Key Papers
Here’s a little viva prep activity that will probably take less than an hour. With your thesis to hand write a list of ten key papers that have helped your research. Don’t overthink: just list whichever papers come to mind...
edited bibliography
How Many References?
How many references do you need in a thesis bibliography? A recent webinar participant was concerned because others were disclosing that their bibliographies contained hundreds and hundreds of references. The participant’s bibliography had far fewer. Their question, from a place...
Bibliography Focus
Your thesis’ bibliography might contain hundreds of references. While you will have used all of these to shape and inform your research, it’s impossible for you to remember every detail. Your examiners won’t expect that from you either. They’re not...
The 200 Reference Problem
“I have 200 references in my bibliography! How can I remember all those details?! What do I do if my examiners ask me about one of them??” The 200 reference problem is not actually a problem. It’s a not-irrational worry...
The Supporting Skeleton
For a long time I’ve made the following viva prep suggestion in seminars: Consider writing an edited bibliography. If your bibliography is a body of work that supports your thesis then an edited bibliography is the skeleton of that body,...
Bringing Prep Ideas Together
I like the idea of making an edited bibliography – a list of the most important references in your thesis’ bibliography – as a means to focus on what really matters and helps shape your work. I like using Why-How-What...
7 Questions To Help Make An Edited Bibliography
I’ve advised candidates for a long time to think about making an edited bibliography as part of their viva preparations. Your research is based on a body of work: the edited bibliography is the skeleton you can identify supporting what...
Reflecting on the Edited Bibliography
I like the idea of making an edited bibliography as part of viva preparations: figuring out the core of your bibliography and where your research comes from. You can go a step further than just making a list of your...
Questioning Your Bibliography
At the back of your thesis is a great big list of articles and sources that have helped your research. It can be massive. I’ve asked a lot of people about the size of their bibliography, and I regularly get...
The Bones Of Your Research
Remember Newton: “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” Your work comes from somewhere. Whatever your contribution, it stands on the shoulders of other researchers. How many papers are in your bibliography? How...