Minipaper Interview

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Mini-paper Interview
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Why mini-paper interviews?

• To allow you to explain complex ideas
• Easier to explain to a live audience
• Chance to correct misunderstanding in the writing
• To check understanding of material
• Apply to new situations, discuss implications
• To check originality
• Is it in your own words? (excluding quotes!)
• Have you it copied from a hidden source?
• To confirm and moderate marks
• Different markers may have different impressions
• A marker's view may change with explanation

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Participants

• You
• there must be good cause for failure to attend
• Your supervisor
• should have discussed a draft paper with you
• Your second reader
• most likely to ask unexpected questions
• A moderator (possibly)

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Process

• Key features of mini-paper in one minute
• Supervisor's questions
• Second reader's questions
• Additional points you want to discuss
• You should identify omitted good bits!
• Discussion of project progress
• Duration
• Approx. 20 Minutes

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What should I bring?

• A copy of your mini-paper
• A copy of the two most important sources

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Preparation

• Mark key areas on your mini-paper
• important ideas concepts
• relationships between ideas concepts
• contradictions arguments
• vital evidence
• Tip
• Post-it notes can help rapid retrieval
• High-light key phrases with marker pen

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Preparation

• Understand the paper
• Find the most complex bits
• Ensure you can explain them.
• Tip
• Irrelevant complex bits shouldnt be there
• Discuss relevant complex bits with your
  supervisor
• Polish your own trumpet
• note any clever research
• identify the use of evidence to support a point
• consider any weaknesses in that evidence

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Preparation Key Points

• Context
• Outline domain of topic
• Description
• Key features
• Discussion
• Contrasting ideas opinions
• Evidence
• Conclusion
• Summary
• Reasoned opinion

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Preparation Key Points

• Be relevant
• Don't give excessive details mini-paper
• Emphasise interesting aspects
• Controversy
• Unexpected ideas or evidence
• Weaknesses in argument or evidence

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Typical Questions

• What was your most important source? Why?
• How did you find and evaluate material?
• Explain why you rejected some material.
• Summarise the evidence for and against X.
• Explain X
• Why have you given more weight to X
• What are the implications of X?
• What contradictions did you find?
• Who are the important authors in this area?

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Handling the difficult question

• If you don't understand the question
• Ask for clarification
• If you don't know the answer
• Say so

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Handling the poor question

• If it's just a yes/no question
• give additional relevant information
• If the answer has been given in the question
• give it extra, relevant information

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Handling the bad question

• If it's an irrelevant question
• politely say so identify relevant areas
• If the question is too long
• ask for it to be summarised
• If there are multiple questions
• identify the separate questions answer
  separately

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Interview Technique Do

• Understand the material
• Discuss your paper with a colleague
• Be confident - you are the expert
• Arrive on time
• Answer concisely
• Be polite
• Watch use the response from the questioner
• Pay attention to discussion with your supervisor

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Interview Technique Don't

• Try to be funny
• Waste time
• Waffle
• Use material that you don't understand
• Use irrelevant material
• Rely on very popular material

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Summary

• Be properly prepared
• Dont assume youll remember everything
• You can help control the interview
• Get across the good things
• Be aware of weaknesses improvements
• Dont forget the rest of your project
• Wrong Answer
• I havent done anything on that yet