How many did you have, by the viva. I'm seriously worried as, presently, only have book reviews and am so busy finishing the PhD that I have no time to try and prepare stuff for publication. I currently have on under review, but realistically cannot see me having chance to write anything else before Christmas. Is anybody else having this problem, or am I worrying unnecessarily? Do publications (or lack of) have any say on your viva?

The award of a PhD in the UK context is typically based solely on the thesis and the viva voce examination. Period! It's not a condition that you must publish to get a PhD in the UK and perhaps other jurisdictions. This is not the case in Germany, the Scandinavia, etc, where you're expected to have your work published in journals and as a monograph. Also, if your PhD is part of a bigger project (especially, though not exclusively, in the sciences), it's often the case, even in the UK, that the PI would have pushed for publications (he has to because of the Research Assessment Exercise) in which case your name would appear on any such publications as a co-author. That said, it is a good strategy (if at all possible) to get your finding chapters summarised and published (or accepted for publication) in a top tier journal in your field (or an adjoining area). By doing so, you're technically passing on a message to your examiners that your findings have been independently validated through the anonymous peer review process which in high impact journals is rigorous. Not having ant publications wouldn't harm you at all—if you’re in the UK. The problem is that you would struggle, even with the PhD in hand, to secure any academic or research positions without any publications. In a nutshell, I think it depends on which field and which country you're based.

Hi happyclappy,

patseya gave you an excellent reply.

I just wanted to add my personal experience which is the opposite from yours....I spent third year mostly writing papers, so I ve made very little progress in the PhD write-up. Now I am entering fourth year and I am not even half way in writing, editing and formatting the monster. We can only do so much in one year...

Hope you find some time after you submit the first draft to publish.

Thank you, both. I just was concerned that perhaps it might appear that my research isn't very good if it hasn't been published; in fact, I've had many supervision issues that have meant I was behind, and so have pretty much just been writing across the last twelve months. I hope that I have time to at least get some publications under consideration after submission. Do you need to be affiliated to a University to publish? (I'm thinking if I can't secure an academic job, but pass the viva). Thanks

You don't need to be affiliated to any University to publish.

In any case, if you have the viva now and manage to complete you corrections by April, then you will graduate on November 2014 (at least in my uni we have one ceremony per year).

In the Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, you generally don't need to be affiliated to get published. For sciences, especially where the work ought to have been carried out in a lab, then (as I've heard) you need belong (even if informally/unofficially) to a lab. If you still live within the vicinity (or commuting distance) of the uni where you complete your PhD and you still pop in there to attend seminars, etc, you could mention this to your supervisor(s) and still put the department down as your affiliated institutional contact address. It looks better both now and in the future.

Excellent, I am not in the sciences. Focus then is finish the PhD, and spend the time between submission and viva presenting papers for publication. Thanks!