Chapter 7: Thesis and examination matters

7.5 Submission of theses

7.5.1 Standard submission requirements

Four bound copies of the thesis must be submitted to the Monash University Institute of Graduate Research (MIGR) Office, located on the ground floor of Building 3D, Clayton campus. The office is open:

10.00 am to 5 pm on Monday to Thursday; and
10.30 am to 5 pm on Friday.

External candidates, candidates located interstate or overseas at the time of submission, and those enrolled at other campuses can post/courier their thesis copies and submission forms to the MIGR Office at:

Examinations Unit
Monash University Institute of Graduate Research
Building 3D, Clayton Campus
Monash University VIC 3800
Australia

Candidates are encouraged to inform the MIGR Office Examinations Unit of any postal/courier arrangements.

Academic units located at other campuses may provide assistance in forwarding thesis copies to the MIGR Office.

Please note that candidates undertaking studio-based research degrees (Master of Fine Art or Master of Design (by Research)) in the Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture must consult the Faculty regarding submission requirements.

See also Section 7.5.4 eThesis.

Thesis copies must be submitted with:

• The supervisor statement (see Section 7.5.2 below), in which the supervisory team certifies that the thesis is ready for examination;
• The Library Release/Thesis Contributor Agreement; and
• the eThesis clearance form (if applicable), completed by the candidate and countersigned by the head of the academic unit, which authorises the release of an electronic copy of the thesis to the library for lodging within the Research Repository upon completion of the examination.

Upon submission the candidate will receive a record of their thesis submission.

Where candidature has lapsed within the last three years, a request to submit under lapsed candidature is required.

7.5.2 Special submission requirements

7.5.2.1 Master of Fine Art

In the case of the Master of Fine Art, the thesis as examined will normally consist of an exhibition of visual work and a bound, written exegesis.

The exhibition will be staged on-campus and will be attended by the examiners. In certain circumstances an off-site venue may be approved by the Faculty in consultation with the supervisor. If an alternate venue is arranged, it is the responsibility of the candidate to organise venue hire, Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) compliance, and costs associated with the exhibition staging.

The exhibition and exegesis will not be examined separately as it is intended that the visual and written work unite the theory with practice.

The exegesis documentation will be submitted to the Faculty no less than 6 weeks prior to the candidate’s scheduled exhibition opening date, which will be, where possible, the officially recorded candidature end-date. The date on which the exhibition opens will be considered the official submission date.

7.5.2.2 Master of Design (by Research)

In the case of the Master of Design (by Research), the thesis as examined will normally consist of an exhibition of visual work and a bound, written exegesis.

The exhibition will be staged on-campus and will be attended by the examiners. In certain circumstances an off-site venue may be approved by the Faculty in consultation with the supervisor. If an alternate venue is arranged, it is the responsibility of the candidate to organise venue hire, Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) compliance, and costs associated with the exhibition staging.

The exhibition and exegesis will not be examined separately as it is intended that the visual and written work unite the theory with practice.

The exegesis documentation will be submitted to the Faculty no less than 6 weeks prior to the candidate’s scheduled exhibition opening date, which will be, where possible, the officially recorded candidature end-date. The date on which the exhibition opens will be considered the official submission date.

7.5.2.3 Master of Arts (Music Performance)

In the case of the Master of Arts (Music Performance), the thesis as examined will normally consist of a live performance, which will be recorded, a program booklet and a bound, written exegesis.

The live music performance will normally be presented to the examiners and an audience at the School of Music's auditorium. It may be presented at an alternate venue that is suitable to the style of music and that enables recording of the performance, if arranged in consultation with the candidate's supervisor. If an alternate venue is arranged, it is the responsibility of the candidate to organise venue hire, Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) compliance, and costs associated with recording the performance.

The performance project and exegesis are expected to be prepared for examination simultaneously. When both are completed to the satisfaction of the candidate and supervisor(s), the examination can commence. However, certain projects may be allowed a maximum period of two months between the live performance and the submission of the exegesis.

The bound exegesis and performance recording (i.e. CD, DVD) are expected to be submitted to the MIGR Office. Where the recording cannot be affixed within the covers of the bound exegesis, the various items should be submitted in a folio box.

The date on which this component is submitted to the MIGR Office is considered to be the official submission date.

7.5.3 Certification of theses

A Statement by Supervisor on Submission of Research Master’s Thesis form must be signed by the main supervisor, certifying that the research and writing embodied in the thesis are that of the candidate, except where otherwise acknowledged in the thesis, that the thesis is properly presented, does not exceed the maximum word length and is worthy of examination.

The main supervisor is also required to provide a brief (40–50 words) summary of the thesis. This synopsis then appears in the graduation program. It should contain a description of the research and its results, emphasising the practical value and/or significance of the work where appropriate. The language used needs to be simple and direct so the graduation audience may appreciate the type of research that has been conducted and why it is important.

7.5.3.1 Statement regarding research undertaken in relation to employment which may overlap with candidature

Where appropriate, a statement should be included in the thesis which explains the difficulty in separating paid work undertaken for a group or collaborative project from the work which may contribute, even indirectly, to the candidate's own work for the degree. The statement should address: 

1. the relationship between the thesis as a finished and authored work and the research context (team/collaborative project) in which the research may have been undertaken; and
2. the levels of indebtedness to the background research, including if necessary some description of the work undertaken in parallel to the thesis.

7.5.4 eThesis

7.5.4.1 Requirements if submitting

The University encourages all candidates to publish their thesis in the Monash University Research Repository so that the worldwide research community will have access to the full text of theses.

Alternatively, authors may also nominate restricted access to their thesis. In this instance the eThesis will not be published and online access is only given to the bibliographical details, title and abstract of the thesis.

Candidates are not required to submit an eThesis. However, if they wish, candidates may submit an electronic copy of their thesis after examination. Subsequent to the receipt of examiners’ reports and any necessary amendments, candidates may lodge an eThesis before submitting any amended thesis copies to the MIGR Office. The eThesis will be deposited into the Monash University Research Repository.

All candidates publishing in the open part of the research repository are required to add two copyright notices to the front of the thesis prior to lodgement. These notices can appear in the preliminary pages prior to the contents pages and abstract.

The first notice aims to protect the thesis from unauthorised use.

Notice 1

Under the Copyright Act 1968, this thesis must be used only under the normal conditions of scholarly fair dealing. In particular, no results or conclusions should be extracted from it, nor should it be copied or closely paraphrased in whole or in part without the written consent of the author. Proper written acknowledgement should be made for any assistance obtained from this thesis.

The second notice certifies the appropriate use of any third-party material in the thesis.

Notice 2

I certify that I have made all reasonable efforts to secure copyright permissions for third-party content included in this thesis and have not knowingly added copyright content to my work without the owner's permission.

Candidates choosing to deposit their thesis into the restricted access section of the repository are not required to complete Notice 2. Where candidates subsequently decide to move their thesis from the restricted access part of the repository to the open access area, Notice 2 must be provided.

Irrespective of these outcomes all candidates should be advised that they have a responsibility to use and cite the work of others appropriately.

7.5.4.2 Copyright issues

Candidates choosing to publish their eThesis online are also required to provide information on copyright material (figures, diagrams, photographs, etc.) and confidential and/or sensitive material in their thesis.

Candidates should refer to the advice in Chapter 6. Upon submission of the thesis for examination, candidates are required to sign a Library Release/Thesis Contributor Agreement form. For candidates choosing to publish their eThesis online, this form serves as the publishing agreement between the candidate and the University. The candidate provides certain warranties for the University, indicating that: 

1. they have the full power and right to grant Monash University the right to publish the thesis; and
2. they have made all reasonable efforts to secure permissions from copyright owners for the online publication of whatever significant third-party material may be included within the thesis.

The Library Release/Thesis Contributor Agreement form which incorporates the eThesis Clearance Form must be completed. This form must provide a list of all significant third party content and indicate any confidential and/or culturally sensitive material within the thesis.

For more detailed information candidates are referred to the information sheets provided by the MIGR Office ('Copyright' and ‘Seeking permission‘) and to Copyright advice for research candidates.

print version