A Specific Guide to the PhD Dissertation VIVA

Abstract

The day of your VIVA is probably one of the most important and stressful days in the life of a PhD student. Students are often assaulted by manifold questions: “how will it work?” “Who will be there?”, “how will I feel?”, “how do I summarise my full PhD thesis in a few slides?”, “what if I do not know how to answer a question from the panel?”. This workshop addresses all those questions in a practical way. Setting from our personal experience as PhD students, the talk will focus on the dos and don’ts to bear in mind during one of the most important talks in a student’s academic life and will provide some tips for the preparation and delivery of the viva, paying special attention to the differences and specific requirements in literature and linguistics.