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How to Write a Stellar Mémoire (French Master’s Thesis)

Pursuing graduate studies in France entails mastering all sorts of assignments, but perhaps none as daunting as the notorious mémoire , or master’s thesis. Writing and defending a master’s thesis is the cornerstone of many, though not all, French graduate degrees, making it a rite of passage for degree-seeking students in France. As part of my French master’s degree in Droit Public parcours Intégration Européenne et Gouvernance Globale , I was required to take on the infamous mémoire alongside my regular coursework during the final year of my studies.

Since I’m an international student at the Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne , I had to contend not only with the base-level difficulties of putting together a master’s thesis, but also with the reality of writing fully in my second language and following the unforgiving methodology and writing norms of French law school to a tee. Needless to say, my year-long research project entailed late nights spent reading, countless trips to the library, typing until my fingers were sore, and shedding a few more tears than I’d like to admit!

My master’s thesis experience wasn’t all bad, of course. I genuinely enjoyed learning everything I could about my topic, discussing my progress with my classmates, refining my French-language skills , and presenting a piece of work that reflected my academic rigor. To my delight, at the end of my defense, the jury awarded me an 18/20 for my mémoire , entitled Associer les inégalités sociales et le changement climatique : Une étude comparative des contextes et approches aux États-Unis et dans l’Union européenne . The jury highlighted the following assets of my work:

• Qualité de recherche (Research quality)
• Qualité rédactionnelle (Writing quality)
• Qualité de français (French-language quality)
• Problématique innovante (Innovative research question)
• Posture épistémologique intéressant (Interesting epistemological posture)
• Bon cadrage théorique (Good theoretical framework)
• Limitations justifiées (Justified limitations)
• Structure impeccable (Impeccable structure)

Managing to receive the highest honors on my mémoire as an American studying law in France was no easy feat. Throughout the lengthy process of crafting my master’s thesis and defense, I discovered what worked well for me and what held me back – that’s why, in this post, I’m sharing my expert tips to help you write an outstanding French master’s thesis.

Honor Your Interests

Completing a mémoire takes months of daily research, reading, and writing, so you can imagine how painful the whole operation can become if your topic doesn’t inspire you! For a certain amount of time, your master’s thesis content will likely be all you can think about as you attempt to find and consume every piece of relevant literature ever written about it. To avoid misery and increase your motivation, you need to reflect upon the subjects within your degree field that excite you, the themes you’d be delighted to learn more about, and the concepts you truly want to call yourself an expert in come the day of your defense.

• My research topic combined my enthusiasm for the themes of public policy and governance, social justice issues, environmental protection, the United States, and the European Union.

Favor Innovation

The goal of producing a master’s thesis is not to reiterate the conclusions that other researchers have already drawn, but to pull from existing knowledge in order to demonstrate something new. To elevate your mémoire and impress your jury, innovation is indispensable. Creating a research question that hasn’t already been exhaustively answered will also prevent you from simply regurgitating what you read and will allow you to write a master’s thesis that relies on the important work of those before you, but is, ultimately, entirely your own.

• In my case, the concept of linking social inequality and climate change is relatively new on the whole. Moreover, my comparison of the United States’ and the European Union’s approaches for dealing with this phenomenon is something that hadn’t been done before.

Survey Your Sources

Because a finished mémoire is the culmination of in-depth research and analysis, you’ll need to choose a topic that you can thoroughly explore. For example, if your desired subject is too cutting-edge, you may struggle to find sufficient existing material upon which to build your master’s thesis. If essential documents that you need to read are confidential, located far away, or otherwise inaccessible, you won’t be able to use them for your work. It is therefore essential to consider whether adequate sources are available before you set your heart on a specific theme.

• When finalizing my topic, I ensured that the sources I would need to study were either located online, at my university , or in libraries near me.

Create a Timeline

You know that you should start working on your master’s thesis at the beginning of the school year , and that you need to have it finished by the end, but what happens between those two events is much less clear! With the help of a trusted professor or independently, you should make a realistic schedule with self-imposed deadlines to help you conceptualize the amount of work that needs to be done by each date. Your timeline should include targets for things like finalizing your research question, gathering sources for your bibliography, writing the various sections of the manuscript, submitting your mémoire for review, and preparing for your defense.

• Using a holistic timeline helped me to know when I was on track, when I could take breaks, and when I needed to speed things along. It also enabled me to beat procrastination, as delaying tasks for too long would have thrown me completely off schedule.

Chat About Your Research

While a master’s thesis is definitely an individual project, you shouldn’t keep your thoughts and questions to yourself! Your professors, classmates, friends, and family are all valuable resources as you go through the mémoire process. Speaking with your professors (who have already successfully completed challenging research projects) and with your classmates (who are currently working on their own mémoires ) about things like methodological difficulties and research hardships can lead to helpful problem solving and sincere moral support. Moreover, explaining your research to friends and family (who are likely unfamiliar with your subject) will help you gauge how well you understand it yourself and how clearly you’re able to express your ideas.

• I personally checked in regularly with my classmates who always offered useful words of advice and encouragement. I also talked with my significant other, Jalen , frequently to get his feedback on my work.

Choose the Right Advisor

Selecting a directeur·rice de mémoire , or master’s thesis advisor, isn’t a decision to make lightly. To find the perfect fit, you need to be familiar with your potential advisors and know your own preferences very well. For example, asking a professor whose specialty has nothing to do with your research question is likely to be as uninteresting for them as it is unhelpful to you. Furthermore, if you’re a student who likes frequent and detailed feedback, choosing a professor with a tightly-packed schedule might not be the best idea. Take the time to weigh your options carefully before asking a professor to become your advisor.

• I made sure to pick an advisor who was familiar with the broad strokes of my topic and had a hands-off attitude so that I could work autonomously and at my own pace.

Write Meticulously

The quality of the content of your master’s thesis is crucial, but so is the quality of your writing. The most brilliant of ideas will still fall flat if your text is riddled with grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. Attempting to avoid all language blunders is especially vital when you’re writing in your second language – and even more so in a country like France where such mistakes are not looked upon kindly. If your manuscript is hard to understand, readers won’t be able to appreciate your analysis. Additionally, it’s tough for readers to take a piece of work seriously if they’re constantly distracted by careless errors. Try to compose every sentence with care in order to avoid these pitfalls.

• When writing my mémoire , I never hesitated to look up a word, phrase, or grammar rule when I was even the tiniest bit uncertain. I also double-checked for errors that I commonly make, like accidentally including a serial comma when I’m writing in French.

Perfect Your Formatting

You shouldn’t organize your master’s thesis like you would a novel, an essay, or a report. Depending on your field of study and your degree program’s requirements, you’ll likely have specific norms to apply and rules to follow for structuring your mémoire . Your acknowledgements, dedication, abstract, abbreviations, table of contents, references, and appendices can’t be placed just anywhere! You should also ensure that your work is pleasing to the eye, with an appropriate cover page, sensible headings, proper font sizes and line spacing, logical page breaks, and accurate citations. These details are what make the difference between a good master’s thesis and a great one.

• In French law school, for example, writing to a detailed, hierarchical outline, known as a plan , is often an absolute must. As such, the final version of my master’s thesis manuscript consists of an introduction, two chapters with three sections and eight sub-sections each, and a conclusion.

Prepare Your Defense

When you’re finally done writing your master’s thesis, it can be tempting to put it completely out of your mind. But once you conquer this first step, you still have one more challenge to tackle: your soutenance , or master’s thesis defense. To pass your defense, you need to do more than just prepare to present your research and findings to the jury. A quality presentation will also include explaining the reason you chose your topic, the sources you used, the problems you faced , the limitations of your work, any updates on your subject since you finished writing, and future research possibilities. Don’t forget to reread your mémoire with a critical eye to anticipate the jury’s critiques in advance. Going the extra mile to prepare your defense to the best of your ability is a recipe for triumph.

• I prepared for my defense one week in advance, and it consisted of a 20-minute presentation, a 25-minute question and answer session, and a 10-minute jury deliberation.

Take Your Work Seriously

It’s no secret that some degree programs are more rigorous than others, just as it’s true that some students take their studies more seriously than others. However, if you decide that writing a solid master’s thesis demonstrating your academic talents and integrity isn’t worth your time because you know that your program will accept work of lower calibre, you’ve effectively proven your degree to be a second-rate credential and yourself to be a substandard student. Would you rather throw together a mediocre mémoire that you’ll stuff away the moment it’s over, or compose a meaningful piece of work representing the best of your capacities that you’ll be excited to share with others for years to come? Taking your work seriously won’t steer you wrong, especially when it comes to an assignment as noteworthy as a master’s thesis.

• I know that my decision to do my absolute best played a large role in the jury’s attribution of my final grade, and I’m proud of myself for having done so.

Everyone’s master’s thesis journey is unique, but implementing these tips will put you on a path to success. Is writing a French mémoire in your future? Have you ever carried out a significant research project? Do you want to know more about my experience? Let me know in a comment!

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How I Prepared For My Thesis Defense In France Posted by John Bauer on Oct 26, 2016 in Culture

Part of mon mémoire (my thesis) involved not just studying, but practicing my French and making sure I knew how to present my ideas clearly. I needed beaucoup de préparation (a lot of preparation) if I wanted to get un vingt .

A few weeks ago Taghreed left a comment asking for some tips on la soutenance (the thesis defense). To help Taghreed out this post will focus on how I prepared for ma soutenance !

The most important thing is la préperation . Making sure you will not just read les diapos  (the slides), but that you can actually talk naturally about the subject. Dans le même temps (at the same time), you cannot just walk into la soutenance and improvise the whole thing!

For me, the first thing on my mind once I had finished mon mémoire and began working on ma soutenance was how I was going to manage my time .

I needed to be able to get through mon exposé (my presentation) in vingt minutes (twenty minutes). Dix minutes (ten minutes) to summarize mon mémoire , then dix minutes to briefly touch on some details avant de passer aux questions (before moving on to questions).

I started un minuteur (an egg timer) and went through mon exposé .

Plus de trente minutes ! More than thirty minutes!

Even though I was more than dix minutes over my time limit I was glad to find out where I was having trouble avec les transitions (with transitions) and explaining things clearly. After reworking mon exposé and a bit of la relecture (proofreading), I started le minuteur again.

Vingt-cinq minutes… Toujours trop long. Twenty five minutes… Still too long.

Je devais recommencer (I had to start over), but this time with a clearer idea of what needed work. I made sure to note any words that I was having trouble pronouncing and if it was a word with an obvious alternative, I chose the other word.

Par exemple (for example), I have a hard time saying the word structure in French, so instead of saying:

La structure d’une entreprise The structure of a company

I could instead say:

L’organisation d’une entreprise The organization of a company

Or I could break the word up into a few easier to pronounce words:

Toutes les parties d’une entreprise All the parts of a company

Although sometimes changing words can complicate things and not exactly communicate the idea, which can then lead to la structure becoming less clear.

For any of those important words that I had trouble saying I had to practice, practice, practice. One of the best way to practice pronunciation is recording yourself and, if you can, compare it to a native speaker.

Transparent Language has a great feature that lets you do just that! You can easily record your voice and compare your pronunciation to how it should sound.

After more practice and a bit of la relecture I started le minuteur again.

Dix-neuf minutes ! Nineteen minutes!

Build vocabulary, practice pronunciation, and more with Transparent Language Online. Available anytime, anywhere, on any device.

About the Author: John Bauer

John Bauer is an enthusiast for all things language and travel. He currently lives in France where he's doing his Master's. John came to France four years ago knowing nothing about the language or the country, but through all the mistakes over the years, he's started figuring things out.

Université de Bordeaux

Defending your thesis

Dernière mise à jour : le 14/11/2023

Defending your thesis is the final stage of your PhD. It is an intense and sometimes stressful moment. Consequently, it is essential to plan ahead and follow the steps and deadlines outlined below to make sure that everything goes as smoothly as possible. The Admissions Office is there to help you all along the way, from organising your defense right up to receiving your degree.

A thesis defense must be announced and finalised on ADUM at least 8 weeks before the date of the defense .

IMPORTANT: The time periods when the university is closed cannot be taken into account when scheduling the defense:

• 4 weeks in August
• 2 weeks in December

The steps described below also apply to cotutelle thesis defenses (double degrees).

Defense notification and jury composition

You must declare your intention to defend your thesis. To do so, visit your ADUM account and click on the link "I would like to make my defense request" . You must provide specific information regarding the jury, which is formed according to the rules for thesis jury composition set out in the 2016 decree. Please note that additional rules may apply in your doctoral school.

You must complete the entire procedure in order for your defense notification to be taken into account and submitted to your thesis supervisor for approval. Consequently :

• all the ADUM tabs must be validated
• your thesis dissertation must be submitted
• your thesis release approval must be completed, signed and submitted

Your thesis supervisor must check the details concerning the jury members before validating, in particular their positions/ranks, institutions and each member's accreditation to supervise research (HDR) before approving the defense jury . Thesis supervisors can make any necessary changes themselves. Before approving , they should also check to make sure the jury complies with the doctoral school's prerequisites.

Following the thesis supervisor's approval, the Graduate Research School examines the jury's compliance with the requirements of your specific doctoral school.

The jury's expertise cannot take place without your thesis supervisor's approval. As a result, your thesis supervisor must examine and approve your jury at least 8 weeks before the defense date, taking into account the time periods when the University is closed (see below).   

SUBMITTING YOUR THESIS FOR REVIEWERS

At least 4 weeks are given to reviewers to read and comment on your thesis.

You can submit a modified PDF version for reviewers and jury members no later than 6 weeks before your defense date  – "PDF thesis submission" tab

Visit the page devoted to writing your thesis.

If no further submissions are made and after the cover page has been checked, the initial dissertation will be sent to the reviewers, indicating the return date for their defense reviews.

DEFENSE REVIEWS

In compliance with regulations, reviewers must return their reviews at least 14 days before the defense date. 

The University of Bordeaux president will sign the decision authorising the defense only after receiving favourable reviews and after the doctoral school director's approval. The reviews will be sent to you, your thesis supervisor and all the jury members.

If the reviews are not returned by the deadline, the defense will not be authorised by the University of Bordeaux.

DEFENSE DOCUMENTS

As soon as you receive the president's authorisation, you and your thesis supervisor will be informed that the defense is authorised. You can then download the documents related to your defense from your ADUM account. 

THE DAY OF YOUR DEFENSE

Your thesis supervisor does not take part in the jury deliberations.

Pursuant to Article L612-7 of the French Educational Code, in institutions of higher education and research, PhD students are required to take an oath of scientific integrity when they defend their theses.

According to the terms of the decree, the oath is taken individually during the defense, once the PhD student has been declared admitted .

Since 1 January 2023, this stage of the defense has been recorded in the official report.

In the presence of my peers. With the completion of my PhD in [research field], in my quest for knowledge, I have carried out demanding research, demonstrated intellectual rigour, ethical reflection, and respect for the principles of scientific integrity. As I pursue my professional career, whatever my chosen field, I pledge, to the greatest of my ability, to continue to maintain integrity in my relationship to knowledge, in my methods and in my results. The PhD oath

aFTER DEFENDING YOUR THESIS

The thesis supervisor, or the jury chair:

• submits all the original documents, hand-signed by all the jury members, to the thesis defense officer within 15 days
• must send the defense report within one month

SUBMITTING YOUR THESIS

You must submit your thesis in order to receive the academic title of doctor.

Submission can be done as soon as you receive the email from the thesis defense officer (and within no more than three months if corrections are requested by the jury).

As soon as you receive the official defense documents, you will be informed of the procedures for your final submission on ADUM .

The submission must be made within a month at most (for archiving and/or publication).

If corrections are requested, you have a maximum of 3 months to make the submission. The jury chair must approve the corrections before submission and will be informed of the corrections directly by the thesis defense officer .

As soon as the final submission has been validated by the Documentation Department, a certificate of achievement will be available in your ADUM account.

Please note: if no submission is made, the dissertation submitted at the time of your defense notification will be automatically sent to theses.fr .

RELEASING YOUR THESIS

There are four options for releasing your thesis. You must determine the option chosen in the release notice when you declare your jury on ADUM:

• Immediate release online
• Release after the period of confidentiality defined by the institution. The dissertation is totally inaccessible including to the academic community, during the period of confidentiality, which may not exceed 25 years
• Release delayed until after an embargo determined by you but accessible to the academic community, for a maximum of 5 years, non-renewable
• Refusal of release determined by you but accessible to the academic community

Confidentiality is the only means of protecting your dissertation.

For further details about release procedures, click here .

Emma BERTHAULT

Thesis Defense Officer

inscriptiondoctorat%40u-bordeaux.fr

Christelle ROCCA

Nathalie augoyard.

Admissions & Defense - Department Head

Jury Expertise & Regulations

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• Contact et accès

Preparing a thesis defense

Résumé de la formation.

Thesis defense is the culmination of an extensive, 3-year project. It is an exercise with very specific rules and in a short time frame.

PhD candidates must prepare thoroughly for this, both in terms of the content of their message and the form they take. To this end, this course offers participants a comprehensive preparation for oral defense in front of a jury, giving them the tools they need to perform confidently. The skills developed can also be used in other communication situations, and to valorize research works efficiently.

DAY 1 Unit 1: The fundamentals of thesis defense (2h) • Purpose, duration, format, structure, subject-specifics • The expectations and objectives of the jury, the different stakeholders and their role in the peer review process • Exercise: deciphering the criteria and how they are evaluated during the defense followed by a time of reflexive analysis of each person’s strengths and weaknesses in relation to each criterion.

Unit 2: Planning your defence (4h30) • The classic scheme of a defense; from the plan of the thesis to the plan of the defense • Tips for organizing your intervention, bringing out strong ideas, concepts and key words • The use of a visual medium (power-point style): why and how to achieve it, content, organization of information and number of slides • Exercise: Individual preparation of one’s plan, intervention structure and strong messages. • Intersession tip

Intersession: preparing your presentation material

DAY 2 Unit 3: Mastering oral communication in front of an audience (1h15) • Basic rules for using your voice, mastering pronunciation, breathing, sound level, understanding the non-verbal part of a communication situation (managing gestures, eye contact), managing stress. • Preventing information loss linked to the transmission of a message, significance of key words and multi-channel communication. • Tips for bringing conviction and experience to your speech, and for conveying your motivation, enthusiasm and conviction to the jury. • Why, how and with whom to repeat?

Unit 4: Handling questions (1h) • Different types of questions by the chairperson, rapporteurs and other jury members (e.g., deepening of the presentation, clarification, mastery of scientific concepts, subjects and community involvement). • The situation of a speaker in front of a jury and the exchanges, knowing how to create a constructive discussion, develop the ability to listen and interact with an audience, take questions into account, acknowledging their relevance , reformulate, deepen, explain, etc. • Tip for taking the time to think, to know how to reflect on a tough question, to build an argument.

Unit 5: Defense simulation (4h) • Exercise: simulated defense in front of a jury composed of the trainer and the other participants: presentation of the first 10 minutes of the presentation (introduction) + questions/answers of different types • Each exercise will be followed by a group debriefing session, sharing of advice between participants and the trainer, and definition of an individual action plan to complete the preparation of the defense.

Conclusion (15’) ● Review of key messages and remaining questions

Objectifs de la formation :

• Structure your defense
• Master oral communication
• Get trained on how to deliver an efficient speech

Formateurs et formatrices

Adoc Talent Management

Email : [email protected]

Informations pratiques

• Email (contact pédagogique) : [email protected]           
• Dates prévisionnelles : session 1 le 22 avril  et le 3 mai 2022 de 9h00 à 17h00
• session 2 le 24 mai et le 02 juin 2022 de 9h à 17h
• Lieu : Université Paris – Bâtiment Halle aux Farines – Salle 125C. Selon l’évolution des mesures gouvernementales les formations en présentiel pourront être basculées en distanciel.
• Pré-requis : 3rd year PhD candidates in the writing phase of their thesis work
• Effectif maximum : 10

Outils et méthodes

Gérer sa thèse, doctorant en 3 ème année, 14h/ 2 jours, formations dans la même catégorie, vulgarisation scientifique vers le « grand public ».

Langue : Français Format : Présentiel Code : DF23VSGP

Stratégies de lecture efficace

Langue : Français Format : distanciel Code : DF23OMLRE

Rédiger sa thèse en 2 mois : gestion du temps et des priorités

Langue : Français Format : Presentiel Code : DF23OMRT

Elaborer sa recherche à l’aide d’outils numériques – Initiation à R

Langue : Français Format : Présentiel Code : DF23ONER-2

MOOC Research integrity in scientific professions

Langue : Anglais Format : Distanciel Code : DF23EIISA

MOOC Intégrité scientifique dans les métiers de la recherche

Langue : Français Format : Distanciel Code : DF23EIISF

MOOC Éthique de la recherche

Langue : Français Format : Distanciel Code : DF23EIER

Advanced Applied Data Analytics

Langue : Anglais Format : Distanciel Code : DFONAA

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Find out all about the conditions and formalities of the thesis defence depending on the research team or laboratory you have joined. 

Published on 7/01/2020 - Updated on 30/01/2024

You are assigned to a laboratory affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine or the Faculty of Science

The manuscript.

Language of the manuscript

As the thesis leads to the award of a French national degree, it should generally be written and defended in French. However, it may be the case that, for scientific reasons, the subject matter requires the use of a language other than French. By decision of the Scientific Council of 4 March 2013, this is now decided by the directors of doctoral schools, who are competent to judge matters of scientific priority. As recommended by the Ministry, a lengthy written summary of the thesis in French will be required.

Writing the manuscript

To help you write your manuscript, Sorbonne University provides you with a guide for writing and presenting theses, as well as two style sheets, one of which concerns international co-supervision theses.

• Guide to writing and presenting theses
• Classic style sheet
• Style sheets: theses in international co-supervision

Communication courses are organised for the preparation of your manuscript but also for the defence. Find these courses in the training catalogue for doctoral candidates at Sorbonne University. 

Appointment of rapporteurs and the thesis jury

The President of Sorbonne University delegates the appointment of rapporteurs, the composition of the jury and the authorisation of the defence to the director of the doctoral school.

Appointment of rapporteurs

The President appoints two rapporteurs, authorised to direct research or belonging to one of the categories referred to in Article 17 of the Order of 25 May 2016 at the proposal of the director of the doctoral school and after consulting the thesis director.

• Rapporteurs must come from outside the doctoral school and the doctoral candidate's institution of enrolment.
• They have no involvement in the work of the doctoral candidate.
• They may come from foreign higher education or research institutions or other foreign bodies.
• The rapporteurs shall make their opinion known by means of written reports on the basis of which the President shall authorise the defence. These reports shall be made known to the jury and the candidate before the defence.
•  In the event of disagreement between the two rapporteurs, the President shall appoint a third rapporteur.

Appointment of the thesis jury

The thesis jury is appointed by the president after consulting the director of the doctoral school and the thesis director. There are between 4 and 8 jury members.

At least half of its members are French or foreign people, from outside the doctoral school and the candidate's enrolment establishment, chosen for their scientific competence, subject to provisions relating to the international co-supervision of the thesis. At least half of the jury must be made up of professors or similar personnel, or teachers of equivalent rank who do not report to the Ministry in charge of higher education. Its composition must allow a balanced representation of women and men. The thesis director is a member of the jury, but does not take part in the decision. The thesis jury must include, apart from the thesis director, a lecturer or researcher from Sorbonne University - i.e. attached to a research structure associated with Sorbonne University - holding accreditation to direct research or similar.

Request for defence

Two steps are necessary with two different structures: one with the doctoral school, the other with the reception office. 

At the doctoral school at least 8 weeks before the defence Candidates must contact the director of the doctoral school they belong to, following the procedures indicated on the doctoral school's website, and must submit the "Application for authorisation to present a defence" and "Authorisation to defend" forms, duly completed and signed by the thesis director.   When the jury is accepted by the doctoral school Candidates send the documents called "Letters accompanying the manuscript" and "Thesis reports" to their referees, with their manuscript specifying the name, e-mail address and physical address of the head of the doctoral school to which they should be returned. The reports and the defence authorisation form must be sent by the doctoral school to the reception office at least three weeks before the date scheduled for the defence. It is the candidate’s responsibility to find out whether the reception office has received their documents.

At the doctoral candidate s' reception office at least 4 weeks before the defence  Candidates must submit their defence file including their manuscript on CD-Rom and the documents necessary for the dissemination of their thesis.

For better follow-up We provide you with a small tool: the defence calendar (excel). Enter your defence date and you will be given the deadlines to be met!

Defence file

The defence file includes

The documents

It must be submitted to the doctoral candidates' reception office at least 4 weeks before the defence: make an appointment with the doctoral candidates' reception office. The thesis subject must have the same wording on all documents and copies.

The CD-ROM Several documents are to be saved on the CD-ROM! It may seem tedious to you but it will be very useful for the library and the archiving of your thesis. Your work will thus be valued. 

The CD-ROM, on which your NAME, FIRST NAME and FILE NUMBER appear, contains the 7 files (9 in the case of expurgated texts). It is recommended to use the style sheets proposed by Sorbonne University (standard (215 KB) or for co-supervision theses (254 KB). 

• 1 .txt or .doc file with the title of the thesis, named: subject_Folder_No.
• 1 .txt or .doc file with the translated title of the thesis (in English for example), named: subject_translated_Folder_No.
• 1 file (or folder) containing the full text of the thesis in source format (word, latex, open office) named: thesis_archiving_Folder_No.
• 1 file including the full text of the thesis in PDF format named: thesis_archiving_Folder_No.pdf
• 1 .txt or .doc file containing the French summary of the thesis (1700 characters including spaces maximum) named: summary_fr_Folder_No.doc
• 1 .txt or .doc file containing the English summary of the thesis (1700 characters including spaces maximum) named: summary_en_Folder_No.doc
• 1 .txt or .doc file containing the 6 keywords in French, in lower case, separated by semicolons named: key words_Folder_No.doc

and as applicable :

• 1 file (or folder) including the redacted text of the thesis (without the documents subject to copyright not acquired in the source format named thesis_dissemination_Folder_No.)
• 1 file in pdf format named these_ dissemination _Folder_No.pdf

Optional •    The font files if special characters are used (Greek, Hebrew, phonetic...)

• The "FACILE" application report indicating that the analysis is valid (just print the browser page). The validity of the .pdf files burned on the CD must be confirmed on the FACILE application. The requested pdf files must be valid. If not, they will be rejected by the Doctoral Candidates' Office. You will then be asked to provide another CDRom with a new validated version.  Your manuscript must be digitally archived for the future on a national platform. For this, pdf format has been chosen by the National Computer Center for Higher Education, CINES.  The Facile application allows you to check that the file is ready to be archived on the CINES platform. The report that you must provide in printed version informs us of its status.
• the distribution charter for the electronic thesis to be downloaded and printed
• the thesis form to be completed and printed

and, as applicable :

• The declaration of a modification to the manuscript after the defence

For any technical question about FACILE, contact the Sorbonne University library (BSU)

Authorisation form for an off-site defence If necessary, complete and print the authorisation form for an off-site defence. 

Submission and dissemination of the thesis

Submission of the thesis Final manuscripts must be submitted in digital format (CD-Rom) to the doctoral candidates' reception office 4 weeks before the date of the defence without waiting for the corrections requested by the rapporteurs.  This CD-Rom is accompanied by the Defence File.  The defence is subject to the submission to the president of the selection board of certification of the submission of the thesis and the completed electronic form. If the jury or the rapporteurs have requested corrections, the new doctor has three months after the defence to submit his corrected thesis in electronic format, accompanied by a certificate from the jury member stating that the corrections have been made.

Dissemination of the thesis Sorbonne University files the validated version of the thesis in its dissemination and archiving formats, as well as the electronic docket, in the national STAR application managed by the Agence bibliographique de l'enseignement supérieur - ABES. The college of doctoral schools offers you a course cycle called "Biblio@doctorate".  You can sign up for it.

Confidentiality or embargo? You have submitted the final version of your manuscript. It will be forwarded to the university library for flagging and distribution. However, the manuscript’s dissemination may be delayed either by the doctor (embargo) or by the university (confidentiality).

When you submit your manuscript, you can ask to delay its release, for example when results are pending publication. This is known as an embargo request. You will be asked to specify an embargo end date, i.e. the date on which you want your thesis to be disseminated. To request an embargo, just indicate it on the thesis form.

• Non-disclosure

This is a matter of prohibiting the disclosure, reproduction and dissemination of the thesis over a given period of time. This request is generally linked to the existence of a research contract or agreement signed between the partners of the doctoral research project to define the objectives of the research, the contributions of each party and the rules of intellectual property of the results. The request comes from you but from your thesis director, laboratory director or partner institution. Only the President of Sorbonne University can grant it. The thesis is then only reported but cannot be disclosed, reproduced or disseminated before the end of the non-disclosure period granted.

How do I make a non-disclosure request?  No later than three months before the defence For PhD candidates hosted in a research unit whose promotional activities are managed by Sorbonne University*, the thesis director completes the non-disclosure request form specific to Sorbonne University For doctoral candidates hosted in a research unit whose promotional activities are not managed by Sorbonne University but by another supervising institution, the thesis director completes the non-disclosure request form specific to the other institutions, has it signed by the promotional structure they belong and returns it to the Doctoral Candidates Reception Office.

* : for any question relating to the establishment which manages the promotion of your unit please contact: Lise Tourneux-Ravel at the Directorate of Research and Innovation (DR&I) This document is filed before the defence with the doctoral candidates' reception office.

• For research units whose promotional activities are managed by Sorbonne University :

All "readers" of the manuscript must agree to keep the data confidential and complete the Non-disclosure Form (including the thesis supervisor. It must also be sent to the rapporteurs at the same time as the manuscript. The members of the jury may complete it by the time of the oral presentation at the latest. If confidential results are presented at the hearing, the non-disclosure undertaking will be signed by each of the persons present. A list will be drawn up by the president of the jury from the list prepared for this purpose.  If they have not been submitted, the doctor, the thesis director and the chair of the selection board will complete this non-disclosure certificate. 

Request for in camera proceedings The physical organisation of a closed session is the responsibility of the president of the jury who will complete the list of those present.

At the end of the defence Once the defence has been completed, all documents must be handed over to the doctoral candidates' reception office. The degree certificate will only be handed over in light of the complete non-disclosure file.

• For research units whose promotional activities are not contracts managed by Sorbonne University 

The equivalent of this procedure may be organised by the institution in charge of the promotional activity.

The stages of a defence

The thesis is defended in two stages: a presentation by the doctoral candidate of their research work followed by a question-and-answer session with the members of the jury. At the end of the defence, the jury meets to deliberate and then announces its decision to award the thesis to the doctoral candidate.  The defence is public, unless the headmaster exceptionally grants an exemption if the subject of the thesis is proven to be confidential (cf Thesis filing and dissemination/Non-disclosure) The defence is traditionally followed by a "thesis party" organised at the discretion of the doctoral candidate.

Appointment of the President of the Jury

During the defence, the members of the jury shall appoint a chairman and, if necessary, a rapporteur for the defence from among themselves. The chairman must be a professor or equivalent or a teacher of equivalent rank. The thesis director cannot be appointed either as rapporteur for the defence or as president of the jury. The thesis director does not take part in the decision.

Awarding the title of doctor

Admission or adjournment will be decided after deliberation by the selection board. The chairman signs the defence report, which is countersigned by all the members of the selection board. The report is sent to the candidate in the month after the defence. In accordance with regulations in force, the doctorate is awarded without any special mention. 

Corrections of theses

Final manuscripts must be submitted in digital format (CD-Rom) to the doctoral candidates' reception office 3 weeks before the date of the defence without waiting for any corrections requested by the rapporteurs.  At the end of the defence, they will be sent by the doctoral candidates' reception office at the Sorbonne University library according to the instructions given by the president of the jury in the defence report.

The thesis can be reproduced as is without any correction. The CD-Rom that is filed before the defence is considered to be final and sent to the library for distribution, archiving... 

However, if the doctor wishes to make minor corrections: You have a period of one month to make minor corrections (typos, formatting, etc.) and submit the corrected version (labelled corrected version) and on CD-ROM to the doctoral candidates' reception office accompanied by a signed declaration from you indicating that the corrections have been made (manuscript modification declaration form) and the report from the Facile application. At the end of this period, even if the corrections have not been made, the thesis will be sent to the library to be reported, reproduced and disseminated.

The thesis cannot be reproduced as-is... The jury wanted major corrections under the responsibility of a designated jury member. You then have 3 months to make these corrections and submit the corrected version of your thesis on CD-Rom accompanied by the form for declaring modifications to the manuscript) and the report from the Facile application to the doctoral candidates' reception office. The CD must be accompanied by a letter from the member of the jury designated during the defence, certifying that the requested corrections have been made. The delivery of the graduation certificate, the reporting, reproduction, distribution and consultation of the manuscript are subject to the delivery of the corrected versions and the certificate.    Emmanuel DESCUBESBSU Electronic Theses Service Snake Library Email

Collection of degrees

Once the defence is over, don't forget to bring the original of your report to the Doctoral Candidates' Office. Then, you will be able to collect your degree by appointment within a fortnight. Previous degrees are published within a maximum period of 6 months.      Collection at the reception office You can pick it up at the Doctoral Candidate Reception Office. Please bring an identity document (national or European identity card, passport, residence permit).  If you can't make it, another person can come in your place. They will need to bring a handwritten power of attorney, a copy of your ID and their own ID.

Doctoral candidates reception office - - 15 rue de l’école de médecine - Escalier G – 2e étage 75006 PARIS (métro Odéon) Opening hours: 9:30 am - 4:30 pm (closed on Wednesdays)

Collection by mail You can also have your diploma sent to you. If you wish to receive your degree by post, please send us:

For a delivery to France

• €6.82 in postage stamps
• A registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt filled in at the permanent address at which you wish to receive your diploma in the addressee box and "Sorbonne Université - Bureau d'accueil des doctorants - 15 rue de l'école de médecine - 75006 Paris" in the sender box.

For a delivery abroad

• €12.10 in postage stamps or the equivalent in international coupons
• An international registered mail shipping slip (CN07)
• A deposit form (517/517 bis) filled in with the permanent address at which you wish to receive your diploma in the recipient box and "Sorbonne Université - Bureau d'accueil des doctorants - 15 rue de l'école de médecine - 75006 Paris" in the sender box.
• You can frank your mail from your home in France or abroad on the website of the Post Office.

Do you need your degree authenticated?

• Find out about legalisations
• Legalisation or apostille: for which country

Cérémonie des docteurs

Need a personalized reception .

The appointment scheduling system enables the doctoral candidates and HDR reception office to ensure you receive an individual, personalised and smooth welcome. This system allows you to make an appointment from the available schedules. Only times that are not already booked will be displayed. No appointment booked on a profile other than the one you applied for will be honoured. Appointments are individual and bear on a single case.

Information required when making a booking

• Your email address must be correct so we can send you your email confirmation. If the address has been used several times on other Sorbonne University forms and an email tells you that your address has already been used, log in with another address.
• Present the confirmation on your mobile phone or on a printout at the doctoral candidates' reception office.
• To avoid delaying other appointments, please arrive at the reception office on time.
• If you are unable to attend or delayed, cancel the appointment and schedule a new one on the platform according to availability.
• In some exceptional cases, the reception office will be unable to honour the precise appointment schedule. You will of course be dealt with within a reasonable time.
• In very exceptional cases (computer failures ...), you will be notified through the email address given when you made your appointment by the doctoral candidates' reception office and HDR, on the same day.
• No appointments other than those given here can be made (either by email or by phone).  

Scheduling appointments  The organization of the reception office has changed. Appointments are now made according to your doctoral school.

You are part of the doctoral school

• Complexity of life
• Physiology, physiopathology and therapeutics
• Physics in Ile-de-France
• Physics and chemistry of materials
• Earth and Environmental Sciences and Physics of the Universe
• Brain, cognition and behavior
• Molecular Chemistry of Paris-Centre
• Computer science, telecommunications and electronics
• Natural and human sciences: evolution and ecology
• Astronomy and astrophysics of IdF
• Physical chemistry and analytical chemistry
• Geosciences, natural resources and environment
• Pierre Louis Public Health
• Environmental Sciences of IdF
• Mathematical Sciences

Schedule an appointment

Defence FAQ

• A CD-ROM and why not a more up-to-date medium? The CD-rom is the cheapest medium (€2 to 3). This is a constraint for the library in terms of archiving. Look out for some news on this soon, we are working on it! By the way, not all burners work with all brands of CDs, check that the data is present and readable.
• The files "thesis title", "summaries", "keywords"..., are they really useful? This is your personal metadata. They allow you to be listed on the dedicated internet platforms, in French, in English... others are imported from your student file or copied from the defence forms to the library and thesis forms. Copy/paste but a better readability of your work.
• Redacted version, full version, what are the differences? The complete version is the final version of the manuscript. The expurgated version is the one that will be put on line according to any confidentiality issues, or the use of resources subject to copyright which you must comply with. It is not necessary if you have nothing to conceal!
• Why provide the text in source format? Because a computer application can fail! Having the source version allows the Sorbonne University library, which is in charge of archiving and distributing the manuscripts, to recreate a pdf if necessary. It may need your fonts to reprocess the file.
• I wrote my thesis on LaTeX, how can I make a single file in source format? You can make as many as you need, as long as they are numbered. The pdf file will still be unique and will group all the files together.
• Paperwork to be returned to the reception office... why? In the event of an appeal, the conditions for the presentation of original documents ensure the greatest evidentiary force, both for you and for the university.  
• What is the purpose of the dissemination charter? You are the author of the manuscript, but you have rights and responsibilities.  
• What's the point of sending the jury members' email addresses by mail? Jury members must receive the rapporteurs' reports prior to your defence. Regulatory but especially useful for your presentation.  They must be sent out to all jury members; don't forget your thesis director if he is present! Make sure you enter the addresses separated by semicolons to avoid getting "user unknown".
• What do I do in co-supervision? You will get your degree from Sorbonne University, so you must act like any doctoral candidate preparing his defence, same files, same conditions and defence schedule.
• Are the guests on the jury? No, they must not appear in the report or any other administrative document.

Bureau d'accueil des doctorants - 15 rue de l'école de médecine 75006 Paris

You are assigned to an affiliated laboratory by the Faculty of Arts

Organizing your defence

Preparing For Your Dissertation Defense

13 Key Questions To Expect In The Viva Voce

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) & David Phair (PhD) . Reviewed By: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | June 2021

Preparing for your dissertation or thesis defense (also called a “viva voce”) is a formidable task . All your hard work over the years leads you to this one point, and you’ll need to defend yourself against some of the most experienced researchers you’ve encountered so far.

It’s natural to feel a little nervous.

In this post, we’ll cover some of the most important questions you should be able to answer in your viva voce, whether it’s for a Masters or PhD degree. Naturally, they might not arise in exactly the same form (some may not come up at all), but if you can answer these questions well, it means you’re in a good position to tackle your oral defense.

Viva Voce Prep: 13 Essential Questions

• What is your study about and why did you choose to research this in particular?
• How did your research questions evolve during the research process?
• How did you decide on which sources to include in your literature review?
• How did you design your study and why did you take this approach?
• How generalisable and valid are the findings?
• What were the main shortcomings and limitations created by your research design?
• How did your findings relate to the existing literature?
• What were your key findings in relation to the research questions?
• Were there any findings that surprised you?
• What biases may exist in your research?
• How can your findings be put into practice?
• How has your research contributed to current thinking in the field?
• If you could redo your research, how would you alter your approach?

#1: What is your study about and why did you choose to research this in particular?

This question, a classic party starter, is pretty straightforward.

What the dissertation or thesis committee is assessing here is your ability to clearly articulate your research aims, objectives and research questions in a concise manner. Concise is the keyword here – you need to clearly explain your research topic without rambling on for a half-hour. Don’t feel the need to go into the weeds here – you’ll have many opportunities to unpack the details later on.

In the second half of the question, they’re looking for a brief explanation of the justification of your research. In other words, why was this particular set of research aims, objectives and questions worth addressing? To address this question well in your oral defense, you need to make it clear what gap existed within the research and why that gap was worth filling.

#2: How did your research questions evolve during the research process?

Good research generally follows a long and winding path . It’s seldom a straight line (unless you got really lucky). What they’re assessing here is your ability to follow that path and let the research process unfold.

Specifically, they’ll want to hear about the impact that the literature review process had on you in terms of shaping the research aims, objectives and research questions . For example, you may have started with a certain set of aims, but then as you immersed yourself in the literature, you may have changed direction. Similarly, your initial fieldwork findings may have turned out some unexpected data that drove you to adjust or expand on your initial research questions.

Long story short – a good defense involves clearly describing your research journey , including all the twists and turns. Adjusting your direction based on findings in the literature or the fieldwork shows that you’re responsive , which is essential for high-quality research.

#3: How did you decide on which sources to include in your literature review?

A comprehensive literature review is the foundation of any high-quality piece of research. With this question, your dissertation or thesis committee are trying to assess which quality criteria and approach you used to select the sources for your literature review.

Typically, good research draws on both the seminal work in the respective field and more recent sources . In other words, a combination of the older landmark studies and pivotal work, along with up-to-date sources that build on to those older studies. This combination ensures that the study has a rock-solid foundation but is not out of date.

So, make sure that your study draws on a mix of both the “classics” and new kids on the block, and take note of any major evolutions in the literature that you can use as an example when asked this question in your viva voce.

#4: How did you design your study and why did you take this approach?

This is a classic methodological question that you can almost certainly expect in some or other shape.

What they’re looking for here is a clear articulation of the research design and methodology, as well as a strong justification of each choice . So, you need to be able to walk through each methodological choice and clearly explain both what you did and why you did it. The why is particularly important – you need to be able to justify each choice you made by clearly linking your design back to your research aims, objectives and research questions, while also taking into account practical constraints.

To ensure you cover every base, check out our research methodology vlog post , as well as our post covering the Research Onion .

#5: How generalizable and valid are the findings?

This question is aimed at specifically digging into your understanding of the sample and how that relates to the population, as well as potential validity issues in your methodology.

To answer question this well, you’ll need to critically assess your sample and findings and consider if they truly apply to the entire population, as well as whether they assessed what they set out to. Note that there are two components here – generalizability and validity . Generalizability is about how well the sample represents the population. Validity is about how accurately you’ve measured what you intended to measure .

To ace this part of your dissertation defense, make sure that you’re very familiar with the concepts of generalizability , validity and reliability , and how these apply to your research. Remember, you don’t need to achieve perfection – you just need to be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of your research (and how the weaknesses could be improved upon).

Need a helping hand?

#6: What were the main shortcomings and limitations created by your research design?

This question picks up where the last one left off.

As I mentioned, it’s perfectly natural that your research will have shortcomings and limitations as a result of your chosen design and methodology. No piece of research is flawless. Therefore, a good dissertation defense is not about arguing that your work is perfect, but rather it’s about clearly articulating the strengths and weaknesses of your approach.

To address this question well, you need to think critically about all of the potential weaknesses your design may have, as well as potential responses to these (which could be adopted in future research) to ensure you’re well prepared for this question. For a list of common methodological limitations, check out our video about research limitations here .

#7: How did your findings relate to the existing literature?

This common dissertation defense question links directly to your discussion chapter , where you would have presented and discussed the findings in relation to your literature review.

What your dissertation or thesis committee is assessing here is your ability to compare your study’s findings to the findings of existing research . Specifically, you need to discuss which findings aligned with existing research and which findings did not. For those findings that contrasted against existing research, you should also explain what you believe to be the reasons for this.

As with many questions in a viva voce, it’s both the what and the why that matter here. So, you need to think deeply about what the underlying reasons may be for both the similarities and differences between your findings and those of similar studies.

#8: What were your key findings in relation to the research questions?

This question is similar to the last one in that it too focuses on your research findings. However, here the focus is specifically on the findings that directly relate to your research questions (as opposed to findings in general).

So, a good way to prepare for this question is to step back and revisit your research questions . Ask yourself the following:

• What exactly were you asking in those questions, and what did your research uncover concerning them?
• Which questions were well answered by your study and which ones were lacking?
• Why were they lacking and what more could be done to address this in future research?

Conquering this part dissertation defense requires that you focus squarely on the research questions. Your study will have provided many findings (hopefully!), and not all of these will link directly to the research questions. Therefore, you need to clear your mind of all of the fascinating side paths your study may have lead you down and regain a clear focus on the research questions .

#9: Were there any findings that surprised you?

This question is two-pronged.

First, you should discuss the surprising findings that were directly related to the original research questions . Going into your research, you likely had some expectations in terms of what you would find, so this is your opportunity to discuss the outcomes that emerged as contrary to what you initially expected. You’ll also want to think about what the reasons for these contrasts may be.

Second, you should discuss the findings that weren’t directly related to the research questions, but that emerged from the data set . You may have a few or you may have none – although generally there are a handful of interesting musings that you can glean from the data set. Again, make sure you can articulate why you find these interesting and what it means for future research in the area.

What the committee is looking for in this type of question is your ability to interpret the findings holistically and comprehensively , and to respond to unexpected data. So, take the time to zoom out and reflect on your findings thoroughly.

#10: What biases may exist in your research?

Biases… we all have them.

For this question, you’ll need to think about potential biases in your research , in the data itself but also in your interpretation of the data. With this question, your committee is assessing whether you have considered your own potential biases and the biases inherent in your analysis approach (i.e. your methodology). So, think carefully about these research biases and be ready to explain how these may exist in your study.

In an oral defense, this question is often followed up with a question on how the biases were mitigated or could be mitigated in future research. So, give some thought not just to what biases may exist, but also the mitigation measures (in your own study and for future research).

#11: How can your findings be put into practice?

Another classic question in the typical viva voce.

With this question, your committee is assessing your ability to bring your findings back down to earth and demonstrate their practical value and application. Importantly, this question is not about the contribution to academia or the overall field of research (we’ll get to that next) – it is specifically asking about how this newly created knowledge can be used in the real world.

Naturally, the actionability of your findings will vary depending on the nature of your research topic. Some studies will produce many action points and some won’t. If you’re researching marketing strategies within an industry, for example, you should be able to make some very specific recommendations for marketing practitioners in that industry.

To help you flesh out points for this question, look back at your original justification for the research (i.e. in your introduction and literature review chapters). What were the driving forces that led you to research your specific topic? That justification should help you identify ways in which your findings can be put into practice.

#12: How has your research contributed to current thinking in the field?

While the previous question was aimed at practical contribution, this question is aimed at theoretical contribution . In other words, what is the significance of your study within the current body of research? How does it fit into the existing research and what does it add to it?

This question is often asked by a field specialist and is used to assess whether you’re able to place your findings into the research field to critically convey what your research contributed. This argument needs to be well justified – in other words, you can’t just discuss what your research contributed, you need to also back each proposition up with a strong why .

To answer this question well, you need to humbly consider the quality and impact of your work and to be realistic in your response. You don’t want to come across as arrogant (“my work is groundbreaking”), nor do you want to undersell the impact of your work. So, it’s important to strike the right balance between realistic and pessimistic .

This question also opens the door to questions about potential future research . So, think about what future research opportunities your study has created and which of these you feel are of the highest priority.

#13: If you could redo your research, how would you alter your approach?

This question is often used to wrap up a viva voce as it brings the discussion full circle.

Here, your committee is again assessing your ability to clearly identify and articulate the limitations and shortcomings of your research, both in terms of research design and topic focus . Perhaps, in hindsight, it would have been better to use a different analysis method or data set. Perhaps the research questions should have leaned in a slightly different direction. And so on.

This question intends to assess whether you’re able to look at your work critically , assess where the weaknesses are and make recommendations for the future . This question often sets apart those who did the research purely because it was required, from those that genuinely engaged with their research. So, don’t hold back here – reflect on your entire research journey ask yourself how you’d do things differently if you were starting with a  blank canvas today.

Recap: The 13 Key Dissertation Defense Questions

To recap, here are the 13 questions you need to be ready for to ace your dissertation or thesis oral defense:

As I mentioned, this list of dissertation defense questions is certainly not exhaustive – don’t assume that we’ve covered every possible question here. However, these questions are quite likely to come up in some shape or form in a typical dissertation or thesis defense, whether it’s for a Master’s degree, PhD or any other research degree. So, you should take the time to make sure you can answer them well.

If you need assistance preparing for your dissertation defense or viva voce, get in touch with us to discuss 1-on-1 coaching. We can critically review your research and identify potential issues and responses, as well as undertake a mock oral defense to prepare you for the pressures and stresses on the day.

Psst... there’s more!

This post was based on one of our popular Research Bootcamps . If you're working on a research project, you'll definitely want to check this out ...

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12 Comments

Very interesting

Interesting. I appreciate!

Really appreciating

My field is International Trade

Interesting

This is a full course on defence. I was fabulously enlightened and I gained enough confidence for my upcoming Masters Defence.

There are many lessons to learn and the simplicity in presentationmakes thee reader say “YesI can”

This is so helping… it has Enlightened me on how to answer specific questions. I pray to make it through for my upcoming defense

Lovely to hear that 🙂

Really educative and beneficial

Interesting. On-point and elaborate. And comforting too! Thanks.

Thank you very much for the enlightening me, be blessed

Thankyou so much. I am planning to defend my thesis soon and I found this very useful

Very interesting and useful to all masters and PhD students

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Defending your thesis

Planning stages, procedure for the defense, upcoming defense sessions.

Authorization to defend a thesis is granted by the President ofuniversité Savoie Mont Blanc, after consultation with the Director of the École Doctorale Culture, Sociétés, Territoires (CST), and on the recommendation of the thesis director.

The timetable below summarizes the various stages to be respected. It is essential to anticipate these stages in order to be able to respect this timetable.

Jury composition

The composition of your defense jury is examined by the director of the doctoral school, who will validate it according to the rules set out in article 18 of the decree of May 25, 2016 .

• The jury may not include guests. Thesis directors and co-directors may sit on the jury (counting), but they do not take part in the deliberations and do not sign the defense report or minutes.
• All juries must include a USMB HDR member (MCF/PR/CR/DR). The latter may be the thesis director.
• The thesis jury must be chaired by a university professor (or equivalent).
• The jury must be composed of between 4 and 8 members (strong recommendation fromDoctoral School CST for the jury to be composed of at least 5 members) .
• At least half of the jury must be from outside the CST doctoral school and the doctoral student's enrolling institution . Please note: a member belonging to a cotutelle institution is considered internal.
• At least half of the jury is made up of PR or similar staff (PR, PUPH, DR EPST, foreign PR).
• Balanced gender distribution on the jury.

Waiver request

It concerns the following cases and must be justified:

• Waiver request in ADUM required  
• Long summary in French required
• Defense sessions taking place outside the USMB
• Jury members present by videoconference. To authorize full videoconferencing, a derogation request must be generated from ADUM, and will be granted by the doctoral college management; a complementary procedure is sent to the thesis management prior to the defense. For partial videoconferencing, a procedure is also sent to the thesis director (but please note: the jury president and the doctoral student must be physically present in the same place, that of the defense, during partial videoconference defenses).
• Confidentiality of the thesis and/or defence in camera

First (provisional) electronic filing in ADUM :

The deposit is made in two instalments:

-a 1st deposit before the defense: 8 weeks before

-a 2nd at the latest 3 months after the defense, to make any necessary corrections. 

=>It is a prerequisite for the diploma.

Transmitting the manuscript to the referees

Transmission of the presentation cover and the completed 'devenir des docteurs' questionnaire.

Submission of a summary of your thesis in French and English

Transmission of the defense report and the declaration of correction of the manuscript to the Doctoral School (if necessary).

Second (final) e-filing: archiving declaration

The final electronic submission must be made no later than 3 months after the defense , so that corrections can be made if necessary. 

This second, definitive deposit will be the archival version of your thesis.

This is the full version in which the manuscript will be stored in the company's database.

Thesis distribution

'Unless the thesis has a proven confidentiality character, its distribution is ensured in the institution of defense and within the entire university community. Online dissemination of the thesis beyond this perimeter is subject to the author's authorization, subject to the absence of a confidentiality clause' - Article 25 of the Order of May 25, 2016.

The advantages of thesis distribution In the absence of a confidentiality clause, doctors are advised to authorize the distribution of their thesis for the following reasons: 

• Make the results of their research known to the scientific community and thus contribute to open access to science 
• Combat plagiarism by making it easier to trace the authorship of their own work.
• If the thesis is confidential, the manuscript may be classified as confidential for a maximum period of 18 months.

The release version

This is the version that the doctoral student decides to distribute, and may therefore differ from the archival version, notably for reasons of confidentiality.

It is the doctoral student's responsibility to remove from the public version of the manuscript any confidential information or elements for which he or she does not hold the rights (photos, illustrations, texts, etc.).

The doctoral student may also decide on an embargo period before publication, for example for publishing projects (the embargo period is completely free). In this case, the thesis is distributed under restricted "intranet" access until the embargo expires.

Please note: Even if an embargo period has been requested, the final manuscript must be submitted via the ADUM interface within 3 months of the defense (a mandatory condition for the awarding of the diploma). Please refer to the document " Signaler et diffuser sa thèse à l'USMB " for useful information from the university libraries' research support service (contact: [email protected]) ."

Distribution platforms

In addition to being available from Theses.fr, the Abes hosting and storage platform offers access to the full text of theses without a specific consultation interface.

The defense is a public event, except in certain special cases (provided for in article 19 of the Order of May 25, 2016).

The defense is divided into two parts:

• An oral presentation of the doctoral student's research for 20 to 45 minutes, depending on the discipline.
• A discussion between the doctoral student and each member of the jury, moderated by the jury president.

The jury then meets to deliberate.

At the end of the deliberations, the jury president announces the jury's decision to the doctoral student in the presence of the audience.

In the event of admission to the doctoral degree, the jury president invites the doctoral student to take the doctoral oath.                                                                   

   "In the presence of my peers. Having completed my doctorate in [specialty], and having thus practiced, in my quest for knowledge, the exercise of demanding scientific research, cultivating intellectual rigor, ethical reflexivity and respect for the principles of scientific integrity, I undertake, for what will depend on me, in the continuation of my professional career whatever the sector or field of activity, to maintain a conduct of integrity in my relationship to knowledge, my methods and my results."              

The oath may be taken in English for non-French-speaking doctoral students, or in the case of an international co-supervision of a thesis, before a non-French-speaking audience.

In the presence of my peers. With the completion of my doctorate in [research field], in my quest for knowledge, I have carried out demanding research, demonstrated intellectual rigour, ethical reflection, and respect for the principles of research integrity. As I pursue my professional career, whatever my chosen field, I pledge, to the greatest of my ability, to continue to maintain integrity in my relationship to knowledge, in my methods and in my results."

The jury draws up a defense report, which is sent to academics .

E n the event of admission, the doctoral student has three months in which to submit the final version of the thesis in electronic form. This submission is a prerequisite for the issuing of the doctoral diploma by the establishment.

Don't forget to organize your presentation well in advance:

• Room reservation
• Sending invitations
• Event announcement
• Invitations (supervisors, colleagues, collaborators, people involved in the doctoral project, people involved in non-research and associative activities, relatives, etc.)

On this page, you can consult the list of upcoming CST Doctoral School defenses, as well as details of each defense.

• Université Grenoble Alpes
• CSV Doctoral School
• EEATS Doctoral School
• I-MEP² Doctoral School
• ISCE Doctoral School
• LLSH Doctoral School
• MSTII Doctoral School
• PHILO Doctoral School
• PHYS Doctoral School
• SE Doctoral School
• SHPT Doctoral School
• SG Doctoral School
• SJ Doctoral School
• STEP Doctoral School
• fr Français

Learning by Research

• Doctoral College Organization
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• Subjects & Funding
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• Grenoble Alpes, an Innovation Ecosystem
• Re-enrolment
• PhD Student Space (ADUM)
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The Thesis Defense

Thesis Defense Authorization

• You must declare your willingness to organize your thesis on ADUM at least 10 weeks before the Thesis defense.
• At least 8 weeks before the Thesis defense, the complete file must be sent to the Doctoral School .

The Thesis Jury

• The composition of the jury is examined by the Director of the Doctoral School who verifies its conformity.
• The manuscript is then sent to the rapporteurs. The 2 pre-reports must be submitted on ADUM 4 weeks at the latest before the Thesis defense.

Organisation

The next thesis defenses, regulatory texts.

• Legal notices
• Personal details
• Website accessibility: not compliant

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The top 10 thesis defense questions (+ how to prepare strong answers)

Crafting a thesis is significant, but defending it often feels like the ultimate test. While nerve-wracking, proper preparation can make it manageable. Prepare for your thesis defense with insights on the top questions you can expect, including strategies for answering convincingly.

Mastering the thesis defense: cultivate a success mindset

Question 1: why did you choose this particular topic for your research, question 2: how does your research contribute to the existing body of knowledge, question 3: what are the key findings of your research, question 4: can you defend your research methodology, question 5: how did you analyze the data and what challenges did you encounter, question 6: what theoretical frameworks or references underpin your research, question 7: how did you address ethical considerations in your research, question 8: in what ways does your research contribute to the field, question 9: how did you ensure your research was free from bias, question 10: where can future research go from here.

Nurturing a success mindset for your defense is pivotal. This means adopting a mental outlook geared towards achieving favorable outcomes during your thesis defense. To truly excel in this pivotal academic moment, it’s imperative to cultivate both confidence and composure.

Confidence enables you to present your research with conviction, while composure allows you to navigate any challenges with grace and clarity.

Remember, you know your thesis best, so trust in your expertise.

In essence, a success mindset encompasses the belief in your abilities, coupled with the ability to remain calm and focused under pressure.

Stay composed and focused, relying on your thorough preparation. If you encounter a question you can’t answer, gracefully guide the conversation back to familiar topics.

Use strategic responses when needed. For example, if a question goes beyond your thesis scope, acknowledge its relevance but steer back to your focused areas. Similarly, if you’re unfamiliar with a theory or literature, admit it but offer related insights or perspectives.

By embracing these principles and staying confident and adaptable, you’ll navigate your thesis defense with ease.

This question delves into the origins of your academic journey, aiming to understand not just what you studied, but the underlying motivations and processes that drove your exploration. It’s not merely about the superficial aspects of your research, but rather about the deeper intellectual curiosity that ignited your quest.

To effectively respond, take the opportunity to elaborate on the intricacies of your journey. Begin by unpacking the specific interests or questions that sparked your intellectual curiosity in the subject matter. What events, experiences, or influences led you to delve into this particular area of study? Providing an anecdote or example that vividly illustrates the genesis of your scholarly pursuit can be helpful.

Moreover, discuss the gaps you identified in the existing literature that motivated you to contribute to your field. What deficiencies or unanswered questions did you observe? How did these gaps inspire you to embark on your research journey with the aim of filling these voids? By articulating the specific shortcomings in the current body of knowledge, you demonstrate a nuanced understanding of your research area and underscore the significance of your work.

Additionally, highlight any personal or academic experiences that played a pivotal role in steering you towards your chosen topic. Whether it was a transformative educational experience, a profound personal interest, or a meaningful encounter, these experiences can offer valuable insights into the origins of your scholarly pursuits.

In summary, when articulating your narrative, consider the following key points:

• Unpack the specific interests or questions that sparked your intellectual curiosity.
• Discuss the gaps in the existing literature that motivated your research.
• Highlight any personal or academic experiences that influenced your choice of topic.

This question delves into the vital role your research plays within the existing body of knowledge, urging you to articulate its significance and impact. It’s not merely about the subject matter you’ve studied, but also about the unique contributions and advancements your research brings to your field. To effectively respond, delve into the intricacies of your work and its implications for the broader academic landscape.

Begin by emphasizing the novelties and breakthroughs your research introduces. Highlight specific aspects of your study that represent advancements in understanding or methodologies. Whether it’s a novel approach to a longstanding problem, the discovery of new phenomena, or the development of innovative methodologies, these contributions underscore the significance of your research within the academic community.

Next, describe how your work engages with or challenges current conversations in your field. Discuss the existing paradigms or theories your research builds upon or critiques. Articulate how your findings contribute to ongoing debates or reshape prevailing understandings. By positioning your research within the broader context of scholarly discourse, you showcase its relevance and impact on the evolving landscape of your field.

Illuminate how your findings could influence future research trajectories. Explore potential avenues for further inquiry that emerge from your research findings. Consider how your work opens up new questions or areas of exploration for future researchers. By identifying these potential research directions, you demonstrate the forward-looking nature of your work and its potential to shape the future trajectory of your field.

In summary, when addressing how your research contributes to the existing body of knowledge, consider the following key points:

• Emphasize the novelties and breakthroughs your research introduces.
• Describe the conversations in your field that your work engages with or challenges.
• Illuminate how your findings could influence future research trajectories.

Addressing the question of your research’s key findings demands skill, as it necessitates succinctly summarizing your work while conveying its significance. To effectively respond, distill your findings into digestible takeaways that encapsulate the essence of your research. Identify the central discoveries or outcomes of your study, ensuring clarity and conciseness in your presentation.

Furthermore, relate these findings to the broader implications they hold for your field. Articulate how your research contributes to advancing knowledge or addressing pressing issues within your academic discipline. Consider the potential impact of your findings on theory, practice, or policy, highlighting their relevance and significance within the larger scholarly community.

Additionally, be prepared to elucidate the nuances and complexities involved in your results. While providing a concise summary of your findings is essential, it’s equally important to acknowledge the intricacies and limitations of your research. Discuss any methodological considerations, unexpected outcomes, or areas for further investigation, demonstrating a nuanced understanding of your work.

In summary, when addressing the key findings of your research, consider the following key points:

• Distill your findings into digestible takeaways.
• Relate the outcomes to the broader implications they hold for your field.
• Be prepared to shed light on the nuances and complexities involved in your results.

Defending your research methodology entails a comprehensive understanding of its rationale, alignment with research objectives, and acknowledgment of potential limitations. It’s not merely about explaining the methods employed but also justifying why they were chosen over alternative approaches. To effectively respond, delve into the intricacies of your methodology and its implications for the study.

Begin by elucidating the reasons for selecting the chosen methodology over alternatives. Discuss the specific advantages or suitability of the selected approach in addressing the research questions or objectives. Consider factors such as feasibility, appropriateness for the research context, and compatibility with the theoretical framework guiding your study.

Furthermore, explain how your chosen methods align with your research objectives. Articulate how the selected methodology enables you to achieve the intended outcomes and contribute to answering the research questions. Discuss how each methodological choice supports the overall research design and furthers the overarching goals of the study.

Be prepared to discuss the limitations inherent in your chosen methodology and how you mitigated them. Acknowledge any constraints or shortcomings associated with the selected approach, such as potential biases, sample size limitations, or data collection challenges. Demonstrate your awareness of these limitations and discuss the strategies implemented to address or minimize their impact on the validity and reliability of your findings.

In summary, when defending your research methodology, consider the following key points:

• Justify the methodology with reasons for selecting it over alternatives.
• Explain the methods’ alignment with your research objectives.
• Be ready to discuss the limitations and how you mitigated them.

Addressing the intricacies of data analysis involves not only outlining the techniques employed but also navigating the challenges encountered and evaluating the reliability and validity of the interpretations drawn. When responding to inquiries about data analysis, it’s essential to provide a comprehensive understanding of the methodologies employed, the obstacles faced, and the strategies utilized to ensure the accuracy and credibility of the findings.

Begin by outlining the techniques used for data analysis. Describe the specific methods, tools, and software employed to process and interpret the data collected. Whether it involved quantitative statistical analysis, qualitative coding techniques, or a combination of both, provide insights into the analytical framework guiding your study. Additionally, discuss the rationale behind the chosen analytical approach and how it aligns with the research objectives and questions.

Next, share the hurdles faced during the data analysis process and how you overcame them. Reflect on any challenges encountered, such as data cleaning issues, missing data, or unexpected patterns in the dataset. Discuss the steps taken to address these challenges, whether through iterative refinement of analytical techniques, consultation with peers or supervisors, or adaptation of the research design. Highlighting your ability to navigate obstacles demonstrates resilience and resourcefulness in overcoming methodological challenges.

Furthermore, discuss the reliability and validity of your data interpretation. Evaluate the rigor and credibility of your analytical process, considering factors such as data integrity, consistency, and relevance to the research objectives. Discuss any measures taken to ensure the trustworthiness of the findings, such as inter-coder reliability checks, triangulation of data sources, or member checking with participants. By critically examining the reliability and validity of your data interpretation, you provide insights into the robustness of your analytical approach and the credibility of the conclusions drawn.

In summary, when addressing inquiries about data analysis, consider the following key points:

• Outline the techniques used for data analysis.
• Share the hurdles faced during the process and how you overcame them.
• Discuss the reliability and validity of your data interpretation.

Exploring the theoretical underpinnings of your research involves delving into the foundational frameworks and seminal works that informed your study’s conceptual framework and analytical approach. When responding to inquiries about theoretical frameworks , it’s essential to provide a comprehensive understanding of the theories and references that shaped your research, elucidate their influence on your hypothesis and analysis, and reflect on the potential contributions or revisions your study may offer to existing theoretical foundations.

Begin by naming the key theories and seminal works that guided your research. Identify the theoretical frameworks that provided the conceptual scaffolding for your study, as well as the seminal works that shaped your understanding of the research area. Discuss how these theories and references informed your research design, methodology, and analytical approach, providing a theoretical lens through which to interpret your findings.

Elucidate on how these frameworks shaped your hypothesis and analysis. Describe how the theoretical perspectives and insights gleaned from seminal works informed the development of your research questions, hypotheses, and analytical framework. Discuss the ways in which these theoretical frameworks guided your data collection and interpretation, influencing the selection of variables, measures, and analytical techniques employed in your study.

Reflect on how your research may contribute to or revise these theoretical foundations. Consider the implications of your findings for advancing existing theoretical frameworks or revising established paradigms within your field. Discuss how your research extends or challenges current theoretical perspectives, offering new insights, conceptual refinements, or empirical evidence that may enrich or reshape prevailing theories. By critically examining the relationship between your research and existing theoretical frameworks, you provide insights into the broader theoretical implications and contributions of your study.

In summary, when addressing inquiries about theoretical frameworks, consider the following key points:

• Name the key theories and seminal works that guided your research.
• Elucidate on how these frameworks shaped your hypothesis and analysis.
• Reflect on how your research may contribute to or revise these theoretical foundations.

When addressing ethical considerations in your research, it’s essential to demonstrate a commitment to upholding ethical standards and protecting the rights and well-being of participants. Responding to inquiries about ethical protocols involves explaining the steps taken to ensure ethical conduct throughout the research process, describing the consent process and data protection measures implemented, and mentioning any institutional review board (IRB) approvals obtained.

Begin by explaining the ethical protocols you followed. Detail the ethical guidelines, codes of conduct, or regulatory frameworks that informed your research design and conduct. Discuss how these guidelines influenced decisions regarding participant recruitment, data collection methods, confidentiality protocols, and data storage procedures, emphasizing your adherence to ethical principles throughout the research process.

Describe the consent process, if applicable, and how you protected participants’ data. Provide insights into how informed consent was obtained from participants, including the procedures used to inform participants about the research purpose, risks, benefits, and their rights. Discuss any measures taken to safeguard participants’ privacy and confidentiality, such as anonymizing data, securing data storage, and limiting access to sensitive information, ensuring the protection of participants’ identities and personal information.

Mention any institutional ethics review board approvals you obtained. Highlight any formal ethical review processes or approvals obtained from relevant regulatory bodies, such as IRBs or ethics committees. Discuss how the research protocol was reviewed for compliance with ethical guidelines and standards, including considerations of participant welfare, informed consent procedures, and data protection measures. By acknowledging the oversight and approval of institutional review bodies, you demonstrate your commitment to ethical integrity and accountability in conducting research involving human subjects.

In summary, when addressing inquiries about ethical considerations in your research, consider the following key points:

• Explain the ethical protocols you followed.
• Describe the consent process and data protection measures implemented.
• Mention any institutional ethics review board approvals obtained.

When discussing the contributions of your research to the field, it’s essential to highlight the novel insights and potential impact your thesis offers. Responding to inquiries about your research’s significance involves detailing the unique perspectives and fresh understanding it brings to the academic discourse, as well as considering its implications for future research or practice and arguing its relevance within the broader academic community.

Begin by detailing the novel insights your thesis provides. Articulate the key findings, discoveries, or perspectives that distinguish your research from existing literature and contribute to advancing knowledge within your field. Discuss how your study fills gaps in current understanding, challenges established assumptions, or offers innovative approaches to addressing pressing issues, highlighting its potential to generate new avenues of inquiry and broaden the scope of scholarly discourse.

Discuss how your findings might influence future research or practice. Consider the implications of your research for shaping future scholarship, informing policy decisions, or guiding professional practice within relevant domains. Reflect on the potential practical applications, theoretical advancements, or methodological innovations stemming from your findings, highlighting their significance for advancing the field and addressing real-world challenges.

Be prepared to argue the relevance of your research within the broader academic community. Articulate the broader significance of your study within the context of current debates, trends, or priorities within your discipline. Discuss how your research aligns with existing scholarly agendas, contributes to interdisciplinary dialogue, or addresses pressing societal concerns, underscoring its relevance and potential impact on shaping the direction of future research and practice.

In summary, when addressing inquiries about the contributions of your research to the field, consider the following key points:

• Detail the novel insights your thesis provides.
• Discuss how your findings might influence future research or practice.
• Be prepared to argue the relevance of your research within the broader academic community.

When ensuring the integrity of your research and minimizing bias, it’s crucial to maintain objectivity and rigor throughout the study. Responding to inquiries about bias involves discussing the steps taken to uphold objectivity, describing any blind or double-blind procedures employed, and acknowledging and mitigating any unavoidable biases that may have arisen during the research process.

Begin by discussing the steps taken to maintain objectivity and rigor. Detail the strategies implemented to minimize the influence of personal biases, preconceptions, or external factors on the research outcomes. This may include adhering to a predetermined research protocol, using standardized procedures for data collection and analysis, and engaging in peer review or validation processes to ensure the reliability and validity of the findings.

Describe any blind or double-blind procedures employed in the study. Explain how blinding techniques were used to prevent bias in data collection, analysis, or interpretation. This may involve withholding certain information from researchers or participants to minimize the potential for conscious or unconscious bias to influence the results. Discuss how these procedures were implemented and their impact on enhancing the credibility and impartiality of the research outcomes.

Acknowledge any unavoidable biases that may have emerged during the research process and discuss how they were mitigated. Reflect on the inherent limitations or sources of bias in the study design, data collection methods, or participant selection criteria. Discuss the steps taken to minimize the impact of these biases, such as conducting sensitivity analyses, controlling for confounding variables, or triangulating data sources to corroborate findings.

In summary, when addressing inquiries about bias in your research, consider the following key points:

• Discuss steps taken to maintain objectivity and rigor.
• Describe any blind or double-blind procedures employed.
• Acknowledge any unavoidable biases and discuss how they were mitigated.

When considering the potential trajectory of your research topic, it’s essential to identify areas where further investigation could yield valuable insights, discuss unexplored questions that emerged from your research, and reflect on the limitations of your study as starting points for future research endeavors. Responding to inquiries about the future direction of research involves suggesting fruitful areas for further investigation, highlighting unresolved questions, and leveraging the limitations of your study as opportunities for future exploration.

Begin by suggesting areas where further investigation could be fruitful. Identify specific gaps, ambiguities, or unanswered questions within the existing literature that warrant additional inquiry. Consider emerging trends, advancements in technology or methodology, or pressing societal issues that may inform potential research directions. Propose research topics or hypotheses that build upon the findings of your study and extend the boundaries of current knowledge within your field.

Discuss unexplored questions that arose from your research. Reflect on any unexpected findings, anomalies, or areas of ambiguity that emerged during the course of your study. Consider how these unanswered questions or unresolved issues could serve as catalysts for future research endeavors, prompting further investigation into related phenomena, alternative explanations, or novel research methodologies.

Reflect on the limitations of your study as starting points for future research. Acknowledge any constraints, biases, or methodological shortcomings that may have influenced the outcomes or interpretations of your study. Discuss how these limitations provide opportunities for future research to refine methodologies, address confounding variables, or explore alternative theoretical frameworks. Consider how addressing these limitations could enhance the validity, reliability, and generalizability of future research findings within your field.

In summary, when addressing inquiries about the potential trajectory of your research topic, consider the following key points:

• Suggest areas where further investigation could be fruitful.
• Discuss unexplored questions that arose from your research.
• Reflect on the limitations of your study as starting points for future research.

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How to prepare an excellent thesis defense

What is a thesis defense?

How long is a thesis defense, what happens at a thesis defense, your presentation, questions from the committee, 6 tips to help you prepare for your thesis defense, 1. anticipate questions and prepare for them, 2. dress for success, 3. ask for help, as needed, 4. have a backup plan, 5. prepare for the possibility that you might not know an answer, 6. de-stress before, during, and after, frequently asked questions about preparing an excellent thesis defense, related articles.

If you're about to complete, or have ever completed a graduate degree, you have most likely come across the term "thesis defense." In many countries, to finish a graduate degree, you have to write a thesis .

A thesis is a large paper, or multi-chapter work, based on a topic relating to your field of study.

Once you hand in your thesis, you will be assigned a date to defend your work. Your thesis defense meeting usually consists of you and a committee of two or more professors working in your program. It may also include other people, like professionals from other colleges or those who are working in your field.

During your thesis defense, you will be asked questions about your work. The main purpose of your thesis defense is for the committee to make sure that you actually understand your field and focus area.

The questions are usually open-ended and require the student to think critically about their work. By the time of your thesis defense, your paper has already been evaluated. The questions asked are not designed so that you actually have to aggressively "defend" your work; often, your thesis defense is more of a formality required so that you can get your degree.

• Check with your department about requirements and timing.
• Re-read your thesis.
• Anticipate questions and prepare for them.
• Create a back-up plan to deal with technology hiccups.
• Plan de-stressing activities both before, and after, your defense.

How long your oral thesis defense is depends largely on the institution and requirements of your degree. It is best to consult your department or institution about this. In general, a thesis defense may take only 20 minutes, but it may also take two hours or more. The length also depends on how much time is allocated to the presentation and questioning part.

Tip: Check with your department or institution as soon as possible to determine the approved length for a thesis defense.

First of all, be aware that a thesis defense varies from country to country. This is just a general overview, but a thesis defense can take many different formats. Some are closed, others are public defenses. Some take place with two committee members, some with more examiners.

The same goes for the length of your thesis defense, as mentioned above. The most important first step for you is to clarify with your department what the structure of your thesis defense will look like. In general, your thesis defense will include:

• your presentation of around 20-30 minutes
• questions from the committee
• questions from the audience (if the defense is public and the department allows it)

You might have to give a presentation, often with Powerpoint, Google slides, or Keynote slides. Make sure to prepare an appropriate amount of slides. A general rule is to use about 10 slides for a 20-minute presentation.

But that also depends on your specific topic and the way you present. The good news is that there will be plenty of time ahead of your thesis defense to prepare your slides and practice your presentation alone and in front of friends or family.

Tip: Practice delivering your thesis presentation in front of family, friends, or colleagues.

You can prepare your slides by using information from your thesis' first chapter (the overview of your thesis) as a framework or outline. Substantive information in your thesis should correspond with your slides.

Make sure your slides are of good quality— both in terms of the integrity of the information and the appearance. If you need more help with how to prepare your presentation slides, both the ASQ Higher Education Brief and James Hayton have good guidelines on the topic.

The committee will ask questions about your work after you finish your presentation. The questions will most likely be about the core content of your thesis, such as what you learned from the study you conducted. They may also ask you to summarize certain findings and to discuss how your work will contribute to the existing body of knowledge.

Tip: Read your entire thesis in preparation of the questions, so you have a refreshed perspective on your work.

While you are preparing, you can create a list of possible questions and try to answer them. You can foresee many of the questions you will get by simply spending some time rereading your thesis.

Here are a few tips on how to prepare for your thesis defense:

You can absolutely prepare for most of the questions you will be asked. Read through your thesis and while you're reading it, create a list of possible questions. In addition, since you will know who will be on the committee, look at the academic expertise of the committee members. In what areas would they most likely be focused?

If possible, sit at other thesis defenses with these committee members to get a feel for how they ask and what they ask. As a graduate student, you should generally be adept at anticipating test questions, so use this advantage to gather as much information as possible before your thesis defense meeting.

Your thesis defense is a formal event, often the entire department or university is invited to participate. It signals a critical rite of passage for graduate students and faculty who have supported them throughout a long and challenging process.

While most universities don't have specific rules on how to dress for that event, do regard it with dignity and respect. This one might be a no-brainer, but know that you should dress as if you were on a job interview or delivering a paper at a conference.

It might help you deal with your stress before your thesis defense to entrust someone with the smaller but important responsibilities of your defense well ahead of schedule. This trusted person could be responsible for:

• preparing the room of the day of defense
• setting up equipment for the presentation
• preparing and distributing handouts

Technology is unpredictable. Life is too. There are no guarantees that your Powerpoint presentation will work at all or look the way it is supposed to on the big screen. We've all been there. Make sure to have a plan B for these situations. Handouts can help when technology fails, and an additional clean shirt can save the day if you have a spill.

One of the scariest aspects of the defense is the possibility of being asked a question you can't answer. While you can prepare for some questions, you can never know exactly what the committee will ask.

There will always be gaps in your knowledge. But your thesis defense is not about being perfect and knowing everything, it's about how you deal with challenging situations. You are not expected to know everything.

James Hayton writes on his blog that examiners will sometimes even ask questions they don't know the answer to, out of curiosity, or because they want to see how you think. While it is ok sometimes to just say "I don't know", he advises to try something like "I don't know, but I would think [...] because of x and y, but you would need to do [...] in order to find out.” This shows that you have the ability to think as an academic.

You will be nervous. But your examiners will expect you to be nervous. Being well prepared can help minimize your stress, but do know that your examiners have seen this many times before and are willing to help, by repeating questions, for example. Dora Farkas at finishyourthesis.com notes that it’s a myth that thesis committees are out to get you.

Two common symptoms of being nervous are talking really fast and nervous laughs. Try to slow yourself down and take a deep breath. Remember what feels like hours to you are just a few seconds in real life.

• Try meditational breathing right before your defense.
• Get plenty of exercise and sleep in the weeks prior to your defense.
• Have your clothes or other items you need ready to go the night before.
• During your defense, allow yourself to process each question before answering.
• Go to dinner with friends and family, or to a fun activity like mini-golf, after your defense.

Allow yourself to process each question, respond to it, and stop talking once you have responded. While a smile can often help dissolve a difficult situation, remember that nervous laughs can be irritating for your audience.

We all make mistakes and your thesis defense will not be perfect. However, careful preparation, mindfulness, and confidence can help you feel less stressful both before, and during, your defense.

Finally, consider planning something fun that you can look forward to after your defense.

It is completely normal to be nervous. Being well prepared can help minimize your stress, but do know that your examiners have seen this many times before and are willing to help, by repeating questions for example if needed. Slow yourself down, and take a deep breath.

Your thesis defense is not about being perfect and knowing everything, it's about how you deal with challenging situations. James Hayton writes on his blog that it is ok sometimes to just say "I don't know", but he advises to try something like "I don't know, but I would think [...] because of x and y, you would need to do [...] in order to find out".

Your Powerpoint presentation can get stuck or not look the way it is supposed to do on the big screen. It can happen and your supervisors know it. In general, handouts can always save the day when technology fails.

• Dress for success.
• Ask for help setting up.
• Have a backup plan (in case technology fails you).
• Deal with your nerves.

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Lex Academic®

• Blog & Resources

Viva, Soutenance, Disputation: How PhD Students around the World Defend Their Thesis | Lex Academic Blog

22 November 2021

Our recent posts on avoiding major and minor PhD corrections focused primarily on the run-up to and aftermath of defending a thesis in the UK. It occurred to us that for students considering a PhD, or established UK-based academics who have been asked to examine a PhD abroad, it would be useful to know how students in different countries defend their thesis. For the sake of readers unfamiliar with the UK system, let’s begin with a summary. In the UK, students defend their thesis in front of two examiners, at least one of whom must be external to the student’s university, in an examination called a viva voce , or viva. After the exam, the examiners make one of four recommendations: pass with no corrections, pass with minor corrections, pass with major corrections, or fail – resubmission. The majority of students pass with corrections (for more on the difference between minor and major corrections, click the links above), which the student must implement before they can be awarded their degree.

Like those in the UK, students in the US and Australia are usually required to make amendments to their thesis after examination. PhD programmes in the US require students to take and pass oral examinations, or ‘defences’, at regular intervals. Unlike in the UK, where students rarely know their examiners well, as this testimony shows, students in the US system are examined by the same committee throughout their studies. In Australia, the process of submitting and defending a thesis seems to vary between institutions. At the University of Sydney , for instance, students, in consultation with their supervisor, choose between a viva-like oral examination and a thesis-only examination, where the examiners each produce an extensive review of the thesis. The University of Melbourne requires students to present their research at a public completion seminar in the six months before submission.

In many European countries, the concept of PhD corrections doesn’t exist. At the Freie Universität Berlin in Germany, students are awarded a grade ( summa cum laude (distinction), magna cum laude (very good), etc.) for their doctorate, based on the thesis itself and their performance at their viva, or Disputation . Once the thesis has been corrected by the examiners, it is made available for viewing by postdoctoral members of the student’s department before the Disputation . Students in Germany must also publish their thesis in order to receive their award. Unlike a viva in the UK, a French soutenance is a public event. Students defend their thesis in front of a jury , or panel, of examiners. The supervisor, who in the UK may attend a viva but is prohibited from speaking, is usually a member of the panel. The student first gives a presentation about their thesis topic and then responds to questions from each examiner. Unlike in the UK, students in the French system don’t make corrections to the thesis after defending. Instead, the examiners produce a report on the strengths and weaknesses of the thesis, which is a key part of academic job applications, even for senior positions.

In Scandinavian countries, the defence of a PhD thesis is often a ceremonial, highly coded event (this piece by an American academic who was the external examiner for a thesis at a Swedish university describes how the student had to nail – literally – their abstract to a plank in a department common room as a symbol of the public release of the thesis!). At Halmstad University in Sweden, the student defends their thesis publicly and in the presence of an external specialist known as the ‘opponent’. The student may present their thesis, but it’s also possible for the opponent to present the thesis and compare it to existing research in the field. A similar system is used at the University of Helsinki in Finland, where traditionally a strict formal dress code must be adhered to. These codes may sound rather daunting, but in practice few students fail their defence (and the rules on dress are now the subject of debate). The public event is usually cancelled if an examiner deems the work to be below doctoral standard.

Because the process of submitting and defending a thesis varies considerably between countries, students thinking about a PhD, as well as those advising them, would be wise to make this process, as well as other factors like funding and duration, a part of their decision making when applying to universities. Even if you don’t really mind how your thesis is examined, it’s good to know what you’re letting yourself in for.

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Språkvelger

Course - master's thesis in french - fra3901, course-details-portlet, fra3901 - master's thesis in french, examination arrangement.

Examination arrangement: Master's thesis with oral defense Grade: Letter grades

Course content

An academic exploration of approximately 15 000 words in French of a linguistic or literary topic, a topic in cultural history or an interdisciplinary topic. The topic may also be didactical.

All students must write an abstract of the thesis of approx. 1/2 - 1 page (to be placed first in the thesis). The thesis and the abstract must be written in French. The oral examination is also in French.

The thesis shall include an appendix of up to 1 page in which the student explains the relevance of the work for the teaching profession.

Learning outcome

Candidates who have passed this course

- possess specialized knowledge of a chosen topic within French linguistics, literary studies and/or cultural history

- know how to make use of scientific methods and are able to apply theoretical approaches in formulating and investigating research questions

- can complete an independent research project in linguistics, literary studies, cultural history or within an interdisciplinary topic

- are able to express themselves in academic French, both in speaking and in writing

- are able to explain the work's relevance for the teaching profession

General competence

- are able to work with a large quantity of texts, and to summarize and synthesize them

- have a critical approach to the research material and are able to structure and articulate ideas in a clear and insightful manner

- have advanced analytical skills and abilities for critical reflection

Learning methods and activities

Independent work, combined with individual supervision. Please see link for the numbers of hours of supervision eligible for your master's thesis https://innsida.ntnu.no/wiki/-/wiki/Norsk/Masteravtale+HF

Further on evaluation

The master's thesis must be written in French. The final assessment of the thesis is adjusted through an oral defense in French of about 20-30 minutes. The oral examination will be cancelled if the thesis has been failed by the examiners.

It is not possible for students who have been awarded a passing grade for the master's thesis in French to have a new master's thesis in French assessed (cf. the academic regulations for NTNU, §5-9).

Students whose master's thesis has been assessed as a Fail (F) may apply to the department to submit a new thesis (cf. the additional academic regulations of the Faculty of Humanities).

Specific conditions

Admission to a programme of study is required: Language Studies with Teacher Education, years 8 - 13 (MLSPRÅK)

Required previous knowledge

Requires admission to the five-year teaching education programme with a master's degree in French.

Version: 1 Credits:  30.0 SP Study level: Second degree level

Term no.: 1 Teaching semester:  AUTUMN 2023

Term no.: 2 Teaching semester:  AUTUMN 2023

Term no.: 2 Teaching semester:  SPRING 2024

Term no.: 1 Teaching semester:  SPRING 2024

Language of instruction: French

Location: Trondheim

• French Language
• French Literature
• French Cultural Studies
• French Linguistics

Department with academic responsibility Department of Language and Literature

Examination

Examination arrangement: master's thesis with oral defense.

Release 2023-10-16

Submission 2023-11-15

Release 2024-04-15

Submission 2024-05-15

• * The location (room) for a written examination is published 3 days before examination date. If more than one room is listed, you will find your room at Studentweb.

For more information regarding registration for examination and examination procedures, see "Innsida - Exams"

More on examinations at NTNU

• Bodleian Libraries
• Oxford LibGuides
• French Language and Literature
• Dissertations and theses

French Language and Literature: Dissertations and theses

French dissertations and theses.

There are a number of different resources available for finding French dissertations. 

• Atelier national de Reproduction des thèses Also known as tne National Center for the Reproduction of PhD theses
• SUDOC Le catalogue du Système Universitaire de Documentation
• Thèses en ligne (TEL): serveur de thèses multidisciplinaire Although multidisciplinary the majority of theses are in scientific disciplines.
• thèses.fr This research tool is maintained by ABES (Agence bibliographique de l'enseignement supérieur) and records titles of theses in preparation in French universities and higher education institutions

Belgian dissertations and theses

• Répertoire commun des thèses électroniques des universités de la Communauté Française de Belgique Portal to access French-language theses through relevant University repositories

General resources for dissertations and theses

• ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global The world's most comprehensive collection of full-text dissertations and theses. As the official digital dissertations archive for the Library of Congress and as the database of record for graduate research, PQDTGlobal includes millions of searchable citations to dissertations and theses from 1861 to the present day together with over a million full-text dissertations that are available for download in PDF format. Over 2.1 million titles are available for purchase as printed copies. The database offers full text for most of the dissertations added since 1997 and strong retrospective full-text coverage for older graduate works. It also includes content from PQDT UK & Ireland (aka Index to Theses).
• Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) an international organization dedicated to promoting the adoption, creation, use, dissemination and preservation of electronic analogues to the traditional paper-based theses and dissertations.
• DART-Europe E-theses Portal DART-Europe is a partnership of research libraries and library consortia who are working together to improve global access to European research theses.
• Top 100 Dissertation and theses references on the web
• << Previous: Databases
• Last Updated: Jan 23, 2024 3:50 PM
• URL: https://libguides.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/frenchresources

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Defend A Thesis: Prepare For Your Thesis Defense For PhD

When you’re nearing the end of your graduate program, a critical milestone looms: the thesis defense. This isn’t just a formality; it’s your chance to showcase the depth of your research and knowledge. 

In this post, we explore what is a thesis defense, the process, and how you can do well in it. 

What Is A Thesis Defense?

A thesis defense is a crucial component of completing a graduate degree, where a student presents their research findings to a panel of experts, typically comprising faculty members from their university.

This event marks the culmination of a student’s research efforts and is a formal requirement for obtaining a master’s or PhD degree.

A thesis defense is also quite similar to a dissertation defense. Both involves a student presenting their research to a panel of experts and answering in-depth questions.

The main difference typically lies in the level of study—thesis defenses are common in master’s programs, while dissertation defenses are associated with doctoral studies. Both assess the student’s research rigor and depth of knowledge.

A thesis defense is usually a nerve wrecking experience for many PhD students, but with the right knowledge and preparation, it is usually managable.

Why Must a PhD Student Defend Their Thesis / Dissertation?

There may be doctorate programs that does not require thesis defense, but PhDs generally need to do this. There are several reasons why PhD students must defend their thesis:

Demonstration of Expertise

A thesis defense compels you to consolidate your research into a coherent presentation, showcasing your depth of knowledge and critical thinking skills.

During this oral examination, you answer open-ended questions posed by a committee of faculty members. This is your chance to demonstrate that you are an expert in your field, having moved from a student to a scholar.

Mastery of Subject Matter

The defense process requires that you not only know your study’s details but also how your work fits into the broader field.

Committee members, including your advisor and other professors, will probe your understanding, asking you to justify your methodologies and conclusions.

This is akin to a rigorous job interview where your task is to convince them of your thesis’s merit.

Feedback Opportunity

This is a rare moment to receive direct, critical feedback from multiple seasoned academics. Their insights can profoundly shape the final version of your dissertation, refining your arguments and possibly influencing future research directions.

Engaging with their questions helps you think more deeply and respond to critiques that you might face when publishing your work.

Validation of Research Efforts

Defending your thesis validates your years of hard work. Successfully articulating your research process and findings in front of the defense committee is a significant accomplishment in itself.

It’s a formal acknowledgment by the academic community that your research contributes valuable knowledge and meets the rigorous standards required for a graduate degree.

Professional Preparation

The skills you hone while preparing for your defense are invaluable in any professional context, including:

• articulating complex ideas,
• responding to unexpected questions, and
• handling critique.

Whether in academic conferences, teaching scenarios, or even non-academic jobs, the ability to present and defend your ideas clearly and professionally sets you apart.

In the grand scheme, your thesis defense is more than just a formality. It’s a crucible that transforms years of research into a defended, deliberate statement of your academic capability.

It’s not just about answering questions; it’s about proving that your research stands up to scrutiny and contributes to your field.

What Happens In A Thesis Defense?

Thesis defense is a very long process. You start with months, sometimes years, of preparation, writing and completing your thesis.

You will defend your work before a committee usually made up of faculty members from your department, and possibly an external examiner. These are the experts in your field who will rigorously evaluate your research.

The defense itself is a formal yet dynamic process. It begins with you presenting your thesis, often through a detailed PowerPoint presentation. This presentation highlights:

• the main points of your research,
• your methodology, and
• your findings.

Think of it as a summary of your long journey—a chance to argue the significance and validity of your work.

After your presentation, the committee will ask questions. These aren’t just any questions; they are often complex, open-ended queries designed to test how well you understand your research and your ability to think critically under pressure.

You need to demonstrate not just knowledge, but a deep grasp of your topic and related theories.

An interesting twist is that you may be asked to leave the room after your presentation. During this time, the committee deliberates on your performance. They discuss whether you’ve met the high standards required for a PhD and whether your thesis contributes significantly to the field.

This can be a nail-biting time for many students, as the discussion behind closed doors determines the outcome of years of hard work.

If all goes well, they will call you in, and inform you that you have passed your thesis defense. At this point, you may hear yourself being addressed as a ‘Doctor’ for the first time. 

If theres hiccups, you pay still pass, but with corrections. This means you need to perform additional work on your thesis for it to be accepted. In worse cases, you thesis may require major corrections. Some examination panels may also require you to redo your thesis defense.

This is fortunately, not very common. This is because your supervisor would have ensured your work is up to par before submitting your application for thesis defense.

How To Prepare For A Thesis Defense?

Preparing for your thesis defense can be daunting. You’re about to present years of work to a committee that will scrutinize your research and knowledge. Here are ten tips to help you prepare for your thesis defense.

1. Understand the Format: Every university has its own rules for thesis defenses. Check with your advisor or the graduate office to understand exactly what’s expected of you. Whether it involves a public lecture or a closed session with your committee, knowing the format helps you prepare effectively.

2. Focus on the Core Ideas : Resist the temptation to include everything from your dissertation in your presentation. Highlight the most significant findings and methodologies. This approach helps you stay within time limits and keeps your audience engaged.

3. Anticipate Questions : Think about potential gaps in your research that faculty members might target. Prepare slides or notes that can help you answer these tough questions. This foresight can turn a difficult question into a demonstration of your thorough preparation.

4. Rehearse Extensively : Practicing your presentation multiple times is crucial. Try to simulate the defense environment as closely as possible, ideally in the actual room where you’ll present. This rehearsal will make you more comfortable and fluent during the actual defense.

5. Prepare Visually Clear Slides : Your slides should aid your presentation, not confuse the audience. Ensure they are clear, visually appealing, and free of clutter. Use diagrams, charts, and bullet points to effectively convey complex information.

6. Dress Professionally : First impressions matter. Dressing professionally respects the formality of the occasion and can also boost your confidence. A business suit is often the go to for most candidates, although some universities may be more relaxed on the dress code.

7. Create Backup Slides : Have additional slides prepared for deeper dives into specific topics. These are particularly useful if a committee member asks a detailed question about a particular point or method.

8. Know Your Committee : Research the interests and work of your committee members. This knowledge can help you anticipate the kinds of questions they might ask and prepare more targeted responses.

9. Stay Calm and Collected : Remember that defense is not just an examination but also an opportunity to showcase your work. If you don’t know an answer, it’s okay to admit this and suggest how you might find it out. This shows honesty and a willingness to learn.

10. View It as a Professional Dialogue : Approach your defense as a professional discussion rather than an interrogation. This mindset can change how you perceive the event, reducing stress and helping you engage more openly with your committee.

These strategies are about more than just surviving your defense; they’re about making the most of an opportunity to excel and impress

Prepare For Your Thesis Defense

Your thesis defense is not just a formality; it’s a bridge to your future career and a chance to shine. Prepare diligently, understanding that this is as much about demonstrating your grasp of the field as it is about honouring your own hard work.

With the right preparation, you’ll be able to defend your thesis with confidence and leave a lasting impression on your committee.

Dr Andrew Stapleton has a Masters and PhD in Chemistry from the UK and Australia. He has many years of research experience and has worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow and Associate at a number of Universities. Although having secured funding for his own research, he left academia to help others with his YouTube channel all about the inner workings of academia and how to make it work for you.

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Thesis Defense Steps: Full Guide How to Prepare and Present

How To Prepare For Your Thesis Defense

If you are conducting post-graduate research within your discipline, you will come across the phrase “thesis defense”. A thesis defense is part of the things you will need to accomplish before acquiring a postgraduate degree. 

The thesis defense comes at the end of the graduate program. It is used to determine or define your education milestone while in the university. For this, you need a thesis defense comprehensive guide to be outstanding.

You should do a thesis defense after you have completed the course work and attended practicum or internship programs.

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How Long does a Thesis Defense Take?

On average, a thesis defense takes somewhere between 30 minutes and one hour. However, the time it takes to do a thesis defense depends on the academic level you are in.

While there is no standard or general length for a thesis defense, post-graduate sessions will take longer compared to undergraduate sessions.

Yes, some institutions, professors, or some disciplines may require you to do a thesis defense at your undergraduate level. But the length of the presentation depends on your academic level.

What is Thesis Defense?

A thesis defense is an act of presenting your academic work to a panel or committee of professors and other involved scholars. From this, they can gauge or grade your abilities in presenting your work.

The arguments presented during the thesis defense are to ascertain that you have understood the course and your selected topic.

You will have to first hand in your work or paper to the professor for grading. Thereafter, you will be summoned for thesis defense.

When summoned for a thesis defense, you will be required to answer all the questions presented to you by the panel of professors. After this, you will be required to leave the room. The panel is to decide whether your paper or thesis is ready for publication. In addition, the panel checks whether your work needs corrections. 

In other words, a thesis defense is a forum that allows postgraduate students to defend the topic of their thesis before a panel of professors. Therefore, the thesis defense is part of the requirements that postgraduate students must accomplish to receive advanced degrees in whichever academic disciplines they pursue. 

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Factors that Determine the Length of a Thesis Defense

Just like a dissertation that you have to write a thesis , it is important that you will have to present it. The time is taken to do this varies. The following four factors determine the length of a thesis defense

• As noted earlier, the level of education will determine the length of your thesis defense.
• The second factor is the institutional requirements. Some institutions will have a specified amount of time allocated for a thesis defense. In some institutions, that time is longer than and vice versa.

Very recognized institutions of higher learning will have the autonomy to decide on the length of a thesis defense.

• The third factor that will determine the length of a thesis defense is the consensus of the panel of professors. Some will give students very limited time to do a thesis defense while others will give more time to their students.

Some institutions, scholars, applaud limiting the amount of time for thesis defense and educators because it gauges the student’s ability to accurately defend their work within a short time. If they succeed, then they are good learners.

• Another factor determining the time of a thesis defense is the academic discipline that is explored by the topic.

While every academic discipline deserves respect, they are not the same in terms of the complexity of the concepts and what the student covers.

Some disciplines will require students to come up with much longer papers. This means that the time it could take to do a thesis defense will be longer. 

From the aforementioned factors, it is evident that it would be difficult to predetermine the standard length of a thesis without holding some parameters or factors constant such as the academic level of the thesis. 

Also, the length of your dissertation or thesis determines the time you will take to present it at your defense session. Longer documents will take you longer to defend.

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How to Defend a Thesis – 5 Comprehensive Steps

Some steps can help you defend your thesis effectively. You should follow the steps below if you are summoned by a panel of professors to defend your thesis. 

1. Adequate Preparation

When you are required to defend your thesis, you will be given a specific date you will appear before the panel of professors for the actual exercise.

As long as you have submitted your paper to the professor for grading, you should always be aware that you will have to defend your thesis.

Therefore, between the period of submitting your paper and the date provided for thesis defense, you should do adequate preparation.

Students will have several months to prepare for a thesis defense. This is because the institutions themselves want their students to be well prepared before they meet the panel of professors.

After all, they would wish their students to excel in their studies. As noted, there will be a specified date for the thesis defense. Therefore, it will not surprise their committee members or students when the time comes for defending the thesis. 

Adequate preparation entails knowing or rather anticipating what is required of you. You should be prepared for the kinds of questions your thesis topic will provoke from the panel and practice on them.

When you have the right attitude and have adequately prepared for the thesis defense, it would be nearly impossible to fail. Also, be prepared to wear decently during the defense. 

2. Carry an In-Depth Knowledge of the Thesis

This is a very important step when defending your thesis. Since you are the one who has written the paper, you should be fully aware of the topic and the contents of your paper. What this means is that you should adequately research the topic of your thesis so that you can be ready for any question you are asked by the panel of professors.

For a postgraduate student who wishes to master their discipline, it would be a shame if you do not know about your topic.

For example, if you are within the field of environmental sciences and have written your paper based on the discipline, you should narrow down the scope of your knowledge to that of your topic, the topic of your paper should act as the guide to the amount of knowledge you are supposed to give for the sake of the thesis defense.

Avoid too much knowledge because it may overwhelm you. At the same time, do not narrow down the scope of your topic too much because you will have limited knowledge during the thesis defense.

Your instructor or professor can help you in terms of giving you direction on the type and scope of knowledge you are required to have during a thesis defense. 

3. Prepare an Introduction

Have you ever heard of the first impression and its significance?

The first impression of a person will determine how the other person will perceive them.

If it is terrible, the other person may consider them a terrible person and even dislike them.

An introduction plays the same role as the “first impression” of your thesis defense to the panel of professors.

You should prepare a good introduction that should summarize the contents of your paper, the reasons why you selected the topic and its relevance to the discipline, and any other detail that you will anticipate to be asked during the thesis defense.

Make sure that the thesis is crystal clear and concise to avoid making any contradictions of your topic and confusing the panel.

Since you will be given several months to prepare for your thesis defense, take time to refine your introduction.

Make adjustments or corrections whenever necessary so that you will have a perfect introduction for your thesis defense. You may recite the introduction or carry it with you if the panel will allow it. 

4. Making the Actual Presentation

The action presentation of the thesis defense is quite scary to many students. This is because you will have to face a panel of professors to defend your paper. Based on your paper’s content, you will answer several questions.

Therefore, if you fail during the actual presentation, your paper may not be published and you will have to do further revisions. 

During the actual presentation, you should be well dressed because grooming tells a lot about the character of a student. Carry the necessary equipment you will require during the presentation. Such equipment can include a laptop that contains a PowerPoint presentation, a pen, and a notebook.

The PowerPoint presentation should be legible, objective, and strategically written to maximize the time used to defend your thesis. Ensure that you arrive early to the place where you will face the panel of professors to give you time to reflect and lessen your anxiety.  

As aforementioned, adequate preparation, understanding your topic or thesis, and a good attitude will guarantee success. Therefore, if you adhere to the aforementioned guidelines during the presentation, there is a high probability that your paper will be published. 

5. Do a Good Conclusion

Doing a good introduction and effectively presenting your defense is not enough without an equally good conclusion. Just like you took a good time to write your thesis , you will also need a good time to write a presentation and a good conclusion.

A good conclusion of your presentation leaves the panel of professors with a good impression of you and your overall ability to defend your work within the academic community. 

A good conclusion will sum up your work. What this means is that you should include a summary of the topic’s background, the literature review, the methodologies, the findings, and the discussions. Make sure that the conclusion compresses the details of your paper logically. It should be brief and straight to the point.

Finally, the conclusion of your thesis defense should clearly describe the limitations or setbacks encountered while you were conducting the study.

Even though you are trying to show that you are a good post-graduate student, it is important to be clear about the limitations. This will demonstrate your academic integrity and ability to conduct actual research in the field. 

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Tips on How to do a Good Thesis Defense

1. Anticipate the Questions 

As aforementioned, you should anticipate the questions you may be asked by the panel and prepare for them.

The questions’ base is on your thesis. As such, you should go through your paper and list the possible questions.

At the same time, the academic expertise of the committee members determines the types of questions you may be asked.

Try to have an informed idea, based on your paper, on the areas to receive much focus. 

2. Dress for Success

Do you remember that we have talked about first impressions? Well, your dress code and overall grooming will have a degree of impact on the outcomes of your presentation. Dress well.

Mostly, you are required to dress in an official attire because you are going to do a presentation to a panel of academic experts. You should try as much as possible not to wear casual or provocative clothes. 

3. Delegate

To avoid being overwhelmed during the day of your presentation, you can delegate some of the less complicated activities to a trusted person or friend.

The activities that you can delegate include setting up the equipment you will use for your presentation or distributing handouts to the panel. 

4. Create a Backup Plan

This especially involves the mode of presenting your defense. Since you will be using your laptop and a projector, they may fail during the presentation. It is therefore important to have a plan B. such can include having printed handouts. 

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FAQs on Thesis Defense

Can you fail a thesis defense.

The answer to this question is yes. Though it is rare, it is possible to fail a thesis defense if you are not adequately prepared and you don’t know much about the topic. This would indicate that you haven’t understood the course or you did not write the paper. You hired someone to do it for you. 

How long is a Ph.D. thesis defense?

A Ph.D. thesis defense is about 2 hours long. However, it may differ from one country to the other.

How long is the master’s thesis presentation?

A master’s thesis is usually one-and-a-half hours long. It takes a lesser time compared to a Ph.D. thesis. 

When not handling complex essays and academic writing tasks, Josh is busy advising students on how to pass assignments. In spare time, he loves playing football or walking with his dog around the park.

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IPiB Thesis Defense May 30, 2024: Rachel Cueny

In a G-quadruplex, four guanines within a chain of nucleotides hydrogen-bond to each other to create a quartet of connected guanines. These G-quartets can stack together to create the G-quadruplex. These structures are associated with both beneficial and harmful processes in humans and other eukaryotes, including gene regulation and telomere regulation, and they have also been found in different oncogenes. Their role in bacteria, however, is not well understood.

“If they were detrimental for cell growth all the time, then we’d expect organisms to evolve away from having G-rich sequences which can form G-quadruplex structures,” explains Cueny. “So we want to know what purposes they serve.”

Cueny investigated how E. coli cells that were mutated to disrupt certain genes would grow in the presence and absence of stabilized G-quadruplexes. She found that when disruptions to genes slowed down translation (the process by which mRNA is used as a template to synthesize proteins), cells grew better when they were grown in the presence of G-quadruplexes.

“It’s just interesting to know more about this biological structure in bacteria and how it compares to what we see in eukaryotes,” says Cueny. “But, there are also medical reasons to investigate G-quadruplexes in bacteria. We know, for example, that G-quadruplex-forming sequences are essential for antigenic variation in Neisseria gonorrhea (a bacterial strain associated with the STI gonorrhea). G-quadruplex-forming sequences may be a key to therapeutic treatments of bacterial infections.” Her research has been published in the Journal of Bacteriology , Nucleic Acids Research , PLOS One , and Critical Reviews in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology .

Cueny came to the IPiB program with a background in structural biology and interest in the Keck Lab’s research. During her first-year lab rotations, Keck’s mentorship style and the collaborative environment of the lab excited her as much as the research. “I really just love the environment of the lab,” says Cueny. “Everyone was willing to help each other. It’s just a really great combination of strong scientists who are also good friends and good labmates. We even formed a recreational volleyball league and we’ve done 14 seasons of volleyball together.”

After graduating, Cueny plans to work as a postdoctoral researcher and eventually pursue a career in academia.

To learn more about Cueny’s research, attend her Ph.D. defense, “Genetic and Biochemical Mechanisms of G-quadruplex Processing” on Thursday, May 30 at 10:00 a.m. CT in Room 1211 of Hector F. DeLuca Biochemical Sciences Building.

Impending Delivery of French Air Defense Missiles to Bolster Ukraine’s Military

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France is poised to send a new tranche of military support to Ukraine, injecting additional air defense missiles into the conflict-riddled nation in the near future, as per the information from Reuters dated May 14. French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu has declared to the National Assembly his signature on the dispatch of extra Aster missiles that will bolster the operational capacity of the SAMP/T systems, a counterpart to the American Patriot systems .

“I have just signed a second batch of Aster missiles to allow the SAMP/T – that we gave (Ukraine) with our Italian partners – to continue to operate,” stated Lecornu.

The specifics of the quantity of missiles or the precise timing for the delivery remain undisclosed at this juncture.

Additionally, an announcement made subsequent to French President Emmanuel Macron’s discourse with President Volodymyr Zelensky on May 14, revealed that France would augment its military aid to Ukraine, details of which were not made public by the Elysee, as also noted by Reuters.

“The President of the Republic reiterated France’s determination to provide all the necessary support… He was also able to detail the deliveries for the coming days and weeks in support of the Ukrainian military effort,” explained the Elysee.

Previously on March 30, it was communicated by Lecornu that France was preparing to send a batch of Aster 30 anti-air missiles and a host of armored vehicles to Ukraine as a part of extended military aid. He also reported the development of tele-operated munitions intended to be supplied to Ukraine during the summer.

The necessity for air defense systems has become more acute within Ukraine, driven by a surge in Russian offensive actions . The Russian military has been capitalizing on the ammunition scarcities in Ukraine, especially now that U.S. assistance has not kept pace, leading to heightened conflicts at the front.

Most recently, with Russian forces seizing control of Avdiivka , an influential city in the Donetsk Oblast, and redirecting efforts toward Chasiv Yar , there have been additional offensives in the north of Kharkiv Oblast , marked by intensive shellings and air assaults.

FAQs about France’s Military Aid to Ukraine

Q: What type of missiles is France delivering to Ukraine?

A: France is delivering Aster air defense missiles for the SAMP/T air defense system.

Q: Is there a specific number of missiles being sent by France?

A: The exact number of missiles being sent has not been specified by French authorities.

Q: What is the timeline for these missile deliveries?

A: While a specific timeline has not been provided, the support is expected to take place in the coming days and weeks.

Q: Will the U.S. also provide aid to Ukraine?

A: Yes, the U.S. has been providing aid to Ukraine, although Ukraine is urging for more assistance, including Patriot missile systems, due to the ongoing conflict and intensified Russian strikes.

The announcement of additional French air defense missiles and military aid to Ukraine underscores the continuing international support for Ukraine amidst its ongoing conflict with Russia. This military assistance is critical in strengthening Ukraine’s air defense capabilities, which are essential given the escalation in Russian military aggression. The specifics regarding the volume and delivery schedule of these missiles are still pending, highlighting the often-sensitive nature of military aid logistics. However, the commitment of France to support Ukraine’s military efforts remains unwavering, signifying the solidarity among nations in response to the Ukrainian crisis.

Note: We, TheUBJ, are not the originators of the news content provided here. The information is reformulated through varied online sources and AI news feed technology. The original source link is https://kyivindependent.com/reuters-france-to-deliver-additional-air-defense-missiles-military-aid-shortly/ for reference purposes.

Mom delivers baby in car hours before defending her Rutgers doctoral thesis

• Updated: May. 08, 2024, 3:05 p.m. |
• Published: May. 08, 2024, 11:30 a.m.

Tamiah Brevard-Rodriguez delivered her son, Enzo, hours before defending her dissertation at the Rutgers-New Brunswick Graduate School of Education. Nick Romanenko/Rutgers University

• Tina Kelley | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Giving birth and defending a doctoral dissertation could easily be considered among the most stressful items on a bucket list. For Tamiah Brevard-Rodriguez, it was all in a day’s work. One day’s work.

She even grabbed a shower in between.

On March 24, Brevard-Rodriguez, director of Aresty Research Center at Rutgers University, was finishing up preparations for her doctoral defense the next day. Eight months pregnant with her second child, she didn’t feel terrific, but she persisted.

She was trying to hone down to 20 minutes her remarks on “The Beauty Performances of Black College Women: A Narrative Inquiry Study Exploring the Realities of Race, Respectability, and Beauty Standards on a Historically White Campus.” The Zoom link had gone out to family, friends, and colleagues for the defense, scheduled for 1 p.m. the next day.

“Operation Dissertation before Baby,” as she called it, was a go.

But at 2:15 a.m. on March 25 her water broke, a month and a day early.

As the contractions came closer and closer, her wife drove her down the Garden State Parkway, trying to get to Hackensack Meridian Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair before Baby Enzo showed up.

But the baby was faster than a speeding Maserati and arrived in the front seat at 5:55 a.m., after just three pushes. He weighed in at 5-pounds 12-ounces, 19 inches long, and in perfect health for a baby four weeks early.

“I did have to detail her car afterward,” the new mom said of her wife.

Brevard-Rodriguez was feeling so good after the birth that she decided against asking to reschedule her thesis defense.

“I had more than enough time to regroup, shower, eat and proceed with the dissertation,” she said. She had a quick nap, too. The doctors and nurses supported her decision and made sure she had access to reliable wifi at the hospital.

She gave her defense with a Rutgers background screen. When she learned she had passed, she dropped the fake background, and people could see Brevard-Rodriguez in her maternity bed, and Enzo in her wife’s arms.

“I said, ‘You guys missed the big news,’ and they just fell out,” said Brevard-Rodriguez, who waited for the reveal because she didn’t want extra sympathy from her dissertation committee.

Melina Mangin, chair of the Educational Theory, Policy & Administration Department at the Graduate School of Education, was astounded.

“Tamiah had delivered a flawless defense with zero indication that she had just given birth,” she said. “She really took the idea of productivity to the next level!”

Finishing her doctorate in education and having her last child were fitting 40th birthday presents to herself, Brevard-Rodriguez said. She turned 40 in November and returns to work in late August.

Stories by Tina Kelley

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Elections Today

Recent projections, delegate tracker, maryland, west virginia and nebraska primaries 2024: alsobrooks beats trone, gop incumbents survive, an attack on a prison van in france kills 2 officers. an inmate escapes.

An attack on a prison convoy in northwestern France has left two prison officers dead and three others seriously injured

PARIS -- Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said. A search was underway.

The convoy was transporting prisoner Mohamed Amra to Évreux jail after a court hearing in Rouen when it was ambushed on the A154 freeway, which has been closed.

“All means are being used to find these criminals. On my instructions, several hundred police officers and gendarmes were mobilized,” Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin posted on social platform X.

French President Emmanuel Macron in a post on X called the attack “a shock for all of us.”

Authorities worked to secure the area in northwestern France and apprehend the assailants. It was not clear how many were involved.

Amra was detained at the Val de Reuil prison center near Rouen following his recent sentencing for burglary. He was also under investigation for a kidnapping and homicide case in Marseille, according to public prosecutor Laure Beccuau.

French media reported that Amra was nicknamed “La Mouche” (The Fly).

Beccuau announced an investigation into the attack, considered a case of organized crime and murder, and said two of the wounded officers were in critical condition.

The investigation will also address organized escape attempts, possession of military-grade weapons and conspiracy to commit a crime.

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