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Reviewed By: Dr Eunice Rautenbach June Preparing for your dissertation or thesis defence is a formidable task. What the dissertation committee is assessing here is your ability to clearly articulate your research aims, objectives and research questions in a concise manner.
Concise is the keyword here — you need to clearly explain your research topic without rambling on for a half-hour, dissertation oral presentation structure. In other words, why was this particular set of research aims, objectives and questions worth addressing? To address this question well in your oral defence, you need to make it clear what gap existed within the research and why that gap was worth filling. Good research generally follows a long and winding path. For example, you may have started with a certain set of aims, but then as you immersed yourself in the literature, you may have changed direction.
Similarly, your initial fieldwork findings may have turned out some unexpected data that drove you to adjust or expand on your initial research questions. Long story short — a good defence involves clearly describing your research journeyincluding all the twists and turns.
A comprehensive literature review is the foundation of any high-quality piece of research. With this question, your dissertation or thesis committee are trying to assess which quality criteria and approach you used to select the sources for your literature review. Typically, good research draws on both the seminal work in the respective field and more recent sources. In other words, a combination of the older landmark studies and pivotal work, along with up-to-date sources that build on to those older studies.
This combination ensures that the study has a rock-solid foundation but is not out of date. This is a classic methodological question that you can almost certainly expect in some or other shape. So, you need to be able to walk through each design choice and clearly explain both what you did and why you did it. The why is particularly important — you need to be able to justify each choice you made by clearly linking your design back to your research aims, objectives and research questions, while also taking into account practical constraints.
To ensure you cover every base, check out our research methodology vlog postas well as our post covering the Research Onion. This question is aimed at dissertation oral presentation structure digging into your understanding of the sample and how that relates to the population, as well as potential validity issues in your methodology. Note that there are two components here — generalisability and validity. Generalisability is about how dissertation oral presentation structure the sample represents the population.
See how Grad Coach can help you Book A Free Consultation 6: What were the main shortcomings and limitations created by your research design? This question picks up where the last one left off. No piece of research is flawless.
This common dissertation defence question links directly to your discussion chapterdissertation oral presentation structure, where you would have presented and discussed the findings in relation to your literature review. Specifically, you need to discuss which findings aligned with existing research and which findings did not, dissertation oral presentation structure. For those findings that contrasted against existing research, you should also explain what you believe to be the reasons for this, dissertation oral presentation structure.
So, you need to think deeply about what the underlying reasons may be for both the similarities and differences between your findings and those of similar studies. This question is dissertation oral presentation structure to the last one in that it too focuses on your research findings. However, here the focus is specifically on the findings that directly relate to your research questions as opposed to findings in general. So, a good way to prepare for this question is to step back and revisit your research questions, dissertation oral presentation structure.
Ask yourself the following:. Conquering this part dissertation defence requires that you focus squarely on the research questions, dissertation oral presentation structure. Your study will have provided many findings hopefully! Therefore, you need to clear your mind of all of the fascinating side paths your study may have lead you down and regain a clear focus on the research questions.
First, you should discuss the surprising findings that were directly related to the original research questions. Going into your research, you likely had some expectations in terms of what you would find, so this is your opportunity to discuss the outcomes that emerged as contrary to what you initially expected.
You may have a few or you may have none — although generally there are a handful of interesting musings that you can glean from the data set. Again, make sure you can articulate why you find these interesting and what it means for future research in the area. What the committee is looking for in this type of dissertation defence question is your ability to interpret the findings holistically and comprehensively, and to respond to unexpected data.
So, take the time to zoom out and reflect on your findings thoroughly. With this question, your committee is assessing whether dissertation oral presentation structure have considered your own potential biases and the biases inherent in your analysis approach i. your methodology. So, think carefully about these research biases and be ready to explain how these may exist in your study. In an oral defence, this question is often followed up with a question on how the biases were mitigated or could be dissertation oral presentation structure in future research.
So, give some thought not just to what biases may exist, but also the mitigation measures in your own study and for future research. With this question, dissertation oral presentation structure, your committee is assessing your ability to bring your findings back down to earth and demonstrate their practical value and application.
Naturally, the actionability of your findings will vary depending on the nature of your research topic. To help you flesh out points dissertation oral presentation structure this question, look back at your original justification for the research i. in your introduction and literature review chapters. What were the driving forces that led you to research your specific topic?
That justification should help you identify ways in which your findings can be put into practice, dissertation oral presentation structure. While the previous question was aimed at practical contribution, this question is aimed at theoretical contribution. In other words, what is the significance of your study within the current body of research?
How does it fit into the existing research and what does it add to it? To answer this question well, you need to humbly consider the quality and impact of your work and to be realistic in your response.
This question also opens the door to questions about potential future research. So, think about what future research opportunities your study has created and which of these you feel are of the highest priority. This question is often used to wrap up a thesis or dissertation defence as it brings the discussion full circle.
Here, your committee is again assessing your ability to clearly identify and articulate the limitations and shortcomings of your research, both in terms of research design and topic focus, dissertation oral presentation structure.
Perhaps, in hindsight, it would have been better to use a different analysis method or data set. Perhaps the research questions should have leaned in a slightly different direction. And so on. This question often sets apart those who did the research purely because it was required, from those that genuinely engaged with their research.
This post is part of our research writing mini-course, which covers everything you need to get started with your dissertation, thesis or research project. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Preparing For Your Dissertation Defence: 13 Key Questions You Need To Be Ready For. Overview: 13 Essential Questions What is your study about and why did you choose to research this in particular?
How did your research questions evolve during the research process? How did you decide on which sources to include in your literature review? How did you design your study and why did you take this approach?
How generalisable and valid are the findings? What dissertation oral presentation structure the main shortcomings and limitations created by your research design? How did your findings relate to the existing dissertation oral presentation structure What were your key findings in relation to the research questions? Were there any findings that surprised you? What biases may exist in your research?
How can your findings be put into practice? How has your research contributed to current thinking in the field? If you could redo your research, how would you alter your approach? This question, a classic party starter, is pretty straightforward, dissertation oral presentation structure. Need a helping hand? Book A Free Consultation. Ask yourself the following: What exactly were you asking in those questions, and what did your research uncover concerning them?
Which questions were well answered by your study and which ones were lacking? Why were they lacking and what more could be done to address this in future research? This question is two-pronged. Biases… we all have them. Another classic question in the typical dissertation or thesis defence. Recap: The 13 Key Dissertation Defence Questions To recap, here are the 13 questions you need to be ready for to ace your dissertation or thesis oral defence: What is your study about and why did you choose to research this in particular?
So, you should take the time to make sure you can answer them well. If you need assistance preparing for your dissertation defence, get in touch with us to discuss 1-on-1 coaching. We can critically review your research and identify potential issues and responses, as well as undertake a mock oral defence to prepare you for the pressures and stresses on the day. Check out the free course. You Might Also Like: Dissertation Structure How To Structure Your Dissertation Or Thesis 8 Essential Apps To Help You Write Your Dissertation Or Thesis How To Write Your Dissertation Introduction Chapter 7 Simple Steps.
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The Perfect Defense: The Oral Defense of a Dissertation
, time: 22:00List of Best Forensic Science Dissertation Topics in
The dissertation prospectus builds on the premise by helping students organize, delineate, and make decisions regarding their dissertation and appropriate research style. The prospectus serves as an agreed-upon plan for developing the proposal and finalizes the structure of the dissertation The examination of ZOP is chiefly performed by gas chromatography with the identification of nitrogen phosphorous. The mental aspects like lattice structure, medicate communications, and plasma protein levels need to examine in scientific toxicology. Forensic Science Dissertation Topic 10 A thesis, or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings. In some contexts, the word "thesis" or a cognate is used for part of a bachelor's or master's course, while "dissertation" is normally applied to a doctorate.. This is the typical arrangement in
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