Topic outline
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The oral defence involves a conversation between the PhD student and the thesis examiners, either face to face or by video conference, facilitated by an independent chair. This conversation follows the receipt of preliminary examiner reports, and leads to a final report and examination result. The oral defence is compulsory for all PhD students commencing their studies from 1st January 2016, and is optional for those who started before this date.
The oral defence brings students into contact with international experts in the field of research who have read their work in detail. This enables students to engage with examiners' questions directly, giving them the opportunity to clear up misunderstandings about the work, as well as receive feedback about how the work was received and how it might be strengthened and improved into the future. Meeting examiners in person enhances the visibility of the student's work with eminent researchers in the field and can facilitate ongoing communication and networking between students and examiners. The oral defence also enables examiners to talk through any differences of opinion about the work and to come to agreement about the examination outcome and any recommended revisions to the thesis or exegesis. This enables a single result and a single set of recommendations, rather than the two separate sets produced within prior arrangements.
This resource aims to introduce research degree students, their supervisors, and chairs of oral defences to the oral defence at UniSA. You may choose to go direct to the tab that describes your role in the oral defence, or read through each page, and watch the embedded videos and other resources for a fuller sense of how the oral defence can best be prepared for and conducted.
This resource was developed by Dr Wendy Bastalich, with assistance from Andrew Thomson and Simon Smith from the TIU educational design team, Professor Alistair McCulloch from UniSA RO, and staff within Student and Academic Services. Any feedback or requests for updates to information on this site can be forwarded to ResearchEducation@unisa.edu.au or research.examinations@unisa.edu.au.