Daily viva help for PhDs
Cite examiners in your bibliography before you consider them for examiners. Cite examiners because their work is relevant. Cite examiners because you’ve used their results, conclusions or ideas in some way for your own research. Don’t cite people if their...
An important expectation for the UK viva is that it is private. Members of the public don’t attend and you’ll never have an audience present while you talk with your examiners. Two examiners, one internal and one external, is the...
You can’t know in advance what questions you’ll be asked at your viva. You can’t know how long it will be. You can’t know exactly what opinions your examiners will hold. A viva experience happens based on a range of...
At the viva you have to engage with the questions and comments of your examiners. You have to be a good participant in the discussion that rises from your thesis, the questions and what unfolds naturally. That’s it. You don’t...
Doctor Important or Professor Amazing perhaps, but your viva examiners are still just people. They know that exams can be stressful for the people taking them. They know that you have worked hard. They know you might be nervous. They...
If they’ve read my thesis, why would my examiners need a presentation from me to start my viva? This was one of the last questions I was asked at a webinar before I started my summer break. There are many...
Details matter in the viva but you don’t need to have perfect recall of everything you’ve ever read, done or written. Details matter but you can take your time to think about how to explain them. Details matter but you...
How would you describe an ideal examiner for your viva? Think about the qualities or attributes that they might have. Describe their research. There might not be an individual you know of who meets these criteria. It may be close though:...
You don’t get to choose your examiners. You might be asked for your opinion but ultimately, your supervisors will decide. They have the responsibility of nominating the two people who will examiner your thesis and convene your viva. You don’t...
You don’t get to choose your examiners. You might be able to offer suggestions and discuss who they could be, but you don’t get to choose the best examiners for you; you can’t veto anyone that you don’t want either!...