Hi team, hmmmm. This actually happened to me when I was newbie at research. It wasn't a supervisor who took my idea, but someone I'd worked with who offered to advise me on a funding application. He's taken my original idea in quite a different diection to the path I eventually took, although our basic starting points are the same.

It's actually turned put quite well for me because his research is a good reason for me not to take a direction that seems the obvious route to outsiders but which is actually not very fruitful. He has made my own justifications much easier, especially when dealing with stuck-in-the mud types.

I also had great concern over another academic, in my home department, stealing one of my major discoveries. I have pressed to get this material published ahead of my original plans for this reason. It is now under review with a journal and that fact is well known in the department. My supervisor is the head of dept. and is very much in my corner as his apprentice, so I feel ok about this now.

I've managed these situations in an unofficial, non-confrontational way. It seems to me that official action is a political mine-feild and potentially destructive to ones career. I would be very interested to read alternative views on this subject, because, obviously, I don't know everything... But I hope I've helped in some way.

Great question! I don't have experience of this I'm afraid... But I do hope to be in your position soon and this is a concern for me too, so thanks for asking.

Hiya, I read the comment about your article not being significant enough for a general interest journal as meaning that you should try a more specialised publication that caters for a relevant niche. That was my immediate understanding.
Hope that helps a bit.

Noam Chomsky did his PhD over about 7 years while flipping burgers to support his family.


ooooops,or at least that's what I as told ages ago but I just looked him up on Wiki and he did his PhD in 4 years. So who knows...

I'm part time, although I've had a year full-time too. I think I will get it. I don't see being part-time as an obstacle to finishing. I'm pretty stubborn! Plus there's a bit of me that thrives on an up hill struggle. Perhaps you have to be bloody minded to do this...

Of course you can. You just have to submit and be accepted. I know a few people who've done it - whereas I've never had a journal article... In theory, you don't even need a degree.

That's wonderful news journey, congratulations! And thank you for sharing. It is encouraging to know that that needle in the haystack is out there... X

Your tenacity paid off!

Hi Charlie Brown,

I can empathise because I too am trying to get finished.

I don't know about you but I find I can't edit or write well for more than about four hours a day. I do it in two two hour bouts. I'm making progress and I'm pleased with my work, but it just takes so long. Sometimes I feel really guilty and I should be like you, working all day every day. But my brain just reaches saturation point sometimes and stalls. Like I did an hour and a half between 5:30 and 7am this morning but the rest of the day I've just zoned out. I did about 7-8 hours solid editing yesterday so I'm burned out and wiped out today.

I have been enjoying the weather at my local park - I go there nearly everyday for a breather and some exercise.

I see people on here working flat out and wonder why can't I do that? Hopefully I'll finish by the end of this year...

Thank you Larry David. That's really useful!

Yes it is a good idea. Does anyone know what format a proposal is in, is it an abridged version?

Sorry, I meant to say defence - not prosecution (must have been a Freudian slip given the courts' track record in this area...)

Hi Goagoa,

I'm so glad you feel able to reach out after being disbelieved in the first instance.

Please don't feel you have to tell anyone, only do so if you feel comfortable and it is natural to you.

I will pm you with some info about specialist support for this.

Please also do not feel as if you have to report this. People will encourage you to do so with good intentions, but they do not know exactly what the nature of your experience is. Report it if you feel able, but you are absolutely not responsible for this persons actions, either in the past or the future. You are completely blameless in this situation and you always will be.

You need to consider all possibilitites if you do report it. I would advise seeking professional advice from a specialised councillor - who you feel you can trust - before doing so. The prosecution process is notoriously difficult and traumatic. Check the statistics on that. I believe it can depend on where you live, your evidence etctera. You must be pretty clear about what you would need for a conviction and whether or not you have that evidence. You also have to be able to stand in court and take whatever the prosecution may throw at you. You will also need masses of personal support. I would make sure I had that first, before considering anything.

Every healing process is unique, you must honor yours - your duty is to heal yourself, not to be responsible for the actions of a monster. You are certainly no monster.

Only you know if you are up to the PhD. Embarking on it could be empowering for you, and having to give it up could make you feel more victimised. But, as others have said it takes strength. Although, nothing like as much as attempting a prosecution in a case such as this does, I believe.

This is not the ideal place to discuss what has happened to you, but I am glad you reached out and I will pm you. My heart is with you XXX

Oh sorry Goagoa, I just read you latest post, so much of what I said doesn't really apply. I'm glad you are sturdy enough to know when you are ready to tell your parents and to stick with that. x

Double post sorry - pesky phone.

Hi this part seems quite odd to me too. Surely you should have given a thorough explanation as to why you did not use established theories, if only to say why yours is better. Isn't this standard practice? It's very strange that your supervisor 'forebad' you to even mention other theories. My supervisor is always pushing me to do the opposite, because I have explain why my approach is better and where it fits in with the discipline. I get the impression I would be in serious trouble if I didn't do this.

Hi Brit,

Hmmm, sounds like this has, possibly, been a case of over confidence/complacency on the part of your supervisor colliding with raging jealousy on the part of your examiner.

Given that you are already conquering your discipline, would it do that much damage to do the write up? It must smart, but you have so much ahead of you, don't let the examiner distract you from your path. Just do the work, you're clearly capable of it. Don't let that examiner steal your ruby slippers!

Thank you for posting this and warning us all how important choice of examiner is.

I can only second what others have said here. It's hard to fathom why you had the examiner you did. It seems to have been a random choice, a very foolhardy approach. But you need your supervisor's support now, at the start of your career spit looks to me as if biting the bullet and making those changes is your most diplomatic and productive option.

Once again, thank you for the warning. We can't always rely on the judgement of supervisors and for really important things we have to do our own research and protect our own interest.