Words Count
What’s the upper or lower word count for my thesis? This is an interesting question. Sometimes it’s asked in a purely practical way: someone wants to know what the regulations say. The best response I can give is suggest they...
thesis
In The Spotlight
In preparation for the viva you can reflect on possible questions, talk with friends or have a mock viva – but don’t forget that you’re not the only one in the spotlight on the big day! Your thesis is centre-stage...
Reading Allowed
It’s not a good idea to have a script for the viva. You can’t take such detailed notes in that you are effectively quoting pre-prepared responses. Besides, there are so many possible questions and variations of questions that to even...
Reading & Writing
It’s necessary to read your thesis in preparation for the viva. You don’t need to memorise your work, but it helps to have a good recall of the flow of your thesis to make using it in the viva easier....
Who Is It For?
Your thesis is not written for your examiners. You have to write it for your PhD and your examiners have to read it to examine you. It’s not written for them – the goal is to make a contribution to...
Limits of Annotation
Annotating your thesis as part of viva prep can help create a more useful resource. Making things easier to find or easier to see can help your viva run smoothly. There are so many options open to you: bookmarks, Post-it...
The Outtakes
I’m curious about outtakes in movies – the scenes that didn’t make it in or alternate versions of scenes that did. Sometimes outtakes are shown as bloopers: the moments when things went wrong or when someone laughed. It’s helpful to...
Do Chapters Get Equal Focus?
Yes and no. Every chapter in your thesis will be read by your examiners. Everything will be considered. In reading it though, examiners may find things they particularly want to focus on in their thinking and then in the viva....
What Have You Forgotten?
I believe it’s worth reflecting on this a little before the viva. What have you forgotten? Perhaps you can’t know for sure. You’ve had to edit out papers, ideas and references that didn’t fit. You forgot them, to concentrate on...
Making An Impression
A question from a nervous candidate, “What should I wear for the viva? I want to make the right first impression on my examiners!” Except that’s not the first impression. Your examiners’ first impression is your thesis. They get their...