Overview
Feedback arrives at two points. Before the defense, committee members or supervisors return comments on drafts — sometimes contradictory — that must be resolved before you are allowed to proceed. After the viva or defense, examiners issue a formal outcome: in the UK, this is often minor corrections (commonly with a deadline of a few months), major corrections (often six months to a year) or resubmission; in the US, the committee may approve the dissertation with required revisions to be checked by the chair.
In both cases, success depends on responding to every point, making the reasoning behind each change visible and keeping to the deadline. Examiners who can match each of their comments to a specific change, with page numbers, sign off faster.
We coach you through the process: interpreting comments, deciding how to address each, planning around your deadline and presenting your changes in a corrections log or response table. You make the revisions.
Who it’s for and the problems it solves
This is for you if you are…
- Doctoral candidates with minor or major corrections after a viva
- Candidates facing resubmission (revise and resubmit) of a thesis
- US doctoral candidates with committee revisions before or after the final defense
- Master's students with required revisions from markers or a thesis committee
- Candidates dealing with conflicting comments from several committee members
Common problems we help with
- The examiners' report is vague, and you are not sure what they are asking for
- Two committee members want contradictory changes
- Your corrections deadline is approaching while you work full time
- You disagree with a comment and do not know how to respond without seeming defensive
- Corrections require new analysis or literature and you do not know how much is enough
- You have lost motivation after the viva and cannot restart
What’s included — and what isn’t
Included
- Interpreting the examiners' report or committee comments, including implicit expectations
- Sorting comments into categories: typographical, clarification, substantive, new work, and contested
- A corrections log that tracks each comment, the planned response, status and location of the change
- Strategy for conflicting comments and for respectfully explaining where you have not made a change
- Planning and timeline to the corrections deadline
- Feedback on revised sections to check they address the original comment
- Coaching on the cover letter or response document that accompanies the corrected thesis
- Guidance on institutional procedures: who approves corrections, extension requests and resubmission rules
Not included
- Making the corrections or writing new text for you
- Contacting examiners, committee members or your graduate school on your behalf
- Legal advice on academic appeals
- Promising that examiners will accept the corrected thesis
What you receive
- Corrections log
- A spreadsheet or table listing every comment with an ID, category, planned response, responsible person (you or a supervisor), status and page reference.
- Response table template
- A clean table to submit with your corrected thesis: comment, response and where the change appears.
- Revision plan
- A dated plan to the deadline, sequencing substantive work first and leaving time for a final consistency check.
- Revision feedback
- Comments on revised sections to confirm they address the original concern.
How it works
Read the report together
We go through the examiners' report or committee comments with you and clarify any ambiguous requests.
Build the log
Every comment is logged and categorized, including implicit requests hidden in general remarks.
Plan
We agree an approach to each comment and a timeline that fits your deadline and other commitments.
Revise with feedback
You make the changes; we review revised sections and help you phrase responses.
Assemble the submission
We check the response table against the log and the corrected thesis before you submit.
How we categorize and handle comments
- Typographical and presentational
- Quick fixes, batched together, logged but not individually discussed in the response.
- Clarification
- Places where examiners misunderstood or wanted more explanation; usually addressed by adding a sentence or paragraph.
- Substantive
- Changes to argument, methodology discussion, limitations or literature; these need careful planning and a clear explanation in the response.
- New work
- Additional analysis, data or literature; we help you scope the minimum that genuinely addresses the concern.
- Contested
- Comments you believe are mistaken; we help you respond with evidence and courtesy, and flag when it is wiser to make the change.
Minor corrections, major corrections and resubmission
Terms and deadlines vary by institution. In UK practice, minor corrections are typically typographical or limited clarifications checked by one examiner; major corrections involve substantive revisions without a new viva; resubmission (or referral) means a revised thesis is examined again, sometimes with a second viva. Check your regulations for the exact definitions and time limits.
In US programs, required revisions are usually agreed at the defense and approved by the chair or the whole committee before the dissertation goes to the graduate school for format review.
- Confirm who signs off: one examiner, both, or the committee chair
- Check whether the deadline runs from the viva date or the formal outcome letter
- Ask early if you need an extension; many institutions require a formal request
Writing a response examiners can approve quickly
A good response table quotes or summarizes each comment, states what you changed, and gives the page and section. Where you did not make a change, it explains why in one or two respectful sentences with supporting evidence. This makes the examiner's job easy and reduces the chance of a second round.
What the work can look like
Illustrative example — fictional data
Corrections log entries for major corrections
A fictional public health candidate received major corrections with a six-month deadline: 31 comments from two examiners, including a request to justify the sample size and expand limitations.
Comment E1-07 (substantive)
'The justification for the sample of 180 is unclear.' Response: added a power-analysis rationale and a note on achieved precision to section 3.4 (pp. 78–79). Status: done, reviewed.
Comment E2-12 (contested)
'Consider excluding participants over 65.' Response: retained, with a sensitivity analysis showing results are similar with and without them, reported in Appendix F and summarized in 4.6.
Plan
Substantive items scheduled for months 1–3, clarifications in month 4, full consistency check and response table in month 5, leaving a month's buffer.
Illustrative, fictional example. Real corrections depend on your examiners' report and your institution's procedures.
What you’ll need to provide
- The examiners' report, outcome letter or committee comments
- The examined version of the thesis
- Your corrections deadline and institutional guidance on corrections
- Any notes from the viva or defense
- Your supervisor's view on the priorities, if available
You don’t need everything ready to ask for a quote — tell us what you have and we’ll say what’s missing.
What affects price and turnaround
Price depends on
- Number and complexity of comments
- Whether new analysis or literature work is required
- Number of revised sections to review
- Number of coaching sessions
- Time until the corrections deadline
Turnaround depends on
- Length of the examiners' report and the thesis
- Proportion of substantive versus minor comments
- Your institutional deadline and working schedule
Every project is quoted individually. How we price our work.
Questions people ask before starting
Can I disagree with an examiner's comment?
Yes, if you have good reason. Explain your reasoning politely with evidence in the response table. For major points, discuss with your supervisor first; sometimes a partial change satisfies the concern.
The report is vague. What do examiners actually want?
We help you interpret comments using the context of the viva discussion and common examiner expectations. If still unclear, your institution may allow you to ask for clarification via your supervisor or the graduate school.
How long do I have for corrections?
It depends on your institution and the outcome. Minor corrections often have a deadline of a few months, major corrections longer. Check your outcome letter and regulations.
Can you help with extra analysis the examiners asked for?
Yes, through coaching or our analysis services, with you remaining responsible for the work and its interpretation. We scope it to what addresses the comment.
What if I am out of time?
Contact your graduate school early about an extension. We can help you prepare a realistic plan to show what remains and why more time is needed.