I'm not defending the high charge levied or anything. I've just had experience of publishing an article in an open access journal (which has been going for less than 2 years) and the cost sounds about right. Open access is, as far as I'm aware, relatively new. But it's becoming increasingly significant, particularly in the medical sciences (Biomed). You've got a point about them trying to publish as many articles as possible to make more money, although if they start publishing substandard work it'll just mean that no-one reads it and the journal will get a bad reputation. Personally, I like open access. There's something really annoying about seeing a piece of research, wanting to read it and then coming up against a paywall because some man with a briefcase decides that you need to pay $30 for 24 hours of access.

No, it's not a scam. Open access journals meet their administrative costs by charging the author team for publication of the article, instead of the typical journal subscription. Your article should still be subjected to the same rigorous standards of peer review before it is accepted. Your university should pay for publication of the article, so don't go paying for it yourself.

Anyone working late tonight? After 2 days away from work, I am:$

Hi kikula, I'm quite certain that everyone doing a PhD has hundreds of references come writing up time - apart from maybe those that deal with theoretical physics and mathematics.

"The two data sets are a measure of the voltage output of the same item measured using two different sets of test equipment. I am trying to get a way of describing how well the two measurement systems compare. In the ideal world the results should be exactly the same, but obviously the ideal world doesn't exist. So I am hoping to get a value that I can use to compare different sets of data without having to resort to the cumbersome descriptive method I am currently using."

I think a Bland and Altman plot may be the way to go with this, since you want to compare how well the two measures compare with one another. Bland JM, Altman DG. (1986). Statistical methods for assessing agreement between two methods of clinical measurement. Lancet, i, 307-310 It's good for more than clinical medicine and is used in chemistry and physics. The paper is extremely well written and I'd recommend at least checking it out to see if it's suitable. I could be wrong but I think it does what you're after. Easy to do as well.

Well done, Chrisrolinski. And congratulations with the job too.

That's it! Today's a write off! I'm going to retire for the evening and watch Phil smoke a crack pipe on Eastenders. If I work on Saturday and Sunday I can make up for it.

Yeah, I've had people say to me 'when are you going to stop being a student?' and 'God, you're going to be a student forever!' And then there's: 'I'll bet you do another degree after this'. Also there's the curious medical 'real' doctor phenomenon. I've had people tell me all about their medical problems because they mistakenly believe I'll know everything being a 'doctoral' student. New Year's eve just past was the best...

I was waiting with some mates at a taxi rank to get a taxi home. Some kid had fallen over and had a big gash on his elbow. Anyway, a mate goes 'let him look at it, he's gonna be a doctor!'.
'No, no, not that kind of doctor!'
But this kid comes over anyway to show me his scabby elbow. So what can you say other than, 'Hmm, yep, think you should go to casualty with that'?
And then there's religion...
'I'll bet you don't believe in God do you, with being a doctor? That's not something you'd believe in is it?'

Okay, firstly, I'm not a stats guru. You want to compare the data sets to see if there's any association between them? If the data is interval or ratio, you could use Pearson's correlation co-efficient. If the data is ordinal (I know I'm speaking like a social scientist), then you could use the Spearman Rank correlation co-efficient. I've never used Excel, but you can find step by step instructions on how to do it on the internet.
You'll find the correlation co-efficient has a value of between -1 (perfect negative association) to 0 (absolutely no association) to 1 (perfect positive association). You'll have a p-value which will tell you whether the association is 'significant' or not, bearing in mind causality. Is that what you're after? Is there anyway you can post your analysis results on this thread so that someone can have a gander at it?

Today's progress: nothing, not a jot. I've sat at my laptop but not done any work. Not to sound like a prima donna but I've just not been in the mood, darling. A low motivation day. If this was a proper full time job, I'd have been sacked by now. Goal for today: try to salvage something, anything, so the day is not a complete write-off.

Well, nice to know I'm not the only one. I know people mean well, and I don't mean to seem churlish, but I think it all boils down to: 3 years doing the same thing, being asked the same questions and only being able to give the same answers. (up) Curiously enough, I don't have the parent problem. My mum knows I'm a PhD but that's as far as it goes.

Firstly, I'd like to add a disclaimer. I'm well aware that I lack subtlety and tact. I'm equally well aware that I can sometimes say annoying and insensitive things to others. Now, perhaps it's because I'm working extremely long hours and not getting nearly enough sleep. Maybe I'm just becoming a grouch in my old age. So, I'm a fine one to talk. But there's a couple of things people say to me that are really starting to grate. However unlikely, perhaps it's the same for some of you? On a point by point basis, here they are:

1) You'll miss it when you've done it [my PhD] - you won't know what to do with yourself.

My subsequent action: [Shrugs shoulders]
My instinctive reaction: No, no, you idiot! I really won't miss it when it's done. I'll never look at it again or speak about it. I'm going to start doing normal things like normal people because I want to be normal. In fact, I'm going to take a bound copy of my thesis home and inflict the same torture to it that it's inflicted on me by burning it alive in some twisted re-interpretation of the Wicker Man.

2) You'll be on loads of money when you're done.
My subsequent action: Well, it's really not like that.
My instinctive reaction: You what!? No I frixxin' won't! If I ever manage to get a job I'll be on a series of short-term contracts for life, never knowing where I'll be working from one year to the next. Tell you what, you have my job and I'll have yours!

3)What, you're still doing that PhD?
My subsequent action: Yep, it takes a long time.
My instinctive reaction: What the XXXX do you think it is? A 500 word story and a multiple choice exam!? What, you still asking the same stupid questions?

4) It'll all be worth it in the end!
My subsequent action: Hmm, I hope so.
My instinctive reaction: Well thanks for that Miss Editor of the Times Higher Education Supplement and world-renowned fortune teller! When I ring you up to sell you a mobile phone, I'll say, 'you were right!'

And, this one really gets to me :-s

5) What ya gonna do when you've finished.

My subsequent action: Well, I think I might want to do research and be a lecturer.
My Instinctive Reaction: That's the 607th time you've XXXXing well asked me that! I quite fancy a stint on JSA taking up filling in job applications as a full-time hobby, eventually graduating to the dizzy heights of part time work!

And this one's personal...

6) Eurgh! There's a spelling mistake on your questionnaire...
My subsequent action: Oh, let me see?
My completely unjustified instinctive reaction: Gerroff! 3 years of toil, and you just had to ruin it all for me, didn't you!?

Well, that's all my little bug bears and it was almost cathartic turning it all into pixels on my laptop screen. It would be interesting to see if anyone else finds things that people say to them annoying.
:-)

I was actually going to try and give a bit of advice, but after reading the authoritative post below...what Jepsonclough says!

Right, I'm calling at do for today...well, judging by the time, some of the day. Where did the last day go? I've done yet another commentary (1,300 words) and have one more to do. I'll give myself a week to get the next one done because it's a hard one. I'm never ever going to make another questionnaire ever again.