What happens after you submit your dissertation UK

Written By

Oliver Hastings

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Ethical considerations should be at the forefront of your thinking from the very beginning of your research, not as an afterthought that you address in a brief paragraph of your methodology chapter. If your research involves human participants, you will need to obtain ethical approval from your university's research ethics committee before you begin collecting data, and you must ensure that your participants give fully informed consent to their involvement. Protecting the confidentiality and anonymity of your participants is a binding ethical obligation, and you should put in place strong measures to ensure that individual participants cannot be identified from the data you present in your dissertation. Even if your research does not involve human participants directly, you should consider whether there are any broader ethical implications of your research question or your methodology that your ethics committee or your supervisor should be aware of.

Data analysis is the stage of the dissertation process where many students feel most uncertain, particularly those who are new to qualitative or quantitative research methods and are analysing data for the first time. For quantitative studies, it is important to select statistical tests that are appropriate for the type of data you have collected and the hypotheses you are testing, and to report your results in a format that your reader can understand. Qualitative data analysis requires a different kind of rigour, involving careful attention to the themes and patterns that emerge from your data and a transparent account of the analytical decisions you have made throughout the process. Whatever approach to analysis you take, you should ensure that your analysis is guided throughout by your original research question, so that the connection between what you set out to investigate and what you actually found remains clear.

H1: What Happens After You Submit Your Dissertation

You've hit submit. Your dissertation is gone. It's with the university now. And you have no idea what comes next. How long until you hear back? When's your viva? What are your examiners actually doing?

Here's what happens after you submit. It's a process. It usually takes six to eight weeks from submission to viva. Understanding the timeline helps you relax (and plan ).

#### H2: Weeks 1-2: Initial Processing

Your dissertation goes to the department office. They process it.

They check that it meets basic requirements. Correct format? Correct number of pages? Correct structure? All the required sections? If anything is missing, they contact you to fix it.

Usually, everything is fine and this step takes a few days.

Then your dissertation is sent to your examiners (usually two: one internal, one external). They receive your dissertation. They confirm receipt.

You don't do anything this week. You wait.

#### H2: Weeks 2-6: Examination

Your examiners read your dissertation. Actually read it. Carefully.

This takes time. They're professors with teaching loads, research responsibilities, and other students. Your dissertation is one of many things on their plate.

They read. They take notes. They form preliminary opinions. They might contact your supervisor with questions. They might ask you clarifying questions (usually via your supervisor).

You don't see any of this. From your perspective, nothing is happening. Internally, your dissertation is being carefully evaluated.

#### H2: Week 6: Examiners' Reports

Something that separates good academic writing from average work is surprisingly simple. Literature reviews depends heavily on the basics alone would suggest, because the connections between sections need to feel natural to the reader. Check in with your supervisor regularly rather than waiting until problems accumulate.

Your examiners finish their reports.

Each examiner writes a report. This report recommends:

• Award of the degree (pass).
• Degree with minor corrections (revisions required, but not a viva).
• Degree with viva (pass the viva, possibly with minor corrections).
• Fail with resubmission option (substantial revisions required, then resubmission).
• Fail (no resubmission option; very rare).

Building your argument across chapters requires careful attention to signposting, so that your reader always knows where they are in the overall structure and how each section relates to the ones that came before.

Most dissertations get "degree with viva." Some get "minor corrections, no viva needed." Few fail.

Your examiners submit their reports to the department. The department collates them.

You still don't hear anything. You're waiting.

The transition from coursework essays to a full dissertation can feel daunting for many students, largely because the dissertation requires a much higher level of independent research, sustained argument, and self-directed project management than most previous assignments. Unlike a coursework essay, which typically has a defined topic and a relatively short word count, a dissertation gives you the freedom to choose your own research question and to pursue it in considerable depth over a period of several months. That freedom can be both exhilarating and overwhelming, which is why it is so important to develop a clear plan early in the process and to work consistently towards your goals rather than waiting for inspiration to strike. Students who approach the dissertation as a long-term project requiring regular, disciplined effort consistently produce better work than those who attempt to write the entire dissertation in the final weeks before the submission deadline.

#### H2: Week 6-7: Department Reviews Recommendations

The department looks at both examiners' reports.

If both examiners agree (both recommend viva, or both recommend minor corrections), that's what happens.

If they disagree (one recommends viva, one recommends minor corrections), the department usually goes with the more demanding recommendation. So viva it is.

If one recommends pass and one recommends fail, there's a process for that. Usually the work is looked at again or a third examiner is brought in. Rare.

Most of the time, the recommendation is clear: you're getting a viva.

#### H2: Week 7: You Get News

Your supervisor tells you the outcome.

Email arrives: "I've received the examiners' reports. You'll be doing a viva. Here's the date: [date]. Your examiners are [names]."

Or: "The examiners recommend you pass with minor corrections. You don't need a viva. Here are the corrections they want."

Or: "You need to do more work. The examiners want substantial revisions. You'll resubmit in six months."

Most likely: viva.

#### H2: Weeks 7-8: Preparing for Your Viva

You now know you're doing a viva. It's usually scheduled two to three weeks away.

You prepare. You review your dissertation. You anticipate questions. You practise articulating your argument. You research your examiners (yes, you can Google them). You prepare.

This is covered in detail in posts 1345-1347.

#### H2: Week 8-9: The Viva

You attend your viva. It's 1-2 hours.

You discuss your dissertation with your examiners. You defend your choices. You answer questions about your methodology, your findings, your argument.

Then they send you out. They discuss. They decide. Pass or pass with minor corrections? (Fail is extremely rare at this stage, so don't worry.)

You're called back in. They tell you the result.

Understanding the marking criteria for your dissertation is a necessary step in preparing to write it, as the criteria specify exactly what your assessors are looking for and how they will distribute marks across different elements of your work. Many students are surprised to discover how much weight is given to aspects of their dissertation such as the coherence of the argument, the quality of the literature review, and the rigour of the methodology, relative to the novelty of the findings. Reading the marking criteria carefully before you begin writing allows you to make informed decisions about where to invest your time and effort, ensuring that you address the most heavily weighted components of the assessment as thoroughly as possible. If your module handbook does not include a detailed breakdown of the marking criteria, your supervisor or module leader will generally be willing to explain how the dissertation is marked and what distinguishes a first-class piece of work from a lower grade.

The relationship between your research question and your theoretical framework is one of the most important aspects of any dissertation, as the theoretical perspective you adopt will influence how you collect data and interpret your findings. Students sometimes treat theory as an abstract exercise that is disconnected from the practical work of research, but in reality your theoretical framework provides the conceptual tools that allow you to make sense of what you observe. Reviewing the theoretical literature in your field will help you identify the major schools of thought that have shaped current understanding and will allow you to position your own research within that intellectual landscape. Your marker will expect you to demonstrate not only that you are aware of the relevant theoretical debates in your field but also that you have thought carefully about how those debates relate to your own research design and findings.

#### H2: Week 9-10: Corrections (If Required)

If the outcome is "pass with minor corrections," you now have a deadline (usually 4-8 weeks) to submit corrections.

You revise the sections that need revision. You submit the revised version. The examiners check it. They confirm the corrections are sufficient.

When writing your abstract, remember that this short piece of text may be the only part of your dissertation that some readers ever see, so it needs to communicate your key argument and findings clearly and concisely.

You're done.

#### H2: Week 10-12: Graduation

You're officially done. You're submitted to be conferred your degree.

You can now say you've completed your dissertation. You've passed your viva. You're a graduate.

Graduation ceremony happens later (usually autumn of the same year).

#### H2: What You Should Do

Weeks 1-6 (waiting for reports):

• Don't panic if you don't hear anything. Radio silence is normal.
• Do relax. Your dissertation is in capable hands. You've done your part.
• Do start thinking about your viva. Even though you don't know if you'll have one, assume you will. Review your dissertation. Start preparing.

When you consider the relationship between your research findings and your overall argument, the connections should feel natural to anyone reading your dissertation from beginning to end, which means every section needs to earn its place within the broader structure you have chosen to present.

Week 7 (you get news):

• If it's viva: celebrate that you passed the first stage. Now prepare seriously.
• If it's minor corrections only: celebrate that you don't need a viva. Make the corrections promptly.
• If it's resubmission: talk to your supervisor. Figure out a plan. This is not failure. It's a path forwards.

Weeks 7-9 (viva preparation or correction):

• Do the work. Prepare thoroughly. Make the corrections carefully.
• Don't spiral into anxiety. Vivas are not oral exams. They're conversations about your work.
• Do ask for help if you need it.

#### H2: Timeline Summary

May 1: You submit. May 15-June 15: Examiners read. June 15-20: Examiners report. June 20-25: Department decides. June 25: You hear outcome. July 5-10: Your viva. July 15: Results issued.

This is approximate. Your timeline might be different. But this is typical.

You wait about 6 weeks from submission to viva. Then 1-2 weeks of viva and results. Total: 7-8 weeks.

By mid-July, you know whether you've passed.

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FAQ Section

Q1: How long does the examination process actually take?

Six to eight weeks from submission to viva, usually. Sometimes shorter, sometimes longer. Depends on how quickly examiners read. Don't expect to hear anything for at least three weeks.

Q2: Can I contact my examiners?

No. Communication goes through your supervisor or the department office. Your examiners don't talk to you directly during the examination period. That changes at the viva.

Your appendices should contain supplementary material that supports your main text without interrupting its flow, such as interview transcripts, questionnaires, or additional data tables that are too detailed for the body.

Q3: What if I'm getting minor corrections but I want a viva anyway?

You can request one. But usually if you're getting minor corrections, it means your examiners are confident in your work. You don't need a viva. Take the minor corrections and move on.

Q4: How do I know if my outcome is good?

Viva outcome is good. Minor corrections outcome is excellent. Resubmission outcome is salvageable but means more work. Fail is very rare and usually comes with a path forwards. Most outcomes are viva or minor corrections.

Q5: What if the examiners disagree?

If they disagree on the outcome recommendation, the department usually goes with the more demanding one (viva over minor corrections). If they disagree more basic, the department might bring in a third examiner or have them discuss and reach consensus.