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Tag: typos

Nathan

Miskates Happen

Daily Post

I have to turn off the captions for myself when I deliver a webinar.

It might help some participants to see an AI-generated track of my words, but I can’t see them on my screen. For the most part they’re a reasonable transcript of what I’m saying; whenever I see the wrong thing transcribed in the moment it trips me up, it breaks my flow and I feel I have to do something to set it right.

But I can’t, not in that moment. Because I have something more important to do. If someone else doesn’t understand and needs to, they can ask, but I have to keep my focus on presenting.

And all of this is not all that different from the situations faced by PhD candidates in the viva and during their preparation.

If you find typos, just make a note of them. Where are they? What’s the correction?

If you find something unclear, make a note. What’s the problem? How could you make it clear?

Once you’ve made your notes, move on. Read some more, make some more notes. On to the next prep.

In the viva, acknowledge the mistake, correct it simply if you need to and then move on to the next question or next part of the discussion. There’s more important things to do than dwell on mistakes in the viva.

Nathan

Small & Little

Daily Post

Don’t sweat the small stuff.

Do every little thing to help yourself.

These are not contradictions when applied to the viva and viva prep.

 

When you find a typo after submission, you could underline it or add it to a list, but that’s all you can do. Would it be better to have spotted it in your proofreading? Sure. Is it frustrating? Maybe, but being frustrated won’t help. Fixing a typo won’t be hard later and won’t distract your examiners too much before then.

Small stuff is like that. Distractions like typos, forgetting a detail, or not having a viva date months in advance. If something is frustrating or a problem but you can’t do much about it, let it go. Work around it or work past it, but don’t drive yourself to distraction being annoyed by it.

 

On the other hand, if you find little things that could help, then try to do them. Add tabs to your thesis, find little opportunities to share your research with others and practise, wear your favourite socks, play your most happy music and follow every tiny idea that could help you get ready for your viva.

 

A problem doesn’t have to be big and difficult to frustrate your preparation. Put them to one side when you can.

An action doesn’t have to be big or time-consuming to help you get ready. Engage with it when you can.

Nathan

Typo Terror

Daily Post

You don’t need to be afraid of finding typos. For the most part when someone finds a typo, at worst, it will distract them. A very, very, very minor frustration. For an examiner it is something to record in some way, so that they can ask the candidate to make appropriate changes later.

If you find a typo you can do the same.

Typos don’t need to be feared, they need to be found! When you encounter them, note them down, what is needed in the future to make them right and move on.

There’s far more important work to do and far more important things to talk about in the viva.

Nathan

When You’re Wrong

Daily Post

Realising that you’ve made a mistake doesn’t feel good. Spotting a typo, a mis-quote, an error or a problem in your thesis could send you into a panic. Or being told by your examiners that they have a question and finding that it is related to something you haven’t noticed could make you feel dreadful.

As with so many situations in the viva, all of the feelings could be much bigger than the situation they are in response to. If you’re wrong ask yourself why you are wrong. Ask yourself how you can make things right. Ask yourself what you need to do in the moment, in the viva.

Work past the feelings, engage with the situation and do something.

Nathan

Can You Park It?

Daily Post

If you find a problem during your viva prep, big or small, do you need to solve it immediately?

A typo might just need a note making for later correction.

A clunky sentence could need underlining to revise, so long as it is clear enough.

An old idea could be left alone.

Not everything needs to be addressed when you find it. Maybe some things never need resolving. If you find a problem on the way to getting ready for your viva, ask yourself if you can park it: can you put it to one side and leave it for another time?

It may be that you can’t! But perhaps you can focus first on the bigger work of getting ready rather than every little (or big) issue that you find as you prepare for your viva.

Nathan

Comments & Corrections

Daily Post

A comment from one of your examiners does not automatically become a correction that you have to make to your thesis. A correction you receive is not always something that needs to be commented on in the viva.

A comment doesn’t mean that something is “wrong” – it could be something interesting to talk about. A correction doesn’t mean that something is “wrong” either – it could be a typo or it could be needed to create a clearer piece of writing.

Comments and corrections have to be expected as part of the viva process. Your research and your thesis are not perfect and that’s OK.

You can expect to receive comments and corrections and also expect your examiners to think that your work is good.

Nathan

No Early Updates

Daily Post

Between submission and the viva you might spot some changes you want to make in your thesis.

Perhaps you see a typo that has to be amended, a sentence that could be simpler or a diagram that’s just not right. It could be you’ve thought more and now have a slightly different opinion. Maybe a paper has been published recently and that gives a different perspective to part of your work.

We can’t say that none of this matters – but it doesn’t change anything in your thesis at this stage. You can’t make corrections yet. You can’t change your opinion as it stands. You can’t write more into the pages you’ve submitted.

You can make a note for later. You can stick a Post-it Note in with a suggestion. You can read a paper and write a summary if you think it’s really relevant.

But no updates. No changes. No alterations. Whatever you call them, all the changes wait until after the viva.

Nathan

The Last Correction

Daily Post

Most PhD candidates are given corrections to complete after the viva. Typically examiners give a list of typos, clear instruction on sections that need to be revised and so on.

While they’re often not too numerous or too onerous, corrections are not wanted! After years of work and months of writing, who wants to revise their thesis again?

To help get them done, re-organise the list you get from examiners. Break it down into specific actions. A to-do list of typos and everything else – then get to work.

It might be the work of an afternoon in some cases, or a small project that takes place over weeks, but there will come a time when there is only one more thing to cross off. One last mistake to fix. One final paragraph to polish.

Savour the last correction. While there’s admin and graduation before you’re really “done” this is the last real thing you need to do. Savour that moment…

…then be done with it. Get it done and celebrate.

Nathan

Identifying Mistakes

Daily Post

Typos matter because they need correcting. It’s important to work towards your thesis being as clear and polished as possible – but it also helps you to know that perfection is an ideal. Most PhD candidates have to complete corrections of some kind after the viva.

After submission you don’t need to scour your thesis to identify mistakes. If you find one, make a note in some way. Be prepared to explain something that’s unclear or incorrect. In general, identifying mistakes is less important than spending time to identify your strengths.

“What potential corrections have I found?” is a much less useful question to ponder than “What’s good about my thesis and research?”

Nathan

Different Kinds of Mistakes

Daily Post

Different kinds of mistakes require different actions in the viva.

If you find a few typos during your viva preparation you don’t need to go out of your way to mention them to your examiners.

If you find a sentence that doesn’t quite make sense you may need to bring it up if you’re talking about that chapter or topic.

If you discover a paragraph or section that is wrong for some reason, it could definitely help to pre-emptively explain what you really meant.

If your examiners ask you about something and you haven’t noticed it before the viva then you need to think carefully in the moment. That’s all. You need to stop, think and respond.

You need to be prepared to acknowledge all kinds of mistakes in the viva, but you don’t need to build up stress about them. Do what you can in preparation, but spend more time getting ready to talk about everything that isn’t a mistake. The focus in the viva is far more on what is right than what is wrong.

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