cambridge hardbound thesis submission

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Submitting your phd thesis.

• Undergraduates
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Thesis Submissions: 

The oral examination will normally take place in-person in Cambridge, but you may choose to be examined remotely by video conference. You should inform your Degree Committee of your preference when you notify them of your intention to submit/apply for appointment of Examiners. Please also make your supervisor aware of your preference as it may affect the choice of available Examiners.

Arrangements where you and one Examiner are co-located in Cambridge, with the second Examiner participating by video conference, or where both examiners are co-located and you participate by video conference, are permissible provided all parties agree.

The choice of in-person or video conference viva does not constitute procedural irregularity grounds for complaint should you fail the examination.

Thesis submission:

Please submit your thesis to the POLIS Degree Committee electronically via the Course Moodle page. Please submit your thesis in Pdf format through the course Moodle page, at the tab below.

Please also email [email protected]  to confirm that you have made your submission. If you have any questions, please email the PhD administrator. 

• Default viva format will return to in-person examination held in Cambridge, but students should have the option to choose an online viva if they wish.
• In-person examination will be expected to follow all relevant University and Government guidelines for social distancing in place at the time. 
• The intention to submit form , will ask the student’s preference (in-person, video conference, hybrid, or no preference). Students should include an thesis abstract with this form (more information is provided on the Intention to Submit form).
• Students and supervisors should be mindful when selecting examiners from overseas, that they are aware if travel to Cambridge is required. Usual travel expenses rates/restrictions apply for in-person vivas (including limits on non-EU international travel).

Nomination of Examiners will need to be be approved by the Postgraduate Education Committee and the Degree Committee in the usual way. 

The thesis you submit will be the thesis submitted for examination.  It is not possible to 'retract submission' or to send a revised copy directly to your examiners.   Please note that you must submit before 5.30pm on your submission deadline (which can be found under 'Thesis submission details' on the Academic tile in your CamSIS self-service) unless your deadline falls over the weekend in which case you must submit your thesis by 5.30pm on the Friday before. 

If you are  resubmitting   your thesis following a viva outcome of being allowed to revise and resubmit the thesis for examination for the PhD or EdD degree, you need to follow the same procedure as for the original  thesis submission.

Examiners are not expected to edit work. They will deal with errors of fact and typographical errors that affect the meaning, as well as larger, structural issues. The extent to which the text has or has not been properly prepared may influence their recommendation concerning the award of the degree.

What format does my thesis have to be in?

The thesis must:.

be written in English, apart from quotations and recognised technical formulae

be thoroughly checked to ensure clear, formal English has been used throughout and that there are minimal typing errors and/or spelling mistakes

be typescript on A4 paper

be portrait format

use double-sided printing where possible

use one-and-a-half spaced type

Any photographs or other illustrations should be scanned or printed into the text. 

How do I present my thesis?

You must submit an electronic copy of the thesis for examination.  

You may submit a hard bound thesis as your first submission, along with all the paperwork listed below for a first submission. However, if corrections to your thesis are required, you will need to produce a new, corrected, hard bound edition. Should you decide to submit a hard bound thesis at this stage please also follow the guidance on the minimum requirements for a hardbound copy of thesis for  Hardbound Submission.

Further information and guidance about printing and soft binding your thesis can be found on the website of the  Graduate Union .

What paperwork is needed?

Bound inside the thesis you must include the following:

1. A title page displaying:

the full title of the thesis,

your full name (as it appears on your passport),

your college,

the date of your submission (month and year)

and a declaration stating: "This thesis is submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy/Master of Science/Master of Letters (as appropriate)."

2. A declaration in the preface stating:

This thesis is the result of my own work and includes nothing which is the outcome of work done in collaboration except as declared in the Preface and specified in the text.

It is not substantially the same as any that I have submitted, or, is being concurrently submitted for a degree or diploma or other qualification at the University of Cambridge or any other University or similar institution except as declared in the Preface and specified in the text. I further state that no substantial part of my thesis has already been submitted, or, is being concurrently submitted for any such degree, diploma or other qualification at the University of Cambridge or any other University or similar institution except as declared in the Preface and specified in the text

It does not exceed the prescribed word limit for the relevant Degree Committee.  For more information on the word limits for the respective Degree Committee. Please see Word Limits and Requirements Page. 

Loose with the thesis (not attached) you must provide the following:

One completed  thesis submission checklist

One copy of a Summary/Abstract of about 300 words in length, with your name and thesis title on it.

One completed Length and Declaration Form

Upload completed forms to the Course Moodle - submission page 

Please direct any queries to [email protected]

I have submitted my thesis to the Degree Committee, what happens next?

When you submit your thesis, the department send a copy to the Student Registry and your CamSIS records are updated. The department will then forward it on to your examiners. If you have not received confirmation of the date of your oral examination within six weeks of submitting your thesis, contact your Degree Committee/course administrater ( [email protected] ). Any questions with regard to your thesis at this stage should be directed to the department.

When do I need to submit by?

You will be have a date and time by which your thesis must be submitted to your Degree Committee via Moodle- see your CamSIS self-Serve for more details.

When will I find out my results?

Results are usually posted after your Degree Committee has met and this can vary widely, as such you should contact your Degree Committee for further information ( [email protected] )

The Department of Politics and International Studies, The Alison Richard Building, 7 West Road, Cambridge, CB3 9DP

Contact: [email protected]

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When to submit

Your PhD thesis cannot normally be submitted until you have been registered for eight complete terms and must be submitted by the end of your fourth year. In deciding when to submit your thesis you should be guided by your supervisor and by your annual reviews.

Students who have not submitted within the four-year period will be withdrawn from study and recorded as a late submission. If you are an overseas student your visa may become invalid at this point. Students intending to submit a PhD thesis after being withdrawn from study should apply to the Student Registry to be reinstated.

Student Registry: Reinstatement

Applying for appointment of examiners

You should apply for the appointment of examiners at least two months in advance of submitting your dissertation. Please use this form:

Appointment of examiners application form

The form must be accompanied by a short summary of your dissertation. The summary should take the form of an abstract of the thesis and be about 300 words in length. It should be presented on one side of A4 paper with your name and the exact title of the thesis at the top.

The Degree Committee, in consultation with your supervisor, will then consider the summary and the thesis title so as to appoint two examiners, neither of whom may be your supervisor.

How to submit

You should submit your thesis by uploading it to Moodle as a PDF file. Please email the Department to request access to the Moodle site for PhD thesis submission.

Student Registry: Submitting your thesis

After the examination, you will be required to provide one copy of your thesis to be deposited in the University Library and one copy to be deposited in the Whipple Library. These should be clean copies, permanently stitched and bound in stiff covers, with your name and the title clearly inscribed on the cover and incorporating any corrections required by the examiners. At the same time, you should submit a further loose copy of your summary to be filed in the University Library and the Whipple Library. You will also be asked to sign a declaration regarding your right to be identified as the author.

You will not be able to collect your degree until you have submitted the two hard-bound copies of your thesis. You are strongly recommended to retain one or more copies for your own use.

Your PhD thesis must also be deposited on Apollo , the University's online repository for digital content.

Office of Scholarly Communication: Depositing an electronic copy of your thesis

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Theses & dissertations: home, access to theses and dissertations from other institutions and from the university of cambridge.

This guide provides information on searching for theses of Cambridge PhDs and for theses of UK universities and universities abroad. 

For information and guidance on depositing your thesis as a cambridge phd, visit the cambridge office of scholarly communication pages on theses here ., this guide gives essential information on how to obtain theses using the british library's ethos service. .

On the last weekend of October, the British Library became the victim of a major cyber-attack. Essential digital services including the BL catalogue, website and online learning resources went dark, with research services like the EThOS collection of more than 600,000 doctoral theses suddenly unavailable. The BL state that they anticipate restoring more services in the next few weeks, but disruption to certain services is now expected to persist for several months. For the latest news on the attack and information on the restoration of services, please follow the BL blog here:  Knowledge Matters blog  and access the LibGuide page here:  British Library Outage Update - Electronic Legal Deposit - LibGuides at University of Cambridge Subject Libraries

A full list of resources for searching theses online is provided by the Cambridge A-Z, available here .

University of Cambridge theses

Finding a cambridge phd thesis online via the institutional repository.

The University's institutional repository, Apollo , holds full-text digital versions of over 11,000 Cambridge PhD theses and is a rapidly growing collection deposited by Cambridge Ph.D. graduates. Theses in Apollo can be browsed via this link . More information on how to access theses by University of Cambridge students can be found on the access to Cambridge theses webpage.   The requirement for impending PhD graduates to deposit a digital version in order to graduate means the repository will be increasing at a rate of approximately 1,000 per year from this source.   About 200 theses are added annually through requests to make theses Open Access or via requests to digitize a thesis in printed format.

Locating and obtaining a copy of a Cambridge PhD thesis (not yet available via the repository)

Theses can be searched in iDiscover .  Guidance on searching for theses in iDiscover can be found here .   Requests for consultation of printed theses, not available online, should be made at the Manuscripts Reading Room (Email:  [email protected] Telephone: +44 (0)1223 333143).   Further information on the University Library's theses, dissertations and prize essays collections can be consulted at this link .

Researchers can order a copy of an unpublished thesis which was deposited in print form either through the Library’s  Digital Content Unit via the image request form , or, if the thesis has been digitised, it may be available in the Apollo repository. Copies of theses may be provided to researchers in accordance with the  law  and in a manner that is common across UK libraries.  The law allows us to provide whole copies of unpublished theses to individuals as long as they sign a declaration saying that it is for non-commercial research or private study.

How to make your thesis available online through Cambridge's institutional repository

Are you a Cambridge alumni and wish to make your Ph.D. thesis available online? You can do this by depositing it in Apollo the University's institutional repository. Click here for further information on how to proceed.    Current Ph.D students at the University of Cambridge can find further information about the requirements to deposit theses on the Office of Scholarly Communication theses webpages.

UK Theses and Dissertations

Electronic copies of Ph.D. theses submitted at over 100 UK universities are obtainable from EThOS , a service set up to provide access to all theses from participating institutions. It achieves this by harvesting e-theses from Institutional Repositories and by digitising print theses as they are ordered by researchers using the system. Over 250,000 theses are already available in this way. Please note that it does not supply theses submitted at the universities of Cambridge or Oxford although they are listed on EThOS.

Registration with EThOS is not required to search for a thesis but is necessary to download or order one unless it is stored in the university repository rather than the British Library (in which case a link to the repository will be displayed). Many theses are available without charge on an Open Access basis but in all other cases, if you are requesting a thesis that has not yet been digitised you will be asked to meet the cost. Once a thesis has been digitised it is available for free download thereafter.

When you order a thesis it will either be immediately available for download or writing to hard copy or it will need to be digitised. If you order a thesis for digitisation, the system will manage the process and you will be informed when the thesis is available for download/preparation to hard copy.

See the Search results section of the  help page for full information on interpreting search results in EThOS.

EThOS is managed by the British Library and can be found at http://ethos.bl.uk . For more information see About EThOS .

World-wide (incl. UK) theses and dissertations

Electronic versions of non-UK theses may be available from the institution at which they were submitted, sometimes on an open access basis from the institutional repository. A good starting point for discovering freely available electronic theses and dissertations beyond the UK is the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) , which facilitates searching across institutions. Information can also usually be found on the library web pages of the relevant institution.

The DART Europe etheses portal lists several thousand full-text theses from a group of European universities.

The University Library subscribes to the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses  (PQDT) database which from August 31 2023 is accessed on the Web of Science platform.  To search this index select it from the Web of Science "Search in" drop-down list of databases (available on the Documents tab on WoS home page)

PQDT includes 2.4 million dissertation and theses citations, representing 700 leading academic institutions worldwide from 1861 to the present day. The database offers full text for most of the dissertations added since 1997 and strong retrospective full text coverage for older graduate works. Each dissertation published since July 1980 includes a 350-word abstract written by the author. Master's theses published since 1988 include 150-word abstracts.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The University Library only subscribes to the abstracting & indexing version of the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database and NOT the full text version.  A fee is payable for ordering a dissertation from this source.   To obtain the full text of a dissertation as a downloadable PDF you can submit your request via the University Library Inter-Library Loans department (see contact details below). NB this service is only available to full and current members of the University of Cambridge.

Alternatively you can pay yourself for the dissertation PDF on the PQDT platform. Link from Web of Science record display of any thesis to PQDT by clicking on "View Details on ProQuest".  On the "Preview" page you will see an option "Order a copy" top right.  This will allow you to order your own copy from ProQuest directly.

Dissertations and theses submitted at non-UK universities may also be requested on Inter-Library Loan through the Inter-Library Loans department (01223 333039 or 333080, [email protected] )

• Last Updated: Dec 20, 2023 9:47 AM
• URL: https://libguides.cam.ac.uk/theses

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Before submitting

The word limit is 15,000 words, exclusive of footnotes, bibliography and appendices. The Degree Committee cannot give permission to exceed the word limit.

Format and presentation

Please see the information on the  Cambridge Students  website.

Submission deadlines

Students starting in October – 31 August (2pm) Students starting in January – 30 November (2pm)

If these dates fall on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, we will accept the thesis by 12 noon on the next working day.

Extensions can only be granted in limited circumstances; see  Extending your submission date . If you do not submit by your deadline, you will be removed from the register of graduate students, which will result in you losing access to resources. However, if this happens, you will still be able to submit your thesis  at a later date .

If you are planning to leave the country at the end of your course, or if you are intending to commence a PhD shortly after completing your MPhil, you may need to be examined early and should aim to submit your thesis well in advance of the last possible date.

Preparing to submit

Four weeks before you intend to submit your thesis, please complete the online  Intention to Submit Form . After consulting with your supervisor, the GSO will arrange for your examiners to be appointed and your title approved. The GSO will also add you to the Moodle site so that you will be able to submit your thesis when it is completed.

Where and what to submit

Details of what you must include can be found on the Cambridge Students website. 

You should submit an electronic pdf copy of your thesis via the Engineering Degree Committee thesis submission   Moodle site. Please name the file "MPhil_Your CRSid.pdf" so that it is identifiable.

The MPhil in Engineering is examined by dissertation only. You will be required to take two modules and take part in a Researcher Development Course but the results do not count towards your final degree.

After submitting

The oral examination (viva).

We will email you when your thesis has been forwarded to your examiners. You should expect to wait at least 6 weeks for your oral examination. In most cases the viva will be between you and two examiners, usually one internal and one external. The examiners of your thesis will want to satisfy themselves that  it is clearly written, that it takes account of previously published work on the subject and that it represents a contribution to learning .  The regulations for the MPhil in Engineering also require that the thesis  provides evidence that you can design and carry out investigations, assess and interpret the results obtained and place the work in the wider perspective of the subject.

If you wish to notify examiners of any disability or request adjustments on account of such disability for your viva voce examination (either for your first year assessment or final examination), you can do this via your Degree Committee by completing and submitting the  voluntary disclosure form .

After your oral examination, you may be asked to make some corrections to your thesis. If your examiners do not provide you with a list of corrections, please contact the  GSO  and we will arrange for a list to be sent to you.  When the corrections are complete, you should show them to your internal examiner (and/or your external examiner in some cases).

After the examination

Your examiners' reports will be considered at a meeting of the  Engineering Degree Committee . Following this meeting, you will receive an email from the Graduate Studies Office informing you of the outcome, along with copies of your examiners' reports.

No corrections needed, or corrections completed and approved before paperwork considered by Degree Committee

If you were not required to make any corrections, or you have already completed your corrections and they have been approved by your examiners before your paperwork is considered by the Degree Committee, then you will receive an email from the GSO informing you that you have passed.

Corrections required

Examiners can recommend that you need to complete some corrections to your thesis. These can be either minor, which you will be given three weeks to complete, or major, which you will be given six weeks to complete. These timings start from the date that your examination paperwork is approved by the Degree Committee, and you will receive an email from the GSO informing you of the relevant timeframes following that meeting.

You remain on the register of graduate students during this period (unless your corrections are approved sooner), however the working restrictions for graduate students do not apply during this time. You should still apply for  leave to work away  if you are completing your corrections away from Cambridge. After completing your corrections, you should send them to your internal examiner to approve, who will then confirm to the Degree Committee, via the GSO, when they have done so. Approval of corrections does not need to go through any further committee meetings. The GSO will then notify you when your degree is approved.

Other outcomes

Although the most common outcome is that corrections are required before you can be awarded an MPhil (or occasionally an outright pass), it is also possible that you may be asked to  Revise and Resubmit  your thesis for a new examination. In rare cases, outright failure is a possible outcome. You can find the full list of potential outcomes in the  Code of Practice .

After degree approval

After your MPhil, including any corrections required, has been approved by the Degree Committee, you will be notified by the Graduate Studies Office, by email, within a few days of the Degree Committee meeting. You can then  make arrangements  to attend a congregation, or have your degree awarded  in absentia .

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Access to Cambridge theses

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How do I find a Cambridge thesis?

Ph.D., M.Litt., M.Sc., and Divinity M.Phil. theses approved after 1970 are catalogued in iDiscover, as are M.D. and M.Chir. theses approved after May 2006. Earlier theses are listed in a card catalogue in the Manuscripts Reading Room and are gradually being added to iDiscover.

Since 1 October 2017, all PhD theses are being deposited in electronic form to the University repository Apollo . Many earlier theses are also in the repository, but if they are not yet in digital form it is possible to request access to these theses. There is more information on how to request a copy of a printed thesis further down this page.

Gaining access to electronic copies of theses

The author of a given thesis in Apollo can choose whether their thesis is available to be downloaded, available on request or unavailable. While many of the theses in Apollo are openly available for download, s ome theses in the repository are not open access because they have either been embargoed by the author or because they are unable to be made openly available for copyright or other r easo ns.   For an explanation of the different theses access levels,  see this page .

Open Access theses

Theses that have been made available Open Access can be downloaded from Apollo as a PDF file without any restrictions other than the license under which they have been made available . Just click on the document file in the thesis record to download a copy.

Embargoed theses

Theses with an embargo are shown in Apollo with a padlock icon over the PDF file are not open access but can be requested. If you wish to access the full thesis, click on the padlock icon on the PDF and you will be redirected to the repository’s ‘ Request a Copy ’ function. Requests for embargoed theses will be passed on to the author so they can choose to grant or refuse the request at their discretion.

Controlled theses

Theses under controlled access remain unpublished because they are not made available on the internet via the Apollo repository and as such, the rules for unpublished works in UK copyright law will apply to these theses. Controlled access theses are provided by the University Library in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents act 1998. Theses under controlled access are shown in Apollo with a padlock icon over the PDF file are not open access but can be requested. If you wish to access the full thesis, click on the padlock icon on the PDF and you will be redirected to the repository’s ‘ Request a Copy ’ function. For further information on copying by librarians or archivists see: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/48/section/43

If a thesis has been digitised by the Digital Content Unit's image request service in the library it will be deposited in Apollo under controlled access and can be requested via the thesis record in Apollo.

Requesting a copy of a printed thesis

Researchers can order a copy of an unpublished thesis which was deposited in print form through the Library’s  Digital Content Unit via the image request form . Copies of theses may be provided to researchers in accordance with the  law  and in a manner that is common across UK libraries.The law allows us to provide whole copies of unpublished theses to individuals as long as they sign a declaration saying that it is for non-commercial research or private study. The agreement used for access to theses at Cambridge has been drafted using the guidance by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP).

Theses are not available for borrowing or inter library loan. The copyright of theses remains with the author. The law does not allow us to provide a copy for inclusion in a general library collection or for wider distribution beyond the individual receiving the copy, without the explicit permission of the author or copyright holder. Where someone approaches us asking for a copy for their library or wider distribution, they must obtain the explicit permission of the author or copyright owner.

Please note any periods of access restriction requested by the author apply to both electronic and print copies.

Open Research Newsletter sign-up

Please contact us at  [email protected]   to be added to the mailing list to receive our quarterly e-Newsletter.

The Office of Scholarly Communication sends this Newsletter to its subscribers in order to disseminate information relevant to open access, research data management, scholarly communication and open research topics. For details on how the personal information you enter here is used, please see our  privacy policy . 

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PhD Students (and the following Doctoral students: Doctor of Business, Doctor of Engineering, Doctor of Education, Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Medicine under Special Regulations) are required to deposit an electronic copy of their thesis in the University of Cambridge's institutional repository, Apollo. This has been a requirement since 1st October 2017, when the Board of Graduate Studies introduced the requirement that these students deposit both a hard copy and an electronic copy of their thesis. For the avoidance of doubt, the requirement to deposit an electronic thesis in Apollo applies irrespective of when the degree commenced. 

These pages contain information for Doctoral students about requirements to deposit their theses and advice on how to manage this process. They also contain information for potential researchers and readers of theses.Information about  submitting hardbound copies  can be found on the Student Registry's website.

Any alumni who wish to have their thesis digitised and made open access are  can find guidance here.

© 2020 Office of Scholarly Communication , University of Cambridge

This project is a joint initiative of Cambridge University Library and the Research Strategy Office .

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Preparing to submit an MPhil thesis

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If you are holding an offer to continue to further postgraduate study you are strongly advised to plan your submission timetable carefully. Allow sufficient time for your examination to take place and your degree to be approved before the start date of your next course.

1. Notice of intention to submit

At least two months before you intend to submit your thesis you need to inform the Degree Committee of your proposed title, expected submission date and provide a short summary. Your submission date should be on or before your submission deadline . You will also have the opportunity to state your preference for an in-person viva (default) or viva by video conference at this stage.The intention to submit form initiates the Examiner appointment process and will open the submission portal to you, so it is very important that you remember to do this.

Your intention to submit notice will be normally be acknowledged within 4 working days. The acknowledgement includes a link to the Moodle course to which you will submit your thesis. The Degree Committee Office will then approach your supervisor for nominations of potential examiners.

If you do not give any/sufficient notice before submitting your thesis your examination will be delayed.

Online form: Intention to submit a research thesis

2. Examination access arrangements (optional)

Should you wish to make a voluntary disclosure of any disability/chronic illness that might affect the conduct of your viva please complete and email the disclosure form to the Degree Committee Office before you submit. We invite you to do this up to two months in advance to allow us time to consult with the DRC and make appropriate access arrangements . Please download the form, complete and sign it, then email back to us in the Degree Committee office.

Form for download: disclosure form

3. Confidential Research (optional)

If your research is confidential (e.g. you are sponsored by industry and they claim rights over your findings), you may apply for a confidentiality agreement to be put in place for the examination. Contact the Degree Committee Office at least one month before you intend to submit your thesis.

4. Complete your thesis

Word limit : Be aware of the word limit and what is/is not included . Candidates are often confused as to how to include equations and formulas in the word count. We recommend you count them as as having the same number of words that text occupying the same area would have, using an average of 13 words per line or 350 words per page (at the 1.5 line spacing).

Format: The MPhil thesis is submitted electronically in A4 portrait format.  There is no requirement for a hardbound copy at any stage in the examination for the MPhil . You are strongly advised to check your thesis carefully prior to submission for typing errors, spelling mistakes and poor English. Number the pages consecutively and ensure work is fully referenced. Remember, the Examiners must be left in no doubt as to which parts of your submitted work are your own original work and which are not.

Including additional material : You may seek permission to submit additional material with your thesis by submitting an application on CamSIS. This process should be initiated and approved prior to you submitting your thesis.

Electronic copy: Please remember the electronic copy of the MPhil thesis you submit is the only document that can be examined. You should not attempt to send any additional documents to your Examiners as they cannot be taken into consideration. If your Examiner specifically requires a paper copy of your thesis they should make the request via the Degree Committee Office. If the Examiner makes the request to you directly please contact the Degree Committee Office.

Compulsory inclusions : the Cambridge Students website details what must be included in the thesis, and in what order.

Certificate of submission : Must be downloaded , completed and signed to confirm that you are the original author of the work and have kept to the word limits. 

COVID-19: If your progress was impeded by coronavirus, please see Research Impact Statement and extension information on our Coronavirus pages .

Ukraine: If your progress was impacted by the situation in Ukraine, please see Research Impact Statement and extension information on our Coronavirus pages . The guidance only refers to COVID-19 but now also applies to the situation in Ukraine.

If you can't find the page you are looking for or find a broken link do let us know (please use the email link in the 'Contact us' section below).

Ukraine - University resources

Coronavirus advice from the University

Office closures

The Degree Committee for the Faculty of Physics & Chemistry will be closed from 5pm on Thursday 28 March 2024 and will reopen again on Tuesday 2 April 2024. Research degree theses should still be submitted by your submission deadline even if that falls over the holiday period.

Meetings schedule

Meetings of the Degree Committee and Degree Ceremonies

Essential Links

Cambridge Students portal

Code of Practice for Postgraduate Students

International Students Office

Student Registry (for staff)

Degree Committee for Physics & Chemistry, School of Physical Sciences, 17 Mill Lane, Cambridge, CB2 1RX. Tel: 01223 746764 / 746766

[email protected]

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Preparing to submit your PhD thesis

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1. Notice of intention to submit

At least   two months   before you intend to submit your thesis you need to inform the Degree Committee of your proposed title, expected submission date and provide a short summary. Your expected submission date should be on or before your submission deadline (you can find this in your CamSIS self-service or talk to your Department Postgraduate Office if you are unsure of your submission deadline). You will also have the opportunity to state your preference for an in-person viva (default) or viva by video conference at this stage.The intention to submit form initiates the Examiner appointment process and will open the submission portal to you, so it is very important that you remember to do this.

Your intention to submit notice will be normally be acknowledged within 4 working days. The acknowledgement includes a link to the Moodle course to which you will submit your thesis. The Degree Committee Office will then approach your supervisor for nominations of potential examiners.

If you do not give any/sufficient notice before submitting your thesis your examination will be delayed.

Online form: Intention to submit a research thesis

2. Examination access arrangements (optional)

Should you wish to make a voluntary disclosure of any disability/chronic illness that might affect the conduct of your viva please complete and email the disclosure form to the Degree Committee Office before you submit. We invite you to do this up to two months in advance to allow us time to consult with the DRC and make appropriate access arrangements . Please download the form, complete and sign it, then email back to us in the Degree Committee office.

Form for download: disclosure form

3. Confidential Research (optional)

If your research is confidential (e.g. you are sponsored by industry and they claim rights over your findings), you may apply for a confidentiality agreement to be put in place for the examination. Contact the Degree Committee Office at least one month before you intend to submit your thesis. You will also want to give consideration to the appropriate level of access that should be applied to your final hardbound and e-thesis when depositing to the University library (see Cambridge Students information on Final thesis submission ).

4. Complete your thesis

Word limit : Be aware of the word limit and what is/is not included. The limit is a maximum, not a target. Well-written theses are often shorter. Candidates are often confused as to how to include equations and formulas in the word count. We recommend you count them as as having the same number of words that text occupying the same area would have, using an average of 13 words per line or 350 words per page (at the 1.5 line spacing).

Format: The PhD thesis is submitted electronically in A4 portrait format. See the Cambridge Students website for details on all aspects of formatting the text etc . You are strongly advised to check your thesis carefully prior to submission for typing errors, spelling mistakes and poor English. Number the pages consecutively and ensure work is fully referenced. Remember, the Examiners must be left in no doubt as to which parts of your submitted work are your own original work and which are not.

Including additional material : You may seek permission though your CamSIS Self-Service page if you wish to submit additional materials alongside your thesis (e.g. video files). Datasets supplied as a separate item or an additional volume connected to the thesis but not included within it require this permission. This process should be initiated and ideally approved prior to you submitting your thesis. If you submit additional material without permission your examination will be delayed.

Published papers: University guidance on including published material can be found here . If you are unsure please discuss with your supervisor who should be able to advise you how to present your published work in context or contact us for advice. You will need to make sure any included publications form part of the overall narrative of your thesis by writing an introduction to each included paper to show how it fits in to the thesis, states where it was published, and makes clear exactly what your own contribution was if there is more than one author. Your final approved thesis will be available through an online repository so you must ensure you have appropriate copyright to include any published material, including part or all of any manuscript where you are the sole or co-author (see the Apollo website for more information). 

Compulsory inclusions : the Cambridge Students website details what must be included in the thesis, and in what order.

Electronic copy : Please remember the electronic version of the PhD thesis you submit is the only document that can be examined. You should not attempt to send any additional documents to your Examiners as they cannot be taken into consideration. If the Examiner makes any request for additional documents to you directly please contact the Degree Committee Office.

COVID-19: If your progress was impeded by coronavirus, please see Research Impact Statement and extension information on our Coronavirus pages .

Ukraine:  If your progress was impacted by the situation in Ukraine, please see Research Impact Statement and extension information on our Coronavirus pages . The guidance only refers to COVID-19 but now also applies to the situation in Ukraine.

If you can't find the page you are looking for or find a broken link do let us know (please use the email link in the 'Contact us' section below).

Ukraine - University resources

Coronavirus advice from the University

Office closures

The Degree Committee for the Faculty of Earth Sciences and Geography will be closed from 5pm on Thursday 28 March 2024 and will reopen again on Tuesday 2 April 2024. Research degree theses should still be submitted by your submission deadline even if that falls over the holiday period.

Meetings of the Degree Committee and Degree Ceremonies

Essential Links

Cambridge Students portal

Code of Practice for Postgraduate Students

International Students Office

Student Registry (for staff)

Degree Committee for Earth Sciences & Geography, School of Physical Sciences, 17 Mill Lane, Cambridge, CB2 1RX. Tel: 01223 746764 / 746766

[email protected]

Site privacy & cookie policies.

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Reinstatement (following withdrawal from study)

NB: If you are returning from a period of medical intermission, you should NOT apply for reinstatement. Please see guidance on returning from medical intermission . If returning from non-medical intermission you do not need to submit any application.

Students who are reinstated in a future academic year who had not already met their fee liability for the course at the time of withdrawal, will normally be liable for fees at the rate for the academic year in which they are reinstated which will invariably be higher.

Whether students can/need to apply for reinstatement depends on the reason why the student was withdrawn from study.

NB: If you are returning from a period of medical intermission, you should not apply for reinstatement. Please see guidance on returning from medical intermission . If returning from non-medical intermission you do not need to submit any application.

You should apply for reinstatement online via your Extended Self-Service . If you have previously completed a course of study (undergraduate or postgraduate) at the University of Cambridge since 2013 you will have been given a ‘Raven for Life’ account and should be able to access your ESS via the normal CamSIS login page:

https://help.uis.cam.ac.uk/service/accounts-passwords/leaving

https://www.camsis.cam.ac.uk/

If you have not completed a course previously, (or you completed prior to 2013) you should be able to register and create an ESS account in order to access the reinstatement application form.

If you are not able to access your Extended Self-Service you can complete the paper copy  reinstatement application form .

If you have any questions about withdrawing from the University or about reinstatement, please submit a query here:  University of Cambridge Student Registry Office (zendesk.com)

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