Empirical thesis grading

Most thesis presentations are 10-12 minutes long followed by question-and-answer. Do not present all of your results: just the main storyline. Focus on understandability.

Here is a good sample presentation from years past as an example. This is about the right level of depth and detail without getting too much in the weeds of big output tables. Plan for about one slide max per minute.

Figures and tables should always include N or df. P-values can be used to indicate significance, but effect sizes are usually more important for interpretation, and either way, avoid getting bogged down in technical details.

I recommend drafting the presentation in Word first, because it will make you ignore the formatting and focus on the content, which is the main point. Also, it's frustrating to revise both content and formatting at once, so it will be easier to respond to feedback in this format.

Question-and-answer: it is absolutely fine to say "I don't know." Also, feel free to pause and gather your thoughts before answering: you don't have to keep talking while you think.

Sample grading rubric

Presentation quality

      Overall slide flow                   

      Research question clear

      Operationalization is clear and flows from the theory

Visual aids appropriate and constructive. All text is legible by older eyes, including figure scale labels, etc.

Knowledge base

      Enough information given to understand and evaluate the research

      Correct description of psychological and statistical terms

      Clear understanding of the material presented

Critical thinking 

      Main issues in research area clearly identified

      Quality of the description of results

      Quality of the interpretation of results

      Identification of further questions and possible research

      Explored competing explanations or theories