Daily viva help for PhDs
Thesis annotation is an accumulation of little differences.
Margin notes, underlining, bookmarks, highlighting, red pen, encouragements and more.
All of those little differences become a big improvement on your thesis for the viva.
What will you add to make your thesis better?
What did you leave out of your thesis?
You can’t have included everything you did over the last few years. You read papers that aren’t listed, had ideas you didn’t follow, worked on projects that ultimately aren’t written about and probably even developed results that you’re not sharing.
Part of the work of writing a thesis is curation: you did a lot but only present the material you think is necessary. For your viva do a little work to remember why. Reflect on what you cut and remember why you didn’t include it.
More importantly, remember what you left in and why. All of the references you’ve included and their impact, all of the ideas and their value, all off the projects and their outcomes – and all of the results and their meaning.
You made a contribution by deciding what really matters.
PS: you’ll find more helpful reflections in Viva Survivors Select Volume 1 – my complete collection of helpful viva zines that I made in 2025. Volume 1 is eight issues containing 165 curated posts from the archives along with a lot of new resources to help with viva prep. Check out the introductory offer price available until 31st January 2026.
The language that’s often used to describe the viva has unfortunate associations. Defending your thesis could make someone think that the viva is a confrontation and that they have to protect their work.
“Defend” really means support in this context: you’ve done a lot of work and now in the viva you’re doing a little more to explore, provide clarity and discuss your research.
But what if you face a question that shows disagreement? What if your examiners have a different opinion?
In the first instance make sure you understand why your examiners are expressing their view. Ask them why if you need to. What is there reason for disagreeing with what you’ve done or written?
When you know, think about what that means. Is this really a big deal? Is it a minor point? Is it simply a difference of opinions? Does it make an impact? Do you need to do something to defend your work or do you simply need to acknowledge a different perspective?
You don’t need to approach the viva as a confrontation or be argumentative. You can be ready to defend and support your research in a good way.
Before I deliver a webinar I go through a checklist to make sure everything is right.
There are a lot of needs being met here. Some are purely practical: the software and equipment for delivering a webinar. Some are informational: the general and specific notes. Some are emotional: the chocolate and paperweight!
If I meet all of these needs I can be sure I’m ready. This list is the final piece of confidence I’m looking for.
What do you need for your viva? Make a list and check things off. Gather up whatever you need in terms of resources. Do the preparations that will support you. Ask for the support you need from other people and from your institution.
Once you meet your needs for the viva then you’re on your way to feeling ready for the exam.
PS: one more thing for your checklist might be Viva Survivors Select Volume 1, which I released this week. This is my complete collection of helpful viva zines from 2025: eight issues containing a total of 165 posts from the Viva Survivors archives and lots of new viva prep resources. Volume 1 is a great deal made better with an introductory offer price available until 31st January 2026!
The two academics who examine you and your thesis at the viva are first of all focussed on doing the job well. They are taking on the responsibility of being examiners and do it carefully.
Your examiners, internal and external, are focussed on exploring your contribution, discussing your PhD experience and examining your capability as a researcher. While they have a big picture focus they have their own work and ideas as well. Taking a little time to understand what they do as researchers can help you to think about how they read your thesis and what they might want to talk about, what they will understand and so on.
One more way to grasp their focus is to remind yourself of your focus. Whatever you did during your PhD and whatever you’ve presented in your thesis is the focus of the viva.
The start of your viva can be prepared for even if you don’t know exactly how it will begin.
There are many questions people suggest are typical for the start of the viva:
Assuming these questions and similar are typical you don’t need to prepare scripted responses. They are the kinds of questions that connect with topics you’ve talked about many times before. They’re asked to be a good opening, something to ease you past any initial nervousness and into the main discussion.
Some examiners ask candidates to prepare presentations to start the viva for the same purpose. They always do this with plenty of advance notice and clear expectations in terms of length, purpose and logistics.
There are lots of possible starting points to a viva. You can be prepared even if you don’t know which question will start yours. More importantly, you can decide how you want to start your viva and take steps to be ready.
PS: got questions of what to expect from the viva and yourself? You’ll find a lot of answers and ideas in Viva Survivors Select Volume 1, which released this week! Volume 1 is my complete collection of helpful viva zines from last year: eight issues, 165 posts from the archives and lots of new resources – and available at an introductory offer price until 31st January 2026!
You can’t be perfect for your viva.
You can be prepared.
You can be polished.
You can be practised.
Also: you don’t need to be perfect.
You have invested years of work into practical research in your field, into reading and building your knowledge and into writing your thesis. You’re not perfect but you are very good.
Your examiners expect good, not perfect. You can clearly demonstrate by this stage that you are good.
PS: if you’re looking for more ideas of what to expect from your examiners and the viva then do take a look at Viva Survivors Select Volume 1, which I released yesterday. This is my complete collection of helpful viva zines from last year: eight issues, 165 posts from the archives and lots of new resources – and with an introductory offer price until 31st January 2026!
It’s my birthday! Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me and so on and so forth!
I like to do something fun on my birthday and as I’m in charge of this little kingdom on the internet I can do that 🙂
Last year I released eight issues of Viva Survivors Select: my curated collections of writing from the Viva Survivors blog archives on expectations, viva prep, building confidence and more. Each issue also contains several pages of new resources: reflections on the viva, my experiences and original games to help with getting ready for the viva.
Viva Survivors Select was a lot of fun to make and share and I’m looking forward to making more issues in the coming months. Today for my birthday I’m doing two fun things:
First, I’m happy to announce the release of Viva Survivors Select Volume 1, a complete collection of 2025’s eight issues in one helpful bundle. This bundle has a reduced price of £15 instead of the combined £24 for the eight individual issues of viva prep, thoughts on examiners, reflections on the PhD journey and helpful resources.
Second, as it’s my birthday I’m reducing the price even more until the end of January. Viva Survivors Select Volume 1 will be £12 until 31st January 2026. That makes each issue in the bundle half price. If you’re looking for viva help, thoughts about the process or ideas for what you can do to be ready for your viva this is a great bundle of help.
…oh go on, one more thing! If you buy the Viva Survivors Select Volume 1 bundle before 31st January then a little popup will offer you my Kickstarted publication 101 Steps To A Great Viva for free!
Anyway, it’s my birthday and I want to do something fun 🙂 If you think Viva Survivors Select Volume 1 might be helpful then take a look. If you think it might help someone you know then please share this news. And if you have questions then please get in touch.
Thanks for reading – I’m off to celebrate being halfway to 90!
Nathan
What’s fair or unfair at your viva?
What’s fair or unfair at your viva? And is “fairness” a useful thing to focus on?
Worrying about what questions might come up or whether your examiner is the best choice is at best a distraction. Instead, bring your focus on to what you can do and what you did.
Is it fair that your examiners have to examine you after a short amount of preparation compared to your years of work?
Imagine all of the preparations and planning for a big presentation to be like a jungle canopy full of vines. As you present your talk you are Tarzan or a video game character racing through: swinging from tree to tree and whenever you leap or reach out there is another vine to grab and swing you forwards.
With sufficient prep and planning you can’t get lost or go wrong. You can find key messages and ideas that stand out to you. There is always something to reach for. There are alternate routes and shortcuts you can take if you need to.
I’ve shared over 500 viva sessions now, both in seminar rooms and over Zoom; I’m not perfect but I’m pretty certain when I come to present. If someone asks a question then I have a vine to reach for. If there’s a technical issue then I can find a way to get back on track by reaching out for something else.
I have a plan. I have notes. I have slides. I have practice and rehearsal and more. These are my vines. I can reach out when I need to and be back in motion.
The jungle vines are a nice metaphor for a presentation or workshop, but they work well for being ready for the viva too. The years of work creates vines for you to reach for when you meet your examiners, but so does all of your viva prep:
Prepare and rehearse well for your viva. Remember the years of work you’ve invested. Then whatever direction the discussion takes you in your viva you will always have vines to reach for to help you respond to your examiners.