预答辩（最终学术报告——译者注）是一个这样的场合，让学位论文作者和他们的委员会一起就论文的初稿讨论主要论点、证据、结构和组织。这是一个很好的结合点，在这个结合点上，每个委员会成员可以向学生建议对研究和思考任务的主要修改和补充，这些任务需要在最终答辩之前完成。The pre-defense is an occasion for the dissertator and their committee to come together over a draft of the dissertation to discuss the main arguments, evidence, structure, and organization. This is a good juncture at which each of the committee members can advise the student about major revisions and additions to the tasks of research and thinking that need to be accomplished before the final defense.The pre-defense generally takes place three to six months before the final defense.学生负责安排预答辩会议: 安排时间和地点，并及时分发论文初稿，以便所有阅读人员以实质性的方式参与其中。还应该通过电子邮件将此事通知给研究生院秘书处。The student is responsible for setting up the meeting: arranging the time and place as well as distributing the draft of the dissertation in time for all the readers to engage with it in a substantive way. The department should also be notified about the event with an e-mail message to the Graduate Secretary.预答辩通常持续两个小时。在预答辩中，每个委员会成员都有机会向学生提问，通常会有一个有机的对话。如果其中一名委员会成员不在校园内，他们应该被要求提前与委员会主席和学生分享意见，或者通过互联网参与。没有必要召集整个委员会参加现场预答辩。The pre-defense usually lasts two hours. During the pre-defense each of the committee members has a chance to ask the student questions and usually an organic conversation emerges. If one of the committee members is off campus, they should be asked to participate by sharing comments in advance with the committee chair and the student or might participate via internet. It is not imperative that the entire committee be assembled for the pre-defense.没有正式的或研究生院秘书处官方的文书类工作要做。当讨论结束且学生得到委员会的指示后，导师应该用一封简短的电子邮件通知研究生院秘书处预答辩摘要(大约一段话)。这将放在学生的档案中。还将在研究生秘书处的记录中添加一个注释，说明已经进行了预答辩。There is no formal or Graduate College paperwork involved. When the conversation is complete and the student has the instructions from the committee, the advisor should notify the DGS with a short e-mail summary of the pre-defense (about one paragraph). This will be placed in the student's file. A notation will also be added to the Graduate Secretary's records that the pre-defense has taken place.UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN， College of Liberal Arts & Sciences， Department of History原文标题：PhD Pre-Defense and Final Defense