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Nathan

When To Cite Examiners

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Cite examiners in your bibliography before you consider them for examiners.

Cite examiners because their work is relevant.

Cite examiners because you’ve used their results, conclusions or ideas in some way for your own research.

Don’t cite people if their work doesn’t connect. Don’t select examiners then look for ways to crowbar their research into yours. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you can only be examined by academics whose work is prominently in your bibliography.

There are more important reasons for considering academics as potential examiners than whether or not they feature in your bibliography.

There are better reasons for citing someone’s work than you’re thinking about them as a potential examiner.

Nathan

The Challenge

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In your viva your examiners are, essentially, presenting you with a challenge.

  • Can you explore what your research (as described in your thesis) means?
  • Can you describe how you did this work and what the motivations were for doing the work?
  • And can you demonstrate that you are a capable researcher?

Your examiners want to have a conversation about all of these things. Given the level that you work at, given the work that you’ve invested and given the outcome you’re working towards – and what that means – this is a challenge.

But only a challenge.

Just one particular situation that you need to rise to, after a long series of success at responding to challenges throughout your PhD. Your viva might be difficult. You might be nervous. But that only makes the viva a challenge, nothing more.

What can help you be ready for it? Who can you turn to for support? And what have you learned throughout your PhD journey about rising to challenges?

Nathan

A Series Of Steps

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You take a PhD one day at a time. Read, write, test, think and do it all again. Day by day you work through the journey.

You take viva prep one task at a time. Read, write, think, talk: each task brings you closer to the viva.

You take the viva one question at a time. Pause, think, respond, then on to the next point. Each question is an opportunity for you to demonstrate something about your research and yourself.

Step by step, each one bringing you closer to success.

Nathan

Good Question!

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I listen to podcasts while I wash the dishes. It’s my little bit of “me time” in a busy day!

Recently, while scrubbing away at a pan I was struck by how often someone being interviewed began their response by saying, “That’s a good question…” They said it a lot, and every time they sounded very sincere and genuine – almost delighted to have been asked.

Many years ago in a short presentation skills seminar I was told that saying “that’s a good question” was a good way to stall and play for time to think. It could help to create a good impression and – as a presenter – engage with the person asking the question.

All those things can be true but stood in my kitchen with my hands covered in bubbles it hit me that it was also a really positive attitude to take into the viva.

 

Now, I don’t mean that every time your examiners ask something, you have to smile and say, “That’s a good question!”

But rather than worry in advance about what might come up, or ponder in the moment what your examiners could mean, just think that all of the questions you will be asked will be good questions.

Every single one.

Good because the topic is good.

Good because they get you to talk about something great.

Good because they challenge you.

Good because they highlight something that needs to be talked about.

Good because they help you get one step closer to the end of your viva and passing.

Your role in the viva is to engage with the discussion and respond to questions. Will some of them be tough? Probably – but start with the idea that they will all be good to give yourself a helpful way to engage throughout your viva.

Nathan

Just After Submission

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At submission, a PhD candidate won’t typically know when their viva is going to be. There’s a period when they’ll wait to find out the date and time for their viva. In the UK it’s common for the viva to be anywhere from six weeks to three months after thesis submission.

A candidate might feel pressure to do something just after submission – from nerves, wondering or hoping – but there’s generally not a great need to start preparing immediately. Viva prep is a different kind of work to what one does to get a thesis finished. The wait after submission can be useful as a break or gear change – a boundary between submission and prep.

Perhaps all you need just after submission is to take a moment. Deep breath. Make a few notes. What will you do for your prep? How will you do it? Sketch a simple plan. Then put it into action when you know your viva date.

After submission, generally, you can relax a little. The hardest work is done. You could be busy – it’s unlikely that your PhD is your only responsibility in life – but at least, for a short time, maybe you can put your research to one side and do something to help yourself rest.

Nathan

Examiners Are Human

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Doctor Important or Professor Amazing perhaps, but your viva examiners are still just people.

They know that exams can be stressful for the people taking them.

They know that you have worked hard. They know you might be nervous.

They can’t take your nerves away but they can create as good a space as possible for the viva.

Your examiners will do everything they can to make sure the viva is fair. Remember, they’ve likely had a viva or similar in the past too. They know what this means to you.

Nathan

No Early Updates

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Between submission and the viva you might spot some changes you want to make in your thesis.

Perhaps you see a typo that has to be amended, a sentence that could be simpler or a diagram that’s just not right. It could be you’ve thought more and now have a slightly different opinion. Maybe a paper has been published recently and that gives a different perspective to part of your work.

We can’t say that none of this matters – but it doesn’t change anything in your thesis at this stage. You can’t make corrections yet. You can’t change your opinion as it stands. You can’t write more into the pages you’ve submitted.

You can make a note for later. You can stick a Post-it Note in with a suggestion. You can read a paper and write a summary if you think it’s really relevant.

But no updates. No changes. No alterations. Whatever you call them, all the changes wait until after the viva.

Nathan

Structured

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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” be like. By reading regulations and talking to graduates you can build a sense of the pattern – the structure – that underpins your viva.

Your research and thesis are the basis for many areas of discussion in the viva. Your thesis is set out chapter by chapter and it’s natural that your examiners would follow that flow in your viva.

Your examiners will have prepared for your viva too: reading, thinking, writing and discussing what needs to happen. They have their own research and while you cannot predict every question they might ask, you can appreciate from where their questions might come.

The structure of a viva is not a big topic to dig into and digest. Perhaps the most important point to remember is simply this: there is a structure.

The viva doesn’t just happen.

Nathan

A Range Of Expectations

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Every viva is unique.

Some vivas are long, some are short, but most fall within a certain range. Some vivas start with a presentation, some with the candidate being told they’ve passed, but most begin with a simple question to start the discussions. Some candidates are excited, some are unprepared, but most are nervous-but-ready for the hours ahead. Some candidates get no corrections, some resubmit their thesis, but the vast majority are simply asked to complete minor corrections.

A variety of viva experiences leads to a range of expectations. There are lots of things that could happen: thankfully there are patterns of experience that stand out. Expect to be in your viva for several hours and expect questions that prompt discussion. Expect that you will be ready-but-nervous (or nervous-but-ready!) and expect that you will have to make some changes to your thesis afterwards.

Your viva will be unique but cannot be a total unknown. Understanding the range of expectations for the viva process can help you to prepare for whatever happens.

Nathan

An Unexpected Question

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You can’t know exactly what questions your examiners will ask, but you can have a good idea of the topics they’ll want to talk about in the viva. You can’t have a response ready and waiting for every topic, but you can feel fairly confident in your preparations that you can engage with almost anything your examiners might want to ask.

Almost anything.

There’s always a possibility that they ask something you’ve never considered. There’s a chance they may notice something you haven’t. An unexpected question could be asked that you, at first, don’t know how to handle. You just might not know what to think or say.

At first.

Whatever the unexpected question, however left field it is, you can still engage with it. Pause to consider it. Think about what it means. Respond as best you can. Ask your examiners questions to unpick what they mean. Be patient with yourself.

Pause. Think. Respond.

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