Dear all,
I need to prepare myself to my thesis defense which is going to be early next week. Can you please help me by giving me some advice and telling how I should go through it and what is expected from me in this defense.
Thanks,

Hi Canonly

First of all I am pre, not post viva!! No doubt there are many people here who have been through the process and can help you better. However, I was at hour talk today given by professor in my university, who has chaired many vivas and also been the supervisor of many students. Obviously there will be subject specific issues which only you will know but the notes I jotted down that I found particularly interesting were:

Questions relating to methodology and structure/theoretical frameworks tend to be posed more aggresively than other viva questions so don't get alarmed if this happens! Be prepared to defend/outline/explain/clarify your methodological approach and your theoretical framework.

How would you relate your work to 'x'?
She said that she tends to ask students to ensure they can locate their work in relation to recent literature published on the topic.

What is your contribution to the field?

You could get a question related to your introductory self-positioning of your thesis. To this end she says that she gets her students to prepare to talk about their self-positioning in their introduction and their conclusion. Be strong, not tentative in this regard she says.

From her experience many conclusions are weak as they are often written fairly fast when the student is burnt out. If you feel this to be the case, be prepared to fight for your conclusion and be able to assert in the viva what your position is - in effect what is your thesis saying.

You have already submitted but she said that the litmus she asks of her students wanting to submit is (a) can you situate yourself in relation to the wider field and (b) what is your contribution to the field?


The very best of luck, let us know if you can how you get on

A



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