by Prof. (Dr.) Manmohan Prakash
Is India’s PhD viva voce still a rigorous academic evaluation or merely a ceremonial formality? Explore the challenges, credibility concerns, and reforms needed to strengthen doctoral research and higher education standards.
The True Purpose of a PhD
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is regarded as one of the highest academic qualifications in higher education. Its purpose is not merely to confer a degree but to generate new knowledge, critically re-examine established theories, and demonstrate a scholar’s independent intellectual capability. After years of study, experimentation, surveys, and analysis, a researcher attempts to establish through the dissertation that they have made an original contribution to the existing body of knowledge. Therefore, the true value of a PhD lies not in the certificate itself but in the credibility it commands.
Why the Credibility of the PhD Is Being Questioned
However, this very credibility is increasingly being questioned. There was a time when a PhD was considered a strong qualification for academic and professional employment. Today, the situation has changed considerably. The rapid increase in the number of PhD holders, concerns about the quality of research, and limited employment opportunities have altered the perception of this degree among both society and academic institutions. This raises an important question: Is the problem with the PhD degree itself, or with the process by which it is evaluated?
Can the Originality of Research Really Be Verified?
Under the present system, the PhD is fundamentally based on the doctoral dissertation. Yet, there is no infallible mechanism to ensure that the submitted research is entirely the candidate’s original intellectual work. Although plagiarism-detection software is widely used, the era of artificial intelligence has also produced sophisticated tools capable of paraphrasing borrowed text so effectively that it appears original. Likewise, the originality certificate signed by the researcher and the supervisor ultimately remains little more than an ethical declaration whose authenticity can rarely be independently verified.
The Viva Voce: The Final Test of a Researcher
The dissertation is evaluated by external examiners, and upon their recommendation, the final stage of assessment is the viva voce (oral examination). In principle, this is the stage at which the candidate’s depth of subject knowledge, understanding of research methodology, authenticity of findings, logical reasoning, and originality of thought should be rigorously examined. In other words, the viva evaluates not merely the dissertation but the researcher as well.
The viva should determine how the research was conducted, when and where it was undertaken, what literature was consulted, why and how the research problem was selected, which research methodologies were employed, how these methods were standardized for laboratory or field investigations, what significant findings emerged, how these findings were interpreted, what elements of novelty the work contains, how it differs from previous studies, what contribution it makes to the discipline or society, what practical difficulties the researcher encountered during the investigation, and, ultimately, what genuinely original contribution justifies the award of a doctoral degree.
Has the Viva Become Merely a Formality?
The most fundamental question arises when we consider that the viva is the final and decisive examination of a PhD, where the candidate and the examiner interact face to face. Why, then, are there so few instances in Indian universities where a candidate has been denied the degree solely because of an unsatisfactory viva or has been asked to reappear after further preparation?
Years of experience suggest that almost every viva ultimately ends successfully and quickly transforms into a celebratory event. In many cases, candidates do not even wait for the university to officially declare the final result. Perhaps there is little reason to wait when the outcome is almost always certain.
If virtually every candidate passes the viva, it suggests one of two possibilities: either all doctoral candidates are extraordinarily competent, or the viva has gradually shifted from being a rigorous academic examination to becoming a mere formality that endorses an already predetermined outcome. Determining which of these explanations is closer to reality deserves serious academic reflection.
The Changing Nature of the Viva Examination
The format of the viva itself has also undergone significant changes. Instead of rigorous questioning, a substantial portion of the examination is now devoted to a PowerPoint presentation prepared in advance. In many cases, candidates simply read through their presentation, while the external examiner has already studied the dissertation beforehand. Consequently, the actual examination—which should be based on spontaneous responses to probing questions—occupies only a limited portion of the allotted time. Such a practice weakens the very purpose for which the viva was originally conceived.
When Hospitality Overshadows Academic Evaluation
There is another irony that receives little attention. Before the viva, both the researcher and the supervisor often appear more concerned about ensuring that the external examiner receives proper hospitality—including accommodation, meals, local transportation, and other logistical arrangements—than about the quality of the academic evaluation itself.
When the quality of hospitality begins to receive greater attention than the quality of scholarship, it cannot be regarded as a healthy sign for any academic system. The atmosphere surrounding the final evaluation of knowledge should be sufficiently impartial that personal contact, hospitality, or informal influence has no bearing on the assessment.
Reforms Needed to Restore Credibility
If the viva is to regain its academic significance, certain fundamental reforms are essential.
Maintain Examiner Confidentiality
The identity of the external examiner should remain confidential until the final stage. All arrangements relating to accommodation, travel, meals, and logistics should be managed exclusively by the university, thereby minimizing direct interaction between the candidate, the supervisor, and the examiner.
Introduce Minimum Performance Standards
Minimum academic standards for the viva should be formally prescribed. For instance, the examiner may be required to ask at least twenty substantive questions directly related to the dissertation, and the candidate should be required to answer a specified minimum number (perhaps 50 percent) satisfactorily. If the candidate fails to do so, an opportunity to reappear after an appropriate interval may be granted. Such a system would substantially enhance both the credibility and the academic dignity of the viva examination.
Digitally Record and Independently Review Every Viva
In today’s digital era, it is neither difficult nor expensive to create a complete digital record of the viva proceedings. Every question asked, every answer given, and every observation made by the examiner can be securely preserved. Although many universities already maintain such records, they are rarely subjected to independent academic review before the PhD degree is finally awarded. Making an impartial review of these recordings mandatory would significantly improve transparency and accountability. The greater the transparency, the stronger the credibility of the doctoral degree.
The Way Forward
My purpose here is not to advocate the abolition of the viva voce. Rather, I argue that it should reclaim its original purpose. The viva should not remain merely a ceremonial confirmation of the dissertation but should function as a fair and rigorous assessment of the researcher’s intellectual preparedness, command of the subject, originality of thought, and analytical ability.
The prestige of a PhD is determined not by the number of pages in the dissertation but by the credibility of its evaluation. If the viva is truly the final examination of doctoral research, it must embody the seriousness, transparency, and accountability expected of any genuine examination. Otherwise, it risks becoming little more than a ceremonial ritual preceding the conferment of the degree.
Conclusion
This issue extends beyond individual universities; it concerns the credibility of India’s entire higher education system. It therefore deserves serious consideration by academicians, universities, research institutions, funding agencies, regulators, and higher education policymakers alike. Ensuring that the PhD viva remains a rigorous and transparent academic evaluation is essential not only for preserving the value of the doctoral degree but also for strengthening the integrity and global reputation of Indian research.
