ABSTRACT
Some countries do not use the viva voce system as part of the examination so we have placed this chapter near the end of the book. The book’s final chapter (Chapter 8), on the examiners’ roles after the viva, both immediate and longer term, does apply to systems that do not use the oral examination, and some readers may wish to jump to that part of the book. In many countries, vivas (either public or private) are an important part of the doctoral examination process. They give the student a chance to bring their thesis to life; they give the examiners an opportunity to seek clarification, justification and elaboration. This chapter argues that those are the main purposes of a viva: it is not a ‘defence’ as some UK examiners have called it, nor is it a ‘defense’ as it is characterised in the USA. The chapter discusses the reasons for the viva, its conduct and its likely content. As Tinkler and Jackson (2002) first put it, the examination by viva voce (live voice) is of critical importance for two reasons: first, it is a site of decision making and second, the viva experience has an important influence on students’ perceptions of academia.
