University of Washington Information School
Doctorate in information science.
- Advising & Support
- Capstone Projects
- Upcoming Info Sessions
- Videos: Alumni at Work
- Request more information
Proposal Defense
The purpose of the dissertation proposal defense is to assure that your plan of researching your proposed research question is complete and holds academic merit. Students work closely with their supervisory committees in determining the composition of the dissertation proposal and in writing the proposal.
At least six weeks prior to the dissertation proposal defense, the candidate contacts Student Services to confirm the members of their supervisory committee. This would include the addition of a non-University of Washington external faculty member if previously agreed upon.
The candidate schedules a date, a time, and a room for the dissertation proposal defense. The candidate also submits details regarding the dissertation proposal defense to the iSchool web calendar, the PhD program chair, and Student Services.
At least two weeks before the scheduled proposal defense date, the final written proposal must be submitted to all members of the supervisory committee. The voting members of the committee, in consultation with the student, determine the length and outline the structure of the defense.
The proposal defense is a public event. However, the deliberations of the supervisory committee are private. The supervisory committee records an official decision using the dissertation proposal defense form.
Once the proposal has been defended and accepted, the candidate is cleared to finish writing the dissertation. The candidate submits one paper copy and one PDF version of the dissertation proposal to Student Services.
More Information
- Dissertation Proposal Defense Policy
- Dissertation Proposal Defense Form
- Learn more about supervisory committee policies
Full Results
Customize your experience.
Dissertation Proposal Defense: 12 Tips for Effective Preparation
Published by steve tippins on may 11, 2020 may 11, 2020.
Last Updated on: 30th August 2022, 04:25 am
The dissertation proposal defense is a nerve-wracking time for even the most hardened of doctoral students.
Even a pirate (writing his dissertation on effective cutlass techniques), will quake a bit in his boots before delivering his dissertation proposal defense.
However, it doesn’t need to be a stressful time.
As a longtime Dissertation Committee Chair and committee member, I’ve overseen more dissertation proposal defenses than I can count. I’ve also helped students through the process as a coach .
If you follow these tips for preparing and delivering your presentation, you shouldn’t have any problem passing your proposal defense.
Dissertation Proposal Defense Tips
Preparing for your Dissertation Proposal Defense
1. anticipate questions. .
In your presentation, try to answer all of the questions you expect your committee to ask. That way, you control the material. Your committee will be more satisfied with your preparation and understanding and it will be less likely that you have to answer questions that you aren’t prepared for.
2. Look for Weaknesses.
If there are potential weaknesses (in your study, proposal, or presentation), address them ahead of time. Ask peers or mentors to review your proposal or presentation for weaknesses. Look at it yourself with a critical eye. Even if you’re not able to eliminate a weakness, take steps to address it as best you can so that your committee can be confident that you’re aware of it and able to handle it.
3. Practice.
Ideally, you would practice with someone who has been a committee member before. They’ll point out the types of questions they would see your committee asking, so you can prepare for those. I can’t understate the value of having this kind of feedback beforehand so that you can properly prepare. I offer this service as part of my dissertation coaching package .
4. Avoid Wordiness on PowerPoint Slides .
Most dissertation proposal defenses have PowerPoints. Don’t put too many words on the slides! People will start reading the slides instead of paying attention to you. Then they’re off somewhere else which will produce questions that you’ve already answered when they weren’t paying attention.
5. Be Able to Pronounce the Words Correctly.
This might sound obvious, but as a dissertation committee member , I’ve heard far too many students struggle through pronunciations of important terminology. This is probably because, up until this point, they’ve only read them and not spoken them out loud.
However, it gives the committee the impression that they don’t know what they’re talking about. Make sure you can properly pronounce all the words you plan on using (like “phenomenological” and “anthropomorphism,”).
6. Watch Recordings of Previous Defenses.
Some schools have recordings of previous defenses. Listen to one or two. See how the procedure goes. Even if it’s not anything in your discipline, it will still help you get familiar with the procedure itself, which will help you be more comfortable when the time comes.
During your Dissertation Proposal Defense:
7. breathe . .
I’ve seen way too many people try to do their dissertation proposal defense seemingly in one breath. Give your committee time to hear and understand what you’re saying. Remember to leave some moments of silence to allow your audience to digest what you say. Also remember that one second of actual time feels like about thirty minutes to someone who’s giving an important presentation. Breathe.
8. Remember: They Want to Pass You.
If you’ve gotten to the point where your committee has scheduled a dissertation proposal defense for you, that means they believe that you can pass it. They want to pass you. Remember that.
They’re not out to screw you, they’re not out for “gotchas.” They’re saying, “we believe you’re ready, show us that’s true.” While they will be rigorous in their evaluation because they have a responsibility to make sure that they don’t allow you to move forward until you are ready to, it’s helpful to remember that they believe you can pass.
9. Answer the Question, No More.
When committee members ask questions, answer only the question–don’t give them anything more than that. Imagine that you’re a witness in a courtroom (or don’t if that makes you more nervous). Committee members value direct, relevant answers and often find tangents irrelevant and frustrating.
Hack Your Dissertation
5-Day Mini Course: How to Finish Faster With Less Stress
Interested in more helpful tips about improving your dissertation experience? Join our 5-day mini course by email!
10. Dialogue With Your Committee.
If the committee disagrees with something you said, it can be a discussion. You don’t need to just roll over and say “Yes, you’re right. I made a mistake and I’m very bad.” That’s not what your committee wants to hear, either.
A much better response would be, “I hear what you’re saying, however, this is the reason I’m going in this other direction. What do you think about that?” So you’re beginning to engage in discussions as a scholar. Your committee will be impressed by your ability to think critically and your willingness to engage in dialogue.
However, do not make it adversarial. It’s incredibly important to be respectful in these conversations. After all, your committee members have significant control over your life for as long as you’re writing your dissertation.
11. Make Life Easy for Your Committee.
It’s always good to send your committee members a copy of your PowerPoint presentation and the most recent copy of your proposal the day before the defense. They likely already have a copy, but when in doubt, make their lives easier. It doesn’t cost you anything. Someone might accidentally have an old copy, or might take them some time to find the copy they have. You want their life to be as easy as possible so they can focus on moving you forward.
12. Pay Attention to Time.
Ask your Chair (in the preparation stage) how long you have to make your presentation. It’s extraordinarily important to stay within this timeframe. If you’re told 25 minutes but you take 50 minutes, committee members are predisposed to say “why isn’t this person better prepared, and why are they wasting my time?”
Likewise, if you run through a 30-minute presentation in ten minutes (nervousness can sometimes lead to very fast talking–that’s why it’s important to practice beforehand), your committee will be wondering why you didn’t use the whole time that was allotted to you. And you’ll likely have to field a lot of questions you weren’t prepared for.
Dissertation Proposal Defense Summary
As long as you prepare properly, your dissertation proposal defense should be nothing to worry about. Your committee thinks you’re ready: all you have to do is show them you’re right.
If you’d like help preparing for your defense, or if you’d like to reduce the amount of time it takes to finish your dissertation, take a look at my Dissertation Coaching Services .
Book a Free Consultation
Book a Free Consultation with one of our expert coaches today.
Steve Tippins
Steve Tippins, PhD, has thrived in academia for over thirty years. He continues to love teaching in addition to coaching recent PhD graduates as well as students writing their dissertations. Learn more about his dissertation coaching and career coaching services. Book a Free Consultation with Steve Tippins
Related Posts
Dissertation
What makes a good research question.
Creating a good research question is vital to successfully completing your dissertation. Here are some tips that will help you formulate a good research question. What Makes a Good Research Question? These are the three Read more…
Dissertation Structure
When it comes to writing a dissertation, one of the most fraught questions asked by graduate students is about dissertation structure. A dissertation is the lengthiest writing project that many graduate students ever undertake, and Read more…
Choosing a Dissertation Chair
Choosing your dissertation chair is one of the most important decisions that you’ll make in graduate school. Your dissertation chair will in many ways shape your experience as you undergo the most rigorous intellectual challenge Read more…
Please subscribe me to your newsletter.
Weekly hour-long meetings
Review of materials
Email support between meetings
Someone who’s on your side & dedicated to your success
Add to Cart
IMAGES
COMMENTS
How-to: Prepare for your best Proposal or Defense* Before your talk Remind your committee members the day before the talk of the date and time of your presentation Make sure a member of the exams committee will be present. Treat him/her just like a thesis committee member (i.e.; similar reminders)
i. The proposal defense is to be completed after the passing of the Ph.D. Qualifying Exam. ii. The proposal defense is comprised of 3 parts: a written proposal, a public oral presentation and a closed oral defense of the proposal. iii. The student is required to submit a written research proposal and proposal summary to the supervisory committee at least 2 weeks prior to the proposal defense. 1. Written Research Proposal requirements: a.
The supervisory committee records an official decision using the dissertation proposal defense form. Once the proposal has been defended and accepted, the candidate is cleared to finish writing the dissertation. The candidate submits one paper copy and one PDF version of the dissertation proposal to Student Services. More Information. Dissertation Proposal Defense Policy; Dissertation Proposal Defense Form; Learn more about supervisory committee policies
Guidelines for Proposal Defense: The purpose is to provide general guidelines for students and advisors to prepare a successful proposal. Specifics are left to individual advisors to maintain standards and quality of the research. In general, it is expected that at this stage, students have completed about 60% to 65% of their research
the expectations for the defense presentation with the EdD Dissertation Committee. Tips for Creating and Delivering an Effective Presentation. Proposal Defense PowerPoint Template. The primary purpose of this defense is to propose methodology for answering your research questions.
The Dissertation Proposal defense is a formal meeting during which the student is questioned about the Dissertation Proposal and an agreement is reached that the student has successfully completed the manuscript in accordance with the academic standards of the PhD department and the university.
Guideline Title : Guidelines on Preparing for Proposal Defence (PD) Policy Number : GD-IPSR-PSU-008 Rev No: 1 Effective Date: 24/2/2016 Page No: 2 of 12 2 CONTENTS: Pages Why should PD be conducted? 2 When should PD be conducted? 2 The standard of operating procedure of PD 3 Preparation of research proposal 4 Components of the research proposal 4
The dissertation proposal defense is a nerve-wracking time for even the most hardened of doctoral students. Even a pirate (writing his dissertation on effective cutlass techniques), will quake a bit in his boots before delivering his dissertation proposal defense. However, it doesn’t need to be a stressful time. Book a Free Consultation
The dissertation proposal is the first step of dissertation research and consists of: 1) an approved written document, and 2) a successful oral defense. The written proposal is developed in close collaboration with the dissertation chair and committee members. After successful completion of the dissertation proposal defense and IRB approval,