All Questions
74 questions
7
votes
2
answers
3k
views
What to do if you disagree with a juror during master's thesis defense?
I attended a master's dissertation defense and I was wondering what one might do in a situation like this.
Juror: What do you mean by the phrase “previous work” in your thesis text? Is it your ...
- 337
14
votes
3
answers
3k
views
How to deal with an absentee advisor who is unreachable when trying to set up thesis defense
I'm a fifth year PhD student, which is the average year a student in my department graduates. For the majority of my time in my PhD program I've had an absentee advisor. He doesn't respond to emails ...
- 143
3
votes
1
answer
262
views
Found an error in one of the questions that appeared on screen for my dissertation study. Could this be an issue for my dissertation defense?
Fourth year student in Experimental Psychology who recently completed the minimum number of participants needed for data collection (although my advisor wants me to get more). I'm posting here since I ...
- 1
7
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Experiencing setbacks in my master's thesis defense twice—seeking a path to recovery
I am currently enrolled in a master's program at a European university. The first year went smoothly, but the second year presented challenges due to personal issues, exacerbated by the difficulty of ...
- 71
1
vote
2
answers
254
views
Can a PhD Candidate Correct and Reprint Their Thesis After Submission/Print but Before Defense?
[Even though this question is specifically about Sweden, but might apply to other countries too]
If a doctoral candidate has already submitted and printed their dissertation, but discovers errors in ...
- 13
0
votes
2
answers
627
views
On the presentation of results during the viva exam
In a few weeks time I will be having my viva exam and I was wondering of a few things regarding the presentation in which I will be presenting four algorithms from four of my published papers.
Since ...
- 3
4
votes
4
answers
9k
views
Can I ask a specific person to leave my defence meeting?
There is a student that I helped a lot which I shouldn't.
Now I don't like her to attend my defence while she has the same supervisor as me.
Can I ask her to leave if my supervisor invited her by any ...
- 243
2
votes
0
answers
105
views
What is the actual date of PhD award (in India) [duplicate]
I have been awarded my PhD long back and I have my official award certificate from the university given in the annual degree convocation. However, often a question comes to my mind - What is my actual ...
- 29
1
vote
1
answer
306
views
What is the fastest way of completing my post viva thesis correction edits?
I have written my thesis using Word and Endnote. I have three months of corrections. Any general tips based on previous experience on how to streamline the edits would be welcome.
The document is too ...
- 21
8
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Correcting mistakes in PhD thesis that examiners missed
I finished my thesis defense and my examiners recommended minor corrections, all of which are based in the lit review and results chapters. However, after they approved the corrections I made, I ...
- 301
0
votes
1
answer
210
views
If I saw a sentence, kept the words in a certain order to make it more succinct, is it plagiarism?
This is a sentence I read from a previous student's thesis:
Chemical products were measured by loading x μL of reaction A on a gel
(3-10% w/v, depending on your need and availability of machine)
...
- 301
16
votes
8
answers
23k
views
My supervisor is suggesting I will fail my PhD, is this possible?
I am a final-year PhD student in Canada studying cybersecurity. During my PhD, I did not have very good supervision. I told them I wanted to defend soon. However, one of my supervisors keeps on ...
user166655
2
votes
1
answer
248
views
What should the difference be in content between thesis written submission and oral defense presentation?
I was just wondering if anyone has tips for a thesis defense presentation. One thing I don't understand is how it is supposed to differ from the written submission (which panelists will have already ...
0
votes
2
answers
1k
views
What will happen if the panelist in my thesis defense does not like my thesis in College level? Will I fail?
I am currently graduating student and having a thesis project to pass the course and requirement for graduation. Is it possible to fail the my program if the panelist in my defense does not like my ...
- 9
2
votes
1
answer
696
views
What does "covering your variables" mean as a thesis defense question?
I'm looking into lists of questions that I might encounter in my MSc thesis defense. One such list is Tamer Suggested: Top 60 Questions Frequently Asked During Thesis Defence. Some of the questions in ...
user32966
5
votes
1
answer
536
views
My advisor is not letting me graduate my masters and join Ph.D in a new lab
It has been almost 3.5 years since the start of my Master's, and I want to graduate this December. My advisor wants me to stay and work with him for some more time. I don't want that. When I asked for ...
0
votes
1
answer
329
views
The benefits of strong PhD dissertation referees in case of a 3 paper dissertation?
I have submitted a three paper PhD thesis.
At my university, there is no defense. Instead, four referees read, make a decision, and may ask for revisions, similar to a paper review process.
My ...
- 61
29
votes
10
answers
21k
views
It has been 6.5 years of my PhD and I am not seeing the end. What to do?
My advisor is a decent person. She is helpful and supportive. She has continued to support me throughout financially. However, she advices me that I should have offers before submitting my thesis and ...
- 419
5
votes
2
answers
2k
views
My supervisor does not have time to read my thesis, what do I do?
I am a master's student, I started my degree in 2018. I wrote my thesis and sent it to both my main supervisor and co-supervisor a month ago and ask them to read but my main prof did not have time to ...
- 1
12
votes
8
answers
7k
views
Can you defend your thesis without any slide presentation?
You speak and present your thesis without a slide presentation, probably with a pen to explain something on the board. This question came to mind when I was wondering "why do we need a slide ...
- 829
1
vote
3
answers
951
views
MA thesis without a research question
I am currently trying to defend my second MA degree. I got my first one from the university of Warsaw (Poland), where I graduated summa cum laude, so I always thought, I had some idea of how to write ...
- 11
1
vote
1
answer
195
views
The reviewers are not answering to any of my emails. Why are they ghosting me? [duplicate]
I sent both of the reviewers, pdf of my thesis more than a month ago. Only one of them acknowledges the receipt, the other one is french.
I sent them physical copies last Friday. They should have ...
- 207
1
vote
1
answer
292
views
How to address the issues of not including technical contribution
Recently I defended my thesis for a master's degree in computer engineering, and internal reviewers marked it satisfactory, however, they made some comments in my report and presentation, one of them ...
- 111
7
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Advisor is unhappy with M.Sc. research results and is showing signs of preventing the student from graduating. What should be done?
I am having difficulties with an advisor who has not been clear with me on my research project, and I am fearful that I will not be allowed to graduate on time. What should I do? Please allow me to ...
22
votes
3
answers
5k
views
I conceptually understand a result, but not its mathematical implementation – how can I defend using it?
There is a particular result from another author that I wanted to use in my research which is a central component to my research question (it’s an animal’s growth rate). However, deriving the results ...
- 4,789
35
votes
10
answers
10k
views
Is it pointless to bring up poor supervision during PhD viva?
I should defend my PhD in the UK near the end of the year.
Unfortunately I fell into the class of horribly supervised PhD students - with an ill-defined research project and an absent supervisor who ...
- 459
2
votes
4
answers
7k
views
Is it appropriate to attend a friends' dissertation defense/FPO (USA)?
My initial reaction would be that it would be highly inappropriate to attend someone's defense unless explicitly invited, and you should never ask someone for and invitation to anything. It should be ...
- 647
2
votes
2
answers
3k
views
How relevant can be the major corrections in PhD dissertation?
My understanding of major corrections in PhD dissertation is that there can be entire chapters to add to the presented dissertation. However for me it's very hard to understand how much these changes ...
- 726
2
votes
2
answers
600
views
Should a list of typos go in thesis defense presentation
I have a list of about a dozen small errors I've personally discovered in my thesis. Is it advisable to have a slide during the presentation listing these? I understand that this is superfluous, ...
- 2,392
4
votes
5
answers
2k
views
My PhD defense is next week. I feel that I have not done enough work to justify my time spent on the thesis. What can I do about this?
I spent 5 years on my mechanical engineering PhD. I think that my thesis work could have been done in 2 years by a serious student. I have wasted my time on futile work.
I don't know how to justify ...
- 41
4
votes
2
answers
1k
views
General idea on how do Committee Members read PhD thesis
The question is divided into two parts and related to the situation like:
Committee gets PhD thesis to read through/give comments/report on it.
Thesis is written based on several publications.
1. What ...
user112003
1
vote
2
answers
473
views
Formulate an answer on PhD defense about mistakes you've made
Imagine, you did data evaluation, published. When preparing your data for the thesis, you've realized that your approach was wrong. It does not change the main course of the paper and do not damage ...
user112003
4
votes
1
answer
323
views
Preparing two PhD simultaneously?
I was enrolled in a PhD at the Faculty of Science, and broke up "temporarily" after 4 years due to a horrible Professor, and restarted a new PhD at the Faculty of Engineering.
For the 1st university, ...
3
votes
2
answers
2k
views
What are the best ways to find an external thesis examiner?
My supervisor is too busy to find an external examiner for my PhD thesis, so the job will probably fall to me. I know all the academics who may potentially be an internal examiner, but I don't know ...
- 2,392
47
votes
9
answers
16k
views
Gift for mentor after his thesis defense?
I'm attending the thesis defense of one of my undergrad mentors this week. I owe almost everything about where I am today to him. I want to get him a gift, but I'm not sure what. He owns his own ...
- 1,117
1
vote
1
answer
759
views
Responsibilities of PI to PhD student post PhD submission, but pre-viva
I have recently submitted my PhD. However, my project requires about 5 months more work to be publishable. The standard time between submission and the viva defence in my lab is about 5-6 months. I ...
- 11
65
votes
5
answers
17k
views
Is it inappropriate for a student to attend their mentor's dissertation defense?
I'm an undergraduate student at a research one university. My former instructor and current research mentor is defending their dissertation soon. I asked if I could attend and they said they would be ...
- 487
7
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Do I need "Introduction" and "Conclusions" parts in my PhD thesis?
My advisor has asked me to write my thesis in parts. So, basically, my thesis will have three major parts, each of which explains a different piece of work. However, he is asking me to also add a part ...
- 173
-3
votes
1
answer
342
views
Can I write my thesis supervisor to complete my thesis?
I had worked in a lab for my master's thesis. But I could not complete a course from the previous semester so I could not register for defense at X University. This university asked me to transfer my ...
- 1,996
4
votes
3
answers
2k
views
What are some typical questions one might be asked in a Computer Science PhD Viva?
I know that you are likely to suggest "Ask your supervisor. He/She will know best.".
While that is obviously true, I would like to know from your personal experience either as the PhD candidate or ...
- 317
9
votes
5
answers
3k
views
PhD thesis defense - is there a separate defense session with one's graduate committee? [closed]
I was watching a math PhD thesis defense on YouTube and it seems that after about an hour of the talk, a committee member tells the audience to leave except for the graduate committee and the PhD ...
user93132
4
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Tips for being a good jury member for Master's defense
I am a 2nd year PhD student. My supervisor ask me to be a jury member in a Master's thesis defense presentation. This is a first for me, so I have some questions.
Any tips and guidelines I can follow?...
- 1,985
1
vote
1
answer
992
views
Question concerning proofs of theorems in defense PHD thesis
I would like to ask this question:
-Do we have to present the demonstrations of the results (theorems in mathematics) found and published in a scientific journal the day of the PHD defense or it is ...
- 145
9
votes
2
answers
828
views
Using an English or French presentation to a French talk?
I'll be defending my Ph.D. this October. I submitted my dissertation in English and prepared an English presentation, but my supervisor along with the jury members surprised me by saying the defense ...
- 301
4
votes
2
answers
6k
views
How to defend badly graded master thesis?
My master thesis was the greatest sh*tshow that ever happened in my life. Fortunately I did manage to put it all together and submit it. After that I booked a defense date which is tomorrow.
In the ...
0
votes
2
answers
310
views
Whether to share at thesis defense where I have submitted pertaining papers to
I have submitted journal articles that come from my thesis.
When defending the thesis, is it a good idea to give the names of the journals to which those pertaining papers were submitted to?
- 3,608
4
votes
2
answers
333
views
PhD Thesis defence [closed]
What are the salient points to watch during a thesis defence?
How do you know if your thesis is up to scratch before the defence?
- 51
0
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Thesis defense months after thesis submission
I submitted my PhD thesis a few months back, and it's still not clear when I will have my final defense.
Since then, I have moved on to industry, and I'm very much worried that the state of my ...
- 792
3
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Is it acceptable to use personal experience when opening in presentation of my thesis?
Is it acceptable to use personal experience when opening in presentation of my thesis as long as it is relevant and contribute to the presentation of the literature, justification or methodology of ...
1
vote
1
answer
2k
views
Time between Viva (minor corrections) and the letter
I have been awarded a PhD today with minor corrections (yay!). I am not very relieved yet, because I signed a job contract that says that the deadline to provide a proof of a PhD award is September. I ...
- 319