best phd presentation slides

How to structure your viva presentation (with examples)

Most PhD vivas and PhD defences start with a short presentation by the candidate. The structure of these presentations is very important! There are several factors and approaches to consider when developing your viva presentation structure.

Factors to consider when developing a viva presentation structure

Presenting a whole PhD in a short amount of time is very challenging. After all, a PhD is often the result of several years of work!

It is simply impossible to include everything in a viva presentation.

The structure of a viva presentation plays a crucial role in bringing across the key messages of your PhD.

Structuring your viva presentation traditionally

A very traditional viva presentation structure simply follows the structure of the PhD thesis.

The disadvantage of this traditional format is that it is very challenging to fit all the information in a – let’s say – 10-minute presentation.

Structuring your viva presentation around key findings

For instance, you can select your three main findings which you each connect to the existing literature, your unique research approach and your (new) empirical insights.

Furthermore, it might be tricky to find enough time during the presentation to discuss your theoretical framework and embed your discussion in the existing literature when addressing complex issues.

Structuring your viva presentation around key arguments

So, for example, your key argument 1 is your stance on an issue, combining your theoretical and empirical understanding of it. You use the existing theory to understand your empirical data, and your empirical data analysis to develop your theoretical understanding.

Structuring your viva presentation around case studies

Another common way to structure a viva presentation is around case studies or study contexts.

A viva presentation structure around case studies can be easy to follow for the audience, and shed light on the similarities and differences of cases.

Final thoughts on viva presentation structures

The key to a good viva presentation is to choose a structure which reflects the key points of your PhD thesis that you want to convey to the examiners.

The example viva presentation structures discussed here intend to showcase variety and possibilities and to provide inspiration.

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How to Pull Off Your Thesis Defense With a Great Presentation

You’ve reached the home stretch in your journey toward your post-graduate degree. You’ve diligently studied, researched and performed for years, and all that’s left is your master thesis or doctorate dissertation. 

“ All that’s left,” however, might be the understatement of the century. There’s nothing simple about orally defending your thesis, and this final stage often means the difference between a degree and a program that remains incomplete.

Even after you’ve dedicated months filled with blood, sweat and tears defining your argument, researching your support and writing your defense, you aren’t ready to address the academic panel. You still have to design an effective visual presentation, and the slide deck can make or break your entire thesis.

Unsure how to design a stellar slide deck to visually present your thesis or dissertation? Check out the following tips to pull off your master thesis defense with a great presentation:

1.   Properly structure your slide deck

Every master thesis defense presentation is unique, but most effective slide decks will follow a similar structure, including:  

• Title - Just like a research paper, your thesis presentation must include a title slide. This should include the same information as any other title page: the title, your name, your academic institution, course name and the name of the academic advisor to your thesis or dissertation. That doesn’t mean your title slide needs to look like the start of any other Frankendeck . Instead, add your text atop a relative image, and adjust the brightness to ensure your text pops.
• Introduction - Your thesis presentation should also include an introduction slide, which details the topic of your thesis, the question your research will seek to answer and any additional objectives to your research, as well as the answer or solution you will be defending.
• Literature review - Following your thesis introduction, design one or more slides that review the literature you researched. This shouldn’t be a full bibliography (although that should be included in the accompanying written account of your research), but instead, the slides should list your most relevant research sources. If the information is featured on a slide, make sure you include its source. 
• Methodology - Your thesis presentation slide deck should also include a slide (or slides) detailing the methodology of your research and argument. Here you want to describe the type of study— whether it’s quantitative, qualitative or a combination of the two, as well as an explanation of why you chose the method or methods you used. If you conducted original research, you will want to detail the study population, sampling methods and other details pertinent to your studies, while you’ll also want to detail how you analyzed your data.
• Results - No thesis presentation slide deck is complete without dedicating slides to illustrate the results of your research. Be sure to include a description of any data you collected through your research, as well as the results of your analysis of the data. What were your most significant findings?
• Discussion - How do the results of your research support your overall thesis argument? Be sure to include slides that discuss your overall findings and how they relate to your original question.
• Conclusion - Concluding slides should restate your original research questions, represent the results of your research, suggest future research and make any final recommendations.
• Ending slide – Close your thesis presentation with a concluding slide that offers an interesting quote or trivia that makes your audience further ponder your topic, a GIF or animation that recaptures the audience’s attention or even a hypothetical question that opens additional discussion from the academic panel. This is your opportunity to make your presentation memorable.

Thesis Presentation vs. Dissertation

Thesis presentation and dissertation are two terms often used in academic settings related to upper education. While they are related, there are distinct differences between the two, which is important to understand as you begin to structure your thesis defense.

‍ A thesis presentation typically refers to the final oral presentation that a student gives to defend their thesis or research project. It is a formal presentation to explain their findings, methodology, and conclusions to a panel of faculty members or experts in the field. The purpose of a thesis defense presentation is to demonstrate the student's knowledge and understanding of the subject matter and to defend the validity of their research.

On the other hand, a dissertation refers to a lengthy and comprehensive research project that is typically required for the completion of a doctoral degree. It involves in-depth research, analysis, and the development of original ideas in a particular field of study. A dissertation is usually written over an extended period and is expected to contribute new knowledge or insights to the field. Unlike a thesis presentation, a dissertation is submitted in written form and is typically evaluated by a committee of faculty members or experts in the field.

2.   Choose which ideas to illustrate

Unless you have an hour to fill with your master thesis defense or doctorate dissertation, you won’t be able to include every idea from your overall research documentation in your slide show. Choose the most important ideas to illustrate on slides, while also keeping in mind what aspects of your research you’ll be able to visually represent.

3.   Define your presentation’s theme

A stellar thesis or dissertation presentation will be professional in appearance, and a cohesive design is an absolute must. Choose what types of typography and color schemes best support your topic. 

Instead of adjusting these settings on each individual slide— a tedious task at best— choose a PowerPoint-alternative presentation software like Beautiful.ai that allows you to customize a theme for your entire slide deck. Choose your fonts and other typography, your color palette, margins, footers, logos, transitions and more, and the cloud-based tool will automatically apply those design specifications to every slide you add to the master thesis defense presentation.

4.   Design simple and focused slides

You might have a lot of information to present, but when it comes to your thesis presentation— or almost any slide deck for that matter— less is more. Be sure every slide counts by focusing on your main points. 

Then, whatever you do, keep your slides simple. Not even an academic panel is going to dedicate much time deciphering a cluttered slide with all too many details. Try to avoid presenting more than one or two ideas on each slide.

5.   Include data visualizations

The whole point of your presentation is to illustrate the concepts included in your thesis. Humans are visual creatures and react strongly to imagery, and the panel evaluating your thesis or dissertation is no exception— regardless of how studious and formal the academics might seem. Illustrate the results of your research with colorful and engaging infographics . You don’t have to be a graphic designer to create them, either. 

Beautiful.ai users can choose from a host of smart slide templates with data visualizations — including favorites like bar graphs and pie charts , as well as less common options like scattergraphs , flow charts and pictograms . Just input your data and watch as our special brand of artificial intelligence creates the infographic for you.  

6.   Practice makes perfect

After spending months researching your thesis or dissertation, writing about your findings and designing a stellar master thesis defense presentation, you would hate to see all your hard work be for naught. That’s still a distinct possibility, however, if you don’t also practice your delivery. 

Practice, practice and practice some more until you know your master thesis defense like the back of your hand. No academic panel will be impressed by a graduate candidate who stumbles through their presentation or appears to be reading from their notes. Know the contents of every slide, as well as exactly what parts of your overall defense you want to deliver during its display. 

Things to keep in mind to help you nail your presentation

The golden rule of any presentation is to keep your audience engaged. You can ensure a more engaging presentation by maintaining eye contact, using appropriate gestures, and speaking clearly. You can also choose to include the audience in your presentation with interactive questions, polls, and slides.

To help boost audience retention, utilize storytelling. Studies show that when facts are presented in the form of a story, people are 22 times more likely to remember them. Talk about powerful.

Last but not least, plan for questions— and not simply by allowing time for them. Watch other thesis defenses delivered at your institution, and consider what types of questions the academic panel might ask, so you can prepare the best possible answer.

Extra credit:

Get started with our PhD Defense Thesis presentation template here .

Samantha Pratt Lile

Samantha is an independent journalist, editor, blogger and content manager. Examples of her published work can be found at sites including the Huffington Post, Thrive Global, and Buzzfeed.

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Swath and Dive: A pattern for PhD defense presentations

In recent times I’m having the fortune of seeing several of my own doctoral students approach the end of the doctoral journey (yes, it does end!). As they submit the dissertation and prepare for their defense, there is one piece of advice I find myself giving again and again, about how to tackle the impossible task of presenting multiple years of research work in less than one hour. In this post, I describe a “presentation design pattern” for thesis defenses, which builds upon classic conceptualization exercises advocated in the blog. I also illustrate it with an example from my own thesis defense presentation, more than ten years ago (gasp!).

I still vividly remember when I had to prepare my defense presentation, how I tried to shoehorn tons of concepts into an impossibly small number of slides… which still were too many for the 45-minute talk I was supposed to give at the defense. After several rehearsals (with an audience!) and lots of feedback from my colleagues and advisors, I finally stumbled upon a solution. Later on, I have found that a similar structure was also helpful to other doctoral students preparing their defenses.

The rest of the post takes the form of a presentation design pattern , i.e., a description of “a problem that occurs over and over again in our environment, and […] the core of the solution to that problem, in such a way that you can use this solution a million times over, without ever doing it the same way twice." 1 (a concept originally proposed in architecture, and later used in software engineering, pedagogy and many other fields). I have called this pattern Swath and Dive (for reasons that will become obvious in a minute).

The context: when is this pattern applicable?

When you have to prepare an oral presentation for a doctoral dissertation defense. This pattern is especially helpful if the research is a bit complicated (e.g., composed of multiple contributions , multiple studies, or using multiple research methods) and it is not obvious what contents to include/exclude from the presentation.

What is the problem? What forces are at play?

The main problem this pattern tries to solve is the seeming impossibility of showing 3+ years of research work in less than one hour. While time restrictions and structure for the defense are different in different countries, typically 25-60 minutes are allocated for the presentation. This limited time is a key force at play, but there are others as well:

• The sheer volume of a thesis dissertation’s contents (typically, a 100-500 pages document), which itself is a condensation of years of hard research work.
• Defending PhD students need to prove to the jury that they are now competent, independent researchers (i.e., they master the literature of their topic, are able to apply a research methodology and think critically about the results ).
• The varying levels of expertise and familiarity of the jury members with the concrete thesis topic.
• The varying levels of knowledge that jury members have of the dissertation materials (i.e., did they read the dissertation document in full? with what level of attention?). While all members are supposed to have read the document, in practice there is a lot of heterogeneity in compliance.

The typical end product of these forces is what I call the “skimming” approach to the defense presentation (see picture below): The presentation provides only a very high level overview of the main elements of the dissertation document (sort of like a table of contents). More often than not, too much time is spent in the introductory and related literature parts of the presentation (which are somehow “safe”, less likely to be criticized – another instance of avoidance at work in the PhD ), and time runs out when the student is getting to the really interesting part for the jury (the student’s own work). This approach of course has the critical flaw of not showcasing enough of the student’s own abilities and research outcomes.

Skimming: A typical approach to selecting thesis defense content

How to avoid “skimming” your dissertation? Enter Swath and Dive .

The solution: Swath and Dive

What I propose in this pattern is to structure the presentation in a different way, a way that tries to balance the need for an overview of the dissertation and (at least some of) the richness of the investigation and the hard work the student has put behind it. The proposed structure goes like this:

A swath is “a long broad strip or belt” of grass, often left by a scythe or a lawnmower. In the context of a dissertation defense presentation, this is where the student gives the overview of the main elements of the thesis: key related scientific literature , main research questions , contributions to knowledge the dissertation makes, etc. Long-time readers of the blog will recognize these key elements as the components of the CQOCE diagram , one of the key reflection exercises in the “Happy PhD Toolkit” to (iteratively) understand and discuss with supervisors the overall view of the thesis. Aside from those key elements, probably some notes about the research methodology followed (which are not part of the canonical CQOCE diagram exercise) will also be needed.

In a sense, the Swath is not so different from the typical “skimming” mentioned above. There are several crucial differences, however: 1) when developing the Swath , we need to keep in mind that this is only a part (say, 50%) of the presentation time/length/slides; 2) the Swath should give equal importance to all its key elements (e.g., avoiding too much time on the literature context of the thesis, and making the necessary time for the student’s own research questions, contributions and studies); and 3) the Swath does not need to follow the chapter structure of the dissertation manuscript, rather focusing on the aforementioned key elements (although scattering pointers to the relevant chapters will help orient the jury members who read the dissertation).

Then, within this high-level Swath describing the dissertation, when we mention a particular contribution or study, it is time to do…

This part of the presentation is where the student selects one study or finding of the thesis and zooms in to describe the nitty-gritty details of the evidence the student gathered and analyzed (if it is empirical research), how that was done, and what findings came out of such analysis. The goal here is to help the audience trace at least one of those high-level, abstract elements, all the way down to (some) particular pieces of the raw data, the evidence used to form them.

How to select which part to Dive into? That is a bit up to the student and the particular dissertation. The student can select the main contribution of the dissertation, the most surprising finding, the largest or most impressive study within the work, or the coolest, most novel, or most difficult research method that was used during the dissertation process (e.g., to showcase how skillfully and systematically it was used). The student should give all the steps of the logic leading from low-level evidence to high-level elements – or as much as possible within the time constraints of the presentation (say, 30% of the total length/time/slides).

An essential coda: Limitations and Future Work

Although this didn’t make it to the title of the pattern, I believe it is crucially important to keep in mind another element in any good defense presentation: the limitations of the student’s research work, and the new avenues for research that the dissertation opens. These two areas are often neglected in crafting the defense presentation, maybe with a single slide just copy-pasting a few ideas from the dissertation manuscript (which were themselves hastily written when the student was exhausted and rushing to finish the whole thing). Yet, if the student convinced the jury of her basic research competence and knowledge during the Swath and Dive part, a big part of the jury questions and discussion will focus on these apparently trivial sections.

When doing the limitations, the student should gloss over the obvious (e.g., sample could have been bigger, there are questions about the generalizability of results) and think a bit deeper about alternative explanations that cannot be entirely ruled out, debatable aspects of the methodology followed… squeeze your brain (and ask your supervisors/colleagues) to brainstorm as many ideas as possible, and select the most juicy ones. For future work, also go beyond the obvious and think big : if someone gave you one million dollars (or 10 million!), what cool new studies could continue the path you opened? what new methods could be applied? what experts would you bring from other disciplines to understand the phenomenon from a different perspective? what other phenomena could be studied in the same way as you did this one? Try to close the presentation with a vision of the brighter future that this research might unleash upon the world.

Swath and Dive: a different way of structuring your defense presentation

To understand how this pattern could look like, I can point you to my own thesis defense presentation, which is still available online . This is not because the presentation is perfect in any way, or even a good example (viewing it today I find it overcomplicated, and people complained of motion sickness due to its fast pace and Prezi’s presentation metaphor of moving along an infinite canvas)… but at least it will give you a concrete idea of what I described in abstract terms above.

If you play the presentation , you will notice that the first few slides (frames 1-6) just lay out the main construct the dissertation focuses on (“orchestration”), the structure of the presentation and its mapping to dissertation chapters. Then, the bulk of the presentation (frames 7-117) goes over the main elements of the dissertation according to the CQOCE diagram , i.e., the Swath part of the pattern. Within this high-level view of the dissertation, I inserted a short detour on the research methodology followed (frames 25-28) and, more importantly, several Dives into specific findings and the evidence behind them (frames 43-48, 66-72, and 99-112). Then, frames 118-136 provide the conclusive coda that includes the future work (but not the limitations, which were peppered through the Swath part of the presentation – a dubious choice, if you ask me today).

Variations and related patterns

As you can see from the example above, one does not need to follow the canonical version of Swath and Dive (mine is rather Swath and Three Dives ). Yet, paraphrasing Alexander, that is the point of the pattern: to have the core of the idea, which you can use to produce a million different solutions, tailored to your particular context and subject matter.

It is also important to realize that this structuring pattern for thesis defense presentations does not invalidate (rather, complements) other advice on preparing scientific presentations 2 , 3 , 4 and thesis defenses more specifically 5 . It is all very sound advice! For instance, once you have the structure of your Swath and Dive defense presentation, you could use the NABC technique to ensure that the Need, Approach, Benefits and Competition of each of your knowledge contributions are adequately emphasized. And you can rehearse intensively, and with an audience able to come up with nasty questions. And so on…

May you defend your thesis broadly and deeply!

Do you know other defense presentation structures that work really well in your discipline? Have you used Swath and Dive in your own defense successfully? Let us know (and share your examples) in the comments area below! (or leave a voice message)

Header image by DALL-E

Alexander, C., Ishikawa, S., & Silverstein, M. (1977). A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction (Vol. 2). Oxford University Press. ↩︎

Carter, M. (2013). Designing science presentations: A visual guide to figures, papers, slides, posters, and more (First edition). Elsevier/Academic Press. ↩︎

Anholt, R. R. H. (2009). Dazzle ’Em with Style: The Art of Oral Scientific Presentation (2nd ed). Elsevier, Ebsco Publishing [distributor]. ↩︎

Alley, M. (2013). The craft of scientific presentations: Critical steps to succeed and critical errors to avoid (Second edition). Springer. ↩︎

Davis, M., Davis, K. J., & Dunagan, M. M. (2012). Scientific papers and presentations (Third edition). Elsevier/Academic Press. ↩︎

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Luis P. Prieto

Luis P. is a Ramón y Cajal research fellow at the University of Valladolid (Spain), investigating learning technologies, especially learning analytics. He is also an avid learner about doctoral education and supervision, and he's the main author at the A Happy PhD blog.

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Top 10 Ph.D. Interview Presentation Templates With Samples and Examples

Mayuri Gangwal

Do you know that only 56 % of students complete their Ph.D.? Factors such as students' age, department, and lack of a good mentor sometimes contribute to the non-completion rate. Indeed, the journey to earning a doctoral degree is challenging. It involves years of research and extensive writing. However, most students find a lack of focus and motivation to be the primary reason for their failure. 

If you prepare for the PhD interview, PhD presentation slides can benefit you in several ways. For instance, templates save considerable time and effort and allow to focus on content delivery. Furthermore, for amateurs creating presentations, templates help them to organize content effectively.

At the same time, candidates often face several challenges regarding content creation and delivery. Templates can help streamline the process, but being aware of potential pitfalls is essential. Here are some common challenges associated with using presentation templates for PhD interviews:

In a recent survey, 6 out of 10 students feel nervous and anxious before the final presentation. It is because they find it challenging to communicate the importance of their research effectively. Crafting visually appealing slides can be tricky, especially for those without a design background. Did you find this relatable? Yes, our PhD interview templates can be a valuable solution for you. 

They serve as valuable tools for creating well-structured presentations and assist students in delivering a solid defense for their Doctoral theses. Let's dive in and learn more about these templates and see how they can be valuable resources in your academic journey.

Template 1: Thesis Research Paper Proposal Template

This template can elevate your academic presentations to the next level. It is tailored specially for scholars, researchers, and students. It helps them embark on the rigorous journey of thesis proposal development and ensures that their research proposals are remembered. This template's uniqueness is its visually appealing designs. It integrates text, graphs, and tables and provides a solid structure to your presentation. Whether it's for your academic review or seminars, this template empowers you with confidence and clarity. 

Download this template and make your proposal more impactful.

Template 2: Research Proposal Steps Template

Use this template to streamline your research proposal creation process. It is a comprehensive resource covering every crucial aspect of a research proposal. You can use this template to craft an engaging cover letter for your proposal. Thus, this template ensures that your proposal is compelling and professionally presented. Additionally, this template simplifies the process of conveying complex research plans. This template is structured to guide you through the essential steps of the research proposal. It will help you present your research coherently and persuasively. Download now!

Download this template today and embark on a seamless journey of crafting your thesis proposal.

Template 3: Research Proposal for Thesis Template 

This template can help you effectively present your thesis proposal. It also ensures that you get sponsors for your project by providing a professional look at your proposal. So, this template is a must for someone presenting their hypothesis, as it provides a solid foundation for the presentation. The template encompasses a variety of crucial elements, from the thesis statement to the project stages. 

Download and leverage this template today to focus on critical market components.

Template 4: Abstract for Thesis Research Proposal Template 

This PPT Set helps streamline the complex process of crafting compelling research proposals by providing a structured and intuitive design. The template is divided into two parts. The first consists of six sections briefly describing the thesis. The second part includes a summary and description of the content. Thus, it empowers users to articulate their research objectives and methodologies precisely so that their proposal not only meets but also exceeds expectations.

Download this template today and elevate your academic work to new heights.

Template 5: Research Method Overview Template

This template is designed for ambitious scholars to help them dive into the essence of academic precision. This template helps researchers by providing them with a robust and logical roadmap for their research. This not only increases their efficiency but also helps them select the best research method. This template provides a clear picture of the target audience and how to conduct the study. Thus, this template acts as a catalyst for boosting the proposal's effectiveness. Want to transform your proposal into a compelling narrative that commands attention and respect?

Download this template today.

Template 6: Method of Data Collection for Thesis Research Paper Proposal

It is the best template for someone looking to elevate their data collection methods. This template provides a clear and professional way to collect data for academic brilliance. It provides a structured framework to articulate the rationale behind the chosen manner. Thus, it is a template and a strategic tool for showcasing your research and methodology. It ensures that your proposal stands out to provide a deep understanding of your work. Additionally, this template helps you communicate complex methodologies in an accessible manner and develop a deeper connection with your audience. 

Download this template today and transform your thesis proposal into a masterpiece.

Template 7: Work Plan with Timetable Template 

It is a versatile template that is designed to help professionals across industries. It helps them organize and present their project plans clearly and precisely. The template is divided into three sub-templates to simplify the entire planning phase. The first template includes various activities associated with a specific completion month. It helps you stay organized by outlining different tasks and actions. The second template delves deeper into project activities by outlining a detailed weekly work plan. This way, it provides better visibility and time management. Additionally, it helps you allocate your resources efficiently and prioritize activities. The third and the last templates provide different stages with their names and timeframes, adding to the level of detail and enhancing the proposed research's feasibility.

Download this template today to take the first step toward achieving project excellence.

Template 8: Implication of Research Template 

This professional template helps you unlock the full potential of your research findings. It is a cornerstone for scholars and professionals eager to convey the significance of their research. The template is Structured as a four-stage process to help students present their research implications. The template's design not only presents data in a captive and visually appealing manner. But it also narrates the story behind your findings and their relevance in real-world applications. Further, this template gives the researcher the chance to explore a variety of angles and helps them consider different aspects of the issue, making research more comprehensive. It further makes research more versatile and applicable to various contexts, which makes it relevant to a broader audience. 

Download this template today and bridge the gap between academic research and applications.

Template 9: Aims and Objective of Research Proposal for Thesis Template (Slide 5)

This template is the blueprint for academic success. It is designed to elevate your doctoral thesis proposal. It helps you create a concise and compelling presentation outlining your research objectives. On one side, it highlights the study's objectives, while on the other, it highlights the expected outcome. This way, it ensures that your academic goals are understood easily because lack of clarity may confuse the audience. So, this template sets the stage by explaining what the study aims to achieve. 

Download this template today to embark on a journey of research excellence.

Template 10: Dissertation Methodology Template

This comprehensive template can assist students through the complexities of the research approach. It can be their ultimate guide in structuring and presenting their methodology. This template subdivides the entire process into four distinguished subheadings to streamline the process. The first subheading outlines the resources that can be instrumental in research. The second subheading highlights the diversity of the research inputs and helps categorize and organize the gathered data. The following subheading details the analytical techniques for validating your findings. The last, but not least, subheadings discuss the various collection methods and illustrate the strategic approach for gathering comprehensive data. 

Download this template to set a solid foundation for your dissertation.

Conclusion 

A student takes 4 to 7 years to complete his Ph.D., requiring strategic planning, dedication, and dedication. Additionally, writing and publishing journals is not a cakewalk. It needs exceptional scholars' writing skills along with critical thinking. Our thesis-dissertation templates can open doors to various opportunities and establish you as a credible and competent researcher.

Additionally, our thesis timeline templates help you streamline your project planning. It also bridges the gap between academic reading and research with real-world applications.

Download these templates today and pave the way for a successful and impactful career.

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A Thesis Defense is an oral presentation or discussion of the thesis work. Research students and professors share their research at open platforms or academic communities. The purpose of sharing research work is to show your quality contribution in a field. It is an essential need for the degree completion of Master's or Ph.D. degree students.

For an impressive presentation, you can use thesis defense PowerPoint templates . Such pre-designed templates can guide you with text and image placeholders. This article will explain a few necessary items for a successful thesis defense. Also, you will find the top 10 thesis defense presentation templates in this guide.

In this article

• What Items Should Be Included in a Theses Defense PowerPoint Presentation
• 10 Best Thesis Defense Presentations Templates
• The Most Powerful AI Tool to Create, Customize, Record, or Live Stream Thesis Defense Presentations

Part 1. What Items Should Be Included in a Theses Defense PowerPoint Presentation

Making a thesis is hard, but defending it with facts and figures is a major hurdle. Along with making a thesis, there comes the case of presenting it. The presentation requires prior research and preparation with clear and easy-to-read content.

Do you want an impressive presentation that makes your thesis stand out? Let's go through the following factors that need to be included in a thesis defense presentation sample :

1. Well-Structured Slides

The main slides must have a concise title and a table of contents. Introduce your topic with the objectives and purposes of such conducting study. You can summarize the previous research in the literature review and method section.

Showcase your findings in results and discuss them thoroughly. The conclusion must highlight key ideas, research questions, and future suggestions. Your presentation will get good remarks by following this structure of thesis defense.

2. Identify the Presentation Theme

You might be having difficulties making a presentation on a history thesis. Defining a minimalist theme can help maintain a consistent template design. You can add relevant shapes, headings, elements, pictures, and colors to the template.

Once you have defined the theme, choose elements and graphs that best fit there. Also, use designs that show the history, evolution, chronology, and map description. Add theme-related videos or statistical information to give your slides a professional look.

3. Choose Ideas to Emphasize

In your thesis defense, you have to emphasize certain key findings. For this purpose, you can use different visual aids, like checkboxes, maps, and tables. If your thesis is on climate change, you can show your ideas on pollution using infographics.

The use of infographics will convey a complex term in easier words to your targeted audience. Moreover, you should use different soft colors to differentiate and emphasize concepts.  

4. Visualize Statistical Data

Emphasize your findings by visualizing your statistical data using charts and graphs. In a certain case, you would have collected a bunch of survey responses on a medical condition. Consequently, you can show your result analysis with the help of test-run infographics and pie charts.

Make sure that graphs and shapes are labeled with clear units and instructions. This way, your audience will comprehend the content of your thesis. Plus, using infographics can make the audience remember your study's facts.

5. Consistent Design 

To maintain consistency, you must keep certain things in mind while editing slides. Ensure your font size, graphics, layout design, and colors remain the same. Keep your template layout consistent, as it provides visual harmony in presentations.

Avoid overly detailed slides as they distract your listeners from the research. To achieve it, you should maintain equal white spacing between text and objects in the slides.  

6. Professional Font and Formatting

You should focus on the thesis defense PPT formatting because it carries certain grade points. For example, social science research uses APA style and deducts marks without such formatting. They consider standard font sizes of 12-14 with Times New Roman or Calibri fonts.

Proper formatting makes it more professional and readable to the audience. Thus, consistent alignment and spacing make the text accessible for backbencher participants.

7. Summary Slide or Citation Slide

In the ending slides, it makes a good impression on the audience to include a summary slide. It has been discovered that students struggle in writing down the citations in the ending slides. To make the perfect ending slides, you can highlight the key points of your thesis.

Make sure you write down your references with proper alignment, separate lines, and the same font size. These last slides are the key takeaways of your thesis presentation, which provide clarity.

Part 2. 10 Best Thesis Defense Presentations Templates

Research work in every field is a complex and time-consuming process. The presentation of the research proves boring for most of the listeners. Therefore, making a captivating presentation is demanding in almost all fields. For this purpose, you can access thesis defense PowerPoint templates to save resources. 

1. Professional Thesis PowerPoint Templates

This thesis defense presentation sample is designed to showcase your final research. It offers a comprehensive 22 slides with a creative layout to engage your audience. This PPT template includes elements such as diagrams, charts, and graphics. It covers all aspects of your thesis, from the introduction to the conclusion.

It provides options to customize backgrounds, color themes, icons, and objects. The structure of the template helps present research findings in a logical flow. Plus, find certain infographics that include factual data and evidence. The template is compatible with different presentation software such as PowerPoint. It also follows a modern 16:9 aspect ratio.

2. Master’s Thesis Defense Free PowerPoint Template Design

As the name suggests, this template is used in Master’s dissertation presentations. With 28 slides, it offers guidance on creating concise but impactful presentations. This is a reliable template for performing quantitative research and adding results. You will find customizable slides to insert your content and images.

The sample master's thesis defense presentation PPT includes images and a widescreen layout. You can access unlimited theme colors to match your brand's voice. It features vector objects and icons and offers over 110 pre-made theme colors.

3. Minimalist Thesis Defense

People often prioritize simplicity and focus on concepts when it comes to architecture. With over 30 pre-made slides, you can maintain the layout and customize colors and fonts. The template provides a wide selection of charts, frames, lines, and shapes for the content. Moreover, it offers an image placeholder slide to add a picture of a thousand words.

This template is compatible with Google Slides, PowerPoint, and Canva. By using this template in Canva, you can find resources for graphics, icons, and images. Users can perform brand customization and add animations and emojis to the slides.

4. Pestel Analysis Thesis Defense Presentation

Business students can get help from this template to show strategic planning. Through this thesis defense PowerPoint template , you can easily assess all external factors affecting businesses. This creative design features many colorful geometric illustrations on a clean white background. It includes editable elements like graphs, maps, tables, timelines, and mockups.

Moreover, there are bar charts and global maps to highlight important locations. One of the slides offers a colorful table that shows monthly tasks and schedules. Toward the end, users get to over 500 icons in ending slides to extend the template.

5. Black Doodle Thesis Defense

This template can be used in the textile industry to validate your thesis research. With the help of such a template, textile professionals can share thesis findings. It is customizable, having a black doodle background. You can find it in 10 simple slides, avoiding clutters and grabbing attention to the contents.

The slides have editable features where you can edit photos and change colors. Its graphics let you duplicate, delete, or place them in your desired place. After compiling, this thesis defense PowerPoint template allows you to download it in various formats.

6. Engineering Thesis Defense PowerPoint Template

This template fulfills the necessity of engineers in making their thesis and research. The template comprises 42 slides in HD quality. Its first slide holds the audience's attention with machine gears and compelling visuals. These slides have editable graphics, mockups, charts, and maps to impress your audience.

It shows a user-friendly interface and compatibility with other software. You can also add a timeline to highlight the differences following the years. Moreover, there are global maps and other infographics to represent statistical data.

7. Economic Thesis Presentation

In business administration, researchers have dealt with numerical data sets. This thesis defense presentation sample proves fruitful in turning their challenging process into a breeze. Its dynamic design, structure, and layout let users justify their findings. These 37 modern illustrations are available in 6 pre-designed optimistic colors.

The elements and graphics are related to economics with an option of adjustment. Also, weekly schedule tables and methodology tables display factual data. Furthermore, it provides users with additional icons to customize the slides further.

8. Blue and Yellow Colorful Geometric Thesis Defense Presentation

Unlike its name, each slide of this template contains different color combinations. Mathematicians and physicists can use this template to make their complex concepts digestible. These slides are 10 in number with full customization features. The robotics elements in the template give a 3D effect and get viewers absorbed in it.

You can further alter the color, font, and size of this template according to your needs. Moreover, it allows you to perform both qualitative and quantitative research types. Conclusively, you can find these slides to be concise yet effective for explaining important concepts.

9. Sample PPT For Thesis Defense PowerPoint Presentation Slides

It's very important to impress clients and authorities for marketing thesis defense. This compelling sample master thesis defense presentation PPT free download plays a vital role in boosting the marketing process. The template comprises 34 slides and has well-researched content on important defense topics. It includes all the necessary layouts, icons, and graphs with easy customization.

Moreover, you can show statistical analysis using columns and pie charts. It provides pre-made additional slides for introducing your team in the ending slides. Also, there are tables of different layouts to explain future suggestions and references of the study.

10. Beige and Brown Scrapbook Thesis Defense Presentation

Fine art students can use this template in the form of a scrapbook. All 10 slides of this presentation are designed creatively to fulfill the needs of artists. Mainly, it combines beige and brown colors with different layouts on each slide. This clutter-free template allows you to insert the main information and draw the viewer’s attention.

Moreover, it allows users to add a picture with a proper description, eliminating confusion. You can add your study objectives by inserting relevant pictures. Afterward, the study implementation can be showcased by navigating arrows and circles.

Part 3. The Most Powerful AI Tool to Create, Customize, Record, or Live Stream Thesis Defense Presentations

Students and researchers need a thesis defense presentation template to display their findings. The thesis defense presentation is not limited to inputting data in certain templates. Instead, researchers also require visually compelling slides to engage their audience. This leads to a stage where Wondershare Presentory enters as a lifesaver.

It is the most powerful AI presentation tool to help you present your research. People might get confused about understanding difficult concepts without a proper description. Unlike other platforms, it lets you present on streaming forums along with your slides. With this tool, connect on popular platforms and present slides with your video.

Free Download Free Download Try It Online

Highlighting Features of Wondershare Presentory

• Polished Templates: This tool provides you with high-quality, stunning templates. In addition, you can modify text formatting in slides as per the style for the thesis. Users can also import your thesis defense PowerPoint template and enhance its visual appeal. It offers multiple text styles and allows you to add stickers, characters, and numbers to your PPTs.
• Recording and Live Streaming: It allows you to record videos for educational and other explanatory purposes. This recording can be shared over the globe via a link that promotes active learning. Plus, you can live stream on popular platforms like Zoom and Google Meet. Also, it can enhance your facial features and remove blemishes during presentations.
• Teleprompter: You might get confused and forget the statistical results while presenting. This AI tool provides a teleprompter that enables you to display your script in front of you. Presenters can adjust the size of the text and teleprompter’s position on the screen. The opacity settings in that section allow you to adjust the text, color, and alignment.
• Rich Resources: You can enhance your slides' quality with this AI tool's rich resources. Using animations and transitions will elevate the visual appeal of your presentation. Moreover, users can define the order of animation actions on various objects. Also, it allows you to modify the slide background with classical indoor and gradient colors.

In summary, a well-structured presentation leaves a positive impact on listeners. Thus, you should use templates for consistent themes and visual data representation. It is important to maintain professional font and formatting in thesis defense slides. That's why we have shed light on the top 10 sample master thesis defense presentation PPT .

Apart from using templates, a successful thesis defense also requires good content delivery. For this purpose, you can use Wondershare Presentory, an innovative AI tool. Presenters can confidently explain their research using its teleprompter feature. Moreover, authors can present their findings using its live-streaming option.

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Basic Customizable PhD Dissertation

It seems that you like this template, basic customizable phd dissertation presentation, free google slides theme, powerpoint template, and canva presentation template.

Being formal and creative can be your main highlights when presenting your phD if you use this modern presentation template for your defense. The design is like a canvas you can use to give life to your investigation and your results because it’s completely editable. Adapt the slides to the requirements of your research and your speech and let the elegance of its design surprise the committee and get you the best mark!

Features of this template

• 100% editable and easy to modify
• 28 different slides to impress your audience
• Contains easy-to-edit graphics such as graphs, maps, tables, timelines and mockups
• Available in different colors
• Includes 500+ icons and Flaticon’s extension for customizing your slides
• Designed to be used in Google Slides, Canva, and Microsoft PowerPoint
• 16:9 widescreen format suitable for all types of screens
• Includes information about fonts, colors, and credits of the free resources used

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PhD Dissertation PowerPoint Template

The PhD Dissertation PowerPoint Template provides a professional structure and layouts designed for dissertation presentations. A dissertation is the work submitted to support the conclusion of an academic degree or professional qualification, presenting the author’s research and findings in an area of study. The PhD Dissertation PowerPoint Template is designed as an academic presentation slide deck where the PhDc will compile it work in a supporting document of their message.

The educational PowerPoint template of PhD dissertation contains 9 slides, with diagrams, charts, and shapes for describing your research and thesis. These PowerPoint templates will help prepare a compelling dissertation defense. The comprehensive slide deck of dissertation covers a structured approach of documentation. All the diagrams and data charts will be useful for documenting a PhD dissertation following the traditional sections structure:

• Abstract – Discuss the abstract model of what you are trying to prove. Implemented as a Text slide with abstract background graphics
• Introduction – A background of work, basic terminologies, and problem description. The layout is created as an Hexagon picture including placeholders and the dissertation presentation agenda theme.
• Literature Review – Discuss related work, analysis, and interpretation. Designed as 4 segments with infographic icons to discuss thesis literature.
• Methodology – Describe the methodology used in your research. You can use the 4 steps curved timeline diagram for the research model.
• Research Findings – It involves proof of model, type of study and tools to gather supporting data. Magnifying glass 4 steps puzzle diagram research metaphor
• Results – Data collected from various sources and analysis for proof of thesis. Custom stacked data-driven chart template for reports
• Discussion – 4 sections to display presentation discussion points
• Conclusion – 6 sections for research questions, answers, contribution, and future work

Every dissertation has its specifics, but this structure will help you diagram your presentation, following best practices. You will be able to tell your dissertation story in a compelling way, which will engage your audience.

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Tips to Prepare PhD viva-voce Presentation Slides

Best PhD viva ppt slide preparation tips

Preparation of neat PhD viva -voce presentation slides and perfectly presenting them in the given time is very important for a PhD viva-voce examination as it going to give a good impression on both the research scholar and supervisor or mentor by the examiners or moderators.

Before designing the presentation slides, the scholar has to decide what to include and what not to include in the slides. It is always a big deal for a scholar to include all the research findings and data in the presentation that was obtained during the research program (4 to 5 years).

The scholar has to remember that the presentation should include only the major research findings and key contributions as time management is important. Therefore, iLovePhD framed simple and useful tips to prepare PhD viva-voce presentation slides in this article.

General Structure of the PhD Viva-Voce Presentation Slides

• A title slide which includes Title , Supervisor name & affiliation, Scholar name, Date, and Venue
• Presentation outline – Here you need to list your agenda
• Introduction – Give a brief introduction about the background of your study. It may be of 2 to 3 slides.
• Need for the Study – This is an important slide to convince the examiners and the audience to understand the importance of your study.
• Problem Statement –This is also an important slide that should not be missed out. Problem statement should be of 4 to 5 lines indicating the purpose and intent of the research.
• Objectives of the Study – List the key research objectives in a single slide and number them.
• Methodology – Present the Methodology of your study with a neat flowchart. This may be of 1 to 2 slides.
• Results and Discussion – This is the most important section in the PhD defense presentation.
• Conclusion – Summarize the results and conclude the research outcomes with societal benefits.
• Publication details – Present your publication details
• References – List the relevant references.
• Acknowledgment -Register your gratitude in the acknowledgment slide.
• A Thank You slide

Sample PhD Viva-Voce Presentation Slides

The format of the presentation slides is presented below. This would give you an idea to prepare the slides.

Tips to prepare Ph.D. viva-voce presentation slides

• Give a brief introduction about the background of your study. Always present the information in a bulleted manner rather than lengthy paragraphs. Don’t mess up the slide with too much information. Instead, you can give 4 to 5 key points in a slide.
• Highlight the research gap or the existing limitations and then arrive at the need for the study. You can present the need for the study in the form of concept schematics, which makes the examiner and the audience understand it easily.
• Present your problem statement clearly to establish the focus of your research.
• List the key research objectives in a numbered manner ie., Objective 1, objective 2 like that. You know, it will be easy to follow.
• Present the detailed methodology of your study with neat schematics or flowcharts to visually represent your research approach.
• Discuss the important research findings and data presented in your thesis in a simple and bulleted manner. Don’t keep it as a paragraph in the slide rather you can present the findings with the help of graphs like bar charts, pie charts, etc. Always present your findings with scientific evidence.
• Connect your findings with past relevant literature and emphasize the novelty of your research clearly. Also, highlight the key contributions of your study.
• Use visual aids like schematics, graphs, and tables wherever necessary. Use real images to show your experimental set-up. Ensure the quality of the images are clear and readable.
• Specify the experimental conditions at appropriate places.
• Summarize the results of your research objectives and then conclude the research outcomes with societal benefits. It is very important to connect your research results with the societal benefits.
• Use hyperlinks at appropriate places for presenting huge and important data like Datasets, experimental procedures, and important literature.
• Check the flow and logical connectivity between each slide.
• The last tip is to ensure that the flow of your presentation is in line with your thesis.

Bonus Tips to Prepare PhD viva-voce Presentation Slides

• Maintain uniformity in designing the slide, preferably, use a white background with any dark-colored font.
• Use legible font size and you can use Times New Roman or Arial font style.
• Don’t forget to put the slide number. At the end of your presentation, examiners raise questions by pointing to the slide number. So, including the slide number at the bottom of your slide is very important.
• Limit your presentation slides to 50 to 55 slides. It is expected to finish the presentation in 20 to 30 minutes. So, plan accordingly. Otherwise, you may have to speed up the presentation to finish it.
• Finally, double or triple-check your slides and practice several times before presenting them on your final day.

By following the above-said tips, you can prepare well-organized presentation slides for your PhD defense.

If any of you want the sample format of the presentation slides, you can write us to this email ID [email protected] . We will share the PPT for your reference.

Happy researching!

Also Read: Top 38 Possible PhD Viva Questions

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Free thesis defense presentation templates

Bring your research to life and impress the examining committee with a professional Thesis Defense Presentation template. Defend your final year project, Master’s thesis, or PhD dissertation with the help of free slides designed especially for students and academics. 

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What’s a thesis defense presentation?

As you approach the end of grad or postgrad studies, you’ll probably be required to deliver a thesis defense presentation. This takes place during the final semester and involves speaking about your thesis or dissertation in front of a committee of professors. 

The word “defend” might sound intimidating, but it simply means answering questions about your work. Examiners want to see how knowledgeable you are about your field and if you can back up your arguments with solid and original research. Some departments invite students to a pre-defense, which is like a dress rehearsal for the main event. 

If you’re defending your doctoral thesis or dissertation, the event will be more formal than at Master’s level. In some universities, this is called a PhD viva, which comes from the Latin viva voce, meaning “by live voice”. Basically, it’s time to speak about the 80 thousand words you’ve written! As well as your supervisor, the panel will usually include visiting academics from other institutions. If it’s an “open defense” it will be open to other students and members of the public.

The format varies between different universities, but a thesis defense usually starts with the candidate delivering a short presentation accompanied by slides. This is followed by a question and answer session with the panel. 

How do I design slides for my thesis defense?

The secret to a good thesis defense presentation is a well-designed slide deck. This will act as a visual aid and starting point for the conversation. Structuring your points and illustrating them on the screen will help you present more confidently. 

If the prospect of creating a thesis presentation from scratch is daunting, check out Genially’s free thesis defense templates. Each design has been created by professional graphic designers in collaboration with students and academic experts. 

Choose from hundreds of examples with preset color palettes and easy-to-edit slides. In a few minutes you can outline the content of your thesis in an impressive visual format. No artistic skills required!

How should I structure a thesis presentation?

When you create a thesis defense presentation, the first thing to remember is that it should be short and concise. There’s no need to rewrite your thesis on the slides. Members of the committee will already be familiar with your work, having read the document prior to the event. 

A thesis defense is a conversational, person-to-person event. Examiners don’t want to read large blocks of text on the screen. They want to hear you talking about your research with passion and insight.

With this in mind, your presentation should serve as a starting point or prompt for discussion. Think of your slides as cue cards: use short titles and keywords to remind you of what you want to say. 

Make a good first impression by using a professional thesis defense presentation template with a consistent theme and attractive visuals. Go for a calm color palette and neutral style. The aim is to illustrate your points while keeping the committee focused on what you’re saying. 

A thesis defense usually begins with an introductory presentation lasting 15 to 20 minutes, followed by discussion time. For a 20 minute presentation we recommend a series of about 10 slides. 

Make sure to include an introduction slide or title page that lays out what you’re going to talk about. Next, move on to each part of your thesis. Outline the problem, background and literature review, your research question, methodology and objectives, findings, conclusions, and areas for future research. 

A great thesis presentation should provide the panel with a summary of your research. For that reason, try to avoid dumping too much data or information onto your slides. Use Genially’s interactive infographics, diagrams and charts to highlight the most important points in an eye-catching visual format.

When it comes to the big day and defending your thesis, try to keep calm. Take a deep breath, introduce yourself to the committee and let your slides guide you. Your examiners will come armed with a list of questions, so the formal presentation will flow naturally into a Q&A.

How do I make a good final year project presentation?

If you’re an undergrad, you might be required to deliver a final year project presentation or dissertation presentation. It’s less formal than a graduate degree thesis defense, but the format is similar. You will be asked to present your research findings to faculty and peers with the help of slides. Your performance may count towards your final grade when you’re awarded your Bachelor’s degree.

A good presentation for a final year project should start with a title slide. At this point you should introduce your research question and explain why you chose the topic. If it’s a collaborative project, include a slide that introduces your teammates. 

The core part of your presentation should cover your methodology, findings, conclusions, and scope for future research. Wrap things up by thanking your contributors and invite your audience to ask questions.   

If you’re not sure how to make a final year project presentation, check out Genially’s free presentation slides for students. Choose from hundreds of professional templates that can be customized to any undergraduate or graduate project. With animated graphics and beautiful data visualizations, you can make standout slides in a matter of minutes.

If you’re submitting your presentation to your professor, try including interactive elements. Genially’s presentation builder allows you to embed online data, videos, audio, maps, PDFs, and hyperlinks in your slides. This can be a useful way to provide supporting evidence, sources, and additional documentation. 

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What is the best "last slide" in a thesis presentation?

There are some possible options as the last slide of a typical thesis presentation. I've heard of some possibilities:

A question-mark image (as the time to be slaughtered by the referees!),

A Thank You declaration (There are some negative viewpoints about these two options.),

A slide including summary of the presented ideas,

A slide reflecting the presenter's contact info (I think it does not really make sense for a thesis presenter.),

A slide including a quote (I really doubt it's the best way.),

What is the best practice to arrange the last slide, then?!

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• 8 There are probably also cultural differences to consider. In France it's customary not to thank the audience at the end of the defense -- you only thank everyone once the jury has decided to award the degree to you (or not, if they don't...). So option #2 would not be doable in France, for example. –  user9646 Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 8:59
• 3 I'd finish on a one-liner that summarises what the audience should take away. Or the biggest lesson that you have learnt. –  user2768 Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 14:13
• 8 Don't make it the last slide, stop at the summary, but have additional slides afterwards giving any figures or data that might be useful in answering the questions that follow. You might not need them, but they are there just in case you do. –  Dikran Marsupial Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 18:40
• 55 Clearly this –  David Z Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 19:34
• 3 Why Not Zoidberg? ;) Seriously though, probably a good choice is the conclusions slide... I used one on my slides that you can see here . –  Andrea Lazzarotto Commented Apr 15, 2017 at 16:24

14 Answers 14

The last slide will typically be seen for some minutes after you finished talking – until you jump to some other slide for addressing a question. This is something that you should use. If you ended your talk with a summary (which is a good thing in most cases), leaving that slide gives the audience opportunity to reflect on your talk, remember what they wanted to ask a question about, or just let your central messages sink in. If they do not want to do this, but focus on the questions, they are not distracted by anything new that you didn’t talk about.

The main exception is if you find it difficult to orally convey that the talk has finished – in that case a thank you slide or an any questions? slide may be the lesser evil and save you from a few seconds of awkward silence that everybody needs to realise your talk is over. Note that you can use such a slide as a backup behind your summary slide – if you manage to finish your talk on the summary slide, the audience never gets to see it. If you botch it, you can quickly jump to the summary slide.

In most situations, however, I consider thank you slides and any questions? slides pointless, as they do not tell the audience anything new and are things that you or the chair have to say. A quote would distract the audience from the questions – unless you are going to read it, but then the quote has to really fit the occasion. Your contact information does not need an entire slide and can usually be fitted on the bottom of the summary slide.

Finally note that on some rare occasions, the following order of slides may work:

• main talk with main results
• summary and outlook
• one or two appetiser slides illustrating first steps into what you just announced as future work, e.g., to show that you paved the way for something interesting.

In this case, you can either jump back to the summary slide or stay on your last appetizer slide – depending on what is more attractive.

• 8 +1 - for everything in this (particularly noting that the 'thank you' or 'any questions' slides seem pointless unless speaker has a hard time 'closing' a talk. (And then, just flash it and get back to the summary slide so you don't leave non-content fluff up in front of audience for longer than any other slide in the talk while waiting for questions, etc. –  Carol Commented Apr 15, 2017 at 14:18
• 34 @Carol I find your comment deeply unsettling . (I do fully agree with it though.) ;) –  Martin Ender Commented Apr 16, 2017 at 22:22
• 6 The "any questions" slide is not only useless - it's rude. The presenter is usually not the host of a meeting - it's chair's responsibility to decide whether there is time for questions, and when it's appropriate to open the discussion. –  BartoszKP Commented Apr 19, 2017 at 18:38
• 8 @BartoszKP I strongly disagree that it's rude. Even if the host has absolute authority over the structure of the meeting (which seems strange to me, especially at a defense, since presumably the speaker knows the schedule and can see the clock), the speaker is merely signaling that they are ready to take questions. –  JeffE Commented Aug 18, 2017 at 2:55
• 2 @JeffE You're right, that the intent can be clear, and be a simple signal that they are ready for questions, but it looks rude, regardless of the intent. It looks like "taking over" the meeting, intruding into the position of a host. Especially at a defense, which usually is a quite formal occasion, with quite strictly defined structure and quite strictly defined rules of behaviour. –  BartoszKP Commented Aug 18, 2017 at 10:00

Another alternative I have tried recently is putting thumbnails of all the previous slides on it:

It's just a recent experiment, though; I don't have enough data to tell if it's the best last slide. Apart from the eye-candy, I think it can be useful as a pseudo-summary if your slides are sufficiently recognizable (for instance, if they have pictures).

For sure it helps solving the problem mentioned in another answer: "You had this formula on one slide. Can you go back? ... No not that one, before that ... Ahh yes that one."

It's kind-of tricky to do automatically in beamer, though. You can always do it manually by copying the output file somewhere else and specifying the page numbers manually, which is how I achieved it:

• 20 Interesting touch... but don't you think it might not transfer any meaningful idea to the audience? Especially when there is a multitude of slides. So, the thumbnails will be very small and unreadable. –  user41207 Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 6:36
• 14 @Roboticist Depends on your goal... If you want to transfer meaningful ideas with your last slide, this works definitely worse than a summary but definitely better than a big question mark. :) The thing I wanted to do is trying to remind the audience of the content of your talk by appealing to visual memory. Just a random thing I am trying, anyway, it's not like I have research on its effectiveness. :) If there are too many slides, you can choose to include only the "most important" ones. –  Federico Poloni Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 6:43
• 11 This is great! As a bonus it provides incentive to keep presentations within a reasonable number of slides. –  user1717828 Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 12:17
• 25 And if it a computer science course you should include this last slide in the thumbnails, recursively, all the way down. –  Dithermaster Commented Apr 15, 2017 at 14:32
• 12 “It's just a recent experiment, though; I don't have enough data to tell if it's the best last slide” Now we are all wondering how many thesis defenses you are going to do in order to test this approach with enough data. :D –  Andrea Lazzarotto Commented Apr 15, 2017 at 16:26

If I were on your thesis committee I would be most happy with your slides if they were your original work and represented your own personal tastes and sensibilities. Therefore I would be more impressed with even a goofy or weird last slide that I knew you actually came up with yourself and made sense to you, than one that was proposed to you by people on academia.se, even if it were ostensibly more professional looking or slick.

In other words, the "best last slide" is, by definition, whatever you decide it is.

And yes, I realize this is a bit of a smartass answer. I am trying to make a point here about the value of original thought, and hope that some people will find this perspective helpful or thought provoking. But to anyone who doesn't get it or thinks I am barking up the wrong tree, feel free to downvote this answer.

• 2 I actually think it's a good sensible answer. –  Nobody Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 8:33
• 3 Knowing when to learn from Academia.SE is important. I'd say "designing the last slide" is one of the cases where one can learn and not reinvent the wheel. –  svavil Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 23:43
• 12 @svavil if OP had framed the question as "what are some good ideas for the last slide" then I would agree that that's a reasonable thing to get advice on here. But the question is framed in a way that assumes there's a unique "best last slide", which I find off-putting. In general, many questions here seek advice on optimizing every little nuance of academic life. At some point I think it makes sense to encourage people to think for themselves. And as I said, I am more impressed by people who put personal/creative touches into their work even if the result is quirky and a little less slick. –  Dan Romik Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 23:51
• @DanRomik thanks, the last comment makes your stance clearer. –  svavil Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 23:52
• 3 This. My last slide was a picture of the beach I was planning to spend the next month on, trying to recover from the ordeal of writing the damn thing. It got a laugh from the audience and helped me have something to look forward to while answering the questions :) –  terdon Commented Apr 17, 2017 at 21:56

In my opinion, the best last slide is a short summary of your presentation. It should contain the question you researched and what your result was. This has several advantages:

Your audience can recapitulate your talk. This allows them to better place what you told them in your conclusion and why what you did is awesome. Following the scheme "Tell them what you are going to tell them. Tell them. Tell them what you told them." makes your topic easier to understand. Since it is a graduate thesis, chances are your topic is rather complex and merits recapitulation.

This is the last slide your audience is going to see and should be the "take home message". So it can be a condensed version of what you presented, now that you explained all they need to know. This is going to fortify what the audience remembers from your talk.

A recapitulation also offers the referees prime material for slaughtering you (in the positive sense). You can keep all your used variable names, concepts, definitions, etc. on this slide so that the referees remember them. This makes asking questions so much easier and prevents question of the style: "You had this formula on one slide. Can you go back? ... No not that one, before that ... Ahh yes that one." If this is out of the way, you can directly jump to the interesting questions.

It's not anything particular to a thesis presentation, but I've found that an acknowledgement slide is a solid last slide for the presentation. It's a choice that I've found rather common from experienced presenters (e.g. visiting professors when giving seminar talks.)

I agree with others in saying that slides with just "Any Questions" or "Thank You" isn't the best. They're rather content free, and such sentiments can be handled verbally. (Also, depending on how things are handled, your advisor or committee chair may be the one to open the floor for questions and select who asks the next question, in which case it may be slightly awkward if you've already opened the floor for questions.)

Instead, you can take the opportunity at the very end of your talk to thank and acknowledge the people who have helped you out. Generally this takes the form of a photo of your advisor's group, often with a list of names of others in your group, along with several columns of names pointing out any collaborators. It's also nice to point out in a corner any funding sources, if you received any grants or scholarships which supported the work. If you put their names up in writing you don't necessarily need to read out everyones name, but it is good to point out some of the key people and potentially mention their specific contribution.

One caution is to keep the amount of talking you do on your acknowledgment slide brief. I'd recommend a minute or so at most. Spend too long - particularly with a bland recitation of 20+ names - and you'll bore the audience. If you're going to name names, pick out just a few key people whose help you'd like to highlight. Err on the side of being too brief rather than too effusive. If you have individual names up, you can acknowledge in groups ("my collaborators in the Smith Group") rather than individually.

With an acknowledgement slide you have a rather "neutral" slide that clearly signals the end of the presentation, but contains a non-trivial amount of content in itself.

Note: You didn't mention which field you were in, so I gave an answer from my experience in biochemistry. Do keep in mind that presentation styles do vary somewhat from field to field. If it's not common in your field for experienced people giving seminars to present an acknowledgement slide, please ignore my answer and pick something that's more common to your field.

• 3 While this is certainly laudable, it's also likely that this will bore at least a part of the audience. In that respect, presentations are quite a bit like movies - when the credits (that producers are ethically, and possibly even legally, obliged to show) start rolling, almost the entire audience stops watching and leaves. –  O. R. Mapper Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 17:19
• @O.R.Mapper Oh, certainly. Spending too long on an acknowledgment slide is indeed terribly boring. I added in more mention of keeping it brief. -- Even then, I agree some people will "zone out". If you're lucky, they'll take the "free" time to formulate the question they want to ask you. –  R.M. Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 17:36
• 5 I second @O.R.Mapper here: Any form of acknowledgement at the end of the talk is lethal to attention, enthusiasm, and flow. The only thing I consider bearable is if you just show the acknowledgement slide but do not talk about it – but then it still steals the attention of your audience. If your talk has “coäuthors”, list them on the title slide. If specific parts have collaborators, mention them on the respective slides (but only in writing). Funders can also be acknowledged on the title slide. –  Wrzlprmft ♦ Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 19:19
• 3 I prefer acknowledgements up front as part of the settling-in phase. –  The Nate Commented Apr 15, 2017 at 2:45

Most people won't remember where they had questions without some help. So if you want questions from the audience, end with a summary slide. And if you don't want questions, just write: "Thank you! Any Questions?"

That's how my thesis tutor described it, great advice!

• Wouldn't that be the other way around? Remind them if you want questions, and don't remind them if you don't? –  timuzhti Commented Apr 17, 2017 at 6:53
• 1 @Alpha3031: That's the point, that explicitly inviting questions is not as effective as laying the groundwork for questions. –  Ben Voigt Commented Apr 17, 2017 at 17:02

What I was advised to do and have seen done several times, and it worked rather well was to highlight 3-4 main pertinent points, specifically:

• brief reiteration of the research problem
• reiteration of a main aspect of the method
• a statement or 2 of the main result/outcome of the results

Underneath, I included my email address and any other main researchers - with a statement that if they wished to receive a copy of the presentation to contact by email - but check to see if this is allowed first.

(The slides before had the acknowledgements and references)

This way, while questions and/or discussion was occurring, a clear and concise summary of the presentation remained projected.

Having gone through many variations myself, more recently I settled on putting a brief bibliography on the last page. I think it is more meaningful than a "thank you" or "questions?" page (certainly more meaningful than some "inspirational" quote!), and perhaps more appropriate than contact details. Of course it does not prevent me from having a summary (if applicable) on the next-to-last page.

The bibliography need not be long; it may include references to your prior research relevant to the current presentation, or other key pieces of literature that anyone in the audience who became interested in the topic of your presentation might benefit from. (A couple of times I went overboard and had two dense bibliography pages; I don't think that was a good idea.)

I have not yet had to prepare and present a thesis but I have done a lot of presentations for my studies.

I usually use a dark background for my first slide, with the title in a light coloured font and use a light background with dark text for the presentation so my solution is to have a blank last slide with a dark background.

I usually thank the jury for their attention verbally, as a sign the presentation is finished so I do not need to thank them "in text" which feels awkward.

I also avoid the "Any questions ?" slide, especially if it is going to stay on display. I rather say something close to "If you have any question feel free to ask them I/we will do my/our best to answer them".

The reason I don't leave the summary visible too long is that I find I tend to read it over and over again when watching a presentation rather than listening to other peoples questions. If I'm like that I'm sure, or at least I hope, other are as well.

• Would the downvoter explain what's wrong with this answer? –  Nobody Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 8:08
• 3 I did not downvote, but the answer is a bit unclear. Is the proposed solution simply a blank last slide? –  user21264 Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 9:26
• Yes that's it. I could maybe edit my answer to make it more obious. It should be noted though that I usually have a very simple summary of the key points and/or conclusions before that blank slide. –  Valentin Pearce Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 9:30
• Also, it should fit in your presentation's overall appearance, to show that it is, in a way, part of it and not just a white slide. –  Valentin Pearce Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 9:32

US Military typically employs option 3 as the penultimate slide, followed by a slide asking for questions, followed by the statement or a slide "This concludes my brief" or presentation.

For the presentation of a thesis, option 3 is always good for a penultimate slide at which you can ask for questions. I'd follow that with a thank you slide to conclude.

• Interesting and practical response, thank you! –  user70612 Commented Apr 15, 2017 at 15:04
• 1 @Saturnus Thanks. This is my first post on the site. I think a summary should always be included in any good conclusion, like most of us are taught in grade school. –  user26439 Commented Apr 15, 2017 at 15:12

I've been at a Master thesis defence, where professor N., known for his inspiring and engaged teaching style, and admired by many students, was present. At the end of the presentation, the last slide said

Thank you for your attention!

The chairman asked whether there are questions, and as usual, there was one from N. The student answered, and then clicked to the next slide, saying

Thank you for your attention, professor N.!

This will depend largely on what happens after your presentation. If the last slide will stay on screen during discussions between the thesis committee and you, a picture representing your work (e.g. your thesis cover) might be a good choice.

How about combining option 2 and 3

Since I sometimes find it hard to round-off a presentation without creating an awkward silence, but do not like having a slide saying only "Thank you", let me offer one more alternative.

Have a last slide with a summary/conclusion of your main results, and possibly some future work. Also end the talk by quickly reiterating your main result(s). Then at the end, let the words "Thank you" (or "Questions?" or whatever you want to end the presentation with) appear at the bottom of this slide. I usually use a slightly larger font and different color, such that it stands out.

This allows you to smoothly end your presentation, yet keeps the useful summary slide on screen during the discussion.

Best way to end your presentation is to give an overview of whole things you described in earlier slides. you can also request for feedbacks for your presentation to improve according to audience point of view.

• 10 And would should be on the last slide then? –  FuzzyLeapfrog Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 16:59

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PhD Dissertation Defense Slides Design: Tips for designing the slides

• Tips for designing the slides
• Presentation checklist
• Example slides
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Example Slides Repository

• Defense slides examples Link to examples dissertation defense slides.

Email me for questions and schedule an appointment

General tips for slide design

Use a plain background, for engineering, a plain, white background is generally ideal for dissertation proposals and defenses. don't pick a template that is too busy and distracting.,     , remember to add p age numbers, having page numbers in your slides will allow your advisors and peers to give comments. during your presentation, the committee members can use page numbers to reference specific slides for their questions. .

Less is more

Don't put too many words on one slide (no more than 20 words per slide, in general)., when words are inevitable, highlight the keywords in each sentence (see examples from i. daniel posen's and l. cook's slides).

Take advantage of animations

Use animations to explain complicated ideas in figures, tables, etc. you can use different slides instead of the animation functions in ms powerpoint; it will avoid overlapping text boxes or pictures when converted to pdf. , below is an example from c. kolb's defense slides. by a step-by-step revealing process, kolb was able to explain each detail without the distraction of other results. .

Write down your notes 

Write down your notes with either bullet points or full sentences as a script. this can help you to remember what you want to say during your defense. when you are practicing, you won't have to come up with new things to say every time and won't forget what you planned to talk about. .

Example 1: slide with notes - exact words to say (C. Mailings 2017)                                               Example 2: slide with notes - bullet points (I. D. Posen 2016) 

Be smart about the title of each slide

Use descriptive language to summarize the key point of the slide, and avoid using vague terms or the same title for several slides that have different contents..

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INFORMATION FOR

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Presentation Top Ten

Hi everyone:

This is a good day to address common oral presentation errors, which cause confusion and inefficiency. We can do better, so let’s review:

Sex Instead of Gender: Veterinarians can call their cows, pigs, cats, and dogs “male” or “female,” but our patients are people, not puppies. Let’s respect their humanity by calling them “men,” “women,” or “non-binary.” Let’s call our patients what they call themselves.

Curious Chief Concerns: Why would a coughing patient be admitted to the hospital, let alone the MICU? Why not send them home with Delsym? The point of the Chief Concern is to telegraph why the patient was admitted. A 72-year-old woman with cough, fever, and hypoxemia belongs in the hospital. The same woman with cough, fever, and severe hypoxemia requiring intubation belongs in the MICU.

Misplaced PMHx: Why do we cram the patient’s whole past medical history (PMHx) into the Chief Concern (CC)? Like this: “This is a 63-year-old man with a history of hypertension, Type II DM, gout, localized prostate cancer, GERD, CAD s/p 3 drug eluding stents, ulcerative colitis previously treated with infliximab, and hyperlipidemia presenting with a sudden severe headache.” The gout, ulcerative colitis, GERD, and the number of stents distract us, obscuring the hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and CAD, which probably matter. Share the crucial facts in the CC and send the rest to the PMHx.

Skipping Past the History: Osler said “the patient will tell you the diagnosis,” but not if you don’t ask or listen. Sometimes this is what we hear: “The patient developed chest pain and came to the ED.” But this is what we want to hear: How severe is the pain? When did it start? How long did it last? Has it happened before? Was it sharp, tearing, or squeezing? Did it travel? Were there associated symptoms like shortness of breath, nausea, palpitations, or lightheadedness? Did anything make the pain better or worse? The history will lead us to the diagnosis, like MI, PE, aortic dissection, pneumothorax, esophageal spasm, or costochondritis- but only if we search.

Skipping Prior Admissions and Evaluations: Patients are often admitted repeatedly for the same problem and many have had workups, like PFTs, echocardiograms, and CTs that don’t need to be repeated. Maybe we don’t need to rule out PE again on this patient’s 5th presentation with chest pain. Maybe we can be the ones who finally remove penicillin from the allergy list when we (safely) begin another round of Zosyn. Maybe we can stop saying the patient has COPD when we see that the PFTs showed restriction, not obstruction. Epic can be overwhelming, but a targeted search of old records, including Care Everywhere, can save everyone, including the patient, time, expense, and needless testing.

The Review of Systems is Not What You Think it Is: The Review of Systems (ROS) is commonly confused or conflated with the pertinent positives and negatives. For example, in a patient with fever, we sometimes hear that “the Review of Systems was positive for chills, nausea, vomiting, and right upper quadrant pain, and that it was negative for cough, sputum, shortness of breath, etc.” But those are the pertinent positives and negatives - the questions we should ask any febrile patient if they don’t tell us themselves. In contrast, the ROS is an inventory, a slate of questions we should ask all patients to screen for additional issues. For example, we might learn that a patient admitted for a diabetic foot ulcer noticed a lump in her breast, which will require prompt follow up after discharge.

From the ED to This Morning with Zero In Between: For unclear reasons, we often skip past overnight events when presenting holdovers. We hear that the patient presented to the ED with hematemesis and hypotension requiring admission to the MICU and by morning their vital signs are stable and GI is coming to do an upper endoscopy. But what happened overnight? What was the working diagnosis? How did the team treat the hypotension? Was the patient transfused? Why did GI decide the EGD could wait? The night team worked hard. Don’t leave out their part of the story.

Objective As Opposed to What: Am I the only one who wonders why we call the labs “objective data” as opposed to all other facts? Isn’t the history of cancer objective? Aren’t the vital signs and your physical exam objective too? The patient’s symptoms reflect their subjective experience, but everything else—the past history, the vitals, your exam—is objective if true.

What Are You Thinking: Before you launch into your plan, we need to know what you’re thinking so the plan makes sense. After you present your data you should 1) summarize the key findings, 2) generate a differential diagnosis, and 3) tell us what diagnosis you think is most likely and what else you don’t want to miss and why. Then we’ll understand your plan. If you think the patient has heart failure, it makes sense to start a diuretic. If you think the patient has a PE, it makes sense to get a CT.

Failure to Prioritize: In the quest to be thorough, we sometimes present our plans in rigid sequence instead of prioritizing the most important problem or system. For example, we may present “head to toe,” saying a patient requires no sedation while the team is dying to hear what you plan to do with the potassium of 2. Rigid sequences make no sense- you need to show that you’re prioritizing the key problems first, whether it’s fixing the hypokalemia, hypotension, or hypoxemia. Of course, if the patient is presenting in a coma, please start with the head. But if the patient’s toe is draining pus, please start down there.

The attached “Yale Way” guide to presentations is our standard. Let’s create crisp, efficient, orderly presentations that include all the key facts and leave out the clutter. Good presentations help everyone focus on the issues that demand our attention and bring us closer to the right diagnosis and plan.

Enjoy your Sunday, everyone. I’m going to hike up East Rock before heading for dinner with family friends down in Fairfield County. Tomorrow morning, it’s back to the SDU.

P.S. What I’m reading and listening to:

• The Known World by Edward P. Jones
• Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity by Gloria Mark
• How to Influence People—And Make Friends by Arthur Brooks
• “Do You Feel Safe at Home?” by our very own Lara Rotter
• "Exercise May Be the Single Most Potent Medical Intervention Ever Known" on “Plain English” with Derek Thompson

Featured in this article

• Mark David Siegel, MD Professor of Medicine (Pulmonary); Program Director, Internal Medicine Traditional Residency Program

Related Links

• The Yale Way- New Patient Presentations
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PowerPoint Slide or Lecture Note References

This page contains reference examples for PowerPoint slides or lecture notes, including the following:

• PowerPoint slides available online
• PowerPoint slides from a classroom website

Use these formats to cite information obtained directly from slides.

If the slides contain citations to information published elsewhere, and you want to cite that information as well, then it is best to find, read, and cite the original source yourself rather than citing the slides as a secondary source.

Writers creating PowerPoint presentations in APA Style should present information clearly and concisely. Many APA Style guidelines can be applied to presentations (e.g., the guidance for crediting sources, using bias-free language, and writing clearly and concisely).

However, decisions about font size, amount of text on a slide, color scheme, use of animations, and so on are up to writers; these details are not specified as part of APA Style.

1. PowerPoint slides available online

Jones, J. (2016, March 23). Guided reading: Making the most of it [PowerPoint slides]. SlideShare. https://www.slideshare.net/hellojenjones/guided-reading-making-the-most-of-it

• Parenthetical citation : (Jones, 2016)
• Narrative citation : Jones (2016)
• When the slides are available online to anyone, provide the site name on which they are hosted in the source element of the reference, followed by the URL of the slides.

2. PowerPoint slides from a classroom website

Mack, R., & Spake, G. (2018). Citing open source images and formatting references for presentations [PowerPoint slides]. Canvas@FNU. https://fnu.onelogin.com/login

• Parenthetical citation : (Mack & Spake, 2018)
• Narrative citation : Mack and Spake (2018)
• If the slides come from a classroom website, learning management system (e.g., Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, Sakai), or company intranet and you are writing for an audience with access to that resource, provide the name of the site and its URL (use the login page URL for sites requiring login).
• If the audience for which are you writing does not have access to the slides, cite them as a personal communication .

PowerPoint slide references are covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Section 10.14 and the Concise Guide Section 10.12