Appointment criteria for research degree examiners

Eligibility to be an external examiner

research active with appropriate expertise
normally employed in an HE institution (if not, including Emeritus Professors, a case as to their suitability needs to be made)
a senior member of staff and/or an experienced examiner (if not, a senior and experienced internal examiner must be appointed)
qualified to the level at which they are being appointed to examine (if not, a case as to their suitability needs to be made).

have been a former member of the academic staff or a student of the University or Partner Institution in the past five years
be a prospective member of staff in the process of applying for a position at the University or Partner Institution or recently been appointed to a staff position (this applies at any point during the examination process)
have been involved in the supervision of the student
have a professional or personal relationship with the student, the student’s supervisor or the internal examiner that might give rise to a conflict of interest*.

a member of the academic or research staff of the University or Partner Institution (visiting staff cannot be appointed as an internal examiner)
research active with appropriate expertise
normally have a degree, or equivalent, at the level at which they are being appointed to examine (if not a case as to their suitability needs to be made). A Professor with appropriate publications would be considered to be ‘equivalent’ and a case would not need to be made.

have been the student’s supervisor (main, joint or secondary) other than acting as a temporary supervisor for a period of up to a year but not in the final 12 months before submission of the thesis
have been a member of the Supervisory Panel during the final six months before submission of the thesis
have a professional or personal relationship with the student or the external examiner that might give rise to a conflict of interest
be the partner or a close relative of the supervisor (main, joint or secondary).

The following are conflicts of interest and should be avoided, as they will prevent appointment of the Examiner:

a personal relationship -such as family relation (by birth/adoption or marriage) or friendship that would give rise to a conflict of interest
collaboration or co-authorship with the student (either the external and/or internal)
the external examiner has undertaken collaboration or co-authorship with the supervisor or internal examiner on topics closely related to the student’s research within the past 5 years
the supervisor has recently (within 3 years), examined, or been appointed to examine, a research student under the supervision of the external examiner
the external examiner has recently (within 3 years), examined or been appointed to examine, a research student under the supervision of either the supervisor or internal examiner
an academic relationship exists (such joint teaching, membership of the same research group, or sitting on the same funding committee), between the external examiner and the supervisor and/or internal examiner
the external examiner was the supervisor’s or internal examiner’s supervisor or the supervisor’s or internal examiner’s supervisee.
the external was involved in teaching and/or supervision and/or assessment of the student (including at another institution) as part of a previous award and has maintained a professional relationship with them since.

Departments/schools should also avoid overuse of individual examiners.

Postgraduate Research Education Team

Email: pgresearch@essex.ac.uk

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