Avoiding dissertation disasters: Seven tips

Here are seven tips for a dissertation defense even a lawyer could admire.

1. Practice with your colleagues (several times).
Beg them to be your worst critics, and to ask tough questions. And don’t wait until the day before your defense to do this! You will likely want to revise a few slides and/or rearrange the presentation based on feedback received. Then practice again! This process will not only polish your talk but also build your confidence.

2. Don’t use Comic Sans on any of your slides.
I don’t care if the CERN scientists used Comic Sans in their presentation announcing the discovery of the Higgs boson. The font was designed for use in the word balloons of cartoon characters, based on the lettering style of comic books. There is even evidence that its use makes readers less likely to believe what are reading – certainly not the objective of your dissertation defense! Stick with Calibri, Arial or Helvetica.

3. Dress in professional attire.
At some universities in Europe, the dissertation defense is decidedly formal (long black dress for women; white-tie and tails for men). While more casual in the U.S., this is one event where jeans and tennis shoes would not generally be considered appropriate. Wearing a suit with dress shoes will convey your confidence and expertise.

4. Be sure to understand the theoretical basis and limitations of your methodology.
While this might seem obvious, some folks stumble here. Be ready to defend your choice of methodology, including the statistical analyses. (Chances are, relying solely on Student’s t-test was not the best choice for analyzing your data.)

5. Don’t let the trees block your view of the forest.
Many Ph.D. candidates so intensely focus on the details of their project that they are caught off-guard by “big picture” questions or very simple questions regarding the general phenomenon under investigation. Don’t over-think it!

6. Don’t worry about failing.
You are the expert on your project, which has been the sole focus of your attention 24/7 for several years. Chances are, you’ve already thought of all of the questions that your committee will raise, because they’ve only given it a few hours’ thought. In fact, if your committee has been doing its job, they’ve already posed the important questions during the seemingly endless string of required semiannual committee meetings. Eventually, they will begin to ask questions in order to satisfy their own intellectual curiosities, rather than to test you. (Ironically, you will end up teaching them!) That’s when you know that the end of the ordeal is near.

7. Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know.”
It is far better than making up something completely out of the blue. . . After admitting your ignorance, you can always follow-up with some possible answers (educated guesses). This can result in further questions that actually lead you to the answer they originally wanted to hear. Note, however, that it’s a bad idea to answer the very first question with, “I don’t know.” The overall goal of the dissertation defense is to determine how long it takes before you have to answer, “I don’t know.” If it takes long enough, you pass!