Michelle Sheehan*

*This presentation was prepared in collaboration with Lynn Clark

Why have a viva?The thesis examination processThe examinersHow is your thesis judged?Possible outcomesHow to prepare for the vivaWhat to do in the vivaAfter the viva

brainstorm

Intention to submit (including selection of the examiners)Exact title submitted for approval not less than one month before submission. Thesis is submitted together with submission form to graduate school office. Examiners independently assess your thesisPre-viva comparison of notes by examinersViva (a defence not an exam)Decision (usually immediately afterwards)

Who selects the external and internal examiners?You/your supervisor can make suggestionsHead of school/section has final say

How to find out about your examiners.Ask colleagues, google them, read their work and cite them if relevant!Think about how the thesis relates to their work.

Dont forget the importance of the internal examiner.

See: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/regulations/docs/documents/DoctorateRegs0809.pdfA doctoral thesis must exhibit substantial evidence of original scholarship and contain material worthy of publication

It is a body of work which a capable, well-qualified and diligent candidate, who is properly supervised, can produce in three years of full-time study.

[taken from Ph.D. and M.Phil. Handbook for students and staff, page 15]

Checklist:Original work?Worthy of publication?Adequate knowledge of the field?Critical judgement?Three years work?Unified body of research?Adherence to academic conventions (i.e. references, coherent structure, literature review, clear conclusions)?

Pass outright!Pass with minor corrections (1 month)Pass with minor revisions (6 months)Thesis passes, but fail at viva (second viva/written exam required)Resubmission required (12 months, with or without second viva)Thesis appropriate for Masters degreeFail (this is very very rare)

Get lots of peer and other professional feedback. Present at conferencesAttend conferences to informally discuss your work with othersBecome an active member of your local academic community (attend SIGs, audit courses, help with conference organisation etc.).Send material for publication. And send it off again after youve addressed the comments from the first draft/rejection letters!Ask at least one other qualified person (whos not your supervisor) to read the draft before you submit (preferably someone who has experience in examining theses). Get clear feedback from your supervisor on the FULL and FINAL draft.

Proof-read your thesis carefully.

If you are not a native speaker then have your thesis professionally proof-read.

You willnot fail because typos/language errors, but poorly proofred work annoys examinors and may cause them to dout your professionalism and the qualty of your work.

3 things you can do to prepare for the viva:Re-familiarise yourself with your thesisPredict and practice possible questionsThink about how to express yourself in the viva

Keep your thesis alive: Re-read your thesis (make a 1-page summary of the main points in each chapter).Be familiar with the references you cited Keep up to date with the field esp. whats happened since you submitted.Read it with the thesis criteria in mind.Be honest with yourself: Identify weak points so you can be in a good position to:Show you know the faultsDefend those that you feel are minorShow you know how you would remedy them if you had this knowledge in hindsight. Prepare to engage the examiners in debate over how they would have tackled that area. Get a supervisor or colleague to question-spot with you.

Theyre always looking for proof you fulfil the criteria for passing:

Original?

Worthy of publication?

Good knowledge of field and literature?

Shows critical judgement?

Unified body of work?

Satisfactory presentation?

What is your thesis about?Summarise your key findingsWhat is original about your work?What are the contributions to knowledge of your thesis (why is it important?)Why did you approach the area in this way?The big picture is an important part of this.

Summarise your key findingsHave you published any aspects of the work?You might have presented things at conferences, in proceedings which are worth mentioning.What could you publish? And where? [NB: if you have published anything, include it as an appendix which shows without a doubt that it is worthy of publication]

Summarise your key findings(Can you identify and prioritise what is important in your own work?)What is original about your work?What are the contributions to knowledge of your thesis (why is it important?)What is the strongest/weakest part of your work?Why did you approach the area in this way?If you could start again now, what would you do differently?(This can be a way of showing self-criticism.)How could you improve your work?What could you publish? (Indicates your views of what is good about your work.) What have you learned from the process of the PhD?

What are the contributions to knowledge of your thesis (why is it important?)What were the motivations for your research? Why is was it worth addressing?Who else is working on this problem?How has it been tackled before?Why did you approach the area in this way?How else have others done it? Why do you think your way is better?If you could start again now, what would you do differently?(Show you know of any studies in which the problem has been tackled since you planned and executed your work).What do your results mean?(Show in the context of other studies.)What are the big questions in your field at the moment?What do you think the next big developments will be?

What is your thesis about?Can you identify the common thread, the common question addressed by all of the work in your thesis?

Prepare a 1 minute answer to this.

Prepare a 5 minute answer about this.

Have a mental map of how you could expand on this 5 minute question if pressed.

Why are you being asked these questions?The examiners are:Not trying to catch you outLooking for positive evidence to tick criteria boxesGenuinely want to engage in debateTest what your view, as an academic equal, think about a topic Clarify muddled or ambiguous expression in thesis

Dont rush answersDont interrupt!Dont be defensive/flippantAnswer assertive but dont be defensive.Defend your ground, but concede where appropriate.Dont volunteer flaws/undersell yourself/be modestAsk for clarifications where necessaryGive clarifications if necessaryBe honest Be forthcoming and allow discussion to develop. Dont just use yes or no responses and await the next question. Accept referencesStay calm. You are likely to know more about the subject than those giving the marks!

Ask for clarificationRecast in your own words Do you meanBuy some time to think of the answer: Now the answer to that is not obvious/straightforward...(buying time)thats a good question(plus a little flattery)If you really can't answer a question:Be honest.But if you have any ideas on the subject, say so.Or Say, "I can't answer this without some more detailed thought, but I should be able to work it out with a bit of time."If it relies on literature or ideas you are not familiar with, thank the examiner for the useful pointers and references.

Dont panicRemember you are engaging in a debate with equals. Dont be aggressive (or defensive)Rather, seek to find out your examiners views on how the problem might be remedied.Can it be addressed in future work which develops on what youve done in your thesis?or in a resubmission Better than not showing awareness and not being given the chance to resubmit.If its something you are already aware of, prepare your discussion of why it doesnt undermine your whole thesis.Showing you are aware of this will show you have good critical skills.But dont volunteer flaws unnecessarily!

Youll be given clear direction of what the outcome is.Youll be given a list of corrections or instructions of what needs to be changed/added (usually for more substantial changes)

Its your passage into independent academiaEnjoy the attentionEnjoy the captive audienceEnjoy the compliment of the examiners spending so much time thinking about your work.

and with a little luck, Enjoy that post-viva celebration

*The first thing is to make sure that you hand in a thesis that is as strong as possible. Make surethat the version that you submit has been seen and okayed by your supervisor(s) and that youhave proofread and checked it carefully. Poorly proofread work annoys examiners and maysow seeds of doubt into their mind about your professionalism and the quality of your work.

There are other things you can do to make sure that your thesis is as strong as it possibly can beBefore the viva... [see list]

You need to think particularly carefully about the weak points of your work: what are thepoints on which your work is likely to be attacked? Are there particular issues in the approach,methods, analyses or interpretation to which examiners might take exception? (You may have agood idea of these on the basis of feedback that you have received from presentations that youhave given, e.g. at conferences). Work out responses to these potential tricky questions!You do need to have a good overview of your thesis in your head both the specific contents,and the overall significance of your findings.

********Share our personal experiences of questions we were asked***Share our personal experiences of questions we had trouble answering

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