Abi Lafbery, Social Studies of Science, Technology and Medicine, Lancaster University (2020 Cohort)

After years of conducting an ethnography of outdoor swimming practice in the North West of England, where I immersed myself in water, flora, fauna, pollution, weather and climate, it all seemingly led up to this bottle neck moment on dry land: the viva. Thankfully, my viva ended with prosecco and strawberries courtesy of the department. It also left me feeling that the dreaded viva might not be so dreadful after all, and that it might just need to be demystified. In this piece, I will share my experience and some tips to help illuminate what can often feel like one of academia’s best kept secrets.

Before the viva:

My first recommendation is to allow for a little bit of time between submission and the viva. In the run up to submission, your PhD might feel more like the ‘hate’ of a love-hate relationship, and taking some space before re-engaging with your thesis might remind you that there is still some love there. I had six weeks between my submission and the viva, which meant that when I re-read my work, the majority of my negative thoughts about it were dispelled; a product of an overstimulated and tired mind. Although I unearthed a few typos (more than I’d like to admit), I felt distinctively more positive about what I had written.

The second thing, of critical importance, is your choice of examiners. My examiners were brilliant. They were very experienced and established a supportive and constructive atmosphere for our discussion. Ultimately, you want examiners who will be interested in, and critically engage with your work. This might be someone that you cite regularly (I might have been a fan girl to my examiner’s work), someone that you’ve met at a conference, or someone that your supervisors think would be a good fit, or possibly all three.

I’ve heard of many different ways in which people have been successful in preparing for their viva. Beyond googling ‘example viva questions’, I had a mock viva with my supervisors. We intentionally focussed on my ‘please don’t ask me this!’ questions, discussing how I might address these if they came up in the viva. Furthermore, I annotated a copy of my thesis with post-it notes to locate the start of chapters, where I had discussed key theories, and even where certain quotes from participants might support my overall argument. Not only did this help me refamiliarise myself with the material, it also meant I wasn’t spending my viva flicking through 300 pages in a panicked sweat.

During the viva:

On the day, I arrived at the university and found the room ahead of time. The chair introduced us all and presented the order of the viva before the questions began. These questions were largely related to the following themes: what did you do, why did you do it, how did you do it, what did you find and why do your findings matter. It may be useful to reflect on and be able to speak to the following themes:

-The literature; specifically your key publications and how your work relates to and builds upon previous research.

-The conceptual or theoretical framework, and how it supports your theoretical interpretation of the data.

-The methods, be prepared to justify all aspects of your research design and identify the strengths and limitations of your approach.

-The findings, what are your original contributions and what are the potential theoretical, empirical and policy implications of these?

Overall, my viva was a productive, challenging and fascinating conversation. There were a couple of questions which felt like a rabbit hole or a thought experiment. To give myself time to think carefully about how to address these, I took a breath and wrote the question down before speaking. There were also a couple of points raised by my examiners where I was happy to accept their constructive feedback in order to make the thesis as good as it could possibly be. Naturally, I felt pushed in places, but I think that is all part of the process. Finally, I was asked to leave the room and when I was invited back, I was told that I was a Dr. Following this, we discussed the suggested corrections, and then my examiners gave their thoughts on publication, specifically which of my thesis’s contributions might possibly work in which academic journals.

The viva is often feared and revered in equal measure; it can feel like the pinnacle of years of hard work, and it is natural to want such a labour of love to be positively received. Remember that your examiners most likely want to pass you, and that you know your work better than anyone, (probably inside out and upside down at this point). It might be daunting, but it is do-able. Best of luck!