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40 Thesis Defense Questions
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Practicing answering thesis defense questions in a mock thesis defense is the best way to get ready for this challenging step in your academic career. Aside from knowing your research project inside and out, you must have solid strategies for tackling different question types and talking about why you chose your research topic. You might have already answered questions related to your research interests in your research interest statement and grad school interview questions , but now after years for in-depth study, it's time to really test what you have accomplished! Check out some of the hardest thesis defense questions below and read our expert responses!
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Article Contents 11 min read
What to expect in a thesis defense.
A thesis defense is your chance to demonstrate your in-depth knowledge and expertise in the topic of your research thesis. While you will be able to take charge of the narrative and present your research to those on your thesis committee, the professors will prod you to test how well you know and understand your topic. The questions are mostly open-ended and give you the chance to showcase your knowledge and understanding, as well as any future plans you may have regarding your research topic.
A thesis defense usually lasts between one and two hours, depending on the area of your research. It starts with you giving a presentation of your interest, findings, and conclusions. After you have finished, the committee members will ask you questions based not only on your presentation, but also on your written thesis as they will have read it before your presentation. Lastly, the committee might approve your thesis or suggest changes to your paper.
Preparing thesis defense questions requires you to start well in advance. While the duration of your thesis defense might vary as per your institution's requirements, the major idea is to defend your research. Thus, you should go about preparing for your thesis defense questions by taking the following steps.
Interested in a quick overview of the section below? Check out this infographic:
Re-read your thesis for clarity
Your thesis defense questions will be based on what you have written in your research paper. Hence, it is a good idea to re-read your paper. You should be clear on the concepts and understand your research well. It might have been some time since you would have submitted your paper, so a revision should be the starting point of your preparation.
Have an answer strategy and structure
Plan a strategy to answer the panel’s questions. Keep your answers direct, but elaborate on the research details wherever necessary. If you do not know the answer to a question, that is alright. The key is to be able to formulate an answer even if you do not possess enough knowledge to answer at that point in time. For instance, if a question is about the content of your research, you can say something like “I am not certain my research touches on the question you are asking, but my research has led me to Dr. X. Based his evidence, I would have to conclude that…” Having a strategy for answering even the most unexpected questions can be a life saver in these situations!
Most of the thesis defense questions can be easily predicted based on your research. You can prepare a list of possible questions when you are going through your paper. Getting to know the committee can help you in preparing better. Their areas of expertise can help you in determining what they might ask. Once you have a list of questions, you can start brainstorming how you might answer them.
Prepare your slides in advance
If you require visual aids such as slides, it is a good idea to prepare them beforehand. You can double-check the slides and make sure that your presentation will run smoothly on the day of your thesis defense. Make sure your slides are arranged in the correct order.
Attend a thesis defense of other candidates if it is an open event
If your institution allows it, you can visit a thesis defense of other candidates. This will give you an excellent idea of what you can expect in your meeting. If it is not possible to attend the event, you can speak to your peers to find out how their meeting went and what questions were asked.
Dress appropriately for your meeting
The thesis defense meeting is a formal event, and hence you should be dressed in formal clothes. While there are no strict dressing rules, you should consider it something equivalent to a job interview. Don’t just wear your T-shirt and appear in front of the committee. Your formal suit is a better option for the occasion.
Practice speaking for your meeting
Take your preparation to the next level by practicing your presentation. This activity will give you the confidence for the actual meeting and presentation. You can request your academic peers to help you out in the practice task. Based on their feedback in the mock session, you can improve for the actual session. Make sure to prepare well for the mock session as if you are preparing for the actual session. You can also practice your speech and body language in the mock session. If you used thesis writing services , these professionals would also be the ideal people to test you in a mock thesis defense – don’t hesitate to reach out to them again!
Sample Thesis Defense Questions and Answers
1. what is your research study all about.
In your answer, you should summarize your research in a few sentences. The question is simple but requires technical expertise for a better explanation of concepts. For instance, if you completed a thesis in an attempt to explain the constituents of dark matter in the universe and particle accelerators, you could frame your answer like this:
In this research, the different aspects of dark matter and its detection models have been investigated. The cosmic ray positron excess observed by the PAMELA detector has been discussed and explained through the construction of models of decaying dark matter. The cosmic-ray electron and positron spectra were studied assuming a general Dirac structure for the four fermion contact interactions of interest. A supersymmetric leptophilic Higgs model was constructed to explain the possible excess of gamma rays in the galactic center. Finally, by the use of Razor analysis, an improvement on the dark matter collider searches is considered.
2. Why did you choose this study?
This question requires you to answer what motivated you to pursue the study in the first place. Your answers could touch on your interests in the area of the study. For example, if you conducted a study called “Media Combat: The Great War and the Transformation of American Culture” then you can shape your answer like this:
The First World War (1914-1918) has always been a topic of fascination for me, and my prime interest lies in exploring the state of society at that time. I wanted to analyze the formation of a nationalized, wartime cultural apparatus during the United States' involvement in the war and how theatre and music transformed the relationship between the government and American citizens.
3. Why did you choose this particular title for your research?
The title of your thesis captures the main point of your research, which is why it is so important to use an appropriate title. Your committee will want to know how you came to the final decision of naming your work. For example,
I chose the title “Dark matter in the heavens and at colliders: Models and constraints” for my research thesis because my research attempts to explain the constituency of dark matter as it occurs in the universe. “The heavens” is another word for the universe. Dark matter can also be created in particle accelerators such as the CERN collider. I have attempted to provide an explanation for both of the cases through the use of models, along with describing the constraints which exist in the current times due to certain scientific limitations.
4. What is the scope of your study?
In your answer, you have to define the boundaries of your project and define exactly what you are studying. There can be several elements involved but you have to define the parameters that you have chosen to study. For example,
My study is on the efficacy of equity stocks in the US market. For my study, I have chosen 50 companies listed on the NASDAQ. You can review the names of these companies on page 5 of my thesis.
5. What phenomenon were you trying to understand with this research?
Describe the focus concept of your thesis in the answer. For example,
In our study “Motivation to volunteer”, we were looking to study the Theory of Planned Behavior by analyzing the behavioral and normative beliefs that influence attitudes and subjective norms.
6. Who will be most interested in your research?
You can talk about who may be affected by your research and the parties who can potentially benefit from the research. Take a look at this example:
My sociology thesis on “Impact of social media on youngsters” can be of interest to sociology academics, social media companies, education experts, and parents of youngsters in general.
7. Did your research questions evolve during the process? If so, how?
Often, qualitative research questions change over time with respect to the responses that you might get from your focus group. Or you might just change your question as you do lab research or general text research. You can describe the change to the evaluating committee. For example,
We started our study to understand the impact of the new public policy change on recycling of vinyl waste through installation of garbage bins specifically for vinyl products. However, after interviewing some of the respondents in the target community, we found that the rule is actually irrelevant to their behavior and thoughts because the percentage of vinyl waste in that specific locality was very low and it didn’t need the installation of dedicated bins for the purpose. Going by their frustrations with the current economic insecurity, our study evolved into the impact of costs incurred by public policy changes.
8. What gaps did you intend to bridge with your research?
Your research thesis must eliminate the present gaps in the concepts related to your subject topic.
The relationship between hard water and its effect on the size of the kidney stone is not clear yet, so we analyzed the mineral composition of hard water to determine its impact on the size of the kidney stone.
9. Why is your research significant?
The answer to this research question should outline the impact of your research on your field of study. You may talk about the new insights contributed by your research and its impact on society.
Through my study on “The effect of chamomile in reducing stress and promoting better sleep,” patients with insomnia and anxiety will be able to find alternative treatments without the use of medicinal drugs. The medical abilities of chamomile will promote the usage of ingredients in nature and will encourage the community to plant more herbs and trees.
10. What did you find in your research?
You may describe your research in a few sentences in this answer. For instance,
In our study on “Impact of artificial fluoride in water on the human body,” we found that excessive exposure to high quantities of Fluoride can result in tooth discoloration and bone issues in humans since it has neurotoxic qualities.
11. What research findings surprised you?
When you conduct research, you come across findings that you were not expecting earlier. If you had such an experience, you might describe the same to the evaluation committee when you answer this question. For example,
I was expecting that business promotion through social media would not be a good idea for rural enterprises in developing countries in my comparative analysis of the usage of traditional and contemporary marketing methods. But I was surprised to learn that 68% of rural textile businesses in Nigeria promote their products on Instagram.
12. What is the validity of your findings?
You have to talk about the conditions in which your research findings would be valid.
In my research, I have considered test anxiety to be involving both nervous system activation and negative thoughts. Thus, my measure of test anxiety has included the elements of both nervous feelings and negative thoughts, the conditions in which my findings are valid.
For example,
For studying the differential protein expression, its localization, and distribution at different levels, we used the method of immunostaining in our research.
14. What sources did you use for data collection?
You would have used several sources to search for data for your topic. You may elaborate on those sources. You might have referred to databases, content on the web, or even conducted primary research by interviewing prospects. Thus, you can talk about these sources. Refer to the following answer:
To understand the impact of the current tax regime on skilled workers, we interviewed 150 subjects in 5 months. Additionally, we referred to databases and scholarly works available by authors who had previously conducted such studies for previous tax laws and rates.
15. How can your research be put into practice?
This question talks about the practical implications of your research. You should talk about how your research is beneficial for society and how it can help in eliminating current issues.
In our research titled “Effectiveness of Meditation on Reducing the Anxiety Levels of College Students in the US,” we discovered that students who practiced meditation at least thrice a week were two times more likely to score better in their exams, owing to the positive impact of meditation. So, this research finding can help in the reduction of mental health issues among students. A suitable course of action would be to hold meditating sessions a couple of times a week.
16. How will your findings contribute to the related area of knowledge?
Our study on medicinal analysis of herbs conveys information about various medicinal benefits of chamomile in treating depression and contributes to the area of medicinal botany.
17. Did you experience any limitations in your research?
Our research on “Impact of smoking on β-cell function and risk for type 2 diabetes in US citizens” finds that smoking increases the risk of diabetes among smokers. However, smokers might be affected by some genetic conditions which can protect them from diabetes.
18. What sampling techniques did you use?
When conducting research, it is practically not possible to study the entire number of elements. So, you would be using a method to select a sample population.
In our study “Impact of consumption of soda on the health of teenagers in Corpus Christi”, we used area sampling to divide the city into several areas and then selected some clusters for our sample group.
19. What are the dependent and independent variables in your research?
In research, several variable factors impact your study. You can describe these variables. Independent variables have values which are not affected by other variables in your study. On the other hand, the dependent variables have values that change with changes in the independent variable. For example,
In our study on “Impact of online tutoring on test scores”, the independent variable is the nature of the classes i.e., online and the participants' test score is the dependent variable.
20. What areas do you suggest for further research?
As a researcher, you should be able to describe what further areas are open for research with the addition of your research to the field. This can act as a starting point for future researchers. For example,
In my research on “Effectiveness of Acetaminophen in treating sports induced injuries”, I discovered that administering Acetaminophen is not very effective for treating joint pains such as the knee. This further suggests measures for the regulation of Acetaminophen in the production of painkillers for body pain and the search for alternative compounds.
Practice Questions
After taking a look at the sample answers, now try answering these questions by yourself:
Do you have any closing comments? "}]">
After submitting your research thesis for evaluation, you have to appear before a panel of professors and present your work; afterwards, they will ask you questions about your research.
You have to plan and prepare for your thesis defense. Review your paper and anticipate the questions that the committee can ask. Practice with mock defense sessions using professional servicesand make improvements based on their feedback. Be prepared with a strategy for answering any question asked by the panel.
Your research thesis should be on a topic of your interest. Scan your course syllabus to find something that makes you curious. Or, you can even refer to your grad school career goals statement to review what got you interested in grad school in the first place. Shortlist a few topics and zero down to the one that excites you the most.
The first step in preparing for a master’s thesis defense is to revise your research paper and write down a list of questions that the committee might ask. Find answers to those questions and get ready for your presentation. Practice your presentation beforehand. Try to attend a thesis defense of other candidates to know what you can expect in your session.
You will get questions related to what you have mentioned in your research paper. The most common starting questions are “what is your research about?" and “what was your motivation behind choosing this topic?” Later on, the committee asks you more detailed questions on research methodology, literature review, study variables, research findings, recommendations, and areas of further research.
You can get help from a grad school essay tutor for your research thesis writing. They can help you in developing writing skills and reviewing your work. They can proofread your work and provide recommendations on areas of improvement.
You can include your research thesis on your grad school CV to show your practical knowledge and skills. You can add the details of the study in a separate section for research experience.
Immediately after the thesis defense, the evaluation panel will decide whether to approve your paper as submitted or request some changes, or reject it.
To pass a thesis defense, a majority of the panel members must approve the defense. In case of more than one vote against you, you can fail the thesis.
A thesis defense can last for two hours or longer, depending on your area of research.
Your thesis defense presentation should include the focus concept, findings, recommendation, and conclusion.
The contribution of your thesis towards your degree differs as per institution. You can refer to your course handbook for exact details. In most cases, the committee needs to approve your thesis for you to graduate from your degree.
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why did you choose this place for a research locale
BeMo Academic Consulting
Hi Jeff! Yes, this can also be one of the questions you are asked in a thesis defense!
That is good
Hello Eshetu! Thanks for your comment. Glad you found this helpful!
Very helpful
Thanks, Abel. Glad you found this helpful.
Helpful thank you.
Hi Lagat! Thanks!
As an 11th-grade student, I don't have any experience in thesis or research defense in general. Me and my groupmates will be conducting our research title defense next week, this is invaluable information for us. Thank you!
You are very welcome, Kate!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS, I REALLY APPRECIATE.
Hello Stephanie! Thanks for your comment.
EMELDA NAFULA NYONGESA
This is a good guideline to post graduate students (Masters and PhD) CPA:Emelda Nyongesa
Hi Emelda! Thanks!
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17 Thesis Defense Questions and How to Answer Them
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A thesis defense gives you the chance to show off your thesis work and demonstrate your expertise in your field of study. During this one- to two-hour discussion with the members of your thesis committee, you'll have some control over how you present your research, but your committee will ask you some prodding questions to test your knowledge and preparedness. They will all have read your thesis beforehand, so their questions will relate to your study, topic, methods, data sample, and other aspects.
A good defense requires mastery of the thesis itself, so before you consider the questions you might face,
1. What is your topic, and why did you choose it?
Give a quick summary in just a few sentences on what you've researched. You could certainly go on for hours about your work, but make sure you prepare a way to give a very brief overview of your thesis. Then, give a quick background on your process for choosing this topic.
2. How does your topic contribute to the existing literature? How is it important?
Many researchers identify a need in the field and choose a topic to bridge the gaps that previous literature has failed to cover. For example, previous studies might not have included a certain population, region, or circumstance. Talk about how your thesis enhances the general understanding of the topic to extend the reach beyond what others have found, and then give examples of why the world needs that increased understanding. For instance, a thesis on romaine lettuce crops in desert climates might bring much-needed knowledge to a region that might not have been represented in previous work.
3. What are the key findings of your study?
When reporting your main results, make sure you have a handle on how detailed your committee wants you to be. Give yourself several options by preparing 1) a very general, quick summary of your findings that takes a minute or less, 2) a more detailed rundown of what your study revealed that is 3-5 minutes long, and 3) a 10- to 15-minute synopsis that delves into your results in detail. With each of these responses prepared, you can gauge which one is most appropriate in the moment, based on what your committee asks you and what has already been requested.
4. What type of background research did you do for your study?
Here you'll describe what you did while you were deciding what to study. This usually includes a literary review to determine what previous researchers have already introduced to the field. You also likely had to look into whether your study was going to be possible and what you would need in order to collect the needed data. Did you need info from databases that require permissions or fees?
5. What was your hypothesis, and how did you form it?
Describe the expected results you had for your study and whether your hypothesis came from previous research experience, long-held expectations, or cultural myths.
6. What limitations did you face when writing your text?
It's inevitable — researchers will face roadblocks or limiting factors during their work. This could be a limited population you had access to, like if you had a great method of surveying university students, but you didn't have a way to reach out to other people who weren't attending that school.
7. Why did you choose your particular method for your study?
Different research methods are more fitting to specific studies than others (e.g., qualitative vs. quantitative ), and knowing this, you applied a method that would present your findings most effectively. What factors led you to choose your method?
8. Who formed the sample group of your study, and why did you choose this population?
Many factors go into the selection of a participant group. Perhaps you were motivated to survey women over 50 who experience burnout in the workplace. Did you take extra measures to target this population? Or perhaps you found a sample group that responded more readily to your request for participation, and after hitting dead ends for months, convenience is what shaped your study population. Make sure to present your reasoning in an honest but favorable way.
9. What obstacles or limitations did you encounter while working with your sample?
Outline the process of pursuing respondents for your study and the difficulties you faced in collecting enough quality data for your thesis. Perhaps the decisions you made took shape based on the participants you ended up interviewing.
10. Was there something specific you were expecting to find during your analysis?
Expectations are natural when you set out to explore a topic, especially one you've been dancing around throughout your academic career. This question can refer to your hypotheses , but it can also touch on your personal feelings and expectations about this topic. What did you believe you would find when you dove deeper into the subject? Was that what you actually found, or were you surprised by your results?
11. What did you learn from your study?
Your response to this question can include not only the basic findings of your work (if you haven't covered this already) but also some personal surprises you might have found that veered away from your expectations. Sometimes these details are not included in the thesis, so these details can add some spice to your defense.
12. What are the recommendations from your study?
With connection to the reasons you chose the topic, your results can address the problems your work is solving. Give specifics on how policymakers, professionals in the field, etc., can improve their service with the knowledge your thesis provides.
13. If given the chance, what would you do differently?
Your response to this one can include the limitations you encountered or dead ends you hit that wasted time and funding. Try not to dwell too long on the annoyances of your study, and consider an area of curiosity; for example, discuss an area that piqued your interest during your exploration that would have been exciting to pursue but didn't directly benefit your outlined study.
14. How did you relate your study to the existing theories in the literature?
Your paper likely ties your ideas into those of other researchers, so this could be an easy one to answer. Point out how similar your work is to some and how it contrasts other works of research; both contribute greatly to the overall body of research.
15. What is the future scope of this study?
This one is pretty easy, since most theses include recommendations for future research within the text. That means you already have this one covered, and since you read over your thesis before your defense, it's already fresh in your mind.
16. What do you plan to do professionally after you complete your study?
This is a question directed more to you and your future professional plans. This might align with the research you performed, and if so, you can direct your question back to your research, maybe mentioning the personal motivations you have for pursuing study of that subject.
17. Do you have any questions?
Although your thesis defense feels like an interrogation, and you're the one in the spotlight, it provides an ideal opportunity to gather input from your committee, if you want it. Possible questions you could ask are: What were your impressions when reading my thesis? Do you believe I missed any important steps or details when conducting my work? Where do you see this work going in the future?
Bonus tip: What if you get asked a question to which you don't know the answer? You can spend weeks preparing to defend your thesis, but you might still be caught off guard when you don't know exactly what's coming. You can be ready for this situation by preparing a general strategy. It's okay to admit that your thesis doesn't offer the answers to everything – your committee won't reasonably expect it to do so. What you can do to sound (and feel!) confident and knowledgeable is to refer to a work of literature you have encountered in your research and draw on that work to give an answer. For example, you could respond, "My thesis doesn't directly address your question, but my study of Dr. Leifsen's work provided some interesting insights on that subject…." By preparing a way to address curveball questions, you can maintain your cool and create the impression that you truly are an expert in your field.
After you're done answering the questions your committee presents to you, they will either approve your thesis or suggest changes you should make to your paper. Regardless of the outcome, your confidence in addressing the questions presented to you will communicate to your thesis committee members that you know your stuff. Preparation can ease a lot of anxiety surrounding this event, so use these possible questions to make sure you can present your thesis feeling relaxed, prepared, and confident.
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Elements of a research project or proposal: questions to consider.
Introduction: Problem or Question
- What exactly do you want to study?
- What is your research question or questions?
- Why is it worth studying?
- What is the purpose or significance of your study?
- Does the proposed study have practical significance?
- How are you defining your terms?
- What are the limitations of your study?
- What is the researcher’s perspective or viewpoint?
Literature Review
- What have others said about this topic?
- What theories address it and what do they say? What research has been done previously?
- Are there consistent findings or do past studies disagree?
- Are there flaws in the body of existing research that you feel you can remedy?
Methods & Subjects
- What inquiry approach are you using?
- Will you conduct an experiment or survey?
- Will you undertake field research, or are you going to focus on the reanalysis of statistics already created by others?
- What is the setting for the research?
- Who or what will you study in order to collect the data?
- Who are the subjects in general and who is available for study? How will you reach them?
- Will it be appropriate to select a sample? If so, how will you do that?
- If there is any possibility that your research will have an impact on those you study, how will you ensure that they are not harmed by the research?
Measurement
- What are the key variables in your study?
- How will you define and measure them?
- Do your definitions and measurement methods duplicate or differ from those of previous research on this topic?
- Are you developing your measurement device (for example, questionnaire) or will you be using something previously developed by others?
- When developing a measurement device to measure your study group, how will you determine the validity of the instrument?
- For existing instruments, how do you know it is valid for your sample and how will you establish reliability for your sample? (Reliability should always be reported for the study sample, not the development samples reported in manuals.)
Data Collection
- How will you actually collect the data for your study (observation, interviews, document analysis, focus group, photography and video, etc.)?
Data Analysis
- What kind of analysis do you plan to conduct?
- What is the purpose and logic of your analytical approach? Are you interested in precise description?
- Do you intend to explain why things are the way they are? Do you plan to account for variations in some quality (for example, why are some students more liberal than others)?
- What possible explanatory variables will your analysis consider, and how will you know if you’ve explained the variables adequately?
- How can you verify and establish the trustworthiness of your study?
Scholarly Work
- How will this research lead to scholarly work?
- What level of scholarly work makes sense?
- What is your end goal?
- What are the avenues for presenting or sharing your research findings?
- Where do you want to share your work?
- What did you learn?
- What worked and what didn’t?
- How does your data answer or inform your research question(s)?
Conclusions & Recommendations
- How can you apply or use what you learned?
- How might others use it?
- What were the limitations of your research?
- What implications are there for further research?
If you are writing a research proposal, include:
- Schedule – provide a schedule for the various stages of research (this is good to do for any project).
- Budget – If you are asking someone to give you money to pay the costs of your research, you will need to provide a budget specifying where the money will go. Large, expensive projects include budgetary categories such as personnel, equipment, supplies and expenses such as telephones and postage. Even for a more modest project which you will pay for yourself, it’s a good idea to spend some time anticipating any expenses involved: office supplies, photocopying, computer disks, telephone calls, transportation, and so on.
Source: Babbie, E. (1992). The Practice of Social Research , Sixth Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company; Creswell, J.W. (1998). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Traditions . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications; Patton, M.Q. (1990). Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods . Newberry Park, CA: Sage Publications.
Excerpted and adapted from Lisa Phelps and Judith Graham, Elements of a Social Research Report or Proposal: Questions to Consider (2002).
The top 10 thesis defense questions (+ how to prepare strong answers)
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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
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.
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.
By embracing these principles and staying confident and adaptable, you’ll navigate your thesis defense with ease.
Question 1: Why did you choose this particular topic for your research?
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.
Question 2: How does your research contribute to the existing body of knowledge?
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.
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.
Question 3: What are the key findings of your research?
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.
Question 4: Can you defend your research methodology?
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.
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.
Question 5: How did you analyze the data and what challenges did you encounter?
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.
In summary, when addressing inquiries about data analysis, consider the following key points:
Question 6: What theoretical frameworks or references underpin your research?
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.
In summary, when addressing inquiries about theoretical frameworks, consider the following key points:
Question 7: How did you address ethical considerations in your research?
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.
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.
Question 8: In what ways does your research contribute to the field?
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.
In summary, when addressing inquiries about the contributions of your research to the field, consider the following key points:
Question 9: How did you ensure your research was free from bias?
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.
Question 10: Where can future research go from here?
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.
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.
Master Academia
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Graduate Writing Center
Thesis proposals: common elements - graduate writing center.
- Thesis Writing Overview
- Advisors and Advising
Thesis Proposals: Common Elements
- Executive Summaries and Abstracts
- Thesis Processing Office
- iThenticate FAQ
- NPS Thesis Abstracts
- NPS Outstanding Theses & Dissertations
Departmental requirements for thesis proposals can be quite different, so pay careful attention to your department's and advisor's guidance when writing your proposal. Many departments provide a template for the thesis proposal, which will specify which elements you must include and how your proposal should be formatted. That said, most NPS thesis proposals require you to include the following elements, each of which answers key questions about your research:
What problem are you responding to? What is your research question ?
Your research responds to real-world problems or to existing scholarship that has revealed unanswered questions. Perhaps recent historical events have led to new threats, challenges, or needs. Perhaps old technology or approaches have become obsolete, failing to meet the demands of current applications.
The research question frames the object of your research in the form of a question, complete with a question mark. Identify your research question clearly and directly. You may have more than one research question, depending upon your department.
Why is the research you propose worth pursuing? What makes it significant ?
In explaining how the research you're proposing is significant, you are essentially responding to: "So what?" Be clear about how answering your research question will help in dealing with the real world or scholarly problem you've identified.
For example, the significance of your research might be to enhance our understanding of a major historical event, allowing us to make better decisions in the future; or your research might improve the efficiency of technical systems, saving money and keeping up with developing challenges.
What has been written about the topic and the problem in other scholarly literature?
As you plan your thesis research, you will review a great deal of literature in order to understand what scholars who study your topic know, what these scholars agree and disagree about, and how they go about seeking answers.
If your thesis proposal requires a literature review, use it to identify the important themes in what you have read, particularly those that have shaped the question you are asking and your approach to it.
What possible answers to your research question will your research assess?
Often your research question could result in multiple answers. In identifying one or more hypotheses, you narrow the scope of your research, specifying potential answers you will explore or test. Your research is then designed to find out if one or more of your hypotheses are true.
In other cases, the research question and hypothesis are more closely bound to each other. In these cases, your research question essentially states your hypothesis in the form of a question.
How will you design your research? What methodology will you apply?
Discuss how your research is structured and how you will go about it.
Identify the choices you have made in designing your research. For example, in the social sciences, be clear about what time periods or case studies you have selected. In a more technical field, you might explain your choice to use a certain lab material or software.
Explain why you have made these choices and what the implications are, including how the choices may limit your findings. Showing that you have considered possible limitations reflects well on your credibility as a researcher.
Finally, be clear about the stages or steps involved in conducting your research. What do you need to do first? What will your final step be?
How will your thesis be outlined, chapter by chapter?
Most thesis proposals require you to consider how many chapters you will write and what each chapter will contribute to the document. Often, this structure can be modified if needed during the writing of the thesis itself.
Thesis Proposal Links
- Handout: " What's a Thesis Proposal? " Gary Langford, NPS Systems Engineering department
- Website: NPS Thesis Processing Office
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Dissertation proposal defense: 12 tips for effective preparation, published by steve tippins on may 11, 2020 may 11, 2020.
Last Updated on: 22nd May 2024, 04:08 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
![common thesis proposal questions man in a blue shirt working on his laptop](https://www.beyondphdcoaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/adult-books-coffee-374016-1024x683.jpg)
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.
![title= common thesis proposal questions](https://www.beyondphdcoaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Frame-43757.png)
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.
![common thesis proposal questions multicultural group of people all collaborating together on a laptop](https://www.beyondphdcoaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Presentation.jpg.webp)
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.
![common thesis proposal questions woman with headphones listening to online courses and taking notes](https://www.beyondphdcoaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/AdobeStock_288241140-1024x683.jpeg.webp)
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.
![common thesis proposal questions woman in a bright suit jacket looking at her student giving a presentation](https://www.beyondphdcoaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/woman-in-teal-dress-shirt-sits-near-wall-1181426-1.jpg.webp)
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.
![](http://sektorel.online/777/templates/cheerup/res/banner1.gif)
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.
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.
![title= common thesis proposal questions](https://www.beyondphdcoaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/g12-3.webp)
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.
![common thesis proposal questions man in beige suit jacket holding a presentation on a whiteboard](https://www.beyondphdcoaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/man-in-beige-blazer-holding-tablet-computer-3184328.jpg.webp)
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 .
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
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25 Thesis/Dissertation Defense Questions
December 17, 2023
When you’re considering going to graduate school , or you’re about to defend your master’s thesis or PhD dissertation, chances are you’ve come across something called the thesis defense. The thesis defense is arguably one of the most fundamental steps to take in order to attain your graduate degree. Each university will have its own tailored expectations of the thesis defense. Yet, as a whole, the thesis defense is an opportunity for you to demonstrate in front of the committee the extensive research you’ve completed and the critical skills you’ve developed. Due to the critical nature of the various thesis defense questions/dissertation defense questions you’ll be asked, it’s best to be prepared and practice with other students. Try to even attend a thesis defense if you can. Overall, consider the thesis defense as a chance to showcase how you’ll best contribute to that academic field of research.
The thesis defense can range from anywhere between one to two hours, depending on your program. As a whole, you’ll present how you decided to choose this topic of research, what you discovered, and what those findings led you to realize. The committee – those overseeing and critiquing your thesis defense – will then ask you a series of thesis defense questions, as well as your written thesis because they’ll have already read it by then. In most cases, by the end of the questioning, the committee will either decide to approve your thesis or give you possible suggestions on how to reapproach your research.
How to best prepare for thesis defense questions
Much like preparing for the GRE or deciding what graduate program you wanted to apply to at the beginning of your graduate academic journey, familiarizing yourself with what to expect on the day of your thesis defense will only lighten the burden. Whether you’re a new master’s student or considering how to pursue a PhD , it’s important to know ahead of time how to best prepare for the thesis defense questions. If you’re getting ready to defend the master’s thesis or prepare for dissertation defense questions, see how you can answer the following thesis defense questions that might come your way on the day of the presentation.
1) What does your research focus on?
Be ready to state right away the synopsis of your research. Although it may seem like a simple, straightforward question, the committee will be looking to see the terminology you use when describing the focus of your research.
2) What influenced you to research this topic?
The committee will be interested in knowing what influenced you to choose this specific topic of research. What motivated you? Shape your answer in a way that reflects the field of study your topic of interest is in and the issues that stood out to you.
3) What does your study encompass and cover?
Consider the parameters and scope of your research for your thesis defense. By defining and delineating the grounds that you covered with your research, you will inform the committee with a better understanding of how you decided to focus on your topic of interest.
Thesis Defense Questions (Continued)
4) what was the goal of your research.
This question will surface often whether you are defending your master’s thesis or preparing for the dissertation defense questions. It’s important to state what your thesis meant to achieve. Think of what the core focus of your thesis is, and state how that was the driving factor in your research.
5) What were your expectations going into this research?
Describe how your hypothesis was formed. Were there any things you had expected or any preconceived notions you had on this topic before you pursued this research? Where did these expectations come from? Did any previous research affect the way you approached your thesis defense as a whole?
Defending a Thesis (Continued)
6) what did you study that made you want to conduct this research project.
This is a great opportunity for you to show what literature you reviewed that led you to pursue the research. Be ready to discuss the literary review of what has already been contributed to this field of study. Reflect on the realizations made when confronting certain data and if it was feasible for you to conduct your research given the existing contributions. Examining this type of literary review will serve you well during the following thesis defense questions.
7) Who is the targeted audience for this research?
It will be important to state who the targeted audience is, or what types of people will be affected by your research. Will these particular parties benefit from your research? How will they be affected? Consider not just the targeted audience, but also those in parallel groups who may be impacted by your findings.
8) Why did you choose this title for your research? – thesis defense questions
The way you have named and titled your research will convey what you consider most important to the committee. What does your research try to explain in the given title? Is there a reason you chose the specific words in your title to convey a main point? The committee will want to see the intentionality of every word here and how it relates back to your research.
9) How did you conduct your research questions and did your approach change?
While you were preparing and conducting your research, you might have found that your research questions were changing, depending on the sample you were studying. Oftentimes, if you are utilizing qualitative research methodology, the types of qualitative questions may change based on the answer. How did that change affect your research process? Did you have to shift your approach to the subject matter or reconsider focus groups?
10) What impact does your research have on the existing literature?
Reflect on how your research made a contribution to the overall understanding of the field at hand. Think of why this was necessary and state that concisely. This will trickle into other thesis defense questions.
11) Did you address any gaps in the field of your research?
Answering this thesis defense question will show how significant the findings of your research are. The goal of anyone’s research is to fill in the gaps of a field. Why did the pre-existing literature not suffice to address the focus of your research?
12) What did you come across during your research?
It helps to have options of how you’ll convey this. Try to be prepared to summarize in detail, within a minute, what your findings were. Then see what you can paraphrase in 5 minutes. How about in 10 minutes? Doing so will assist you in identifying the most relevant piece of information based on how the committee asks you this thesis defense question.
13) Did you find anything unexpected or surprising during your research process? – thesis defense questions
This would be a good opportunity for you to state how any surprises you came across helped you make certain decisions about your research. While you defend the master’s thesis and think of how you’ll prepare for the PhD dissertation defense questions, this is a “curveball” moment that demonstrates how you took charge of the challenge presented and continued your research despite what you had confronted.
14) Under what parameters is your research valid?
Parameters were mentioned in question 3 above, but consider the specific conditions that would need to be in place for your findings to be valid. What are the elements that would have to be in place? Be ready to identify these during this thesis defense question.
15) What were the challenges when conducting your research?
Were there any roadblocks you faced when gathering your data? Did you have to reconsider your research methodology at all? Identifying this will help the committee understand the direction and trajectory of your research.
16) What were the challenges when working with your subject matter?
If you were interviewing people, did the focus groups not adhere to what you had asked them to do? Why? Walk the committee through your approach here.
17) Why did you choose the research methodology that you chose?
While you’re defending the master’s thesis or answering dissertation defense questions, you’ll be asked specific questions about your research methodology. Was it qualitative? Quantitative? Why? What made you believe that this would be the most effective way to conduct your research?
18) How did you form your hypothesis?
Tie back in your expectations for your research and consider what you thought the expected results would be for this thesis defense question. Were there any factors, both past or recent, that had helped shape your hypothesis?
19) How did you gather the data to conduct your research and what sources did you use?
Recount what steps you took to decide how to access the data. Did certain libraries offer more resources? Was there any censorship that you came across that posed as a roadblock to collecting data?
20) What are the practical implications of your research?
For both master’s and PhD students, this is always an important thesis defense question to keep in mind. In life outside of the academic institution, how will your research be of practical use to society? It’s a question that most graduate students ask about themselves before graduating, so it’s best to know how to answer this one about your research!
21) How did you decide what samples to study in the research you found? What was your approach in using sample groups?
For example, if you used sample or focus groups, how did you go about selecting these groups? How did you get access to the data here? Don’t be hesitant to state the challenges you might have faced while doing so. As long as you frame it in a way that helps provide a more intricate portrait of the trajectory of your research, you’re on the right path.
22) What are the independent and dependent variables in your research?
Use this thesis defense question to show how balanced your research methodology was by naming the different factors. How did the independent variables affect how the dependent variables changed?
Dissertation Defense Questions (Continued)
23) considering your contribution to this field of research, where else would require further research what more needs to be done in this field.
As a master’s student defending your master’s thesis or as a PhD candidate preparing for your dissertation defense questions, you are already a researcher. And as a researcher, you must present what else must be done in your field of research on top of what you’ve accomplished. What does your research further suggest?
24) What did you ultimately gather from your research? What did you learn during and after the process? – thesis defense questions
Aside from stating your findings as a whole, this would be a good moment to express if you found anything significant outside of your thesis that you hadn’t expected. Was there something you learned while gathering your data or writing up your text that you never thought you’d come across?
25) After you complete your degree, what do you want to pursue professionally?
It’s not uncommon for master’s or PhD students to not know exactly what they want to do once they graduate. But for this last thesis defense question, it’s good to have a solid answer that will tie back into the research you’ve done. Do you have further research plans in this field? Do you want to pursue a profession that would enable this and strengthen the practical reality of it?
Thesis Defense Questions – Additional Resources
We hope you found this list of common thesis defense questions useful as you prepare for defending your thesis. Other articles that you may find relevant include:
- Top Feeders to PhD Programs
- Do You Need a Master’s to get a PhD?
- How to Write a Grad School Statement of Purpose
- Graduate School Admissions
Joanna Hong
With a BA from Pitzer College and an MA from University College London, Joanna has worked in London, Berlin, and Los Angeles covering many cultural and political issues with organizations such as Byline Media, NK News, and Free Turkey Media. A freelancer for The New York Times, her work has also appeared in Newsweek, Dazed and Confused Magazine, and The Guardian, among others. In addition, Joanna was the recipient of the 2021 PEN America Emerging Voices Fellowship in Fiction and is currently completing her first novel.
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- Writing Strong Research Questions | Criteria & Examples
Writing Strong Research Questions | Criteria & Examples
Published on October 26, 2022 by Shona McCombes . Revised on November 21, 2023.
A research question pinpoints exactly what you want to find out in your work. A good research question is essential to guide your research paper , dissertation , or thesis .
All research questions should be:
- Focused on a single problem or issue
- Researchable using primary and/or secondary sources
- Feasible to answer within the timeframe and practical constraints
- Specific enough to answer thoroughly
- Complex enough to develop the answer over the space of a paper or thesis
- Relevant to your field of study and/or society more broadly
![common thesis proposal questions Writing Strong Research Questions](https://www.scribbr.nl/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Characteristics-of-a-strong-research-question-Scribbr-small-1.webp)
Table of contents
How to write a research question, what makes a strong research question, using sub-questions to strengthen your main research question, research questions quiz, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about research questions.
You can follow these steps to develop a strong research question:
- Choose your topic
- Do some preliminary reading about the current state of the field
- Narrow your focus to a specific niche
- Identify the research problem that you will address
The way you frame your question depends on what your research aims to achieve. The table below shows some examples of how you might formulate questions for different purposes.
Research question formulations | |
---|---|
Describing and exploring | |
Explaining and testing | |
Evaluating and acting | is X |
Using your research problem to develop your research question
Example research problem | Example research question(s) |
---|---|
Teachers at the school do not have the skills to recognize or properly guide gifted children in the classroom. | What practical techniques can teachers use to better identify and guide gifted children? |
Young people increasingly engage in the “gig economy,” rather than traditional full-time employment. However, it is unclear why they choose to do so. | What are the main factors influencing young people’s decisions to engage in the gig economy? |
Note that while most research questions can be answered with various types of research , the way you frame your question should help determine your choices.
Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.
Research questions anchor your whole project, so it’s important to spend some time refining them. The criteria below can help you evaluate the strength of your research question.
Focused and researchable
Criteria | Explanation |
---|---|
Focused on a single topic | Your central research question should work together with your research problem to keep your work focused. If you have multiple questions, they should all clearly tie back to your central aim. |
Answerable using | Your question must be answerable using and/or , or by reading scholarly sources on the to develop your argument. If such data is impossible to access, you likely need to rethink your question. |
Not based on value judgements | Avoid subjective words like , , and . These do not give clear criteria for answering the question. |
Feasible and specific
Criteria | Explanation |
---|---|
Answerable within practical constraints | Make sure you have enough time and resources to do all research required to answer your question. If it seems you will not be able to gain access to the data you need, consider narrowing down your question to be more specific. |
Uses specific, well-defined concepts | All the terms you use in the research question should have clear meanings. Avoid vague language, jargon, and too-broad ideas. |
Does not demand a conclusive solution, policy, or course of action | Research is about informing, not instructing. Even if your project is focused on a practical problem, it should aim to improve understanding rather than demand a ready-made solution. If ready-made solutions are necessary, consider conducting instead. Action research is a research method that aims to simultaneously investigate an issue as it is solved. In other words, as its name suggests, action research conducts research and takes action at the same time. |
Complex and arguable
Criteria | Explanation |
---|---|
Cannot be answered with or | Closed-ended, / questions are too simple to work as good research questions—they don’t provide enough for robust investigation and discussion. |
Cannot be answered with easily-found facts | If you can answer the question through a single Google search, book, or article, it is probably not complex enough. A good research question requires original data, synthesis of multiple sources, and original interpretation and argumentation prior to providing an answer. |
Relevant and original
Criteria | Explanation |
---|---|
Addresses a relevant problem | Your research question should be developed based on initial reading around your . It should focus on addressing a problem or gap in the existing knowledge in your field or discipline. |
Contributes to a timely social or academic debate | The question should aim to contribute to an existing and current debate in your field or in society at large. It should produce knowledge that future researchers or practitioners can later build on. |
Has not already been answered | You don’t have to ask something that nobody has ever thought of before, but your question should have some aspect of originality. For example, you can focus on a specific location, or explore a new angle. |
Chances are that your main research question likely can’t be answered all at once. That’s why sub-questions are important: they allow you to answer your main question in a step-by-step manner.
Good sub-questions should be:
- Less complex than the main question
- Focused only on 1 type of research
- Presented in a logical order
Here are a few examples of descriptive and framing questions:
- Descriptive: According to current government arguments, how should a European bank tax be implemented?
- Descriptive: Which countries have a bank tax/levy on financial transactions?
- Framing: How should a bank tax/levy on financial transactions look at a European level?
Keep in mind that sub-questions are by no means mandatory. They should only be asked if you need the findings to answer your main question. If your main question is simple enough to stand on its own, it’s okay to skip the sub-question part. As a rule of thumb, the more complex your subject, the more sub-questions you’ll need.
Try to limit yourself to 4 or 5 sub-questions, maximum. If you feel you need more than this, it may be indication that your main research question is not sufficiently specific. In this case, it’s is better to revisit your problem statement and try to tighten your main question up.
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If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.
Methodology
- Sampling methods
- Simple random sampling
- Stratified sampling
- Cluster sampling
- Likert scales
- Reproducibility
Statistics
- Null hypothesis
- Statistical power
- Probability distribution
- Effect size
- Poisson distribution
Research bias
- Optimism bias
- Cognitive bias
- Implicit bias
- Hawthorne effect
- Anchoring bias
- Explicit bias
The way you present your research problem in your introduction varies depending on the nature of your research paper . A research paper that presents a sustained argument will usually encapsulate this argument in a thesis statement .
A research paper designed to present the results of empirical research tends to present a research question that it seeks to answer. It may also include a hypothesis —a prediction that will be confirmed or disproved by your research.
As you cannot possibly read every source related to your topic, it’s important to evaluate sources to assess their relevance. Use preliminary evaluation to determine whether a source is worth examining in more depth.
This involves:
- Reading abstracts , prefaces, introductions , and conclusions
- Looking at the table of contents to determine the scope of the work
- Consulting the index for key terms or the names of important scholars
A research hypothesis is your proposed answer to your research question. The research hypothesis usually includes an explanation (“ x affects y because …”).
A statistical hypothesis, on the other hand, is a mathematical statement about a population parameter. Statistical hypotheses always come in pairs: the null and alternative hypotheses . In a well-designed study , the statistical hypotheses correspond logically to the research hypothesis.
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Formulating a main research question can be a difficult task. Overall, your question should contribute to solving the problem that you have defined in your problem statement .
However, it should also fulfill criteria in three main areas:
- Researchability
- Feasibility and specificity
- Relevance and originality
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Dissertation Defense
- Dissertation Defense: Home
- Preparing for the Defense
Consider These Example Defense Questions
- Student Experience Feedback Buttons
- Attending a Defense
- Sample Defenses
- Zoom Resources
- Dissertation Publishing in ProQuest
- School of Education Educator Dispositions
- What do you see as the main contributions of your research for your discipline, practitioners, and/or policy makers?
- In what ways, if at all, does your study contribute to the existing literature and/or prior research in the field? In what ways does it extend the literature? Contradict the literature? Fill gaps in the literature? Clarify contradictions in the literature?
- In planning and conducting this study, which major theorists influenced your thinking?
- What are the conflicting issues in your field (every field has conflicts—hence, the research problem), and what contributed most to your understanding of these issues?
- In what ways do you expect that your work will clarify the conflicting issues in your field?
- What motivated you to conduct this study? In other words, what brought you to explore this particular topic?
- What new learning about qualitative research have you come away with as a result of conducting this study?
- What, if any, are the unanticipated outcomes of your study? What surprises have you come away with?
- What new learning about yourself have you come away with having conducted this study? What additional insights has the dissertation experience afforded you?
- What were the high and/or low points for you in the dissertation experience?
- If you were to redo this study, how might you conduct this study differently? How might you change your research methodology? Why?
- How could you build on or extend this research in the future?
- What are the major strengths and/or limitations of your research design/methodology?
- What might further strengthen this study?
- Why did you analyze the data in the way that you did? How might you have analyzed your data differently?
- What suggestions might you offer somebody about to conduct a study of this nature?
- How did you arrive at your conceptual framework?
- What are the theoretical components of your framework?
- What informed your conceptual framework?
- How did you decide upon the components that you include in your conceptual framework?
- How did the components of your conceptual framework assist you in visualizing and explaining what you intended to investigate?
- How did you use your conceptual framework to design your research and analyze your findings?
Bloomberg, L. D and Volpe, M: Completing your qualitative dissertation: A Roadmap from Beginning to End (Sage 2016).
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Reference management. Clean and simple.
Is it a good thesis topic?
![common thesis proposal questions](https://cdn.paperpile.com/guides/img/perfect-thesis-illustr-400x400.png)
Does the topic have a clear aim?
Is the topic researchable, is the topic original enough, will the topic be interesting to your audience.
- What methodology will your topic require?
Additional criteria for a good thesis topic
Frequently asked questions about having a good thesis topic, related articles.
Before starting the actual research for your thesis, you need to make sure that your topic is well formed. Take a look at this list of questions to find out if your topic is ready to work on.
First things first, is your topic clear enough? The ideal path of deciding a topic starts by making it as comprehensive as possible. This is easier said than done, as people often have one idea in mind but another one in the paper.
Tip: To ensure that your topic is clear and comprehensible, try explaining it to a friend or colleague.
As James Hamilton, coach for Ph.D. students, concludes in his guide on finding a thesis topic “clarity is the key.” Therefore, we recommend explaining your topic to someone foreign to your field.
Dissect every part of the topic and describe them in the most simple way. This will help you see your topic from a different perspective. Once you have a simplified version, you can start adding layers of complexity.
Once you are sure the topic is crystal clear, it is time to find out the most important factor: does the topic offer enough information? If you came up with the topic from material you read before, or you heard about it in a lecture, it means the topic is probably highly researchable.
Use keywords related to your topic and search for them in:
- library catalogs
- academic databases
- academic search engines
- Google scholar
- academic repositories
Consider meeting with an academic librarian, who can help you generate keywords.
Every thesis requires a level of originality but, let's be honest, research is never completely original. Still, why not make it as original as you can within your limits? You will dive in a sea of papers with a similar approach to yours. This is your chance of finding an angle that has never been taken before.
Therefore, we recommend finding a gap in the research, or a certain angle that has been done before but could be further developed. How? By simply paying particular attention to your sources.
Tip: To determine if your thesis topic is original, consider speaking with your advisor, or others in your field, who may know the research landscape really well.
Academic writing shouldn’t be boring. Depending on the level of your thesis, its appeal will vary. Identify the audience of your thesis and adapt its style and structure accordingly.
A bachelor’s thesis has to be interesting for the professor who grades it it. An MA thesis should attract your supervisor, and potential future employers. A Ph.D. thesis should strive to make a clear intervention in the field that will catch the attention of other scholars. It should engage peers, supervisor, and general researchers.
Once you know who you are writing for, it becomes easier to adapt your style to your target audience. We also recommend these 13 ways to make your writing more interesting to read.
W hat methodology will your topic require?
Picking a suitable research methodology is one of the most important components that can make a project fail or succeed.
Being aware of what type of outcome you want and how much time you have to conduct research will help you choose the right methodologies. For example, if you want qualitative data and you have enough time, then you can carry out a focus group.
If you want quantitative data in a short period of time then an online survey suffices. Time and goal will be the decisive factors in almost every project.
Check out our guide on How to gather data for your thesis for further instructions on collecting empirical data and choosing a methodology.
- Qualitative : focus groups, interviews, literature reviews, etc.
- Quantitative : surveys, experiments, longitudinal studies, etc.
You might also ask yourself these questions when you are assessing if your thesis topic is good:
- Is the topic easy to find?
- Is the topic of interest in contemporary culture?
- Will the topic bring you any benefit after graduation?
Every thesis requires a level of originality but let's be honest, research is never completely original. To have an original topic, we recommend finding a gap in the research. How? By simply finding a certain angle that has been done before but could be further developed.
Academic writing shouldn’t be boring. In order to make it interesting, you should identify the audience of your project and adapt it accordingly. A bachelor’s thesis has to be interesting for the professor who grades it it. An MA thesis should attract your supervisor, and potential future employers. A Ph.D. thesis should strive to make a clear intervention in the field that will catch the attention of other scholars.
We recommend explaining your topic to someone foreign to your field. Dissect every part of the topic and describe it in the most simple way. This will help you see your topic from a different perspective.
If you came up with the topic from material you read before, or you heard about it in a lecture, it means the topic is probably highly researchable. Use keywords related to your topic and search for them in catalogs, databases, search engines, and libraries.
Some other questions you can ask yourself (or others) to know if your thesis topic is good:
![common thesis proposal questions academic search engines](https://cdn.paperpile.com/guides/img/academic-search-engines-illust-400x400.png)
![common thesis proposal questions Logo](https://resourcefulscholarshub.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Resourceful-Scholars-Hub-transparent-background-300x300.jpg)
PhD Thesis Proposal Defense: Common Questions and Feedback
![common thesis proposal questions PhD thesis proposal defense questions and feedback](https://resourcefulscholarshub.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/PhD-Thesis-Proposal-Defense.png)
This past two weeks I attended a number of proposal defense of PhD students at my University. In this post, I discuss the general format of a proposal defense as well as discuss the most common questions asked and feedback given to the students by the external examiners.
Structure of a PhD proposal defense
Outcomes of a phd proposal defense, common questions and feedback for chapter 1 of the proposal, common questions and feedback for chapter 2 of the proposal, common questions and feedback for chapter 3 of the proposal, general feedback, final thoughts, related posts.
A proposal defense has: the student defending his proposal, two external examiners, the student’s supervisors, the audience, and the chair of the defense. The defense is structured as follows:
- The chair opens the session by welcoming and acknowledging the student, his supervisors and the external examiners.
- The chair also outlines how the defense will be undertaken including any rules that should be adhered to.
- The chair then welcomes the PhD student to introduce himself and make a presentation (usually 15 minutes).
- After the presentation by the student, the chair opens the floor to the external examiners to give their comments, ask questions and give feedback to the student on how to improve the proposal.
- The student is then required to respond to the questions asked and comments given.
- The chair then makes his remarks.
- Afterwards, the PhD student, his supervisors and the audience are requested to leave the room to allow the chair and the examiners to make their determination. The student and his supervisors are then called back in and the determination is spelt out to them.
There are about 4 possible outcomes after the student presents and defends his proposal:
- The proposal passes with minor or no corrections.
- The proposal passes with major corrections.
- The student retakes the proposal by re-writing it (may include change of topic) and defending it again.
- The proposal is rejected.
Rarely will a student be asked to re-take or will a proposal be rejected especially if it has been adequately supervised. This is because before the proposal is submitted for oral defense, it must be reviewed and signed by the supervisors.
Below is a list of the common questions and feedback for chapter 1:
- What is your working definition of [concepts]?
- Which sector do you want to focus on?
- From a [country/region] perspective, please explain what is the problem?
- How do you intend to solve the problem you have identified?
- What will your proposed solution comprise of?
- Who are the recipients of your proposed solution?
- What is the primary outcome of the research?
- Your objectives use [concept] while your problem statement talks of [a different concept]. What’s the difference between the two [concepts]?
- In the research objectives, there is an interchange and insertion of different words. Be careful about the concepts you use. There needs to be consistency in the concepts used throughout the proposal.
- What is the knowledge gap? That is, what is known and what is unknown that your study will attempt to address?
- How do you relate [different variables included in the topic]? Is one a precedent of the other?
- Are you investigating or examining? The topic says investigating while the objectives talk of examining.
- The presentation does not discuss [sector of focus], the opportunities that exist, and the challenges it faces. This would give the student a good basis for undertaking the research.
- There is no continuity in the objectives.
- There is no discussion of the study’s contribution to knowledge and practice, which is very important for PhD-level study.
- The background has many concepts that throw off readers on what the focus of the study is.
- The problem statement is not focused.
- What is the placement of the study regionally?
- The objectives are too long and broad; they should be specific.
- What is the underlying hypothesis of your study?
- One of the research questions is biased. The researcher should take a neutral stand.
Below is a list of the common questions and feedback for chapter 2:
- Which theories have inspired your work and who are the proponents of those theories?
- For each theory discussed in your proposal, briefly state what it says and how it informs your study.
- How are the theories related to your study?
- Why did you select those theories and not [other theories]?
- There are no empirical studies reviewed in your proposal.
- Your work must converge with other peoples’ work to be able to show the gap that your study is trying to fill.
- How did the choice of theories help you come up with your study’s concepts and variables?
- How will you measure the variables [in the topic]?
- You have just touched the surface of the empirical review, which should be a substantial section of your literature review.
- It is not clear what the research gap is from the literature review.
- After the empirical review, that’s when you now discuss the conceptual framework.
- The conceptual framework should clearly show the dependent and independent variables and their relationships.
Below is a list of the common questions and feedback for chapter 3:
- Kindly explain what your research philosophy is.
- What will your [quantitative] model comprise of?
- How are you going to verify and validate your [quantitative] model?
- Why is the sampling formula appropriate to your sector and study? Justify the sampling formula used in the proposal.
- Justify the choice of the sampling technique [e.g. purposive sampling].
- Justify your choice of data collection and data analysis methods.
- Are you going to use an inductive approach or a deductive approach to your study?
- There needs to be consistency between your objectives and research philosophy.
- If you have a number of population categories, you need to clearly articulate the sampling techniques for each category.
- The data analysis methods should be clearly articulated.
- The ethical considerations of your study should be adequately discussed.
- The data collection instruments should be part of the proposal defense.
- Your choice of research design and methods should be justified.
- What is your unit of analysis?
- Who are your study’s population?
- Will you have different questionnaires for different respondents?
- The data collection tools should have adequate background information questions to enable comparisons across different socio-economic and demographic groups.
- Why are you lagging a variable? Justify the need to lag the variable.
- Justify the choice of the model [e.g. Structural Equation Model].
- Which specific multivariate analysis will you use?
- Which tests are you going to conduct for the model and why? [e.g. normality, multicollinearity tests etc]
- The variables of your study should be defined.
In addition to the chapter-specific questions and feedback given, the students also received feedback on:
- The formatting of their proposals, including the font styles and size allowed, the numbering of the documents,
- The inclusion of front pages such as cover page, declaration, abstract, table of contents,
- The inclusion of back pages such as reference list and appendices which should include letter of introduction, consent letter for study respondents, data collection instruments, and work plan (Gantt chart) for the study.
- The style of referencing recommended by the School e.g. APA, which should be consistent throughout the proposal. The proposal defense should also include some of the citations so as to give it an authoritative feel.
From my observations during the four proposal defenses I attended, a proposal defense is an opportunity for the PhD student to defend his work and to convince the interviewing panel that the student knows what he is doing and what is required of him moving forward. Most of the panellists will do their best to make the student feel comfortable rather than intimidate him so PhD students should not panic when preparing to defend their proposals.
Of importance is adequate preparation before the defense and making sure that the proposal and presentation follow the guidelines provided by the School. Lastly, PhD students should keep in mind that the aim of the proposal defense is to help improve upon the student’s proposal and ensure that the research will meet the scientific rigour and standards of a PhD-level work.
How To Write Chapter 1 Of A PhD Thesis Proposal (A Practical Guide)
How To Write Chapter 2 Of A PhD Thesis Proposal (A Beginner’s Guide)
How To Write Chapter 3 Of A PhD Thesis Proposal (A Detailed Guide)
How To Format A PhD Thesis In Microsoft Word (An Illustrative Guide)
Comprehensive Guidelines for Writing a PhD Thesis Proposal (+ free checklist for PhD Students)
Grace Njeri-Otieno
Grace Njeri-Otieno is a Kenyan, a wife, a mom, and currently a PhD student, among many other balls she juggles. She holds a Bachelors' and Masters' degrees in Economics and has more than 7 years' experience with an INGO. She was inspired to start this site so as to share the lessons learned throughout her PhD journey with other PhD students. Her vision for this site is "to become a go-to resource center for PhD students in all their spheres of learning."
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Writing A Research Proposal
8 common (and costly) mistakes to avoid 🤦.
By: Derek Jansen (MBA) & David Phair (PhD) . Reviewed By: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | June 2021
At Grad Coach, we review a lot of research proposals , including dissertation proposals and thesis proposals. Some are pretty good, while others are, well, not fantastic. Sadly, many students only approach us after their proposal has been rejected , meaning they’ve wasted a lot of time and effort.
We’ll look at 8 common mistakes and issues we see cropping up in research proposals so that you can craft your proposal with confidence and maximise the chances of it being approved.
![research-proposal-mistakes Dissertation and thesis research proposal mistakes](https://gradcoach.com/wp-content/uploads/research-proposal-mistakes.png)
Overview: 8 Research Proposal Killers
- The research topic is too broad (or just poorly articulated).
- The research aims, objectives and questions don’t align .
- The research topic is not well justified .
- The study has a weak theoretical foundation .
- The research design is not well articulated well enough.
- Poor writing and sloppy presentation.
- Poor project planning and risk management.
- Not following the university’s specific criteria .
#1: The research topic is too broad.
One of the most common issues we see in dissertation and thesis proposals is that the research topic is simply too broad . In other words, the focus of the research is not ringfenced tightly enough (or just not defined clearly enough), resulting in a proposal that has an unclear direction or attempts to take on too much.
For example, a research project that aims to “investigate trust in the workplace” would be considered very broad. This topic has no specific focus and leaves many questions unanswered, for example:
- What type(s) of trust?
- Between whom?
- Within what types of workplaces?
- Within what industry or industries?
As a general rule of thumb, you should aim for a fairly narrow focus when you craft your research topic. Doing this will allow you to go deep and investigate the topic in-depth , which is what the markers want to see. Quality beats quantity – or rather, depth beats breadth – when it comes to defining and refining your research topic.
A related problem is that oftentimes, students have a more refined topic within their mind, but they don’t articulate it well in their proposal. This often results in the proposal being rejected because the topic is perceived as being too broad. In other words, it’s important to ensure you not only have a clear, sharp focus for your research, but that you communicate that well in your dissertation or thesis proposal. Make sure that you address the who , what , were and when, so that your topic is well defined.
Let’s look at an example.
Sticking with the topic I mentioned earlier, a more refined and well-articulated research aim could be something along the lines of:
“To investigate the factors that cultivate organisational trust (i.e. a customer trusting an organisation) within the UK life insurance industry.”
As you can see, this is a lot more specific and ringfences the topic into a more manageable scope . So, when it comes to your research topic, remember to keep it tight .
![proposal-who-what-where In your proposal, make sure that you address the who, what, where and when, so that your topic is well-defined.](https://gradcoach.com/wp-content/uploads/proposal-who-what-where.png)
#2: The research aims, objectives and questions don’t align.
Another common issue that we see with weaker research proposals is misalignment between the research aims and objectives , as well as with the research questions . Sometimes all three are misaligned , and sometimes there’s only one misfit. Whatever the case, it’s a problem that can lead to proposal rejection, as these three elements need to link together tightly.
Let’s look at an example of a misaligned trio.
Research Aim:
To identify factors that cultivate organisational trust in British insurance brokers.
Research Objectives:
To measure organisational trust levels across different demographic groups within the UK.
To investigate the causes of differences in organisational trust levels between groups.
Research Question:
What factors influence organisational trust between customers and insurance brokers within the UK?
As you can see, the research aim and research question are reasonably aligned (they are both focused on the factors that cultivate trust). However, the research objectives are misaligned, as they focus on measuring trust levels across different groups, rather than identifying what factors stimulate trust. This will result in a study that’s pulling in different directions – not good.
A related issue we see is that students don’t really understand the difference between research aims (the broader goal), research objectives (how you’ll achieve that goal) and research questions (the specific questions you’ll answer within your study). So, when you’re preparing your proposal, make sure that you clearly understand how these differ and make sure they’re all tightly aligned with each other.
![proposal-webinar-2024 Free Webinar: How To Write A Research Proposal](https://gradcoach.com/wp-content/uploads/proposal-webinar-2024.png)
#3: The research topic is not well justified.
A good research topic – in other words, a good set of research aims, research objectives and research questions – needs to be well justified to convince your university to approve your research. Poor justification of the research topic is a common reason for proposals to be rejected.
So, how do you justify your research?
For a research topic to be well justified, you need to demonstrate both originality and importance .
Originality means that your proposed research is novel , or at least that it’s novel within its context (for example, within a specific country or industry). While the extent of this novelty will vary depending on your institution, programme and level of study (e.g. Masters vs Doctorate), your research will always need to have some level of originality. In other words, you can’t research something that’s been researched ad nauseam before.
Simply put, your research needs to emerge from a gap in the existing literature . To do this, you need to figure out what’s missing from the current body of knowledge (by undertaking a review of the literature) and carve out your own research to fill that gap. We explain this process in more detail here .
Importance is the second factor. Just because a topic is unique doesn’t mean it’s important . You need to be able to explain what the benefits of undertaking your proposed research would be. Who would benefit? How would they benefit? How could the newly developed knowledge be used in the world, whether in academia or industry?
So, when you’re writing up your research proposal, make sure that you clearly articulate both the originality and importance of your proposed research, or you’ll risk submitting an unconvincing proposal.
![justify You have to justify every choice in your dissertation defence](https://gradcoach.com/wp-content/uploads/justify.png)
#4: The study has a weak theoretical foundation.
As I mentioned in the previous point, your research topic needs to emerge from the existing research . In other words, your research needs to fill a clear gap in the literature – something that hasn’t been adequately researched, or that lacks research in a specific context.
To convince your university that your topic will fill a gap in the research, your proposal needs to have a strong theoretical foundation . In other words, you need to show that you’ve done the necessary reading and are familiar with the existing research. To do this, you need to provide an integrated summary of the existing research and highlight (very clearly) the theoretical gap that exists.
Some common signs of a weak theoretical foundation that we’ve encountered include:
- A general lack of sources and a reliance on personal opinion and anecdotes, rather than academic literature.
- Failing to acknowledge and discuss landmark studies and key literature in the topic area.
- Relying heavily on low-quality sources , such as blog posts, personal websites, opinion pieces, etc.
- Relying heavily on outdated sources and not incorporating more recent research that builds on the “classics”.
While it’s generally not expected that you undertake a comprehensive literature review at the proposal stage, you do still need to justify your topic by demonstrating a need for your study (i.e. the literature gap). So, make sure that you put in the time to develop a sound understanding of the current state of knowledge in your space, and make sure that you communicate that understanding in your proposal by building your topic justification on a solid base of credible literature.
![literature-gap The literature review knowledge gap](https://gradcoach.com/wp-content/uploads/literature-gap.png)
#5: The research design is not articulated well enough (or is just impractical).
Once you’ve made a strong argument regarding the value of your research (i.e., you’ve justified it), the next matter that your research proposal needs to address is the “how” – in other words, your intended research design and methodology .
A common issue we see is that students don’t provide enough detail in this section. This is often because they don’t really know exactly what they’re going to do and plan to just “figure it out later” (which is not good enough). But sometimes it’s just a case of poor articulation – in other words, they have a clear design worked out in their minds, but they haven’t put their plan to paper.
Whatever the reason, a dissertation or thesis proposal that lacks detail regarding the research design runs a major risk of being rejected. This is because universities want to see that you have a clearly defined, practical plan to achieve your research aims and objectives and answer your research questions.
At a minimum, you should provide detail regarding the following:
- Research philosophy – the set of beliefs your research is based on (positivism, interpretivism, pragmatism)
- Research approach – the broader method you’ll use (inductive, deductive, qualitative and quantitative)
- Research strategy – how you’ll conduct the research (e.g., experimental, action, case study, etc.)
- Time horizon – the number of points in time at which you’ll collect your data (e.g. cross-sectional or longitudinal)
- Techniques and procedures – your intended data collection methods, data analysis techniques, sampling strategies , etc.
For more information about each of these design decisions, check out our post detailing the Research Onion.
Of course, your research design can (and most likely will) evolve along the way , but you still need a starting point. Also, your proposed research design needs to be practical, given your constraints. A brilliant design is pointless if you don’t have the resources (e.g. money, equipment, expertise, etc.) to pull it off. So, get detailed in this section of your proposal and keep it realistic to maximise your chances of approval.
Need a helping hand?
#6: Poor writing and sloppy presentation.
As with any document, poor writing and sloppy presentation can heavily detract from your research proposal, even if you tick all the other boxes. While poor writing and presentation alone probably won’t result in your proposal being rejected, it will definitely put you at a disadvantage , as it gives a negative impression regarding the overall quality of your work.
The main issues we see here are:
- Directionless or scattered writing – for example, writing that jumps from one point to another with poor flow and connectivity, disjointed points, etc.
- Poor argument formation – for example, a lack of premises and conclusions, disconnected conclusions and poor reasoning (you can learn more about argument development here ).
- Inappropriate language – for example, using a very informal or casual tone, slang, etc).
- Grammar and spelling issues, as well as inconsistent use of UK/US English.
- Referencing issues – for example, a lack of references or incorrectly formatted references.
- Table and figure captions – for example, a lack of captions, citations, figure and table numbers, etc.
- Low-quality visuals and diagrams.
The good news is that many of these can be resolved by editing and proofreading your proposal beforehand, so it’s always a good idea to take the time to do this. It’s also a good idea to ask a friend to review your document, as you will invariably suffer from blindspots when editing your own work. If your budget allows, having your work reviewed by an academic editor will ensure you cover all bases and submit a high-quality document.
#7: Poor project planning and risk management.
While different universities will have varying requirements, there is usually a requirement (or at least an expectation) for a project plan of sorts. As I mentioned earlier, a strong research proposal needs to be practical and manageable, given your constraints. Therefore, a well-articulated project plan that considers all the practicalities (and risks) is an important part of a strong research proposal.
We generally recommend that students draw up a fairly detailed Gantt chart , detailing each major task involved in the dissertation writing process. For example, you can break it down into the various chapters ( introduction , literature review, etc.) and the key tasks involved in completing each chapter (research, planning, writing, etc). What’s most important here is to be realistic – things almost always take longer than you expect, especially if you’re a first-time researcher.
![Blog post images (1) Gantt chart](https://gradcoach.com/wp-content/uploads/Blog-post-images-1.png)
We also recommend including some sort of risk management plan . For this, you could make use of a basic risk register , listing all the potential risks you foresee, as well as your mitigation and response actions, should they occur. For example, the risk of data collection taking longer than anticipated, the risk of not getting enough survey responses , etc.
What’s most important is to demonstrate that you have thought your research through and have a clear plan of action . Of course, as with your research design, plans can (and likely will) change – and that’s okay. However, you still need to have an initial plan, and that plan needs to be realistic and manageable, or you’ll risk your proposal getting rejected.
#8: Not following the university’s specific criteria.
While research proposals are fairly generic in terms of contents and style, and tend to follow a reasonably standardised structure, each university has its nuances in terms of what they want to be included in the dissertation or thesis proposal.
Some universities want more or less detail in certain sections, some want extra sections, and some want a very specific structure and format (down to the font type and size!). So, you need to pay very close attention to whatever institution-specific criteria your university has set out.
Typically, your university will provide some sort of brief or guidance document to direct your proposal efforts, so be sure to study this document thoroughly and ask the faculty for clarity if you’re uncertain about anything. Some universities will also provide a proposal template . Pay careful attention to any specific structure they recommend as well as formatting requirements (such as font, line spacing, margin sizes, referencing format, etc.).
If your university provides an assessment criteria matrix , you’ve hit the jackpot, as that document will detail exactly what you need to achieve in each section of the proposal. Study that matrix inside out and make sure that your research proposal tightly aligns with the assessment criteria.
![research-proposal-assessment-criteria Research proposal criteria](https://gradcoach.com/wp-content/uploads/research-proposal-assessment-criteria-1.jpg)
Recap: 8 Research Proposal Mistakes
We’ve covered a lot here – let’s recap on the 8 common mistakes that can hurt your research proposal or even get it rejected:
- The research design is not articulated well enough.
- Not following the university’s specific criteria.
If you have any questions about these common mistakes, leave a comment below and we’ll do our best to answer. You may also want to have a look at some examples of successful proposals here . If you’d like to get 1-on-1 help with your research proposal , book a free initial consultation with a friendly coach to discuss how we can move you forward.
![course Literature Review Course](https://gradcoach.com/wp-content/uploads/course.png)
Psst… there’s more!
This post is an extract from our bestselling short course, Research Proposal Bootcamp . If you want to work smart, you don't want to miss this .
Thanks a lot for sharing these tips, very usefull and help me a lot, Many thanks
I just want to express my sincere gratitude for everything you guys are doing. You held my hand when I was doing my dissertation. I successfully completed it and got good marks. I just got myself reviewing this so I could help others struggling. May God bless you. May he bless you abundantly.
Thank you so much, I got it very important, and your presentation is also very attractive.
I find the text very educative. I am just preparing to start work on my PhD thesis. I must admit that I have learnt so much about how to organize myself for the task ahead of me. Thank you so much for being there to support people like me.
I found this video highly educative, it gave me a full glance at what is ahead of me – starting my Ph.D. now! Thank you for these amazing facts.
Thanks a lot for such an insightful video and explanation on Research Proposal design. I’m a beginner and pursuing my B.ed , these tips are really helpful to get a good start.
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31 Academic Research Project Defense Questions and How To Answer Them.
by admin | Jan 9, 2018 | blog post , Researching tips | 9 comments
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former President of Nigeria Chief Olusegun Obasanjo During his PHD thesis defense in the National Open University of Nigeria. copyright dailypost.ng
The following are the top 31 academic research project defense questions that you may encounter during an academic research project defense. Please use this guide to assess yourself to see if you are actually ready for your research defense. Observe these questions and the recommended steps to answering them. We went through the record of past academic research project defense questions, I am also advising that you go further and ask past students about some of their academic research project defense questions they encountered during their own defense just make sure you do not restrict yourself to only these questions.
Recommended: Hire an expert to write your undergraduate/post-graduate research project here
![common thesis proposal questions](https://runmyresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/probanner.jpg)
Question 1: What is Your Research About?
That this is the first academic research project defense question you are asked does not mean you should take it lightly every academic research project defense question is geared towards testing how well you understand your research study area. Here they will ask you to explain to them in few sentences what your research is all about. The question is basic right? Well this is a part of the academic research project defense process that gets most students choking for words. At any rate the questions is simple and as a student either BSc or MSc or PHD ,as a student during your academic research project defense the least that is expected of you is for you to know what your research is all about.
To answer this academic research project defense question, you have to know everything about your research project from the first chapter to the last. To answer this question all you have to do is to give them a summary of the research, at this stage your abstract is your friend. Yes! Before going for your academic research project defense as an undergraduate or post graduate you must have mastered the content of your abstract, you should at this time be able to boldly pour out the content of your abstract to them. And this is one reason why I have always advised that while writing your research your abstract should never be taken for granted. It is the synopsis of the work and a better understanding of your abstract is all you need to get past this often embarrassing question.
Question 2: Why did you decide to undertake this specific research?
Watch out! Take your next step carefully. This particular academic research project defense question can be extremely complicated and it goes a long way to persuade the board that you have done a relevant study. The question could also come in a more direct form and they could just ask you, “What is the research problem”
This is how you should answer this question, you may choose to expound on the issue(s) examined in the study. Your decision to tackle this problem turns into your inspiration. Try not to state monetary reasons or the need to graduate as an inspiration as you may effortlessly go off point. this questions could give birth to the following questions so just prepare for them:
Questions 3: What are the motivations for your research?
Question 2 and 3 may look similar but answering them may reveal a slight difference. You could be motivated by solving an existing problem to embark on this research, you could be motivated by the need to contribute to the body of knowledge in the field and you could also be motivated by professional curiosity.
Question 4: Why is the problem you have tackled worth tackling:
not all research-able problems are worth tackling with a full academic study please note. You should be able to identify the problem being tackled as relevant enough to warrant the conduct of an academic investigation into its resolution.
Question 5: What are the main aims, questions, hypotheses?
do not worry too much about this particular academic research project defense question if you are an undergraduate. this question may only come up during a PHD defense. It can be easily answered using the tips in question
Question 6: How will this study contribute to the body of knowledge?
This is one question that has not changed over the years. At this point you are required to justify how your study will add to the existing body of knowledge. This is the part where your method, contextual analysis or any special model or conceptual framework that was utilized as part of the investigation should be used to defend it.
Question 7: What is the significance of the study?
Much the same as expressing how your study will contribute to the existing body of knowledge, you should explain the significance of your research. To answer this question, you should explain how your study will help the government to approach the creation and development of policies, how it will help different students who may wish to conduct research on the topic and how organizations and the general public will profit from your study.
Question 8: Did you bridge any gap from your study?
You must use your academic research project to solve an existing problem, now what is the problem, at this stage you must define the issues that your research was conducted to approach, you must identify existing knowledge gaps in your research are for example a research on automated teller machine usage in Nigeria, from this example the knowledge gap could be the fact that up until your research no scholar or academician have attempted to provide us with the necessary facts behind the use of Automated teller Machines in Nigeria and because of this financial institutions and the Government do not have the necessary scholastic contribution to their decision making process on this issue. If you follow this example you have already identified a knowledge gap
Question 9: What limitations did you encounter?
This is another straightforward however precarious inquiry. To answer this question, you should be watchful with words as you may ensnare yourself. Be sufficiently watchful not to offer out yourself. Try not to talk about the limitations in your data analysis procedures as this may infer that your examination might be one-sided or not well researched. Use straightforward and more obvious limitations like the issues you encountered joining addresses and task as opposed to restricting your investigation.
Question 10: What are the principal findings of this research project?
Briefly explain the outcome of your study. Please it is very important at this stage that you link the outcome of your study to your research question to avoid veering out of point. Connect your findings to your research goals/questions. This will make the board to effectively be carried along.
Question 11: How do your findings compare with other research in this field?
List out your findings and list out the findings of other projects in the same field and highlight the gaps that your research serves to fill. Explain how the findings of other researchers only serve to compliment but not to invalidate your research.
Question 12: Comment on and Justify Your Research methodology.
To get past this part of your academic research defense, you must have a sound knowledge of your Chapter 3. Explain your research methodology to them and the reason behind your choice of that method. At this point your ability to justify your sample size and technique will be highly rewarded here.
Question 13: Why choose this method?
You should be able to at this stage explain the reasons behind your choice of method. If you are going to defend your research then you are definitely going to defend your research methodology and this is not as difficult as it may seem, just quotes studies where this method have been used in the past to support the reason behind your choice of method.
Question 14: In light of your discoveries/findings what are your recommendations?
Recommendations are indispensable in each study. You must, make recommendations. But I believe if you have survived the academic research defense process up to the point where you are asked this question then you won’t have any problem, when you are asked to reveal your recommendations.
Question 15: where did you go wrong?
Again, you must avoid exposing your weak point. You can point out obvious mistakes like grammatical errors and typographies but do not ever pick a hole in your method or statistics. Avoid exposing the weak points in your research.
Question 16: Based on your findings what areas will you suggest for future research?
when you are asked this particular academic research project defense question you should try to make suggestions for future researchers For example, if I researched on the challenges of automated teller machine usage in Nigeria, a good area for future study may be in electronic banking or point of sales systems. The best way to get past this is to identify the knowledge gaps still existing within the area of your study. These knowledge gaps should already be obvious to you during the research process.
Question 17: What is the practicability of your research?
This question is always easy for science students and engineering students but for the social scientists or the management science students it may be a bit tricky because their research are mostly in the form of abstracts. However, you should try your best to be realistic here. Relate your study to current trends in your environment, office, economy, government, schools, church etc. Use of relevant examples and illustrations will score you good point here.
Question 18: How would you summarize your study to a practitioner in a few sentences?
Here you may want to start using technical terminologies and words related to your research like you would do if you were in front of an expert of that field. Just summarize the technical importance of your research. Your capacity to pass on specialized data from the investigation will score you great focuses here.
Question 19: What would you change if you were to conduct the study again?
Sometimes such academic research project defense question are asked to trap you into exposing the weaknesses in your research; the question is meant to point you towards the weaknesses in your research so please just do the same thing I asked you to do in question 6.
Question 20: What is your measurement Instrument?
this academic research project defense question is simply an inquiry about your data collection method for the study. Here you state if questionnaires were distributed or data was gotten from secondary sources. For more information on measurement instruments
Question 21: What are your research variables?
Here you will need to convince the board members that you know what you are talking about. You need to explain your independent and dependent variable(s) to convince them that you are on point. Your variables are present in your project topic. You need to identify these variables and know their definitions as well to ace your defense.
Question 22: What are your research questions?
This shouldn’t pose any challenge at all as your research questions are clearly stated in chapter one.
In answering the above question you should also watch out for this other question:
- How did your research questions emerge?
- Why are your research questions interesting or important?
Question 23: What do you plan to do with your research project after Graduation?
If you intend to publish your research or make some parts of it available to an online journal then this is the part where you would mention that. Suggesting that you want to make your research available online for future researchers or as a part of an online publication is always a very impressive idea.
Question 24: What source of data was employed for the study?
At this point you have to state the source(s) you got data from. In general you have to state whether data was gotten from primary or secondary source or both. You can further convince the committee members by discoursing on literature reviewed for the study-both theoretical and empirical.
Question 25: What theories or theoretical framework is your study based on?
Never you go for your research project defense without a knowledge of at least two relevant theories that relate to your study. For example, the “impact of motivation on employee productivity” will be based on Maslow’s Theory and other theories of motivation. If you cannot find relevant theories to back up your study, consult your supervisor for help or send us a mail let us connect you with a research expert.
Question 26: How would you relate your findings to existing theories on the study?
Now, this particular academic research project defense questionIt is wise to read about how your research relates with existing theories in your study. You should know existing theories on the subject matter as well as empirical studies too. Your ability to link your findings to previous research studies (Whether they agree or not) will go a long way in validating your study.
Question 27: How has your thinking changed as a result of your project?
They want to know what your initial opinion about the study was and they are watching to see if your opinion have changed during the course of the study. You have to be very careful in answering this questions because you must give tangible reasons for any change in opinion and if care is not taking you may make your research seem obsolete by saying your opinion about the research changed during the course of the study. be very careful when answering such academic research project defense question that may invalidate your research.
Question 28: What recommendations do you have for future research?
this academic research project defense question is tasking you to Identify areas that you think may need more research. This is easily done by identifying issues around you that are not yet researched and highlighting them out as filled with prospects for future research.
Question 29: What is the scope of the study?
State the delimitation of the study in brief. This could be date or geography or both.
Question 30: What question(s) do you have for the committee?
Not a likely academic research project defense question in our Nigerian context. This is an opportunity to interact with your committee members and ask some constructive questions. Do not ask silly or too difficult questions as the goal should be to make the committee members feel as the “judges”. It will also go a long way in showing that you are a brilliant and confident.
Question 31: Do you have any closing statements/comments?
When you are finally asked if you have any closing question, you can now be rest assured that there may not be any further questions so you can relax and use this opportunity to thank members of your committee for their time and questions. Tell them you appreciate all the valuable lessons you have learnt from them overtime and that you will implement all the important suggestions made and make all necessary corrections.
This single act alone would make your internal and external supervisor to see you as somebody who is willing to learn and who is ready to take corrections.
Comparative effects of organic manure and inorganic fertilizer on the growth and yield of okra ( Abelmuschus esculentus in southern Guinea savanna
This is quite helpful. Keep it up.
it was fital part that i gained alot of defence answers aspecially the questions that have tricks, i may thank to the team who prepared this uaefull academic reseach questions.
Right now it appears like Movable Type is the preferred blogging platform available right now. (from what I’ve read) Is that what you are using on your blog?
This write-up Is very helpful and interesting.
What are the salient questions expected during a project’s topic defense?
The questions asked during a research defense could range from the basic questions listed here to very direct and specific questions that bothers on the topic in question
This is very helpful
very insightful. I need possible defense questions on entrepreneurship. Especially nascent entrepreneurs.
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It is always important to be aware of what thesis defense questions you will be asked when it is all said and done, but you may have to start justifying your research a little earlier on with the completion of a research proposal. In this article, we include sample questions and answers you could be faced with when submitting your research ...
The questions are mostly open-ended and give you the chance to showcase your knowledge and understanding, as well as any future plans you may have regarding your research topic. A thesis defense usually lasts between one and two hours, depending on the area of your research. It starts with you giving a presentation of your interest, findings ...
A thesis defense gives you the chance to show off your thesis work and demonstrate your expertise in your field of study. During this one- to two-hour discussion with the members of your thesis committee, you'll have some control over how you present your research, but your committee will ask you some prodding questions to test your knowledge and preparedness. They will all have read your ...
10 Research Question Examples to Guide your Research Project. Published on October 30, 2022 by Shona McCombes.Revised on October 19, 2023. The research question is one of the most important parts of your research paper, thesis or dissertation.It's important to spend some time assessing and refining your question before you get started.
Excerpted and adapted from Lisa Phelps and Judith Graham, Elements of a Social Research Report or Proposal: Questions to Consider (2002). Plugged In: For UMaine Extension Staff & Volunteers. 5741 Libby Hall Orono, Maine 04469-5741. Tel: 207.581.3188 or 800.287.0274 (in Maine) [email protected].
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. Contents Mastering the thesis defense: cultivate a success mindsetQuestion 1: Why did you choose
Make sure you can ask the critical what, who, and how questions of your research before you put pen to paper. Your research proposal should include (at least) 5 essential components : Title - provides the first taste of your research, in broad terms. Introduction - explains what you'll be researching in more detail.
The research aims, objectives and research questions (collectively called the "golden thread") are arguably the most important thing you need to get right when you're crafting a research proposal, dissertation or thesis.We receive questions almost every day about this "holy trinity" of research and there's certainly a lot of confusion out there, so we've crafted this post to help ...
When starting your thesis or dissertation process, one of the first requirements is a research proposal or a prospectus. It describes what or who you want to examine, delving into why, when, where, and how you will do so, stemming from your research question and a relevant topic. The proposal or prospectus stage is crucial for the development ...
That said, most NPS thesis proposals require you to include the following elements, each of which answers key questions about your research: Context, issue, and research question. Your research responds to real-world problems or to existing scholarship that has revealed unanswered questions. Perhaps recent historical events have led to new ...
Common Questions, Preliminary Defense. In your defense, you will be showcasing the evidence that you used within the dissertation. To help you prepare for this, common questions you may be asked include: Ensure you can explain your research in one to two sentences (to be able to do this shows your level of clarity on the project).
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 ...
Thesis Defense Questions - the 25 most common questions that grad students will hear while defending their master's thesis or dissertation. ... Due to the critical nature of the various thesis defense questions/dissertation defense questions you'll be asked, it's best to be prepared and practice with other students. Try to even attend a ...
1. The most common question you may be asked is what you learned from. the study you have done. You have to s um up your entire study in a few. sentences and remember the technical t erms you have ...
How to: Develop Research Question; Thesis Proposal A thesis is an individual student effort; a creative, scholarly work developed from independent research. The research includes a literature review to delineate a problem or gap in knowledge, statement of objectives, formulation of hypotheses, explanation of methods, collection and analysis of ...
A good research question is essential to guide your research paper, dissertation, or thesis. All research questions should be: Focused on a single problem or issue. Researchable using primary and/or secondary sources. Feasible to answer within the timeframe and practical constraints. Specific enough to answer thoroughly.
Consider These Example Defense Questions. What do you see as the main contributions of your research for your discipline, practitioners, and/or policy makers? In what ways, if at all, does your study contribute to the existing literature and/or prior research in the field? In what ways does it extend the literature?
First things first, is your topic clear enough? The ideal path of deciding a topic starts by making it as comprehensive as possible. This is easier said than done, as people often have one idea in mind but another one in the paper. Tip: To ensure that your topic is clear and comprehensible, try explaining it to a friend or colleague. As James ...
Structure of a PhD proposal defense. A proposal defense has: the student defending his proposal, two external examiners, the student's supervisors, the audience, and the chair of the defense. The defense is structured as follows: The chair opens the session by welcoming and acknowledging the student, his supervisors and the external examiners.
Overview: 8 Research Proposal Killers. The research topic is too broad (or just poorly articulated). The research aims, objectives and questions don't align. The research topic is not well justified. The study has a weak theoretical foundation. The research design is not well articulated well enough. Poor writing and sloppy presentation.
The following are the top 31 academic research project defense questions that you may encounter during an academic research project defense. Please use this guide to assess yourself to see if you are actually ready for your research defense. Observe these questions and the recommended steps to answering them. We went through the record of past ...
This document outlines the most common questions that may be asked by a panel during a research defense. It provides examples of 21 questions in various categories, including questions about the study's purpose, motivation, findings, methodology, limitations, significance, and recommendations. For each question, the document offers advice on how to effectively answer the question in a concise ...
The document provides 17 potential questions that may be asked during a thesis defense. Some common questions include asking the student to summarize their study in a few sentences, explain why they chose their topic and methodology, discuss any limitations they faced, and summarize the key findings and recommendations of their research. Other questions address relating their study to existing ...