ABSTRACT
The historical roots of the PhD defence go back to Medieval times. The defence fulfils different purposes: an oral examination, a celebration, and a rite of passage. The most common format of the defence is the oral defence. The public defence is a defence student's friends, family, and colleagues can attend. However, again there are differences in format: the questions can come from student's committee alone, or from everybody present at the defence. Regardless of the defence format, there are a number of similarities across the different forms of examining. Universities ask for an original contribution as the cornerstone of the PhD. The vague description of originality can create anxiety. A number of studies have focused on the perceptions of PhD students about the doctoral defence. Positive perceptions are: being able to present and defend the thesis, and the effort the committee takes in reading and being genuinely interest in the work.
