PGR Thesis by Alternative Format
The University of Exeter adopts an open approach to the definition of what we mean by the term ‘thesis’ which reflects the wide variety of ways in which research is carried out and assessed.
This allows, for example, for the production of a thesis in an alternative format, which may include either:
- The presentation of part or all of the thesis in an alternative format e.g. it may be a multimedia document (e.g. an element or the thesis in its entirety, which is presented in a format appropriate perhaps for presentation at a conference), or
- A constructed text such as a piece of art, or a record of professional practice in the form of a series of case-studies, which must be accompanied by a commentary.
The regulations governing academic programmes in the Faculty of Graduate Research also make clear reference to the 'Presentation of Theses/Dissertations for Degrees in the Faculty of Graduate Research: Statement of Procedures' for further guidance.
The ‘Handbook for Examination of Postgraduate Research programmes’ also includes guidance for examination of alternative theses.
Although the revisions to the procedures have made them more permissive, they do not and cannot provide detailed guidance for the variety of ways in which students might seek to present their work, and as such, students are asked to discuss with their supervisor any proposals for varying the format in which their thesis is presented, according to the process laid out below.
Students wishing to submit their thesis in an alternative or non-traditional format must seek formal approval. Through completing the Application to submit a thesis in an alternative format form, students and supervisors are required to set out guidance for the formation and submission of the thesis, as well as confirming how the thesis will be archived and how the research may be disseminated following completion.
Only those students in receipt of an approved Change to Format of Thesis form will be allowed to submit their thesis in an alternative format.
Faculties and PGR Support Teams are encouraged to raise queries with, and address feedback to the Doctoral College Quality Development Team in order that these revised procedures can be improved with use.
A communication was sent to PGRs and PGR supervisors on Monday 12/02/2024 outlining the recently approved changes to the policy.
Guidance for operating the revised procedures
Candidates should be encouraged to request permission to submit a thesis as early as possible, and the Application to submit a thesis in an alternative format form should be submitted by the following deadlines:
- Doctorate programmes: 24 months after your programme start date.
- Research Masters (MPhil, MbyRes): 12 months after your programme start date.
Applicants are encouraged to express an interest in submitting an alternative format thesis at the application stage, and should do so by discussing with their proposed supervisor, who will liaise with their Faculty to discuss the matter further.
Should such a request be considered appropriate then:
- the proposed supervisor should, in discussion with the applicant, start to discuss the Application to submit a thesis in an alternative format formto start thinking about the implications of creating a thesis in an alternative format.
- the student should be directed to complete a programme application form as normal.
Review the guidance in section 3 of the ‘
Presentation of Theses/Dissertations for Degrees in the Faculty of Graduate Research: Statement of Procedures
’.
If you consider that you have a proposal which meets the relevant criteria you should first discuss this with your supervisor. If your supervisor considers that your proposal is appropriate they will direct you to complete an Application to submit a thesis in an alternative format form in consultation with them;
- Doctorate programmes: 24 months after your programme start date
- Research Masters (MPhil, MbyRes): 12 months after your programme start date.
When liaising with your supervisory team, you are advised to consider the following;
- Whether you have the appropriate experience to supervise this thesis.
- Whether you will have difficulty nominating an appropriate Board of Examiners.
- The format in which the submission would take place.
- How the academic commentary will support the thesis.
- What guidelines for submission the student will require – are these clear and available to the student and PGR Administration Team.
- How will the thesis be shared with the examiners following submission.
- How the thesis will be archived – will the thesis being in an alternative format mean that the thesis needs an alternative to online archiving.
- Any changes to the format of the thesis must be reviewed through this process, to ensure that due consideration has been taken and that risks have been mitigated as far as possible.
You must consider at an early stage how your work will be archived and how the research can be shared following completion of your degree.
You will then need to refer back to this paperwork in order to ensure that you submit your thesis according to the agreed format- as such you should append a copy to your MyPGR documents list; you will also need to attach a copy of your approved Application to submit a thesis in an alternative format form to your submission paperwork.
You will need to consider whether their proposal meets the relevant criteria in section 3 of the ‘
Presentation of Theses/Dissertations for Degrees in the Faculty of Graduate Research: Statement of Procedures
’.
Requests to change thesis format should be made as early as possible and no later than the following deadlines:
- Doctorate programmes: 24 months after your programme start date.
- Research Masters (MPhil, MbyRes): 12 months after your programme start date.
You should consider whether or not the request is appropriate, given the student’s remaining period of registration (receiving approval to submit your thesis according to alternative submission criteria does not alter the student’s maximum period of study).
If you consider that the proposal has merit, you will need to liaise with your student with regard to completion of the Application to submit a thesis in an alternative format form . In order to do so, you must consider:
- Whether you have the appropriate experience to supervise this thesis.
- Whether you will have difficulty nominating an appropriate Board of Examiners.
- The format in which the submission would take place.
- How the academic commentary will support the thesis.
- What guidelines for submission the student will require – are these clear and available to the student and PGR Administration Team.
- How will the thesis be shared with the examiners following submission.
- How the thesis will be archived – will the thesis being in an alternative format mean that the thesis needs an alternative to online archiving.
- Any changes to the format of the thesis must be reviewed through this process, to ensure that due consideration has been taken and that risks have been mitigated as far as possible.
If the request is approved, you should work with your student to ensure that their thesis is producing in accordance with the approved Change to Format of Thesis form.
You must give early consideration to the nomination of examiners to ensure that appropriate externals can be found.
Early consideration must be given to how the thesis will be archived and the research shared to ensure that non-standard archiving can be researched, and guidance given, where needed.
Requests should be considered in accordance with the relevant criteria in section 3 of the ‘
Presentation of Theses/Dissertations for Degrees in the Faculty of Graduate Research: Statement of Procedures
'.
Supervisors and students should be advised to present their case formally to the Department DPGR for approval through the Application to submit a thesis in an alternative format form and return the paperwork to their PGR Support Team.
The completed form should be submitted by the following deadlines:
- Doctorate programmes: 24 months after your programme start date.
- Research Masters (MPhil, MbyRes): 12 months after your programme start date.
Should further information or amendments be required, PGR Support Teams may need to go back to the supervisor and request amendments to the proposal before it is approvable.
Approval:
- The DDPGR will confirm approval with the PGR Support Team, who will submit the request to the DCQD Team.
- The DCQD Team will check the proposal against policy and liaise with the Dean of PGR for approval.
- DCQD will confirm the outcome with the PGR Support Team, along with any recommendations from the Dean.
- The PGR Support Team will notify the student and the supervisory team of the outcomeand any parameters associated with approval.
- The Postgraduate Administration Office will be advised of the approval by the DC Quality Development Manager and will record the approval on the student’s SITS record.
- Following approval students should be advised to upload a copy of the approved form to their MyPGR documents list for reference.
Rejection:
In any cases where the proposal is rejected, the authority rejecting it (either the DDPGR or the Dean of PGR) should provide rationale for the decision to share with the supervisor and student. The DC Quality Development Team will keep a copy of the proposal and the rejection on file. The PGR Support Team will share the outcome with the student and supervisor and will keep a record against the student’s files.
The student and supervisor may wish to make amendments to the proposal and resubmit the request, but are still expected to adhere to the deadlines above.
It must be recognised that producing theses in an alternative format heightens the need for appointing, at an early stage, appropriate examiners.
The examiners must be informed as part of this process of the format in which they will receive the thesis, and any other expectations examination of this thesis will place on them, for example, if they will be required to be physically on site for the examination or attend for more than one examination event.
The thesis they will receive may not be in a standard PDF document, and as such it will be wise to confirm their ability to read and access the thesis, e.g. do they have access to the appropriate software?
The format of the submission and dissemination of the thesis should be confirmed upon agreement of the alternative format.
A non-examining independent chair (NEIC) must be appointed for theses submitted according to alternative guidelines of submission .
Producing a thesis in an alternative format will require careful consideration as to how the thesis will be archived.
The University needs to retain a static version of the thesis that was awarded the degree. For text-based theses, this will be in the form of a PDF or other similar file. These documents will be stored in ORE in the usual way.
Websites or documents that are stored on web-links must be captured in such a way that the submission cannot be edited after submission. This may be done by capturing the content of each page and submitting by PDF (or other such document type).
Media and Audio files must be submitted with the commentary, and must be saved in a copy that the University may keep (i.e. that is not stored on a website).
Archiving may result in the final version of the thesis being slightly different to what was submitted, due to the nature of needing to keep a static copy. This should be taken into account, when submitting the Application to submit a thesis in an alternative format form, and if necessary, a brief statement may be uploaded with the final thesis to acknowledge any differences. This statement must be included as part of the commentary that accompanies the thesis.