after phd viva

Finishing Your Doctorate - a guide for students approaching the end of their studies

Learn about the different stages you will go through to complete your doctorate. find out about the timescales and the issues you will need to consider..

• Introduction

As you approach the end of your doctoral studies there are many things to consider including finishing off your research, writing and submitting your thesis, preparing for your viva voce examination and completing any corrections before your doctorate is awarded.

This step-by-step guide will help you understand the different stages you will need to go through. If you are completing an MPhil, please contact your supervisor or the Doctoral Programmes Administrator in the Doctoral College for specific advice for finishing your award as the process will be different. They are on hand to provide help and further detailed information about each step.

• Timeline for completion of your doctorate

The timeline from when you formally tell us that you intend to submit your thesis or portfolio to when your award is approved, can vary from six to 18 months, depending on the outcome of your viva voce examination. You can see the timeline in full on this diagram .

You should aim to submit in advance of your expected registration end date, in order to allow time for the examination process to be completed before your registration period runs out.

Funding and visa issues

If you are in receipt of funding for a fixed period, you should bear this in mind when considering when to submit. Whilst technically it is still possible to submit your thesis on the last day of your formal registration period, or after your funding ends, you are strongly advised not to do this: you will need extensions to cover the examination period and you will still be required to pay fees until the date you submit your thesis. If you are a student visa holder, you may also need to consider that your visa could expire before your viva examination can be held.

For those students who find themselves in financial difficulty, The University of Bath Financial Support Fund is available.

• Step 1: Decide how to submit your thesis

A doctoral thesis submitted for the award of MPhil, PhD, DBA, DPRP or DHealth may be submitted in one of two differing formats:

a traditional thesis consisting of chapters

an alternative format thesis which integrates academic papers into the text.

You will need to decide, if you haven’t already, which format you plan to submit. Ideally, you will have discussed with your supervisory team at an appropriately early stage in your studies how you wish to present your work.

The programme regulations for each Degree will describe how the research work may be presented: in a thesis, a portfolio (EngD, and DClinPsy only) or via a body of published works (MD MS only). Only students registered on an EdD prior to 2014 are able to present their work in either a thesis or portfolio format.

Further details of the University’s specifications for Higher Degree Theses and Portfolios can be found in Appendix 6 of QA7 . You may also want to read the Alternative Format Thesis FAQs .

You can access the Library’s collection of successful thesis submissions online via the Research Portal. You may wish to look at a few from your department as examples, taking note of content and organisation.

• Step 2: Transfer to Submission Pending Status

Once you have completed the minimum period of study required for your particular degree as stipulated in Regulation 16 , and you have finished the specified amount of work, you may be able to apply for transfer to 'Submission Pending' status, subject to approval by Board of Studies (Doctoral).

In determining whether the status should be adjusted, the Board of Studies (Doctoral) will consider a number of factors, including but not limited to:

• Whether any active research is complete
• Whether data collection is complete (incl. use of laboratories)
• Whether the student’s workplan supports their case that they are in the final stages of preparing for submission of their thesis/portfolio

The fee associated with submission pending status represents a significant drop from the regular fee rate. Students will need to submit a workplan to accompany their request, including a detailed timeline to submission, which will need to be supported by both supervisor and Director of Studies (DoS) to provide assurance that the application is appropriate and timescale realistic.

Students granted ‘submission-pending’ status will continue to receive supervision and submit progress reports, retain access to Library resources, remain registered, and their university email remains active.

Approval process

You should consider making an application for transfer to submission pending status at the earliest point, as changes of status may take time to be approved. In order to apply to transfer to submission pending status and for your fee status to be changed you must:

complete the PGR10 form

ask your lead supervisor and your Director of Studies to sign the form to support the change in your status

submit the form to your Doctoral Programmes Administrator in the Doctoral College for consideration by Board of Studies (Doctoral) for formal approval.

Impact of change of status

You should note that if you are in receipt of funding, such as a full studentship or a fee waiver, this funding will end at the point at which you transfer to submission pending status. You should also be aware that a change in your status may impact on your liability to pay Council Tax .

• Step 3: Notice of intention to submit

At least two months before you intend to submit your thesis or portfolio, and before your registration period ends, you should complete the HD1 form, which can be accessed through your SAMIS in-tray.

By completing this form you are providing formal notice of your intention to submit, which then prompts your supervisors and Director of Studies to start the appointment of examiners process by nominating an appropriate internal and an external examiner. It will also alert the graduation team that you are likely to be completing in the near future, so your name can be added to the invitation list for the next available graduation ceremony.

Most students will receive an email notification, reminding them to complete the HD1 form, six months prior to their registration end date. Students on the DClinPsy programme will be told by their Programme team when and how to complete a version of HD1. If you wish to submit your HD1 form earlier than six months before your end date, please contact your Doctoral Programme Administrator in the Doctoral College.

• Step 4: Restriction of access to your thesis

You should talk to your supervisor and/or funder about whether there is a need to restrict access to your thesis. Typical reasons for restricting access can include:

contractual agreements with companies or funders to not make findings public for a fixed period

deferral of open release of the e-thesis until after a paper’s publication

delay in making results public as they are being used to prepare patent applications.

If, for reasons of confidentiality, you want to restrict access to your thesis, it is possible to request a 12 month restriction. This applies to the electronic copy of the final thesis at the point when it is uploaded to the Library repository, Pure .

If you wish to secure a more comprehensive restriction of both the electronic and printed copies, or would like a restriction of a longer duration, you will need to make a formal request for approval from the Board of Studies (Doctoral) using the PGR7 form . On this form you will need to indicate why you need access to be restricted, and for how long.

The University has an open access policy on research outputs, and the expectation is that all theses/ portfolios will be available within the Library repository, therefore you will need to provide some details about why your work should not be shared. You will then need to submit the form to your Doctoral Programmes Administrator in the Doctoral College.

• Step 5: Appointment and role of examiners

Your supervisors and your departmental Director of Studies are responsible for nominating a Board of Examiners for the viva voce examination of your thesis or portfolio. This team will consist of an internal examiner who is usually, but not always, an academic from your department, and an external examiner from another university or organisation.

The team of examiners may also consist of an additional examiner, as a condition of funding, or an independent chairperson who can be appointed when the Director of Studies considers that the presence of an additional academic would be of assistance.

Criteria for appointment and role of examiners

For information on the criteria for the appointment of examiners, see section 27 of Regulation 16. You can also find further information in QA7 (section 13) .

Nominations for doctoral examiners will be submitted using the PGR13 form: Appointment of Examiners for Doctoral Research Degrees. This form includes details of who the proposed examiners are and what previous examination experience they have, and it is signed by the lead supervisor and the Director of Studies.

The appointment of examiners needs to be approved by Board of Studies (Doctoral) before a viva voce examination can take place, so this form should be submitted to your Doctoral Programmes Administrator in the Doctoral College in good time prior to the submission of your thesis or portfolio. When you submit your Notice of Intention to Submit form you might want to also check with your lead supervisor that they have begun the process of identifying potential examiners.

• Step 6: Final preparation for submission

Word counts

The guidelines on word limits for final theses/portfolios vary by faculty or department. In order to be sure that you stay within any prescribed limits please consult the Doctoral College guidance document on word counts .

Plagiarism is a serious academic offence. You will have by now completed the academic integrity training and are expected to be aware of the rules around plagiarism.

All theses are checked for plagiarism using appropriate software. Whether it is detected by the supervisor when proof-reading a draft copy, or by the examiners in a thesis actually submitted for examination, the procedure for inquiring into Allegations of Misconduct in Research outlines the investigation process that will be followed if a suspected plagiarism offence is detected. The viva examination cannot go ahead until the investigation is completed, and where plagiarism is found to have taken place this may result in a disciplinary hearing where an appropriate penalty will be decided.

For a refresher on academic integrity whilst writing your thesis, see the Library guide on citing references and how to avoid plagiarism .

Seeking advice from your supervisor on draft(s)

The lead supervisor is responsible for advising you on the format of the thesis to be adopted and for carrying out a critical reading of the draft. When you are ready, your lead supervisor should read a complete draft of your thesis or portfolio and advise you of any changes or additions that should be made prior to submission. You may need to produce more than one draft before it is finalised.

You should give your supervisors not less than two weeks notice that you will be providing them with a copy of the draft thesis. They will need at least six weeks to read the draft and make their comments. The supervisor’s opinion is only advisory, and you have the right to decide whether to make any of the edits they recommend, and to decide when you are ready to submit your work for examination (subject to the requirements of the Regulations for the degree for which you are registered). Addressing the comments made by your supervisor does not guarantee that your thesis/portfolio will subsequently be passed by the examiners.

Specification for submission

There are detailed specifications for the presentation of a thesis or portfolio for examination and these can be found in Appendix 6 of QA7 . Please take note of these before submitting your work.

• Step 7: Submission of your thesis/portfolio

What do I submit?

You are required to submit your thesis/portfolio in electronic format to the Doctoral College Submission page in Moodle where it will be checked for plagiarism. If an investigation into a potential plagiarism offence has to take place, the examination process will be stopped until this is concluded.

You will also need to complete the HD2 form: Record of submission of a thesis or portfolio , and email it to your Doctoral Programmes Administrator. Upon receipt of the HD2 form, and your submission onto Moodle, the Doctoral College will email you, your supervisor and the Director of Studies to formally confirm receipt of your submission.

When do I submit?

You are strongly advised to submit before the last day of your formal registration period so that the examination process can be completed before your registration ends, and if you are a Student visa holder, before your visa runs out.

If you do not submit before your registration end date, you will have to seek permission from Board of Studies to re-register as a student.

Your registration end date can be found on your SAMIS page or you can check this with your Doctoral College Programme Administrator.

If your visa runs out before the examination process is complete, you may be required to obtain a new visa (such as a short-term study visa) or return to your home country. If this happens, it may be possible to return to the UK at a later date to attend the viva voce examination in person, or alternatively a video conference can be arranged to facilitate the examination.  Find out more about visas .

What happens to my tuition fees after I submit?

Tuition fees will no longer be incurred but may still be charged from the point of submission. Depending on the outcome of your viva examination, and the level of access you may need to supervision and resources in order to complete your corrections/revisions, you may be charged a writing up fee for the corrections period.

Do I have to start paying Council Tax after I submit?

Full-time students are exempt from paying Council Tax until their expected, or actual, end date of registration. If you submit your thesis/portfolio on, or close to, your end date, you will need to contact your Doctoral Programmes Administrator to request an examination extension, which will extend your end of registration date. The actual end date of registration will then be the day of the Board of Studies (Doctoral) meeting where your final award is approved.

• Step 8: Preparing for the viva voce examination

Purpose of the viva voce

The main purpose of the viva voce is for you to defend the content of your thesis/portfolio and demonstrate your understanding of the broader aspects of the field of research and the subject of the thesis. It is an essential part of the examination process, and you must pass the viva as well as present a satisfactory thesis/portfolio in order to gain the award.

The examiners will test your ability to defend the work presented for examination. They need to ensure that your work is robust and that you fully understand the implications of your findings. They want to check the foundations of your research to ensure that the basic assumptions underpinning the work are sound, and that nothing major has been overlooked. Being able to discuss the work with you in person is of particular help if there is disagreement between the examiners about the outcome, or when the decision is marginal.

Think about the viva voce as more than an examination. It is an opportunity for you to discuss and develop ideas with experts in the field, to receive guidance on future publication plans and to receive constructive feedback on your work.

When should the examination take place?

The viva voce examination should normally take place within three months of the submission of the thesis/portfolio. Efforts will be made, where possible, to arrange the viva examination on a date convenient to all parties involved, and to minimise the amount of time a student has to wait for a viva examination.

You will be advised of the date of the examination as soon as possible after the thesis has been submitted. As a minimum, you will be given at least one week’s notice of the date of the exam. Those Student visa students on an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) course who are coming back to the UK for their viva examination may require more notice, so that they can apply and receive their new ATAS certificate. The Doctoral Programmes Administrator for your department or programme/supervisor will work with the examiners to check availability and agree a date and time.

Where should the examination take place?

The venue for the viva voce examination will vary by discipline. In some cases it will take place in the office of the internal examiner. In other cases a room may be booked. In all cases, the venue should be a quiet, comfortable environment free from interruptions.

Video Conferencing

In certain circumstances, the use of video conferencing facilities may be permitted for your viva examination, although some programmes may have their own expectations with regards to the use of these facilities. This might be an option if you or your examiner are based outside the UK and for reasons of cost, time or restricted mobility are unable to travel to the University of Bath in order to participate in the viva exam at an appropriate time. Should you require further advice on this, or should you want to take advantage of this facility, you should contact your Doctoral Programmes Administrator as soon as you are notified of your viva date.

For further information on the use of video conferencing in viva examinations see QA7 Appendix 3 .

Who will attend?

In line with UK practice, the viva voce will be a closed examination rather than a public event. You and the examiners will attend, along with an independent Chairperson if they have been appointed. You may ask that your supervisor is permitted to attend the viva voce examination to provide moral support or reassurance, but they must not play an active role in the examination. If you want your supervisor to be in attendance you will need to notify the Doctoral College on your HD2 form at the point of submission.

Some departments may also require you to undertake a public lecture or presentation before your viva voce. Please contact your supervisor for further information about whether this applies to you.

Can I ask for adjustments to help me participate in the viva examination?

The University is responsible for ensuring that appropriate facilities are made available should you need them. Please raise details of any reasonable adjustments that you may require to enable you to participate fully in the viva examination at your earliest opportunity. These adjustments can be related to a long-standing disability or a short-term medical issue, for example a back problem. Student Support can provide you with advice about adjustments and will generate a Disability Action Plan to record the adjustments where appropriate.

• Tips and advice for your viva voce

The following tips and advice will help you to prepare:

• expect to be challenged!
• be active - anticipate the questions that are likely to be asked in the viva examination
• use your research skills to identify commonly asked questions, and, after they’ve proof-read the thesis, ask your supervisors to suggest some potential questions too
• be prepared to discuss both the strengths and weaknesses of your work
• if you’ve presented your work at a conference or departmental seminar consider the questions that other researchers have raised about your work
• re-familiarise yourself with your examiners’ work in the field, as this can help you anticipate some of their likely questions
• be ready to summarise their most significant findings or area of greatest strength in your thesis
• be objective, and identify any areas of weaknesses within the body of work and be ready to discuss these, too
• ask your supervisory team, fellow researchers, or doctoral students in your office to hold a practice viva voce examination, in order to gain experience in answering questions about your work.
• re-read the thesis, particularly the first chapters that you wrote, in order to familiarise yourself with the contents once more
• attend the DoctoralSkills workshop ' Preparing for your doctoral viva '. You'll discuss what is expected of you in the examination and there will be a Q&A session with experienced examiners. Alternatively, you can complete the online learning module . Find out more by emailing DoctoralSkills .
• Further information about the viva voce

There are several useful resources in the library catalogue, the following list may be accessed online: Murray, R., (2009) How to Survive Your Viva: Defending a Thesis in an Oral Examination. Mansfield, N., (2007) Final hurdle: a guide to a successful viva. Potter, S., (2006) Doing postgraduate research.

The following Vitae guides may also prove helpful:

• Finishing your doctorate
• Completing your doctorate
• Writing and submitting your doctoral thesis
• Defending your thesis: the PhD viva
• Thesis defence checklist
• Thesis outcomes and corrections
• I had my doctoral viva and I enjoyed it

ATAS requirements

If you are a visa-holding student on an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) course coming back to the UK for your viva voce examination on a short-term study visa, you will need to ensure that a new ATAS certificate has been applied for, and received, in good time before making your new visa application. This includes nationals who are able to ask for permission to enter the UK on arrival at the border, rather than apply for a visa in advance. If you return to the UK for your viva voce without having a new ATAS certificate in place then it may not be possible to proceed with the examination.

• Step 9: Examiners' role in the viva voce

What do the examiners do?

Once appointed, internal and external examiners will read your thesis and each complete a preliminary report which records their initial independent thoughts on the work presented for examination. The examiners will refer back to these reports when they ask you questions in the viva voce examination. After the viva examination is concluded, the examiners will ask you to leave the room whilst they make their decision. You will be called back in, with your supervisor, to hear the examiners’ recommended outcome of the examination.

Examiners are asked to assess doctoral candidates' research and confirm their research as:

• making an original and significant contribution to knowledge
• giving evidence of originality of mind and critical judgement in a particular subject
• containing material worthy of peer-reviewed publication
• being satisfactory in its literary and/or technical presentation and structure with a full bibliography and references
• demonstrating an understanding of the context of the research: this must include, as appropriate for the subject of the thesis, the scientific, engineering, commercial and social contexts

And passing a viva voce examination on the broader aspects of the field of research in addition to the subject of the thesis

Examiners' Report

On the day of the viva the examiners will complete an Examiners’ Report, which summarises how the examination went, their recommended outcome, and any minor corrections or revisions that are required. It is not always possible for these to be outlined in detail on the day of the examination, so the full list of corrections/revisions may be supplied by the examiners up to two weeks later.

The Examiners Report, and corrections list, goes to Board of Studies (Doctoral) for consideration and approval, and until this point their recommendations are only provisional. The official outcome of the examination will be confirmed to you by email from the Doctoral College/Secretary of the Board of Studies (Doctoral).

More information about the role and responsibilities of the Board of Examiners and how the examination will be conducted can be found in the Guidelines for Research Examiners .

Contact with examiners

You should have no contact with your examiners prior to the viva voce examination, other than with the internal examiner to arrange the date and time of your examination. After the examination, advice and supervision in support of any required corrections or revisions will be provided by your supervisors, not the examiners. If needed, your supervisor or the Doctoral College can liaise with examiners on your behalf.

Please note that examiners usually need between four and six weeks to read a thesis and prepare for the examination. Later, when presented with a corrected thesis, the internal examiner may take up to four weeks to determine whether the corrections have been done satisfactorily. Examiners should not be pressured to set an early viva date, or examine to a foreshortened schedule.

• Step 10: Possible outcomes of the viva voce examination

The Board of Examiners will agree a recommended outcome following your viva examination. The list of potential outcomes of the examination are set out fully in both QA7 Section 17 and Regulation 16 but in summary, the examiners can recommend the following outcomes:

• Pass with minor corrections (3 months)
• Pass with major corrections (6 months)
• Fail viva but pass thesis/portfolio element (possibly with minor or major corrections), and require repeat of the viva voce for overall pass
• Fail with permission to resubmit thesis/portfolio (within 12 months). A second viva voce may be held at the discretion of the Board of Examiners.
• Fail, but recommendation to award Master of Philosophy (MPhil) with minor or major corrections

Communication of the recommendation

You will be informed verbally of the recommended outcome by your examiners at the end of the viva examination. Your supervisor should have joined the meeting and be in attendance at this point. The recommended outcome is unconfirmed, and subject to approval by the Board of Studies (Doctoral).

In cases where the examiners require corrections or revisions substantial to be completed, the examiners will send their report and the details of the corrections/or revisions to the Board of Studies (Doctoral) for consideration.

The Board of Studies (Doctoral) is responsible for checking that the examiners’ recommended outcome is supported by what is written in their report, and that any minor corrections, major corrections, or thesis/portfolio revisions specified by the examiners may reasonably be expected to be completed within the amount of time allowed. Written confirmation of the outcome of the exam will then be sent to you, and you will have up to 3 months to complete minor corrections, up to 6 months to complete major corrections, or up to 12 months to complete a revised thesis or portfolio. You can find out more about Corrections in Step 12.

Meeting your corrections or revisions deadline

It is important that you meet the deadline for submission of your corrections or revised thesis/portfolio, missing the deadline may result in a fail outcome. You should upload the corrected or revised thesis/portfolio to Moodle before the deadline expires. This will generate a record of the submission, so do not send them directly to your internal examiner.

In exceptional circumstances you may request a short extension to the deadline for submitting the corrected or revised thesis/portfolio. Please contact your Doctoral Programme Administrator for information. If you have a disability access plan that relates to your ability to meet the deadline, please contact your Doctoral Programme Administrator.

• Step 11: Approval by Board of Studies (Doctoral)

The Board of Studies (Doctoral) normally meets approximately every four-six weeks. You will receive formal notification of the outcome of your examination shortly after it is approved by Committee.

You are permitted to use your new academic title of ‘Doctor’ from the point at which you are awarded your degree by the Board of Studies (Doctoral). You will no longer hold student status from the date of the Board of Studies meeting where your award is approved.

You can appeal against an academic decision made by the Board of Studies (Doctoral) about your degree award. Regulation 17 sets out the grounds, process and timescales for which you can do this.

If you wish to raise an issue you are encouraged to:

speak with your supervisor or Director of Studies

seek independent advice from the Students’ Union Advice and Support Centre

-seek advice from the University Independent Advisors for Postgraduate Research Students

• seek support from Student Services

-speak to the Doctoral College .

• Step 12: Corrections to your Thesis or Portfolio

No Corrections

If no corrections are required, you will need to submit your thesis/ portfolio to Pure , before the outcome of your viva examination can be approved by the Board of Studies (Doctoral) - see Step 13, below.

Minor Corrections

Depending on the outcome of your examination, you may be required to complete some minor corrections. It is uncommon for a thesis or portfolio to be accepted without requiring some form of correction following the examination. You will normally be permitted up to 3 months to complete minor corrections.

When the minor corrections are completed, you will need to submit the corrected thesis/portfolio to Moodle.

The internal examiner will access the corrected thesis via Moodle and then determine, on behalf of the Board of Examiners, whether the corrections have been completed satisfactorily, and whether you may now receive the award. It may help your examiner to do this if you complete the corrections in a different colour font, and/or provide a document listing how each of the required changes has been addressed. If the examiner is not satisfied with the corrections, they may ask you to undertake further work to bring the thesis up to the required standard. This may require an extension to the usual time limit for corrections (up to four weeks).

The internal examiner will update the examiners’ recommended outcome, and inform the Doctoral College. The Doctoral College will email you to inform you of the updated recommendation that will go to Board of Studies (Doctoral) for approval. When you receive an email, confirming that the recommendation is now a ‘pass’ you should start the process of uploading your thesis/portfolio to PURE (see Step 13 below).

Major Corrections

Depending on the outcome of your examination, you may be required to complete some major corrections. It is uncommon for a thesis or portfolio to be accepted without requiring some form of correction following the examination. You will normally be permitted up to 6 months to complete major corrections.

When the major corrections are completed, you will need to submit the corrected thesis/portfolio to Moodle.

The internal examiner will update the examiners’ recommended outcome, and inform the Doctoral College. The Doctoral College will email you to inform you of the updated recommendation that will go to Board of Studies (Doctoral) for approval. When you receive an email confirming that the recommendation is now a ‘pass’, you should start the process of uploading an electronic version to Moodle and to PURE (see Step 13 below).

Revised thesis/portfolio

If the recommendation is to submit a revised thesis/portfolio, you will be given a reasonable time frame to complete the work, usually up to 12 months. You may also be required to attend a second viva. Before this deadline expires, the revised thesis or portfolio should be submitted to Moodle in the same way as you did for the first submission.

Both examiners will examine the revised thesis/portfolio. They will arrange to meet and discuss the work to decide upon an outcome. If a second viva voce is needed, you will be invited to attend. If there is no viva voce, you will be informed of the outcome on the day of this examination, along with the details of any further minor corrections that are needed. The examiners will send a new report and a new recommended outcome to the Board of Studies (Doctoral) for consideration.

• Step 13: Submitting Your Final Thesis or Portfolio

Submitting an electronic thesis/portfolio

Once your examination has been successfully completed, the final version of your thesis or portfolio should be submitted via Moodle along with a completed HD3 form to your Doctoral Programmes Administrator in the Doctoral College, before the final outcome can be approved by the Board of Studies (Doctoral).

Uploading electronic thesis/portfolio to Pure

You will also need to upload a copy of your thesis or portfolio to the University’s research information system Pure , where it will be publicly available. The University expects that your thesis/portfolio will be made available upon graduation. If there are reasons not to do this, access may be temporarily restricted. The Library provides guidance on how to deposit your thesis into Pure , including details on how to request a 12 month restriction version of access to the thesis/portfolio text.

• Step 14: Graduation

You will be contacted about the graduation ceremonies by email.

If you receive an invitation but have yet to have your final award approved, these invitations will be provisional. Deadlines for actions that must be completed before you are eligible to attend a graduation ceremony can be found here .

Your Bath student email address will be deactivated a short time after the Board of Studies (Doctoral) approves your award, so it is really important that you provide an alternate contact address within your SAMIS record. You may wish to switch to BathMail which is an @bath.edu email address that is exclusive to University of Bath graduates. Graduating students will automatically be sent a BathMail username and password to their student email account before it is deactivated.

Graduation Ceremony

The University holds graduation ceremonies twice a year, in December/January and July. Find more information on the dates of future ceremonies .

See eligibility to attend graduation ceremonies and doctoral deadlines for graduation ceremonies for more information.

If you are interested in attending a specific ceremony, please contact your Doctoral Programmes Administrator who will be able to inform you of the deadline for that ceremony.

See doctoral deadlines for graduation ceremonies , for more information on the next ceremony.

Preparation for Graduation

You can find out further information about how to prepare for your graduation ceremony . You should not book your travel until you have received confirmation that your successful outcome has been approved by Board of Studies (Doctoral) and the Graduation team have confirmed you have a place at the ceremony.

Certificate

Your degree certificate will be generated once the Vice Chancellor formally confers the award, following Board of Studies approval. Conferment is timed so that certificates can be released for the graduation ceremonies. If you decide not to attend a ceremony, or your ceremony is a while away, you can find out more information about receiving your certificate here .

Your Graduation certificate will include the following information: - your full name

degree awarded (such as Doctor of Philosophy)

date awarded

signatures from the Vice Chancellor, Director of Academic Registry and the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International & Doctoral)

Please note that the University of Bath Doctoral certificate does not specify the subject studied.

Alumnus status

All graduates, former staff and students who have studied at Bath for at least one semester are members of our alumni community . Alumni receive invitations to events, regular updates about the latest news from campus and opportunities to get involved with University life.

There are University of Bath alumni groups or networks in more than 40 different locations around the world. Activities vary in each city or country, from an online network to a Chapter - where an international volunteer committee organises a programme of events for local alumni. Getting involved can be a great way to make new contacts and widen your social or professional circle.

University of Bath alumni can use the Sports Training Village and Library, which offer discounted membership and special rates to alumni. Alumni are also able to use the University Careers Service. To access these services you will need to provide your alumni ID number or other proof of alumni status, available by contacting the Alumni Relations team .

• Further information

During the above timeline, you may also be thinking about your next steps after your doctorate, in terms of your career. The University Careers Service can provide support and guidance and specialist careers information.

On this page

How to deal with post-viva PhD thesis corrections

Jun 1, 2019

We like to think that the viva is the end of the doctoral process; the final step in the long journey to a PhD. However, for most, it isn’t the final hurdle. The outcome of the viva in most cases is another three to six months work to deal with corrections (which may range from correcting typos, to rewriting or adding entire chapters). This means you need to preserve some energy and be prepared to exert some considerable post-viva brainpower. 

Wait for the committee’s report

You’ll leave your viva with a good understanding of what revisions you’re going to be required, and, no doubt, many, many notes summarising the main discussion points and areas for improvement. However, as tempting as it may be to start picking apart particular sections or chapters, wait until your examination committee send over their report, which will be the formal record of the revisions that they recommend. 

Read through it carefully several times. I left mine for a day or so and then came back to it to reread it. I found this an effective way to pick up on some of the more nuanced aspects of their suggestions.

When you first receive it, you may be alarmed at its length and the detail that the examiner has gone into. Try not to be disheartened; in some ways, having detailed feedback on each suggested revision can help you, as it is providing you with clear (hopefully) instructions on how to proceed. 

Try not to be disheartened

Either way, you may feel disheartened. It’s   hard to have someone critique our work , especially when we’ve put so much energy into it in the first place. However, critique is part of the academic process. It is not intended to shame you for any real or perceived shortcomings, but instead to make your work as effective and academically rigorous as it can be.

There are two things to bear in mind. First, through engaging with such critique and making the necessary changes (or refuting them, where appropriate) you are developing not just the quality of your study, but also your critical thinking skills. The process of receiving, digesting and responding to reviewer critique in this way is a valuable skill and, in some ways, a necessary part of the doctoral journey. 

The challenge you will have is in understanding which of the reviewer’s comments are practical, appropriate and based in an accurate reading of the thesis and the wider discipline, and which are refutable or that you don’t agree with. When you submit your revised thesis, you are within your rights to exclude a particular revision, but you need to very carefully and convincingly justify your decision to do so. Perhaps your examiner has misunderstood something or has failed to take something into consideration that renders their suggestion mute. Point this out diplomatically, drawing on your own text and the wider literature to back up your response.

How to deal with unhelpful feedback

Sometimes though you may have more serious grievances with the nature of the examiner’s comments and you may feel unfairly treated. In these instances, it is vital that you talk to your supervisory committee and department leads. They will be able to offer you advice tailored to your context and institution.

The fantastic ’Thesis Whisperer’ blog has written a useful post on how to deal with unhelpful or conflicting feedback. You can find it   here .

Only do what the examiners ask for

When you sit down to work on your revisions, it is easy to spot additional problems and flaws with your thesis. As you approach completion, your critical thinking skills are very well developed, so it is only natural that you will be critiquing your own work. It is tempting to change things that aren’t listed in the examiner’s report in our ongoing quest for perfection. Do not do this. Only do what the examiner asked for.

Why? Two reasons. First, you may be limited for time. Two, you may be created additional problems.

You’ll have plenty of time to iron out any additional changes in a post-doc.

Your PhD thesis. All on one page. 

Use our free PhD structure template to quickly visualise every element of your thesis. 

Don’t freak out

Just because you get major corrections, isn’t the end of the world. Examiners have subjective views on what classes as each type of correction. Some may think that problems with page numbering or typos constitute minor corrections, some may turn a blind eye. While most universities have guidelines on what should be classed as, say, a major or minor correction, often the lines can be blurred. I have known students be told they have minor corrections to make to then be presented with twenty pages of suggested revision. Conversely, I have seen students successfully address major corrections in less than one week.

I’ve also seen outstanding PhDs be awarded major corrections just because the examiner wanted to push the student to turn a brilliant piece of research into something world-class.

I’ve also seen weaker PhDs awarded minor or even no corrections.

Every examiner is different, and some will be expecting more of students than others. This is particularly the case if your examiner has particular expertise in a particular approach your thesis is taking (of course, examiners will be subject-experts, but in some cases, they may be leading experts on, say, a particular theoretical approach too, or your methodology). In these cases, they might be more liable to call you out on things that the other examiner may have missed or not realised the significance of.

One upside of this is that a strict examiner can push your research to a higher level. This is useful if you plan on turning it into a book, or carry on research in a post-doc.

Create a matrix

You should list all of the suggested revisions in a spreadsheet, together with your notes. This will allow you to create an audit trail as you work through them.

To start, create a spreadsheet with three columns. In column one, you list each revision listed in the report on a separate row. In column two, you can write your notes or, where relevant, the final text that will make it into your revised thesis. In the third column, note the priority that that particular revision has (more on this below).

This serves four purposes. First, you can easily see every single step required and track your progress, making sure you don’t miss anything out. Second, it lets you break down longer, more detailed comments into manageable chunks. Third, you can create an order of priority, so you know what to focus on first. Fourth, you can use the table to write up your response to the examiners (more on this below).

When you have finished your revisions, you can use the matrix to double check that you have dealt with everything listed in the report.

Get started quickly

Decide which amendments you have to do, and which you won’t. You may not agree with a particular suggestion, or you may be able to explain any misunderstanding. In these cases, you shouldn’t just change things to satisfy your examiners. Instead, you need to stand your ground when you think it necessary but, importantly, you need to argue your case. Like a Doctor. Tell the examiner exactly why you have chosen not to make a suggested revision, in as much detail as possible and with reference to both the existing thesis and, if necessary, the wider literature.

However, there may be comments that you don’t understand. If that’s the case, you should talk to your advisory committee or department administrators to see what the protocol is for contacting the examiners to seek further clarification.

Check the paperwork

There may be a lot of final paperwork that you need to submit alongside your corrected draft. Check what your institution requires well in advance of resubmission. 

Read through the entire thesis

Once you have finished your revisions, read through the entire thesis one final time. When you do, try not to focus on the revisions you have just made, but instead on how the document reads.

This serves two purposes: first, you can make sure the flow has been maintained after your changes, and that you have avoided repetition. Second, it’s a chance to deal with any stray typos. If you struggle to proofread your work, reading it out loud may help.

Create a cover letter

It is likely that your institution will require you to prepare a cover letter to submit alongside the revised thesis. This document summarises your response to every comment, detailing what changes you made and, importantly, which of the suggestions you haven’t taken on board, and why.

Make sure to maintain a polite tone, even if you disagree with some of their suggestions. You should thank them for their hard work, and respond thoroughly to each suggestion that they made. It isn’t enough to simply say, ‘I made change number 1 on page 50’. Instead, you should spend some time talking about the nature of the change, and offer any other comments or thoughts you have.

If you can, summarise the changes you made in a table, complete with page numbers. This will make the examiners’ life easier by allowing you to quickly show how you responded to each comment and where exactly the changes are in the thesis. They may not have time to read through the entire thesis again, so providing them with an easy-reference guide to where each change can be found can speed the whole review process up considerably.

When creating this cover letter, use the matrix we discussed above to keep track of your revisions.

The corrections your examiner suggests are not a personal attack; they are instead a reflection of the process of peer review that characterises modern academia. Yet, academia is also characterised by ongoing debate. That means you are within your rights to contest particular suggestions, but in a rigorous, logical and, where appropriate, evidence-based way. You have pushed the frontiers of knowledge in your PhD and now have authority to speak as an expert.

If you’d like some on-to-one support to help you make sense of your corrections, we offer one-to-one coaching. It’s your chance to work with an experienced supervisor to develop a plan of attack and feel more confident in your abilities. Find out more by clicking here . 

Prepare for your viva. One question at a time.

Prepare answers to the most common PhD viva questions with this interactive template. It’s free to download and it’s yours to keep forever.

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15 comments.

Hello everyone, I really enjoy your work and your site is quite interesting. I must appreciate your work and efforts . It is extraordinary.

King regards, Thompson Duke

Hello all, Very amazing reading through. All aspects helpful to do excellent corrections for my dessertation I am really grateful..

Thanks Dzidzor Atsakpo

You’re welcome. Thanks for reading.

Thank you ever so much.

Very helpful indeed.

Thanks Charles.

This is an incredibly helpful post. It has helped me to stop stressing about my corrections and see them in a properly academic sense rather than as a personal failure. After the hard work of writing a PhD, followed by the anxieties of the viva, it can be hard to maintain a sensible perspective! Thank you.

Thanks for your lovely words Colette. I’m glad you found it useful. Means a lot.

This is probably the best PhD thesis advise I have come across in my very long doctoral journey. It just gives me a lot of hope!

An insightful piece of work. Very much appreciated.

Thank you so much Max. It is hard to keep going with corrections. This helped me keep perspective.

Thank you so much for this post. I have recently received major amendments and was so disheartened. What you’ve written about major amendments is incredibly reassuring, not to mention very helpful. Thank you!

Succinct and very helpful advice: puts the work required into perspective – a preparation for responding to reviewers’ feedback with regards to future publications. Thanks.

Thanks for the kind words. Glad you found it useful.

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