How to Prepare for Your Dissertation Defense: 6 Steps

A dissertation defense is one of the critical milestones one needs to cross to obtain a doctoral degree. It is a process that helps a candidate proffer their research knowledge to an audience of accomplished academics. Thus, preparing to defend a dissertation can feel distressing and burdensome, for one needs to tick several checkboxes at once. But, with the right set of steps and adequate practice, candidates can successfully overcome this unease.

23.05.2022

How to Prepare for Your Dissertation Defense: 6 Steps

A dissertation defense is a pivotal step that signals the completion of a doctoral candidate's journey. In a fundamental sense, it is an evaluation of the candidate's research, as enclosed within their dissertation, that typically precedes the process of dissertation submission.

Candidates should prepare a concise presentation outlining the various aspects of their dissertation research and demonstrate it in front of a committee. They also need to answer the questions posed by the committee concerning the dissertation and participate in any complementary discussions post the conclusion of the presentation. The defense itself is primarily oral, thus, also called viva voce, and usually 1-2 hours long.

Preparing for a Dissertation Defense: 6 Crucial Steps

Defending a dissertation is, objectively stated, one of the most arduous endeavors in a doctoral candidate’s life. The premise of the process - constricting research worth years into a 25-45 minute presentation and answering the barrage of questions thrown by the committee members - seems pretty straightforward. However, there are several apprehensions associated with defending dissertations that can upset the composure of even the most confident candidates. Typically, these include:

  • the unpredictable nature of the committee members

  • the barrage of questions thrown by the committee to "grill" a candidate

  • the fear of unintentionally skipping critical research details

  • the lack of enough practical experience

  • stage fright.

Thus, candidates need a comprehensive strategy that will help them cover all the aspects of their defense preparations.

The six preparatory steps mentioned below propose one such strategy that rightfully acknowledges the different facets of defending a dissertation.

1. Attending dissertation defense sessions of other candidates

  • An ideal way of excelling at defending a dissertation is to review the presentations of others.

  • Doing so helps candidates acquaint themselves better with the defense process and audience and address some common misconceptions firsthand.

  • Candidates should look for upcoming defense sessions in their university/college or other nearby institutions and attend them perforce.

  • Also, watching some outstanding defenses on sites such as YouTube is a great way to learn a few great tips and best practices.

2. Commencing the preparations well in advance

  • Scholars are used to overcrowding their brains with the curriculum the night before an exam. However, harboring the same attitude when preparing for a dissertation defense can prove detrimental.

  • Candidates should commence the preparations before the university/college schedules the defense.

  • This is also the phase when candidates should frequently consult their advisors and practice speaking eloquently speech.

  • Doing so will help them acquire familiarity with speaking coherently and ensure consistency of their thoughts when defending the research.

3. Revising the order and content of the slides

  • The presentation slides are the foundation of an excellent defense and not just an accouterment.

  • Thus, candidates should ensure that all of their slides and subsequent contents are in order. In addition, they should review, edit and proofread the slides at least a few times for a seamless defense session.

  • The formatting of the slides is also a critical factor for the presentation.

  • Candidates should examine the layout, font colors, styles, backgrounds, clarity of images, etc., of the slides for enhanced readability for the committee and the audience.

4. Deducing possible questions from the dissertation and presentation

  • To prepare for the questionnaire, candidates should try deriving their own questions from the dissertation. The questions can survey topics such as the purpose, scope & limitations of the research, anomalous findings/results, etc.

  • Candidates should also seek the help of their supervisors to develop more targeted questions.

  • Once the questions are ready, candidates should practice answering them while imagining themselves in a defense session. Doing so will help develop a suitable poise when answering the actual questions.

5. Crafting a catchy introduction

An intriguing introduction prominently serves four purposes:

  • attracts the complete attention of the audience and the committee members

  • emphasizes the intellect of the presenter

  • stresses the importance of the research

  • creates a positive first impression

Thus, when writing the speech content for the defense, candidates should draft a hook for the introduction. It can include an impressive fact related to the research data, an unusual finding, an anecdote, etc.

6. Taking care of the technicalities

  • Regardless of how well-prepared a candidate is, technical difficulties can pose more problems than merely hindering the presentation’s flow.

  • Technical issues like data loss, data corruption, missing files, slow internet connection, faulty computer components, etc., can severely disconcert a candidate, causing them to make rudimentary mistakes during their defense.

  • Thus, candidates should always back up their presentations, check their devices for any faults, and ensure a stable internet connection in case of virtual defense sessions.

Dissertation defense: Synopsis

A dissertation defense is one of the critical milestones one needs to cross to obtain a doctoral degree. It is a process that helps a candidate proffer their research knowledge to an audience of accomplished academics. Thus, preparing to defend a dissertation can feel distressing and burdensome, for one needs to tick several checkboxes at once. But, with the right set of steps and adequate practice, candidates can successfully overcome this unease. Hence, readers looking forward to their dissertation defenses should consider the above six points and develop a practice routine to make the most of their preparatory efforts.

If you need us to make your manuscript shine, contact us unhesitatingly!

Best Edit & Proof expert editors and proofreaders focus on offering manuscripts with proper tone, content, and style of academic writing, and also provide an upscale editing and proofreading service for you. If you consider our pieces of advice, you will witness a notable increase in the chance for your research manuscript to be accepted by the publishers. We work together as an academic writing style guide by bestowing subject-area editing and proofreading around several categorized writing styles. With the group of our expert editors, you will always find us all set to help you identify the tone and style that your manuscript needs to get a nod from the publishers.

Dissertation defense

English manuscript formatting service

You can also avail of our assistance if you are looking for editors who can format your manuscript, or just check on the particular styles for the formatting task as per the guidelines provided to you, e.g., APA, MLA, or Chicago/Turabian styles. Best Edit & Proof editors and proofreaders provide all sorts of academic writing help, including editing and proofreading services, using our user-friendly website, and a streamlined ordering process.

Get a free quote for editing and proofreading now!

Visit our order page if you want our subject-area editors or language experts to work on your manuscript to improve its tone and style and give it a perfect academic tone and style through proper editing and proofreading. The process of submitting a paper is very easy and quick. Click here to find out how it works.

Our pricing is based on the type of service you avail of here, be it editing or proofreading. We charge on the basis of the word count of your manuscript that you submit for editing and proofreading and the turnaround time it takes to get it done. If you want to get an instant price quote for your project, copy and paste your document or enter your word count into our pricing calculator.

Dissertation defense

24/7 customer support | Live support

Contact us to get support with academic editing and proofreading. We have a 24/7 active live chat mode to offer you direct support along with qualified editors to refine and furbish your manuscript.

Dissertation defense

Stay tuned for updated information about editing and proofreading services!

Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn,  Facebook, Instagram, and Medium.

For more posts, click here. 

This article gives you some important tips for your dissertation defense. To give you an opportunity to practice proofreading, we have left a few spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors in the text. See if you can spot them! If you spot the errors correctly, you will be entitled to a 10% discount.

They Also Read

Grammar Rules Academic Writing
15 Basic Capitalization Rules for English Grammar
23.05.2022

Although the rules of English capitalization seem simple at first glance, it might still be complicated in academic writing. You probably know you should capitalize proper nouns and the first word of every sentence. However, in some cases, capitalization is required for the first word in a quotation and the first word after a colon. In this article, you will find 15 basic capitalization rules for English grammer.

Continue Reading
Grammar Rules Academic Writing
The Main Differences Between American and British English
23.05.2022

One of the major struggles that English speakers and writers suffer from is the different variants of American English and British English. Mistakes regarding these variants are very common that even experts get confused at times. Therefore, if you are struggling with these differences, don’t worry — you are not alone. Now, what you can do is gradually learn more about the two English variants. We assembled a comprehensive guide that highlights the basic differences between American and British English.

Continue Reading
Editing & Proofreading Academic Writing Editing
5 Essential Information Your Editor Needs
23.05.2022

After writing your manuscript, you may likely decide on an editor to perform the final checks on your document. Mostly, authors make the mistake of sending their manuscripts to their editors, without providing adequate information about specifications on the service they seek. With such limited information, your editor may produce an unsatisfactory job with limited information at his/her disposal. Thus, to ensure that your editors provide the best possible service, which will prevent journals from rejecting your manuscripts on the grounds of noncompliance to journal requirements, the following information should be provided beforehand.

Continue Reading
Dissertation & Thesis
How to Write a Research Proposal for a Thesis or Dissertation?
23.05.2022

Scholars must write a research proposal to receive funding to support their projects and provide their graduate students with the needed funds to pursue post-graduate studies. Even you, as a student, may have to write one before you begin your thesis or dissertation. Whatever the objective is, one issue remains the most relevant.

Continue Reading
Dissertation & Thesis
How Can You Write Research Objectives for Your Dissertation?
23.05.2022

Briefly, research objectives are all about what you intend to achieve in your project. Therefore, they are expected to list every stage of the research and cover which methods they have used to gather data, establish their focal point, and advance their conclusions.

Continue Reading