Stage 3 - Confirmation (PhD students only)

What is confirmation?

You are admitted to PhD candidature as a provisional candidate and progress to confirmed candidature at a pre-determined time in your enrolment.

Confirmation of candidature is based on a decision made by a panel of experts that your research project is likely to lead to an examinable thesis in the normal period of time allotted for the funding of the degree.

Confirmation is an important milestone within the PhD journey, and it is necessary for continued enrolment.

When does it take place?

Confirmation of candidature takes place one year (full-time equivalent) after your commencement date. If you're a part-time student you'll complete the confirmation process after two years.

Who sits on the confirmation panel?

The panel membership is tailored for each student's research project, and provides objective advice about your work-in-progress.

The panel consists of:

• a chairperson, who usually comes from your school
• another panel member who represents the QUT Business School at the faculty level. This person usually comes from outside your school.
• the principal and associate supervisor or supervisors.
  

What is the outcome of the confirmation panel's deliberations?

The panel:

• evaluates progress
• provides detailed advice to the candidate
• recommends to QUT's Research Degrees Committee that:
  • confirmation is approved and the milestone is completed, or
  • confirmation is provisionally approved and further information is requested, or
  • the document should be revised and resubmitted, or
  • confirmation is rejected. This may lead to a period of review, or you may be asked to “show cause” why your candidature should not be terminated.

What form does the confirmation seminar take?

You'll have access to the seminar room half an hour before the presentation time. The chair will introduce you. You'll then presents for approximately 45 minutes. You're required to present a synopsis of the work-in-progress, including the proposed methodology and a trajectory to submission. Candidates normally use PowerPoint slides to summarise the key points.The chair will invite questions from the audience for approximately 15 minutes.

After the presentation and question and answer session, you and the audience will leave the room. The panel will remain to discuss the presentation and confirmation document. You should wait in the vicinity of the room.

After approximately 30 minutes the panel will invite you to return. The chair will summarise the panel's feedback verbally. Shortly after the seminar, a written report is provided that formalises the panel's advice and any required revisions. This report will be available to you later through the on-line submission process.

What happens in advance of the confirmation seminar?

The Higher Degree Research Officer will normally contact you several weeks in advance of the confirmation event about the panel composition and seminar scheduling.

Confirmation document hard copies

You must:

• provide a copy of the document for each of the panel members
• arrange for the printing of the documents
• deliver the copies to the Higher Degree Research Officer, within the Research Support Office, no later than two weeks before the seminar date
• ensure that:
• • the font size and spacing makes for easy reading
  • the document is printed in double-sided mode
  • the document is secured by either staple or spiral binding.

Document soft copy

You must send an electronic copy of the confirmation document to the Higher Degree Research Officer two weeks before the seminar date.

Abstract

You must send a separate abstract suitable for advertising the event to the Higher Degree Research Officer as soon as possible. This must be about 200 words in length, and should show a title.

PowerPoint slides

You must send the PowerPoint slides to the Higher Degree Research Officer when they are finalised, usually on the day of the seminar. You must make 20 copies of the slides and make these available to the seminar audience. If you anticipate a larger audience, you should make more copies.  We recommend that you use a memory stick during the presentation.

On-line process

Sometime during the day of the seminar, or the next day at the latest, you must upload the the confirmation document via QUT Virtual/Services tab/Postgraduate Research. In order to get these screens, make sure you are logged on under your Student ID.

You must ensure that you include the project timeline as part of the confirmation document, i.e. one document only.

What form does the confirmation document take?

Dr Stephen Cox, Director of Higher Degree Research Studies, has prepared Guidelines for Business confirmation documents.

Writing a confirmation document (PDF file, 105.45 KB)

Further information

Frequently asked questions