You Are Here

Author: Nathan

Nathan

Lucky & Fortunate

Daily Post

It’s important to properly frame the role of good fortune in a PhD journey or in viva success. Words matter – and the words you use to describe your progress and achievements have an impact on you and on others.

Lucky could happen to anyone but fortunate is down to you and your efforts.

Fortunate means you worked hard and enough of that hard work paid off.

Lucky means your actions didn’t matter. Anyone could have done it and it just happened to be you.

Whatever your research, remember that you’re not lucky: you’re fortunate.

 

PS: The latest issue of Viva Survivors Select 12, The Contribution Issue came out yesterday! Reflecting on your thesis contributions is a useful reminder of how your success really is down to good fortune and not luck. You’ll find a lot more in the issue too so please do take a look if you’re looking for more viva help.

Nathan

Viva Survivors Select 12

Update

Cover for The Contribution Issue, dated July 2026. Background image shows a red stylised pawn on a ladder painting a large mural. A blue pawn has a ? speech bubble at the foot of the ladder

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

You can find The Contribution Issue on my Payhip store now. This issue is an exploration of what it means to make a significant, original contribution – what that means for a PhD candidate, how they can prepare for the viva and how they can use their contributions to help build up their confidence.

Page 1 of The Contribution Issue, titled HELLO! - an overview of the issue's contents

The Contribution Issue contains twenty posts from the Viva Survivors archive as well as two original pages of viva help. For one I get a little bit reflective myself and think back on my PhD and what my understanding of my research contribution meant for my viva. I also share a daily reflection tool for building up a summary of thesis contributions. And once again I’ve done all of the art – I’m really enjoying making art a part of what I do in 2026 🙂

Page 3 of The Contribution Issue. A post titled "Contribution is Cumulative" takes up the first half followed by a black and white image showing a pawn character standing on top of a tower of blocks

Viva Survivors Select 12, The Contribution Issue, is out now for £3. If you like the blog, want more help and want to support what I do then please consider buying Viva Survivors Select. If it helps you then please pass on details of The Contribution Issue and Viva Survivors Select to anyone you know who is looking for viva help.

Thanks for reading!

Nathan

 

PS: the next collection, The Personal Issue, is due out on Wednesday 12th August 2026!

Nathan

The Viva Essentials

Daily Post

What do you need for a viva?

You need to have a significant, original contribution to research from one or more projects that you’ve completed over (at least) several years.

You need to have a well-written thesis which, in some way, describes the research.

You need to have read the regulations for your institution and learned what to expect generally from a viva.

You need to have two suitable examiners (or sometimes more) who are going to prepare for and examine you at the viva.

You need to prepare for your viva.

You need to make sure that the university makes any necessary adjustments to the viva process to meet your specific needs, if you have any.

You need to show up on the day, ready to engage as well as you can with your examiners’ questions.

 

What else do you need? If you can think of something, how will you get it?

Nathan

Today & Tomorrow

Daily Post

You can’t change the past even if you wanted to.

You don’t get a do-over if you faced difficulties in your PhD or have regrets for something that could have been – or if you simply know more now than you did then.

Whatever happened, whatever the reason, today you can change course. Today you can decide that the past doesn’t define you. You can go a different way.

Today you can change course and tomorrow you can take action. And, importantly, you can do this again and again, steering yourself closer and closer to who you want to be for your viva.

So what do you want to achieve for yourself before your viva? How do you want to present yourself and your research at your viva? How might you change course? And what will you do to get to your destination?

 

PS: my final 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva webinar is running tomorrow morning, Wednesday 15th July 2026 at 11am. This is my last webinar before my summer break – so I’ve decided I’m really going to make it a good one! 😉 Registration includes a catch-up recording, follow-up email and my pdf guide 101 Steps To A Great Viva. Hope to see you there.

Nathan

Final July Webinar!

Event, Update

“Hi Nathan, Thanks for your time and for setting these up – often it helps to hear about [the viva] from someone not in the department/same uni to get a broader perspective. I felt so assured when you said you’re more likely not to submit a final thesis than you are to fail a viva – so in a way that will make me have a much better summer knowing the hard slog is actually 90% over. I liked the structure of the session as well as your willingness to answer questions and interact with us.”

– PhD Candidate, University of Leeds

These very kind words from a recent attendee at a 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva session were a big boost. It felt like they got exactly what I’m offering with these sessions. It was so nice to receive this feedback 🙂

 

My final viva help webinar before I take a summer break is this Wednesday morning. Bizarrely it will also be the 100th time that I’ve delivered the session.

I say bizarre because it had such strange beginnings: 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva was something small I did to try something new during the first COVID lockdowns in April 2020. I was only going to run it once, maybe twice, but it has grown to be one of my most-requested webinar sessions.

I really love sharing this 1-hour confidence-boost for the viva and seeing how it resonates with PhD candidates. The session is designed to be a confidence boost, concise and valuable, with plenty of time for questions too.

Tickets for my final 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva session of the summer are available now. If you’re looking for viva help then I hope you can join me on Zoom this week:

Registration for this live 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva webinar is £20 and includes a follow-up email, a pdf copy of my 101 Steps To A Great Viva guide and access to a catch-up recording of the session.

Thanks for reading! I hope to see you there – and if you think this might help a friend with their viva prep or viva nerves then please share this message with them.

All the best,

Nathan

Nathan

A Problem

Daily Post

When you have a problem in your research there are a lot of questions that someone could ask.

  • Why is it a problem?
  • How is it a problem?
  • When did you realise you had a problem?
  • Did you resolve it? How did you do this? Did you have to try anything else first? And can you think of any other way you might have approached it?
  • Was this a one-time problem? A recurring problem? Is there literature about this kind of problem – or even this specific problem?
  • What does it mean to resolve this problem?
  • How have you felt the impact of the problem?
  • How would you advise someone else who faces this problem or similar in the future?

When you have a problem in your research there are a lot of questions that someone could ask – and someone could be one of your examiners.

Consider the problems you’ve faced in your PhD before you go to your viva. The fact that you have faced problems is not negative: it means there plenty of things to talk about which can demonstrate your capability.

Nathan

All The Stats

Daily Post

The breakdown of viva lengths, pass rates, corrections and questions don’t mean a thing for confidence. They might give a little comfort but they won’t really make you feel better about your viva.

What did you do? What does that mean? What can you do now that you couldn’t do before?

Consider these simple questions, look back over your time as a postgraduate researcher and you’ll find lots of confidence to help you feel better about your viva.

Nathan

A Final Conversation

Daily Post

That’s what my viva was.

Of course, I have told people about my research in the years since, but I moved away from my research discipline into different work. Since June 2008 I’ve never had the opportunity to talk about my PhD research with knowledgeable people who really wanted to know more.

(I’ve had plenty of small chats with polite people who probably regretted asking, “So what did you do for your PhD?”)

I don’t have any regrets but I didn’t know that was going to be the final real conversation I’d have about my PhD work. Your future plans might give you some confidence that there will be plenty more times to come when you can discuss all of what you’ve done…

…but if you’re not sure then please consider: if your viva was the final substantive conversation you would have about your PhD research what would you want to make sure you talk about?

Nathan

Who You Want

Daily Post

You need your examiners to be experienced, capable, trained, available and interested. If the academic you’re thinking about is missing any of these criteria then they can’t be your examiner.

You might want your future examiner to be someone you’ve cited. You might find comfort in them being a familiar face from conferences. You might want a particular individual because their work connects with your future research plans.

If any of your wants feel particularly important then talk with your supervisors and see what can be arranged. Candidates don’t get to choose their examiners but you might be able to steer their nomination.

The needs will be guaranteed. What can you do to get who you want?

Nathan

Framing The Page

Daily Post

Every page in your thesis has a significant border. You don’t need to fill all of that space to annotate your thesis well and be ready for your viva. You can make some sensible additions to your thesis pages to make your thesis as useful as possible:

  • You can add sticky notes or bookmarks to help navigate your thesis;
  • You can add short summaries at the top of key pages;
  • You can use colour to draw your attention to specific sentences;
  • You can add notes to help unpick or explain your writing;
  • You can add reminders for the things you really need to remember.

And you can do a lot more.

You don’t need to fill your pages to be well prepared. You can do what you need to get the most from your thesis.

1 2 3 … 351