Topic outline

  • Three Minute Thesis competition

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    • Could you present your thesis topic in just three minutes?  

      The Three Minute Thesis (3MT)™ competition challenges PhD candidates to communicate their research to a non-specialist audience in just three minutes. The competition brings the University together in a celebration of the research being undertaken by research degree students and their teams and takes place in three rounds—the local academic area, the University-wide level, and the Asia-Pacific 3MT Competition. Participating in the competition supports the development of research communication skills and research networks. It is also a lot of fun, and there are great prizes to be won.

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      Why participate?

      1. Challenge yourself: By entering this competition, you can greatly improve your research communication skills, and your ability to explain the importance of your work to non-specialist audiences. 
      2. Benefit long-term: Participants often gain an enhanced appreciation of the importance of their work and improve their confidence with public speaking. Participants often seek out and enjoy further opportunities to speak to others about their research including business and community audiences and media.
      3. Win a prize
        1. UniSA 3MT® competition—prizes for the winner, runner-up and people's choice are provided at both local academic area and University wide competition levels. 
        2. Asia-Pacific 3MT Competition—Significant prizes are again awarded to the winner, the runner-up and to the people's choice awards, but it is a great honour to compete at this level regardless of the outcome on the day.

      In this short video Dr Megan Rossi (winner of the 2014 University of Queensland 3MT®) talks about the benefits of participating in the competition. 

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      Are you eligible?

      If you are a PhD student whose research proposal has been accepted and you are no longer provisionally enrolled, you are eligible to enter the competition. Candidates who have submitted their thesis or exegesis and who are awaiting examination results are also eligible to participate.

      The University of Queensland's 3MT web site provides further detail about eligibility criteria if you have further questions. 

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      What you have to do

      You must explain your thesis topic and its significance in a clear and engaging way in language appropriate to an intelligent but non-specialist audience. The presentation is supported by one single static PowerPoint slide. You may not refer to notes or other prompt during your talk. Presentations are strictly limited to three minutes—if your talk exceeds three minutes you will be disqualified. 

      Interested to participate? Contact your Academic Unit for more information, and to register your interest.

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      Competition rules

      UniSA 3MT® competition

      For rules that apply to in-person live presentations please refer to the live competition rules on The University of Queensland 3MT® website. There is also a 3MT competitor guide available online.

      Asia-Pacific 3MT Competition

      The Asia-Pacific 3MT competition will be conducted virtually, and the UniSA winner will submit a video to the organisers. Videos submitted for the Asia-Pacific competition must adhere to the competition rules to be eligible and will not be judged on editing abilities or the quality of the video recording.

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      Workshop information

      The first step in the process of preparing your submission is to prepare and practice your talk. A series of EDGE 3MT workshops, described in detail below, are offered both online and on different campuses in the lead-up to your local area heats and finals to support this process. The workshops will not only assist you to improve your talks and presentation skills for the competition, they also provide a space in which to enjoy learning about others' research, be stimulated, learn new skills, gain confidence, build contacts and promote your research interests. 

      During these workshops you will:

      • view and analyse previous winning 3MT presentations, 
      • learn about the structure and qualities of a winning presentation and slide,
      • listen to, learn from, and give feedback to others about their talks,
      • get specific/constructive feedback from other participants on your own 3MT script and verbal presentation.

      Dr Wendy Bastalich facilitates the workshops to help research degree students find the story in their research, and to develop a powerful script and PowerPoint slide.

      Please read the detail about each workshop below before registering for a workshop on EDGEx.

      Workshop 1: Defining the key elements of a great 3MT presentation

      At the first session we will go over the competition rules, format, judging criteria and the benefits of participating. We will then then watch a variety of 3MT presentations to analyse the structure and language used in the talks, as well as the communication strategies used by winners in Australian and overseas competitions to engage their audience. In the first workshop you will also begin the brainstorming process for your own talk in pairs or small groups of peers from different disciplines.

      Although it is possible to watch 3MT presentations on YouTube by yourself, the analysis and lively group discussions in the workshops among candidates from different backgrounds can bring attention to many aspects of the 3MT presentations that you may not detect on your own. Typically, students have varied responses to the presentations and the candid discussions help develop an understanding of what really works, why, and whether there are issues that might affect different audiences. The workshops include students from a range of disciplines which is also particularly useful for picking up specialist language and conceptual differences between research areas that prevent understanding.

      Between workshops 1 and 2

      Prepare a draft of your script. The script will vary in length depending on the speed with which you speak, but 400 words is about right for most speakers. Do not try to learn your draft script at this stage. Don’t worry if your script is still rough or if you’re not ready to present. The purpose of the second workshop is to support you in the script drafting stage. Come along and we will work with where you are at.

      Think about encompassing the following elements in your script:

      • Introduction and Explanation of Key Concepts: Highlight why your research is important and how it contributes to the world and to the field. 
      • Keep it simple and clear, avoiding jargon or technical terms that are not accessible to a non-specialist audience.
      • Move to brief reference of how the research will be conducted and to a discussion of any results arising, or preliminary results if you have them.  
      • Conclude by returning to the opening gambit. Explain the impact or relevance of your findings in a way that's relatable and understandable.

      Workshop 2: Receive feedback on the first draft of your 3MT script

      In this workshop we will discuss tips for effective presentations, and for giving and receiving feedback, as well as strategies for memorising your talk. The majority of the workshop will be spent working on improving your script to help each of you to find your research story. We will also discuss ideas for a slide. 

      Between workshops 2 and 3

      Make changes to your first draft, and take your revised draft to your supervisors and other colleagues and ask them for feedback. It's best not to begin to learn your script before getting your supervisors' feedback. Revise your script again and prepare a slide.

      Preparing your slides. 

      Use the UniSA - 3MT Slide Template to prepare your slides. Do not change the font or size of the text on the title slide. You only have one slide so put in the time to make sure it enhances your presentation.

      Remember less is more, you want your slide to complement your presentation, not distract from it. You can refer to the rules and tips on The University of Queensland's 3MT web site and the 3MT competitor guide remembering:

      • only one single static PowerPoint slide is allowed, 
      • no movement is permitted, including transitions and animations,
      • no additional electronic media can be added (e.g., sounds or music files).

      The following resources may be helpful in the design of your slide.

      • PowerPoint Help and Learning: The PowerPoint help centre from Microsoft Office contains help and learning resources on all aspects of PowerPoint.
      • : This YouTube playlist from PowerPoint School includes a range of short videos demonstrating designing PowerPoint slides.
      • PowerPoint: Designing Better Slides: This extensive course from LinkedIn Learning is designed for non-designers and covers key design components and requirements for purposeful PowerPoint slide design. 

      Workshop 3: Practice your 3MT talk

      It is still a little early to learn your script at this stage because it is likely to change further, but in this workshop you will have an opportunity to practice your presentation (with or without notes), or we can continue to work to improve your draft and discuss your slide. If you choose to practice your presentation, think about gestures and variation in voice similar to those that might be expected in a final presentation. During this workshop you will give feedback on presentations from your peers, and receive feedback on your own talk. If you're not ready to present, that's ok, come anyway as you'll learn from watching others and we can also work on your draft script. 

      After workshop 3

      Finalise your script. Remember, your presentation is tailored for a spoken delivery to an audience unfamiliar with your area of expertise. The most effective way to ensure your presentation is polished is through practice.

      • Read your presentation aloud:
        • Ensure it flows well and is crafted for spoken delivery.
        • Confirm it stays within the 3-minute time limit. 
      • Read your presentation to others and get feedback:
        • Ask friends and family unfamiliar with your research to provide feedback, ensuring the language remains non-technical
        • Keep in mind that your target audience is non-specialists. 
        • Consider the feedback and use questions or areas of confusion to refine your script further.
      • Record yourself presenting and review your performance:
        • Practice recording your 3MT presentation and watch it afterwards. 
        • Reviewing the recording will offer ample feedback on areas for improvement.
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      2024 workshop schedule and registration

      Workshops in 2024 will be offered from late May through to mid July leading up to the local area heats. Workshops with the same titles cover the same content and activities, and are offered in both online and face-to-face modes at different times, dates, and on different campuses to offer a variety of options.

      Workshop 1: Defining the key elements of a great 3MT presentation

      1. Zoom, Thurs, 5 June, 3, 3–5pm

      3. CE P5-14, Tues, 11 June, 9-11am

      Workshop 2: Receive feedback on your 3MT script or practice      

      1. ML, MC1-05, Tues, 28 May, 12–2.30pm

      2. CW, Tues, 4 June, 3–5.30pm, JS6-17 

      3. Zoom, Thursday, 20 June, 1–3.30pm

      4. Zoom, Thursday, 20 June, 3.30–6pm

      5. CE, Thurs, 4 July 11am–1.30pm, CE P3-18

      Workshop 3: Practice your 3MT talk

      1. Zoom, Weds, 19 June, 11am–1pm

      2. Zoom, Thurs, 27 June, 3pm–5pm

      3.     CW, Weds, 10 July, 1–3pm, JS6-17

      4. CW, Weds, 10 July, 3–5pm, JS6-17

      5. ML, F1-17, Thursday, 11 July, 2pm–4pm

      6. Zoom, Fri, 16 July, 12.30pm–2.30pm

      7. Zoom, Fri, 16 July, 3.30–5.30pm


      EDGEx registration site

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      Copyright 

      Are you using an image that is protected by copyright? A work protected by Copyright may not be re-used without written permission—even if you’ve adapted it and made changes. This includes text, images, tables, charts, etc. The safest way to be sure that you are legally entitled to re-use a work is to search for works that have been freely licensed. Remember to include an attribution (reference) on the title page or at the bottom of the slide for any information or images in your slide that have been copied from elsewhere. 

      See the Library’s page on permissions for more information about obtaining written permission from the copyright owner. The Library's Copyright pages have more information on managing Copyright in your thesis.

      Please contact Ask the Library service if you need assistance with this. 

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      Further resources


      UniSA 3MT® competition information, and 2023 finalist presentations. 

      Tips by Cintya Dharmayanti, winner of the 2021 UniSA 3MT® Competition and the People’s Choice Award:

      Watch the videos below to draw on the knowledge and experience of previous winners and experts:

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    • File icon
      Virtual 3MT Handbook File
      2.2 MB PDF document
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