Success in your viva

1. Success in your viva Susan Marlow Professor of Entrepreneurship University of Birmingham

2. Time to shine? • Offering the candidate the opportunity to explore, analyse and defend their work • Creating a dialogue/ having a directed conversation • Opportunity to show off – you have a captive audience, a body of work you have been immersed in and know all about – what’s the problem?

3. Know your work • What is the ‘point’ of the thesis – what have you contributed – the ‘so what’ question underpins your thesis and the viva process • The thesis is unpicked over the process of the Viva – explored as discrete elements all of which will be independently scrutinised • But it is all about your work so take the opportunity to demonstrate what you have learned and your new found knowledge

4. Scouting for success – be prepared • Questions may or may not follow the logic of the thesis • Introduction – what is the thesis about-the RQ question- why this question – why should we care? • Critical evaluation of your literature analysis– prepare to be asked about gaps, perceptions, biases – frame responses as what is known, what is added. • Methodology – why? How does your stance map onto your RQ? • Findings – what and why are they important – what has been added. • Analysis and conclusions – key element – the contribution – absolutely critical!

5. Rabbits, goldfish and bolters: stand at ease! • Examiner responsibility – to enable you to speak, defend your work and respond appropriately to questions . • Opening points/at - the RQ and why – you know this and you can talk about it • Managing the ‘left field question’ – ask for clarification and further information – you have rights too!

6. How to endear your examiner – apart from decent biscuits - • Outline a clear and concise RQ – convince in the introduction why there is a thesis here • Ensure you have critically analysed contemporary sources of literature – read [include – we all like a bit of flattery] the work of the examiner – how does their work reflect, complement, contradict your interpretation? • Ensure you can defend why you did what you did • Memorise your contribution • Develop your own critical reading of the thesis – be prepared to talk about how you would do it differently, what the limitations are; what your future plans might be • Write well – edit your work – responsibility of the examiner to ensure the thesis reflects the standard expected for doctoral work.

7. And finally, my codicil • I can only speak from my experience – I do not want to catch you out or trip you up – I want to hear about your work and give you the opportunity to convince me it is a PhD thesis – I want a dialogue not a cross examination • Chose your external with care….