Hi. I have read few articles online on pre-viva anxiety & now I think I’m suffering from the same. Actually, my doctoral viva is scheduled after 3 months, so basically got a less time to prepare. And reading all those, I were nodding in positive. Can you guys just tell me how to deal with such state of mind? Any tips for preparation is appreciated. Thanks.
I am pursuing PhD in English literature. And it’s my 3rd year when I have started writing dissertation. But I think I should have started doing it earlier, since literature is very broad and I’m all trapped here. Please advise me what shall I do to not to lose my important notes and all those things which I’m thinking to do in my dissertation writing?
You never heard of Mendeley? To keep soft copies of all of academic notes and journals, Mendeley app is perfect. It will make your systematic research organized. I have been using it for two years and found it helpful for researchers like us.
Hi. You should draft a plan of writing dissertation first like how much time you shall take for writing the introduction, literature review, methodology, findings, evaluation, conclusion etc based on type of your research. It will also save your time since. It’s an old advice but helping.
It’s not easy to draft a writing plan. I don’t think any researcher can follow it easily as it take a lot of time and the whole scheduled plan becomes a mess. We can’t predict if we would be able to complete introduction or literature review within 3 months or 6 months. But since you advised me. Thanks.
Always ask yourself some chief questions like how long the dissertation should be? What my title of dissertation demands? What should I do to justify arguments? Middle, beginning are clear and content is in flow or not? And many more questions that can be raised. Try to answer them with your writing. Avoid writing anything manually; instead type even the small hints or important points.
@ brad grey But why? I have a habit of pen and paper. I’m writing important points first on paper then will type it over. Otherwise I might get lost in typing and so. Also, when typing it later, there is a possibility of getting improved every time.
@Danny Avoid it because each chapter of Humanities dissertation generally consist 40-50 double spaced pages. Do not make it more hectic for you to write and type simultaneously. As you said, English literature is already very broad; it involves theories and criticism. I would recommend the same I said earlier.
Just adding another point here which may sound drastic but is effective. Always write your introduction at last when you are done with your entire dissertation because till then you will get a clear cut idea of what your dissertation targets and what you must introduce first.
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Discuss your Dissertation 
terry 11:55 am on December 9, 2016 Permalink |
Let me tell you what my examiner said to me during viva on the very first moment. He told me that he wants me to pass the viva so I should not get nervous or restless. He even warned me to not to change his mind. Did you get what he and I mean?
Peter 12:00 pm on December 12, 2016 Permalink |
Opt for the experienced examiners once provided choice. Experienced ones would make less tough for you to answer because they are already aware of your expertise. On the contrary, inexperienced examiners would ask each and everything which might give you a hard time.
danny54460 1:58 am on December 10, 2016 Permalink |
@Terry Of course, I understand what you mean. Anyway, had you passed your viva then?
Roger 11:51 am on December 19, 2016 Permalink |
I had the same anxiety but mine wasn’t due to reading or something. Past viva experiences was the reason. I would suggest be positive and surround you with positivity. Keep yourself motivated, confident of your thesis; challenge your examiner since you are the expert of your paper. You can answer any question raised related to your thesis.