Preparing for a dissertation defense in graduate school

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Defending a dissertation is a key moment in the process of studying in graduate school. It is at this stage that young scientists systematize the results of their research activities. However, before defending a dissertation and receiving the long-awaited academic degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Candidate of Sciences), a graduate student must take several important steps. Which ones exactly? Below we will consider each of them in more detail.

Preparing for a dissertation defense in graduate school

Defending a dissertation in graduate school: key stages
Preparing to defend a dissertation is a rather lengthy process that requires maximum attention to each stage.

1. Completion of writing
Before starting to coordinate all organizational processes, it is necessary to complete the scientific research and competently systematize its results. Check the availability of all sections and subsections of the work in accordance with the approved plan.

You should also pay attention to the formation of the list of sources used in preparing the dissertation. If, when writing a scientific paper, you use information from the works of other scientists without proper references in the list canada phone numbers of sources used, this is considered plagiarism and a violation of academic integrity. To avoid this problem, you should immediately add new sources and indicate which part of the text they refer to.

2. Checking the design
It is worth noting that the correct design of the dissertation has a significant impact on the assessment of the work and its final grade. Since the postgraduate student receives all the requirements for the scientific work before starting to write it, they should be followed immediately. This will not only facilitate the process of preparing the dissertation, but will also avoid unnecessary corrections at the final stages. That is why you cannot neglect checking the formatting of the document, the design of graphic material, the list of references and appendices.

3. Review
After you have independently checked the work, the supervisor reviews it. His task is to check the integrity of the dissertation and, if necessary, make edits and give recommendations. At this stage, it is worth listening carefully to the wishes and comments of the supervisor and correcting all the shortcomings at once, because his goal is to help you.

4. Dissertation approval
At this stage, the applicant must submit his work for review to the Specialized Academic Council. The members of the SAC become familiar with the content of the dissertation and review it. After this, a meeting of the council takes place, where the quality of the work and its compliance with all requirements are discussed.

5. Preparing supporting materials for the presentation
For better perception of information by the audience, it is necessary to take care of visualization. In simple words, this is the creation of a presentation that structures the necessary materials and places key accents. It will also help to structure the speech and avoid embarrassment during the defense.

However, it is important to remember that the presentation should be readable. There are several recommendations that should be followed. First, do not overload the slides with text. Only the most important information that summarizes what has been said should be highlighted. Second, the content of the presentation should not duplicate your report. Third, do not forget about the visual component. When creating slides, it is important to combine colors correctly. Do not use too bright shades that make it difficult to perceive the text. Also, to diversify the content, it is worth adding graphic elements (graphs, tables, diagrams, illustrations, etc.).

6. Rehearsal
An effective way to consolidate the material of the report and bring the structure of the speech to perfection is a rehearsal. Analyze your research and formulate questions that the committee and opponents may have. After that , prepare answers to them. This simple step will help you feel more confident during the defense and be ready for clarifying questions.

Prepare a presentation outline and rehearse in front of a mirror, friends, or family. This will help reduce the stress of public speaking. Rehearsal will help you stay within the allotted time of the presentation (15-20 minutes) and, if necessary, shorten or expand its content.

7. Preliminary protection
Pre-defense is considered a so-called rehearsal of the main defense. However, its importance should not be underestimated. This is a great opportunity for applicants to check their level of preparation and practice communicating with the committee members. In addition, during the preliminary defense, they can receive comments and recommendations on how to improve the content of the work.

In terms of structure, it is as close as possible to the real thing. Conventionally, several main stages can be distinguished: the dissertation candidate's report, the response to questions from the commission on the content of the work, comments from reviewers, the response to their questions, and approval of conclusions.