Daily viva help for PhDs
When you read your thesis before submission you’re trying to make it better. Each draft moves your research towards a better state of presentation. Each revision helps you tell the story of your work in a more polished way. You...
You can’t expect your thesis to be perfect. Your examiners don’t expect it to be perfect. There might be typos or clumsy writing, something vague, but nothing too awful. But what if there’s a flaw? What if there’s something which...
There are four elements of practical viva preparation, four key modes of activity to pay attention to: Thinking: specifically, reflecting on your work, how you did it, what it means. Reading: your whole thesis, carefully, and any papers that you...
I always tell people that reading their thesis is an essential part of viva prep, like it’s the easiest thing in the world – and I know that I struggled with it a lot! By the time I submitted I...
You have to read your thesis to prepare for the viva. Cover to cover, everything, don’t skim. It will help a lot. If you re-read though, and re-read again, there’ll come a point where it becomes a passive activity. You...
It’s really tempting to only read the good parts of your thesis. When you’re done and you’re preparing for your viva, it’ll feel good to read the parts you’re most proud of. The chapter where you reach your amazing conclusions....