Reading List for Research Degree Examiners

Reading List for Research Degree Examiners

There is as you might expect a growing body of research on both the examination process as a whole and specifically the viva.  This is a selection of some of the key articles:

The Examination Process

Grabbe, L. L. (2003) “The trials of being a PhD external examiner”, Quality Assurance in Education, 11.2: 128-33.

Johnston, S. (1997) “Examining the Examiners: an analysis of examiners' reports on doctoral theses”, Studies in Higher Education, 22.3: 333-348.

Morley, L., Leonard, D. & David, M. (2003) “Quality and equality in British PhD assessment”, Quality Assurance in Education, 11.2: 64-72

Mullins G. & Kiley M. (2002) “It's a PhD, not a Nobel Prize': how experienced examiners assess research theses”, Studies in Higher Education, 27.4: 369-386.
 
Powell, S. & McCauley, C. (2003) “The process of examining research degrees: some issues of quality”, Quality Assurance in Education, 11.2: 73-83.

Tinkler, P. & Jackson, C. (2000) “Examining the Doctorate: Institutional policy and the PhD examination process in the UK”, Studies in Higher Education, 25.2: 167-180.
 
The Viva

Burnham, P. (1994) “Surviving the viva: unravelling the mystery of the PhD oral”, Journal of Graduate Education, 1: 30-34.

Jackson, C. & Tinkler, P. (2001) “Back to Basics: a consideration of the purposes of the PhD viva”, Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 26.4: 355-366.

 

Further, some subject areas produce helpful publications which address examining a thesis in specific subject disciplines.  For example:

Guidelines for Assessment of the PhD in Psychology and Related Disciplines