Completing your doctorate

The writing up, submission and defending of your thesis represents the last hurdle before you obtain your degree and title. Whilst the examination process varies in different countries, the common aim is to ensure that candidates who pass the doctoral examination are of consistent standard. The Eurodoc ‘Statement of Standards in the Assessment, Expectations and Outcomes of Doctoral Programmes in Europe’ has tried to define the common goals that should be achieved in the assessment of doctoral candidates in Europe.

The following sections give specific tips on:

• writing and submitting your thesis
• defending your thesis

At the same time as writing up your thesis, you are likely also to be writing academic papers so remember to take time to plan your next career move. You may find useful the resources and information on:

• doctoral careers outside higher education
• pursuing an academic career and becoming a researcher
• what other researchers do 
• auditing your competencies
• courses and events