Hi SBCC

I can get it for you if you want to tell me where to send it :-)

More and more it is becomming the norm. In my uni a digital copy was optional; as in from 'now' we have to deposit a digital copy in our library. It is worth checking your own library catalogue.

However have a look at the British library website - you can register for free and you can download etheses for free!!

http://ethos.bl.uk/Home.do;jsessionid=B70CA576E236A5092E3BF910B921342B

don't be afraid to try the advanced search in Google Scholar - it's not really that advanced! Using boolean searching you should be able to combine, omit and link keywords together. Also you can search by author etc.

From my experience if you are on-campus and using Google scholar, if your library subscribes to a database it should bring you directly to the pdf. If it asks you to pay it generally means your library doesn't subscribe.

I'm so happy for you that a new external is onboard. Good luck with the viva prep, you now have a date to work towards(up)

my undergrad and masters were related but my PhD is in a totally different area. I had to source all my readings, learn the key authors in my area etc - completely on my own. I (fingers crossed) am close to submission now and I admit I am a bit worried that I have covered everything. I 'think' I have but the doubts creep in everyso often. I'm the only person in my department studying this area so there is nobody to talk things through with.

So it's not impossible, nor unknown but it does involve a lot of extra work on your behalf, particularly at the beginning when you are trying to find your place in your discipline.

Hey Platypus

My son tells me that come Thursday he has been told that he will be emailed a temporary social security number which means he can apply for on-campus accommodation plus I suppose a part time job if there is any of those in Sweden! He is from an EU country so I don't know if that makes a difference.

that sounds about right. He got offered his place about a month ago but can only apply for student accom from this Thursday when he thinks he is getting a Lund email address. My son is at work at the moment but I'll ask him tonight for more details and post back here.

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My son will be starting a masters in Lund in Sweden this September and we are in the process of sorting out his accommodation. I presume you are familar with www.studera.nu? Other websites we were advised to look at were:

www.afb.se - you can get housing there but it is based on a queue system and can take a long time to be at the front of the queue.
www.bopoolen.nu - people rent out rooms, (sorry this seems to be 'lund-specific' though maybe if you have a look at it you might find a link off it)
www.blocket.se - people rent rooms on this too. It is harder to navigate as it is in Swedish but you should be able to select your location from the map and work from there - lagenheter uthyres and rooms and apartments for rent will come up.

It's difficult, I agree. He is an EU student so will get a temporary social security number emailed to him this Thursday (or so he assures me!). This will entitle him to register on the 'afb' website.

Good luck with your hunt

just to add to what Caro says, if you're feeling lost or overwhelmed, often the easiest thing to do first is look at other theses. You will see the style, the format, the level, the content etc. Don't get too het up about finding something in a similar field; rather skim through a few theses to get a feel for what's required :-).

I would go with Olivia's suggestions (up).

I would only add that, from my experience, the most effective conference papers are those that restrict the focus to quite a narrow area. So for example, if you have 20 minutes you couldn't possibly go through your points 1-6 above and do each one justice in the time allowed. Good papers (and good presenters by default) often give a brief overview of the whole project at the start and then say something like "and today I am going to concentrate on 'x' aspect of my reserach'. It is clear then to the audience which particular aspect of your reserach you are going to discuss. Once the audience understands the context in which your paper has been formulated, they should be able to focus their attention on the particular aspect of your reserach that you are presenting.

You will make it, if you put your mind to it.

I don't know what overall topic your MSc is in but nevertheless you should be able to get some guidance from the library and from your supervisor - have you been assigned one yet? There also must be a course handbook which should give you some details of what is expected. There are a few things you can do to kickstart your work.

First I would try to access some of the completed dissertations from your course. Your department should have them stored somewhere and it is perfectly acceptable for other students to flick through them to get a feel of the standard, the type of topics etc other people have done. Have a look at the tables of contents in a few and also at the methodology chapters.

Then I would go to the library. Most subjects have books which cover conducting small scale projects. If you can't find one for your discipline a generic 'skills/methods' book looking at reserach design should help. There are literally 100s of these. Try the sociology section of the library, shelved around the 300s. Don't go for a massive book but one which specifically mentions small scale research. Flick through the contents to see if it has what you are looking for. I would borrow no more than two, bring it home and get going!

Then I would make an appointment with your supervisor if you have one, or with the course co-ordinator to look for some starting guidelines. I know it seems daunting but you must have 'some' idea of the type of topic people in your area do.

Re: literature review - nobody can get through a dissertation without one. Again, in that research methods book, there should be something about reviewing the literature. There is loads online so look at those. Try to stick to academic sites as a guide. There are a few universties which have handy two or three page pdfs about literature reviews. Also, looking at previous theses will help here. Lit reviews are a critical review of the key literature in your field, not a summary of everything that has ever been written.

Put the 'what will I do after' thoughts on hold for the moment. You have nearly finished your MSc so don't give up at the final hurdle. Academia may not be for you but make that decision with your MSc under your belt! It will make any job applications (academic or otherwise) more likely.

Hope this helps a bit

A

Hey, Pink_Numbers, great to hear from you again and am so glad that things in Japan are okay (hope you hear positive news about your other friend soon). Sounds like you're steaming ahead with the writing - brill (up). Dunni has submitted so hopefully the rest of us in this thread will start to submit one by one 'til it's empty!!

You have about ten years on me :$ but I have done it all as a mature (degree, masters and now PhD) and yep, we 'matures' have life experience to work off so go for it.

As for cycling gear, with 16 years in the airline industry behind me (and the grooming checks that went with the job - I'm not joking!) I don't think lycra is a good look on anyone, leaves very little to the imagination ;-)

I came to college 20 years after leaving school. My hubs and I have always shared childcare as we worked in the same industry so we did opposites shifts for 16 years. I then left and worked somewhere else (but still managed to do opposite shifts, just about although sometimes it was by the skin of my teeth!). I then went to uni and completed my degree, masters and now am nearly finished PhD. We never had any childcare assistance and I/we got through it.

It is tough and sometimes you get so tired you can hardly stand but still, once there is give and take it can def be done. Also don't forget that although you need to work at your PhD, you don't (generally), have to clock in so your time is your own. Yes that means weekends, evenings, bank holidays etc but needs must, and if that's the way you can get it to work for you and your family, then work it should.

Although you need to think things through, my advice is don't over think it - who knows what's around the corner for any of us??

Good luck :-)