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Preparing and submitting your thesis

On this page you will find information about how you should prepare your thesis for submission, and the process for submission. You can navigate to information about the examination process itself via the menu on the left of this page.

Notification of intention to submit

To submit your thesis or portfolio you must:

• complete section A of the Intention to Submit form, available on the Forms and Letter Requests page
• attach a copy of your summary (see below) to the form.

Section B of the form should be completed by your main supervisor before the form is returned. You'll get written confirmation of receipt of your application.

Two months’ notice is required so that your examiners can be identified and formally appointed, ready for your submission. If you don't give full notice of your intention to submit, the examination of your thesis will be delayed.

Your thesis summary

Your thesis summary (or abstract) should provide a synopsis of the thesis, and clearly state the nature and scope of the research undertaken and contribution made to the knowledge of the subject. It should include a brief statement of the method of investigation where appropriate, an outline of the major divisions or principal arguments of the work and a summary of any conclusions reached.

Your summary should be submitted with your Intention to Submit form, and copy also incorporated in to your thesis on submission. Your summary should be single spaced and not exceed 300 words (except in the following subjects, which must not exceed 600 words: Education/Social Work, Music-Theatre Performance, Creative Writing and Media Practice. Each summary should include a heading set out in the following style:

• UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX
• YOUR FULL NAME
• DEGREE FOR WHICH THE THESIS OR PORTFOLIO IS SUBMITTED
• TITLE OF THESIS OR PORTFOLIO SUMMARY

Thesis presentation and layout

The below outlines the University's minimum requirements. Your School determines the required length and format for your thesis. You should therefore consult your School's PGR handbook (or equivalent resource) for further information, prior to submission. 

Before submission you are advised to check that:

• All chapters/sections are present and complete, correctly numbered and in the correct order.
• Tables of contents, etc. are present and correct.
• All Figures and Tables are present, inserted in the correct place, have an appropriate title and legend where necessary, and are in final form and appropriately numbered. A minimum font size of not less than 9 is suggested after insertion of a Figure into the main text of the thesis.
• The text has been carefully checked to remove typographical, spelling and grammatical errors.
• The bibliography is presented in an acceptable format (your supervisor should be able to advise you further).
• References are cited accurately, and every reference cited in the text is given in the bibliography and vice-versa.
• All pages are present and correctly numbered and located.
• You have correctly set out subject-specific aspects such as statistical analyses, formulae or quotations.

Formatting

The approved format of your thesis or portfolio is as follows:

• Typeface: The typeface should be clear and easy to read.
• Spacing: For the main text, double or one-and-a-half line-spacing. For indented quotations or footnotes, single line-spacing.
• Margins: The left-hand-side should be 4cm. The top and bottom margins should be 2.5cm deep. The right hand margin should be 2cm.
• Pagination: Pages should be numbered consecutively through the main text, excluding photographs and/or diagrams which are not embodied in the text. Page numbers should be located centrally at the top of the page. Any photographs or diagrams not included in the text must be indexed separately by reference to the page which follows it.
• Title page: The title page should include:

• the full title of the thesis and the sub-title if any;
• the full name of the author;
• the qualification aimed for;
• the name of the University of Sussex;
• the month and year of submission.
• Table of contents: A table of contents should be included in the thesis and should list in sequence with the page numbers all relevant sub-divisions of the thesis including:
  • the titles of chapters;
  • sections and paragraphs as appropriate;
  • the bibliography;
  • the list of abbreviations and other functional parts of the thesis,
  • any appendices and the index (if provided).
• Drawings, maps and similar documents should preferably be included with the text, but may, if necessary, be submitted in a separate volume lettered in similar fashion to the text.
• Bibliography: A composite bibliography should be presented at the end of the thesis after the main text and before any appendices. Individual bibliographies for sub-divisions of the thesis should not be employed. The composite bibliography should be:
  • either numbered consecutively, as far as possible, in the same order as references appear in the text, with numbers only in the text;
  • or be placed in alphabetical order of authors, sub-divided chronologically by year of publication, with authors' names and years of publications in the text.
  • In the latter case publications in the same year by the same author(s) should be distinguished in the bibliography and the text by letters in alphabetical sequence (e.g. 1979a, 1979b).
  • Referencing system: please use the referencing system most prevalent in your discipline. The same referencing system should be used throughout the thesis.
• Acknowledgements: In the introduction to your thesis, you should set out the sources of your information, such as particular libraries, archives, organisational records, private papers and department files. You should also set out the plan of your research procedures, indicating what general categories of persons you interviewed and you should indicate any special conditions of access to information.
• Statement: Your thesis or portfolio must include a signed declaration bound into the thesis or portfolio after the title page which states:
  • the thesis or portfolio, whether in the same or different form, has not been previously submitted to this or any other University for a degree, unless you are re-submitting the thesis or portfolio for re-examination.
  • To what extent any material has already been submitted as part of required coursework, at any university and any award obtained as a result.
  • The sources from which the information has been derived and, if any part of the thesis or portfolio results from joint work with other persons. If so, the extent to which the thesis or portfolio has drawn on the work of those others and the portion of the thesis or portfolio which you claim to be your own original work.
  • in the case of the papers-style thesis, the declaration must state the candidate's contribution to each paper.

Submitting your thesis

Your thesis should be submitted as a PDF file by email to researchexams@sussex.ac.uk. If your thesis is too large to send by email, please email ahead and alternative arrangements will be made for your submission.

Papers-style thesis

You may incorporate, as an integral part of the thesis, any of your work published or submitted for publication before the submission of the thesis, provided that the greater proportion of the work for the thesis has been carried out after registration for the degree and under supervision. If you submit a ‘papers-style’ thesis, you are required to include a declaration confirming your contribution to each paper, especially in cases where the co-author is a supervisor. 

PhD by Published Works

This type of research degree is available only to those who have authored a substantial research-led publications prior to registration. For full details on eligibility and admission, please see the Policy on Research Degrees (Appendix 2). 

The work submitted for a PhD by Published Works may take the form of refereed articles, chapters, monographs, scholarly editions, software and creative work (including fine art, audiovisual works, design, music or performance) or other original artefacts, as long as they are available or traceable in the public domain. The submission itself will take the form of a portfolio consisting of: an abstract of the submission, including a list of the items of published work; the items of published work (the research for which will not have been undertaken during registration for the PhD), and a 10,000 word supporting paper that:

• summarises each published work to be submitted (may be added as appendices and not included in word limit)
• provides a commentary on the status of the publishing outlets (may be added as appendices and not included in word limit)
• describes the interrelationship of the published works to be submitted
• gives a critical review of the current state of knowledge and research in the relevant field
• reports on the reception of the published works as indicated by citations and reviews
• demonstrates how the published works to be submitted have made a significant contribution to knowledge in a particular field

Plagiarism, collusion and other forms of misconduct

It is an offence for any student to be guilty of, or party to, collusion, plagiarism or any other form of misconduct in an examination or work which is submitted for assessment. It is also an offence to commit any form of misconduct during the course of your research. The main types of misconduct are defined as follows (click on the section to expand):

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the use, without acknowledgement, of the intellectual work of other people, and the act of representing the ideas or discoveries of another as one’s own in written work submitted for assessment. To copy sentences, phrases or even striking expressions without acknowledgement of the source (either by inadequate citation or failure to indicate verbatim quotations), is plagiarism; to paraphrase without acknowledgement is likewise plagiarism. Where such copying or paraphrase has occurred the mere mention of the source in the bibliography shall not be deemed sufficient acknowledgement; each such instance must be referred specifically to its source. Verbatim quotations must be either in inverted commas, or indented, and directly acknowledged.

Fraud

Deliberate deception, usually involving the invention of data or the fabrication of results or observations. It does not include unintentional error or professional differences in interpretation or judgement of data. 

Collusion

Collusion is the preparation or production of work for assessment jointly with another person or persons unless explicitly permitted. An act of collusion is understood to encompass those who actively assist others as well as those who derive benefit from others’ work. Where joint preparation is permitted but joint production is not, the submitted work must be produced solely by the candidate making the submission. Where joint production or joint preparation and production of work for assessment is specifically permitted, this will be stated explicitly in the relevant course documentation. This does not preclude collaborative working arrangements (e.g. experimental research in laboratories) where this is permitted by the School; however, the student is required to acknowledge in the thesis where the results of collaborative work are presented and outline the contributions made by each party.

Interference

Intentional damage to, or removal of, the research-related property of another.

Non-compliance with requirements governing research

Intentional non-compliance with the terms and conditions governing the award of external funding for research or with the University’s policies and procedures relating to research, including accounting requirements, ethics, and health and safety regulations. At the time you submit your thesis, you will be asked to sign a statement to confirm that you understand the definition of plagiarism and that the sources used in your thesis have been fully acknowledged. Allegations or complaints of misconduct committed by Doctoral Researchers will be investigated by the appropriate authority, depending on the timing and nature of the allegation. Where a Doctoral Researcher is found guilty of misconduct, a range of penalties may be applied, up to and including disqualification from eligibility for the award for the most serious offences. The detailed procedures for the consideration of misconduct by Doctoral Researchers, or others, engaged in research can be accessed at: www.sussex.ac.uk/staff/research/rqi/policy/research-policy.

Turnitin for PGRs

Turnitin, the text-matching service can be accessed via the online learning portal Canvas. Turnitin enables you to check the text in chapters or sections of your thesis or research reports, to ensure that material from other sources have all been identified and referenced. Turnitin does this by comparing your submitted text with its enormous database of digital text from journals, books, conference proceedings, web pages, and archived student papers. You then have a confidential and detailed report on text similarities, which you can use to identify material taken from other sources. The site also provides links to helpful resources such as copyright and referencing information and guidance for researchers. Where examiners or internal assessors of your work request so, an electronic copy of your thesis will be requested to be submitted through Turnitin. The resulting originality report will be shared with you and all involved.