university of nottingham phd thesis format

University of Nottingham Thesis and Dissertation Template

The template is constructed for the final submission of the thesis based on the Project handbook in the university workspace.

The thesis template includes the sections below:

• Abstract page
• Acknowledgement page
• Table of Contents
• Aims and Objectives
• Description of the Work
• Background and Related Work
• Implementation
• Project management
• Contributions and reflections
• Bibliography

It meets the requirements for a PhD thesis and works for all computer science dissertations and project reports on all campuses.

Have you checked our knowledge base ?

Message sent! Our team will review it and reply by email.

• Welcome to Libraries
• Using our libraries
• Discover our collections
• Reading Lists
• Support for your studies
• Research support
• Support for teaching
• Ask Libraries pop-ups
• eLibrary service status
• Report a problem with eLibrary services
• BooksDirect
• Support for mature students
• Learning technology
• Staying compliant
• Conducting research
• Text and data mining
• Publishing research outputs

Writing a thesis

• Accessibility
• Have your say
• Manuscripts and Special Collections
• Libraries survey
• You Said, We Did
• About Libraries
• Using extracts for criticism, review or quotation

You can include limited extracts of a copyright work in your thesis for the purposes of criticism, review or quotation under an exception to UK Copyright law.

This exception cover two distinct uses:

• Criticism or review - allows the use of short extracts or quotations for the purpose of critique or review.  Use must be genuinely for this purpose and not for illustrative or enhancement purposes.
• Quotation - allows the use of quotations for purposes other than criticism and review.  The length of a quote should not be more than is needed for the specific purpose of use. 

You can copy from all types of copyright works as long as they have been made available to the public e.g. published. Fair dealing applies to how much you can copy and you must acknowledge the source.

What is a 'fair' amount will vary with circumstances. Read our guidance on fair dealing for more help. 

Top of the page

• Copying for examination

Another exception to UK Copyright law, Illustration for instruction , allows copying for the purposes of examination. This includes the incorporation of materials in Masters dissertations, or PhD theses, that count towards a final examination mark.

So you can copy material (e.g. photographs, tables, diagrams etc.) to include in your thesis or as appendices to it. Any copying is again subject to  fair dealing , so you may only copy short extracts that are 'fair'. Any such copying must always clearly acknowledge the source.

This exception only covers your work up to examination (for example, the process of assessment of a PhD thesis), but not beyond. So if you are going to subsequently make your work public, e.g. deposit it in an open access repository (e.g. University eTheses service ), or publish it, you cannot rely on this exception. If appropriate, it would be better to rely on the criticism, review, or quotation exceptions. Failing this, you should try to substitute open licensed materials, or seek permission from the rights holder.

• How else can you lawfully incorporate copyright material?

If the proportion of a work that you want to include is more than what is 'fair dealing', or your intended use is not covered by the exceptions already mentioned, then you could:

• use open licensed materials which may allow some copying and reuse without seeking permission e.g. Creative Commons licences, Open Government licence.
• seek permission from the rights holder.
• Referencing

When you include copyright material in your assessed work, you should always acknowledge the source by fully referencing it. This is also a condition of relying on any of the fair dealing exceptions to UK Copyright law already mentioned.

If you do not do this, you may be accused of academic plagiarism, as well as infringing copyright. Copyright is distinct from, but relates to, considerations of academic plagiarism.

See the guides on Avoiding Plagiarism and Referencing and Citing for help in acknowledging the sources you use.

Top of the page  

Self - plagarism

Self-plagiarism occurs where you present your own previously used or published work as novel and original. Within a learning context, this can also be referred to as ‘recycling’ - multiple submissions of the same work. This is unlikely to be academically appropriate – for more information see the Academic integrity and misconduct webpage or talk to your supervisor.  

It can be appropriate to reuse a reasonable portion of content from a thesis in a journal article or other form of publication (and vice versa). You should discuss the suitability of this with your supervisor.  

Your research can be published in the following ways: 

In your thesis, deposited and made openly available with UoN Libraries’ eTheses repository ,  

In sections or in full via a third party publisher, e.g. a published book, or journal article. 

When publishing, you must consider aspects of copyright. Copyright is distinct from, but relates to, considerations of academic plagiarism. 

If publishing during your PhD, with the intention of then using all or some of the same material within your thesis, you will need to ensure you have sufficient permissions to publish that content. Unless a contract states otherwise, PhD students own the copyright in their work. If you publish this research, in for example, a journal this may involve signing an agreement that will typically shift rights from the author to the publisher.  

If reusing small amounts, your own existing work must be cited fully in the new work - the requirement to cite isn’t limited to referring to the work of others. If reusing larger amounts, you would need to have permission to do so, either by ensuring your contract includes a clause for reuse of content for thesis publication or seeking permission from the publisher separately.  

• Copyright in your work

You will normally own the copyright in your work. An exception might arise where pre-existing agreement allocates copyright to another party (for example, if you or a project you have worked on is sponsored or funded by an external organisation).

The University of Nottingham provides guidance on Intellectual Property Rights for Students and Graduates .

Archiving your thesis

University of Nottingham regulations for doctoral students stipulate that they must upload the final version of their thesis to the University's eTheses service repository. This will be archived as a record of the work which has been examined, including any academically necessary corrections.

Once the degree has been conferred, the thesis will be published open access unless:

• The content contains material that is confidential or infringes third party copyright
• A restriction has been applied for due to time-limited confidentiality issues.
• An embargo had been requested, for example to facilitate external publication.

Where you have made use of material that infringes copyright, or the thesis contains material that is confidential, you will need to submit a second version that excludes this content.

For further help see our:  Copyright and intellectual property guidance for electronic thesis submission

More advice:

• Copyright and research

Copyright home

On this  page

• Submitting your thesis

Related reading

• Copyright and IP guidance for electronic thesis submission
• Deposit guide for eTheses
• eTheses service
• Open licences
• Seeking permission

Help and support

University of nottingham libraries.

King's Meadow Campus Lenton Lane Nottingham, NG7 2NR

Please see our Help and support page for telephone and email contact points

Legal information

• Terms and conditions
• Posting rules
• Freedom of information
• Charity gateway
• Cookie policy

Connect with the University of Nottingham through social media and our blogs .

• Manuscript Preparation

Know How to Structure Your PhD Thesis

• 4 minute read
• 33.8K views

Table of Contents

In your academic career, few projects are more important than your PhD thesis. Unfortunately, many university professors and advisors assume that their students know how to structure a PhD. Books have literally been written on the subject, but there’s no need to read a book in order to know about PhD thesis paper format and structure. With that said, however, it’s important to understand that your PhD thesis format requirement may not be the same as another student’s. The bottom line is that how to structure a PhD thesis often depends on your university and department guidelines.

But, let’s take a look at a general PhD thesis format. We’ll look at the main sections, and how to connect them to each other. We’ll also examine different hints and tips for each of the sections. As you read through this toolkit, compare it to published PhD theses in your area of study to see how a real-life example looks.

Main Sections of a PhD Thesis

In almost every PhD thesis or dissertation, there are standard sections. Of course, some of these may differ, depending on your university or department requirements, as well as your topic of study, but this will give you a good idea of the basic components of a PhD thesis format.

• Abstract : The abstract is a brief summary that quickly outlines your research, touches on each of the main sections of your thesis, and clearly outlines your contribution to the field by way of your PhD thesis. Even though the abstract is very short, similar to what you’ve seen in published research articles, its impact shouldn’t be underestimated. The abstract is there to answer the most important question to the reviewer. “Why is this important?”
• Introduction : In this section, you help the reviewer understand your entire dissertation, including what your paper is about, why it’s important to the field, a brief description of your methodology, and how your research and the thesis are laid out. Think of your introduction as an expansion of your abstract.
• Literature Review : Within the literature review, you are making a case for your new research by telling the story of the work that’s already been done. You’ll cover a bit about the history of the topic at hand, and how your study fits into the present and future.
• Theory Framework : Here, you explain assumptions related to your study. Here you’re explaining to the review what theoretical concepts you might have used in your research, how it relates to existing knowledge and ideas.
• Methods : This section of a PhD thesis is typically the most detailed and descriptive, depending of course on your research design. Here you’ll discuss the specific techniques you used to get the information you were looking for, in addition to how those methods are relevant and appropriate, as well as how you specifically used each method described.
• Results : Here you present your empirical findings. This section is sometimes also called the “empiracles” chapter. This section is usually pretty straightforward and technical, and full of details. Don’t shortcut this chapter.
• Discussion : This can be a tricky chapter, because it’s where you want to show the reviewer that you know what you’re talking about. You need to speak as a PhD versus a student. The discussion chapter is similar to the empirical/results chapter, but you’re building on those results to push the new information that you learned, prior to making your conclusion.
• Conclusion : Here, you take a step back and reflect on what your original goals and intentions for the research were. You’ll outline them in context of your new findings and expertise.

Tips for your PhD Thesis Format

As you put together your PhD thesis, it’s easy to get a little overwhelmed. Here are some tips that might keep you on track.

• Don’t try to write your PhD as a first-draft. Every great masterwork has typically been edited, and edited, and…edited.
• Work with your thesis supervisor to plan the structure and format of your PhD thesis. Be prepared to rewrite each section, as you work out rough drafts. Don’t get discouraged by this process. It’s typical.
• Make your writing interesting. Academic writing has a reputation of being very dry.
• You don’t have to necessarily work on the chapters and sections outlined above in chronological order. Work on each section as things come up, and while your work on that section is relevant to what you’re doing.
• Don’t rush things. Write a first draft, and leave it for a few days, so you can come back to it with a more critical take. Look at it objectively and carefully grammatical errors, clarity, logic and flow.
• Know what style your references need to be in, and utilize tools out there to organize them in the required format.
• It’s easier to accidentally plagiarize than you think. Make sure you’re referencing appropriately, and check your document for inadvertent plagiarism throughout your writing process.

PhD Thesis Editing Plus

Want some support during your PhD writing process? Our PhD Thesis Editing Plus service includes extensive and detailed editing of your thesis to improve the flow and quality of your writing. Unlimited editing support for guaranteed results. Learn more here , and get started today!

• Publication Process

Journal Acceptance Rates: Everything You Need to Know

• Publication Recognition

How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation of Your Research Paper

You may also like.

Make Hook, Line, and Sinker: The Art of Crafting Engaging Introductions

Can Describing Study Limitations Improve the Quality of Your Paper?

A Guide to Crafting Shorter, Impactful Sentences in Academic Writing

6 Steps to Write an Excellent Discussion in Your Manuscript

How to Write Clear and Crisp Civil Engineering Papers? Here are 5 Key Tips to Consider

The Clear Path to An Impactful Paper: ②

The Essentials of Writing to Communicate Research in Medicine

Changing Lines: Sentence Patterns in Academic Writing

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

Login Admin

• ePrints Home
• Deposit Guide
• About Nottingham ePrints
• Open Access Support
• Nottingham eTheses
• Nottingham eDissertations

Browser does not support script.

How to write a research proposal

If you are applying for a PhD programme, you need to submit a research proposal with your application. The proposal helps an academic school or department establish whether it has the expertise to support your proposed area of PhD study. It will also be used in assessing the overall quality of your application.

How to apply

Entry requirement

Application form

A typical research proposal

• is read by academics with an interest in your field (please note, some schools may not have academics whose interests match your own)
• ranges from 1,000 to 3,000 words
• is judged both on content and proposal format

A research proposal should:

• clearly define the topic you’re interested in and show you understand your research area
• show you have started to identify and develop an original and interesting research question
• demonstrate you understand how to conduct research
• look professional – it should be typed, in good English, well-structured with suitable headings and clear and legible
• include a bibliography, listing the books, articles and websites you have referred to

What should a research proposal contain:

• an introduction to the proposal, identifying the subject for research in terms of theoretical issues and relevant empirical applications
• a review of relevant literature and theories relating to your proposed research area that shows you understand the major lines of argument that have been developed and the ideas and findings of key researchers working on your topic
• outline the sources of information you might need
• comment on the geographical area in which the study will take place – what are the advantages and disadvantages of this choice?
• discuss the subjects of your research – individuals? Groups? Companies? And why?
• an indication on how you envisage your research will contribute to debates and discussions in your particular subject area. Will it make an original contribution? How might it fill gaps in existing work or extend understanding of particular topics?

While the actual empirical work you undertake may differ to your proposal, it is essential you have an understanding of the issues associated with conducting research and the potential to design a research study to address a specific set of issues. You can still make changes to your proposal once you have been accepted for a research degree, however as it is the foundation of your working relationship with your supervisor, it cannot be radically altered without discussion and consultation.

• Student life
• Schools and departments
• Undergraduate
• Student Experience
• Executive Education

How To Write a Research Proposal for PhD (Tips & Guide 2024)

Related links

• course information
• supervisors
• Graduate School

Dr Kin Boon TANG Director of PhD Programme

email: [email protected]

Research proposal tips: How to write a research proposal?

A typical research proposal will be somewhere between 1,000-2,000 words. While we do not insist on a definite format for admission onto the doctoral programme, we encourage students to keep the following in mind while writing a PhD research proposal:

The introduction

The proposal should begin by explaining the subject area in which the research is to be located and providing an indication of the key theoretical, policy or empirical debates it plans to address.

Review of literature

The proposal should then present a brief review of the literature you plan to contribute to in conducting your own research. You need to demonstrate a familiarity with the relevant academic literature and theories relating to your research proposal, and an awareness of the major lines of argument that have been developed in your chosen research field. You then need to discuss the research questions you plan to address.

Be as specific and focused as possible

Motivation for pursuing the topic

Research methods

Empirical research

Most doctoral work involves empirical research. The successful completion of doctoral work in the time allotted thus often depends on the ability to obtain the data needed. If your proposed research involves empirical work you should provide an indication of how you might collect any relevant data.

Feasibility of data collection

You should give special attention to the feasibility of data collection. Your proposal may contain interesting and highly relevant research questions, and it may be well grounded in the literature, but it may not be a practical research enterprise. You must balance the scope of your proposal against the practical problems of data gathering.

Contributions and practical implications

Presentation and writing style

Room for change?

Common mistakes to avoid when writing a research proposal

Vague objectives.

One of the most common mistakes is not clearly defining the objectives of your research. Your objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).

Lack of literature review

A research proposal without a comprehensive literature review may seem uninformed. The literature review demonstrates your familiarity with existing work in the field and how your research will contribute to it.

Poorly defined research methodology

Your research methodology should be clearly defined and appropriate for your research question. A common mistake is not adequately explaining why the chosen methodology is suitable and how it will be implemented.

Unrealistic scope

It's important to ensure that your research proposal is realistic and manageable. A common mistake is proposing a project that is too broad or ambitious for the time and resources available.

Ignoring ethical considerations

Inadequate attention to practical implications.

Research is not just about theory. Your proposal should clearly state the practical implications and potential applications of your research.

Poor presentation

Even if your research idea is sound, poor spelling, grammar, and formatting can create a negative impression. Be sure to proofread your proposal and adhere to any formatting guidelines.

Not following guidelines

Each institution or funding body has its own guidelines for research proposals. Failing to follow these can lead to your proposal being rejected. Always ensure you understand and adhere to these guidelines.

What is the ideal length for a research proposal? 

The ideal length of a research proposal can vary depending on the requirements of the specific programme. However, a typical research proposal is usually between 1,000-2,000 words.

Can I change my research topic after the proposal has been accepted? 

Changes to the research topic after the proposal has been accepted are generally discouraged as it may affect the scope and direction of your research. However, minor adjustments may be permissible with the approval of your supervisor.

What kind of support is available to me as I write my research proposal? 

At UNM, you are always free to ask for any required guidance from your supervisor, attend workshops or seminars offered by the university, and make use of resources available in the library or online. You may also ask for feedback from peers or academic advisors.

What are the most common reasons for a proposal being rejected?

Common reasons for a proposal being rejected include a lack of clear objectives, a poorly defined research methodology, unrealistic scope, ignoring ethical considerations, inadequate attention to practical implications, poor presentation, and not following guidelines.

How detailed should the methodology section of the proposal be? 

The methodology section should ideally be detailed enough to demonstrate that you have a clear and feasible plan for conducting your research. Additionally, it should explain what methods you will use, why these methods are suitable, and how you plan to implement them.

What happens if my proposal is not accepted? Can I resubmit it? 

If your proposal is not accepted, you will typically receive feedback on why it was rejected. You can use this feedback to improve your proposal and resubmit it. However, do check with your specific programme for policies on resubmission.

Who should I contact if I have questions during the proposal writing process? 

If you have questions during the proposal writing process, you may want to reach out to your supervisor or advisor. 

Browser does not support script.

Nottingham University Business School

University of Nottingham Malaysia Jalan Broga, 43500 Semenyih Selangor Darul Ehsan Malaysia

telephone: +6 (03) 8924 8000 fax: +6 (03) 8924 8019

Make an enquiry

Legal information

• Terms & Conditions
• Privacy and cookies
• Data Protection
• Accessibility

Connect with University of Nottingham through social media

• Campus maps

Format your thesis

When submitting thesis work for assessment, there are several sets of requirements that must be met.

All submissions must meet the specifications listed within the ‘ Nature of the thesis ’ section in the Policy on Research Degrees . These include the requirement to present your thesis for examination, and for deposit after examination.

In addition, your work must also meet the different University requirements set out below - those listed for ' all theses ' and any style specific requirements. Where relevant, you may also need to meet additional subject or programme-specific requirements - these will be set out in your departmental Postgraduate Researcher (PGR) handbook.

[email protected] +44 (0)1904 325962 Student Hub, Information Centre Basement, Market Square

Related links

Requirements for:

• Monograph (traditional) theses
• Journal-style theses
• Hardcopy versions

Types of thesis

There are two main types of thesis.

• A monograph or traditional thesis : a unified, single author document comprising a number of chapters with an introduction and conclusion.
• A journal-style thesis : a document that incorporates one or more chapters that are in a format suitable for publication in a peer-reviewed title alongside a supporting commentary.

Most postgraduate researchers (PGRs) will likely submit a monograph thesis, however journal-style theses are becoming increasingly common in certain disciplines. If you are interested in submitting a journal-style thesis you should check that your school/department/centre permits this and read the University guidance .

Practice-based PGR programmes

If you are doing a practice-based programme, you may be required (or permitted) to submit an alternative assessment format instead of, or in addition to, a thesis (eg a portfolio of work).

Requirements for all theses

All thesis types must adhere to the following requirements:

To meet electronic thesis (e-thesis) guidelines, your main thesis text must be submitted as a PDF document.

If your thesis will include any other file formats in addition to PDF (eg audio files, data spreadsheets), you should refer to our e-thesis file format guidance .

Once deposited, your e-thesis will be publicly available via the White Rose eTheses Online (WREO) unless you have arranged an embargo.

Printing and e-theses

While theses are submitted and deposited electronically, they need to be presented in such a way that they can be easily read in electronic form and printed without issue (eg if this is required by the examiners or by your funder). For more information on preparing a printable copy of your thesis, see our hardcopy thesis guidance .

Your e-thesis needs to be an accessible document , meaning that it should be easy for anyone to read or reformat, and can be accessed by people using assistive technology (such as screen readers).

There are some simple steps you will need to take to ensure that your e-thesis meets accessibility standards.

• Use the headings function within your chosen software package to produce a structured document.
• Add alternative text to images/videos/graphs/tables etc.
• Always use the number/bullet point function within your software package when creating a list.
• Use meaningful hyperlinks.
• Use tables sparingly and format them with a header row and, where appropriate, a header column.

For further details, please see the section on legibility below, as well as guidance on making your e-thesis accessible .

The title page of every volume should only include the following information in the order listed, and on separate lines:

• the full title of the thesis and any subtitle
• the total number of volumes, if more than one, and the number of the particular volume
• the full name of the author, followed, if desired, by any qualifications and distinctions
• the qualification for which the thesis is being deposited (for example PhD or MA by Research)
• the name of the University
• the name of the School, Department or Centre in which the research was conducted. You must refer to the list of approved names on the submit your thesis web page
• the month and year the thesis was first submitted for examination.

If there is a cover page included in advance of, and in addition, to the title page, this may be a single colour with clearly visible text in a contrasting colour. The cover should have the same information as the title page, as listed above.

The abstract should follow the title page. It should provide a synopsis of the thesis, stating the nature and scope of work undertaken and the contribution made to knowledge in the subject area. It should appear on its own on a single page and should not exceed 300 words in length. The abstract of the thesis may, after the award of the degree, be published by the University in any manner approved by the Senate, and for this purpose, the copyright of the abstract shall be deemed to be vested in the University.

In this section you must confirm that your thesis meets the requirements of the 'Nature of the Thesis' section Policy on Research Degrees , and in particular that it:

• is your own original work (or if work has been done in collaboration with others, full disclosure of the names of your colleagues and the contribution they have made)
• has not been previously submitted for any degree or other qualification at this University or elsewhere (unless an internal resubmission).

You must also state whether any material in the thesis has been presented for publication (including if under review) with full references. The minimum required is as follows:

I declare that this thesis is a presentation of original work and I am the sole author. This work has not previously been presented for a degree or other qualification at this University or elsewhere. All sources are acknowledged as references. For further guidance on the inclusion of published material and authorship, see the University requirements on journal-style theses .

The text and, wherever possible, all the material of the thesis (including illustrations), should be based on A4 page size (297mm x 210mm).

Typographic design

Text and its setting (font, size, line spacing, margins) must be chosen to ensure legibility.

Text, in general, should be black, sans serif and should not be embellished (ie no general use of coloured text or fancy fonts, no section separators, etc).

For ease of reading, the size of character used in the main text should be no less than 11pt.

Text should normally be set with even or proportionate spacing between words. Word division at the ends of lines should be avoided, if possible.

It is recommended that 1.5 line spacing or equivalent is used, although lines that contain mathematical formulae, diacritical marks or strings of capital letters may need additional space.

It should be clear when a new paragraph is starting and where matter in the text is being quoted.

A bibliographical reference must be given for every work, published or unpublished, cited in your thesis.

Citations should be in a consistent and approved format as specified by your school, department or centre. References should be collated in a reference list or a combined reference list/bibliography. 

Please refer to referencing guidance issued by your school, department or centre and the University's guidelines for further information.

After the deposit of your examined thesis in WREO, and before you leave the University, you should ensure that your research data is retained and deposited in a suitable data repository or, more rarely, disposed of securely. Research data that supports the findings in your thesis should normally be retained, unless there are legal, ethical, funder or contractual requirements that would prohibit its retention.

For guidance see Sharing, preserving and depositing your data or contact the Library's Research Support Team for further information or advice.

Download a copy of these requirements (you will need to be logged into your University of York Google account) :

Format your thesis (Google doc)

Additional thesis-specific guidance

Thesis Format

Formatting restrictions.

The format of a thesis should be agreed to in the earlier states of writing by the department, supervisor and candidate. If any changes are made later on they must be agreed to once again by all three parties.

The thesis must be limited to 100,000 words of text (excluding appendices, footnotes and bibliographies). Illustrative materials (such as maps, computer disks and CD's) may be submitted with the thesis, either be bound with the thesis or placed in a pocket inside the cover. Extra large or bulky material may be bound separately as an appendix.

More information regarding writing and formatting your thesis is available on the Library website .

Candidates should try to stick to the following guidelines while writing their thesis:

• Use a 12pt serif font, such a Palatino, Times or Cambria for the main text.
• Use a sans serif font, such as Arial or Calibri, for headings and subheadings.
• Leaving 1.5 spacing between lines.

Page Numbers

• Consecutively number the pages, as well any additional sheets, tables, maps and appendices you might include.
• Center the page numbers at the top or bottom of the page, or keep them flush with the outer text margin. Make sure that you keep them within the binding margins.
• Number preliminary pages (i.e. contents, acknowledgements etc.) using lower case Roman numerals, and main text using Arabic numerals.
• Clearly identify the location of any figures you inset in the text, e.g. facing p. 42 or between pp. 42 and 43.
• Use numerals for percentages, decimals, street numbers, page number and dates, and in technical or statistical discussions where groups of figures are used.
• Numbers at the beginning of a sentence are spelled out.

See the Library templates page for information on margins.

Theses will normally be written in English and must conform to proper standards of linguistic presentation.

Other languages

Candidates intending to write their thesis in Māori should, early in candidature, contact the Graduate Research School for advice.

Candidates wishing to write their thesis in a language other than English or Maori will need to seek approval, at the time of admission, from the Graduate Research Committee. Such approval will only be given in exceptional circumstances.

Citing of References

There are three principal methods of citing references in a text:

• the author-date
• the reference-number system.

Candidates should consult their supervisor as to the method favoured in their subject area. There are particular rules for each, and it is important to be consistent in the application of the method that is used.

Footnotes may be used for purposes other than citing references, namely to provide cross-references, to acknowledge indebtedness and to explain or supplement material that is included in the text.

Bibliographic style is important, and considerable time will be saved if all the necessary data for each citation are collected at the time of consulting the works concerned. Various styles are acceptable; the important point again to remember, is that having decided on a particular style, candidates should retain this style throughout the bibliography.

The Library contains various authorities for consultation on styles of footnoting and bibliographies .

Plagiarism (including being party to someone else's plagiarism) is a form of dishonest practice. It is defined as copying or paraphrasing another's work , whether intentionally or otherwise, and presenting it as one's own .

In practice this means that plagiarism includes:

• copying or cutting and pasting text from others without using quotation marks or block quotes to identify that text, nor clearly indicating the source (this includes paper and electronic sources)
• copying visual materials, images and/or physical objects without clearly indicating the source
• using poor paraphrasing of sentences or whole passages without referencing the original work
• using another person's ideas, work or research data without acknowledgment
• copying computer files or computer code without clearly indicating their origin
• submitting another student's work in whole or in part, where this is not specifically permitted in the course outline
• submitting work that has been written by someone else on a student's behalf
• resubmitting portions of previously submitted work without indicating the source.

Thesis candidates should note that the Introduction/Literature Review in their thesis must demonstrate evidence of their own scholarly work. In a PhD thesis, the Literature Review goes beyond a mere literature 'survey' and candidates should avoid therefore the temptation of merely regurgitating the work of others or of piecing together sections of the work of others into a new whole. Research is not summarising or repeating uncritically the ideas of others.

Candidates should also be extremely cautious about depending heavily on review articles for their Literature Review. While these are often very helpful, they can also lead to undue reliance upon both the ideas and actual words of other workers. Candidates have a responsibility to be aware of acceptable academic practice in relation to the use of material prepared by others, and for taking all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that no breach of acceptable practice occurs.

Any candidate found responsible for plagiarism shall be subject to the University's Student Academic Misconduct Procedures , which may result in various penalties including, in extreme cases, exclusion from the University.

Inclusion of Material from Published Papers

The University of Otago encourages publishing during candidature for doctoral degrees, and the inclusion of published work, and/or work submitted for publication, where appropriate. Such published material must have been prepared during the candidate's enrolment in the research degree. The submission of papers for publication during the course of thesis research assists the candidate's progress, it clarifies for the candidate the objectives and discipline-specific requirements for presentation of the research, it assists the candidate in future careers, it contributes to the University's research effort, and it provides quality assurance that helps the candidate and the supervisor establish the academic integrity of the research.

If candidates are planning to include published material in a thesis, they should discuss the most appropriate format for this with their supervisors, and check the Guidelines for the Inclusion of Material from a Research Candidate's Publications in their Thesis. Two formats are commonly used for including published material in a University of Otago thesis:

• a hybrid thesis format, whereby published material is inserted either wholly or partially as chapters or sections in the thesis (usually with modification to ensure an integrated and coherent body of work); or
• a thesis with publications appended, whereby published material is not included in the body of the thesis but is appended to the thesis in an unmodified format.

For the PhD and professional doctorates, the University of Otago does not offer a formal 'thesis by publication' option, whereby the thesis is composed solely of a portfolio of publications.

Proof-Reading of Theses Guidelines

Doctoral candidates may use a third party as a proof-reader at any stage during their candidature provided that certain Proof-reading Guidelines are followed.