I'm confused now. I have my viva in 3 weeks' time and everywhere I read about original contribution it says that it can be as simple as an application of a concept to a new context, or examination of an already existing model? So what did you say your contribution was in the end? In what way were you evaluative and critical? Of the literature and the field or....? I'm sorry if this is a stupid question, just trying to understand and learn while I still can.

P.S. I've read quite a lot of viva accounts on this forum and every time somebody is actually thinking 'that might be fun, I'm looking onward ti it' it goes downhill.

Had my Viva last Friday (Halloween Eve) and the calendar setting end up being quite appropriate! I posted about it on another thread.

Its nice to hear and read some positive account for revise and resubmit. At the moment, my biggest worry is the fees that the University will attempt to charge - especially given that they are trying to increase their student led funding these days in account for reduced government funding.

I am not in the position to pay the year fees (£4000) and would feel even worse if i had to take a loan from either the bank/my parents to account for my perceived failure. If faced with that choice, i think i would just not bother, sadly.

Sorry I got to this late. I hope it went well.

With regard to original contribution: both 'application of a new concept' and 'examination of an existing model' are original. My problem was that I did neither in my thesis. There was nothing critical (evaluative) in my thesis. Instead, I had unearthed a lot of new information and written it down. It was a digging exercise. 2 years on I do get it. Factual discovery is not OK in the social sciences.

With regard to my own experience: my examiners (sort of) took pity on me. They saw that an enormous amount of work had gone into the 'digging exercise' and told me to make it critical. That gave me three months of pure hell - evaluating what I found. The task was made much easier by the fact that they gave me detailed corrections. In fact they basically told me what to do (e.g. 'be critical at point X').

Also, I was in post by the time I took my viva. I was on a temporary contract and so if I'd not passed, I'd probably have lost my job. Who knows, that might have been a factor.

Keep us updated. This also happened to my friend recently.

I also barely made it. I wrote up in limited time, and under a lot of pressure. The viva was challenging, and they recommended lots of revisions, but somehow, they recommended pass with minor corrections. I knew things weren't going well when the external said perhaps I should remove the main chapter. I thought this would mean major. But they told me to remove the main chapter, and make adjustments to the rest. The reason for removing the main chapter is the wrong framework. It didn’t make sense to the external, or I couldn’t explain it well. To be honest, having finished the corrections, I understand what was the problem there. I think I got minor corrections because I had another chapter that used the right framework to back up the arguments in the main chapter. I think that if I hadn’t had this additional chapter, the outcome could have been major corrections because I would have to come up with a new skeleton for the work.

Thanks for sharing this TheGoodShip, it's been two years since you've written this and it is still very relevant!

Thanks all.

The funny thing is that I have never really left this thesis behind. Even though it was not a very good critical argument, it did contain many, many hours of research. One way of looking at it is to say that it was 'raw data'. That is, I had masses of uncritically analysed research.

I have now written two articles based on thesis, although only one is published. They certainly contain critical argument now. I learnt that lesson the hard way.

Just to let you all know, I ended up resubmitting the completed, revised thesis in February 2017. The resubmission was accepted without corrections (i am not sure they really read it), and i graduated just this week.

I am done with the PhD, with a slightly bitter taste in my mouth, but i leave having achieved what i said i would - albeit with a slight detour.

My plans are now what they were a year before - to go travelling to South America with my girlfriend. We are off next month for three months.

Looking back at the whole thing now, there were positives from having to do the extra year. My pride and confidence took a massive hit, but there were other things in my life that gave me benefit - be that friends, experiences had over the year, or the opportunity to work on the PhD part time while working part time at the University to save money for my upcoming travels. As was said to me, perhaps it happened for a reason.

So to anybody else that comes across this in a similar position. There is light at the end of the tunnel! Hold on, you will get there :)

Umma08 - I glad you got to the end with a slight detour! I read that candidates who actually make it to the second submission normally make it. The problem is that it can be so disheartening that people often just drop out after they don't make the first viva. It is certainly the experience of a lifetime!

Help me keep this thread going with tips etc. I sort of want to get some the key messages 'out there'.

Congratulations on completing your Viva on ! Your timing definitely added an interesting touch to the occasion. Your positive perspective on the revise and resubmit process is refreshing and encouraging.

Concerns about university fees are understandable, particularly with the changes in funding dynamics. It's essential to explore options like financial assistance or payment plans before making any decisions. Remember, seeking support doesn't equate to failure. Your dedication got you this far—keep considering all choices available to you. Best of luck! 🎓💪📚`