University of South Australia

GUIDELINES FOR EXAMINERS OF THE PROFESSIONAL DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH

1. INTRODUCTION

Professional doctoral research is careful, rigorous and sustained work demonstrating that the candidate is a scholar of standing in professional and academic spheres. This program is normally completed in the equivalent of three years full-time.

These guidelines refer to the Professional Doctorate by research and present criteria for the examination of the research.

These guidelines are intended to assist examiners in their consideration of research work submitted for Professional Doctoral degrees of the ‘research’ variety. The term ‘research work’ can mean, depending on the Award, any combination of the following: thesis; dissertation; portfolio of work; exegesis; artifact; published articles; and others as specified in the Award. In particular, these guidelines are intended to guide the examiner not familiar with the standards required for Professional Doctorate degrees to reach a just decision that does not disadvantage the candidate.

Examiners are expected to be knowledgeable in research, scholarship and practice in the professional area of the submitted work, thus ensuring that their knowledge of the professional field is current. They should be familiar with the research, supervision and examination processes involved in higher degrees by research.

2. CRITERIA FOR PROFESSIONAL DOCTORATE RESEARCH
Professional doctoral programs at UNISA consist of two components: coursework and research, both of which must be successfully completed. The coursework component of the Professional Doctorate by Research accounts for up to one-third of the total hours needed to meet program requirements and must be completed prior to the submission of the research component for examination. For those Professional Doctorates classified as research degrees, the research component of the Professional Doctorate accounts for at least two-thirds of the overall program and culminates in research that makes a significant contribution to knowledge and/or professional practice. 

The following criteria apply to the body of research work submitted for examination:

- A significant and original contribution to knowledge about professional practice and a
contribution to knowledge of fact and/or theory.

‘Originality’ may be shown in several ways. For example, the candidate may have posed an important new problem with current practice, have formulated an existing problem in a novel and useful way, investigated previously ignored material, offered new and significant insights about issues which have been examined by other researchers, developed new techniques for investigating issues, applied appropriate techniques to a new set of problems or developed new ways of applying existing knowledge to practice. Replications of previous investigations would be acceptable if they incorporated new elements in the design or execution of the investigation and/or if they aimed to develop new knowledge about professional practice. The research must result in the drawing of conclusions relevant to professional practice.

While it is difficult to assess what constitutes ‘a significant contribution’, one important way of gauging if a candidate’s work meets this expectation is to consider the extent to which the findings of the thesis are publishable in the professional literature. Other evidence could have been in the form of a presentation to industry and/or the profession, quality of professional publications, impact on organization/profession and evidence of industry involvement during the process of research. Normally, satisfactory professional doctoral research would be expected to form the basis of at least one article in a recognized professional journal. It would be helpful for the examiner to offer an opinion on the publishable content of the research.

- A critical appreciation of the literature relevant to the research project.
Candidates should demonstrate that they have become sufficiently familiar with, and have an adequate grasp of, the literature relevant to the research project in order to be able to make a critical assessment of the present state of knowledge in the subject. In professional doctorates it is expected that both scholarly and professional literatures will be included.  Candidates should include current and relevant key references and debates in the relevant areas.

- A well designed and structured investigation (or set of investigations).
Candidates should present evidence to show that they have satisfactorily designed, undertaken and concluded research appropriate to the field. Research aims should be described clearly and the study design should be appropriate for the aims and for the field of study. The research report(s) should show that the techniques adopted were appropriate to the subject matter and were applied properly. All data collected should be analysed rigorously and with due attention to relevant ethical codes. The research report(s) should be written succinctly and in good English. The research should communicate the purpose and results of the research in a concise, logical and effective manner.

- Information is presented in a manner consistent with the relevant discipline(s).
The results should be presented in a manner that is consistent with the relevant academic and/or professional field. The text must be written clearly, accurately and cogently, and all sources must be documented fully. The research should be presented in a manner consistent with publications in recognized academic or professional journals. The research report should be free of typographical and grammatical errors.

- A critical appraisal of his/her own work relative to that of others
Candidates should show that they recognise the limitations of the study and should justify fully any conclusions. The research should demonstrate that candidates are able to assess the contribution of their own work to the state of knowledge about professional practice in the relevant disciplines.

- Evidence of independent and critical thought
Candidates should show that they have conceived original ideas for investigation from their independent, critical inquiry of the literature.  They should state clearly the central theme or argument, to develop this theme systematically and to assess the results of their investigations in a critical manner.

3. EXAMINATION PROCEDURES
Two examiners are initially invited to examine professional doctoral work by the University’s Research Degrees Committee (RDC). Examiners are asked to assess the research individually and independently, prepare brief assessment reports for the guidance of the candidate and each recommend to the RDC one classification from those listed. If examiners disagree significantly, the RDC may invite a third person to examine the work.

If an examiner is unable to complete the examination within a time satisfactory to the RDC, normally eight weeks, another examiner may be appointed in their place.

It is acknowledged that the length of research texts can vary significantly according to the nature of the work and the discipline.  For example, an upper limit of 80,000 words or equivalent is recommended in the social sciences.

Theses or portfolios submitted for examination are temporarily bound in accordance with University regulations. Passed doctoral works are lodged in the UNISA Library and are available for inspection.