Thesis Review
At Thesis Review, the candidate demonstrates the near completion of their research project and the near readiness of their thesis for submission. Candidates undertaking this milestone should be able to submit their thesis for assessment within about 3 months full-time Equivalent.
The Thesis Review:
- enables the School to determine collectively that the work should be ready for assessment by the expected date
- allows any differences of opinion among the candidate and the advisory team about the readiness of the thesis for assessment to be aired and settled in a collegial academic environment
- assures the candidate and advisory team of the scope, originality and quality of the thesis
- Identifies any major concerns that need attention before submission
- enables the candidate and the advisors to express any reservations or concerns about having any particular individual act as an assessor
1. The Seminar
The Oral Presentation is a formal seminar presentation to the School that
- should be 30 minutes including 10 minutes question time
- should be clear, concise and free of jargon, appropriate for the audience
- should outline the whole project with emphasis on work since Mid- Candidature review
The candidate can choose to present their work at any School seminar or conference presentation. This can be a special topic derived from their research or an overview of their project and findings to date. The supervisory team must be able to verify the student's performance in the oral presentation if it is presented outside the school eg at a national conference.
2. Written work
The Thesis Review milestone document is submitted by the candidate on the Tuesday following their seminar presentation. It should consist of
- Good, coherent, academic prose that conforms to discipline standards
- A total of 1500-2000 words comprising: 700-800 word abstract, detailed outline of conclusions chapter, thesis 'Table of Contents' and timeline for completion
3. Document Submission by Candidate
Prior to submitting it to the committee, candidates should revise their milestone document in the light of feedback given at the seminar. By the Tuesday following the seminar, the milestone document should be submitted by the candidate to all committee members (including the Postgraduate Co-ordinator, reader and advisory team) and cced to postgrad.slccs@uq.edu.au (The simplest way to do this is to "Reply All" to the e-mail sent by the Postgraduate Administrative Officer to the committee and student outlining the timeline for the milestone.) If the candidate is not giving a School seminar because they have recently presented their project at another forum, the document should be submitted two weeks prior to the interview.
4. Written Feedback from Committee Members
Written feedback from every committee member should then be sent to all committee members and the student, and cced to postgrad.slccs@uq.edu.au by the Wednesday prior to the interview. (The simplest way to do this is to "Reply All" to the e-mail sent by the Postgraduate Administrative Officer to the committee and student outlining the timeline for the milestone.) The SLCCS Thesis Report Form should be used for this purpose. The candidate should use these reports (in consultation with his/her Advisors) to prepare oral responses for the interview.
5. The Interview
Generally, the interview takes place 3 weeks after the oral presentation. However, the interview may be booked at a later date due to staff availability or other circumstances. Please ensure the seminar and interview dates are only booked with the postgraduate administrative officer after the candidate, advisory team and reader have all agreed to the dates and times. The interview may also be delayed if significant revision is required to the milestone document in view of seminar feedback.
The interview should be 30-60 minutes in length and gives the opportunity
- To discuss any differences of opinion between the candidate and the advisory team about the readiness of the thesis for assessment and settle differences in a collegial academic environment.
- To identify any major concerns that need attention before submission.
- To identify the mix of disciplinary knowledge required among the thesis assessors to review the breadth of work contained within the thesis.
- For the candidate and the advisors to express any reservations or concerns about having any particular individual act as an assessor
6. Recommendation to the Dean of the Graduate School
The committee makes one of the following recommendations:
- the candidature has attained the thesis review milestone
- candidature should be extended so that thesis review may attempted again at a later date
- candidature should be terminated
The recommendation is made on the basis of the milestone document, oral presentation, interview, completion of ethical clearance and completion of seminar attendance requirements of LCCS and the Faculty of Arts .
Updating your Expected Graduation Semester in mySI-net
The thesis review stage is a good point at which to update your expected graduation semester on mySI-net, if you have not done so previously. As candidature may extended beyond what was originally expected for various reasons or even expedited, the Graduation Semester that is recorded for you in mySI-net may no longer be correct. Your Graduation semester is the semester following thesis submission.
To update your expected graduation semester in mySI-net requires the following:
1. Log in to my SI-net
2. Click on Program on the left hand side
3. Click on Graduation Semester in the menu that appears below Program
4. Follow the instructions to update your expected graduation semester in the central panel, as required.
The expected graduation semester is simply an indication from you when you expect to graduate. It does not replace the procedures for applying for an extension to your candidature, which require School and Graduate School approval, and does not indicate this approval.
