Submission

Submitting your thesis is the final step on your iGGi journey and is usually expected to occur by the end of your fourth year. You do have access to an unfunded continuation year/writing up year if necessary, and in some cases you can request an extension to your submission deadline. The following information is a guide to the submission process to help you plan and prepare for finalising and submitting your thesis.

Submitting your thesis

Thesis submission is typically electronic, although you are sometimes permitted to submit a hard copy if you prefer. At York online submission is done via an online deposit service. For researchers at QMUL or Goldsmith's the thesis should be submitted as a PDF to the relevant email address:

QMUL: researchdegrees@qmul.ac.uk (NOTE: you can also use the QMUL File Exchange)
Goldsmith's: research-degrees@gold.ac.uk

You may also need to submit an accompanying form. More details can be found on the links above.

Submission timeline

In all cases, month 48 is the deadline for submitting your thesis, however there are some milestones to be achieved before this can be done. These differ slightly between universities but the below timetables set out what is expected. These are also available in your University handbooks, along with further details of what is expected and the process on completing each step.

QMUL

42-month Supervision Team meeting: during the first 6 months of year 4, you should be moving from undertaking research to writing up your thesis. This particular Supervision Team meeting is an opportunity to review progress to that goal. You must present a thesis outline, comprising a list of chapters, against each of which there is an estimate of how much work is needed and how much writing is needed (in terms of weeks).

Thesis Seminar: Roughly 3 months before you intend to submit, you should present a seminar which summarises your research in a suitable departmental context. After the seminar is a good time to review progress on the thesis, review the plan, review the contribution, and assess what needs to be done to meet the requirements of a doctorate. Student and supervisor should review proposals for internal and external examiners, and discuss arrangements for the viva (date constraints, special requirements, etc.).

Transfer to writing up: The transfer to writing up is a notification you need to submit via MySIS at least one month before you intend to submit your thesis. You should also submit the Examination entrance form. You can find the details and the applicable link here: https://arcs.qmul.ac.uk/research-degrees/research-degree-students/writing-up/

York

42-month TAP: during the first 6 months of year 4, you should be moving from undertaking research to writing up your thesis. You must present a thesis outline, comprising a list of chapters, against each of which there is an estimate of how much work is needed and how much writing is needed (in terms of weeks).

Thesis Seminar: Roughly 3 months before you intend to submit, you should present a seminar which summarises your research in a suitable departmental context. This is directly followed by a final TAP that reviews progress on the thesis, plan, and contribution, and assesses what needs to be done to meet the requirements of a doctorate.

Intention to submit: The intention to submit is a notification form you need to submit at least two months before you intend to submit your thesis. You should have discussed the internal and possible external assessor for your thesis well in advance with your supervisor. Your TAP assessor will often (but not necessarily) serve as your internal assessor. Your external assessor will be a senior researcher with subject matter expertise on your thesis topic and no conflicts of interest connecting them to you or your supervisor. It is normal for your supervisor to informally approach your internal and external assessor well before the intention to submit to confirm their in principle willingness to review your thesis.

Timeline with a continuation year

The continuation - sometimes called a 'writing up' - year is for researchers who cannot complete their thesis within four years. No stipend payments will be made during this time and formally no supervision has to be provided, though your supervisor may agree to an agreed level of supervision as part of your continuation/writing-up plan.

Please note that for student visa holders there may be further restrictions in order to retain your visa and we would advise checking with the immigration advice service before making a decision on transferring to a continuation year.

In the case of a continuation year, month 60 would be the latest point at which your thesis can be submitted. As with regular submissions, there are also milestones to be completed before then, detailed below. Further information can also be found in the University handbooks.

QMUL

46 month Supervision Team(for a PG Researcher not due to submit within 3 months): This Supervision Team meeting focuses on the move into the Writing up year. This is a chance to plan for the move to writing up, and to review supervision etc. requirements for the rest of the PhD write-up. If you are not about to submit your PhD thesis by the end of month 48, you must prepare a Writing up plan for this TAP, and one of this meeting’s outcomes is an approved Writing up plan.

The Writing up plan is a formal agreement between you and your supervisor(s), which covers your plans (e.g. resident in London, starting employment, etc.); the supervision arrangements for the next quarter (where, how, how often); and the current timetable, including arrangements for drafting and review of the thesis when appropriate.

York

46 month TAP (for a PG Researcher not due to submit within 3 months): This TAP focuses on the move into the continuation year. This is a chance to plan for the move to writing up, and to review supervision etc. requirements for the rest of the PhD write-up. If you are not about to submit your PhD thesis by the end of month 48, you must prepare a continuation plan for this TAP, and one of the TAP outcomes is an approved continuation plan.

The continuation plan is a formal agreement between you and your supervisor(s), which covers your plans (e.g. resident in York, starting employment, etc.); the supervision arrangements for the next quarter (where, how, how often); and the current timetable, including arrangements for drafting and review of the thesis when appropriate. Please see the PGR Continuation Year page for further details and what you need to complete.

Extensions

In exceptional circumstances, extensions to the above submission timetable can be granted. The maximum extension is normally six months but will be determined based on your circumstances and the impact on your work. If you wish to apply for an extension, you should do so before your submission deadline, and in the case of QMUL at least four months prior to submission deadline. If you feel this is necessary, you should in the first instance speak to your supervisor.

Further information is available at the following pages, depending on your University:

York

QMUL

If you have taken a leave of absence previously during your studies, this may impact the decision as to whether or not to allow you to extend your submission deadline. An extension may not be granted if your situation was rectified via a previous leave of absence.

Please note, however, that leaves of absence over one month may already have impacted your submission and other milestone deadlines. To check this you can use the Milestone Calculator.

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