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Year: 2018

Nathan

Difficult Circumstances

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“Viva Survivor” is catchy, but it can also sound a little negative to some ears. I checked the definition of survive a while back and was heartened to see a definition that matched my intent on using the phrase so widely: manage to keep going in difficult circumstances.

Most vivas are positive, engaging discussions that end well, but that doesn’t mean even the best viva doesn’t have difficult circumstances. Candidates are being examined on original work. For most candidates, this is the first time they have ever written a work of that length.

There are realistic expectations for the viva, but even so there is no predicting what will happen. It’s difficult to know what questions will be asked, what conclusions examiners might have, or even for a candidate to know how they might feel about the process as it happens.

The viva could be difficult, but that doesn’t mean it is an all-or-nothing challenge, or that a candidate should have doubts about whether or not they are up to the task.

If your viva is coming up, reflect: how many difficult circumstances have you faced and overcome during your PhD?

You can manage one more time.

Nathan

Thesis Annotation Tips

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Your thesis is a great help to begin with in the viva. Adding notes helps you reflect on what’s there and can make it better for the viva. Here are seven kinds of annotations that can really help.

  1. Add a small Post-it Note to the start of each chapter to make your thesis easier to navigate.
  2. Underline typos that you spot with the same colour ink.
  3. Unpick tricky passages with short descriptions in the margin.
  4. Create a thesis commentary by summarising each page in ten words or less at the top of the page.
  5. Highlight key references in your thesis.
  6. Use large Post-it Notes to summarise large blocks of text or to replace vague sentences.
  7. Add small Post-it Notes to draw attention to important sections of your thesis.

Think about what else would make your thesis even better than it already is. You’re making a special edition with an audience of one: it only has to be better for you.

Nathan

Breaking The Ice

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It’s natural to be a little nervous at the start of the viva. You and your examiners want it to go well, and everyone probably has a sense that as long as it starts well things will be fine. Examiners often have definite ideas of how they are going to start the viva.

They may have key questions to open proceedings. Later they may be happy to let the discussion go where it needs to, but to begin with they want a question they know will give the candidate a chance to shine. Not a question you need to have a pre-prepared answer for, but something you will surely have thought about and talked about before. It acts as a way to break the ice.

Sometimes examiners invite the candidate to give a presentation to start the viva. There’s nothing negative about this request: it’s simply one way to get things going. While there could be some nervousness around presenting, it can be a useful opportunity as it gives the candidate some control about how the viva begins. Again, once those first few minutes have passed without serious problem, the level of nerves and stress in the room can drop.

Getting going is one of the hardest parts of the viva. There are different ways that it can start, but don’t forget to do what you can to manage your own nerves and confidence at the beginning. It’s not all up to chance.

Nathan

Aiming For Minor Corrections

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Most candidates pass with minor corrections as a result of their thesis submission and viva examination. I’ve often been asked about whether or not there is anything specific that a candidate could do to “aim” at getting only minor corrections. It’s a tricky question, because most of the things I can think of seem obvious:

  • Submit a good thesis, and make sure you’ve run spellcheck and proofread it.
  • Take time to be well prepared for the viva.
  • Engage in a good discussion with your examiners, listening to their questions and comments.

Most candidates get minor corrections. This tells me that most candidates are doing a lot of things right (regardless of whether or not they know they are or how they feel about things!). The people who ask me about aiming for minor corrections at least have taken something else onboard during their PhD: it’s impossible to write a perfect thesis.

Aim to write a good thesis, aim to be prepared, aim to engage with your examiners – and in doing all that you’re probably going to hit near the target for minor corrections too.

Nathan

Why Do You Do What You Do?

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Asking why your research is valuable starts the work of exploring what your significant original contribution is.

Asking why you wanted to explore this area gets at a different but equally fascinating discussion: what’s your interest?

Everyone has their reasons for why they do what they do. Those reasons aren’t always near the surface though. Over time they can even become buried beneath the daily hard work involved in doing a doctorate. I loved the challenge of maths – it was intriguing, it was hard, it was puzzling – and by the end of my PhD I was starting to forget that. It took a little re-reading and exploring to uncover that again.

Whatever your situation, reflect on why you do what you do. What’s your interest? What fascinates you? Reflect on the big picture and on each chapter. Pick out what gets you excited and fascinated.

Your examiners will be happy to find a passionate, excited researcher in the viva.

Nathan

Five Sentences

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I love the provocation of five.sentenc.es: a call for shorter email and replies.

It’s sometimes tricky to explain ourselves clearly in a short space, but often rewarding when we do.

Think about what you could do in five sentences for your viva prep.

You could summarise your thesis in five sentences, or a chapter, a tricky part, or the core of your bibliography, your examiners’ work and so on.

Not everything needs to take a lot of words.

Nathan

Five Lists To Help Choose Examiners

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You don’t get to formally pick your examiners, but you can usually steer the selection in conversation with your supervisors. They’re the ones who have to sign off on the choice. As you’ll likely be consulted, it’s a good idea to have some names to share. Perhaps start with the following process:

  1. Make a list of all of the people you’ve met at conferences who might be credible examiners.
  2. Make a list of all of the staff from your department who could be good choices.
  3. Make a list of any researchers you have cited who might be interested.
  4. Make a list of any academics you think are nice or agreeable.
  5. Make a list of any researchers who could be a good addition to your network.

Five lists. If any names are duplicated, put them at the top of a new, master list of possible examiners.

Now when you talk with your supervisors you have some good names to explore in the discussion.

Nathan

11 Questions To Ask About Viva Experiences

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Your colleagues and peers are a great source of help for your viva. They can listen to you talk about your research, ask useful questions and even help you to take your mind off things! The PhD graduates among them can also help you figure out what to expect for your viva.

Get in touch with some recent graduates from your department and ask them about their experiences, so that you can help to shape your expectations. Ask them:

  1. How long was their viva?
  2. How long did it feel like?
  3. How did their viva start?
  4. What was the structure or flow of their viva?
  5. Were there any questions that surprised them?
  6. How did they feel at the start?
  7. Did that feeling change?
  8. What were their expectations for the viva like?
  9. How did their viva meet those expectations?
  10. How do they feel about it overall?
  11. What advice do they have for you?

Each answer is a piece of the puzzle. The picture won’t be completely clear. You can have realistic expectations for your viva, but it will be different from any other viva you hear about.

Ask and listen, then reflect and see how this helps you for your own viva.

Nathan

Under An Hour?

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Some vivas are less than an hour in length. The shortest I’ve ever heard of was 42 minutes. This lead one participant at a Viva Survivor session to ask, “What can we do to make our vivas under an hour?”

The short answer: nothing.

The slightly longer answer: there are lots of factors in play that determine the eventual length of a viva. They range from the size of the thesis to the questions the examiners need to ask, and the way a candidate answers to the kinds of corrections that need to be considered. These all interact. It’s difficult to say what one could do for the best in order to reduce the length of the viva and still pass.

(of course, you could refuse to answer questions and your viva will be over very quickly…)

The better answer I should have given, by asking another question: why would you want your viva to be finished within an hour?

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