Examiners - Reports

Research to date on the examination process for postgraduate research theses has mainly focused on the deconstruction of examiners' reports. This article reports on a study of the processes experienced examiners follow and the judgments they make before writing their reports. A sample of 30 experienced examiners (defined as having examined the equivalent of at least 5 research theses over the last 5 years) from a range of disciplines across 5 universities was interviewed. Clear trends emerged with regard to: the criteria used by examiners and the levels of student performance expected by them critical judgement points in the examination process; the examiners' perceptions of their own role in the process; the influence on examiners of previously published work, the views of the other examiner(s) and their knowledge of the student's supervisor and/or department and the level of perceived responsibility between student and supervisor. Which of the following were the focus of the research?