Remote Chances
Most vivas go well, but there’s always a chance that something could go wrong a little. With the move towards remote vivas, over Skype or Zoom, there’s that little extra room for doubt and worry that something might go wrong....
Daily viva help for PhDs
Most vivas go well, but there’s always a chance that something could go wrong a little. With the move towards remote vivas, over Skype or Zoom, there’s that little extra room for doubt and worry that something might go wrong....
Three words that need to be on every candidate’s to-do list for the viva. The Regulations page I put together – a list of every uni in the UK’s thesis examination regulations – might be a good starting point for...
…or Informally Formal? How do we classify the viva? Are there regulations that spell out that the viva is relaxed and has a format which allows for variation? Or is there an understanding among everyone involved that this is serious,...
What might the outcomes for your viva be? Maybe: No corrections, minor corrections, major corrections, fail? Or: pass without amendments, minor amendments, resubmission, re-viva, no award? It’s never simply “pass or fail”. Different institutions have different formal terminology. They can...
If you’re unsure about some aspect of the viva – the process, expectations or even something as subjective as the tone – then the answer is simple: Figure out what questions you need answers for, then find people who can...
A frequent comment at my Viva Survivor sessions from candidates is that they don’t know where to find the actual examination regulations for their institution: the document(s) that specify exactly what they can expect from the process and their examiners....
“Is it OK to stalk your external examiner on Twitter?” I chuckled when I got this question at a workshop. “Stalk” is funny, but they meant follow, which is fine… I couldn’t see why it would be an issue. I...
Talking to friends about their viva experiences is useful. Picking up on bits and pieces of what goes on in vivas while you do your PhD is inevitable. Generally, candidates have a fair picture of what they need to do...
Universities have regulations about thesis examination, conditions that they expect. But every viva will be different from every other. Every PhD thesis and every PhD researcher is different from every other. Your viva won’t be like mine: it’ll have the same...