Responsibility for the format of the thesis rests with the student after consultation with their supervisors. Some elements provide more detailed guidelines for particular fields of study. Students must seek the approval of the Dean, Griffith Graduate Research School if they believe that thesis preparation demands a major departure from these guidelines. The request must be supported by the student's supervisors and endorsed by the Dean (Research).
A high standard of presentation is required. Students are encouraged to use a leading word-processing or desktop publishing computer package combined with a high quality printer to ensure that presentation of text and any illustrative matter is both clear and attractive to the reader. A major consideration in the presentation of the thesis is the ease with which an examiner can undertake the task of examination. To this end, the following factors should be taken into account when preparing the thesis.
Length of thesis
A thesis is intended among other things to demonstrate a student's capacity to report on the research in a clear and succinct manner. It is recognised that the length of a thesis may vary according to the topic and the discipline (eg, a PhD thesis is normally between 70,000 - 80,000 words). There is some variation in international standards regarding the length of a doctoral thesis and students are advised to consult their supervisors regarding appropriate word limits in their disciplines. A very short thesis may suggest a lack of scope in a project while a very long thesis may suggest a failure in judgment through inclusion of material that could be left out.
Griffith University sets upper limits on the length of a higher degree research thesis, not including bibliography, appendices or footnotes:
- Doctor of Philosophy (including named PhDs) - 100,000 words
- Master of Philosophy - 50,000 words
- Doctor of Education - 50,000 words
- Doctor of Visual Arts - 20,000 words
- Doctor of Musical Arts - 80,000 words
These upper limits may be exceeded only in exceptional cases where approval has been given by the Dean, Griffith Graduate Research School on application from the student and with the support of the principal supervisor and Dean (Research).
Text layout and binding
- the text should be copied or printed on both sides of the page (double-sided) on good quality International A4 (297mm x 210mm) bond paper
- the print size of text in the main body of the thesis should be not less than 11 point
- the lines of text should be in 1.5 or double spacing
- each page should have a left and right hand margin of at least 3cm, and a top and bottom margin of at least 2cm
- the pages should be numbered sequentially
- depending on the referencing system used, references/footnotes may appear in the body of the text, at the bottom of each page, at the end of each chapter, or at the end of the thesis
- the text must be legible as the intelligibility of the thesis depends in part on its presentation.
Multiple copies of the thesis can be reproduced and bound by Griffith University's reprographic service on the Nathan and Gold Coast campuses: UniPrint. Higher degree research students are entitled to have this copying charged at the 'Griffith University copying' rate. Copying of theses on host element copiers will be at the discretion of the Head of Element.
It is recommended that the copies of the thesis submitted for examination be soft-bound and double sided. The cover must include the details specified in the section Text Sequence. Loose-leaf binders of the two-hole or spring type are not acceptable. Plastic spiral binding is preferred. Binding equipment located in UniPrint is available for this purpose at minimal cost.
Refer to the submission procedures for the number of copies required for your higher degree research program.
Text sequence
The front page of the thesis must contain the following information:
- the full title
- the full name and academic qualifications of the student
- the element and group in which the candidature was pursued, and the name of the University
- the degree for which the thesis is submitted including the words, "Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy/Master of Philosophy/named professional doctorate"
- the date (month and year) of submission of the thesis.
The contents of the thesis must take the following order:
- a short synopsis or abstract of approximately 700 words
- a signed statement of originality (Word 17k) including the words:
- a table of contents, a list of all diagrams and illustrations and a list of supplementary material, if any.
- a statement acknowledging the extent and nature of any assistance received in the pursuit of the research and preparation of the thesis. This should include a list of any work published in the course of the research that is included in whole or in major part in the thesis itself, editorial assistance, etc
- acknowledgement of published papers included in the thesis (only for submitting students who choose to include full copies of published papers in chapters of their thesis, rather than write the full thesis in standard thesis style with reference to published papers or inserting the papers as appendices). Please choose one of the below statement types (for assistance in establishing which statement is required, please see the published papers requirements diagram (PDF 73k)):
- the main text
- statement of contribution to co-authored published papers included in the thesis (only for students submitting full copies of co-authored papers in chapters of their thesis). This statement is to be included at the beginning of each relevant chapter – if the chapter includes more than one published paper, the statement and set of signatures should be included for each paper (for assistance in establishing whether a statement is required, please see the published papers requirements diagram (PDF 73k)):
- appendices (including a confidential appendix where appropriate)
- the bibliography
- other material separate from the bound thesis and submitted as part, or in support of the thesis such as computer print-outs, films, CD-ROMs, video-tapes, models, music scores, tape recordings etc.
Where applicable, a statement confirming that ethical clearance was granted and that the research was conducted in accordance with the approved protocol, must appear at an appropriate place in the text or appendices.
Supplementary material, diagrams and tables
- small diagrams, photographic images and tables should be incorporated into the text
- full page diagrams should be inserted on a page immediately facing the text describing it
- diagrams exceeding A4 size should be placed after the main body of the thesis and bound in such a manner that they may be opened out and read when the thesis is closed. This entails a left hand margin of at least 2cm
- other material such as rolls of film which cannot be bound together with the thesis should be placed in a storage container which will ensure its protection and which can be stacked in the Library together with the thesis. Digital deposit of the thesis may not be possible (and exemption from such deposit allowed) where significant supplementary materials are unable to be digitised.
Referencing and bibliographic details
Careful attention to the referencing and bibliographic requirements of advanced research is an expectation of research training. Training in the use of bibliographic software packages such as EndNote is available through Griffith University Learning Services and is advisable at an early stage of candidature.
A fundamental requirement of research practice is the acknowledgement of the work of others. Failure to acknowledge the work of others may constitute plagiarism and is regarded by Griffith University as academic misconduct, for which penalties including exclusion from a program may be imposed. The strict requirements of an academic thesis for referencing and bibliographic records need to be understood in this context.
Students must acknowledge other researchers upon whose work or publications they have drawn. Adequate documentation of sources is expected and relied upon by the thesis examiners who may wish to consult sources quoted in a thesis. Failure to adequately document sources could lead to allegations of plagiarism.
Only recognised referencing styles should be employed, and students should consult with their supervisors on the most appropriate form of referencing for the field in which they are working. It is essential that the style of referencing adopted be followed consistently.
All books and articles mentioned in the body of the thesis must appear in the bibliography or reference list as appropriate. In some fields, the bibliography or reference list contains a record of works consulted, even if not actually cited in the text. The form in which a bibliography or reference list is presented may vary depending on the field of research. Supervisors can advise on what is appropriate for the field of research, and students should become familiar with the standard in their field by consulting previous Thesis.
Language
It is expected that the thesis will be written in English. A student may make a case to the Dean, Griffith Graduate Research School that a thesis would be more appropriately written in a language other than English. In considering a request, the Dean, GGRS will take into account the student's research topic, the capacity of the host element to provide continuity of linguistic expertise in the supervisory team, the extent to which the thesis is intimately associated with the study of that language, the availability of expert examiners able to read the thesis in the nominated language, and whether its presentation in English would vitiate the thesis. A student's lack of proficiency with the English language is not an appropriate reason for seeking to write the thesis in a language other than English.
A thesis that is written in a language other than English must have an Abstract in English as well as in the language in which it is written. Approval to write a thesis in a language other than English does not absolve the student from meeting Griffith University's English language proficiency requirements at admission to candidature.
This provision does not preclude the reproduction of texts in the original language where there are no adequate English translations available, or where the use of the original text is important to the understanding of the thesis as a whole.
In general, gender inclusive language should be used. Refer to Griffith University's Non-Discriminatory Language Guidelines.