Daily viva help for PhDs
The viva is a discussion. While your examiners lead with questions and comments to get you talking there is plenty of space within the conversation for you to ask questions too. Before your viva think a little about what you...
Unless they are both well-known to you before you submit your thesis, take some time in your viva prep to find out more about both your internal and your external. Ask friends and colleagues what they know of them. What...
A small part of viva prep is to make sure you have a little familiarity with your examiners’ work. You might read that and think, “Of course I know about my examiners! I cited them ten times!” That’s not always...
When you’re certain of who your examiners will be for your viva, ask five questions about them. Have you cited either of them in your thesis? What do you know of your internal’s recent publications? What do you know of...
The viva is a discussion. It’s not a Q&A. It’s not an interview. It’s not supposed to be combative or about proving who is right or wrong. Remember that your examiners are allowed to have different opinions to you. They...
A viva is not a random collection of questions and comments from your examiners, strung together by whatever you say in response. Your university has regulations that govern the viva. Your department has expectations for what a good viva “should”...
From time to time I’ve been told that the viva is unfair because candidates are at a great disadvantage due to the position they’re in. Examiners can ask what they want, they have more experience, they get to decide the outcome,...
If they’ve read my thesis, why would my examiners need a presentation from me to start my viva? This was one of the last questions I was asked at a webinar before I started my summer break. There are many...
There’s a lot of attention given to the idea that the viva could be the last time that a candidate gets to really talk about their research. Discussing your work with your examiners could be the final chance to do...
After submission, spend a little time exploring three aspects of your examiners. First: read two or three of their most recent publications. You don’t need to become an expert in what they do, but being sure of their topics, methods...