Specifications for Thesis

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Academic Year
2023

1

Preparation
  The responsibility for the layout of the thesis and selection of the title rests with the candidate after discussion with the supervisor(s). Candidates must consult with their supervisors concerning selection of an appropriate style for the thesis. The candidate's supervisor(s) and Head of School or Discipline must provide certification that the thesis is worthy of examination and that the technical presentation of the thesis is satisfactory.
Candidates must consult the Academic Program Rules relative to the degree.

2

Language of the thesis
2.1 A thesis will normally be written in English.
2.2 Where sound academic reasons exist for submission of a thesis in a language other than English, an application for approval may be made in writing to the Dean of Graduate Studies. The application must have the support of the supervisor(s) and Postgraduate Coordinator / Head of School.
2.3 If the Dean of Graduate Studies approves the submission of a thesis in a language other than English, the submission must be accompanied by a substantial abstract written in English.

3

Thesis format and word length
3.1 The choice of format should be made in consultation with the supervisory team. Subject to the School's approval, a research thesis may be prepared in one of the following formats:
  1. Conventional (written narrative presented as typescript)
  2. Publication (A thesis by publication may include publications that have been published and / or accepted and / or submitted for publication, and / or unpublished and unsubmitted work prepared in manuscript-style.)
  3. Combination of conventional and publication formats
  4. Major (creative, musical or visual) work (Volume 1) and exegesis (Volume 2).
3.2 Irrespective of the nature of the thesis, the word length, including footnotes but excluding appendices, tables, diagrams, bibliography and references, shall not exceed 80,000 words in the case of a Doctoral thesis or 40,000 words in the case of a Master thesis. The word length for the thesis of a candidate undertaking a research program which contains a formal coursework component should be in proportion to the duration of the research undertaken.
3.3 The thesis should incorporate in the following order:
  1. a title page giving the title of the thesis* in full, the name of the candidate as it is recorded in PeopleSoft (the University's student record keeping system), the name of the School / Discipline(s) of the University associated with the work, and the date (month and year) when submitted for the degree. Candidates should ensure that the thesis title is written in title case and does not exceed the character limit of 250 characters (including spaces).
    *Symbols and formatting (e.g. bold and italics) MUST NOT be included in the thesis title; these are not recognised by PeopleSoft and will print incorrectly on an academic transcript and the Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement (AHEGS)
  2. a table of contents
  3. an abstract of the thesis in not more than 500 words
  4. a statement signed and dated by the candidate declaring the originality of the work, consent for the thesis to be made available to the University Library and the situation with respect to copyright where applicable. See Section 4 for examples of declarations to be included where:
    1. a thesis does not contain work already in the public domain
    2. a thesis contains publications (i.e. where the work includes published papers)
  5. an acknowledgement of any help given or work carried out by any other person or organisation.
    If a candidate has sought professional editorial advice, the name of the editor and a brief description of the service rendered should be included in the acknowledgements. Should the professional editor's current or former area of academic specialisation be similar to that of the candidate this should be noted. See Section 5 for details of the University's policy on editing
  6. the main body of work
  7. appendices (if any)
  8. bibliography.
3.4 In the case of a thesis presented with publications:
  1. all publications included in the thesis must derive from research undertaken within the term of the higher degree by research candidature. Publications generated outside of candidature cannot be included in the assessment of the degree
  2. the main body of work will contain in addition to the relevant publications a contextual statement which normally includes the aims underpinning the publication(s); a literature review or commentary which establishes the field of knowledge and provides a link between publications; and a conclusion showing the overall significance of the work and contribution to knowledge, problems encountered and future directions of the work. The discussion should not include a detailed reworking of the discussions from individual papers within the thesis
  3. each paper must be prefaced by a 'statement of authorship'. The statement must list all authors and clearly identify the publication status of the paper (published, accepted for publication, submitted for publication, or unpublished and unsubmitted work prepared in manuscript style)
  4. where a paper has joint or multiple authorship, its statement of authorship must quantify and detail each author's contribution (in terms of the conceptualisation of the work, its realisation and its documentation). The statement must be sufficiently detailed to describe accurately the contribution of each author. All authors are required to sign the statement and co-authors must give written permission for the paper to be included in the thesis. Template statements are available on the Adelaide Graduate Research School's website. If the template is not used, all the elements of the template must be reproduced in the student's version of the Statement of Authorship.
  5. the length and number of publications to be included in the thesis shall be determined by the School / Discipline on the advice of the supervisory team. The primary consideration is that the body of work included in the thesis satisfies the academic requirements for the degree for which it is presented.
  6. a full citation listing of included publications should appear after the table of contents.
3.5 In the case of a thesis submitted in the areas of creative, musical or visual work:
  1. The major work and the exegesis must be submitted as separate files. In the case of a thesis submitted for a candidate in music performance, Specification 9.2c applies.
  2. The purpose of the exegesis is to describe the research process undertaken and to elaborate, elucidate and place the major work in context. The exegesis should contain a description of the form and presentation of the major work and inter alia, an analytical commentary and consideration of the work in the broader framework of the Discipline. It should demonstrate mastery of the conceptual and scholarly skills associated with higher degree candidature
  3. The following thesis formats may be appropriate for the major work:
    1. a substantial opus normally including a book length work appropriate to its genre
    2. musical compositions which require more than 75 minutes for performance (Doctor of Philosophy) or not less than 50 minutes and not more than 60 minutes for performance (Master)
      or
    3. recorded musical performances constituting a substantial body of work of up to 4 hours duration (Doctor of Philosophy) or two 60 minute public recitals (Master)
    4. visual arts and design, e.g. exhibition(s), film(s), drawing(s) or architectural model(s).
  4. The length and format of the exegesis should be determined by the Faculty but normally should not exceed:
    1. 20,000 words for the Doctor of Philosophy and 10,000 words for the Master degree in the case of a creative or visual work
    2. 15,000 words for the Doctor of Philosophy and 7,500 words for the Master degree in the case of music composition
      and
    3. 15,000 words for the Doctor of Philosophy and 7,500 words for the Master degree in the case of music performance.
  5. Where the major work is in the format of the visual arts, the examiners will attend an exhibition of the creative work. The creative work will be documented in digital format.

4

Examples of thesis declarations
4.1 For a thesis that does not contain work already in the public domain.
I certify that this work contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in my name in any university or other tertiary institution and, to the best of my knowledge and belief, contains no material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference has been made in the text. In addition, I certify that no part of this work will, in the future, be used in a submission in my name for any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution without the prior approval of the University of Adelaide and where applicable, any partner institution responsible for the joint award of this degree.
I give permission for the digital version of my thesis to be made available on the web, via the University's digital research repository, the Library Search and also through web search engines, unless permission has been granted by the University to restrict access for a period of time.
Add the following paragraph ONLY if you are a Research Training Program (RTP) funded student (this applies to all domestic students and some international students):
I acknowledge the support I have received for my research through the provision of an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship.
4.2 For a thesis that contains publications.
  I certify that this work contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in my name in any university or other tertiary institution and, to the best of my knowledge and belief, contains no material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference has been made in the text. In addition, I certify that no part of this work will, in the future, be used in a submission in my name for any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution without the prior approval of the University of Adelaide and where applicable, any partner institution responsible for the joint award of this degree.
The author acknowledges that copyright of published works contained within this thesis resides with the copyright holder(s) of those works.
I give permission for the digital version of my thesis to be made available on the web, via the University's digital research repository, the Library Search and also through web search engines, unless permission has been granted by the University to restrict access for a period of time.
Add the following paragraph ONLY if you are a Research Training Program (RTP) funded student (this applies to all domestic students and some international students):
I acknowledge the support I have received for my research through the provision of an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship.

5

Editing
  The University has adopted the policy developed by the Australian Council of Graduate Research collaboratively with the Council of Australian Societies of Editors with regard to the editing of research theses by professional editors.
The policy has been developed with close attention to the current Australian Standards for Editing Practice (ASEP) and it espouses the following principles:
A professional editor may be used by candidates in preparing their theses for submission provided that the editing assistance is restricted to ASEP Standards for 'Language and Illustrations' and for 'Completeness and Consistency'. Where a professional editor provides advice on matters of 'Substance and Structure' exemplars only should be given.
Further information about the ASEP standards is available online at: https://www.adelaide.edu.au/graduate-research/current-students/your-thesis-examination/preparation#editing-your-thesis
Students should discuss the procedures with their principal supervisor and before editing is commenced provide the editor with a copy of this section of the Specifications for Thesis and details of the ASEP standards. Material for editing or proof reading should be submitted in hard copy.

6

Presentation
6.1 A thesis should normally be typed in a clear and legible font (e.g. Arial Narrow 12 or Times 12).
6.2 Margins for both text and figures should not be less than 35mm on the inside edge and 15mm on the other three sides.

7

Quality and Preservation of Digital Media
7.1 Audio and audio-visual recordings should be produced on an internationally compatible medium using a copying method which creates a high quality audio and visual reproduction with proven longevity. Candidates should consult with their supervisors regarding the technical issues involved in the submission of digital media.

8

Diagrams and figures
  The following are general suggestions for normal practice, but they may be varied in special cases with the approval of the Librarian:
8.1 Figures should either be inserted at an appropriate place in the text, or form a separate page. For normal orientation with the top of the figure upwards, the legend should be at the bottom of the figure. If it is necessary to rotate the figure, it should be placed on a separate page with the top of the figure on the left hand side of the page and the legend on the right hand side of the page. If there is insufficient space for the legend, it may be placed on the next page.
8.2 Tables should be inserted in the appropriate place in the text, except that lengthy or bulky tables should appear as an appendix.
8.3 Folded diagrams, maps, tables, etc., should read as right hand pages when open if thesis is printed.
8.4 Musical notation and similar forms of written notation should be inserted in the appropriate place in the text, except that lengthy examples should appear as an appendix.

9

Thesis preparation for examination purposes
   
9.1 Candidates will submit one digital copy of their thesis to the Adelaide Graduate Research School.  
  1. The digital copy of the written thesis must be provided in a single PDF file free of passwords or PDF compliances such as PDF/A compliance. The Adelaide Graduate Research School is unable to accept individual PDF files of the various chapters / appendices in the thesis
  2. In the case of a thesis submitted in the areas of creative, musical or visual work (as per Specification 3.5 above), the two volumes of the thesis (major work and exegesis) are to be created in separate files
  3. For candidates in music performance, the exegesis must be submitted as a separate PDF file in addition to the recorded musical performances prepared in accordance with 7.1.
9.2 The Adelaide Graduate Research School may require printed copies to be provided if requested by an examiner. The printed copy should be printed double-sided and may be soft bound or hard bound; soft bound is preferred.
  1. Candidates should note that most soft binding processes will handle up to around 30mm in thickness. Many theses are thicker than this and may have to be bound in more than one volume
  2. Candidates are responsible for all costs incurred in the binding of their thesis. Some scholarships provide a thesis allowance and costs may be refunded to candidates on presentation of relevant receipts
  3. In the case of a thesis submitted in the areas of creative, musical or visual work (as per  Specification 3.5 above), the major work (Volume 1) and the exegesis (Volume 2) are to be bound separately
  4. For candidates in music performance, a single volume may be submitted which contains the USB flash drive(s) of recorded musical performances prepared in accordance with 7.1 and the exegesis. The USB flash drive(s) of recorded musical performances, should be affixed to the inside cover(s) of the thesis.
9.3 If the work is unable to be presented in digital form the Adelaide Graduate Research School should be notified and permission to submit in hard copy will be assessed as an exception.

10

Requirements for final thesis lodgement
  When the examination process (including the completion of any required amendment) is complete, candidates are obliged to submit one final digital copy of their thesis to the Adelaide Graduate Research School before a degree can be conferred.
10.1 Preparation of the final digital thesis for lodgement following examination
  1. The digital thesis must be a direct copy of the thesis which has been approved by the University for the award of the degree
  2. The digital thesis must be provided in a single PDF file free of passwords or PDF compliances, such as PDF/A compliance. 
  3. In the case of a thesis submitted in the areas of creative, musical or visual work (as per Specification 3.5 above), the major work and exegesis will be provided in separate files. In the case of a thesis for a candidate in music performance, the digital thesis will comprise a copy of the exegesis in PDF format and will be submitted together with the audio or audio-visual recordings. Suitable file formats for audio recording are: .wav, .bwf. .mp3 and .mp4.  Suitable file formats for audio-visual recordings are: .mp4, .mjp2, .mj2, .avi, .mov and .mpeg2
  4. Candidates should obtain permission for use of copyrighted material, such as diagrams, illustrations, maps, tables, photographs, musical notation, images and audio-visual recordings that are not the candidates own creation. The written permission must specify that it is granted for the use of the copyrighted material in the digital thesis, which will be available on the web. If written permission cannot be obtained, then such material will need to be identified so Library staff can remove it from the digital copy if necessary
  5. The digital thesis will be made available on the web, via the University's digital research repository, Adelaide Research and Scholarship and the National Library of Australia's Trove service, unless arrangements have been made to restrict access for a period of time, e.g. where the thesis is under embargo or where commercial publication of the thesis is being sought. The thesis will also be added to the Library Search and will be accessible through web search engines. 
10.2 If the work is unable to be presented in digital form the Adelaide Graduate Research School should be notified and permission to submit in hard copy will be assessed as an exception.

 

Published on: 12 March, 2024 | 14:52:50

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