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Month: May 2026

Nathan

Their Problem

Daily Post

If your examiners have an issue with something in your thesis then their problem is your problem.

Kind of.

Maybe.

First, it helps to ask, “What is the problem?”

Or even, “Is it a problem?”

Another person’s opinion doesn’t mean there is automatically a problem. It could just be a different perspective. Or a question of style.

If there is a problem it might then help to ask, calmly, carefully, “Why is this a problem for you?” Once you know why there is an issue for your examiner then you can start to think about how you can address it. If there is an unmet need you can consider how you bridge the gap. If you have to simply say more or do more then you can think about how that could be done.

Your examiners’ problem is your problem – but first be sure that there is a problem! Don’t rush to solve a situation that simply requires you to listen. Listening first is the way to approach any situation that may or may not be a problem at your viva.

 

PS: of course, you might find something that feels like a problem before you get to your viva. You can approach that with the same calm too and check if it’s really a problem before you get frantic! If you’re looking for more pre-viva support then take a look at The Submission Issue, the latest Viva Survivors Select collection – twenty posts from the archive and two original pages of help for £3.

Nathan

Viva Survivors Select 10

Update

Cover image for Viva Survivors Select 10, The Submission Issue, May 2026. Image shows a red game-piece looking down a dark hallway to light at the end of the tunnel

It’s release day for The Submission Issue, the latest issue of Viva Survivors Select!

You can find The Submission Issue on my Payhip store now. This is a curated collection of some of my favourite pieces from the blog all about this pivotal time of the PhD journey: approaching submission, starting prep and navigating the change from finishing the thesis to getting ready for the viva.

Opening, introductory page of Viva Survivors Select 10. Titled HELLO! and summarising the contents of the zine.

The Submission Issue contains twenty posts from the Viva Survivors archive along with an original poem and a new helpful tool for reflecting back on the PhD journey. The issue also contains lots of new original art I’ve made: I’m continuing with my plan to do all of the art for this series of curated zines!

Page 7 of Viva Survivors Select 10. Writing titled "Questions For Graduates" and a cartoon image at the bottom of the page showing a candidate asking others for help.

Viva Survivors Select 10 is out now for £3. If you like the blog, want more help and want to support what I do then please take a look at and consider buying Viva Survivors Select. If it helps then please pass on details of The Submission Issue and Viva Survivors Select to anyone you know who is looking for viva help.

Thanks for reading!

Nathan

 

PS: the next Viva Survivors Select, The Examiners Issue, is due out on Wednesday 10th June 2026!

And PPS: if you’re looking for even more viva help then registration for my upcoming 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva webinars opens on Tuesday 26th May 2026 – you can check dates and set reminders at Eventbrite.

Nathan

Tidy Preparation

Daily Post

Get organised for your prep when you submit your thesis.

If you need help then let people know as soon as possible.

Gather up your supplies: notebook, stationery, printing, files, links and more.

Make a plan. Make two! Sketch out how you might get the work done in several ways to see what works best for you.

As you work keep track of what you’ve done. A record of finished tasks will help you feel better as you get closer to your viva.

Keep everything nice and tidy. A little thought will help you get through prep well.

Nathan

What Your Supervisor Can’t Do

Daily Post

They can’t find all your typos when you ask for feedback on a thesis draft.

They can’t tell you what questions you’ll get at your viva.

They can’t know what your examiners will or won’t like.

They can’t see ahead with absolute certainty about the level of corrections you’ll need to complete.

And they can’t take over for you in the viva!

 

What they can do is continue to support you. They can give you feedback. They can give their opinions on the viva: the process, expectations, who your examiners are and what they do. They can talk about common questions and offer advice.

They can encourage and support and send you on your way – to do what you need to do at your viva.

Nathan

Competent, Capable, Confident

Daily Post

If you can demonstrate competence in the various skills and processes that are expected of a researcher like you then you’ll be more capable overall.

If you can recognise in yourself that you are a capable researcher – because of what you can do, what you know and how you think – then you’ll feel more confident for your viva.

Feeling competent is only part of feeling capable; feeling capable is only part of feeling confident. Cover the basics but also think about what else you can do to build up all of these feelings as you finish your PhD and get ready for your viva – and the future beyond your doctorate.

Nathan

Scoring Points

Daily Post

Your examiners aren’t making a tally of your contributions as you engage in the viva.

That response was a 5… I think we can give a bonus mark for that observation…

They don’t ask harder questions to give themselves a chance to mark you down either. They might make notes on what you say and how you say it but it’s not for points. The viva isn’t a great zero-sum discussion where only one side can “win”. The discussion is built together.

The viva is an exam but it’s not about scoring points.

Nathan

Building On Difficult Circumstances

Daily Post

Every PhD contains difficult circumstances. Reflecting on how you get through them – how you keep going – is a useful way to explore how you have you grown and how you can approach future challenges.

(because you will definitely face challenges in the future)

Writing about the challenges you’ve faced can be a good way to think through your PhD journey and what it means. Bring to mind one of the difficult circumstances you’ve overcome. Then reflect and respond to these questions in sequence:

  • Why did you face difficult circumstances?
  • When did this happen during your PhD?
  • What was the impact of the situation?
  • Who did you turn to for support?
  • How did you overcome the circumstances?

Thinking about the whys and hows of a situation – particularly how you overcame it – can be helpful for the future. Thinking about why something happened and what you can do differently can prevent similar circumstances from occurring again. Thinking about what you have learned as a result can help you to feel more capable when dealing with problems.

Recognising that you overcame a significant challenge can help you to feel confident when you find yourself confronting challenges in the future.

(because, again, you will definitely face challenges in the future!)

Every PhD candidate encounters difficult circumstances. It’s a part of the journey towards completing a doctorate.

Difficult circumstances don’t have to define who you are and how you go about your research but reflecting on them can be helpful as you work towards completing your PhD.

Nathan

Prep Matters

Daily Post

People succeed at their viva, for the most part, because of who they became during their PhD journey. The amount of work, the amount of knowledge, the scale of results and the personal growth – that’s what helps them create a thesis and it’s what leads them to success at the viva…

…but prep matters.

Viva prep is learning what to expect and working towards meeting that challenge. By the time you submit your thesis you are well experienced at overcoming challenges. Viva prep is a little bit of necessary work to help you feel ready for and succeed at the particular challenge of your viva.

Prep matters for how it helps you to focus. Prep matters because you can see what really matters when you slow down and take a little time for yourself. Your prep will matter to you because you are doing it to meet your needs.

Nathan

Every Question

Daily Post

The viva is a facilitated discussion. Your examiners have a plan with notes and prompts. They’ve prepared. They come to the viva with questions, comments and ideas to invite you into conversation.

There are many possible questions they could have for you:

  • Easy questions;
  • Difficult questions;
  • Closed questions;
  • Open questions;
  • Questions you’ve heard many times before;
  • Questions you’ve never considered;
  • Questions you know the answer to;
  • Questions you’ll need to consider your opinion on;
  • A question that sounds simple but when you think about it, it really isn’t;
  • A question that seems complex but has subtle ideas at the heart;
  • Questions you want;
  • Questions you don’t want;
  • The one question you love to talk about;
  • And the one question you hope never to get.

With all of that said, you don’t need to write a big list of possible questions ahead of the viva and make notes on them all so that you’re ready.

You can prepare for every question simply by rehearsing for the viva. Get experience by finding opportunities to practise responding to questions. Mock vivas, conversations with friends and seminars can vary in how close they will be to your actual viva but all can give support.

Have a plan (which you can practise in advance too!). Whatever the question, take your time to think. Maybe make a note in some way. Pause, take a sip of water. Then take your time to carefully respond. There’s no rush to get the viva done quickly.

Treat every question as important and you’ll give your examiners what they need at your viva.

Nathan

The Long Way

Daily Post

There are little tasks that help you get ready for your viva. You can add sticky notes to the start of thesis chapters, read the regulations or list questions that occur to you as possible viva starters.

 

For the most part, like the rest of your PhD, you have to see viva prep as a journey with no shortcuts.

It’s the long way for you.

You have to do the work.

There are no AI quick fixes, no top tips or hacks that get you past reading your thesis, thinking, rehearsing and everything else involved.

 

The long way is the sure way. While your journey will be different from every other there are so many viva and viva prep experiences that you’re bound to find some help if you ask for ideas.

You don’t need shortcuts but knowing the routes that others have taken can help a lot.

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