This document provides advice and information for completing a PhD degree. It discusses starting a PhD project, making progress, managing supervisors through weekly meetings, and dos and don'ts. It also covers writing a thesis, including managing language barriers and timelines. Finally, it outlines the viva voce exam process, including the purpose and roles of examiners and using one's thesis to defend their work. The overall document aims to guide and support PhD candidates through their degree.

2. About Me
• Malaysian, married, 2 kids.
• Lecturer at a Public University in
Malaysia
• 1st degree in Management
Information System
• 2nd degree in Software Engineering
(by coursework)
• PhD candidate in Knowledge
Engineering Systems Group,
Cardiff School of
Engineering, Cardiff University
(started 2008).
– Professor Rossi Setchi
– Dr Yulia A Hicks

3. Outline
• PhD Project
– Starting a PhD
– Making Progress
– Weekly Meetings
– Do’s and Don’ts
• Thesis
– Do’s and Don’ts
• Viva
– What?
– Who?
– Purpose of Viva
– Your thesis is your best friend

4. PHD
PROJECT

5. What is PhD?
• PhD is not a destination, it is a JOURNEY.
• Ability to research anything, and the
expectation that you will understand it.
• You should be more likely to ask why
things are done a certain why, and how it
could be made better – analytical thinking.
• You can jump into a new area, pick it up
quickly, and have something interesting to
say about it.

6. Starting a PhD
• How to start?
i. Find a problem
ii. Understand the background
iii. Knows what already being done
iv. Find the gaps
v. Design solution
vi. Evaluate & Validate
vii. Write
viii. Get agreement **
• Plan your work - Get milestones - Stick to it
• Break big task into micro tasks – focus on small
pieces, one at a time.

7. Making Progress
• Progress is measure by OUTPUT, not time.
– Experiment results, publications.
• There are no rules on how to allocate time
for research.
– If you don’t know whether you are making
‘enough’ progress, ask.
• Do not waste your time & energy on
problems
– Focus on solutions.
• Do not compare your progress with others
– Every research is unique.

8. Weekly Meetings
• What is our job? Nothing.
– You are not reporting your job. You’re working for yourself.
• Weekly meetings can be very helpful
– It’s OK if you have nothing substantial to report, but don’t
make it a habit.
• Use this OPPORTUNITY to discuss issues and potentials.
• Prepare for your meetings
– Think about the best way to explain things
– Provides the evidences/references
• Start from the beginning
– Checking up where your SV is according to your
research, what your SV remember
– Present in logical sequence, slowly.
• A good exercise to explain about your research.

9. Managing your Supervisor
• Considers the relationship as a LONG-
TERM, PROFESSIONAL one.
• Build trust – be honest
• Build confidence
• Build a good, working relationship
• Keep promises
• Share information
• Clarify expectations

10. Managing your Supervisor
• What they expect from you:
– Show initiative, be proactive etc. basically be
independent – these are key to doing PhD
research in the social sciences
– Be honest about how things are going
– Produce quality written work that is not a first
draft
– Meet deadlines (or explain why not)
– Meet regularly to discuss your progress
– Be keen & enthusiastic
– Listen to their advice. **
– Tell them what you are learning
– Teach them something new

11. Managing you Supervisor
• What you can expect from them:
– Regular, constructive criticism on your written
work
– Guidance, suggestions and ideas for research
direction/opportunities
– Advice at each stage of the project
– Support
– Some (though probably not too much!)
direction

12. Do’s and Don’ts
• DON’T leave the responsibility for your project to
others.
• DON’T spend long hours in office/lab for the sake
of it.
• DON’T be alone. Talk to others about your
problems.
• DO get support from other PhD students.
• DO give support to other PhD students.
• DO take every opportunity to practice and learn.
• DO get a life. Enjoy your ‘play time’.

13. THESIS

14. What?
• MYTHS:
– Being able to write well is a gift
– Writing is just a question of getting down what you
know, it will all come together the time comes.
– Writing is what you do at the end, that's why it is
called 'writing up‘.
• Write early, write often.
• NEVER underestimate how long it will take to
write up.

15. Not good in English?
• Use all opportunities to learn English
• Get professional help
– Remember, it isn’t your supervisor’s job to
proof read what you write.
• They only have a limited time available for
you - try to use that time to most effect.
• Get advice about your PhD, not your
English.

17. VIVA

18. What?
• Viva voce (Latin phrase)
– oral examination (a thesis defence).
• To enable examiners to assure themselves
that the thesis is the candidate’s own work.
• To give candidate the opportunity to defend
the thesis & clarify any obscurities in it.
• To assess whether the thesis is of high
standard to merit the award.

19. Who?
• 1 external examiner
• 1 internal examiner
• Chairperson - ensure that the examination
is conducted in line with University
regulations and he/she is not there to
examine
• Supervisor(s) - moral support

20. Purpose of Viva
• Did you do the work yourself?
• Have you done the reading?
• Do you have a good knowledge of the field?
• Did you write the thesis yourself?
• Can you do research independently?
• Can you teach the subject?
• Can you talk about it professionally?
• Have you contributed to knowledge?
• Did you learn anything?

21. Your thesis is your best friend
• Know your thesis very well
• Re-read your thesis carefully
• If you find any mistakes, don’t panic, but
make a note of it
• Identify the originality of your work
• Identify the contribution to knowledge in
your field study
• Identify the strengths & weaknesses and
make a note of them

22. The Presentation
• Explain the significance of your work
• Organise your presentation clearly and
simply
• Use body language effectively
• Speak slowly and clearly
• Maintain eye contact
• Make effective conclusion
• Summarize & close

23. You are not ALONE!
www.phdcomics.com

24. “The only way to
find out how to
do a PhD is to
do one.
Therefore all
advice is

25. References
• Mihir Bellare http://cseweb.ucsd.edu/~mihir/phd.html
• Richard Butterworth
http://public.randomnotes.org/richard/PhDtalk.html
• Alex Hope
http://drsustainable.wordpress.com/2012/05/25/experiences-as-a-
phd-student/
• Matt Schonlau, How to finish a Ph.D.
http://www.schonlau.net/finishphd.html
• PhD Comics http://www.phdcomics.com