Surviving your PhD Viva
Introduction
The viva is a crucial part of your PhD and – with the thesis – determines its outcome.
So preparing for the viva is a sensible thing to do, even before you submit your
thesis. This document gives you some guidance to support you in this.
What is a viva?
In the viva you will demonstrate your ability to participate in academic discussion with
research colleagues. Your thesis demonstrates your skill relating to the written
presentation of your research.
The purpose of the viva is to:
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confirm that the thesis is your own work
confirm that you understand what you have written
investigate your awareness of where your original work sits in relation to the
wider research field
provide a developmental opportunity for considering future publication and
research options
One of your supervisors will usually attend the viva. His/her role is to be there for you
and possibly the examiners in case they have questions, and to help you understand
what else might be required of you before you get a full pass. Your supervisor will
remain silent during the viva but is likely to take notes to help you with the corrections
afterwards.
A possible approach to the viva
This is what one of our supervisors recommends:
‘The best way to approach the viva in general is to see yourself as the defence
attorney for your thesis. You should then have no inhibitions about defending it to the
best of your ability. The worst approach to take is to see hard questions as an attack
upon you personally. There are two equally bad reactions. One is to feel belligerent
or petulant as though you personally (i. e. your character, your integrity etc.) were
being unfairly slighted. The other bad reaction is to roll over and say words to the
equivalent of “It’s a fair cop mate and I will try harder next time.”
That may encourage the examiners to compel you to do a lot more work and come
back for a ‘next time’. You know you have worked very hard at this thesis and given it
your best possible shot. It’s up to you to defend its arguments and quality. The
upshot may be that you have to agree that certain things could be improved, but this
upshot should be the final agreed position and not the starting point for your defence.
It is not you yourself whom you are you are defending, but your thesis.
The beauty of the (clinically analytical) defence attorney analogy is that it takes it out
of the realm of the personal into the public arena where it's not your worth as an
individual that is being weighed in the balance, but that of your thesis. It's a nice
distinction but a valuable one.’ (David Hellawell, EdD supervisor)
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How you can prepare for the viva
All PhD students are expected to attend the research student seminar series run by
the research school. One of the sessions is ‘Preparing for the probation, PhD and
MRes viva’. Candidates generally also find a mock viva examination very useful
preparation and you should discuss this with your supervisor.
Create a timeline
Working with your supervisors to draw up a realistic timeline can help avoid some of
the stressful moments that often accompany this stage of the doctorate. They will
help you estimate the time it to takes to:
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make the final changes suggested by them
rigorously proof-read the final draft of the thesis (a read-through to check
citations and referencing might also be considered – see Plagiarism)
format the final document
print, copy and bind the thesis
Put yourself into the examiners mind
The examiners receive a copy of your thesis about 4 weeks in advance of the viva
from the Research School. Each of them writes an independent report according to
specified criteria (see below). Before the viva they exchange views and prepare
outline questions and key issues to be raised. This usually happens at the pre-viva
meeting on the morning of the viva. The panel chair (who may or may not have read
your thesis) will be present at this meeting, and the panel members agree on the
order of the questions, and roughly who will take the lead. Usually these questions
follow the structure of the thesis. Sometimes questions can be very probing,
especially if there are points which are not quite clear, but questions are never really
about anything 'not known'.
What the examiners will be looking for
According to the examination guidelines, a PhD thesis has to fulfil the following
criteria:
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It must be of good presentation and style.
It must show evidence of being a significant contribution to knowledge.
It must show evidence of the student’s capacity to pursue further research
without supervision.
It must contain a significant amount of material worthy of publication.
In addition, the student’s defence of the thesis at the viva has to be satisfactory.
It also helps if a thesis is a report of work which others would want to read, tell a
compelling story articulately whilst pre-empting inevitable critiques, carry the reader
into complex realms, and inform and educate him/her, and be sufficiently speculative
or original to command respectful peer attention.
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Research suggests that experienced examiners expect that the thesis will pass and
that they want it to pass. Rather than taking a summative approach to the
examination process, they generally adopt a formative view where they aim to assist
the student in improving their work. However, less encouraging for students is the
view expressed by most experienced examiners that they have a strong sense of the
quality of the thesis by the second chapter, and often even earlier in their reading.
Questions that examiners may have in mind as they read include:
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How would they have tackled the problem set out in the abstract and the title?
What questions would they like answers to?
How well does the candidate explain what she or he did?
Is the literature review substantial, relevant and up-to-date?
Has the literature been critiqued?
Is the methodology appropriate?
Do the conclusions follow on from the introduction?
Is the research worthwhile?
Does it contribute something new, or provide a new way of looking at existing
knowledge?
How much work has actually been done and how much of that has been
published and where?
What is the intellectual depth and rigour of the thesis?
Is this actually a ‘thesis’ – i.e. is there an argument?
Examiners may be 'turned off' by sloppy presentation (incorrect referencing, poorly
labelled figures, inappropriate use of technical terms); they may consider this an
indication that the research itself, the data gathering and analysis, may also be
sloppy. Examiners also worry when there are unexplained inconsistencies between
what the thesis sets out to do and what is actually done.
In summary, characteristics of a ‘good’ thesis include:
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confidence, and a rigorous, self-critical approach
comprehensiveness and a scholarly approach
sound methodology
critical analysis and argument
contribution to knowledge
originality, creativity and a degree of risk taking
sound presentation and structure
Characteristics of a less than ideal thesis include:
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lack of confidence, energy and engagement
lack of critical engagement with the literature
inadequate or poorly expressed methodology and scope
too much detail and insufficient analysis
lack of argument and rigour
lack of critique of own analysis and sweeping generalisations
shoddy presentation (typos etc.)
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How will the examiners behave?
Examiners will want to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your study and it is
considered essential that you are able to discuss both of these. Examiners will look
to find and discuss weaknesses so try to think of this as an opportunity to
demonstrate your skill at critical appraisal. Do not interpret criticism as an indication
that you will not get a positive outcome. It is important that you do not take offence
and a relaxed, thoughtful, non-confrontational response from you will help balance
the discussion.
Murray (2003:105) suggests that you do not:
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give a general, resigned declaration that ‘this happens in every study’
blame supervisors for the weakness
blame your data
say ‘that was beyond the scope of my study’ without giving a cogent argument to
support the statement
dismiss what is identified as a weakness as unimportant
A better approach is to:
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take time to consider before responding
remember to breathe and to speak reasonably slowly
don’t take criticism personally
don’t take offence
don’t get angry
be prepared for anything and don’t be too surprised if you are asked to clarify
things that may seem obvious to you
Questions the examiners may ask
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Why did you choose the topic for your thesis?
How did you arrive at your conceptual framework? How did you develop it?
How did you arrive at your research design?
How would you justify your research methodology, your research instruments?
What other methods could you have used and why did you decide against them?
What sampling strategies did you apply?
How did you set about analysing your data?
Are your findings generalizable?
What is your contribution to knowledge?
Then there is the "So what??" question which means you have to defend the
outcome of your research.
When you try answering some of these questions coherently and in full sentences
you will find that it’s quite challenging. Try answering them aloud, better still, find
someone to practise with! Also, go through each chapter, making notes about its
strengths, key authors/ concepts and its weaknesses etc. Perhaps you can see
gaps? What might you have left out? What would you ask if you were an examiner?
Bear in mind that examiners value reflexivity and reflective thinking!!
Should you dry up, or forget the question you have been asked, then say so and ask
for it to be repeated.
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FAQ’s
Q: Who will be at the viva?
A: Normally there will be two examiners, one external and one internal and a panel
chair, whose role is to ensure that the examination proceeds according to the
regulations, and that a proper record is produced afterwards. One of your supervisors
will attend as observer but they will not contribute at all during the process, unless
specifically asked a question by the examiners.
Q: How should I present myself?
A: The main emphasis should be on feeling comfortable and feeling right for the
situation. There is not a great formality about the process. But it is worth
remembering that your external examiner is likely to be a significant figure in your
field, will have worked hard reading your thesis, and may have travelled some
distance for the viva. Extreme casualness may therefore not be entirely appropriate.
Q: What will happen at the beginning of the viva?
A: You should be introduced to your examiners. The Chair will briefly outline the
process, and explain the possible outcomes. S/he will then hand over to the
examiners, in particular the external examiner who usually leads the questioning.
Q: Will I be expected to make references to other research in my field? Am I correct
to assume I won't be expected to memorise lots of specific facts?
A: You can make references to other research in your field, either contained within
the thesis or in addition, but you will not be 'tested' on extraneous points. However,
they may ask about research they consider relevant. Examiners are not out to trick
you and tend to confine their questions to issues which have arisen out of your
thesis.
Q: Do you have any advice on ideal length of answer? There is presumably a middle
ground between gushing for 10 mins about a pet topic and giving a much more
succinct answer that could suggest only limited knowledge or understanding.
A: Think of it more as a well-informed conversation. Answer fully but allow examiners
scope to ask further questions, or raise points of interest. Sometimes candidates do
not say enough - thinking it was pretty obvious. To give an example, one candidate
was asked to describe how she collected the data and she gave a minimalist answer
thinking it was all in the thesis anyway. In that context examiners would have
welcomed a fuller answer.
Q: Some people take in tagged copies of their thesis. I wonder about the balance
between finding and referring to specific passages versus a lack of spontaneity and
flow in the discussion?
A: You should bring a copy of your thesis along in any case so you or the examiners
can refer to a specific point on page XX. Most people do take in a tagged copy.
Having lots of stickers is a sort of safety net – in the course of the viva these are
rarely needed but it is part of your preparation.
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Q: It seems easier to justify why one has chosen a certain approach, method, form of
analysis etc. than to say why I didn't choose something else. Are we likely to be
asked questions about why we didn't choose other approaches for example?
A: You may well be asked to explain why you did not do this or that (perfectly fair)
which will give you a chance to explain your chosen approach and method. The chair
of the panel will usually explain to you the 'flow' or process - usually examiners will
take turns, for example, one may concentrate on your literature, while the other will
focus on methods. However, both may ask you questions, or take part in the
discussion (it can of course be a discussion!) if and when a point arises which
interests either one of them. At the end of the viva, it is customary to ask the
candidate if she/ he have any questions - so then it may be your turn
Q: What happens if I don’t know the answer to a question?
A: It is highly probable that you may not know the answer to a question, or that you
lose the focus, dry up, or feel that you have not answered your question well –
although you know it all. It is best to be frank, to say, sorry, I do not understand, or
could you repeat etc. We are all adults and equal professionals. A further point to
note is that the examiners may not phrase a question well – do bear this in mind –
they are human beings too, and it is possible that you really have not understood
what it is they are after. In which case do ask them to repeat or rephrase.
Q: I have noticed at least 3 typos in my thesis since submission and wonder how to
address these at this stage
A: When you do the corrections requested by the examiners (these will be outlined at
the viva and spelled out in the report) you will be able to correct these typos.
Q: How long will the viva take?
A: There is no set time for the viva but on average it takes about 2 hours. It may,
however, also be shorter or take longer.
Useful Reading
Tara’s 10 tips for Viva success: Take the heat out of trial by fire
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=41131
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Jobs.ac.uk – ten tips for getting through your PhD viva
http://www.jobs.ac.uk/careers-advice/studentships/633/ten-tips-for-getting-throughyour-phd-viva
Nasty PhD questions by Andrew Broad
http://pages.cpsc.ucalgary.ca/~saul/wiki/uploads/Chapter1/NastyPhDQuestions.html
How to shine at your viva Tristan Farrow
http://www.independent.co.uk/student/postgraduate/how-to-shine-at-your-viva728656.html
Postgrads.com - What will happen in a viva?
http://www.postgrad.com/editorial/uk_vivas_procedure_outcomes/
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Research Training Videos
http://phdskills.open.ac.uk/static_page.php?page=52
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