Preparing for and Handling the Viva

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Preparing for and Handling the Viva

• Authoring a PhD and Developing as a Researcher
  the Endgame
• Dr. Sarabajaya Kumar

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Todays Workshop Aims

• To give you an overview of the viva process
• To give you the opportunity and space to think
  through the process
• Overall
• To de-mystify what may seem like a mysterious
  process

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Agenda
11.00 Coffee 11.05 Exercise 11.20 Preparing
for the viva purpose, process.
11.45 Examiners and Examinees Panel - Q
A 12.25 Summary and reflections
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Fears and Needs Brainstorming

• Working in your table groups, take a few minutes
  to
• brainstorm your fears about the viva process and
  
• what you would like to get out of this workshop.
  
• Write down the groups ideas on the flipchart.

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The PhD Viva Purpose(s)

• Checking its all your own work
• Check you fully understand the work and its
  implications
• Independent professional examination/voice
• Examiners use 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

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The PhD Viva Process

• Selecting your examiners
• When? Minimum 6-8 weeks before submission
• You will be contacted about setting a time, date
  and place by your supervisor

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The PhD Viva Process (contd.)

• Examiners each prepare a preliminary report
  before the viva
• In the room 2 examiners, you, possibly your lead
  supervisor (unless you decide otherwise)
• Take with you a copy of your thesis, any
  preparation notes, something to take notes with

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The PhD Viva Process (contd.)

• Outcomes
• Pass with no corrections/amendments (considered
  unusual)
• Pass with minor corrections/amendments (most
  common)
• Referral (18 months to do major
  corrections/amendments)
• Offered award of MPhil
• Fail
• Examiners will prepare a joint report, which you
  will see

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Recent PhD Exam Outcomes

• According to Research Degrees Unit, 207 PhDs
  awarded between 2012 to 2013
• 98 PhDs awarded with no amendments
• 90 PhDs awarded with minor amendments
• 19 PhDs awarded after major revisions
• 3 MPhils awarded
• 0 Fails

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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/errors there will be some!
• Revise some of the key works/ideas you made use
  of
• Practice anticipate likely questions and
  practice answering them

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What will I be asked?

• Not the Spanish Inquisition!

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Common Viva Questions

• Originality
• What are the most original parts of the thesis?
• Which propositions would you say are
  distinctively your own?
• How do you think your 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?

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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?

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Common Viva Questions

• Methods
• What are the core methods used in this thesis?
  Why did you choose this approach? In an ideal
  world, are there different techniques youd have
  liked to use?
• Data
• What 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?

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Common Viva Questions

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

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The Panel
The Examiner/Supervisor/Deans Perspective Dr.
Sunil Kumar Dean of Graduate Studies and
Department of Social Policy The PhD Graduates
Perspective Dr. Evi Boukli (Law), Dr. Jonathan
Roberts (Social Policy) and Dr. Melissa
Fernandez (Sociology)
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Dealing with Questions

• Listen to the question
• Pause - 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

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Dealing with Criticisms

• Define-defend (Murray)
• Viva Debate/Assume Disagreement and Conflict
• Defend but not Defensive
• Define - say what you did then Defend say why
  you did it Shifts tone and creates space to
  demonstrate knowledge and process.
• Examiner Why did you not do a more detailed
  analysis of ?
• Defensive Stance I did not do that because
• Define/Defend What I did was my reasons for
  doing this were I could have done a more
  detailed analysis of by but I decided not to
  because

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Dealing with Criticisms

• Defence in depth (Dunleavy)
• Keep the faith, but respect and accommodate
  examiners criticisms/suggestions
• Keep in mind the (limited) scope of a PhD thesis
• Talk about making amendments in the context of
  publication

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What Next ?

• Further reading
• P. Dunleavy, Authoring a PhD (Basingstoke, 2003)
  Chapter 8
• R. Murray, How to survive your Viva (Maidenhead,
  2003)