Hey there! Well I had a revise and resubmit job very recently, and was informed that the editor would have to seek another round of reviews before making a decision on my paper. However, when I resubmitted it I had an email saying it was accepted with no further changes in just 2-3 weeks, so it never actually went through a second round of reviews in the end. I didn't feel able to make any of the major changes that one reviewer suggested because they were completely inappropriate (I responded to each comment and explained why I couldn't make the suggested change in each case), so I can only guess that upon reading my response the editor realised that the reviewer's comments were not actually relevant and decided that further reviews were unnecessary. However prior to this decision I was assuming that it would take as long as the first round....i.e. anything up to a few months! I guess it depends on the reviewers and whether it has gone back to the same ones or different ones etc, and on the journal itself of course. Be patient!! KB

Hey Moocow! I was in a similar position to yourself just a few weeks ago where one reviewer had basically said it was fine with just a few very minor changes, and whilst the other reviewer hadn't exactly shredded it, he/she suggested some changes and made some comments that basically made no sense or were irrelevant. In this case it was clear that the reviewer didn't have much knowledge of existing research in my area (I was surprised- it was my first submssion and I expected the reviewers to be much more closely matched to my own area of research) thus the majority of the suggestions that were made were completely inappropriate. In the end I just listed all of the points made and gave my reasons for not making the changes suggested by this reviewer, although I did make a few of the more minor changes suggested, and sent it back to the editor. It got accepted straight away after that with no more changes required. So I would just argue your case against each point clearly and politely- if the editor can then see that the comments made by the reviewer aren't appropriate then it shouldn't count against you if you don't make the suggested changes or can't make sense of the suggestions anyway! Good luck! KB

Hey Button! I have had similar worries about getting access to enough participants for my PhD. My area is Alzheimer's disease, so obviously different from yours but the struggle to get enough people is similarly stressful I think, although I obviously have longer to recruit mine! I would explore as many options as you can- try recruiting through schools but also through support groups as you say, look online and in newspapers for group meetings of this sort, and perhaps go along to a meeting and introduce yourself and your work if they are happy to let you do that. Maybe think about putting up posters in relevant places with permission, at the doctor's or the library or wherever. Just keep going and remember that every single one counts, so even if you explore an avenue and only get a single participant, remind yourself that it's worth it. And remember to be flexible and emphasize that the appointment time for the research will fit in with their routine and not put them out too much. Be persistent and eventually the participants will trickle in and you will get going. How many people do you need? I have found that a lot of people with dementia and their carers actually really value talking to a researcher about issues that affect them, and the people who have come forward to help with the research have been fantastic. I'm sure you'll be fine, just get going as soon as you can as keep at it! Best of luck! KB

Hey there! I am the other way round- I do pretty much all of my work in the office. I was initially planning to work from home and even moved into a flat with a separate study room so I could do this. But I just find that I work better in the office where I have all of my work things around me and it I think it helps me to separate work from home so that when I'm at work, I do work, when I'm at home I chill out, and the two don't get too blurred. I do some of my marking at home at the weekends but that's about it (I'm a TA on my sup's module). If you work far better from home then work there- my office mate tends to work from home even though she lives just a 5 minute walk away and my supervisor doesn't have a problem with it at all as long as the work is getting done! As long as you're in the office when you need to be, i.e. for meetings and supervision then I wouldn't stress over it! Best wishes, KB

Hey Natassia!

Don't stress, you're going through a completely normal panic! I was doing exactly the same at the beginning of my MSc a couple of years ago. Believe me, you will be fine. Most MSc courses take people with a 2.1 or first (and some with a 2.2), so you are definitely capable of getting your MSc and doing very well at it. I know this probably won't help you feel much better right now but two of us on our MSc course had firsts in our BScs and we both went on to get distinctions for our MScs, as did a number of people with 2.1s in their first degree. It's a tough year but keep going and you will get through it! I actually found my MSc more stressful than my PhD has been so far, just because there was so much going on and there is the stress of trying to balance coursework with exams and the dissertation and you are so busy trying to do really well in all of it. The PhD can be stressful but in different ways- it's not easy but I haven't felt as under pressure as I did in my MSc.

I would really think about approaching a potential supervisor as early on as you can. You don't have to have a proposal planned out- I literally went to my MSc supervisor just a few weeks after I was assigned to her for my MSc and said that I wanted to do a PhD in something dementia-related but I wasn't sure exactly what. She already had some ideas for projects that she wanted someone to do and between us we put together a proposal that suited both of us and applied for funding. I would advise having something a bit more specific in mind than I did(!) but it is quite possible that by now certain people in the department might have ideas for projects or know that they might have funding for next year etc, so just go for it- you have everything to gain! Don't worry, time isn't running out just yet, you have a few months to get something together, just be brave and take the first scary step and the rest will fall into place!

Good luck, try not to stress! KB

Hey there! I know this is going to sound a bit odd but have a look in Tesco Extra! I went laptop hunting about 6 months ago, went to all the usuals, PC World, Currys, looked everywhere online etc. In the end I saw this Acer laptop in Tesco for £400 (it might have been £379 actually...but anyway!) and I went to PC World and said if they could match it or better the Tesco offer I would buy it from them. The PC World employee looked at the spec on the Acer and just said "go back to Tesco- there is no way we can give you this spec for this price. We can't even compete". He also asked us not to report his name to his manager! So we went back to Tesco and bought it. It's an Acer Aspire 5735Z, and is brilliant for my needs. I don't know much about computers at all and don't do loads of complex stuff on it but am also doing PhD Psychology and am running SPSS on it etc- I fully recommend it. The guy in PC World also said that Acer have now overtaken Sony as the most reliable producer of electronics...this is my 2nd Acer laptop and I would certainly have another! Happy hunting! KB

Hey Rick! I found myself in a similar position recently with a review article I submitted, where Reviewer 1 suggested very minor changes, yet Reviewer 2 wanted a fairly major revision. Unfortunately we found some of Reviewer 2's comments and suggestions to be a little unreasonable and actually somewhat irrelevant. It was clear that he/she was studying a similar phenomenon but in a different population, and he/she appeared not to be very familiar with what research has been done in the field I am in. It was a really good journal though so we thought we would revise and resubmit anyway, even though the editor had said it would need to go back to the reviewers before he could make a decision. In the end we responded to each comment as best we could and did make quite a few smaller changes, but didn't budge on the issues we felt were irrelevant or unnecessary for our paper. But we did politely explain our reasoning and why we were not able to respond to some of the points (the reviewer wanted us to change our inclusion criteria to include research that had never even been undertaken etc). I got an email today saying that the paper has been accepted with no further changes whatsoever- we only resubmitted it about a fortnight ago so clearly it never even underwent the second round of reviews. So I can only conclude that the editors will look at each case and make their own judgements about what is reasonable and what isn't once you have responded to the reviewers' comments. Thus if you are really unhappy about making these changes and you can justify your reasons then just go for it- I don't think you will automatically be rejected just because you don't agree with every comment. Especially if you really want it in that particular journal! Good luck with it! KB

Hey! I'm with Pamplemousse on this. Have a look at the email you got back from them- I got a revise and resubmit response from a journal recently but it was along the lines of 'if you do decide to resubmit then return the revised article by 15/9/09' (or whatever the date was)! So there was no actual obligation to resubmit it back to them. My supervisor said I should resubmit if I could respond to the comments but also said if I didn't feel I could do this (some of the comments seemed a bit strange and/or irrelevant!) then I could submit it elsewhere. In the end I did resubmit it but I don't think it's such a big deal if you choose not to respond to the reviewers' comments for whatever reason and then send it to another journal. Good luck with it! KB

Hey again Ludo! Yup. I am just going into 2nd year PhD, so got a good way to go yet! Disabled Students' Allowance was what I was trying to refer to but couldn't remember the name (thanks Bilbo!). At our uni it's the mental health advisor I think who deals with this, or will at least be able to point you in the right direction. I kow what you mean, you never know what sort of help is out there until you need it, and then you can't imagine how you would manage without it. I guess it's also important to find a good local GP and get referred to a local consultant as well if you are moving out of your local area. The student counsellor I see (who is actually a psychotherapist by training) has been happy to liase with my GP, CPN and hospital consultant when it has been necessary, so it's good to have this in place just in case, although hopefully you'll be fine!! I'm much better at the moment and have been for a while but I always feel reassured to have these things in place! KB

Hey there! I am in a very similar position to you and understand how you feel. I get so so nervous about teaching and presenting and am very envious of those people who just get up there and do it with no anxiety whatsoever! Last year I helped run seminars for 2nd year undergrads and there were two of us leading it with a group of about 20 students. By the end of the year I was a bit more confident but not comfortable with it by any means. This year I am supposed to be leading seminars with a group of around 60 3rd year students and just me. I am terrified, not just of the teaching, but of them realising how nervous I am and thinking that I am completely incapable or something. I'm not trying to get out of doing it because I know it's something that I have to make myself do and I hope that one day I will actually be able to enjoy teaching, but I did ask my supervisor for some support for these sessions because I was so nervous about being on my own (it's my supervisor's module I am teaching on). At first she thought it was the workload I was worried about and basically told me to get on with it, but when I (rather tearfully and shakily) explained what the issue was, she was very understanding and is going to arrange for there to be another teaching assistant there as well just in case. In case of what, I'm not sure, but it helps just knowing that I'm not on my own up there with them all! I guess we just have to put ourselves through it and eventually it will get easier, I'm sure! Let us know how you get on Keep-Calm! Best wishes, KB

Hey Ludo! I can't answer all of your questions I'm afraid, but I'll have a crack at some of them!

First off, I would definitely make contact with your supervisor before you start- it's a good idea to get off on the right foot with them and I guess you'll need to arrange an initial meeting to go and talk about the project etc. You could email him/her a while before you start and ask if there is anything in particular you could be doing to prepare for the PhD- it's good to look keen, although you risk getting several pages worth of references to read through! But there's plenty of time for all that in first year.

With respect to your written work, most universities offer a variety of optional postgraduate skills modules, ranging from using particular types of computer software to how to present to how to write in a scientific style etc...there will probably be some sort of coordinator for these types of modules that you can email and ask about availability, and your supervisor could probably point you in the right direction.

I suppose the mental health thing is what I can relate to most. I have bipolar and over the years had to drop out of uni several times and re-start due to long periods in hospital (I also used to suffer from an eating disorder but that was before uni). The support I have received from the uni I am at has been fantastic. I have been seeing a uni counsellor once or twice a week for over 6 years now and I credit her with getting me back on track and through my BSc, MSc and now my PhD. There will be a student counselling service at your uni too and I strongly recommend you get in touch with them when you start. There should also be a mental health advisor there who will be able to deal with the more practical side of things, such as arranging any necessary practical support (usually stuff like note-takers if you are too ill to go to lectures/talks, alternative arrangements for exams etc, although some of this won't be relevant for a research PhD). I believe the mental health advisor can also arrange for financial support if you have any needs which require special assistance or equipment, and they can be quite flexible about what they will provide financial assistance with. I have never gone down this route myself but I know others who have valued support of this type. So go along when you start and get some support set up, even if you're feeling okay it's good to get familiar with the help that is available- you are right to be well prepared!

I'm sure some of the others will be able to answer your other questions, I'm not too sure about the rest! I'd be careful about how much extra work you take on because I know I just don't have enough hours in the day for additional paid work, but I also know that others manage to juggle it all quite successfully.

Anyways, best wishes, enjoy your last few months of freedom! KB

Hey! I'm pretty sure you've missed all of the funding deadlines from the major research councils and departmental funding as well for this year- most people need to apply for funding up to a year in advance of when they plan to start. There will probably still be some places for specific PhDs in Psychology being advertised which have yet to be filled, but if you are looking for funding for your own project then you will probably have to be prepared to wait a while. I would use the next few months to swot up on which sources of funding you want to apply to and concentrate on getting a strong application together with a view to starting next year- it's tough in the world of Psychology funding (and funding for most other things at the moment!). If you have a good first degree and preferably an MSc then just put in as many applications as you can (tailored to the source of funding, of course) and keep your fingers crossed- there is funding out there. It's also worth searching online for random one-off scholarships, they pop up now and again and someone has to get them! Good luck! KB

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Well I think really, the way things are today, nobody would have gained funding if the implications of their PhD were unimportant or not useful to us in any way. I guess in some subjects it's just easier to see the relevance of the research. In my PhD in (non-soft-option!!) Clinical Psychology I work with people with Alzheimer's with the hope that my research will lead to improved care for those with this illness (that's a very general statement but I won't bore you all with the details!). Nobody has ever questioned the usefulness of my research and when I talk to people about it I usually get 'wow, that's great/a really worthwhile thing to be doing/so important etc etc'. So I guess I have it easy. Now I have friends doing PhDs in biology-based subjects including bird migration, soil science etc, where the direct implications and benefits of the research are less obvious to the average lay-person. I can honestly say that I really don't understand the implications of what they are doing all that well, and dare I say it, am not all that interested in their topics. But even though it's not obvious to (ignorant) me, I accept that there are important implications relating to this research, or people wouldn't be throwing money at it to start with. So I guess what I'm saying is, even though we don't understand/like/find other people's research relevant, we should either find out more about it and educate ourselves about the reasons for the research, or remain ignorant and keep it buttoned!! That's my thoughts on the topic anyway! KB

Well I'm also in Psychology (clinical psych) and I agree that a lot of people think that it is a 'soft' subject without having any idea of what it entails. I took it as BSc then MSc (as opposed to BA and MA) and now PhD and my friends and family have been amazed at how 'scientific' it is. When they realised that I was spending a lot of my time studying neuroscience, brain anatomy, brain imaging, biological psychiatry etc and learning complex statistical techniques required for the research component of the courses they soon changed their views of psychology! And for the most part it is considered a science at university level anyway now. But most people seem to think it is a degree in counselling or mind-reading or something, and the use of psychologists on TV 'analysing' body language on Big Brother or whatever does the profession no favours at all....Ah well, rant over. Slightly off the point, sorry guys!! KB

Haha, you are right- I am the worst person in the world to be with when I am bored! I had a few weeks after I finished my MSc dissertation before starting my PhD and I was soooo bored I was a nightmare to be around! There is no danger of that happening again any time soon. I will keep reminding myself of that horrible few weeks so I can appreciate how good it is to be so busy! Cheers guys! KB