Resubmission of a thesis
In cases where a formal resubmission is required, examiners are advised that their report should contain detailed advice to the student on the required amendments and improvements. The student will receive formal notification of the requirement to resubmit by letter from Research & Innovation Services and will also receive a copy of the examiners' report containing the details of the required changes.
A student required to resubmit their thesis is allowed 12 months in which to do so from the date of formal notification from Research & Innovation Services. Where an extension to this time limit is requested, this will be considered by the department, the Faculty and, where appropriate, the Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation, in the normal way.
The revised thesis should be submitted directly to Research & Innovation Services, following the same procedures as apply to a first submission (see 'Submission of theses'. The resubmitted thesis must not be sent direct to either of the examiners prior to formal resubmission. Research & Innovation Services can only accept a resubmitted thesis once the student has been formally notified in writing of the examiners' decision on the first submission. It is the responsibility of the student to collect any copies of the thesis held by Research & Innovation Services in order to complete the amendments prior to resubmission. This includes electronic copies on CD or DVD.
Note: For resubmissions the title page and front cover should be changed to show the date of the resubmission only, however it is not necessary for the thesis to state 'Resubmission'.
If a resubmission with oral is required, this will normally take place within 10 weeks of receipt of the thesis by the examiners.
If a resubmission without a further oral examination is required, the examiners should aim to complete the re-examination within approximately 6-8 weeks of their receipt of the revised thesis.
The same reporting requirements apply to resubmissions as to first submissions, i.e. the examiners must complete a joint report, which should be submitted, along with preliminary reports, to Research & Innovation Services. There are fewer recommendations available after a resubmission and, crucially, there is no option for a student to make a further resubmission at this stage. Consequently, the examiners must be confident that the thesis meets the criteria for the award of a PhD in order to award that degree.
Following the re-examination, if further minor amendments are required, the student is allowed three calendar months in which to complete the amendments from the date of notification. The examiners' report form should be returned to Research & Innovation Services, minus the minor amendments sheet, which should be detached and retained until the amendments have been completed to the examiners' satisfaction.
A fee is payable on resubmission. For 2013-14 this will be £255 for resubmission without oral examination and £330 for resubmission with oral examination.
Students who are required to resubmit will have their time limit extended by twelve months. Therefore a new UCard can be acquired in line with the new time limit on their student record.