Maybe it is just my particular case when the supervisor is very formal about the record keeping, I am just wondering how important is in others' experiences of passing the PhD the official record of supervision, besides it managerial and planning utility... Is this something that is submitted for/asked/discussed during viva at all? As a reflection of the progress in one's research and one' communication with the supervisor, how much does this record influences the chances of being admitted to/passing the viva? Will be most grateful for your feedback on this issue - I sound like my supervisor:(

Keeping a record of my supervisions was for me to record vital tuition, refs to paper, calculation discussions and also to note down plans for the next experimental work.  However, I did find these very useful when submitting my annual monitoring forms to provide details of the dates and content of such supervisions. Passing my annual monitoring was not just about my progress but also to check that adequate supervision has been given. The details have not been requested for my viva at all, and I cannot see why they would be discussed in my viva as this should be focused around my thesis.  I think it is a good idea to have details of these supervisions incase there is grounds for a supervisory issue such as lack of support at a later date in your studies but this would be registered well in advance of your viva. I have kept mine logged in my lab books which therefore reflects my whole PhD journey, and these will be with me in my viva!

I agree with Dunni - it was done as an excercise to cover staffs' backs if they haven't been doing their job. We had to submit minutes from our supervisory meetings which could include any contact with supervisor, not just formal meetings which was a bit of a joke. No-one asked for them at the viva but if you wanted to complain about lack of support you have to lodge it in advance of viva so you couldn't say you didn't get support if you didn't paa your viva! It was just to tick some boxes to say you had adequate supervision!!!!!

Actually, I find my supervision notes really useful. Just the act of writing up notes after each meeting helps me to process whatever we've talked about and fit it into my bigger picture of what I'm doing and where I'm going with my research. But beyond that, yes, it's just proof that my supervisors have actually given me guidance, and something both sides can point to if we disagree about what we've said in the past. Really not expecting it to be at all relevant to the viva or anything else!