LIBERTY UNIVERSITYSCHOOL OF EDUCATION

The Dissertation Defense1

Arranging for the Defense

Once your dissertation chair and the rest of your committee approves, a date and time for your dissertation defense should be arranged in coordination with your chair.

Each committee member and the program administrator must be provided with a complete copy of the dissertation at least two weeks before the defense.

You will prepare a formal 15-minute PPT presentation for the committee. Additionally, you will provide handouts for all present at the defense.

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Refreshments for the Defense

The candidate typically provides refreshments for the committee and guests at least 15 minutes prior to the defense.

These refreshments typically consist of light finger foods and beverages.

The candidate should plan on providing all necessary utensils, paper products, etc. based on the needs.

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Agenda for Dissertation Defense

Thirty minutes prior to the defense appointment, the committee chair and candidate arrive. In the event that another defense is in progress, the candidate should wait outside the presentation room (TE 110).

Fifteen minutes before the presentation, or as soon as a previous defense concludes, the candidate should organize the media presentation. There will be a computer and LCD projector available in the presentation room. The candidate should bring the presentation on a USB drive.

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The Defense Process

At the appointed time, the administrator for graduate studies begins the process, and then turns the presentation over to the committee chair.

The committee chair welcomes graduate faculty, introduces the committee, and opens in prayer.

The committee chair introduces the candidate to the group.

The candidate presents a brief (15 minutes) summary PPT of the research study.

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The Defense Process

The committee chair opens the questioning from the committee members.

When the committee members have completed their questioning, the chair opens the floor for questions from the graduate faculty.

Following questioning, the committee chair thanks the participants and requests that the candidate and non-committee graduate faculty excuse the committee.

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The Deliberation

The committee is isolated in the presentation room or another location to discuss the outcome of the defense. There are three possible options:A. The candidate has successfully completed the

dissertation process and minor revisions are needed.

B. The candidate has successfully completed the defense process; however, major edits and revisions are needed for the document to be approved.

C. The candidate has been unsuccessful. The committee will determine an appropriate plan of action.

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The Decision

The committee and the candidate reconvene- either in the presentation room or another location as dictated by the scheduling of additional defense presentations.

The chair presents the committee’s decision to the candidate. Any revisions are clearly articulated by both the chair and the committee members.

The chair will provide written documentation of the required revisions.

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Electronic Submission of the Dissertation

Please use the following link for information about electronic submission of the dissertation to the Liberty University Library.

Follow the instructions exactly, and if you have questions, please contact Dr. Tyler Veak (tveak@liberty.edu).

If you have left campus, please also contact the library about obtaining an ILRC deposit form, which is necessary to complete the process.

The ILRC form must be hand signed by your Chair and delivered to Dr. Veak’s office.

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Binding of the Dissertation

Follow the link for binding options from the link above. Select Heckman Bindery, and cover color 588. Select gold lettering for the cover, and have the title printed on the spine and the cover. Use the single sided printing option.

You will need to have five to six copies bound, one for the School of Education, one for your committee chair, one for each committee member, and one for you (I recommend at least two).

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Common Dissertation Issues and Problems

The abstract should appear immediately after the signature page. It should appear as one paragraph, and should be a summary of your entire dissertation (with emphasis on findings). You should not include statistics in the abstract. An example of a title page and abstract is available through the following link: Sample Introductory Pages

The dissertation should be double-spaced throughout. Do not leave spaces between selections. Even the references should be double-spaced.

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Common Dissertation Issues and Problems

For most format questions, you should follow the Glatthorn and Joyner text, but please do not include delimitations in chapter 1. The “Limitations” section belongs in chapter 5, right before “Recommendations for Further Research”.

Use 1 ½” left margins, 1” right margins, and 1” bottom margins throughout the whole document. Use 1 ½” top margins for the preliminary pages, for the fist page of each chapter, and for the first page of the references.

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Common Dissertation Issues and Problems

It is recommend that you use Times New Roman with 12 pt. font. While this is not a requirement, Times New Roman looks more professional than some of the other styles.

Don’t try to pad the dissertation with superfluous information. As an example, just because you have ten pages of statistical information doesn’t mean that you have to include all of it. Include only what is necessary to explain your study.

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