 to 25,000 word range, and MRes examiners are asked to report faster than doctoral examiners. Confirm your own figure with your School or Institute.
What examiners are actually assessing
The Handbook publishes the basis of examination, which is worth reading before you finish writing. Examiners assess whether the thesis provides a sufficiently comprehensive study of the topic fitting to the degree; whether it is an original contribution to knowledge meeting the aims set in your research questions; whether the methods are suitable and correctly applied; whether findings are suitably set out with adequate exposition and discussed critically in disciplinary context; and whether English expression and general presentation reach a high standard.
The Guidelines for Examiners go further. Reading the document your examiners read is one of the cheapest useful things you can do in your final year.
Thesis structure
Western Sydney does not prescribe a specific format for presenting your thesis, because requirements and expectations vary across disciplines. The Handbook describes two common shapes:
- A single body of text structured like a monograph in linear format, which is the traditional thesis.
- A compilation of chapters, each addressing a discrete research project but each related to the overarching aim of the research program. Those chapters would typically be published, submitted, or in preparation for publication, accompanied by a general introduction and a general discussion that present the program as a single body of work.
The second shape is Western Sydney's version of a thesis with publications. The examination procedures permit it where you made substantial contributions to the work, and require an authorship attribution statement and any necessary copyright permissions.
Theses including non-text or creative components need a different style of presentation, and the Handbook carries a dedicated appendix for the Doctor of Creative Arts. If that applies to you, the Handbook's advice is to start discussing discipline requirements with your supervisors early in candidature rather than near the end.
If you are still deciding between a linear argument and a compilation of papers, that choice shapes every chapter you write. Our thesis writing support is built around that decision point.
The compulsory pages
Western Sydney's mandatory inclusions are more extensive than at many universities, and several of them are recent additions. Get them into your document early so they are not a scramble.
Statement of Authentication
All submissions must include a signed Statement of Authentication, to the effect that the work has not been submitted for a higher degree at any other institution, that it is original, and that it is the result of your own research endeavour.
You must sign it even though you are submitting electronically. Scan your signature and insert it into the final document. The Handbook gives an example in its appendix, and the exact wording is prescribed there.
Abstract
A concise 300 word summary including a statement of the purpose of the research (aims, hypothesis, research questions), an outline of the methodology and key methods used, and a summary of the main findings.
The Handbook adds a practical point: include specific time markers and location indicators, for example "during 2004 in Sydney, Australia", because your thesis may be read internationally and the abstract has to supply the context.
Declarations
This is a set of pages, all compulsory, that your supervisor must confirm are present and complete before approving submission.
Australian Government Research Training Program acknowledgement. Mandatory for all HDR candidates, whether or not you personally receive an RTP stipend, fees offset or allowance, because you benefit indirectly through your School or Institute. The precise wording is in the Handbook's appendix. You must also add the RTP DOI to the Funding section of your ORCID profile.
Additional support received. Industry funded scholarships, contributions from donors, professional editing services, and any declarations not suited to your personal acknowledgements page.
Conflict of interest. Declare any that exist, guided by the Integrity Compliance and Reporting Policy.
Uses of Artificial Intelligence Statement. If you used AI, including generative AI, in any aspect of the research or in any examinable work, this use must be acknowledged and described, including a description of how AI outputs were critically evaluated. That second half is the part people forget.
Contributor Roles Statement. A table describing the contributions of you and all other collaborators, with headings customisable using the CRediT taxonomy.
Research outputs. Where the thesis contains material published or submitted for publication, list the name and publication details of each, with the publisher's conventions on author order where relevant. Where copyrighted published versions are reproduced, it is your responsibility to obtain permission and declare it has been granted. The Handbook suggests the Author Accepted Manuscript as an alternative, and notes the Library can advise.
Format and presentation
Western Sydney's presentation appendix is described as non-compulsory suggestion, but its pagination and formatting specifications are concrete and sensible to follow.
| Element | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Margins | 25 mm from the left, right, top and bottom edges |
| Headers and footers | May sit outside the margins, but no closer than 15 mm from the page edge |
| Main body font size | No larger than 12 point |
| Footnotes, graphs, formulae, appendices | 8 to 9 point permitted |
| Chapter headings | Centred, at least 5 cm from the top, 4 points larger than the main text |
| Line spacing, main text | One-and-a-half or double, unless discipline or journal style dictates otherwise |
| Footnotes, bibliography, lists, tables, appendices | May be single spaced |
| Page number placement | No less than 15 mm from the page edge, consistent throughout |
| Spelling reference | The Macquarie Dictionary |
On fonts: black is described as the best colour; any legible font except script, italic, decorative or ornamental is acceptable for the body; monospaced fonts such as Courier should not be used except for computer programs or printouts; bold for headings; italics for quotations and foreign words; underlining is not recommended.
Order of pages and pagination
Western Sydney is specific about which pages are numbered and which are not.
Unnumbered preliminary pages, in this order:
- Title page — thesis title, your full name, the name of the degree, the name of the university, the year of submission. Compulsory.
- Dedication — maximum one page. Optional.
- Personal Acknowledgements — recognition of professional assistance from supervisors, other people, agencies and institutions. Optional.
- Statement of Authentication — compulsory, and signed.
- Declarations — the set described above. Compulsory.
Numbered in lower case roman numerals, indented 15 mm from the page edge, starting with the table of contents, which is the first numbered page. Then list of tables, list of figures and illustrations, abbreviations, and the abstract.
Numbered in Arabic numerals starting at 1 from the first chapter, running consecutively through illustrations, tables, bibliography and appendices to the end of the document. Each chapter or major section begins on a new page.
Where a page is in landscape, the page number position is modified so it appears as on other pages.
Every heading and subheading within the text should appear in the table of contents, indented in a consistent style, with page numbers aligned to the correct heading or to the last line of a multi-line heading. This is one of the most common things that quietly breaks during PDF conversion. Check it in the PDF, not in Word.
Tables, figures and images
All tables and figures are numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals. In all cases, the table or figure should appear on the page immediately following the first text reference mentioning it, with its title on the same page. Diagrams and tables should fit a standard A4 page or be reduced to fit while remaining clearly readable, and must sit within the required margins. Charts and maps on oversized pages can go in an appendix; maps from published sources usually require copyright permission.
Referencing
Western Sydney does not prescribe a single style. Your School or Institute should have a preferred style, which you should use. If there is none, agree one with your supervisor and apply it consistently.
Your thesis must include references for every source mentioned in the text, and the reference list should contain only items cited in the main text. Background sources you used but did not cite go in a separate bibliography. Footnotes and endnotes are numbered sequentially within each chapter.
Editing, AI and Turnitin
Western Sydney treats professional editing and generative AI under a single standard, and it is a narrow one.
Professional editing is permitted, but "should be used solely for the purpose of detecting minor typographical or style errors in your thesis". If you use an editor, it must be acknowledged in your thesis, and if the editor has experience in your discipline of study, you must include that information.
Generative AI is held to exactly the same limit. The Handbook states the extent to which professional editing is permitted applies equally to AI tools for editing: AI can only be used for low-level refinement of writing, including language and expression (clarity, grammar, spelling) and consistency. Using AI for high-level refinement such as reordering ideas for better flow, or rewriting, can breach academic integrity policies.
Turnitin is not optional at submission. It is a requirement that you submit your entire final thesis document to Turnitin and provide a PDF copy of the Similarity Report to your Principal Supervisor as part of their approval for examination. A specialised submission point for research candidates is available through the Research Training vUWS site; submissions made there are not permanently saved to the Turnitin database, so your own writing will not create false matches in future reports.
Use it throughout candidature rather than once at the end. Its value is catching referencing omissions while they are still easy to fix.
Submitting your thesis
Submission runs through ResearchMaster:
- Save your thesis as a PDF, maximum file size 40MB.
- Log in to ResearchMaster and initiate a Thesis Submission form.
- Follow the instructions to upload the thesis and submit it to your Principal Supervisor.
Your Statement of Authentication must be signed, and your Principal Supervisor needs the PDF of your Turnitin Similarity Report.
The examination will not progress until your supervisory panel and School or Institute have approved. If your thesis is not approved for examination, you may be asked to make further changes and resubmit. If you disagree with that assessment, the Handbook directs you to contact your HDR Director or the Graduate Research School.
You should receive an email receipt confirming submission. If it has not arrived within two weeks, follow up with the Graduate Research School.
Early submission is possible where your supervisors and School or Institute approve it via ResearchMaster, confirming the thesis is ready.
Examination
Two external examiners are appointed for all theses, with one reserve examiner nominated and a maximum of one examiner per institution.
How long it takes
An examination without delays usually takes 4 to 6 months, though this varies case by case.
Examiners of doctoral and MPhil theses are asked to report within six weeks of receiving the thesis. Examiners of MRes theses are asked to report within four weeks.
The Graduate Research School monitors progress and sends reminders. Delays happen, and the Handbook is explicit that an unexpected delay does not mean there is a problem with your thesis. Unless you are contacted by the Graduate Research School or your HDR Director, you can assume things are progressing.
You must not attempt to contact an examiner under any circumstances. Doing so compromises the examination, which then has to be restarted with different examiners.
The Oral Examination
All PhD students who commenced from 1 January 2025 must complete an Oral Examination, sometimes called an oral defence or viva voce, in addition to submitting the thesis.
PhD candidates who commenced before that date can voluntarily opt in, in consultation with their supervisory panel. Decide before your supervisors contact potential examiners, because examiners have to confirm their willingness and availability to participate.
The Oral Examination takes place after the examiners have provided their preliminary reports on the written thesis. It will not proceed if the initial outcome is that the thesis requires revision and re-examination; in that case it is rescheduled for after re-examination.
The panel is the Associate Dean HDR, the HDR Director or another member of the Professoriate as Chair, plus the two examiners of the written thesis. For theses covering significant Indigenous studies content, the Director Indigenous Research or another Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander scholar is invited onto the panel. Your supervisory panel does not form part of the examination panel but may observe.
The process takes place by videoconference. You give a presentation and respond to questions. The panel assesses whether:
- you demonstrated detailed knowledge of the thesis;
- you demonstrated an understanding of your research in the broader context of the discipline;
- you were able to defend the methodology and conclusions and display an awareness of any limitations;
- you effectively communicated the results in terms of impact and application of new knowledge;
- you demonstrated a substantive and independent contribution to the discipline.
On completion, the examiners reach a consensus on the overall recommended outcome, noting any additional amendments they recommend and identifying any they recommended in their preliminary reports that they no longer require.
That last point is worth holding onto. A well-handled oral can remove amendments, not only add them.
The four outcomes
| Outcome | What it means |
|---|---|
| A | The degree be awarded as submitted or following minor revisions of a simple, editorial nature identified by the examiners. Appropriate for occasional typographic or grammatical errors and cosmetic formatting issues. |
| R | Before the degree is awarded, you must undertake rewriting of greater magnitude than minor editorial changes, to the satisfaction of the Faculty or Institute HDR Board. Appropriate for substantive but straightforward changes, including adding or removing whole sentences, revisions that change intended meaning, and pervasive typographic or grammatical errors. |
| X | Revise and resubmit for further examination within a specified time. Appropriate where the examiner has concerns about the quality or integrity of the work or the inferences drawn from it. |
| F | The degree is not to be awarded. Appropriate where concerns cannot be addressed through reasonable revisions. |
Each examiner recommends an outcome, but the Faculty or Institute HDR Board may endorse a different overall outcome where appropriate and with justification.
Under outcome X you have up to 12 months to revise and resubmit. Your revised thesis and your response to the examiners' first round of feedback go back to the examiners as the basis of the second examination, and amendments must be restricted to addressing the recommendations. You must not add, edit or remove any other sections. Your Oral Examination is rescheduled to after the re-examination.
Outcome F is described as very rarely recommended. Where it occurs, the Faculty or Institute HDR Board may recommend resubmission of a doctoral thesis for a Master of Philosophy award instead.
Responding to examiner reports
Whatever the outcome, you prepare a Candidate Response and a revised thesis. Timing depends on the Oral Examination: if the oral will proceed, your response and revised thesis go to the HDR Board only after you have the oral outcome, though you may start earlier. If you are not participating in an oral, you proceed directly.
Show your changes properly in Word rather than simply highlighting where changes were made. Highlighting alone makes it difficult for reviewers to see what actually changed.
Confidentiality, embargo and the repository
All examiners are asked to keep examination material confidential, and are instructed not to analyse your work using AI tools, which the Handbook describes as a substantial violation of your intellectual property.
When the degree is awarded, a copy of your thesis goes online via the Research Profiles and Repository, unless other arrangements have been approved by the Dean, Graduate Studies. On request, the Dean may determine in exceptional cases that the thesis remain confidential for a specified period. An embargo shall not normally exceed one year, unless otherwise determined under the Intellectual Property Policy.
One year is shorter than at many Australian universities. If you are planning a monograph or a patent from the work, raise it with your supervisors well before you lodge the final version.
Pre-submission checklist
- Length agreed with my supervisory panel (typical doctoral range 60,000 to 100,000 words; no prescribed limit).
- Margins 25 mm on all four sides; headers and footers no closer than 15 mm from the edge.
- Main body text no larger than 12 point, one-and-a-half or double spaced; footnotes and appendices 8 to 9 point.
- Chapter headings centred at least 5 cm from the top and 4 points larger than the body.
- Title page, Dedication, Personal Acknowledgements, Statement of Authentication and Declarations unnumbered, in that order.
- Statement of Authentication signed, with a scanned signature inserted.
- RTP acknowledgement in the exact prescribed wording, and the RTP DOI added to my ORCID Funding section.
- Conflict of interest declared.
- Uses of Artificial Intelligence Statement included, describing both the use and how I critically evaluated the outputs.
- Contributor Roles Statement table included, and research outputs listed with copyright permissions obtained.
- Professional editor acknowledged, including their disciplinary experience if they have it.
- Table of contents is the first numbered page; preliminary pages in roman numerals; main body Arabic from 1.
- Every table and figure appears on the page immediately after its first mention, with its title on the same page.
- Ethics approvals in place and recorded.
- Entire final thesis run through Turnitin and the Similarity Report PDF given to my Principal Supervisor.
- Final file is a PDF under 40MB, submitted through ResearchMaster, with an email receipt received.
- PhD from 2025: Oral Examination expectations understood, and examiner availability confirmed by my supervisors.
Honest gaps
No prescribed word limit. This is deliberate rather than an omission, but it means the only authoritative figure for your thesis is the one you agree with your panel. Get it into a panel meeting record.
No prescribed referencing style. Your School or Institute should have a preferred style. Ask rather than assume.
No prescribed page size. The Handbook refers to fitting diagrams to a standard A4 page, which makes A4 the working assumption, but it is not stated as a rule.
Amendment timeframes for outcomes A and R are not published as fixed periods. The 12 months for outcome X is. For A and R, the Faculty or Institute HDR Board sets what is required and to whose satisfaction, so ask your HDR Director what applies to you when your outcome arrives rather than relying on a general figure.
Ethics approval is not covered in the Examination Handbook. Human research ethics runs through the University's HREC and research ethics function, and approval must be in place before data collection. Talk to your supervisor and your School or Institute ethics contact early, and record approval numbers as you go.
The short version
Three things about Western Sydney will shape how you work.
The absence of a word limit means you set your own ceiling, so set one with your panel and hold to it. The declarations set is longer than most and now includes an AI statement with an evaluation description, so build those pages early rather than in the last fortnight. And for PhD candidates from 2025, the Oral Examination is compulsory, which changes the calculus entirely: your thesis no longer has to do all the explaining alone, but you do have to be able to defend your methodology, your conclusions and your limitations out loud, on video, to the two people who read it most closely.
Put 25 mm margins and a signed Statement of Authentication in your template today, and the rest becomes a checklist rather than a crisis.
