Examiners of HDR candidates
Thank you for agreeing to act as an examiner of a Higher Degree by Research (HDR) candidate at The University of Queensland.
This guide outlines the examination process and describes your obligations as an examiner. Please use it to acquaint yourself with the process and your role as an external examiner.
Information in this guide is based on the policy document Framework for Best Practice in Doctoral Examination in Australia by the Council of Deans and Directors of Graduate Studies in Australia, and the Australian Qualifications Framework 2011.
The University policies governing the examination of HDR candidates can be found in the UQ Policies and Procedures Library.
Examination of candidate (with oral examination)
At UQ, the external examination of an HDR candidate is a two-part process consisting of a thesis evaluation and an oral examination.
HDR candidate examination = Thesis evaluation + Oral examination
Each of these parts is linked to the following outcomes:
- Thesis Evaluation: a summary and a written report from each examiner
- Oral Examination: a Chair’s report summarising the feedback of the examiners and recommendation of the examination panel
These outcomes inform a decision by the Dean of the Graduate School on the final outcome of the candidate’s examination and whether an award (PhD or MPhil) will be conferred.
The standard timeline of the candidate examination process is:
Process | Person(s) | Outcome | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
Thesis critically evaluated by examiners | Examiners | Summary + written report | 5 weeks |
Examiners’ reports reviewed by Graduate School | Graduate School | Return of reports to candidate | 1-2 weeks |
Oral examination scheduled | Chair of examiners | Oral examination date/time set | 1-2 weeks |
Period until oral examination Between 2 weeks and 3 months, depending on the written reports and the availability of the participants | |||
Oral examination | Chair of examiners Examiners Candidate | Summary and recommendation from the oral examination panel | 1 - 3 hrs |
Thesis evaluation
Examiners are asked to carefully read the entire thesis and provide a summary and written report, based on the following criteria:
- Does the candidate demonstrate a significant and original contribution to knowledge (PhD candidates)?
- Does the candidate show originality in the application of knowledge (MPhil candidates)?
- Does the candidate engage with the literature and the work of others?
- Does the candidate show an advanced knowledge of research principles and methods relating to the applicable discipline?
- Is there a clear and discernible coherence in the presented research, its arguments and conclusions?
- Is the thesis clearly, accurately, and cogently written?
Your written report should provide sufficient detail to allow the candidate to prepare responses for the oral examination.
If you express significant concerns about the thesis, then the oral examination, which usually takes place approximately one month after your reports are returned, may be postponed at the Dean’s discretion in order to give the student more time to prepare.
Your report should be submitted to the UQ Graduate School no later than 5 weeks after you receive the thesis for evaluation. If you require additional time, please contact the Graduate School’s progressions and examinations team outlining your requirements at thesis@gradschool.uq.edu.au.
Once your report has been reviewed by the Dean of the Graduate School, it will be released to the candidate and their principal advisor so that the candidate can prepare for the oral examination.
Oral examination
The oral examination is the second part of the HDR candidate examination process. Only once the oral examination has taken place can a final outcome of the candidate’s examination be determined.
The oral examination usually involves four participants:
- the candidate,
- the Chair of examiners (appointed by UQ), and
- the two examiners (external to UQ) who provided written reports.
The Chair of examiners and the two examiners constitute the examination panel.
The main objectives of the oral examination are to:
- provide a developmental learning opportunity,
- authenticate the contribution made by the candidate to the thesis,
- establish that the candidate fully understands the work and its wider implications,
- provide the candidate with an opportunity to reply to criticism or challenge, and
- enable the candidate and examiners to clarify issues, corrections, and revisions.
The oral examination will include assessment of the candidate’s ability to:
- demonstrate detailed knowledge of the thesis,
- locate their research in the broader context of their discipline,
- demonstrate the originality of the thesis and the contribution it makes to the state of knowledge in the field,
- defend the methodology and conclusions of the thesis, and
- display awareness of the limitations of the thesis.
The outcome of this second component is a Chair’s report which i) summarises the feedback of the examination panel, and ii) provides the recommendation of the panel on the outcome of the oral examination. The report should be clear and concise, should detail any revisions required, and should justify the final recommendation. Possible recommendations are:
- pass,
- pass with changes,
- repeat oral examination, or
- revise and resubmit thesis for examination.
At the conclusion of the oral examination, the Chair’s report containing the panel’s recommendation will be forwarded to the Dean of the Graduate School for a final decision.
The oral examination in detail
The Chair of examiners is responsible for scheduling and conducting the oral examination. Once the examiners’ reports have been returned, the Chair will be informed that the oral examination is ready to be scheduled. You will then be invited to respond to an online poll to help establish the date and time of the oral examination. Once a date and time have been finalised, you will receive a Zoom link for the examination.
By this stage in the examination process, the candidate is aware of the examiners’ identities, but is not allowed to contact them. Similarly, you are requested not to contact the candidate or their advisors. All communication should be conducted through the Chair of examiners.
It is recommended that, on the day of the oral examination, the Chair and examiners meet in the first 20 minutes of the scheduled session to discuss their reports and set an agenda with points for discussion and issues requiring clarification. Any potential areas of disagreement between examiners should be discussed at this meeting and a resolution should be sought. (If the examination panel wishes to begin these preparatory discussions earlier via email, it is welcome to do so.)
The oral examination may take up to 3 hours.
All discussion should take place in English.
The examination typically begins with the candidate presenting a short overview of the thesis and its main findings. The thesis should be discussed, and questions asked and answered, in a respectful and fair manner.
Questions should focus on the areas of concern raised in the written reports provided by the examiners. The candidate may rebut some of the feedback with sound academic arguments and justifications or may concede that further revisions would enhance the thesis.
Examiners may ask questions tangential to the work carried out in the thesis, but the ability or inability of the candidate to answer such questions should not influence the examiners’ recommendation on the final outcome of the examination.
At the conclusion of the oral examination, the candidate will temporarily leave the room (or Zoom meeting). The examiners (with the guidance of the Chair) will decide on a recommendation to the Dean regarding the outcome of the oral examination. The candidate will then be invited back into the room (or Zoom meeting) and given a verbal summary of the outcome of the oral examination.
Examination of candidate (without oral examination)
Examiners are asked to carefully read the entire thesis and provide a summary and written report based on the following criteria:
- Does the candidate demonstrate a significant and original contribution to knowledge (PhD candidates)?
- Does the candidate show originality in the application of knowledge (MPhil candidates)?
- Does the candidate engage with the literature and the work of others?
- Does the candidate show an advanced knowledge of research principles and methods relating to the applicable discipline?
- Is there a clear and discernible coherence in the presented research, its arguments and conclusions?
- Is the thesis clearly, accurately, and cogently written?
Based on your assessment you are asked to recommend one of the following:
- pass,
- pass with changes, or
- revise and resubmit thesis for examination.
In all cases, your written report should justify the recommendation and provide sufficient detail to allow the candidate to prepare responses.
Your report should be submitted to the UQ Graduate School no later than 5 weeks after you receive the thesis for evaluation. If you require additional time, please contact the Graduate School’s progressions and examinations team at thesis@gradschool.uq.edu.au.
Once your report has been received, the Dean of the Graduate School will make a recommendation on the outcome of the examination based on both examiners’ reports.
Once your report has been reviewed by the Dean, it will be released to the candidate and their principal advisor with the outcome of the examination.
By this stage in the examination process, the candidate is aware of the examiners’ identities, but is not allowed to contact them. Similarly, you are requested not to contact the candidate or their advisors. All communication should be conducted through the Chair of examiners.
Thesis with publications
As part of the thesis, a candidate may submit published work that contributes directly to their arguments and supports their findings.
The minimum requirements for including publications in a thesis are:
- the work must have been carried out since the commencement of the candidature;
- the work must have been submitted for publication, accepted for publication, or published during the period of candidature; and
- the scope and quality of the published work must be commensurate with the contribution of knowledge expected of a PhD or MPhil candidate.
Several formatting and structural requirements must be met:
- the thesis must contain an introduction that contextualises the research in relation to the present state of knowledge in the field;
- thesis chapters must be in a logical and cogent sequence leading to an argument that supports the main findings of the thesis;
- there must be an independent and original general discussion included that is entirely the work of the candidate and that integrates the most significant findings of the thesis;
- clear statements of the candidate’s contribution to each paper must be provided in the preliminary pages of the thesis;
- works submitted for publication must be clearly distinguished from work which has already been published or accepted for publication; and
- published works which are included in the thesis should not be submitted in the journal's published format, but rather in the format of the final author-submitted manuscript. This requirement is in place to maintain consistent formatting throughout the thesis.
Although they have gone through peer review, published works which appear in the thesis are not exempt from the revisions which examiners may request.
You can read more about this in the Thesis Preparation Guide for candidates.
Payment of examiners
UQ is grateful to examiners for the significant contribution they make to the quality of our research.
Examiners of UQ HDR candidates have the option of being paid an honorarium for this contribution and are asked to indicate their preference upon accepting the invitation to examine a UQ HDR candidate.
Honorarium amounts are recommended by Universities Australia, and will be paid into the bank account you nominated when accepting our invitation.
If you overlooked this step when accepting our invitation to examine a UQ thesis, or you have changed your mind and would now like to be paid an honorarium, please send an email (including, if possible, the candidate's name and/or the case ID) to thesis@gradschool.uq.edu.au for further advice.
Honorariums are paid four to six weeks after receipt of your written report or, when an oral examination is involved, after receipt of the chair’s report. Please note that payments to bank accounts outside Australia are made through Western Union and do not carry UQ identifiers. If you think your honorarium has not been paid despite having provided all the relevant information, please send an enquiry (including, if possible, the candidate’s name and/or the case ID) to thesis@gradschool.uq.edu.au.