I honestly think this is a decision you have to make for yourself. I wouldn't seek to influence you. Perhaps others will feel the same way.

You seem well informed on the pros and cons, the realities of the academic job market, and the qualification's value (or relative lack of) outside of the academy.

A pertinent consideration is what value the process and qualification hold for you at a personal level. Is it something you want to do primarily for the experience and opportunity for personal growth? You'll improve your writing, organisational, and oratory skills, some of which may have utility outside of the academy. (Though as you're aware, marketing a PhD in an unrelated field/vocation is difficult.)

Will you be funded? This can have a great bearing on any decision. If your PhD is paid for (at least predominantly) by a research council, you can treat the process as a job. It won't make you rich, but you shouldn't be destitute by the end, either.

As a long time lurker and very occasional contributor to this forum, it seems the advice for anyone that has reached breaking point is typically "recharge and gain some perspective."

I think this is generally good advice, but shouldn't be rolled out as a blanket solution to every problem a PhD candidate faces. Individual candidates need to be circumspect and decide whether the financial, intellectual, and emotional investments made are justified in terms of personal and vocational aspirations. (This paragraph is general commentary rather than an observation about your situation specifically.)

It sounds like you've been through hell to reach the point you're at; and the toll the process takes should not be underestimated.

In your particular circumstances I'd suggest the only sensible way out is through. You've invested so much time and energy that withdrawing at this late stage would be devastating. Any sense of relief, I'd argue, would be temporary; and you'd likely look back with regret.

It sounds like you've been let down in several regards, at the level of supervision especially. I think you should therefore cultivate a **** you attitude to sustain motivation.

Assuming you have clear instructions about the corrections needed, you should approach revisions systematically and do precisely what the examiners state. You don't need to enjoy the process. You simply need to do what's asked, attain the qualification, and look back with pride that you overcame substantial obstacles to earn the title. While it may not seem that way, you've done the majority of the work and should have explicit instructions about what's needed to finish.

Upon doing so, you'll gain a greater sense of closure on the process. (Your journey sounds more arduous than that of candidates with attentive and well informed supervisors.) Make succeeding in spite of the ways you've been let down a priority.

Best of luck!

Very much appreciated, Memo.

I thought I'd check if anyone had responded after several hours writing and editing, which probably says something about where I'm at right now! Your timing's perfect, actually, as I'll start writing up this relevant section tomorrow.

I've sent you a PM with my email address.

Thanks again,

Nick

Hi all,

I've been trying to access to an article published in Visual Communication Quarterly (Taylor and Francis). Full citation details and URL as follows:

Zettl, Herbert (2012) ‘Why 3D may Work Occasionally: Case Reopened’ in Visual
Communication Quarterly, 19:3, pp.148-159. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15551393.2012.706573

I'd be very grateful if anyone reading this could quickly try to download the article and PM me if you're granted access. (My research institution of course doesn't subscribe.)

The article is pretty crucial to a chapter I'm working on. I'm in the latter stages of writing up, so the pressure's on to get work done.

Many thanks,

Nick

Gentle bump, thanks...

Hi all,

If anyone can access the following article and send on a copy it'd be greatly appreciated.

Flueckinger, Barbara (2012) Aesthetics of Stereoscopic Cinema, Projections, 6:1, pp. 101-122

After several failed attempts to access via Athens I've concluded that there's either an issue with the institutional subscription or a problem with online access more generally.

Many thanks,

Nick

Many thanks.

Not sure how I missed the PM icon...

Wow, that's fantastic, and hugely appreciated!

Forgive the naive question, but how can I provide my email address without posting it on this thread and waiving anonymity?

Thanks ever so much for your help.

Hi all,

I hope someone can help. I'm trying to access the following:

Whitney, Allison Patricia, The Eye of Daedalus: A History and Theory of IMAX Cinema. Ph.D., Committee on Cinema and Media Studies, University of Chicago, 2005 Dissertation.

I've gone to great lengths to access a digital copy (including contacting the university and even sending a polite email to the author), but I can't get a response and the University of Chicago only allows access to dissertations submitted after 2009 through ProQuest (meaning I can't access a digital copy through this or any other database).

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

With regard to writing, I find it's all in the copyediting. I spend considerably more time editing a document than on the initial writing process. As a rule I work to eliminate long, clause-heavy sentences that can become fatiguing for the reader.

I also pay particular attention to the grouping of material and ensure each section has a clearly defined and conclusive thesis. Furthermore, I take time to ensure different sections serve a larger chapter thesis (or what's the point of including the material). I'm not suggesting I'm a paragon of good writing practice, but people generally seem happy with my writing, even if they take issue with my argument and position.

There's always a discrepancy between someone's perception of their own writing and that of the reader. I say this having edited a peer reviewed journal, which often involves extensive dialogue with authors regarding clarity of phrasing. Many points that seem perfectly clear to authors can read confusingly to the uninitiated. Most of the time, breaking up long sentences and removing examples of verbosity help immeasurably.

Perhaps the best thing is to let a chapter sit for a while, then go back to it with relatively fresh eyes. This often reveals a multitude of writing sins that were obscured by proximity to the document and the process of writing it.  

I'm not sure if that helps at all. If you're in a humanities subject then you'll likely go through multiple drafts of every chapter, each becoming clearer and tighter than the previous effort. In other words, chin up, you'll get there!

Thanks for all the words of support.

Sorry, I should have mentioned that I'm at the start of my second year, full time, in a Humanities subject.

It's probably the rapid succession of negative feedback that has left me reeling. Before I'd had a chance to process one batch of criticism I was hit by another, then another, like a combination of punches. Aside from that, I'd put in so much work of late that I was probably suffering burnout to some degree. If you're feeling a little drained it's perhaps not the best time to objectively evaluate criticism. I think I'll attend to various administrative duties today, which of course are less taxing, allow myself a weekend away from the thesis, and press on thereafter.

Thanks for the comments.

I'd love nothing more than to award myself a break for reflection, but I've been given a very tight window to revise my thesis chapter by supervisors (though at least I can put the journal submissions to one side for now). I presume, if you've published 10 papers, that you completed your PhD some time ago (that's hugely impressive if you're still a PhD student). As a journal editor myself I appreciate that reviewers comments are often rather blunt, but they're usually finessed by editors before forwarding to the author. I'm left wondering what was omitted, since some of the comments could have been phrased more diplomatically.

I also appreciate that I should view all feedback as useful (and indeed endeavour to), though the fact that everything I've produced in the last six months has been received so negatively has felt like a punch to the gut. Perhaps it's just a case of getting my head down and trying to move forward rather than wallowing in self pity. Another day, another challenge...

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Hi All,

A couple of months back I felt happy with PhD life. I thought I had a clear idea of my research topic and a logical chapter structure. To be honest, things had perhaps been going too well. I'd graduated with a first on my undergrad degree, went straight into an MA with a full studentship, graduated with distinction, then went straight into a funded PhD in the same department. I've grown used to affirmation; though perhaps encouragement is more common in higher education than in the real world (at least in my experience). I'm not stating any of this to suggest my university record is in any way impressive (and in reality I'd imagine comparable with the great majority of contributors to this forum). Rather, of late, I've started to question whether my academic qualifications are genuinely representative of my abilities.

The last month has been an unmitigated disaster. One of my thesis chapters was ripped apart by peers, while I received rejection letters regarding two different journal submissions in the last week. This perfect storm of negative feedback has really shaken my confidence. I also need to rework the abovementioned chapter within a short window and at present I'm unsure how to resolve the problems with it. In other words, what's become apparent is that I may slog my guts out for the next two years and end up with an MPhil or no qualification whatsoever. If the kind of feedback I've received of late is comparable to what I can expect in a viva, I'm genuinely scared. The fact that I've worked morning, noon and night throughout the summer and seem to have produced nothing of merit has left me at a really low ebb. I've spent the last few days contemplating why I'm doing something that's making me feel so awful.

What's worse, any thoughts I have of leaving are accompanied by a tremendous sense of guilt: the university and its staff have really invested in me, I'm tremendously grateful, and really don't want to let anyone down. Am I making mountains out of molehills? How many others have hit points where they think I genuinely can't hack this any more? I've no objection to constructive feedback, but when everything you've done for the last six months has essentially been trashed, it hardly feels like you're onto a winner. All thoughts or advice are welcome.

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I also think you should re-calibrate your perspective on the annual review. Rather than regarding the review panel as a firing squad eager to place you in their sights, you should consider the review a forum to work through any problems you may have constructively and put you back on track.

In my first year I tended to interpret constructive comments as negative responses to my work, but as time passed I grew to realise that they were actually very helpful, preventing me from making problematic claims and helping me place tighter parameters on my research. In other words, while initially daunting, the review process will likely prove extremely helpful in the long run.

At the very least you will have a good idea of how the department views your progress at the end of the review, helping you to assess your progress and move on. I hope that helps put some of your fears to bed.

Just to add, sorry about misspelling your name Pjlu. Along with foot-in-mouth syndrome I've developed a knack for this of late; add your name to a list of recent casualties (fortunately I'm more diligent when approaching work).

And finally, a feeling of isolation commonly goes hand-in-hand with studying for a PhD. I can certainly empathise on that front and have lost touch with many friends and acquaintances since starting this process. It might feel that way, but you're definitely not alone in terms of how you feel.