Regulations for the Submission and Examination of Research Theses

These Regulations apply in respect of study at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, henceforth the University.

1.

For the purpose of examination, a candidate shall submit the following to the Head of the Department concerned:

1. Two typed and bound copies of the thesis, each of which shall contain:
   1. a summary not exceeding three hundred words;
   2. a statement signed by the candidate showing the extent to which the work submitted is the result of the candidate's own investigation; acknowledgement of other sources shall be made by footnotes giving explicit references. A full bibliography should be appended to the work;
   3. a signed statement regarding availability of the thesis (see also Regulations 4 and 5 below).
   4. an electronic version of the full text saved to a removable medium i.e. compact disc, along with a completed 'Aberystwyth University Electronic Theses and Dissertations Publication Form'
2. An additional copy of the summary prepared by the candidate on a form obtainable from the Registry;
3. Two completed ‘Notice of Candidature' forms, copies of which are obtainable from the Registry;
4. Confirmation that all obligations including payment of all fees and monies due and certification of matriculation have been fulfilled.

2.

Except as provided below in Regulation 21, a candidate may not amend, add to or delete from the thesis after it has been submitted.

3.

For every Examining Board there shall be a Convenor & Secretary who shall be responsible for ensuring that the correct administrative procedures for the submission and examination of the thesis are carried out. The Head of Department may act as Convenor & Secretary or may delegate his/her function to a senior member of the academic staff of the Department concerned.

4.

A thesis submitted for a higher degree of the University of Wales shall normally be openly available and subject to no security or restriction of access. However, the University, via the Research Degrees Board, may, on the special recommendation of the Department, place a bar on photocopying and/or access to a thesis for a specified period of up to five years. It shall be the responsibility of the candidate's supervisor to make an application to the Department concerned as soon as is reasonably practicable. The Department should normally forward a recommendation to the University that a bar should be applied at the time of the candidate's registration for a degree. Such a bar would also apply to members of the Faculty concerned.

5.

On submission, a candidate shall be required to sign a statement indicating

either

a.

that the thesis, if successful, may be made available for inter-library loan or photocopying (subject to the law of copyright), and that the title and summary may be made available to outside organisations;

or

b.

that the thesis, if successful, may be made so available after expiry of a bar.

Normally, the title and summary of the thesis shall be freely available.

6.

A candidate is at liberty to publish the whole or part of the work produced during the candidate's period of registration at the University prior to its submission as a whole, or part of a thesis, provided that in the published work it is nowhere stated that it is in consideration for a higher degree. Such published work may later be incorporated in the thesis submitted to the University.

Examination

7.

An Examining Board shall comprise the following:

Chair & Convenor
Internal Examiner *
External Examiner +

The candidate's Head of Department may act as Chair of the Examining Board, or may delegate this function to a senior member of the academic staff of the University except where the Head of Department is also the candidate's supervisor, in which case the role of Chair of the Board must be delegated to a senior member of the academic staff of the University.

* In the case of the examination of a staff candidate (as defined in Standing Orders) there shall instead be two external examiners.
+ In the case of the examination of a staff candidate, there shall be instead two external examiners. Examining Boards for Research Associates/Assistants, Demonstrators and Fixed-Term Lecturers shall also be constituted as for members of staff - i.e. they shall have a Chair and two external examiners, as prescribed by the Standing Orders. Candidates who are, or who become at the time of submission, members of staff at another institution or another University other than that at which he/she has registered for study shall be examined as a student candidature - i.e. there shall be a Chair and normally one external and one internal examiner.

8.

The Examining Board is required to conduct an oral examination of candidates for research degrees in all cases except where an examination of a re-submitted thesis is being conducted (under which circumstances this requirement may be waived at the discretion of the Examining Board).

9.

A candidate's supervisor shall not be appointed internal examiner, although he/she may, with the prior consent of the candidate, attend the oral examination. A supervisor attending an oral examination may speak only when invited to do so by the Chair.

10.

Exceptionally, where it proves impossible to appoint an appropriate internal examiner from within the Department concerned, the Head of Department may approve the appointment of an internal examiner from another Department of the University.

11.

Should it prove impossible to appoint an appropriate internal examiner from another Department of the University, the Vice-Chancellor may, on the special recommendation of the Head of Department concerned, appoint an internal examiner from another University awarding degrees of the University of Wales. In appointing such an internal examiner, the Vice-Chancellor may take account of, but need not be bound by, the nomination made by the Head of Department.

12.

If, in exceptional circumstances, it proves impossible to appoint an appropriate internal examiner from another Department of the University, or another University awarding degrees of the University of Wales, the Vice-Chancellor may, on the special recommendation of the Head of Department concerned, appoint a second external examiner in lieu of an internal examiner. In appointing such an external examiner, the Vice-Chancellor may take account of, but need not be bound by, the nomination made by the Head of Department concerned.

13.

The Vice-Chancellor shall not consider the appointment of a second external examiner under the provisions of Regulation 12 above unless he/she has accepted the assurance of the Head of Department concerned that all appropriate steps have been taken to appoint an internal examiner from within the University.

14.

A candidate's supervisor(s) shall have the right to convey to the Chair of the Examining Board any concerns relevant to a candidate's research project, the resulting thesis or its examination which the supervisor(s) consider(s) the Board should take into account prior to reaching its decision. The supervisor(s) shall convey these concerns, in writing, both to the Chair and to the candidate as soon as practicable after the presentation of the thesis and in any event, early enough to allow the candidate sufficient time prior to the examination of the thesis (including any oral examination) to consider the points made and prepare a response.

15.

It shall be the responsibility of the Chair of the Examining Board to ensure that the candidate is satisfied with the time allowed for consideration of and response to the points made by the supervisor(s), and to secure for the record a written statement by the candidate to this effect.

16.

An Examining Board shall consider any written submission to the Chair by a candidate's supervisor(s) and any response by the candidate in accordance with the provisions immediately above.

17.

The examiners may require the candidate to sit a written examination.

18.

In the event that the thesis must be re-examined the Chair is responsible for the collation and provision of the feedback to the candidate and the supervisor. (See Regulation 22).