Come along an view some real, live examiner's reports in toto! otherwise, here's a bit from craswell, g. The information in this section is taken from examiners’ reports, to which one of the authors of this book had access, and which were used in an in depth pilot study done by brigid ballard 1995. Each thesis had three external examiners, who were both national and international. The study covered reports from six disciplines – english and history in the humanities anthropology and political science in the social sciences and botany and zoology in the life sciences. This was a small, localized study see also, the expanded study by holbrook et al. It nevertheless has broader value in terms of generic quality indicators, to be augmented by disciplinary indicators, as advised by your supervisor and some value too for theses other than phds. Examiners’ commentary may also prove insightful if your thesis is to be examined by way of a viva or oral, a subject explored fully by murray 2003.

Engaging generic practices noted and valued by examiners will surely aid you in communication of your research. overall quality and contribution to scholarship among thesis qualities most commonly valued was the capacity to contribute innovatively. This thesis qualifies twice over.’ in assessing the nature of the contribution, examiners also considered ‘justification’ for the research undertaken, the importance of the ‘questions’ being addressed and ‘issues’ canvassed the capacity to relate research concerns to those of the broader discipline and the grounding of the research in the relevant scholarship.

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Examiners in the humanities and social sciences also considered, and provided advice on, publication, either as journal articles or as monographs, but did not attribute the same importance to there being existing publications from the thesis in assessing overall quality, though this may have changed in subsequent years. Yet it is doubtful whether the material is significant enough to warrant a reference to the thesis in any future publication. Assiduous though the research has been, it is possible that material of the desired significance is simply not there to be found.’ examiners further took account of the breadth and depth appropriate for a phd, sometimes commenting on the scope and quality of the bibliography or list of references in the process of determination.

For example: ‘good solid empirical data’ – ‘data suggests careful observation’ – ‘careful selection of data for presentation’ – ‘the logical rigour of the discussions is extremely impressive’ – ‘logical and systematic throughout’ the more negative comments tended to be of this type: ‘. Too often prepared to reach firm conclusions in the light of insufficient data.’ ‘. There are observations in the discussion that were not mentioned in the results.’ ‘. Gets caught up in the minutiae of the results and has failed to highlight the significance of many of his findings.’ these reports suggest you need to be realistic about the importance of your results – grand speculations are not appreciated.

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You will also need to draw out the significance of the results in the discussion section, and their implications, as doing this was thought essential by examiners. Examiners of theses in the humanities and social sciences were no less careful in their scrutiny of analyses and arguments, with many praising and detailing evidence of ‘critical thought’ or remarking on the lack thereof. One noted ‘the subtlety and brilliance of analysis’ in a thesis others commented as follows: ‘the whole thesis is vigorously argued. One examiner praised the candidate’s awareness of ‘alternative theories and explanations’ another, the ‘theoretical sophistication’ of the study and yet another, the ‘creative’ and ‘rigorous’ use of theory in the thesis under examination.

The importance of ‘sound’ methodology and its careful application in context was another vital consideration for many theses, as was ‘clear definition of concepts’ – one examiner displaying considerable annoyance because of a student’s failure to define seminal concepts. The phd examination process includes the following main stages: step 1: 9 the candidate advises their department of his or her intention to submit step 2. 9 three examiners and a convener are nominated by the department and then formally 9 9 9 approved by the graduate research committee. step 4: 9 copies of the thesis are sent to the examiners and the convener assuming examiners 9 9 9 have been approved step 5. 9 the examiners: 9 read the thesis 9 write their reports independently 9 submit their reports and recommendation sheets to the doctoral office via email step 6: 9 once all three examiners rsquo reports are in, the convener considers the reports step 7. 9 the convener arranges and chairs an oral examination, where applicable step 8.

9 the convener facilitates a consensus decision amongst the examiners step 9. 9 the convener advises the doctoral office of the initial outcome step 10. 9 the doctoral office advises the candidate of that final outcome step 15: 9 the candidate submits the final two hard bound copies of the thesis and e thesis to 9 9 our archive step 16: 9 the candidate graduates with a phd degree! the degree of doctor of philosophy at the university of otago is acquired solely by the submission of a thesis prepared under supervision.

There is no course work, although candidates may be required to take certain papers in order to acquire specific knowledge or expertise to complete their research satisfactorily. The thesis may be submitted after at least 2.5 full time years of study and no more than eight calendar years of study. The university expects, as a norm, that a phd will take three years of full time study to complete. A successful phd thesis will demonstrate the candidate's ability to conduct original research and to present the findings of that research to a professional standard.

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The thesis should give evidence that the candidate has made a significant contribution to knowledge in the particular field. On the award of the degree, the graduate should be a person capable of conceiving, designing and carrying out high quality research in the area of their expertise without supervision. As the highest degree awarded by the university of otago for research supervised by members of the academic staff, the phd requires a high degree of scholarly acumen, independence and perseverance. The purpose of this document is to describe the policy and procedure for the examination of phd theses as required by the regulations for the phd degree. The accompanying flowchart provides a diagrammatical representation of the examination process. Candidates are requested to advise their supervisors of the intention to submit the thesis at least two months prior to submission. This will prompt the supervisors to nominate examiners and to submit an application for a postgraduate publishing bursary if applicable.

Phd theses are normally examined by three examiners: one from outside new zealand overseas external one from within new zealand but external to the university new zealand external and one internal to the university internal . For instance, where no suitably qualified examiner is available to fulfil the role of ldquo new zealand external rdquo , a further ldquo overseas external rdquo will be appointed. Where no suitably qualified examiner can be found to fulfil the role of ldquo internal rdquo , a further ldquo new zealand external rdquo or, in exceptional circumstances, an ldquo overseas external rdquo will be appointed. A supervisor, ex supervisor or member of the departmental advisory committee will not be appointed as an examiner. Suitably qualified examiners: preferably have a phd or if not, some other higher degree but with appropriate research experience at a high level. It is unusual, however, for someone without a phd to be nominated to examine a phd thesis should be knowledgeable in the area/field/discipline of the topic of the thesis to be examined i.e. The examiner should have the necessary background to be able to make an informed judgement about the thesis and should be research active.

When nominating examiners, consideration should also be given to the examining experience of the examiners. It is recommended that a mix of both experienced and inexperienced examiners should be nominated where a panel of three experienced examiners is not feasible. Has not examined more than three doctoral theses , a strong justification will need to be made.

The convener is not an examiner of the thesis but is a person who coordinates the examiners rsquo reports and submits a report on the recommendation of the examiners. If an oral examination is held, the convener prepares for, and chairs, the oral examination see below. Conveners are drawn from heads of department and other senior academic staff ndash a list of official conveners is available on the phd website at w.otago.ac.nz/study/phd. A convener is not necessarily a member of the same department as the phd candidate. A supervisor, ex supervisor, or member of the departmental advisory committee will not be appointed as convener. It is essential that departments begin the process of selecting potential examiners before the thesis is submitted so that the examination process is not unnecessarily protracted.