Thank you H. That is a very good idea. The only problem is, I haven't yet selected those 8 people. There are 32 people showing interest at the moment, I want to send this proposal to those who wants to take part, too. So I have been refering to the people with numbers (Artist #1, Engineer #3 etc...) so far.

I will be undertaking a small practice-based project within my main research. It will involve collaboration with 8 other people. I am writing this down as a proposal at the moment, describing everyone's tasks and the main events. Every now and then, I need to include myself in the text and talk about what I'll be doing, as a third person. I cannot think of anything but "researcher". Any ideas? How would you refer to yourself?

Hmmm... obviously it didn't :-) (I tried to add an image tag, but maybe it wasn't allowed...)

That's a good idea H. Let's see if this will work:

There are many... But one of the films I can never forget is Institute Benjamenta directed by Brothers Quay.

Yes, I have the SCONUL card and I have joined a few libraries near where I live, and my University's library services and access to online journals aren't too bad. My biggest problem is to get access to computer labs, some devices that I cannot afford to buy, and the meeting rooms where I can arrange user-feedback exercises. I had to hire a room for the last one I carried out, and my university refuses to pay for any resources that they already have. But it is not possible for me to all the way to my university for everything, because one other thing I cannot claim expenses for is to travel to my university town from where I live. They are ready to pay for any other travel to other destinations. Very strange dilemma.

Thank you Ann. If only there wasn't this much Bureaucracy involved, it would be easier to get access to resources at other Universities near me. / Freddy, is your PhD practice-based? How often do you go and see your supervisors? Have you tried getting access to resources at other universities, without being officially involved (i.e. without external supervisors at that institute, or only informal collaboration with another PhD student etc.)

Thank you very much for the replies. I will try the npc site. / Yes I totally agree, chats over a coffee, even few words by bumping into your supervisor or someone from the department in the corridor makes a lot of difference. I was at the University on my first year, and I really miss being part of a research environment.

In that case, can you please reply to my post too, please PostgradForum Team? Nobody replied and I still couldn't find any other forums. :-( http://www.findaphd.com/students/showmessage.asp?thread=3819&cat=4&threadpage=2&newview=1

It looks like I won't get any replies here. :-( Can anyone suggest any other forums I can ask this question? I tried the msn group from the chat link on this site, no replies over there either. Thank you...

I didn't get any replies, so I wanted to bump up the thread by replying to it.

Hi. Recently I've been experiencing some difficulties with regards to getting access to research environments and resources. I've tried getting help by contacting other people who's already done or still undertaking their PhDs. However, I've never met anyone who is in the same situation as me. If you are a full-time PhD student working away from your University on your own, I would love to get in touch and share some views. My research is practice-based, but even if you are doing theory-only PhD, it would be nice to hear from you. Thank you...

Thank you hillyg. I never thought about asking questions to be honest. What is the best way of asking questions to the audience? Do you have any experience of doing this? Can I simply ask them their opinion about certain issues about my research? (Or have I misunderstood you, perhaps you meant throwing my research questions to be discussed?).

Don't worry. It is possible. You might even find yourself trying to get rid of some of the work on the 9th day because you wrote far too many words. If you take notes and list the references directly onto a computer file while you read the articles, most of the time-consuming work can be done before you start writing. Good luck.

That sounds like a good idea Ann. Thanks...