Like it, like it a lot, v useful (up)

Hi all

Tell me, is anyone else having or had trouble defining their title and questions to the thesis? It is such a conundrum for me at the moment, I thought I had a good title but my supervisors want me to be more specific, if I am anymore specific my title will become a paragraph. I have downloaded lots of phd's from the british library and most of their titles are pretty general - but I suppose my supervisors are leaving less to question in the viva if all is spelt out. Also I'm having trouble defining my questions, I was trying to get my lit review done first and looking for gaps in the research to where I was going to plot mine, but got really bored of this process, expecting my questions to jump out of the pages for me, so I dropped all my reading and note taking and started to be more creative, and just put pen to paper and wrote down whatever came to my head to see what I had in the way of questions at the end of this process - I thought the whole project would be more original if it was within my scope of querkiness. I dont know if there is an average time scale to having your title and questions defined, how long is reasonable - I started in jan this yr, but was doing the EdD and didnt change to phd until start of may. I just want to get my project passed ethics and approval so I feel I can move on with it - my supervisors dont know if there is a time scale to getting the forms passed, I had heard one year. I am taking too long? I am trying to be too original and complicated for this project, is there such a thing as keep it simple, even at phd level? Aslo looking at all the other phd's I have downloaded, I can only find distinct questions in about two thirds of them, the others seem wooly and unclear to me - but perhaps thats me not understanding the finer point. I wonder is it different if you are funded (I'm self-funded), are you provided with title and questions, or are you expected to go through this process as well. One of the reasons I went self-funded was because I wanted complete ownership of my project, I knew exactly the area and what I wanted to research (not quite the same as defining bloody questions though!!) and other funded places although interesting were not quite what I wanted to do. I also took my project to a few professors and although they were interested in it, the expectation of what was expected of me etc etc was restricting my freedom, my individuality (or was it my ignorance and stupidity) - I now wonder whether their strict instructions would have made it an easier process. Sorry I realise I am waffling on - is this just par for the course or am I placing too much emphasis on my questions and making everything more complicated than it has to be? Really grateful for any thoughts/advice xx

Appreciate your responses, I will take your advice!

Hi, got a slight dilemma and would be interested in others views. I gave up my permanent part-time lecturing position so I could devote time to my full-time phd (not to mention the politics and crap head of dept) and took up a hourly paid teaching position at another uni, but as it has turned out I actually havent taught any modules there yet with staff illnesses and changes etc which has meant my modules were mopped up by permanent staff - I am down to teach 3 modules this semester, but we will see. I now have an opportunity for a permanent 0.5 lecturing position at the same uni, which would mean I would have to go part-time phd. I am just wondering is it difficult to get lecturing jobs these days, I wonder what the situation will be like in 3/4 yrs when (I hope) I have finished my phd, would it be advisable to go for this job, quite a few uni's appear to have recruitment freezes. Apologies for my ignorance on this matter, I've really had my head stuck in the phd sand this yr, dont really know whats going on with uni's anymore. Appreciate any opinions, thanks :-)

Hi Bug

Have a good rest.  I suffered from rsi 23 yrs ago, but at the time thought it was arthritis, I was on the computer all day typing, I ended up packing my job in and going back to uni to get myself an education (after spending a bit of time globe trotting). The pain took a long time to go away, and was obviously v bad at the time, as my friend that I went travelling with said she was fed up with me moaning about my hands all the time - I'm not a moaner normally.  Anyway I eventually realised that it was rsi and the only time it ever plays up is if I'm on a crap keyboard, I changed my keyboard at home and have a great lap top, but if I use works/uni's keyboards for any length of time it plays up; otherwise good news is I'm pain free. So I hope you can be pain free with time and care.  All the best :-)

Dont be scared bug, your going to blow their socks off, I just know you will do well.  Judging from your previous posts you dont do anything without thorough preparation and receiving impressive results. This is just part of the process towards your illustrious career.  Just act confident and remember that the other speakers are not infallible. Sorry I cant offer any really practical advice, but I'm sure you'll get more helpful responses from other posters :-)

Hi Jo87

Its not too late to back out now or to tell your supervisor you cant start until oct. Whats the other phd option? Is this option still open to you? I think its good to study at different uni's. It does really sounds like you do not want to do this phd; decide what you want to do not what other people want from you. But in the first instance to buy yourself some more time, email your sup and tell him you cant start yet, dont need to waffle on about why, just say due to some personal circumstances it is not possible to start until oct. Good luck

Hi Florence

I've only put in 1 day since the 6th July, as the children are on school hols and I cant focus when they're around, and not back till 9 sept - but with me thats just the way it will have to be.  What stage are you at? As the previous poster said, you wont be alone.  My supervisors are not worried and have put off our monthly meetings until oct, to give me chance to start producing work again. Can you think of this as just a summer vacation and start doing a bit of work tomorrow; or are you having more serious problems with your phd?  You need to break the cycle of not sleeping and eating properly, try going for a 30 min walk every day, get your health back on track, hopefully the work will follow. All the best :-)

Ha ha! Hypothesis you do make me laugh; draw one for me too! ;-)

Hi Aberdeenangus

I agree with you on this one, its most annoying.  The one thing I enjoy about this site - apart from sharing joys and woe's with fellow phders -is that you get lots of different perspectives on the one post, all the opinions are important, and it helps you to look at a problem from another angle; also it makes it more interesting when you get a debate going and people disagree - just look at the number of viewings and postings, as long as its not as you say offensive, nothing wrong with sharing your own opinion even if its blunt. And in the words of Karl Popper (enjoying his philosophy at the mo) no one can possibly give us more service than showing us what is wrong with what we think or do, and the bigger the fault, the bigger the improvement made possible by its revelation; we must learn to welcome criticism as only through criticism can knowledge advance.

I have enjoyed reading the responses, very uplifting.  Heres my contribution...

Mon - thanksgiving
1. 3 healthy and happy children
2.  My husband, hes my rock
3. Chocolate, thank goodness for chocolate

Tues - Terrific times
Having the opportunity to do a PhD, boring but true, I come from a family background where no one is very educated, and there was not any expectation for me to do anything other than get married; so achieving my BSc Hons was amazing, then passing my MSc was fantastic, and now I'm studying a doctorate - truly awesome!!  I never set out to get a PhD, its been one small step at a time, so I am thoroughly enjoying this experience - 'lots of small steps for me = one giant leap for me!'

Wed - Future
Well, I enjoy lecturing, so I will continue to do that part-time, would like to do some more research and it would be cool to publish a couple of things - just keeping it realistic - but who knows....
:-)

Hi Magictime

I feel exactly the same, although I am doing my PhD in the same area as my masters, but did my masters a long time ago and have since been lecturing, but got caught up with teaching all subjects not in my area, so spent a lot of my time researching these areas rather than reinforcing my knowledge; so now I do feel like an imposter not an (budding) expert that my supervisors tell I will be in time.  I keep thinking that once I get my PhD I will feel more confident, but I am starting to realise that this feeling wont leave me, and may be its this feeling that drives me to keep learning. But the short distance I have travelled so far I realise how much more I do know - as well as how much I dont yet know. Its normal to be learning new skills on a PhD, and quite a few are PhDers are taking on a new subject, so I suggest you are not an imposter and as a previous poster said, you probably know more than you think, and this is your learning journey; also you have a bit of time to do some reading in the areas you think you need to, just dont waste your time being too general, make sure your reading is in the area you will be researching.  Sorry I've had a couple of glasses of wine and my syntax is probably appalling, but the double vision is preventing me from editing - goodness am I really doing a PhD :p

I get paid £40 per hour for teaching time as a lecturer, but teaching assistants only get between £17-22 per hour, which still leaves your figure looking pretty low

Yes I'm v excited about this film, my son has a small part in it - I offered myself as a witch, but they turned me down, shame, my mother in law said I make a good witch :p  I will wait till the mad rush to see is it over before I go, and anyway dont want to burst my bubble just yet as son is probably on the cutting room floor.

No idea what the vote is about.... But doing a PhD is about being an independent researcher, and for me is about jumping over one hurdle at a time with miles of hurdles ahead; finding a topic is the first hurdle, if you cant jump over that one by yourself, you wont make the course.