Daily viva help for PhDs
There are three general viva outcomes. Minor corrections are minor: correcting typos, editing for clarity and amending diagrams. Most candidates are asked to complete minor corrections as a result of the viva. Major corrections are unlikely: they account for very...
Perfect answers don’t exist in the viva. With preparation and rehearsal you can give good responses. A perfect thesis is an ideal: if you’re very fortunate then perhaps you’ll pass your viva with no corrections required. It’s something you can only...
Thesis submission typically comes after many hundreds of days of work: learning, development, growth and making something. You can’t get to that point without learning how to do something well. Perfection isn’t attainable, but viva prep is a short period...
That’s how long your thesis will be finished. Once it’s done, it’s done. Maybe it will be a physical book on a shelf in the library or a file downloaded by researchers. It could be appreciated for many years to...
Updates need to be installed. How do you feel when your computer gives you that notification? Updates need to be installed. It’s not a suggestion. It’s not something you can do if it sounds good. It needs to happen. Maybe...
Ugh. The most common response to thinking about thesis corrections. Of course, any kind of corrections – minor or major – are unwanted, but they’re not bad in themselves. Examiners require corrections for lots of reasons: typos, clarity or because...
Big or small, whether they feel fair or not, after the viva just get your thesis corrections done. Your examiners will be clear about what needs doing and why – if there’s any doubt in your mind, ask them. Corrections...
Consider making two lists as you read your thesis in preparation for the viva. On one list, make a note of any typos that you find or any sentences that you think need revising. On the other, make a note...
After submission you need to read your thesis to prepare for the viva. Inevitably you’ll find a word that is in some way wrong. It’s not spelled correctly, it’s the wrong word, you meant something different or perhaps it is...
If your examiners ask you to complete corrections for your thesis after the viva there’s a reason. Corrections don’t mean you did anything wrong. Most candidates are asked to complete them because it’s hard to get everything right. Just get...