External Examiners
External Examiners play an important role in the assessment of HDR theses and contribute expert independent feedback on the quality and merit of a candidate's research. Your involvement consists of two key stages:
- Reviewing the thesis and providing examination feedback.
- Participating in the oral examination.
Link to HDR Thesis Submission and Examination Procedure
Your Role in the Examination Process
As an external examiner, you will:
- Review the candidate's thesis.
- Complete the required examination feedback forms.
- Return your feedback to the Graduate Research School (GRS).
- Attend and participate in the candidate's oral examination.
The Graduate Research School coordinates all examiner communications, documentation and scheduling throughout the process.
Step 1: Receive Examination Materials
Once the candidate's thesis has successfully progressed through JCU's submission and approval process, the Graduate Research School will provide examination materials to nominated external examiners.
You will receive:
- The thesis for examination.
- Examination instructions.
- Examination feedback forms.
- Information about returning your completed assessment.
How you will be notified
The Graduate Research School will contact you via email and provide the thesis and examination instructions.
Step 2: Review the Thesis
External examiners independently review the thesis and evaluate the research against the requirements of the degree.
Your responsibilities
- Read and assess the thesis.
- Complete the examination feedback forms provided by the Graduate Research School.
- Submit completed feedback to the Graduate Research School.
The Graduate Research School will manage the receipt of examiner reports and coordinate subsequent examination activities.
Step 3: Examination Feedback Review
Following receipt of examiner reports, the Graduate Research School reviews the feedback and coordinates communication with the candidate, advisors and relevant university stakeholders.
At this stage:
- Examiner feedback is reviewed by the Graduate Research School.
- Feedback may be shared with the candidate, Primary Advisor and/or Associate Dean, Research Education (ADRE).
- Decisions are made about any required modifications and whether further examination activities are required.
No action is required from external examiners during this stage unless contacted by the Graduate Research School.
Step 4: Oral Examination
The oral examination is coordinated by the Graduate Research School.
Your responsibilities
- Attend the scheduled oral examination.
- Participate in the oral examination alongside the candidate and advisory panel.
How you will be notified
The Graduate Research School will schedule the oral examination and provide the necessary meeting invitation details.
| Process | Person(s) involved | Outcome | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thesis critically evaluated by examiners | Examiners | Summary and written report | 6 weeks |
| Examiners’ reports reviewed by Graduate Research School | Graduate Research School | Return of reports to candidate | 1–2 weeks |
| Oral examination scheduled | Chair of examiners | Oral examination date and time scheduled | 1–2 weeks |
| Oral examination | Chair of examiners Examiners Candidate | Summary and recommendation from the oral examination panel | 1–3 hours |
The oral examination will take place between 2 weeks to 3 months after scheduling, depending on the availability of the participants.
Late Examiner Reports
The Graduate Research School sends regular reminders to examiners to ensure reports are returned in good time. We email before the report is due and follow up twice over two weeks if a report is overdue.
If you are unable to meet the report deadline, please contact the Graduate Research School as soon as possible so we can discuss an appropriate timeframe with you.
If the report is not received after this time, the Dean of the Graduate Research School may choose to replace an examiner. The Dean of the Graduate Research School may contact the examiner directly prior to making the decision to appoint a third examiner.
Examination Process Overview
Stage | External Examiner Involvement |
|---|---|
Receive Examination Materials | Receive thesis and examination instructions from the Graduate Research School. |
Thesis Examination | Review the thesis and complete examination feedback forms. |
Feedback Submission | Return completed feedback to the Graduate Research School. |
Oral Examination | Attend and participate in the oral examination. |
Thesis evaluation
Read the entire thesis and provide a summary and written report, based on the following criteria.
- Does the candidate demonstrate a significant and original contribution to knowledge?
- Does the candidate engage with the literature and the work of others?
- Does the candidate show an advanced knowledge of research principles and methods relating to the applicable discipline?
- Is there a clear and discernible coherence in the presented research, its arguments and conclusions?
- Is the thesis clearly, accurately, and cogently written?
- Does the candidate show originality in the application of knowledge?
- Does the candidate engage with the literature and the work of others?
- Does the candidate show an advanced knowledge of research principles and methods relating to the applicable discipline?
- Is there a clear and discernible coherence in the presented research, its arguments and conclusions?
- Is the thesis clearly, accurately, and cogently written?
Your report should be submitted to the UQ Graduate Research School no later than 5-6 weeks after you receive the thesis for evaluation. If you require additional time, contact the Graduate Research School.
Once your report has been reviewed by the Dean of the Graduate Research School, it will be released to the candidate and their principal advisor so that the candidate can prepare for the oral examination.
The oral examination is the second part of the HDR candidate examination process. Only once the oral examination has taken place can an outcome of the candidate’s examination be determined.
The oral examination usually involves 4 participants:
- the candidate
- the Chair of examiners (appointed by JCU)
- 2 external examiners who provided written reports.
The Chair of examiners and the 2 examiners constitute the oral examination panel.
The main objectives are to:
- provide a developmental learning opportunity
- authenticate the contribution made by the candidate to the thesis
- establish that the candidate fully understands the work and its wider implications
- provide the candidate with an opportunity to reply to criticism or challenge
- enable the candidate and examiners to clarify issues, corrections, and revisions.
The oral examination will include assessment of the candidate’s ability to:
- demonstrate detailed knowledge of the thesis
- locate their research in the broader context of their discipline
- demonstrate the originality of the thesis and the contribution it makes to the state of knowledge in the field
- defend the methodology and conclusions of the thesis
- display awareness of the limitations of the thesis.
The outcome of this second component is a Chair’s report which:
- summarises the feedback of the examination panel
- provides the recommendation of the panel on the outcome of the oral examination.
The report should:
- be clear and concise
- detail any revisions required
- justify the final recommendation.
Once the examiners’ reports have been returned, the Chair will be informed that the oral examination is ready to be scheduled. You’ll then be invited to respond to an online poll to help establish the date and time of the oral examination. Once a date and time have been finalised, you will receive a Zoom link for the examination.
By this stage in the examination process, the candidate is aware of the examiners’ identities, but is not allowed to contact them. Similarly, you are requested not to contact the candidate or their advisors. All communication should be conducted through the Chair of examiners.
It is recommended that, on the day of the oral examination, the Chair and examiners meet in the first 20 minutes of the scheduled session to discuss their reports and set an agenda with points for discussion and issues requiring clarification. Any potential areas of disagreement between examiners should be discussed at this meeting and a resolution should be sought. (If the examination panel wishes to begin these preparatory discussions earlier via email, it’s welcome to do so.)
The oral examination may take up to 3 hours.
All discussion should take place in English.
Possible recommendations are:
- Pass
- Pass with changes
- Repeat oral examination
- Revise and resubmit thesis for examination.
At the conclusion of the oral examination, the Chair’s report containing the panel’s recommendation will be forwarded to the Dean of the Graduate Research School for a final decision.
The examination typically begins with the candidate presenting a short overview of the thesis and its main findings. The thesis should be discussed, and questions asked and answered, in a respectful and fair manner.
Questions should focus on the areas of concern raised in the written reports provided by the examiners. The candidate may rebut some of the feedback with sound academic arguments and justifications or may concede that further revisions would enhance the thesis.
Examiners may ask questions tangential to the work carried out in the thesis, but the ability or inability of the candidate to answer such questions should not influence the examiners’ recommendation on the final outcome of the examination.
At the conclusion of the oral examination, the candidate will temporarily leave the room (or Zoom meeting). The examiners (with the guidance of the Chair) will decide on a recommendation to the Dean regarding the outcome of the oral examination.
The candidate will then be invited back into the room (or Zoom meeting) and given a verbal summary of the outcome of the oral examination.
Payment of Examiners
We’re grateful for the significant contribution you make to the quality of our research and offer the payment of an honorarium.
Honorarium amounts are recommended by Universities Australia. You’ll be paid into the bank account you nominate when accepting our invitation.
To receive an honorarium, please complete this form if you have an Australian bank account.
For international Examiners, please complete this Creditor form.
When a decision on the examination outcome has been made, you will receive a notification with a link to provide your bank details for honorarium payment. Payments are typically made 4-8 weeks after we receive your bank details.
Payments to bank accounts outside Australia are made through Western Union and do not carry JCU identifiers.
If you haven’t been paid after 8 weeks despite completing and submitting the form, please contact the Graduate Research School.
Need Assistance?
If you have questions regarding the examination process, documentation, timelines or scheduling, please contact the Graduate Research School.
The Graduate Research School is responsible for coordinating examiner communications, receiving examination feedback and scheduling oral examinations.