======= Date Modified 30 Oct 2012 10:44:31 =======
======= Date Modified 30 Oct 2012 09:56:00 =======
Hi

I have read a couple viva preparation materials, and some of the advice has not been very consistent.
Can I ask whether I can

1. Look at my prepared notes if the examiner's questions happened to be something that I have prepared?

2. Should I always refer back to my thesis when the "answer" is actually in the thesis? For example, if the examiner ask "why did you choose this approach"? Can I say refer to my thesis and said something, "as explained in my thesis page xxx, I chose this approach because it...."

Or is it better I should remember most things in my head and able to answer them without keep referring to the thesis?
Or it's better to keep referring to the thesis?

3. How to answer viva question on the motivation of the research - "What made you do this piece of research? Why did you choose this topic? Why do you think it's important"

I am a funded student, and therefore my research topic was not originally from me. My supervisor had the research idea, applied for funding, and hired me to do the research.

How do I answer this question when the motivation was not originally from me? Should I be honest and said I was hired to do this research? Or should I make it sound like it was originally my idea as I saw the need of doing this?

4. How to answer "how far do you think you can generalise from your work" or "How do your contributions generalise?"
Can someone enlighten me what does this question mean? Does it mean how my work is applicable to general population? or does it mean whether my result/sample is generalised (large enough) to make a conclusion of what's happening in the real world?


Any advice is appreciated!

I think with (1) and (2), it's a matter of seeing how it goes...if you can talk without looking at notes so it's more like a conversation, that's good, but because the examiners may have missed something in your thesis, you could mention in passing that you have talked about this further on page xxx.

Regarding
3. How to answer viva question on the motivation of the research - "What made you do this piece of research? Why did you choose this topic? Why do you think it's important"

Even if you didn't come up with the project yourself, you can say why you were drawn to it over other PhD topics, and you can still saw why you think it's important. Many PhD students will have come to a ready-designed project, so you don't need to worry about this issue :)

I agree with Clementine about (1) and (2), it is better to not have to keep going back to your notes, as it might make it seem like you don't know your thesis/work well enough. However, if you need to occasionally refer to your notes then don't be afraid to do so. Don't feel the need to mention your thesis in every answer either, but if you feel it's necessary for a particular question, e.g. you want to refer to a specific graph/table, then go ahead and say 'this is covered on page xxxx' etc. In my viva, the examiners started each question with something like 'on page xxx you said...' so I could turn straight to that page in the thesis and refer to it if needed.

For (3), I would try and prepare an answer that covers why you were drawn to a particular topic over others. This may be because of the topic itself, or because you wanted to work in that specific department, or because you wanted to work with certain supervisors, etc. I was a fully funded student who had a topic given to me - when I was asked a similar question in my viva, I explained why the qualifications I had already were relevant to the topic and therefore why I was interested in it. Also, the final thesis was very different from the proposal my supervisors originally developed, so I took the opportunity to explain to the examiners how I had developed the ideas myself, and how I had ended up taking the project in a different direction as my work progressed.

When it comes to question 4, I would say it is very unlikely that this exact question will come up in your viva so try not to worry too much about what it means! I think it means how is your work applicable to the general population (although I may be wrong; the question isn't very clear!). If a question comes up in the viva and you don't fully understand what is being asked, feel free to ask the examiners to explain it a bit better.

Hope this helps. The most important thing to remember is that no one knows your thesis better than you do. The examiners aren't there to trip you up; they are there to discuss your work with you and to give you a chance to clarify anything that was unclear in your thesis. Keep calm, make sure you know your work inside out, and it'll all be fine ;-)

I was advised not to work from notes if possible - it can give a bad impression to examiners. And having been through a viva myself - successfully - I would probably share that view. It's better for the flow and impression you make if you can answer out of your head. But if you need to refer to your thesis do so, but preferably you won't.

Re why you chose the project say why it attracted you and why you think it's important. I was a similar student in my first go at a science PhD, so had I not had to leave for medical reasons I'd have been facing this too. In my second go, history, I defined my own research project, so had lots and lots to say about that in the viva! You can also take the chance to stress why your contribution is important here i.e. if there's a gap in the research knowledge/work, and why your PhD fills it.

I don't think that last question will come up either, but if it did for me I would have answered about why my case studies and research examples are representative of wider patterns, even if I could only study a small part of the research area for my PhD for practical reasons.

Thanks a lot, people!! This is really helpful!!

Cheers!

Sorry folks I have more questions about viva....

Do you generally find the "specific questions" that relates to your thesis are easier to answer or the general questions?

Are those specific questions similar with what you have prepared or they have turned out to be very different?