Preparing for and Handling the Viva

Authoring a PhD and Developing as a Researcher: the Endgame

24 February 2009

Dr Gita Subrahmanyam

Today’s workshop aims …

To give you an overview of the viva process

To give you an opportunity and space for practical preparation

Overall … To de-mystify a seemingly mysterious

process

Agenda

10.10 Fears and needs exercise10.20 Preparing for the viva:

purpose and process10.30 Examiners’ panel and Q&A11.00 Coffee11.15 Preparing for the viva: questions and

dealing with them12.00 Recent students’

experiences and Q&A12.30 Summary and reflections

Fears and needs: brainstorming exercise

Working in your table groups, take 5 minutes to brainstorm your fears about the viva process, and what you would like to get out of this workshop. Brainstorm means include everything, no matter how seemingly spurious.

Nominate a scribe, who should use the giant post-it in front of you to write down the group’s ideas.

The PhD Viva: purposes

Checking it’s all your own work Check you fully understand the work and its

implications Independent professional voice Examiners use the viva to clarify points of

uncertainty Candidates can use the viva to seek advice on

progressing the research further Rite of passage - acceptance into the academy

The PhD viva: process

Selecting the examiners When? Minimum 6-8 weeks after

submission, likely to be longer (3-4 months)

You will be contacted about setting a time, date and place

The PhD viva: process (2)

Examiners each prepare a preliminary report before the viva

In the room: 2 examiners, you, your lead supervisor (unless you decide otherwise)

Take with you: a copy of your thesis, any preparation notes, something to take notes with and on

The PhD viva: process (3)

Outcomes: Pass with no corrections (considered rare) Pass with minor corrections (most common) Referral (18 months to do major corrections) Offered award of MPhil Fail

Examiners will prepare a joint report, which you will see

Recent PhD exam outcomes

According to Research Degrees Unit, from 1 October 2006 to 31 October 2008: 93 PhDs awarded with no corrections 98 PhDs awarded after minor corrections 2 PhDs awarded after major revisions 3 MPhils awarded 2 Fails

The Examiners’ Perspective

Dr Ken Shadlen, Development Studies Institute

Dr Alan Sked, International History

Professor Ian Gordon, Geography

The PhD viva: preparation

Before you submit: examiner selection, produce a good ‘industrial standard’ thesis, ‘rolling synopsis’

After you submit: Re-read and SUMMARISE (chapters and thesis as

a whole) Mark-up thesis highlights Make a list of typos and errors – there will be some! Revise – some of the key works/ideas you made

use of Practise – anticipate likely questions and practise

answering them

What will I be asked?

Not the Spanish Inquisition!

Common viva questions

OriginalityWhat are the most original parts of the thesis?Which propositions would you say are

distinctively your own?How do you think you work takes forward or

develops the literature in this field?What are the “bottom line” conclusions of your

research? How innovative or distinctive are they?

Common viva questions

Origins/Topics

Can you tell us how you came to choose this topic for your doctorate?

Why have you defined the topic in the way you did?

What were some of the difficulties you encountered and did they influence how the topic was framed?

Common viva questions

MethodsWhat are the core methods used in this thesis?

Why did you choose this approach? In an ideal world, are there different techniques you’d have liked to use?

DataWhat are the main sources or kinds of evidence?

Are they strong enough to sustain the conclusions you draw?

How do your findings fit with or contradict the rest of the literature in this field?

Common viva questions

What next?

What are the main implications of your research for the rest of the field?

Dealing with questions

Listen to the question Pause and take your time Talk precisely and move from the

general to the specific Use appropriate rhetorical strategies:

First person and the active voice Speaking in the past tense

Dealing with criticisms

Define-defend (Murray) Defence in depth (Dunleavy)

Keep the faith, but respect and accommodate examiners’ criticisms/suggestions

Remind the examiners of the (limited) scope of a PhD thesis

Talk about making amendments in the context of publication

What next…?

Further reading

P. Dunleavy, Authoring a PhD (Basingstoke, 2003) – chapter 8

R. Murray, How to survive your viva (Maidenhead, 2003)

The PhD Students’ Perspective

Daniel Osei-Joehene, Information Systems

Serena Sharma, International Relations

Lisa Aronsson, International Relations

Omar McDoom, DESTIN