What you will learn
- Results and uncertainty
- Failures
- Reproducibility
- Limitations and next experiment
Results and uncertainty
Defend the economic or procedural rationale without overstating what it proves. Explain why the hypothesis was worth testing and which findings support or weaken it. A negative result can be a successful capstone.
Failures
Show failed variants and negative findings relevant to selection. The reviewer should understand how the chosen procedure emerged. Concealing the search makes the final result appear more independent than it is.
Reproducibility
Trace a selected reported number to its raw inputs and calculation. This demonstrates reproducibility more concretely than presenting many polished charts. Be prepared to explain costs, units and timing.
Limitations and next experiment
State generalization limits: sample size, regime coverage, data quality and execution assumptions. A capstone defense should identify what additional evidence would be needed before broader use.
Worked example
The project finds no robust net advantage after costs. A defensible conclusion rejects the current candidate and preserves the baseline rather than rewriting the objective to manufacture a success.
Try it yourself
Prepare a five-minute defense covering question, method, one reproducible result, one failure and the justified decision.
Show the worked solution
The defense should explain the evidence chain and why the decision follows it. Success is a well-supported conclusion and demonstrated method, not necessarily a positive trading return.
Apply this to your course project
Submit code or rules, evidence, risk plan, demo logs and an independent critique.
Keep the calculation inputs, assumptions and decisions with your work. Practical exercises are self-reviewed; the scored knowledge checks assess the questions shown, not an independent certification of practical competence.