I haven't organized conferences, but I have organized PG seminars for my dept. for a year, and I was the only person in charge. I am not sure that you can compare the two things. However, it was a lot of work: call for papers, selecting the speakers, finding right location/ equipment for everyone; dealing with the unexpected (e.g. the speaker withdraws at the last minute!), prepare the posters for each seminar, etc. It was also great experience, and I got in touch with a lot of people who I wouldn't have had the chance to meet otherwise. But of course, I didn't have to deal with catering, organizing accommodation, etc. which take a lot of time on the top of everything else. Moreover, does your dept. sponsor/fund this conference? Because you always need some budget, however small, to organize these things. I hope that these few lines may be of help.

Hi Explorer,
I should have mentioned that I am in Humanities, not in Science.
I am not sure what the differences are when it's down to publishing papers. Thank you for your advise. I will certainly try to find out more.

In the specific, I think that Otto has used inappropriate language in some occasions. This said, I think that he undestood that that was a mistake and apologized in one of the recent threads. I think that his contributions were part of the attraction of this forum and I sincerely hope that we can continue to exchange our problems, opinions and tips together.

I think yu misunderstod what I meant, Aliby. Of course we should be all open to criticism. If you read my earlier post I said that we should perceive difference as an enrichment and not as a problem. I think that there is absolutely nothing - even the harshest criticism - that cannot be taken on board if expressed with respect. I was not refering to a specific person or situation. It is was simply a general statement on this issue.

You are absolutely right PinkNeuron. Everyone's opinion is welcome as long as is delivered with respect for the person they are talking to.
The problem is that people from different countries may have a different perception of what can be considered offensive. Even within Europe. It took me a long time to understand what it was considered 'acceptable' here in the U.K, although I come from an EU country and have travelled widely. I used to be very annoyed by the remarks of a colleague of mine (I won't say from which country just in case I offend anyone here!), who expressed his opinions in a very direct manner. Sometimes too much direct! Then I understood that he didn't mean to be rude, it was just his way of approaching things and people. Ideally, we should think about our reaction to someone else's remarks before we use certain adjectives when we speak to other people.

I think that this forum is a great space where everyone can exchange opinions ad find advise and support. It may happen that we disagree with each other and that the way we express our opinions may hurt someone. 'Errare humanum est'. We all make mistakes and we all learn from each other. It would be great if we would learn to perceive 'difference' as an enrichment and not as a problem. I think that it would be a big mistake not to come back to the forum Otto.

Probably I didn't explain the situation properly.
The project I am refering to is an edited book which comprises selected papers. These papers have been presented at a conference and of course each paper has only one author. The book should be edited by the organizer of the conference and each author should appear in the index next to her/his own chapter. I think that there shouldn't be any doubt about who is the author of what, but of course I will be careful before I accept anything. Thanks to you both for your advise.

You are very welcome. Trust me, sometimes you need very little to make a useful contribution. In my case, the author of the article had published the entire document I was looking for, except for half a sentence...that was crucial to my argument! And that little thing changed the outcome of my research quite substantially.
I am sure that you will manage to turn this problem into a good piece of work. Good Luck!

I know how you feel, because it happened to me two weeks ago! I would recommend you to look at this with a detached attitude though. Read these two publications back and your primary source again. Often, things are misinterpreted, or even more often, some crucial information have been omitted. Other documents/publications can contribute to change perspective on a particular aspect of your research. Don't call it off too quickly. In my little experience I found out that a good number of publications are not accurate and therefore there is always room for improvement. Even in those written by big names. Bon Courage!

Otto & Cryogenics, you brought me good luck! A proposal for another pubblication has just landed on my computer screen. I should write here more often!
Thanks again for your encouragement.

Hi PinkNeuron. I think that you must give it a go. I can tell you that I didn't want to send my application for a scholarship because I felt that it was going to be rejected, but I got it! So, you should be positive about it. Of course there is a lot of competition, but if you don't try you don't get it for sure!From what you write you are more than qualified and I can also tell you that having a first class is important, but not essential. I know people that got it with a 2:2.
There are a lot of other components that come into play: e.g. experience, research topic etc. Good Luck! You really deserve it!

Excellent! Now, all the above should give you the strength to react to your problems. I know that confidence is not a self-nurturing thing. It comes from the positive outcome of what you do and I understand that you don't perceive your current job as a 'good' outcome. That's because you have different talents, skills,and ideals, far from what you are doing now. But you need to realize that you are not living in a box without windows. This is a TEMPORARY situation - as others have pointed out. The choice is yours at this point: Do you choose to be defeated or do you want to fight? I have bad spells too when I don't want to listen to anyone's advise or encouragement. I want to be miserable in any possible way! But it's not the world against you or me or anyone. I feel that you are in the same situation now and I trust that you will realize soon that it's better to fight. And, by the way...smile! You will be surprised to see that people smile back to you.

Hi Sheva, I am not in your field, but I think that it would be a faux pas to leave your current study for a new one. You are already in your second year and probably you have developed your research to a good point already. Moreover, I personally don't think that the hypothesys - because this is what it is - of earning more money in the future can be the main reason for a change. But this is only my opinion of course.

Badhaircut, I want to hear something positive from you! I am sure that if you look properly there is something in your life that works!
The person who made that comment is a stupid, so I wouldn't bother to reply to that. But I know, it hurts. I think that with your degree you could perhaps work in HR? It is something that would appeal to you? Is there anyone else in your department that can provide references for you? There are also international exchange programmes sponsored by the European Community to work for up to a year in a country within the EU. If you chose to work in Holland, or a Scandinavian country is not even necessary to have another language. I did it years ago, and it was great experience, and accommodation, meals and travel expences are paid. Wages are not great, but you can leave with it. And it's good for your CV. There are so many opportunities out there, you only need to stretch your hand out and grasp them!

Thanks Cryogenics. I think that some supervisors perceive their students as possible competitors -which thing is a bit out of proportion considering that we are in process of building up our experience and knowledge. However, there are other people in my dept. who are open and encourage me to go ahead and this is what I am trying to do. I have been lucky, because I had the chance to meet other scholars in my field outside my uni and this opened up opportunities to present at conferences for example. Something that would have never been suggested or encouraged by my supervisor. So your wishes are very much appreciated.