Getting a degree in PhD or masters is an outstanding achievement for many people. However, for students who are not familiar with higher education processes, the journey might look simple. In general, scholars might not comprehend that they commit to several varied academic tasks so that their dreams come true. One of such activities is writing either dissertation or thesis. Once they write their dissertation, PhD students appear before a panel of dissertation defense committees to defend their work. The dissertation defense is about arguing intensely and answering questions from the committee members to their satisfaction. The objective of the questions is to measure student’s understanding of their research work. Therefore, students need to get prepared for the thesis defense.
Components of the dissertation defense
Postgraduate students undertake an essential academic project as they complete the academic journey. This project of writing a thesis for those pursuing master’s degree and a dissertation for students taking the doctoral program. In principle, the two projects are similar since they allow the students to display their knowledge in their study field. Students pursuing doctoral programs need to write a doctoral dissertation, though most fail to prepare adequately. Apart from submitting the written document, such students appear before university professors’ advisors to defend their work. However, defense takes between 20 minutes to one hour.
Defending the research dissertation project
Once the doctoral students submit their dissertation project work, the postgraduate school needs to schedule a defense date where students will appear before a panel of defense committee members to defend their position. A thesis defense is a formality since the students have handed in their work. Besides, university professors have examined such dissertation projects. In the dissertation presentation, members of the defense committee get an opportunity to ask candidates open-ended questions that require a critical response.
Dissertation defense vs examination or presentation
Learning institutions are in the business of measuring the level of knowledge of their students. Globally, universities and colleges set reviews for students studying at all levels of learning. Such examinations get administered during the semester as continuous assessment tests or as the end-of-semester examinations. Generally, reviews have a short lifespan. Ordinarily, students have time restrictions with their inquiries, and the majority of these examinations take utmost two hours. However, dissertations are research projects that take a long to complete.
Items to prepare for dissertation defense
Like any other examination, students need to get ready physically and mentally to defend their dissertation before the dissertation committee. Students need to educate themselves by attending other dissertation defenses since the process is dynamic.
Guidelines on how to write a dissertation
Because writing a dissertation comes before the defense, student needs to learn basic dissertation writing guidelines such as:
- How to write an excellent dissertation proposal: Students create research suggestions for the final dissertation project to convince the dissertation defense committee of the students to pledge to find answers to complex research questions.
- Choose the title, question, and theme: As a student, you need to think critically concerning the research problem objective and the dissertation in general. Ask yourself why it is essential to get solutions to the research problems.
- Select the thesis proposal outline: To ensure that the proposal is convincing, students need to use a simple and easy-to-follow format. The proposal key elements include title, objectives, and literature review, methodology, findings, and references.
- Do effective research: Execute your research methodically and effectively so that it yields the expected outcomes.
- Author persuasive dissertation: Begin with the first draft and create an outline that entails introduction, research questions, literature review, methodology, findings, and conclusions.
- Edit and proofread your dissertation: Before finally submitting the dissertation, ensure that you proofread and edit it to ensure that it is free from grammatical and spelling mistakes.
- Get feedback: After you finish with proofreading and editing, give it to your advisor, friends, or peers to review it on your behalf. This way, they will identify mistakes and errors, which you had not seen.
- Author the final draft: Once you get satisfied that the dissertation paper is of high quality, consider submitting it to the defense committee and getting ready to defend it.