Information on thesis proposal

Candidates for Higher Degree Research programs need to develop and present a thesis proposal as part of their Confirmation of Candidature process.

The Confirmation of Candidature is a process requiring candidates to develop a formal thesis proposal in the first six to eight months of candidature (or part-time equivalent) and present to a panel of experts.

This is a requirement of continuation of candidature at Macquarie and involves the submission of a proposal, presentation to a panel, oral discussion and defence of the proposal. Exact requirements will vary by department and may involve follow-up activities if necessary.

While preparing your proposal, we would also recommend that you use the Authorship Planning Form to have the initial and very important conversation around expectations of authorship.

You are also expected to present aspects of your research at regular intervals throughout your candidature. This includes presentations to peers, faculty and other internal colleagues, as well as at conferences and seminars external to the University.

The process is designed to ensure the candidate is progressing appropriately and also as a supportive intervention whereby constructive feedback is given from outside of the supervisory team. It provides a timely opportunity to refine, redirect and/or enhance the PhD project as well as demonstrate your written and presentation skills.

If your Confirmation of Candidature is deemed unsatisfactory, your candidature may be terminated. The HDR and MRes Termination of Candidature Procedure Policy provides further information.

This should not be confused with your Annual Progress Report(s).

Confirmation details

While confirmation of candidature processes vary by faculty, all follow a similar procedure.

A general timeline is:

  • Development of your thesis proposal (within the first 6–8 months for full-time candidates and the first 8-10 months for part-time candidates). Supervisor approves proposal for review.
  • Supervisor(s) arrange for proposal review by a panel of reviewers consisting of the supervisory team, departmental HDR coordinator or designate, and at least one expert external to the department.
  • A date is set for oral presentation of the proposal to the panel of reviewers. The panel needs to have received the proposal at least one full week before the oral presentation date.
  • You present what you consider to be the key issues of your intended research project. The review panel will seek clarification from you on these and related issues.
  • The review panel discusses the proposal and the principal supervisor develops the report with comments and recommendations about the proposal and other aspects supporting PhD completion – This includes a final decision about the confirmation of candidacy.
  • You will receive a formal letter with the results of the review process. The letter will confirm candidature and/or will recommend conditions before candidature can be confirmed. The letter will include a time frame with conditions. In extreme cases, candidature will be terminated.
  • If candidature was deemed to be conditional, you respond to the conditions. You (with your supervisor) report to the review panel chair in writing to confirm you have addressed the conditions.
  • You will receive a formal letter confirming candidature. The report and final confirmation are attached to your official university file.
  • Appeals: Candidates who have concerns about the outcome or any aspect of the review process should contact the department HDR academic coordinator.

As stated, exact details of the Confirmation of Candidature will vary by faculty and discipline. You must develop your thesis proposal with your principal supervisor and they must sign it before being forwarded to the review panel. Usually, a thesis proposal includes the following sections:

  • title of thesis
  • summary of the project
  • theoretical orientation
  • a critical review of the literature and/or discussion of the literature
  • aims, significance and expected outcomes
  • research question(s) (macro) and sub-questions
  • research design including data collection, data analysis strategies
  • ethical considerations (may include completed Ethics Application as Appendix)
  • bibliography to date
  • the anticipated time frame for completion (including publishing schedule if appropriate)
  • funding and other support needs

You may wish to refer to practical guides and information briefs (available at the Library). Books are available which address the doctoral research experience including designing and formatting thesis-based research. The Library also has handouts related to proposal development.

All researchers (including but not limited to HDR candidates and their supervisors) are responsible for adhering to the principles of academic and research integrity. Roles and responsibilities of researchers in maintaining and managing academic and research integrity are specified in the Academic Integrity Policy, the Macquarie University Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research (Macquarie University Research Code) and its accompanying standards.

To enable training in research integrity, you are required to submit your research proposal to your Principal Supervisor for submission to iThenticate. This tool will generate an originality report and will determine a similarity percentage based on the proportion of the proposal that is matched to internal or external sources.

Your supervisor must assess the similarity percentage and the originality report generated in iThenticate and use their academic judgement to determine whether the text-matches indicate a problem with originality that needs to be addressed.

There are no standard or ideal maximum or minimum similarity percentages applicable across all research outputs and disciplines. Even a document with a low overall similarity percentage could contain plagiarised text that needs to be further scrutinised or addressed.

When the similarity percentage and the originality report indicates instances of text-matching for the proposal submitted for the CoC, or equivalent, your supervisor must discuss the extent and nature of the matches with you and specify the next stages of dealing with the matter.

For further information, view the HDR iThenticate Procedure.

Confirmation by faculty

Faculty of Arts PhD and MPhil Candidates undertake Confirmation of Candidature at 6 months (full-time equivalent) and are required to demonstrate that they have oriented themselves well in their research area, planned their project adequately, and have made a strong start in thesis writing.

Candidates are required to prepare a sample of written work for review, and in some cases will also deliver an oral presentation to their Confirmation Panel.

The nature of the written work and oral presentation varies according to discipline and the individual research project. However, they will often consist of:

  • an updated thesis proposal and literature review, and
  • a sample of work from the thesis itself (draft chapter or article, creative work, etc).

Candidates should discuss the most appropriate approach with their Supervision Team and School/Department HDR Director.

Word length is:

  • 7,000-8,000 words for PhD candidates
  • 4,000-5,000 for MPhil (including footnotes, excluding bibliography).

Oral presentations, where required, should be around 15 minutes.

Candidates are also required to submit a Confirmation Form, which requires them to prepare a summary of their research to date, an updated plan for completion, and a detailed research budget.

Process

At the five-month mark (or part-time equivalent) of candidature, Schools/Departments will remind candidates of their upcoming Confirmation of Candidature, and supply them with a Confirmation Form. Candidates complete the Confirmation Form in consultation with their supervisor, and must detail their research plan, budget, ethics approval (if applicable), and signal any additional training required.

Candidates should deliver their Confirmation Form, written work, and oral presentation (if required) to their Department HDR Director six months (full-time equivalent) from their date of enrolment.

The Confirmation Form, written work (and oral presentation, where applicable) are reviewed by a panel of experts in the relevant School/Department, who assess the feasibility of the project, provide feedback to the candidate, and make a recommendation to the Associate Dean of Higher Degree Research.

The AD/HDR will then determine whether:

(A) Candidature is Confirmed,

(B) Confirmation is Pending – further revisions required; or

(C) Candidature is not confirmed and will be terminated.

(A) and (B) are the most common outcomes, (C) is extremely rare.

Research planning

You and your supervisor should develop a research plan over your first semester (or part-time equivalent).

The research plan should include:

  • provision for the development of the research proposal
  • literature reviews
  • review of theories and/or methodologies
  • identification of tasks and milestones
  • a thesis completion timetable
  • a draft expenditure plan.

You should submit the Research Plan to your department’s HDR director within six months (or part-time equivalent) from the date of enrolment. Contact your department’s HDR director for information on departmental requirements and deadlines.

Contact fmhhs.researchsupport@mq.edu.au for more information.

Research protocol

Within 6 months of your candidature (or part-time equivalent) after enrolling in a PhD, you will be required to present a research protocol to an assessment panel. This should contain a plan of research, budget, and substantial piece of writing.

The Assessment Panel normally consists of the Department Higher Degree Research Director (Chair), the Head of Department (or nominee), and up to 3 academic staff members with knowledge in the cognate discipline.

For further detailed information about the Overview, the Protocol Procedure and the Structure of the Protocol Document, please refer to the School iLearn site for HDR candidates or contact mqbs-hdr@mq.edu.au.