A Few More Words
Annotation helps you to prepare in two ways. First, you have to think carefully about your thesis while you add the notes or emphasis you need. Second, you have a more helpful resource for your viva. Annotation is effective...
Daily viva help for PhDs
Annotation helps you to prepare in two ways. First, you have to think carefully about your thesis while you add the notes or emphasis you need. Second, you have a more helpful resource for your viva. Annotation is effective...
What do you need to take to your viva? Your thesis. Annotated in advance, carefully read and available as a resource to help the discussion. Pen and paper. Something to write on and something to write with, according to your...
The chapters in your thesis might have titles, but what are the headlines? How could you summarise what they’re all about in a few short sentences? What details or terms do you need to emphasise? What points must you get...
Small sticky notes are about 4cm by 5cm. There’s not a lot to them; they’re a tiny stationery delight. You could use them as bookmarks or to add short supplementary material to your thesis, but why not add some little...
Highlighter pens can be a useful part of a viva prep toolkit. You can use one colour to show key references and another to make essential information stand out. You could add a colourful edge to specific pages or mark...
Thesis pages have words, gaps, lines, margins and space at the top and bottom. Annotation is a key step in viva preparation: adding something to make what’s there even better for the purposes of the viva. You gain a little...
When you start to annotate your thesis, take ten minutes to think and make some decisions. First, think carefully about what you need in your thesis. Every thesis is different and so is every person. There may be some very good suggestions...
Perhaps when you annotate your thesis to get ready for the viva you won’t strictly write “between the lines” – but you will need to consider what things mean and draw something out. Maybe you’ll spot a keyword or two...
Ahead of my viva I wrote in my thesis margins to simplify jargon. I checked my maths to convince myself I was right. I found an unclear explanation and rewrote it so it made more sense to me. I wrote...
Cheer up your viva prep with a selection of sticky notes for your thesis. Mark out the beginning of chapters and important sections. Add sentences of clarification to pages. Stick in summaries and helpful bullet point lists. Find the best...