The purpose of this page is to give candidates and supervisors information about how to prepare the doctoral citation which is lodged with all theses and projects.
The citation will appear on your Australian Higher Education Graduate Statement and transcript. It will also be included in the graduation program and will be read aloud if you attend your graduation ceremony.
Because the citation will appear in so many places and be read (and heard) by non-expert audiences, it should be written in a way to ensure it can be understood and appreciated by those with no specialist knowledge of the field or its technical terms.
Since you are likely to write only one citation in your life, you should work with your Senior/Joint senior supervisor to ensure it appropriately describes your work and your contribution to your field.
You will be asked to provide your citation when you submit your thesis or project for examination. In cases where a thesis has already been submitted for examination ad the citation was not included, you should include it when you lodge the final archival copy of your thesis or project.
The citation must be written in plain English using terms and language comprehensible to a general audience. It must be limited to 50 words and include the following key elements:
For advice about capitalisation, abbreviations and so on, please refer to the RMIT Writing Style Guide (PDF 161KB 23p).
Dr [Candidate’s surname] studied/examined/investigated/explored [description of project]. The research found/revealed/identified/resulted in/produced [description of findings].
The findings/results/outcomes contribute to/enhance/improve/reinforce/provide insight into/build on/advance/affirm/confirm [description of the value or outcome of the project].
Dr Sridharan developed a novel e-learning success model for an Australian tertiary education environment. This led to the identification of the critical success factors intertwined between pedagogies, technologies, learning resources and management of learning resources in e-learning. Specific policy initiatives are suggested for the effective implementation of the proposed model.
Dr Ng explored early childhood curriculum reform in Singapore. The research focused on stakeholder experience. Interviews were conducted and children's experiences were observed. Education and change management theory dictated the design and interpretation. The findings indicate that required changes were not observed and stakeholders lacked involvement in the reform process.
Dr Smith studied the evolution of the structure and function of retinol-binding protein. The research revealed that it originated as an intracellular protein for transporting retinol, but later evolved to be an extracellular plasma protein for distributing retinol around the body. These findings enhance our understanding of protein evolution.
ARG Communication staff oversee the preparation of citations and may edit grammar, spelling and the format of the citation. Unclear or overly long citations will be returned to the Senior/Joint senior supervisor for editing.
Here are some key rules for the writing of citations:
Email: sgr.examinations@rmit.edu.au
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Acknowledgement of country
RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Luwaytini' by Mark Cleaver, Palawa.