The fact that something has been published recently does not mean that the author had the idea before you. You have presented a paper, you have developed your argument over a lengthy period of time, and you should acknowledge this in your thesis. Then, someone has published a similar theory and that publication is a further piece of evidence that you were right. Moreover, as you said, it is similar but not the same, so I would work on that.

Hi Chris! Best of luck! The only tip that I can give you is not to rush. I personally think that it's better to submit a few days later - you are not submitting for a viva after all! - but take time to build the argument appropriately and check the sources. At least, this is what I do. I am sure that you will do fine!

I agree with the above. You are doing a lot, and the reason your sup listen to you is because they value your opinions and skills. I would definitely rate your work 'above average', but it's normal to feel uncertain. I feel like you most of the time, in spite of the results that I had so far...All we can do is our best, but we also need to realise that we need to 'let it go' sometimes. That eases a lot of pressure.

Hi Tilly. You are at a very early stage. Certainly you cannot have read enough to write a literary review at this stage. Reading is a process that needs to be constantly up-dated. Secondly, what did you find out in what you have read so far? There must be things that literature doesn't cover, discrepancies, problems, etc. How do you plan to fill these gaps? Usually students' find the task of doing a PhD daunting because they focus on the big issue. Don't think about the completion. It's good to have a generic plan - which is going to evolve as you research- and then break it in small chunks. Have you ever tried mind mapping? It may be useful. You may want to look at this:
http://www.mind-map.com/mindmaps/

I don't have experience of PG studies in the Us, but I guess that there must be differences in terms of duration/requirements/training/ etc. So the main point here is to understand what you really expect to gain from a PhD in the UK or in the US. In the event of being accepted by both Universities, which one would you choose and why? And also, if you are accepted in the US, would you be prepared to move with a short notice? I don't think it's matter of annoying the people who should write you the letter of recommendation, it's part of their job, but of making sure that whatever direction you take is the right one for you and your future career.

dazednconfused you deserve it! Well done! I am sure that this is just the 1st of many.

In a new thread dazednconfused has pointed out that her essay won an ESRC competition. A big boost for her self-confidence no doubt! So this is the reason of her sudden change of mood. I think that everyone experience bad moments during their PhD. When we get recognition for what we do we realise that what we are doing is considered valuable and worthy of attention. On the contrary, it's easy to have negative feelings when we don't have feed-back or when you spend long periods 'just' reading and writing.

You are right. I definitely feel better when I dedicate time to my social life. I have an up-coming presentation and I won't feel relaxed until this is over, but I need time off and must learn to find space for leisure too. Thank you all so much for your replies/advise, which is very appreciated. I promise that I will put them into practice. I cannot stand the idea of listening to my own complaints for the next two years!

iamlittlemiss, I am in a different field, so I am not sure that my opinion worth much. However, in my Uni there are two yearly intake for PhDs, in October and January. Getting funding is extremely competitive, but there is a good possibility to get it in your 2nd year, when your project is more defined and you can show some results. I just got the AHRC and I have just started the 2nd year. I don't think that you made a stupid move, but it was a bit rushed. You cannot understand the potential of a course from the first three weeks. I personally could not have done what I am doing now without the training I got through the Masters. It was hard work, sometimes boring, but extremely valuable. I am not aware of your personal situation/ previous training, so I cannot give recommendations. Did your prospective supervisor suggest anything in this respect? I think that it would have been a good idea to discuss this issue with him/her first.

This is the point. There is a word at the back of my mind that is 'INADEQUATE'. That's how I feel, and fear that one day someone will come and tell me: 'you shouldn't be here doing this'. I can only see things as good or bad and very seldom I can see the middle-tones in situations. I tend to apply the same philosophy to the PhD. As adults we don't accept that we can do poorly or just 'o.k'. We want to do well, feel that what we do has a value not only for ourselves but also for the others. This often means that we often set too high standards and put ourselves under a lot of pressure. Because of the nature of PhD research -at least in my field- I can work for long periods of time without knowing if what I am doing is going to be useful/ good, or not. So, UNCERTAINTY is the 2nd negative word that spin around. We should learn to condition our minds with positive/ powerful messages. But this takes time and a lot of self-discipline, let alone say a positive and supportive environment.

Juno & SixKitten, we are a good team! We have a lot in common and it's nice to be able to give voice to our anxieties.I feel much better now. Thanks for your messages. Although the are many PGs around here I often feel isolated, so thanks to the Forum!

SixKitten we have a lot in common!Are you in 2nd year too? I was talking about this with one of my friends earlier on, and she thinks that it is a normal reaction and that I should learn to concentrate onto something else other then research. In a few words I should get some 'me' time, easier to say then to do.

Thanks Juno. It's really good to be able to share this. Your words are very kind and I certainly feel better now.We can only try to do our best after all, and I suppose that as I am at the beginning of year 2 it means that there will be other struggles like this in the future. I will have to learn to cope with this. I am sure that you will not need to book last minute flights to Vanatu, because the reason why you have been put in charge of this project is that you were the only person they thought capable of doing it.But I understand and share your feeling. Best of luck for your research and let me know how you get on.

Indeed you are right. I feel pretty much in the same situation. What seemed a challenge at the beginning is turning into fear of failure. Although I am in Humanities it is pretty competitive and as I am the first student who got an AHRC in years, the department has high expectations on me. Everyone seem pretty confident that I am going to write something outstanding, whilst I feel I am in the middle of the quicksand! Now I feel scared just to do a presentation to other PGs! I start to think that probably my mother was right. It would have been less problematic if I stayed home baking cakes!But I am not good at it either.

Hi Shani. Well, yes indeed I recently asked another PG to look at one of my papers and she gave me very useful feedback. The majority of her suggestions were later confirmed by my supervisor, which means that she looked at my stuff with attention. However, I think that my problem is more related to being suddenly put under the 'spot-light' and feeling inadequate as a result. I am aware of my strong points, but also very aware of my weaknesses and as I am not anymore in my 20s I find it difficult to accept that I may underperform or struggle to complete a task, etc. Also, there are higher expectations from the people around you after you start to achieve some objectives, and this adds extra pressure. I will have to learn to cope with this, but in the meantime I feel that my negative state of mind is affecting my work already. I trust that it is due to the approaching deadlines for some work that I have to submit. Hopefully it will get better afterwards.