Students who approach dissertation writing with a lot of enthusiasm and dedication often find themselves in an unexpected situation — they get failed in their dissertation defense. Moreover, doing a Phd dissertation is not a piece of cake. Writing a dissertation proposal is just the beginning of the journey. In order to succeed, you need to be equipped with up-to-date academic writing skill and knowledge about defending your research. Here we’re going to discuss about the common reasons for failing in your dissertation defense and what can be done to improve your success rate.
Lack Of Critical Reflection:
Dissertation defense is an important milestone in the life of a student. It is the last step before they can receive their degree and become a professional in their field. However, sometimes dissertation defense can also be a difficult task for students to accomplish.
The most common reason why students fail their dissertation defense is lack of critical reflection. They do not have enough time to think about what they have done and how to improve it if there are mistakes or gaps in the research process. In addition, many students don’t know how to present their dissertation in front of other people, which can lead them to make mistakes during the presentation itself and make everything worse than before.
Lack Of Coherence And Clarity:
The dissertation defense is a serious event for students. It is the last step in their journey towards obtaining their degree, and it can be a stressful experience. It is important to remember that students are not trained to be public speakers or presenters.
Students may lack confidence in their ability to present their work to an audience. They may have trouble expressing themselves coherently or clearly, especially if they are nervous or if English isn’t their first language. If they feel rushed or unprepared, they may lose track of the information they need to convey and make it difficult for others to follow along with them.
When students fail at this stage, it’s usually because they didn’t take enough time preparing beforehand—or because they didn’t take enough time practicing after preparing!
Poor Presentation:
Presentation is everything in a dissertation defense. Many times students are unable to pass dissertation defence because they presented their defense in a sloppy manner. It consists of many referencing errors, inconsistencies, grammatical mistakes and typos in presentation. Following are some random comments by the examination committee that show how the presentation is a cause of failure:
- Your dissertation is written poorly.
- The length of each section is different. It does not have a proper structure.
- The student is unable to make clear thoughts and give valid reasons. This is very difficult to understand the good parts of the dissertation properly.
- The standard of English is inconsistent and not according to the required standards.
- The language used in the dissertation is very simple.
The above comments show that little things can cause failure in the dissertation defence. Grammatical and structural mistakes can irritate or frustrate the committee members. They can also misinterpret your arguments because of the poor presentation. This shows that students must proofread their work to ensure that it meets the required standards. You can also get masters dissertation help in this regard. This can help to improve the presentation.
Failure To Meet The Required Standards:
Every university has some standards. You can easily fail a dissertation defense if you are failed to meet these standards. University will provide you with a set of instructions related to your dissertation. However, many students do not read these instructions carefully, leading to failure. If the committee members find out that the required standards have not been met in your dissertation, they will easily fail you. Therefore, students must incorporate these standards into defense presentation to convince the committee members that their dissertation is worth publishing. In this regard, students can also seek help from their supervisors.
Not Taking The Dissertation Seriously:
Many times, students treat their dissertation as work from school or work. This leads to failure in dissertation defense. Writing a dissertation is totally a different thing. You need to solve problems and write comprehensive details on them. This means that the dissertation required a lot of effort and time. Thus, it should be taken very seriously. Without this, you cannot defend your dissertation effectively.
Little Or No Communication With The Committee Members:
Students who fail to communicate with their dissertation committee members before their defense are often surprised by how much support and understanding the committee members can offer. However, students who have not established a relationship with their committee members before the defense will be unprepared for any last-minute questions or concerns that arise during the defense itself. The dissertation defense should be an opportunity for students to make peace with themselves and their research; however, if they have not done so prior to this crucial moment, they may be unable to do so at all.
Aiming Too Low Or Too High:
One of the most common reasons why students fail their dissertation defense is because they aim too low or too high. If you’re aiming for a dissertation that is too easy, then your committee members might not understand it and will likely ask you to make changes. On the other hand, if you have an overly ambitious dissertation topic, then your advisor might think it’s too risky and suggest that you start over with something more manageable.
The best way to avoid this problem is to make sure that you’re working closely with your advisor throughout the dissertation writing process so that they can provide feedback on what’s working and what isn’t working in your work.
Missing The Real Milestones:
Students often think that writing the dissertation is the biggest milestone they have to face. However, this is not true at all. There are many other milestones like finishing your research proposal and writing your thesis statement which must be accomplished before you can even start writing your dissertation. If you miss any of these milestones, then chances of getting failed in your dissertation defense will increase significantly.
Conclusion:
When you get a topic to write a dissertation project on it, be sure that you know what you are doing. Many students do not understand how long and complex the whole process of writing and defending can be. It is essential to read the instructions on how to conduct a dissertation defense, or when you are supposed to present your finished work. If you fail to meet the submission deadlines, or fail to meet the requirements set by your academic advisor, then your examiners will most likely fail you.
