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40 Thesis Defense Questions in
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Practicing answering thesis defense questions in a mock thesis defense is the best way to get ready for this challenging step in your academic career. Aside from knowing your research project inside and out, you must have solid strategies for tackling different question types and talking about why you chose your research topic. You might have already answered questions related to your research interests in your research interest statement and grad school interview questions , but now after years for in-depth study, it's time to really test what you have accomplished! Check out some of the hardest thesis defense questions below and read our expert responses!
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What to Expect in a Thesis Defense?
A thesis defense is your chance to demonstrate your in-depth knowledge and expertise in the topic of your research thesis. While you will be able to take charge of the narrative and present your research to those on your thesis committee, the professors will prod you to test how well you know and understand your topic. The questions are mostly open-ended and give you the chance to showcase your knowledge and understanding, as well as any future plans you may have regarding your research topic.
A thesis defense usually lasts between one and two hours, depending on the area of your research. It starts with you giving a presentation of your interest, findings, and conclusions. After you have finished, the committee members will ask you questions based not only on your presentation, but also on your written thesis as they will have read it before your presentation. Lastly, the committee might approve your thesis or suggest changes to your paper.
Preparing thesis defense questions requires you to start well in advance. While the duration of your thesis defense might vary as per your institution's requirements, the major idea is to defend your research. Thus, you should go about preparing for your thesis defense questions by taking the following steps.
Interested in a quick overview of the section below? Check out this infographic:
Re-read your thesis for clarity
Your thesis defense questions will be based on what you have written in your research paper. Hence, it is a good idea to re-read your paper. You should be clear on the concepts and understand your research well. It might have been some time since you would have submitted your paper, so a revision should be the starting point of your preparation.
Have an answer strategy and structure
Plan a strategy to answer the panel’s questions. Keep your answers direct, but elaborate on the research details wherever necessary. If you do not know the answer to a question, that is alright. The key is to be able to formulate an answer even if you do not possess enough knowledge to answer at that point in time. For instance, if a question is about the content of your research, you can say something like “I am not certain my research touches on the question you are asking, but my research has led me to Dr. X. Based his evidence, I would have to conclude that…” Having a strategy for answering even the most unexpected questions can be a life saver in these situations!
Most of the thesis defense questions can be easily predicted based on your research. You can prepare a list of possible questions when you are going through your paper. Getting to know the committee can help you in preparing better. Their areas of expertise can help you in determining what they might ask. Once you have a list of questions, you can start brainstorming how you might answer them.
Prepare your slides in advance
If you require visual aids such as slides, it is a good idea to prepare them beforehand. You can double-check the slides and make sure that your presentation will run smoothly on the day of your thesis defense. Make sure your slides are arranged in the correct order.
Attend a thesis defense of other candidates if it is an open event
If your institution allows it, you can visit a thesis defense of other candidates. This will give you an excellent idea of what you can expect in your meeting. If it is not possible to attend the event, you can speak to your peers to find out how their meeting went and what questions were asked.
Dress appropriately for your meeting
The thesis defense meeting is a formal event, and hence you should be dressed in formal clothes. While there are no strict dressing rules, you should consider it something equivalent to a job interview. Don’t just wear your T-shirt and appear in front of the committee. Your formal suit is a better option for the occasion.
Practice speaking for your meeting
Take your preparation to the next level by practicing your presentation. This activity will give you the confidence for the actual meeting and presentation. You can request your academic peers to help you out in the practice task. Based on their feedback in the mock session, you can improve for the actual session. Make sure to prepare well for the mock session as if you are preparing for the actual session. You can also practice your speech and body language in the mock session. If you used thesis writing services , these professionals would also be the ideal people to test you in a mock thesis defense – don’t hesitate to reach out to them again!
Sample Thesis Defense Questions and Answers
1. what is your research study all about.
In your answer, you should summarize your research in a few sentences. The question is simple but requires technical expertise for a better explanation of concepts. For instance, if you completed a thesis in an attempt to explain the constituents of dark matter in the universe and particle accelerators, you could frame your answer like this:
In this research, the different aspects of dark matter and its detection models have been investigated. The cosmic ray positron excess observed by the PAMELA detector has been discussed and explained through the construction of models of decaying dark matter. The cosmic-ray electron and positron spectra were studied assuming a general Dirac structure for the four fermion contact interactions of interest. A supersymmetric leptophilic Higgs model was constructed to explain the possible excess of gamma rays in the galactic center. Finally, by the use of Razor analysis, an improvement on the dark matter collider searches is considered.
2. Why did you choose this study?
This question requires you to answer what motivated you to pursue the study in the first place. Your answers could touch on your interests in the area of the study. For example, if you conducted a study called “Media Combat: The Great War and the Transformation of American Culture” then you can shape your answer like this:
The First World War (1914-1918) has always been a topic of fascination for me, and my prime interest lies in exploring the state of society at that time. I wanted to analyze the formation of a nationalized, wartime cultural apparatus during the United States' involvement in the war and how theatre and music transformed the relationship between the government and American citizens.
3. Why did you choose this particular title for your research?
The title of your thesis captures the main point of your research, which is why it is so important to use an appropriate title. Your committee will want to know how you came to the final decision of naming your work. For example,
I chose the title “Dark matter in the heavens and at colliders: Models and constraints” for my research thesis because my research attempts to explain the constituency of dark matter as it occurs in the universe. “The heavens” is another word for the universe. Dark matter can also be created in particle accelerators such as the CERN collider. I have attempted to provide an explanation for both of the cases through the use of models, along with describing the constraints which exist in the current times due to certain scientific limitations.
4. What is the scope of your study?
In your answer, you have to define the boundaries of your project and define exactly what you are studying. There can be several elements involved but you have to define the parameters that you have chosen to study. For example,
My study is on the efficacy of equity stocks in the US market. For my study, I have chosen 50 companies listed on the NASDAQ. You can review the names of these companies on page 5 of my thesis.
5. What phenomenon were you trying to understand with this research?
Describe the focus concept of your thesis in the answer. For example,
In our study “Motivation to volunteer”, we were looking to study the Theory of Planned Behavior by analyzing the behavioral and normative beliefs that influence attitudes and subjective norms.
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6. Who will be most interested in your research?
You can talk about who may be affected by your research and the parties who can potentially benefit from the research. Take a look at this example:
My sociology thesis on “Impact of social media on youngsters” can be of interest to sociology academics, social media companies, education experts, and parents of youngsters in general.
7. Did your research questions evolve during the process? If so, how?
Often, qualitative research questions change over time with respect to the responses that you might get from your focus group. Or you might just change your question as you do lab research or general text research. You can describe the change to the evaluating committee. For example,
We started our study to understand the impact of the new public policy change on recycling of vinyl waste through installation of garbage bins specifically for vinyl products. However, after interviewing some of the respondents in the target community, we found that the rule is actually irrelevant to their behavior and thoughts because the percentage of vinyl waste in that specific locality was very low and it didn’t need the installation of dedicated bins for the purpose. Going by their frustrations with the current economic insecurity, our study evolved into the impact of costs incurred by public policy changes.
8. What gaps did you intend to bridge with your research?
Your research thesis must eliminate the present gaps in the concepts related to your subject topic.
The relationship between hard water and its effect on the size of the kidney stone is not clear yet, so we analyzed the mineral composition of hard water to determine its impact on the size of the kidney stone.
9. Why is your research significant?
The answer to this research question should outline the impact of your research on your field of study. You may talk about the new insights contributed by your research and its impact on society.
Through my study on “The effect of chamomile in reducing stress and promoting better sleep,” patients with insomnia and anxiety will be able to find alternative treatments without the use of medicinal drugs. The medical abilities of chamomile will promote the usage of ingredients in nature and will encourage the community to plant more herbs and trees.
10. What did you find in your research?
You may describe your research in a few sentences in this answer. For instance,
In our study on “Impact of artificial fluoride in water on the human body,” we found that excessive exposure to high quantities of Fluoride can result in tooth discoloration and bone issues in humans since it has neurotoxic qualities.
11. What research findings surprised you?
When you conduct research, you come across findings that you were not expecting earlier. If you had such an experience, you might describe the same to the evaluation committee when you answer this question. For example,
I was expecting that business promotion through social media would not be a good idea for rural enterprises in developing countries in my comparative analysis of the usage of traditional and contemporary marketing methods. But I was surprised to learn that 68% of rural textile businesses in Nigeria promote their products on Instagram.
12. What is the validity of your findings?
You have to talk about the conditions in which your research findings would be valid.
In my research, I have considered test anxiety to be involving both nervous system activation and negative thoughts. Thus, my measure of test anxiety has included the elements of both nervous feelings and negative thoughts, the conditions in which my findings are valid.
For example,
For studying the differential protein expression, its localization, and distribution at different levels, we used the method of immunostaining in our research.
14. What sources did you use for data collection?
You would have used several sources to search for data for your topic. You may elaborate on those sources. You might have referred to databases, content on the web, or even conducted primary research by interviewing prospects. Thus, you can talk about these sources. Refer to the following answer:
To understand the impact of the current tax regime on skilled workers, we interviewed 150 subjects in 5 months. Additionally, we referred to databases and scholarly works available by authors who had previously conducted such studies for previous tax laws and rates.
15. How can your research be put into practice?
This question talks about the practical implications of your research. You should talk about how your research is beneficial for society and how it can help in eliminating current issues.
In our research titled “Effectiveness of Meditation on Reducing the Anxiety Levels of College Students in the US,” we discovered that students who practiced meditation at least thrice a week were two times more likely to score better in their exams, owing to the positive impact of meditation. So, this research finding can help in the reduction of mental health issues among students. A suitable course of action would be to hold meditating sessions a couple of times a week.
16. How will your findings contribute to the related area of knowledge?
Our study on medicinal analysis of herbs conveys information about various medicinal benefits of chamomile in treating depression and contributes to the area of medicinal botany.
17. Did you experience any limitations in your research?
Our research on “Impact of smoking on β-cell function and risk for type 2 diabetes in US citizens” finds that smoking increases the risk of diabetes among smokers. However, smokers might be affected by some genetic conditions which can protect them from diabetes.
18. What sampling techniques did you use?
When conducting research, it is practically not possible to study the entire number of elements. So, you would be using a method to select a sample population.
In our study “Impact of consumption of soda on the health of teenagers in Corpus Christi”, we used area sampling to divide the city into several areas and then selected some clusters for our sample group.
19. What are the dependent and independent variables in your research?
In research, several variable factors impact your study. You can describe these variables. Independent variables have values which are not affected by other variables in your study. On the other hand, the dependent variables have values that change with changes in the independent variable. For example,
In our study on “Impact of online tutoring on test scores”, the independent variable is the nature of the classes i.e., online and the participants' test score is the dependent variable.
20. What areas do you suggest for further research?
As a researcher, you should be able to describe what further areas are open for research with the addition of your research to the field. This can act as a starting point for future researchers. For example,
In my research on “Effectiveness of Acetaminophen in treating sports induced injuries”, I discovered that administering Acetaminophen is not very effective for treating joint pains such as the knee. This further suggests measures for the regulation of Acetaminophen in the production of painkillers for body pain and the search for alternative compounds.
Practice Questions
After taking a look at the sample answers, now try answering these questions by yourself:
Do you have any closing comments? "}]'>
After submitting your research thesis for evaluation, you have to appear before a panel of professors and present your work; afterwards, they will ask you questions about your research.
You have to plan and prepare for your thesis defense. Review your paper and anticipate the questions that the committee can ask. Practice with mock defense sessions using professional servicesand make improvements based on their feedback. Be prepared with a strategy for answering any question asked by the panel.
Your research thesis should be on a topic of your interest. Scan your course syllabus to find something that makes you curious. Or, you can even refer to your grad school career goals statement to review what got you interested in grad school in the first place. Shortlist a few topics and zero down to the one that excites you the most.
The first step in preparing for a master’s thesis defense is to revise your research paper and write down a list of questions that the committee might ask. Find answers to those questions and get ready for your presentation. Practice your presentation beforehand. Try to attend a thesis defense of other candidates to know what you can expect in your session.
You will get questions related to what you have mentioned in your research paper. The most common starting questions are “what is your research about?" and “what was your motivation behind choosing this topic?” Later on, the committee asks you more detailed questions on research methodology, literature review, study variables, research findings, recommendations, and areas of further research.
You can get help from a grad school essay tutor for your research thesis writing. They can help you in developing writing skills and reviewing your work. They can proofread your work and provide recommendations on areas of improvement.
You can include your research thesis on your grad school CV to show your practical knowledge and skills. You can add the details of the study in a separate section for research experience.
Immediately after the thesis defense, the evaluation panel will decide whether to approve your paper as submitted or request some changes, or reject it.
To pass a thesis defense, a majority of the panel members must approve the defense. In case of more than one vote against you, you can fail the thesis.
A thesis defense can last for two hours or longer, depending on your area of research.
Your thesis defense presentation should include the focus concept, findings, recommendation, and conclusion.
The contribution of your thesis towards your degree differs as per institution. You can refer to your course handbook for exact details. In most cases, the committee needs to approve your thesis for you to graduate from your degree.
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why did you choose this place for a research locale
BeMo Academic Consulting
Hi Jeff! Yes, this can also be one of the questions you are asked in a thesis defense!
That is good
Hello Eshetu! Thanks for your comment. Glad you found this helpful!
Very helpful
Thanks, Abel. Glad you found this helpful.
Helpful thank you.
Hi Lagat! Thanks!
As an 11th-grade student, I don't have any experience in thesis or research defense in general. Me and my groupmates will be conducting our research title defense next week, this is invaluable information for us. Thank you!
You are very welcome, Kate!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS, I REALLY APPRECIATE.
Hello Stephanie! Thanks for your comment.
EMELDA NAFULA NYONGESA
This is a good guideline to post graduate students (Masters and PhD) CPA:Emelda Nyongesa
Hi Emelda! Thanks!
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17 Thesis Defense Questions and How to Answer Them
A thesis defense gives you the chance to show off your thesis work and demonstrate your expertise in your field of study. During this one- to two-hour discussion with the members of your thesis committee, you'll have some control over how you present your research, but your committee will ask you some prodding questions to test your knowledge and preparedness. They will all have read your thesis beforehand, so their questions will relate to your study, topic, methods, data sample, and other aspects.
A good defense requires mastery of the thesis itself, so before you consider the questions you might face,
1. What is your topic, and why did you choose it?
Give a quick summary in just a few sentences on what you've researched. You could certainly go on for hours about your work, but make sure you prepare a way to give a very brief overview of your thesis. Then, give a quick background on your process for choosing this topic.
2. How does your topic contribute to the existing literature? How is it important?
Many researchers identify a need in the field and choose a topic to bridge the gaps that previous literature has failed to cover. For example, previous studies might not have included a certain population, region, or circumstance. Talk about how your thesis enhances the general understanding of the topic to extend the reach beyond what others have found, and then give examples of why the world needs that increased understanding. For instance, a thesis on romaine lettuce crops in desert climates might bring much-needed knowledge to a region that might not have been represented in previous work.
3. What are the key findings of your study?
When reporting your main results, make sure you have a handle on how detailed your committee wants you to be. Give yourself several options by preparing 1) a very general, quick summary of your findings that takes a minute or less, 2) a more detailed rundown of what your study revealed that is 3-5 minutes long, and 3) a 10- to 15-minute synopsis that delves into your results in detail. With each of these responses prepared, you can gauge which one is most appropriate in the moment, based on what your committee asks you and what has already been requested.
4. What type of background research did you do for your study?
Here you'll describe what you did while you were deciding what to study. This usually includes a literary review to determine what previous researchers have already introduced to the field. You also likely had to look into whether your study was going to be possible and what you would need in order to collect the needed data. Did you need info from databases that require permissions or fees?
5. What was your hypothesis, and how did you form it?
Describe the expected results you had for your study and whether your hypothesis came from previous research experience, long-held expectations, or cultural myths.
6. What limitations did you face when writing your text?
It's inevitable — researchers will face roadblocks or limiting factors during their work. This could be a limited population you had access to, like if you had a great method of surveying university students, but you didn't have a way to reach out to other people who weren't attending that school.
7. Why did you choose your particular method for your study?
Different research methods are more fitting to specific studies than others (e.g., qualitative vs. quantitative ), and knowing this, you applied a method that would present your findings most effectively. What factors led you to choose your method?
8. Who formed the sample group of your study, and why did you choose this population?
Many factors go into the selection of a participant group. Perhaps you were motivated to survey women over 50 who experience burnout in the workplace. Did you take extra measures to target this population? Or perhaps you found a sample group that responded more readily to your request for participation, and after hitting dead ends for months, convenience is what shaped your study population. Make sure to present your reasoning in an honest but favorable way.
9. What obstacles or limitations did you encounter while working with your sample?
Outline the process of pursuing respondents for your study and the difficulties you faced in collecting enough quality data for your thesis. Perhaps the decisions you made took shape based on the participants you ended up interviewing.
10. Was there something specific you were expecting to find during your analysis?
Expectations are natural when you set out to explore a topic, especially one you've been dancing around throughout your academic career. This question can refer to your hypotheses , but it can also touch on your personal feelings and expectations about this topic. What did you believe you would find when you dove deeper into the subject? Was that what you actually found, or were you surprised by your results?
11. What did you learn from your study?
Your response to this question can include not only the basic findings of your work (if you haven't covered this already) but also some personal surprises you might have found that veered away from your expectations. Sometimes these details are not included in the thesis, so these details can add some spice to your defense.
12. What are the recommendations from your study?
With connection to the reasons you chose the topic, your results can address the problems your work is solving. Give specifics on how policymakers, professionals in the field, etc., can improve their service with the knowledge your thesis provides.
13. If given the chance, what would you do differently?
Your response to this one can include the limitations you encountered or dead ends you hit that wasted time and funding. Try not to dwell too long on the annoyances of your study, and consider an area of curiosity; for example, discuss an area that piqued your interest during your exploration that would have been exciting to pursue but didn't directly benefit your outlined study.
14. How did you relate your study to the existing theories in the literature?
Your paper likely ties your ideas into those of other researchers, so this could be an easy one to answer. Point out how similar your work is to some and how it contrasts other works of research; both contribute greatly to the overall body of research.
15. What is the future scope of this study?
This one is pretty easy, since most theses include recommendations for future research within the text. That means you already have this one covered, and since you read over your thesis before your defense, it's already fresh in your mind.
16. What do you plan to do professionally after you complete your study?
This is a question directed more to you and your future professional plans. This might align with the research you performed, and if so, you can direct your question back to your research, maybe mentioning the personal motivations you have for pursuing study of that subject.
17. Do you have any questions?
Although your thesis defense feels like an interrogation, and you're the one in the spotlight, it provides an ideal opportunity to gather input from your committee, if you want it. Possible questions you could ask are: What were your impressions when reading my thesis? Do you believe I missed any important steps or details when conducting my work? Where do you see this work going in the future?
Bonus tip: What if you get asked a question to which you don't know the answer? You can spend weeks preparing to defend your thesis, but you might still be caught off guard when you don't know exactly what's coming. You can be ready for this situation by preparing a general strategy. It's okay to admit that your thesis doesn't offer the answers to everything – your committee won't reasonably expect it to do so. What you can do to sound (and feel!) confident and knowledgeable is to refer to a work of literature you have encountered in your research and draw on that work to give an answer. For example, you could respond, "My thesis doesn't directly address your question, but my study of Dr. Leifsen's work provided some interesting insights on that subject…." By preparing a way to address curveball questions, you can maintain your cool and create the impression that you truly are an expert in your field.
After you're done answering the questions your committee presents to you, they will either approve your thesis or suggest changes you should make to your paper. Regardless of the outcome, your confidence in addressing the questions presented to you will communicate to your thesis committee members that you know your stuff. Preparation can ease a lot of anxiety surrounding this event, so use these possible questions to make sure you can present your thesis feeling relaxed, prepared, and confident.
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HOW TO ACE THE 25 MOST COMMON PROJECT DEFENSE QUESTIONS
October 13, 2014 By Chidi Rafael
When I wrote ‘Making Awesome Presentations: Useful Tips for Project Defense’, I never knew it was going to be a great success story. So many success stories and commendations from over 50,000 readers were just enough to make my year and give me more grace to write more.
Well, enough of the hyping! That great piece was still lacking some smaller pieces to make it totally awesome as some ‘Oliver Twist-Like’ fans still needed more to it. Questions like, what should we expect on the D-Day? What type of Questions do they committee members ask? Can you suggest possible questions and answers that will be asked when defending a dissertation or thesis paper? These questions fill my mail box by the day and since I adore my readers, I have decided to write a sequel to ‘Making Awesome Presentations’. This time around, with the help of some senior lecturers, friends and my own experience, I have compiled some common questions you may face on your defense day and suggested answers/approach to these questions. So as usual, Enjoy!
Top 25 Likely Project Defense Questions and Answers Below are likely questions you may face in a defense room. Take note of these questions and suggested answers, do good by researching more and not limiting yourself to just these questions.
Question 1: In few sentences, can you tell us what your study is all about? The question is simple right? Many professors will tell you that most students get choked on a question like this. Anyways the question is simple, but a bit technical. To answer this question, you need to know every detail of your research project from chapters one to the end. The question needs an answer in form of a summary of the entire study, therefore, to ace this particular question you need to know every detail in your abstract. If you wrote a good abstract, this question will be a cross over for you.
Question 2: What is your motivation for this study? Now you must be careful here. This question can be very tricky and it goes a long way in convincing your panel members that your study is worth their time. Another way this question could be twisted is WHAT IS THE RESEARCH PROBLEM?
To answer this question, you may decide to elaborate on the problem investigated in the study. Your zeal to solve this problem becomes your motivation. Do not state financial reasons or the need to graduate as a motivation as you may easily go off point.
Question 3: How will this study contribute to the body of knowledge? At some point the need for justification will arise and that is when you will be asked to mention how your study will add to the body of knowledge if approved. Here you will need to use your methods, case study or any unique model or conceptual framework used in the study to defend it. For more information on how to tackle this particular question Click Here
Question 4: What is the significance of the study? Just like stating how your study will contribute to the body of knowledge, you will need to state the importance of your study. To answer this question, you will need to highlight how your study will aid the government in policy development and implementation, how it will help other students who may wish to conduct research studies on the subject matter and how organizations and the society will benefit from your study.
Question 5: Did you bridge any gap from your study? Every research study must have a problem. Your ability to solve this problem and explore into areas not yet researched on gives you the full marks allocated for answering this question. You must be able to convince the committee members that your approach is unique and it has covered areas where much have not been done by other researchers.
Question 6: What limitations did you encounter? This is another simple but tricky question. Most times the question is not asked to sympathize with you, rather to get loopholes to criticize your work. To answer this question, you must be careful with words as you may implicate yourself. Be careful enough not to sell out yourself. Do not discourse limitations in your methods or data analysis techniques as this may imply that your study may be biased or not well researched. Use simple limitations like difficulties encountered in combining lectures and project instead of limiting your study.
Question 7: What are your findings? At this point it is expected of you to present your results or findings from the study in a clear and concise manner. Always link your findings to your research objectives/questions. This will make your panel members to easily be carried along.
Question 8: What Methods or Sampling Technique did you employ? To answer this question, you must be familiar with your research methodology. Your chapter three (in Most Projects) must be at your fingertips. Your ability to justify your sample size and technique will be highly rewarded here. For more tips Click Here
Question 9: Why choose this method? As discoursed above, you should not only state a particular method for the study. You must also be ready and able to justify why you chose the method in a convincing manner. At this point you are free to quote sources or similar studies where such methods were adopted.
Question 10: Based on your findings what are your recommendations? Recommendations are very vital in every research study and should not be joked with. In essence you should know your recommendations off hand.
Question 11: Based on your findings what areas will you suggest for future research? Questions like this are just there to test your reasoning and authority in your research area. Based on your findings in a manageable scope, you should be able to suggest future research areas in line with your study. For example, if I researched on the challenges of personal income tax collection in Nigeria, a good area for further study will be in other forms of taxation such as VAT, Company tax etc.
Question 12: How can your research study be put into practice? Easy for the computer scientist and engineering students, but a bit tough for management and social sciences since most management/social science projects are more of abstract in nature. However, you should try your best to be realistic here. Relate your study to current trends in your environment, office, economy, government, schools, church etc. Use of relevant examples and illustrations will score you good point here.
Question 13: How would you summarize your study to a practitioner in a few sentence? Your ability to convey technical information from the study will score you good points here.
Question 14: What would you change if you were to conduct the study again? Hmmm. Be careful! Do not be too jovial. There is a loophole here! Just like your limitations, this question can be asked to identify your week points.
Question 15: What is your measurement Instrument? In simple terms, what data collection method did you employ for the study? Here you state if questionnaires were distributed or data was gotten from secondary sources. For more information on measurement instruments Click Here
Question 16: What are your research variables? Here you will need to convince your panel members that you know what you are talking about. You need to explain your independent and dependent variable(s) to convince them that you are on point. Your variables are present in your project topic. You need to identify these variables and know their definitions as well to ace your defense.
Question 17: What are your research questions? Very simple question. It should take about 0.015 seconds to answer this question if you are fully prepared.
Question 18: What do you plan to do with your research project after Graduation? Here you are at liberty to say your mind. If you intend to publish it, this is the best opportunity to discourse and interact with the committee members-maybe a professor there can help.
Question 19: What source of data was employed for the study? At this point you have to state the source(s) you got data from. In general you have to state whether data was gotten from primary or secondary source or both. You can further convince the committee members by discoursing on literature reviewed for the study-both theoretical and empirical.
Question 20: What theories or theoretical framework is your study based on? This is a very technical question but interesting. Before you step into the defense room, you should know at least two relevant theories that relate to your study. For example, the “impact of motivation on employee productivity” will be based on Maslow’s Theory and other theories of motivation. If you cannot find relevant theories to back up your study, consult your supervisor for help.
Question 21: How would you relate your findings to existing theories on the study? To ace this question, one will have to read extensively. You should know existing theories on the subject matter as well as empirical studies too. Your ability to link your findings to previous research studies (Whether they agree or not) will go a long way in validating your study. You will score good points here trust me.
Question 22: What recommendations do you have for future research? Your problem solving skill is put to test here. You should be able to identify areas that will need more research.
Question 23: What is the scope of the study? This one is a cheap or should I say bonus question? Here you quickly state the delimitation of the study in brief.
Question 24: What question(s) do you have for the committee? Not a likely question in our Nigerian context, but I have defended a seminar project where this question was asked and I was shocked to my marrows. This is an opportunity to interact with your committee members and ask some constructive questions. Do not ask silly or too difficult questions as the goal should be to make the committee members feel as the “boss”. It will also go a long way in showing that you are a brilliant individual.
Question 25: Do you have any closing comments? This is praising time! Use this opportunity to thank your committee members for their time and questions. Tell them how much you have learnt from them and how you intend to correct errors (if any) identified in your work. This can go a long way in impressing your internal and external supervisors. All the best!
- When confronted with a difficult question, adopt a strategy to make them rephrase or repeat the question. This will give you more time to think.
- If your research project is Empirical in nature,or you used any statistical tool to test hypothesis, try to know how you arrived at such conclusion. Also know how your data was analysed and the various tools used for the analysis.
- Before your defense day. Practice with your supervisor or your friends. Make them to drill you with likely questions.
- Talk calmly with confidence. Do not talk too fast as this may pave way for tension and stage freight.
- Read your project thoroughly. Know basic definitions and terms used in the study.
- Expand the likely questions to 50. Feel free to add yours in the comment box below. Thanks and God bless you.
- If you need ideas on contemporary project topics sample Click Here
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Prepare for your project defense with these common questions and answers
Introduction
Learn how to get prepared for your project defense with these common questions and tips
Project defense can be very easy once you completely understand your research work and are prepared for the questions. During the defense, the panel of assessors will ask you questions to test your knowledge of the research subject matter, depth of your work, the results and conclusions you arrived at. The questions that would be asked will fall within these four categories: -What is your research project about? -What did you do? -What did you find? -Why does that matter?
Image Credit: Freepik Below are some of the likely questions you will be asked in a project defense room. Study these questions and suggested answers. You can also ask previous students in your department and your supervisor to guide you. Common project defense questions and answers
1. Why did you choose this topic ?
This might be the first question you will be asked, and you need to have a good response. You should talk about the motivations for the study. Talk about the research problem you wanted to address which made you embark on the study.
2. Briefly, explain what your research project is all about?
To respond to this question, you need to fully understand your research project. Basically, be able to repeat your abstract.
3. What is the scope of the study
Here you briefly state the specific aspects of your project topic that was covered.
4. What is the significance of the study?
To answer this question, you will need to state how your research work will help other researchers, educators, organizations(like the case study used), practitioners and policymakers.
5. Did you bridge any gap from your study?
Here you should talk about how your study addressed the existing problems/concerns that made you carry out the research.
6. What are your research variables?
This question is asked in order to find out if you really know what your research project is all about. Explain your independent and dependent variable(s) to show them you really grasp the concept of your research topic. Identify the variables in your project topic, define and explain them.
7. What research methodology did you use?
This is usually the chapter three of your project report. To respond to this question, you should briefly state the research design procedure you adopted for the research. Talk about the data collection methods and sampling techniques employed in the research.
8. Why did you use that research methodology?
This is where you state the reason(s) for the choice of research methodology used. For example, if you used the survey research method, you can state reasons such as: no interviewer bias, cost-effective, it enabled you (the researcher) to collect information from the sample without influencing the population of the study e.t.c
9. Why do you think your research is reliable?
To answer this question, simply tell your audience/panel of assessors that the threats to research reliability (which are participants error, participant bias, research error, and researcher bias) did not occur during the research. Or you can simply say that you made sure the threats were reduced to the barest minimum.
10. Why do you think your research is valid?
To answer this question, simply tell your audience/panel of assessors that the findings from your study can be generalized to other relevant settings, group or case study.
11. In what way(s) does your research project contributes to knowledge?
This question is similar to your significance of the study. You should talk about how your research is aimed at addressing a problem that was not addressed by previous researchers in your field of study. You should also briefly state how your project will advance understanding in your research field.
12. What are the limitations encountered
No research project is perfect. It is common for at least one limitation to be identified. To answer this question, talk about the weaknesses that were out of your control. You can talk about how weaknesses such as the short time frame for the research, lack of research studies/materials on the topic, lack of available data, the combination of lectures, exam and project research, limited sample size and selection, e.t.c impacted the analysis of your research data.
13. Which programming language did you use to write your program? (for computer science students)
State the programming language and database used in the development of your software/program. If you did not design the program yourself or you were assisted by a friend or colleague, find out from the person which programming language was used. You might also ask the person to give you a crash course on the programming language.
14. Show us how your software works (for computer science students)
Make sure you are familiar with how the software works. Also, be sure that there are no errors in the software. Go ahead and show the panel of assessors how the software functions. You can also show them some records which you entered previously.
15. What source of data was employed for the research?
Here, you simply state the data collection methods that were used in the study. You should state if primary sources such as questionnaires, interview, observation OR secondary sources such as textbooks, journals, articles, e.t.c were used. If you combined primary and secondary sources, briefly talk about it.
16. What are your findings?
Show the descriptive results from the study in a convincing and clear style. Make sure your findings refer to your research objectives/questions.
17. Based on your findings what are your recommendations/suggestions?
This is where you talk about the importance and implications of your findings from three levels namely:
1. Research (various ways other researchers can improve or refine the study)
2. Theory (the new contributions that you are adding to the body of knowledge) and
3. Practice (how the information gotten from your study can make practice better, improve the operational procedures, solve problems, improve policy making e.t.c).
Note: Avoid the temptation to make recommendations that are not supported by your findings. Do not recommend based on your beliefs.
18. What is the strongest point in your project?
The duration of the defense might just be 10 - 15 minutes, as such the questioners will not have the time to ask you about every detail. They will want to focus on the major ideas and ask you the most important aspects of your research. Be ready to answer.
19. If you could change something regarding your study, what would it be?
The answer to this question can be gotten from the limitations of your study. You can give answers such as: 1. Given the constraints (like the short time frame for the research or lack of sufficient funds) I was working with, this was what I was able to do but if I could do more, this is what I would have done.
2. In doing this I learned a problem with this kind of data collection. Next time, I will do it this way.
20. What questions do you have for us
You can ask them if there any revisions they want you to make in your report. Ask them to summarize the major revisions, so you can take some notes.
21. Do you have any closing comments
Thank the panel of assessors and let them know that the revisions/corrections that were given (such as rewriting the conclusion, tables/graphs that are not in the right format, something you said during the defense and they want you to include it in the report or some other issues they noticed you did not capture) would be implemented and shown to your supervisor.
In a project defense you are expected to:
- Present yourself as a scholar in the discipline and an authority on your subject. - Cogently and clearly explain your work. - Have a conversation with the panel of assessors. - Defend any idea that might be disagreed upon. (That is why it is called a project defense).
Project Defense tips
1. Be academically, mentally and physically prepared for your presentation. 2. Practice, practice, practice. Rehearse several times with the equipment you will use for your presentation. 3. Have a thorough understanding of the nature of your research problem. 4. Make eye contact with more than one member of the panel of assessors during the course of your presentation. 5. Don't speak too fast. Talk calmly with confidence. 6. Bring a copy of your project report with you for reference.
Learn more tips and tricks to ace your project defense
58 comments:
Anonymous Sep. 11, 2018
awsome great effort to help students.breife and through summary of questions
Reply
Anonymous Apr. 17, 2019
Thanks so much, now I have an idea of what to expect
Anonymous Sep. 27, 2018
Thank you so much . This tips gives me courage To defend my project
Nonny01 Sep. 28, 2018
You are welcome
Anonymous Oct. 11, 2018
Thank you so much. This helped
Anonymous Oct. 14, 2018
Thanks so much, came in handy
Anonymous Oct. 26, 2018
wao....... tnx so much
Anonymous Dec. 30, 2018
thank you so much our final defense will be held this upcoming February thanks to this i get to read some important tips on how we will defend our study thank u again.
Nonny01 Jan. 1, 2019
Anonymous jan. 15, 2019.
Thanks for tips. They are so informative.
Anonymous Jan. 22, 2019
Thank you so much for the tips. very informative
Anonymous Feb. 7, 2019
It was so so insightful. Thanks to all team mates. Now have an idea of what I may be asked of during my defence. Once again, am very grateful.
Anonymous Feb. 13, 2019
Thanks so much very helpful
Anonymous Feb. 27, 2019
final defense is today, great tips
Nonny01 Feb. 27, 2019
You're welcome
Anonymous Mar. 4, 2019
Will be defending this week. Thanks for the tips, it's really helpful.
Anonymous Mar. 8, 2019
This is a really big help,thank you so much!!
Nonny01 Mar. 10, 2019
Anonymous mar. 13, 2019.
This has been really helpful. Thank you so much.
Anonymous Mar. 17, 2019
really helpful, thanks
Anonymous Apr. 6, 2019
Woah.......thank you very much for this info
This is very nice and helpful
Anonymous Apr. 30, 2019
This is well appreciated. God bless you
nonny01 Apr. 30, 2019
Anonymous may. 5, 2019.
Thank you very much for this. I never knew how to prepare until I saw this. I really appreciate. Defense is tomorrow
nonny01 May. 5, 2019
We are glad we could help
Anonymous May. 16, 2019
Im elated by this tips
Anonymous May. 29, 2019
Thank u so much...
Anonymous May. 31, 2019
thank you very much, i have gained alot of tips about about academic research questions and how to defend especially a trick questions. beat wishes to you
Anonymous Jun. 19, 2019
This is wonderful bcs am just think about how to defense my project which is going on in this week but with all dis guide infact there is no problem for me again, thanks
nonny01 Jun. 20, 2019
Glad we could be of help
Anonymous Jun. 26, 2019
Thanks alot , it's very important to me prior to my project defense
Anonymous Jul. 1, 2019
Anonymous aug. 7, 2019.
Awesome tips,thank you.Very helpful for my upcoming defence in two days to come.
Anonymous Aug. 16, 2019
So helpful Thanks alot
Anonymous Aug. 24, 2019
Thank you so much for the tips.
Anonymous Sep. 21, 2019
Thanks, very helpful
Anonymous Nov. 30, 2019
Nice one. I have learnt from this
Anonymous May. 1, 2020
Very helpful and thank you so much.
Anonymous May. 29, 2020
It’s awesome, this’s Betty from Nairobi Kenya
nonny01 May. 30, 2020
Thanks @betty
Anonymous Jun. 19, 2020
Anonymous sep. 2, 2020.
Wow i really feel happy based on this. I wil just say may god reward u for ur contribution
nonny01 Sep. 2, 2020
Anonymous sep. 7, 2020.
Thank you so much, this made everything easier for me. I appreciate❤️
Nonny01 Sep. 7, 2020
Anonymous oct. 12, 2020.
this was very useful thanks a lot
Anonymous Nov. 26, 2020
Am very are with this guide will be able to defend my project. Thank u
Anonymous Dec. 11, 2020
Thank you so much. It's really helpful
Anonymous Jan. 26, 2021
Thank you so much 🥰💯💯💯💯
Anonymous Apr. 17, 2021
Thank you so much for your help with this important instructions.
Anonymous Apr. 29, 2021
*thankful twerking*
Anonymous May. 11, 2021
No examples, its hard to know how and what will you show to your project defence.
Anonymous May. 27, 2021
Thank you for the tips, I have a defence seminar next week!
Anonymous Jun. 13, 2021
Thank you very much for this. You don't know how much you've helped me.
nonny01 Jun. 13, 2021
Anonymous jun. 14, 2021.
thank you so much this would be a great help in my defense
Thanks a lot very helpful
Anonymous Jun. 22, 2021
Amazing! thank you so much now I have an idea
Anonymous Jul. 3, 2021
Thank you, I am about to defend my proposal next week, and this has given me a picture of what to expect, and surely this will help me during my thesis defence in the coming months
nonny01 Jul. 3, 2021
You are welcome.
Anonymous Jul. 5, 2021
this is superp congrants keep the good work going
Anonymous Jul. 22, 2021
Thank you so much, it's helpful and my regards to this team
nonny01 Aug. 13, 2021
Anonymous aug. 13, 2021.
You're a live saver. My defense is this morning and I felt so out of place. God bless you for this.
Anonymous Aug. 15, 2021
Very helpful materials. what about being ask the "context" of your study?
Anonymous Sep. 14, 2021
Thank you so much
Anonymous Jan. 22, 2022
Thank you; my defense is scheduled for Friday. This is of great help.
Anonymous Mar. 2, 2022
Thank u so much..Ur tips and suggestions can help me a lot in defending my research study...More Power and God Bless!
Anonymous Apr. 12, 2022
I am a grade 8 student and this will be the first time for me to experience defense. i am scared because i am not used in speaking English.
Anonymous Aug. 7, 2022
Really waoh tnxs so much for the boosting confidence tap prescribed. This my first time to defend a project which is coming up next month. I'm nervous but pls pray wish me luck qualified approved
Anonymous Nov. 7, 2022
THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH, I REALLY APPRECIATE. THIS HAS REALLY BOOST MY CONFIDENCE. WITH THIS, I AM 100% READY TO FACE MY PANEL OF ASSESSORS FOR MY PROJECT DEFENSE.
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Top 50 Likely Thesis Defense Questions and Answers (2022)
The following are the highest 25 academic scientific research defense questions that you simply may encounter during a tutorial scientific research defense.
Please use this guide to assess yourself to ascertain if you’re actually ready for your research defense.
Observe these questions and therefore the recommended steps to answering them.
We went through the record of past academic research project defense questions.
Project-House Consulting Services also advises that you go further and ask past students about some of their academic scientific research defense questions they encountered during their own defense just confirm you are not restricting yourself to only these questions.
Top 50 Likely Thesis Defense Questions and Answers
Question 1: in a few sentences, are you able to tell us what your study is all about.
The question is simple right?
Many professors will tell you that the majority of students get choked on an issue like this. Anyways the question is straightforward, but a touch technical.
To answer this question, you would like to understand every detail of your scientific research from chapter one to the top.
The question needs a solution in sort of a summary of the whole study, therefore, to ace this particular question you would like to understand every detail in your abstract.
If you wrote an honest abstract, this question is going to be a cross-over for you.
Question 2: What’s your motivation for this study?
Now you must be careful here.
These questions are often very tricky and it goes an extended way in convincing your panel members that your study is worth their time.
Another way this question might be twisted is what’s THE RESEARCH PROBLEM?
To answer this question, you’ll plan to elaborate on the matter investigated within the study.
Your zeal to solve this problem becomes your motivation.
Do not state financial reasons or the necessity to graduate as a motivation as you’ll easily explode point.
Question 3: How will this study contribute to the body of knowledge?
At some point, the necessity for justification will arise which is once you are going to be asked to say how your study will increase the body of data if approved. Here you’ll get to use your methods, case study, or any unique model or conceptual framework utilized in the study to defend it.
Question 4: What is the significance of the study?
Just like stating how your study will contribute to the body of data, you’ll get to state the importance of your study.
To answer this question, you’ll get to highlight how your study will aid the govt in policy development and implementation, how it’ll help other students who may wish to conduct research studies on the topic matter, and therefore the way organizations and society will enjoy your study.
Question 5: Did you bridge any gaps in your study?
Every research study must have a problem.
Your ability to unravel this problem and explore areas not yet researched gives you the complete marks allocated for answering this question.
You must be ready to convince the committee members that your approach is exclusive and it covered areas where much hasn’t been done by other researchers.
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Question 6: what limitations did you encounter.
This is another simple but tricky question. Most times the question isn’t asked to feel for you, but rather urge loopholes to criticize your work.
To answer this question, you want to take care with words as you’ll implicate yourself. Be careful enough not to sell out yourself.
Do not discuss limitations in your methods or data analysis techniques as this might imply that your study could also be biased or not well-researched.
Use simple limitations like difficulties encountered in combining lectures and projects rather than limiting your study.
Question 7: What are your findings?
At now it’s expected of you to present your results or findings from t he study in a clear and concise manner.
Always link your findings to your research objectives/questions.
This will make your panel members simply be carried along.
Question 8: What Methods or Sampling Techniques did you employ?
To answer this question, you want to be conversant in your research methodology.
Your chapter three (in Most Projects) must be at your fingertips.
Your ability to justify your sample size and technique is going to be highly rewarded here.
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Question 9: Why choose this method?
As discussed above, you ought to not only state a specific method for the study.
You must even be ready and ready to justify why you chose the tactic in a convincing manner.
At now you’re liberal to quote sources or similar studies where such methods were adopted.
Question 10: supporting your findings what are your recommendations?
Recommendations are very vital in every research study and will not be joked with.
In essence, you ought to know your recommendations off hand.
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Question 11: supporting your findings what areas will you suggest for future research.
Questions like this are just there to check your reasoning and authority in your research area.
Based on your findings during a manageable scope, you ought to be ready to suggest future research areas in line with your study.
For example, if I researched the challenges of private tax collection in Cameroon, an honest area for further study is going to be in other sorts of taxation such as VAT, Company tax, etc.
Question 12: How can your research study be put into practice?
Easy for science and engineering students, but a touch tough for management and social sciences since most management/social science projects are more abstract in nature.
However, you ought to try your best to be realistic here.
Relate your study to current trends in your environment, office, economy, government, schools, church, etc.
The use of relevant examples and illustrations will score a good point here.
Question 13: How would you summarize your study to a practitioner using a few sentences?
Your ability to convey technical information from the study will score you good points here.
Question 14: What would you modify if you were to conduct the study again?
Hmmm. Be careful! don’t be too jovial. there’s a loophole here! a bit like your limitations, this question is often asked to spot your weak points.
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Question 15: what’s your measurement Instrument?
In simple terms, what data collection method did you use for the study?
Here you state if questionnaires were distributed or data was gotten from secondary sources.
For more information on measurement instruments.
Question 16: What are your research variables?
Here you’ll get to convince your panel members that you simply know what you’re talking about.
You would like to elucidate your independent and dependent variable(s) to convince them that you simply are on point. Your variables are present in your project topic.
You would like to spot these variables and know their definitions also to ace your defense.
Question 17: What are your research questions?
Very simple question.
It should take about 0.015 seconds to answer this question if you’re fully prepared.
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Question 18: What does one decide to do together with your scientific research after Graduation?
Here you’re at liberty to mention your mind.
If you plan to publish it, this is often the simplest opportunity to discuss and interact with the committee members-maybe a professor there can help.
Question 19: What source of knowledge was employed for the study?
At now you’ve got to state the source(s) you bought data from. generally, you’ve got to state whether data was gotten from a primary or secondary source or both.
You’ll further convince the committee members by discussing the literature review for the study-both theoretical and empirical.
Question 20: What theories or theoretical framework is your study based on?
This is a really technical question but interesting.
Before you step into the defense room, you ought to know a minimum of two relevant theories that relate to your study.
For instance, the “impact of motivation on employee productivity” is going to be supported by Maslow’s Theory and other theories of motivation.
If you can’t find relevant theories to copy your study, consult your supervisor for help.
Question 21: How would you relate your findings to existing theories on the study?
To ace this question, one will need to read extensively.
You ought to know existing theories on the topic matter also as empirical studies too.
Your ability to link your findings to previous research studies (Whether they agree or not) will go an extended way in validating your study. You’ll score good points here trust me.
Question 22: What recommendations does one have for future research?
Your problem-solving skill is put to check here.
You ought to be ready to identify areas that will need more research.
Question 23: what’s the scope of the study?
This one may be a cheap or should I say bonus question.
Here you quickly state the delimitation of the study in short.
Question 24: What question(s) does one have for the committee?
Not a possible question in our African context, but I even have defended a seminar project where this question was asked and I was shocked to my marrows.
This is often a chance to interact together with your committee members and ask some constructive questions. don’t ask silly or too difficult questions because the goal should be to form the committee members’ feel because of the “boss”.
It’ll also go an extended way in showing that you simply are an excellent individual.
Question 25: does one have any closing comments?
This is praising time! Use this chance to thank your committee members for their time and questions.
Tell them what proportion you’ve got learned from them and the way you plan to correct errors (if any) identified in your work. this will go an extended way in impressing your internal and external supervisors.
We wish you All the best!
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List of 20 common thesis defense questions you should be prepared for.
You may be wondering what a thesis defense is as you have only heard and known about the thesis. When you put forward a proposition or a hypothetical question and support it with arguments, you can call it a dissertation. A defense on the other hand generally means the evidence that act as a support for the work. The evidence you will be selecting for your work is defended by the dimension of the work you have undertaken.
In the viva voce hall, most of the questions that the internal or the external asks center on these defense questions. Since you are not aware of the existence of something like this, you feel tensed or worried and can’t give out expected and justified answers. There are some common defense questions asked by the examiners irrespective of the subject. You can try out this cheap dissertation writing service for knowing what kind of questions you are generally asked. In this article, we will discuss 20 such common defense questions you need to prepare for.
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20 defense questions
- The most common question you may be asked is what you learned from the study you have done. You have to sum up your entire study in a few sentences and remember the technical terms you have mentioned n your research because that is what your examiner wants to hear from you.
- The next question to follow by default is why you chose this particular topic or what your inspiration behind this study was. This is one of the trickiest questions as you have to prove your convincing power to the panel of the teachers that what you did is valuable for the society and was worth their time. Tell about how zealous you were about this particular problem.
- What is the importance of your study or how will it contribute or add up to the existing body of knowledge?
- You may be asked to summarize your key findings of the research.
- What type of background research have you done for the study?
- What are the limitations you have faced while writing?
- Why did you choose this particular method or sample for the study?
- What will you include if you are told to add something extra to the study?
- What are the recommendations of your study?
- Who formed your sample and why you selected this particular age group?
- What was your hypothesis and how you framed it?
- If given a chance, would like to do something different with your work?
- What are the limitations you faced while dealing with your samples?
- How did you relate your study to the existing theories?
- What is the future scope of this study?
- What do you plan to do with your work after you have completed your degree?
- What are the research variables you used?
- Do you have any questions to be asked?
- Did you evaluate your work?
- How would you improve your work?
These are some of the very general but a bit complicated questions you may be asked during your interview.
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Home » Feature » Top 18 Possible Questions in a Thesis Defense
Top 18 Possible Questions in a Thesis Defense
A thesis defense is an important milestone in a student’s academic career. It is a chance for the student to demonstrate that they have learned the material and are able to defend their work in front of their peers and professors. The thesis defense is also an opportunity for the student to learn more about what it takes to be a successful researcher. In order to prepare for the thesis defense , the student should review their research paper and practice speaking about their findings. They should also be prepared to answer questions from the audience.
When you’re ready to present your thesis to your professor, you’ll likely have a few questions in mind. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here are the ten most common questions and what to expect when defending your work.
What should you expect during your thesis defense?
Your thesis defense is the culmination of your graduate studies. It is a time to showcase your hard work and intellectual prowess. You will be questioned by your committee, who will be looking for evidence that you understand your research and can defend it against criticism. Be prepared to answer questions about your research, methodology, findings, and implications. You may also be asked about your future plans and how you see your research impacting the field of study. Be confident and poised during your defense; it is an opportunity to demonstrate that you are a scholar worthy of a degree.
Top 18 Questions and Answers During Thesis Defense
A graduate student’s academic career isn’t complete without a successful defense of a thesis. For graduate students, the defense of their thesis before a panel of experts is a critical step in the process of proving the validity of their findings. To help you prepare for your own thesis defense, we’ve compiled a list of 18 frequently asked questions and their associated answers.
1. What are the main findings of your thesis?
In your response, you should briefly summarize your investigation. The question is straightforward but requires technical knowledge for a more complete explanation of the concepts. For instance, if you were attempting to describe the relationship between job satisfaction and affective commitment in a thesis, you could construct your response as follows:
The main findings of my thesis are that there is a significant relationship between job satisfaction and organizational commitment and that this relationship is mediated by affective commitment. Additionally, I found that there is a significant relationship between affective commitment and turnover intention.
2. Why did you choose this study?
This question demands that you explain your initial motivation for pursuing the topic. Your responses may touch on your own research interests. For instance, if you did a study titled “The Extent of State Obligations in Preventing and Combating Human Trafficking: Challenges and Perspectives for a Philippine Human Rights-Based Approach,” your response could be as follows:
I chose this study because I am interested in the topic of human trafficking. I am also interested in criminal justice, so this topic is a perfect fit for me. I am excited to defend my thesis and share my findings with everyone.
3. What is the significance of your findings?
The response to this research question should describe the influence of your work on your field of study. You may discuss the fresh insights that your study has contributed and their impact on society.
The significance of my findings is that they could help to improve the accuracy of predictions made by machine learning algorithms. My thesis defense was important because it showed that my research is valuable and has the potential to make a contribution to the field of machine learning.
4. How did you go about conducting your research?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the research process will vary depending on the topic of your thesis and the methodology you’re using. However, in general, you’ll want to start by finding relevant literature and articles, then designing and conducting experiments or surveys to collect data, and finally analyzing and interpreting your findings. You’ll also need to present your findings in a clear and concise way in your thesis defense.
5. What sources did you use for data collection?
You would have looked for information on your topic from a variety of sources. You are free to expand on those sources. You could have used databases, web content, or even conducted primary research by interviewing prospects. As a result, you can discuss these sources. Please see the following response:
For data collection, I used a variety of sources, including both primary and secondary sources. For my primary sources, I conducted interviews with experts in the field and collected survey data from consumers. For my secondary sources, I analyzed studies conducted by other researchers as well as data from government agencies and private companies.
6. What are the limitations of your research?
This is another easy question that is hard to answer. Most of the time, the question isn’t asked to help you feel better, but to find ways to criticize your work. You have to be careful with your words if you want to answer this question, or you might get yourself in trouble. Be careful not to sell yourself short. Do not talk about the problems with your methods or how you analyzed the data. This could make it seem like your study is biased or not well done. Instead of putting limits on your study, use simple things like how hard it is to combine lectures and projects.
My research is focused on the use of big data and machine learning in marketing. However, there are many other applications for these technologies that I am not able to explore in my thesis. Additionally, there are many potential pitfalls with using big data and machine learning that I am not able to explore in my research.
7. What are the implications of your findings?
This question concerns the application of your study. You should discuss how your study benefits society and how it might aid in resolving pressing problems.
The implications of my findings are that more research is needed to fully understand the effects of climate change on plant communities. Additionally, my research suggests that climate change may lead to a decline in plant diversity, which could have serious consequences for ecosystems.
8. How does your thesis contribute to existing knowledge in your field?
Explain how your research will add to the existing body of knowledge. To answer this question, you must describe how your research will serve the government in policy formation and execution, how it will aid other students who may wish to conduct research on the topic, and how organizations and society will benefit from your research.
My research is significant because it has the potential to improve the accuracy of predictions made by machine learning algorithms. This could have a major impact on a wide range of industries, including finance, healthcare, and manufacturing.
9. What are the future research directions that could be taken based on your findings?
You should be able to discuss the new fields of research that have been opened up as a result of your research as a researcher. Researchers in the future will be able to use this as a starting point. For instance,
The future research directions that could be taken based on my findings are:
- Investigating the effects of different types of music on cognitive function.
- Examining the effects of music listening on mood and emotions.
- Studying the long-term effects of music listening on cognitive function.
10. In a few sentences, can you tell us what your study is all about?
In your response, you should briefly summarize your investigation. The question is straightforward but requires technical knowledge for a more complete explanation of the concepts. For instance, if you wrote a thesis attempting to explain the effects of various types of stress on memory, you could structure your response as follows:
My study is about the effects of different types of stress on memory. I am looking at how different types of stressors, such as physical or psychological stress, affect people’s ability to remember things.
11. Why did you choose this particular title for your research?
As a researcher, it is critical that you choose a title that accurately reflects the content of your thesis. How did you make the final decision to name your work? Your committee will want to know that. For instance,
The title of my research is “The Role of Social Media in the Political Process.” I chose this title because I think social media has a huge role to play in the political process. I’m interested in how social media can be used to engage people in the political process and how it can be used to spread information about candidates and issues.
12. What is the scope of your study?
In your response, you must define the scope of your study and precisely what you are researching. There may be several elements involved, but you must define the parameters you have chosen to investigate. As an example,
The scope of my study is to analyze the effects of a new management style on employee productivity. The elements involved in the study are the employees of a company who will be randomly divided into two groups, one with the new management style and one without. The parameters of the study are the number of employees in each group, the length of time the study will be conducted, and the productivity metric that will be used.
13. Who will be most interested in your research?
You can discuss who might be affected by your research and who might benefit from it. Consider the following example:
The people who will be most interested in my research are other researchers in the same field. They will be interested in my findings and how they can apply them to their own work. I also hope that my research will be of interest to the general public, as it could have implications for their everyday lives.
14 . What gaps did you intend to bridge with your research?
Every research study must address an issue. Your ability to solve this challenge and explore previously unexplored places earns you the maximum possible score for this response. You must be able to persuade the committee members that your technique is novel and that it has covered regions where little research has been conducted by other researchers.
The gaps that I intended to bridge with my research were the lack of knowledge about the role of emotions in decision-making and the lack of understanding of how people make decisions under stress. My research aimed to fill these gaps by exploring how emotions affect decision-making and how people make decisions under stress.
15. What research findings surprised you?
When conducting research, you discover results that you did not anticipate. If you have had such an incident, you may describe it to the evaluation committee in your response. For instance,
I was surprised by how little difference there was between the test scores of students who attended private and public schools. I also found that the achievement gap between rich and poor students is much wider than I expected.
16. What is the validity of your findings?
You must discuss the criteria under which your research findings are valid.
The validity of our research findings is based on the accuracy and precision of our data. Our data was collected using a valid and reliable survey instrument, which means that our findings are likely to be accurate. Additionally, our results were analyzed using appropriate statistical techniques, which increases the reliability of our findings.
17 . What theories or theoretical framework is your study based on?
This is a very technical but intriguing question. Before entering the defense room, you should be familiar with at least two relevant theories related to your research.
The study is based on the theory of planned behavior. This theory looks at the factors that influence people’s intentions to behave in a certain way. It includes beliefs about the behavior, attitudes towards the behavior, and social norms regarding the behavior.
18 . Based on your findings, what are your recommendations?
In every research study, recommendations are very important and should not be taken lightly. In the end, you should be able to give your recommendations at any given time.
Based on my findings, I recommend that businesses focus on creating valuable content and building relationships with their customers. They should also strive to create a strong online presence through social media and SEO.
How to Prepare for Your Thesis Defense
First, make sure you know what is expected of you during the defense. Familiarize yourself with the format and the questions that will be asked. Next, practice presenting your thesis to others. Get feedback and work on refining your presentation. Finally, be prepared to answer any questions that may be thrown your way.
In conclusion, the thesis defense is a nerve-wracking experience, but it is also a chance to show off all of your hard work. Be sure to prepare for the questions that will be asked of you, and remember to relax and have fun. By preparing for these questions, you can ensure that your defense goes as smoothly as possible. The thesis defense is an important milestone in your academic career, so congratulations on making it this far!
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