It Depends

I love being asked interesting questions:

• “Should I invite my supervisor to my viva?”
• “Is it a good idea to have an examiner whose work I’ve cited extensively?”
• “Do I need to re-read these three papers that were the basis for my experiments?”
• “Is it a good idea for me to have a mock viva the week before?”
• “Will my university grant me this request?”
• “Can I take a laptop or tablet with my thesis on?”

For all these questions and many more, I’m happy to help someone and share some thoughts – but any response has to begin with “It depends…”

It might depend on what the regulations say. It might be a good idea generally but it depends on personal circumstances. It might typically be something I wouldn’t recommend but someone’s preferences make it a reasonable suggestion.

There are a lot of simple solutions to common viva questions and problems. There’s a lot of nuance as well. A lot might depend on the regulations, your research and you.