THESIS TIPS - DEFENDING YOUR THESIS
Defending your thesis
The thesis defence is a very simple formulation, because no one is attacking you, it is simply that the final examiners, after reading and evaluating the thesis, formulate one (or more) questions to which they expect the graduate to respond. You have to answer, not defend. This formulation from write my lab report services of questions has several functions:
- checking function: it tests whether the student has a "clear picture" of his/her own work, whether his/her answers are in line with those given in the final paper
- corrective function: if the examiners think that the student has made a blatant technical error or reached a wrong conclusion in the thesis, or has not formulated the thesis clearly, they use the defence question to give the student the opportunity to correct the matter (if he/she has realised in the meantime that he/she has made a mistake).
- Practical function: the defence question often relates to the practice of what the final paper is about, what the student would do, how he or she would solve it, what he or she would suggest, etc. In this case, the question asks whether the student has his or her own ideas, whether he or she prefers a particular solution to the question. More specifically, is he or she only a theoretical "expert" or does he or she have an affinity with the practical side.
The thesis defence is basically an oral examination, with the advantage that on the one hand the "core material" is your own work, and on the other hand in most places the defence question is given in advance, so that the student has the opportunity to prepare (this may vary from institution to institution and from examination to examination).
What can the graduate do? First and foremost, the most important thing is to write a good final paper, which is of good quality in both form and content. Then read his/her own work with a critical eye, try to identify its weaknesses/controversial points and prepare for them. Once you have received the defence question, look through your essay and other relevant literature with a specific focus on it, and collect and record your thoughts and ideas on the topic. Finally, edit it all together in a concise, concise, understandable way and present it to the examiners in the exam.