Presenting your thesis

Please refer to Regulation 7.4.2 for important information on how to format your thesis.

The Libraries and Learning Resources guide 'Formatting your thesis' has been written as the standard for all theses presented for research degrees in the University of Birmingham. 

It offers guidance on the practicalities of producing your thesis in a format that is acceptable for examination and for deposit in the library. This guide does not deal with the content and academic standard required of a thesis and on these matters you are advised to consult University Regulations, your supervisor and guidance issued by your School.

Please also see the Getting your thesis ready workshop webpage.

On submitting your thesis for examination you are required to complete a declaration form confirming the word length of your thesis. You should therefore be aware of the maximum word length for your thesis. See Regulation 7.4.2 (d).

The stated maximum number of words excludes tables, diagrams (including associated legends), appendices, list of references, footnotes and endnotes, the bibliography and any bound published material. For information on referencing styles see the iCite – referencing at the University of Birmingham webpages.

A thesis that exceeds the maximum number of words will not be accepted for examination unless permission to exceed the stated word count has been granted by the Research Progress & Awards Sub Panel. Permission to exceed the stated word count is only granted in exceptional circumstances. If you consider that you will not be able to meet the stated word limited, you are advised to discuss this with your supervisor at an early stage.

Your thesis must be written in English, unless you have been granted exemption by the University’s Research Progress and Awards Sub Panel to submit in another language. See Regulation 7.4.2 (a).

If any material is included in your thesis which is a result of collaborative working, you must include details of how much of the work is your own and how much is that of other people. See Regulation 7.4.1 (h).

It is also important to seek the prior agreement of those other people to make your thesis available in the University eTheses Repository. 

You may include work that has already been published providing the work is properly integrated, either in the thesis or as an appendix to which reference is made - see Regulation 7.4.1 (g). It must be adequately referenced and you are advised to consult with your supervisor if you are unsure about the inclusion of any previously published work in your thesis. 

For additional information please refer to the Copyright for Researchers web page

You may not include material for assessment which has already been submitted for another degree awarded at this or any other University, unless all of the conditions set out in Regulation 7.4.1 (f) are satisfied.

If you are considering including published papers in your thesis, please read the alternative format thesis guide (Word - 22KB).

Plagiarism is a form of cheating and is a serious academic offence. It arises where work submitted is not the student's own and has been taken from another source. The original material is then hidden from the marker, either by not referencing it properly, by paraphrasing it or by not mentioning it at all.

For further information see the University’s Guidance on plagiarism for students.

All theses submitted for examination are checked through plagiarism detection software.

This document must be read in conjunction with the Code of Practice on Academic Integrity (PDF - 238KB), in particular Appendix A.

Theses submitted for examination at the University of Birmingham must be solely the work of the postgraduate researcher (except where University Regulations permit the inclusion of appropriately referenced collaborative research or work – see Regulation 7.4.1 (PDF - 277KB)). Therefore, postgraduate researchers may not employ ghostwriters to write all or part of their thesis, nor may they use generative AI for this purpose. This does not preclude the use of a scribe where verbatim dictation is required as a reasonable adjustment.

Postgraduate researchers may employ third-party editors, or make use of generative AI, for the purposes of proof-reading and improving the style and presentation of the thesis. The use of third-party editors or generative AI for editorial help must be explicitly acknowledged in the thesis.

Editorial help with the following is permitted:

• spelling and punctuation
• formatting and sorting of footnotes and endnotes
• ensuring the thesis follows the conventions of grammar and syntax in written English
• shortening long sentences and paragraphs
• changing the voice (passive to active, or vice versa) or person (third to first, or vice versa) of verbs, as appropriate
• improving the positioning of tables and illustrations and the clarity, grammar, spelling and punctuation of any text in or under tables and illustrations
• ensuring consistency of page numbers, headers and footers

Editorial help with the following is not permitted:

• changing the text of the thesis so as to clarify and/or develop the ideas and arguments
• reducing the length of the thesis so it falls within the specified word limit
• correcting information within the thesis
• changing ideas and arguments put forward within the thesis
• translating the thesis into English

Where editorial help is provided by a third-party editor, the editor must be provided with a copy of this Statement and must complete a Third-Party Editor Declaration, indicating the extent of the editorial help provided. The postgraduate researcher must include in the acknowledgements section of the thesis a description of the third-party editor’s contribution.

Where editorial help is provided by a generative AI tool, the postgraduate researcher must include in the acknowledgements section of the thesis (i) the name of the generative AI tool, (ii) a description of the editorial remit given to the tool, and (iii) confirmation that the editorial contribution made by the tool did not exceed this remit. See also the section headed ‘Student use of Generative AI tools’ in the Student Guidance.

These rights generally belong to the student, but if your work is considered to be commercially significant students may be required to assign their rights to the University. 

For further information please see:

• University Regulation 5.4 covering Intellectual Property
• Regulation 3.16 covering Patents and The Exploitation of Inventions
• The Copyright for Researchers webpage

To contact the Research Administration Team with general enquiries relating to the presentation of your thesis please submit an online enquiry.