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Exercises Aimed to Help You Ace the Viva

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How to Ace Final Defense or Viva Voce’

http://doctoralnet.com

Let’s figure out whose in the

room

Raise your hand if you go to the following school….

• Business School• Engineering & Computing

– School of Computing– School of Electronic Engineeri

ng– School of Mechanical & Manuf

acturing Engineering

• Humanities & Social Sciences– School of Applied Language &

Intercultural Studies– School of Communications– School of Education Studies– School of Law & Government– Fiontar

• Science & HealthSchool of Biotechnology

• Chemical Sciences• Health

& Human Performance• Mathematical Sciences• Nursing & Human Sciences• Physical Sciences• Oscail

- DCU Online Education

Let’s figure out whose in the

room

Raise your hand for all the ones that are true….

1. You have already submitted your “final” full draft thesis to:

1. Your supervisor, 2. You examiners are approved3. Your soft bound copy has been

accepted by registry (they send it to examiners)

4. You’re in the stage of waiting 6 weeks

5. Perhaps the university has set up a final defense or viva

6. if not then have you asked your supervisor who will set up your date?

How long have you been on this journey?

1. You were successful in getting to this point in: a) 2 years? b) 3 years? c) 4 years? d) More?

How prepared do you feel?2. You: a) feel you have a good

understanding of the “endgame”? b) are confused a bit about the “endgame”? c) Have heard all sorts of stories and are concerned about “endgame.”

Remember your examination is the schools responsibility! This is a process you go through but you don’t need to manage it.

Steps/Agenda1. The range of

questions you might expect to hear when defending”

2. Questions you may want to ask before the day

3. How are theses/ dissertations evaluated?

4. What can you do to make sure yours meets these criteria?INTERVAL

The range you might expect when defending”

Range of Experiences

Manage the expectations of your family & friends – the question most likely is how much work will still be required?

1. DCU has 6 possible outcomes: 1. Award recommended no corrections needed2. Award recommended: corrections revisions required

1. Some will require another layer of validation3. No award now pending another viva after revisions4. Recommended to withdraw for another masters OR major revisions

for another viva5. Strong recommendation for Masters6. No degree should be awarded (very rare).

2. It is YOUR responsibility not to leave confused about what is next to be expected of you.

3. Questions can be mild to in depth, from knowledgeable to “where did that come from?”

4. Examiners can be polite, encouraging to strict or hostile feeling.

Range of Questions

Value-added and originality1. What are the most original (or value-added) parts of your thesis?2. Which propositions or findings would you say are distinctively your own?3. How do you think your work takes forward or develops the literature in this field?4. What are the ‘bottom line’ conclusions of your research? How innovative or valuable are

they? What does your work tell us that we did not know before?5. Origins and the scope of the research6. Can you explain how you came to choose this topic for your doctorate What was it that

first interested you about it? How did the research focus change over time?7. Why have you defined the final topic in the way you did? What were some of the

difficulties you encountered and how did they influence how the topic was framed? What main problems or issues did you have in deciding what was in-scope and out-of-scope?

Methods8. What are the core methods used in this thesis? Why did you choose this approach? In an

ideal world, are there different techniques or other forms of data and evidence that you’d have liked to use?

9. Data or information10. What are the main sources or kinds of evidence? Are they strong enough in terms of their

quantity and quality to sustain the conclusions that you draw? Do the data or information you consider appropriately measure or relate to the theoretical concepts, or underlying social or physical phenomena, that you are interested in?

Dunleavey, P. (2013). Top ten questions for the PhD oral exam. Retrieved from https://medium.com/advice-and-help-in-authoring-a-phd-or-non-fiction/c3687cc75962

Range of Questions.2FindingsHow do your findings fit with or contradict the rest of the literature in this field? How do you explain the differences of findings, or estimation, or interpretation between your work and that of other authors?What next?What are the main implications or lessons of your research for the future development of work in this specific sub-field? Are there any wider implications for other parts of the discipline? Do you have ‘next step’ or follow-on research projects in mind?

James, E. A. (2014). Writing your doctoral dissertation or thesis faster : A proven map to success (H. Salmon Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA, USA: Sage Publishing.

Be prepared to discuss your empirical work – is it verifiable?Have you delimited your scope?What are the assumptions you made before you started and how did they influence your outcomes?Are these assumptions acceptable within your field? Can you give an example of who else has worked with or mentioned them?What scales operationalize your variables? How do you know they are valid?What are your findings in terms of effect size?For quantitative evidence – take us through your test(s) of power.For qualitative evidence – take us through the process through which you developed/triangulated your themes.

Questions you may want to ask before the day

Answers You’ll Need

1. What guidelines are you writing to and how strict will the examiners be?2. Who/ How Many Examiners Will There Be? 2+ Chair + supervisor

with their permission – useful to take notes3. Will they expect a presentation or overview or will they just jump

in?4. Can you make changes or work at improving your document after

you turn it in?5. Will you hear the results at the end? Will known recommendation –

required changes will follow in 7 day6. If you have required revisions – how long do you have to complete

them? 6 week, 6 months or 1 year Prioritize these7. What is the endgame if you have to turn in revisions? Who judges

them? How long before you hear results.2?8. What are the steps for publication afterwards?9. No copyediting – corrections back to examiner for sign off 10. Hardcopy to registry – Softcopy/digital to supervisor and

for Doras- open repository

Lovitts, B. E. (2005). How to grade a dissertation. Academe, 91(6), 18-23.

How are theses/ dissertations evaluated?

http://doctoralnet.com

EvaluationWhat Makes for Outstanding?• Original and significant, ambitious, brilliant, clear, clever,

coherent, compelling, concise, creative, elegant, engaging, exciting, interesting, insightful, persuasive, sophisticated, surprising, and thoughtful

• Very well written and organized• Synthetic and interdisciplinary• Connects components in a seamless way• Exhibits mature, independent thinking• Has a point of view and a strong, confident, independent, and

authoritative voice• Asks new questions or addresses an important question or

problem• Clearly states the problem and why it is important• Displays a deep understanding of a massive amount of

complicated literature• Exhibits command and authority over the material• Argument is focused, logical, rigorous, and sustained• Is theoretically sophisticated and shows a deep

understanding of theory• Has a brilliant research design• Uses or develops new tools, methods, approaches, or types

of analyses• Is thoroughly researched• Has rich data from multiple sources• Analysis is comprehensive, complete, sophisticated, and

convincing• Results are significant• Conclusion ties the whole thing together• Is publishable in top-tier journals• Is of interest to a larger community and changes the way

people think• Pushes the discipline's boundaries and opens new areas for

research

•General quality – pass at the outstanding, very good or acceptable level.•Has internal consistency•Meet the benchmarks

What is Acceptable?

• Is workmanlike• Demonstrates technical competence• Shows the ability to do research• Is not very original or significant• Is not interesting, exciting, or surprising• Displays little creativity, imagination, or insight• Writing is pedestrian and plodding• Has a weak structure and organization• Is narrow in scope• Has a question or problem that is not exciting--is

often highly derivative or an extension of the adviser's work

• Displays a narrow understanding of the field• Reviews the literature adequately--knows the

literature but is not critical of it or does not discuss what is important

• Can sustain an argument, but the argument is not imaginative complex, or convincing

• Demonstrates understanding of theory at a simple level, and theory is minimally to competently applied to the problem

• Uses standard methods• Has an unsophisticated analysis--does not explore

all possibilities and misses connections• Has predictable results that are not exciting• Makes a small contribution

What is Unacceptable?

• Is poorly written• Has spelling and grammatical errors• Has a sloppy presentation• Contains errors or mistakes• Plagiarizes or deliberately misreads or misuses

sources• Does not understand basic concepts,

processes, or conventions of the discipline• Lacks careful thought• Looks at a question or problem that is trivial weak,

unoriginal, or already solved• Does not understand or misses relevant literature• Has a weak, inconsistent, self-contradictory,

unconvincing, or invalid argument• Does not handle theory well, or theory is

missing or wrong• Relies on inappropriate or incorrect methods• Has data that are flawed, wrong, false, fudged, or

misinterpreted• Has wrong, inappropriate, incoherent, or

confused analysis• Includes results that are obvious already known,

unexplained, or misinterpreted• Has unsupported or exaggerated interpretation• Does not make a contribution•

Methods (con’t)• In alignment with the question addressed and the theory used In addition, the author demonstrates• An understanding of the methods' advantages and disadvantages• How to use the methodsComponent 5: Results or AnalysisThe analysis• Is appropriate• Aligns with the question and hypotheses raised• Shows sophistication• Is iterativeAmount and quality of data or information is• Sufficient• Well presented• Intelligently interpretedThe author also cogently expresses• The insights gained from the study• The study's limitationsComponent 6: Discussion or ConclusionThe conclusion• Summarizes the findings• Provides perspective on them• Refers back to the introduction• Ties everything together• Discusses the study's strengths and weaknesses• Discusses implications and applications for the discipline• Discusses future directions for research

Component 1: Introduction• The introduction• Includes a problem statement• Makes clear the research question to be

addressed• Describes the motivation for the study• Describes the context in which the question

arises• Summarizes the dissertation's findings• Discusses the importance of the findings• Provides a roadmap for readersComponent 2: Literature Review• The review• Is comprehensive and up to date• Shows a command of the literature• Contextualizes the problem• Includes a discussion of the literature that is

selective, synthetic, analytical, and thematicComponent 3: TheoryThe theory that is applied or developedIs appropriate• Is logically interpreted• Is well understood• Aligns with the question at handIn addition, the author shows comprehension of the theory's• Strengths• LimitationsComponent 4: MethodsThe methods applied or developed are• Appropriate• Described in detail

Where to go for help

Lovitts, B. E. (2005). How to grade a dissertation. Academe, 91(6), 18-23.

http://doctoralnet.com

Exercise:

Turn to your neighbour and give them three ways according to this list that you feel your thesis will make the outstanding mark.

What can you do to make sure yours

meets these criteria?

Thomson, P. (2014). Preparing for the PhD oral exam. Retrieved from http://patthomson.wordpress.com/2014/04/17/preparing-for-the-phd-oral-exam/

Tests and Trials•Read it all out loud! Listen for your voice.•Analyse for areas of strength and weakness

•Read up on the questions most frequently asked

•Practice so you are assured you will be:

•Confident•Non defensive•Have skills breathing when stressed

Now its your turn to share…

What questions still lurk in your brain?What are your “take aways” from today’s session?

Links of interest:Examiner report form is available at: http://www.dcu.ie/sites/default/files/registry/word/PGR6.pdf institutional repository is at : http://doras.dcu.ie/

alana@doctoralnet.com