Research Title Defense Tips

Overview

This lecture provides essential tips and common questions for successfully preparing and defending a research title in academic settings.

There are three levels of research defenses: title defense, proposal defense, and final defense.
Preparation increases the chances of immediate approval in your title defense.

Be prepared to explain which stage of defense you prefer and why.
Clearly state the problem that prompted your study, avoiding answers that may lead to disapproval.
Define all important terms in your proposed title, such as “reading fluency” or “online teaching.”
Highlight possible contributions of the study, especially its value to humanity or the field.
Cite relevant legal bases, such as specific Republic Acts, to support your study.
Anchor your study with a relevant theory, e.g., second language acquisition or loss of learning theories.
Identify and explain your study’s variables (independent and dependent).
Anticipate and describe the findings or results you intend to gather.
Justify your study's uniqueness despite similar existing studies; address research gaps or new settings.
Emphasize the essence or significance of your proposed study and its unique contributions.

Inform the panel who your respondents will be and assess their willingness to cooperate.
Estimate and communicate how many months your study will take if approved.

Title Defense — The first stage of defending your proposed research topic before a panel.
Proposal Defense — The stage where you defend your full research proposal.
Final Defense — The last stage where you present your completed research project.
Independent Variable — The factor you manipulate or categorize in your study.
Dependent Variable — The outcome you measure that may change due to the independent variable.
Legal Basis — Laws or policies that provide support or justification for your research.
Theory — An established explanation used to anchor and support your research study.