{"id":1067,"date":"2018-10-24T14:54:29","date_gmt":"2018-10-24T13:54:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/?p=1067"},"modified":"2018-10-24T14:54:29","modified_gmt":"2018-10-24T13:54:29","slug":"preparingforyourviva","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/2018\/10\/24\/preparingforyourviva\/","title":{"rendered":"Preparing For Your Viva – Our Top Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Kelly Louise Preece is the Researcher Development Manager for PGRs in the Doctoral College. You\u2019ll recognise\u00a0her face from workshops, her voice from WEBINARs, and her jokes from the 90s. You can follow her on twitter for musings about Researcher Development and the PGR experience\u2026interspersed\u00a0with tweets about superheros and sewing.<\/em>\u2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We\u2019ve had a few PGRs tweeting us recently asking for viva advice and top tips. Although we have some great advice and resources of our Preparing For Your Viva ELE page<\/a>, I thought it would be useful to write a short post about the advice we share in our viva workshops and WEBINARs. So here are our top ten tips:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Before you start preparing, take a break<\/strong>. You have been working flat out on your research you at least 3 years, and have no doubt spent several intense months engrossed in the writing and editing of your thesis. Take some time away from it. Go on holiday like Dr. Emily Johnson did<\/a>. Get perspective on your thesis to better enable you to defend it in the viva.<\/li>\n
  2. When you\u2019re reading your thesis, you\u2019re bound to notice spelling, grammar and typing errors. It\u2019s normal. Make a list of corrections, print them out and go in to the viva prepared to share them with your examiners. <\/strong><\/li>\n
  3. Re-reading the thesis is useful preparation, but it\u2019s not enough<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  4. Do a mock-viva<\/strong> \u2013 with your supervisors, your peers, your friends, your family\u2026practice talking about your research <\/strong>again after months of focusing on your writing.<\/li>\n
  5. Practice summarising your research<\/strong> \u2013 vivas often beginning with a question asking you to summarise your thesis or key findings, to help settle you in.<\/li>\n
  6. Prepare answers to your nightmare questions<\/strong> \u2013 whatever you fear being asked about the most, prepare and practice your answers. Chances are your nightmare questions won\u2019t come up, but you\u2019ll feel better knowing how to answer if they do.<\/li>\n
  7. Read new material that has been published<\/strong> \u2013 your examiners may ask you how a new piece of research impacts on your thesis!<\/li>\n
  8. Remember what is being examined<\/strong> \u2013 there is nothing mystical about research degree examination \u2013 your examiners assess your research according to a fixed set of criteria.<\/a><\/li>\n
  9. Remember \u2013 you are the expert!<\/strong> Your examiners are experts in their field, and they may be an expert in yours \u2013 but they are not the leading expert on your research or thesis. You are.<\/li>\n
  10. As much as you can, try and relax<\/strong>. Nerves are normal. You\u2019ve done the hardest bit already \u2013 doing the research, writing the thesis. What an achievement! The viva is your chance to demonstrate and affirm everything you have learnt throughout your research degree.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Still have more questions? Why not download Preparing For Your Viva \u2013 Frequently Asked Questions<\/a>, which compiles all the questions and answers from our Preparing For Your Viva Q&A Panels.<\/p>\n

    Written by:<\/strong><\/em> Kelly Louise Preece- Researcher Development Manager for PGRs<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Kelly Louise Preece is the Researcher Development Manager for PGRs in the Doctoral College. You\u2019ll recognise\u00a0her face from workshops, her voice from WEBINARs, and her […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,37,43],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPreparing For Your Viva - Our Top Tips - Doctoral College<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/2018\/10\/24\/preparingforyourviva\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Preparing For Your Viva - Our Top Tips - Doctoral College\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Kelly Louise Preece is the Researcher Development Manager for PGRs in the Doctoral College. You\u2019ll recognise\u00a0her face from workshops, her voice from WEBINARs, and her […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/2018\/10\/24\/preparingforyourviva\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Doctoral College\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-10-24T13:54:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/299\/2018\/10\/20180620-DSC_2585-715x1024.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mark\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mark\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/2018\/10\/24\/preparingforyourviva\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/2018\/10\/24\/preparingforyourviva\/\",\"name\":\"Preparing For Your Viva - Our Top Tips - Doctoral College\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/2018\/10\/24\/preparingforyourviva\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/2018\/10\/24\/preparingforyourviva\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/299\/2018\/10\/20180620-DSC_2585-715x1024.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-10-24T13:54:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-10-24T13:54:29+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/#\/schema\/person\/f55c794873afd5892e3c96ddf775f5b2\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/2018\/10\/24\/preparingforyourviva\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/2018\/10\/24\/preparingforyourviva\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/2018\/10\/24\/preparingforyourviva\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/299\/2018\/10\/20180620-DSC_2585-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/299\/2018\/10\/20180620-DSC_2585-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":1789,\"height\":2560},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/2018\/10\/24\/preparingforyourviva\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Preparing For Your Viva – Our Top Tips\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/\",\"name\":\"Doctoral College\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/#\/schema\/person\/f55c794873afd5892e3c96ddf775f5b2\",\"name\":\"Mark\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c8bc2e4b4cd54966c634a0cda0b58382?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c8bc2e4b4cd54966c634a0cda0b58382?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Mark\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/university-of-exeter-new.onyx-sites.io\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/author\/rxizfitwrt\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Preparing For Your Viva - Our Top Tips - Doctoral College","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/2018\/10\/24\/preparingforyourviva\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Preparing For Your Viva - Our Top Tips - Doctoral College","og_description":"Kelly Louise Preece is the Researcher Development Manager for PGRs in the Doctoral College. You\u2019ll recognise\u00a0her face from workshops, her voice from WEBINARs, and her […]","og_url":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/2018\/10\/24\/preparingforyourviva\/","og_site_name":"Doctoral College","article_published_time":"2018-10-24T13:54:29+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/299\/2018\/10\/20180620-DSC_2585-715x1024.jpg"}],"author":"Mark","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Mark","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/2018\/10\/24\/preparingforyourviva\/","url":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/2018\/10\/24\/preparingforyourviva\/","name":"Preparing For Your Viva - Our Top Tips - Doctoral College","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/2018\/10\/24\/preparingforyourviva\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/2018\/10\/24\/preparingforyourviva\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/299\/2018\/10\/20180620-DSC_2585-715x1024.jpg","datePublished":"2018-10-24T13:54:29+00:00","dateModified":"2018-10-24T13:54:29+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/#\/schema\/person\/f55c794873afd5892e3c96ddf775f5b2"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/2018\/10\/24\/preparingforyourviva\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/2018\/10\/24\/preparingforyourviva\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/2018\/10\/24\/preparingforyourviva\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/299\/2018\/10\/20180620-DSC_2585-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/299\/2018\/10\/20180620-DSC_2585-scaled.jpg","width":1789,"height":2560},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/2018\/10\/24\/preparingforyourviva\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Preparing For Your Viva – Our Top Tips"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/","name":"Doctoral College","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/#\/schema\/person\/f55c794873afd5892e3c96ddf775f5b2","name":"Mark","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c8bc2e4b4cd54966c634a0cda0b58382?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c8bc2e4b4cd54966c634a0cda0b58382?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Mark"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/university-of-exeter-new.onyx-sites.io"],"url":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/author\/rxizfitwrt\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1067"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1067"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1067\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/doctoralcollege\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}