When You’re Wrong
Realising that you’ve made a mistake doesn’t feel good. Spotting a typo, a mis-quote, an error or a problem in your thesis could send you into a panic. Or being told by your examiners that they have a question and...
Daily viva help for PhDs
Realising that you’ve made a mistake doesn’t feel good. Spotting a typo, a mis-quote, an error or a problem in your thesis could send you into a panic. Or being told by your examiners that they have a question and...
Or a standard viva pause. Just long enough to check you’ve understood a question, begin to consider what it means and get some thoughts in order for what you might say. Three to five seconds is a pause – but...
What does PhD success mean? I’ve heard lots of possible ideas over the years: No corrections? Is that the goal? Two or more publications? Is that what you want? Or need? Just getting through?! Is that enough? Feeling proud at...
In tabletop role-playing games, players have character sheets. These are a way of capturing information about the person you are pretending to be in the game. Are you a warrior or a wizard? What equipment do you have? Character sheets list...
Remember that if you ask someone about their viva you are going to get a picture of what happened, and not the event itself. Not all of the details will be clear and perhaps some of the things you really...
Lots of questions have answers. Answers are things that are known: factually accurate, true or perhaps established as a logical argument with sufficient supporting reasons and information. If you were asked a question and needed to find an answer in...
If it won’t cause pain or upset, think back to who you were when you started your PhD journey. Consider what you knew and what you could do, and compare that with your capability today. Being ready for the viva...
Viva prep comes after you’ve finished and submitted your thesis. Before submission your focus has to be on finishing your research and your thesis, with some attention reserved for life and your future beyond the PhD. That’s not to say...
Viva advice is available in many forms. There are books, podcasts, blog posts, seminars and people you can ask for help. You could talk to people on the internet, in your department or from your own network. You could speak...
You’ve written a thesis that captures a signifiant and original contribution to your field. What now? What could you or someone else do to build on these ideas? How might this inspire someone else? You’ve done several weeks of...