The viva voce examination - known in the UK as the viva, and in North American doctoral systems as the thesis defence or dissertation defence - is a high-stakes oral examination with no second chance. The examiners' questions, the candidate's responses, and the examiners' deliberations constitute a scholarly record that shapes the candidate's career. Yet these proceedings are rarely documented.
The candidate's perspective
With the examiners' agreement, the candidate may record the viva. The transcript provides an exact record of every question asked and every criticism made - invaluable for revisions, for preparing the corrections required by the examiners, and for future publication strategy. The AI summary extracts: major and minor corrections required, commendations made, and suggested directions for post-doctoral work. For the research team meetings that feed into this process, see our article on research team meetings.
For supervisors and external examiners
Thesis supervisors and external examiners can use Listen to record their post-viva debrief - capturing the agreed list of corrections and the reasoning behind significant decisions. In cases where a candidate subsequently appeals an outcome, contemporaneous records of examiner deliberations are relevant evidence.
Request permission to record in your advance communication with the examination team - most UK and US institutions have no policy prohibiting candidate-initiated recording of the viva.
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