It hasn't been invalidated, though. You've passed on the strength of your work and you now need to jump through an annoying hoop as you said, to pick up the credit for it. I'm afraid academia is not a field in which many people retain complete 'artistic control', certainly not at PhD level!

I mean, you certainly should have asked to go back and clarify what they meant. If they say something in your viva you disagree with, you're supposed to discuss it and defend your work - that's the point of the viva.

I don't think it's being too polite. Perhaps a lack of confidence in your own work? This is just very strange to me, because surely you knew you weren't following a standard thesis format and therefore have some reason for doing so. I'm not sure why you weren't prepared for them to comment, or with a response in place.

I guess, basically, what I'm saying is ... yes, it sucks that you disagree with your examiners. But, you've missed the opportunity to discuss your issue with that particular concern of theirs.

Just do the corrections how they want them, and move on.

Frankly, it seems a little arrogant to me that you think your way of presenting your work is better than the standard - it's a typical layout for a reason, and that reason is to make it easier for your work to be dissipated to and consumed by others.

Whenever I read papers/articles/theses that don't use a typical Background, Method, Results, Discussion, Conclusions format I get really annoyed as it makes it harder for me as a researcher to find the information I'm looking for. If I'm looking at your thesis because it might be able to inform my research, I want to be able to find the background material without having to read the whole book.

Yes, the thesis format is designed to make it easy for the examiners to see if you have performed your research well. Nothing like a book. The monograph is another beast altogether.

I was actually given major revisions in order to rewrite it as a book! They wanted a book there and then and no amount of explaining that this is a thesis not a book could get through to them. As I rewrote their poxy changes in 5 weeks it's a very crap book ;-) As someone else pointed out though OP it really doesn't matter because now the university owns a very crap thesis from me and I get to use my original thesis for my publications without worrying about self-plagiarism. It's actually worked out for the best in that sense. I've managed to get publications in high ranking journals very quickly using the version the examiners made me rewrite. I understand how you feel about this because I've been there and done it too but you just have to play along for now and then do your own thing afterwards. It was heartbreaking being made to dumb it down and rip it apart but I had to do it because it's a court with no appeals. Just do it and then do your publications as you please (and, yup, you might be asked to revise for publications too but it's your decision then whether the reviewers have a point or take it elsewhere). Publications are entirely different IMO and much more fun.

I've just checked my old Universitiy's regulations and guidelines. I have to concede in the case of my old University, you're right!!!

This is all it says, quote:

--------

In a single volume thesis, material should be arr anged in the following
sequence:

An outer front and back cover
A Title page
An Abstract of the thesis (on a separate page)
List of contents
List of tables and figures
List of accompanying material
Preface
Acknowledgement(s)
Author’s declaration
Text, divided into chapters, sections and subsections
Appendices (in single volume thesis)
Glossary
List of references
Bibliography
Index

--------

That said, I'd still just do as the examiners say and get the damn thing finished with.

I get where you're at, as your head is still in hotwired mode with the thesis and the viva being so recent. However, people here are telling you to just do what the examiners want.

Once you hand over your hardbound copy and begin to wind down, you'l see the wisdom of these words. Just don't blow it now by resisting and finding yourself without a PhD.

Ian

Rewrite it as a book??

That goes against the norm for sure. But sticking to point, it that's what they wanted, so be it!!!

Ian

I'm not at all saying it is "better" than anyone else's - it all depends on discipline, topic and specific data. Mine is ethnography, I.e It is per se more narrative n style and more 'vague' in terms of methodology and results than say, a quantitative study. imo it is doubtful whether ethnography counts as a 'scientific' practice in the conventional sense at all, but that is certainly a different discussion. But I'm not going off on one because I think I'm above the 'law', but because I had a good reason to structure the thesis as I did (which I clearly state). I don't want to go too far into the details so I don't identify myself, but let's just say that the traditional research report format has implications as to hoow you define and what you can say about yor object of study, and I was trying to question these very assumptions.

JStanley, we just cannot win, can we :-)

Ian, yeah I hear you and everyone else. I guess it's a matter of, bite the bullet now and change the system from the inside later :-) i will remember this in case I ever get unleashed on a Phd student...

Venting here definitely helps!

Oh, Ian, don't even get me started on my actual viva. There was nothing normal about any of it from the extern asking me personal questions (can't say too much as don't want to identify myself) to the internal contacting me two weeks prior to viva saying everything was great and then proceeding to heap on more corrections than the extern in the viva (at least your intern was on your side, thxht!) It was an absolute farce so I too am very disillusioned with the examination system. However, even though we all knew I had very good grounds for complaint (I recorded a conversation with the internal afterwards where they gave some very revealing info which I could make a serious complaint about) we still decided it was best to just do the corrections and get that piece of paper that says I have a PhD because otherwise who knows how long it would have dragged on for. Makes a mockery of the whole thing but, listen, thxht, all that matters is getting that piece of paper and then doing your thing later. If your viva was like mine rest assured that this is not a reflection on your work but just the judgement of a goon gone dizzy on power. Better times ahead for you :-) All the best.

Thank you JStanley - I'm glad you emerged with your sanity intact :-)