Postgraduates' Oral Defence Secrets: Confident Speaking, Winning Presence
- Boon Yih Mah
- Sep 19
- 14 min read
Updated: Sep 20

Defending a research proposal or final thesis is one of the most defining milestones a postgraduate student undertakes. In Malaysia, all public and private universities require postgraduate research students to participate in oral defences at key points: a proposal defence (often called DRP, Proposal Defence Seminar, Research Proposal Presentation, or Candidature Defence) and the thesis examination (viva voce). These assessments are not just formalities—they are crucial checkpoints to ensure that research is original, methodologically sound, and capable of making a scholarly or practical contribution.