Dealing with Revisions After Submission: Responding to Examiners for Dissertations, Essays and Assignments
Submitting your dissertation, essay or assignment is a major milestone — but most students face at least some revisions requested by examiners. Knowing how to interpret feedback, prepare a formal response, and resubmit correctly will save time and protect your final grade or degree outcome. This guide covers practical steps, templates and pitfalls to avoid so you can navigate examiner revisions confidently.
Types of examiner feedback (what to expect)
Examiners typically issue one of the following outcomes. Each requires a different strategy:
- Minor corrections / editorial fixes — quick to complete; typically no re-examination.
- Major revisions — substantial reworking of argument, methods or findings; often requires re-submission and possible re-examination.
- Resubmit for re-examination — major problems; full second review may be required.
- Conditional pass / pass after corrections — corrections necessary before final approval.
- Fail / revise and resubmit at a later date — uncommon but possible.
Knowing the category of your outcome will determine timeline, scope and tone of your response.
First steps after you receive examiner reports
- Read all reports carefully — don’t react immediately. Read once for general sense, then again for specifics.
- Create a master list of comments — aggregate similar points from multiple examiners and remove duplicates.
- Meet your supervisor promptly — discuss priorities, required depth of changes and institutional procedures.
- Check institutional rules and deadlines — timelines differ by university; consult your faculty office or the official guidelines. See The Definitive Pre-Submission Checklist for Dissertations, Essays and Assignments: Compliance, Files and Metadata for pre- and post-submission considerations.
- Plan an action schedule — prioritize high-impact items (methodology/analysis) before editorial matters (formatting, typos).
Structuring your formal response to examiners
A clear, professional response reduces friction and speeds up approval. Your submission package usually contains:
- A cover letter summarising the outcome (e.g., “Revised submission following minor corrections requested by Examiners A and B”).
- A point-by-point response document mapping examiner comments to your replies and locations of revisions.
- A revised manuscript with tracked changes and a clean copy.
- Any supplementary files (appendices, data, corrected figures).
Use this structure in your response document:
| Examiner comment | Your response | Location in revised document | Action taken |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Clarify sampling method" | Added paragraph explaining stratified sampling and inclusion criteria. | Methods, p. 23–24 | New text + citation; updated Table 2 |
| "Figure 3 unclear" | Re-drew Figure 3; improved caption; original data included in Appendix B. | Figure 3, p. 45; Appendix B | Replaced image; uploaded high-res file |
Be explicit: quote the exact examiner comment (or label it), state exactly what you changed, and provide page/line references.
Practical revision workflow and technical tips
- Use track changes and save a clean copy for the final submission. Some institutions prefer tracked changes + clean copy; check your university policy (see University Formatting Standards Explained).
- Maintain version control: use filenames with versions (e.g., dissertation_v2_2026-01-23.docx). Back up to cloud storage.
- Document everything in the response file — examiners and administrators should find it easy to verify changes.
- Formatting and visuals: reformat figures, tables and appendices to institutional standards; consult Formatting Figures, Tables and Appendices for Dissertations, Essays and Assignments: Best Practices.
- Plagiarism/similarity checks: some institutions re-run Turnitin; if you add new material, run a similarity check first. See Electronic Submission, Turnitin and Institutional Repositories: What to Know for Dissertations, Essays and Assignments.
- Proofread thoroughly — consider professional proofreading for final polish.
Timeline, supervisor involvement and institutional logistics
- Ask your supervisor whether the corrections must be signed off by them prior to resubmission.
- Confirm deadlines for returning corrected copies and whether you must supply printed and/or electronic versions (see Timeline and Logistics for Final Submission: From Supervisor Sign-Off to Graduation for Dissertations, Essays and Assignments).
- If your institution requires binding, DOI registration or repository deposit after acceptance, plan those steps too: Binding, Copyright and DOI Registration: Post-Submission Steps for Dissertations, Essays and Assignments.
Common pitfalls to avoid
- Ignoring or arguing with a clear correction — if you disagree, explain concisely and provide evidence, but remain professional.
- Making undocumented changes — always indicate what you changed and where.
- Missing deadlines — failing to meet institutional timelines can delay graduation.
- Failing to re-run formatting or similarity checks after large edits.
- Not consulting your supervisor before submitting major revisions.
Quick response template (short)
Cover letter opening:
Dear [Examining Panel / Chair],
Please find the revised version of my [dissertation/essay/assignment] following the examiners’ reports dated [date]. I have addressed all comments; a point-by-point response is attached.
Point-by-point entry:
- Examiner comment: "…"
- Response: "… (See revised manuscript, p. X–Y, lines Z–Z)."
Comparison: Minor vs Major Corrections (at-a-glance)
| Outcome | Typical timeframe | Required documents | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minor corrections | 1–4 weeks | Response doc + revised manuscript | Low |
| Major revisions | 4–12+ weeks | Detailed response, revised manuscript, possibly new data/analyses | Medium |
| Resubmit for re-exam | Several months | Full rework; may require re-examination | Higher |
Final checklist before resubmission
- Point-by-point response completed and proofread
- Revised manuscript with tracked changes and clean copy
- All figures/tables formatted and high-res files attached
- References, citations and appendices updated
- Supervisor has reviewed and signed-off if required
- Institutional submission requirements met (file types, metadata) — consult Submission-Ready Formatting for Dissertations, Essays and Assignments: Margins, Headings and Pagination Checklist
- Consider preparing for a viva/defense if requested: How to Prepare for Your Dissertation or Thesis Defense (Viva) and Present Assignments Confidently and Crafting a Defense Presentation and Anticipating Questions for Dissertations, Essays and Assignments.
Need help with revisions, proofreading or formatting?
If you’d like professional assistance with revising your manuscript, preparing a point-by-point response, or proofreading before resubmission, contact MzansiWriters:
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We can help with editing, formatting to university standards and preparing submission-ready files so you meet examiner and institutional requirements.