thesis defense guidelines.ppt

Thesis Defense Guidelines

UTSI-NSBE

Academic/Technical Excellence Seminar

UTSI-NSBE Thesis Defense Worskhop 2

General Guidelines• Defense should summarize thesis• Do not count on all committee members to

have given your thesis a thorough reading prior to the defense

• Present enough information for members to understand what you did, why you did it, and what the implications are of what you did. Also include suggestions for future research


More Guidelines

• Satisfy your advisor first and foremost!!!

• No surprises! Advisor should not learn anything new in the defense

• You are not ready to defend until your advisor thinks you are

• Try to keep rest of committee informed, but advisor is most important


Preparing Presentation• Make sure text is large enough to be readable• Ensure any inserted graphics, tables, etc. are

clear• Use spellcheck, but ALSO proofread. Do

both, not one or the other• Save often, keep multiple copies - (Murphy’s

law inevitably strikes, just be ready to recover)


Preparing to Present

• If using overhead– Test machine ahead of time (days in advance

and on day of event)– Arrive early to set up– Make sure transparencies are numbered (in case

you drop them)– Have paper copies as a backup (in case machine

or power fails)


Preparing to Present

• If using computer:– Load presentation and test machine ahead of

time (do not be struggling with machine operation during the defense)

– Arrive early to set up– Have transparencies and/or paper copies as a

backup (in case machine or power fails)


Fielding Questions

• Decide to take questions at end or during presentation

• Questions may be inquisitive, curious, or hostile– Inquisitive:committee member wants you to bring out an

area of your research you didn’t explain to his satisfaction– Curious: committee member simply wants to know more

about what you did or the field under study– Hostile: committee member is trying to expose an area of

inadequacy


Inquisitive Question• Answer question to best of your ability• Never try to answer more than you know• At this point you should know everything related

to your specific research problem, but nowhere near everything related to your field

• Allow advisor to step in (only if he initiates)• If a question goes beyond the scope of your

research - and you do not know it - explain that you don’t know and that your research is not intended to address that area


Curious Question

• Answer question if you can

• Good to show relevance of your work to other areas of study, particularly those of interest to other committee members

• Do not let the defense spend a lot of time on unrelated areas


Hostile Question• Don’t let the question get to you - remain professional• Sometimes a case of a committee member out to get

you; or a conflict between two committee members; or evidence that you didn’t do all the work you were supposed to do

• Answer to best of ability, but DO NOT fake answers• Best if your advisor comes to your rescue• If committee member is flat out wrong, point out error,

but do not engage in an argument with him• If you are wrong, admit the error and move on as

quickly as possible

thesis defense guidelines.ppt

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