Well done, splendid Chrisrolinski!

Congratulations, I am very pleased for you. How do you feel?

:-):-)

I think there is a botton somewhere which you can click if someone has been particularly helpful. That person then gets a star. However, I not know whether there is a maximum or whether it goes on forever.

Hi Jepson,

I think you are right. Costs like books, courses, research expenses etc. are tax deductable, as long as costs are not refunded by your employer. However, sometimes it is a matter of negotiation, as the tax man does not accept everything and there are limits regarding how much you can claim.

You seem to have two options: To contact the tax office and ask in advance what would be allowed and based on that fill in your tax return. Alternatively you can fill in the tax return claiming back expenses without contacting them, yet be aware that they may not agree and further investigate. Sometimes you have to pay money back to the tax office, which may be unpleasant.:-)

Well done Algaequeen,

so it like a hotel, where 5 stars will be more or less the maximum? Or is it a never ending quest for stars and starlets?

:-)

Hi Liminalplace, Bilbo,

I agree that summarising the thesis is a good idea. It is probably not just the end product (the summary) but also the process (the summarising) that is important.

For myself to prepare for the viva (no explicit date yet) I have "brainstormed" what kind of issues / questions would be important. I thought that important were:

The thesis / summary
Literature around it, knowledge of summary of literature, good knowledge of a few key studies
Principles of the project done, research methods,
strengths and weaknesses, what have I learned, what to do differently if the project would be done again
Awareness what is happening between the thesis and the viva (new studies not in thesis yet)

Have you got a similar / different list? Bilbo, did you use something like this for preparation?

Hi Bigmistake,

first of all welcome to the forum.

I think most participants of the forum have made mistakes, I certainly have. It is inherent to the process of a PhD, as you cannot predict exactly what is going to happen. If would not make mistakes it is not much using in doing a PhD, it is the idea that one learns something.

I do not think anything is lost and like others have suggested, it is a matter of correcting what has gone wrong or avoiding that it happens again. :-)

Hi Oddnumbers,

I recognise the feeling of have seen the text a million times and not knowing anymore whether it is good or bad.
Apart from having others to read it (family, friends etc.) I am not sure whether there is a lot else you can do. Sometimes it helps to print a part, to take that with you to a library or cafe and then to re-read it in this different setting to spot any problems.

Good luck:-)

Thanks Satchi.

How are your statistics going?

I see your questions regarding SPSS and it is not that I do not want to help you, it is just that I do not know the system well enough to give a sensible answer to your questions.

Kind regards,

Rick:-)

Thanks Amanda, Sue, Eska,

I appreciate it.

Sue, I think it is mainly a matter of perseverance. Every time I got my thesis back from my supervisors, I reviewed, accepted the majority of issues from the supervisors, sent it back again with an explanation and every time indicated that I thought it was ready for submission, got it back again etc. I noticed that with time issues to be changed became less and less, therefore I became quicker and quicker in amending things and also the feedback from the supervisors arrived quicker and quicker. Until at the end they said: "it is very good now, it is ready for submission!"

So keep on going, it can be done!
:-)

Thank you Poppy, Chris, Keenbean, Dispatcher and Squiggles,

thank you for your kind remarks.

Thanks Walminski and Bilbo,

yeah, like you indicated Bilbo, it is an unreal and a strange feeling.

I think you are right, good to have a bit of a break soon!

Good point!!

perhaps it is the exitement. I mean I have submitted!

Dear all,

just wanted to share that today I have submitted my thesis! Cannot believe if after so much writing and rewriting. Nice to see the thing in print, quite proud of it.

Also managed to get through all the paperwork and forms, handed those in as well and it is only my supervisor who still needs to hand in some other document.

I am pleased yet also quite drained. Perhaps this is because tomorrow, by coincidence, I will be appraised regarding my current position, which can be quite stressful. Even so, very happy that I have come so far and now waiting for the outcome of the process.:-)

Hi Chris,

English is not my first language. I think academic writing is sometimes challenging, as it can consist of long sentences and contain a lot of complicated words, not often used in everyday life. Perhaps you could write your text like it would be "spoken English", that is as if you were having an conversation and wanted to explain to the other what your project is about. Imagine yourself lecturing to novices and the language you would use. Maybe the vocabulary of a midstream newspaper could also function as your guide.

Obviously I understand that some issues are complex and as such not easy to simplify.
:-)

Well done, Lilbobeep, congratulations:-):-)

It is great to hear such postive news!