Niobium doped 8YSZ ceramics were prepared by sol-gel synthesis. The mixtures were calcined, compacted into cylindrical pellets, sintered and evaluated for phase stability, microstructure and electrical conductivity. Tetragonal, monoclinic and cubic phases were present, however the trend for phase seems to be erratic for the studied samples. The increasing Nb content appears to improve the morphology by increasing densification. It is noted that increasing Nb content also increases oxide conductivity. The best conductivity belongs to 1.0% mol Nb, with a value of 8.013 x 10-6 (Ωcm)-1. Increasing Nb content beyond 1.0% mol has detrimental effect on morphology and ionic conductivity.