19.1 The submission of the thesis for examination should be electronic, by email, directly to the Research Degrees Team. Students must submit their thesis for examination by emailing one electronic PDF copy of your final thesis, and the completed, signed RDC-Sub submission form, to the Research Degrees Team.
Once all elements of the examination process have been completed satisfactorily, the final approved electronic copy of the thesis must be uploaded to the University’s online repository, RADAR as set out in the RDC-Decl form, before the degree may be awarded. Students confirm, through the completion and submission of a declaration form RDC-Decl RADAR, that the contents of the final thesis are identical with the version submitted for examination, except where amendments have been made to meet the requirements of the examiners (Section 18).
19.2 Except with the specific permission of the Research Degree Committee the thesis shall be presented in English. Where a thesis is presented in a language other than English, a summary in English of 1,000 words shall be included in the thesis.
19.3 An abstract of approximately 300 words should be included in the thesis which shall provide a synopsis of the thesis stating the nature and scope of the work undertaken and of the contribution made to the knowledge of the subject treated.
19.4 The thesis shall include a statement of the candidate’s objectives and shall acknowledge published or other sources of material consulted (including an appropriate bibliography or list of citations depending on the discipline) and any assistance received.
19.5 Where a candidate’s research programme is part of a collaborative group project, the thesis shall indicate clearly the candidate’s individual contribution and the extent of the collaboration.
19.6 The candidate shall be free to publish material in advance of the thesis but reference shall be made in the thesis to any such work. Copies of published material should be included in the electronic copy of the thesis.
19.7 The thesis submitted for examination shall remain the property of the University but the copyright in the thesis shall be vested in the candidate.
19.8 The material excluded from the overall maximum word limit includes:
- the bibliography or reference lists, as well as all supplementary information such as data, including transcribed or original source data
- questionnaire responses
- computer listings
- previously published work by the candidate.
All these elements should be included in the appendices.
The maximum number of words permitted in the text of a thesis itself should fall between the word-limit ranges set out below. Please note that while the number of words in a thesis submitted for examination may sit between the minimum and maximum limits set out here, they must not exceed the maximum upper-limit for any theses submitted for examination in one of the disciplines, as described below.
To note that following examination where the examiners recommend amendments to the thesis, the additional word count that will result from the revisions requested, falls outside the limits set here.
Research Degree | Word count |
|---|---|
| PhD: Science, Engineering, Art and Design: | 35,000-40,000 words |
| MPhil: Science, Engineering, Art and Design: | 17,500-20,000 words |
| PhD: Humanities, Environment, Social Sciences Health, Psychology: | 80,000-100,000 words |
| MPhil: Humanities, Environment, Social Sciences, Health Care, Psychology: | 40,000-50,000 words |
| PhD: Business, Economics: | 70,000-100,000 words |
| MPhil: Business, Economics: | 35,000-50,000 words |
| Research Components of the Professional Doctorate: | 50,000-65,000 words |
Where the programme of research involves the preparation of a scholarly edition of texts, a scholarly edition of creative writing or scholarly edition of musical or choreographic works, or other original artifacts (see regulation 6.5), the written thesis should be within the following range:
- for a PhD: 30,000 - 40,000 words
- for an MPhil: 15,000 - 20,000 words
The documentation of the practical work can be in the form of a material product, but can also be documented in a separate text that shows the stages and the procedures that the candidate has worked through.
If the documentation of practice is in the form of a text, the maximum word limit for this documentation would be a maximum of 60,000 words bringing the overall maximum count to 100,000 words.
The Critical Reflection/Commentary of the work will follow existing policy (see section 6.5) and should be within 15,000 and 40,000 words depending on whether the thesis will be defined as:
- involving “the candidate’s own creative work or practice-based work” (maximum 20,000 words)
or
- “where the programme of research involves the preparation of a scholarly edition of texts, creative writing or other work" (Maximum 30,000 – 40,000) words.
19.9 Absolutely no applications for extension to the maximum word limits set out above will be considered or approved. Students and Supervisors must plan the work to ensure that the final maximum word count falls within the approved limit.