Would the Pearson's correlation coefficient (I think you need normal data for that) using SPSS be useful? I do not know much about statistics, but I have used it to test for correlations. If you have all the data in SPSS, it just gives you a table with a cross matrix automatically. Not sure if this is what you are looking for though.

I don't know if you might have a loving mum/dad/sister/brother/boyfriend/friend, who could go through it. They could do it for free - they won't understand most of it, but they can still proofread the general English, missing spaces etc. A proofreader will not know your area either. I would not go with paying someone to do it (perhaps if it is a friend take them out to dinner or something).

Congratulations on the PhD opportunity. I have moved to Ireland last October. From what I can see, the scholarship amount depends very much on the type of scholarship. I know people who get more money for travel purposes (personal travel, as they moved away from home), their dependants etc. So you should ask your supervisor. Re whether it is better in Germany and whether you should not take it, that very much depends on what you want to do. Do you want this project enough to be ready to perhaps sacrifice some things? Good luck

Hello KB...just saw this. I am so sorry for you :( Being competitive in a relationship is a hard thing to accept. Is there any way he can be involved in your PhD, so that he feels that he can help? For example, I cannot, simply cannot coordinate colour or am even the slightest bit bothered with confirming images in a poster or so are in line. So my boyfriend, who has a degree, and will be starting his masters this October, gets to go through all my presentations and posters before I submit them. Similarly I am good at proofreading, so that whenever he has any document he needs to write I get to go through it. By doing the projects 'together', rather than being competitive, it could be a sort of joint achievement - that way he does not feel the need to compete with you, cos he is part of your process, and feels that although yes you are doing a PhD, but you definitely need him to help you out. To end, I truly believe that doing a PhD has very little to do with intelligence and much more to do with determination.

Delusional...I totally feel your worry :(. I moved away from home and left my boyfriend of 5 years behind to start my PhD studies (there is a thread somewhere when I was planning to move away and has quite some good insights). We have been apart for 8 months now, and it is hard (at least you know a bit of how it feels from the Japan-US situation). The worst days are when things are going bad and you just need someone to listen to you rant and give you a hug. But I believe that we have gotten stronger throughout the past months. My suggestion is to make an effort to talk (enjoy the wonders of Skype) and try and meet up whenever possible. We meet every 6-8 weeks, with him visiting me and me visiting him in a roughly alternate manner. What is wonderful about long-distance relationships is that you really make an effort to enjoy each other's company when you get some time together - no more bickering about non-important stuff - though it is important not to let the bigger stuff slide. It is hard, but if you are both determined, you can get there. When doing your masters make sure to still make time for your course/uni friends. Do not go rushing home to chat with your boyfriend on Skype every second you have, as you need a social life with people who are physically there. Overall...it is hard...but you can do it. Good luck

I am planning to submit a lit review paper, and will be using images from other papers. I have references the images, but do I need to get permission as well. And who gives the permission? The author or the publisher? Or do you just reference it and it should be OK?

I am currently writing my first research paper and have decided on a journal to target. I have a problem in the referencing style, since the guide of author is giving examples in one way (for e.g. they do the year of publication in brackets), but the papers in the latest issues have references in a different format (e.g. year of publication not in brackets). Which would you follow in submission? Or is it not that important? I just follow one way and then if they want the other style I change it later on? Thank you

I am using Office 2007/2010 to write initial documents for my PhD (I will hopefully move on to Latex later on in my project, but my supervisors request word documentations). I would like to ask whether anyone knows how to insert a cross reference to a caption and change the default option to label and number rather than entire caption, so that I do not have to keep changing it each time. Thank you

I always write Adapted from: XYZ, 2011 in the caption, whenever I use an image from a book which I have modified. I have also seen Redrawn from ZYZ, 2011, if you are replicating it exactly. Good luck.

Good luck!...is it an interview, or have you already been given the post and you are just meeting informally? What is most important is to keep calm and have some questions to ask...read up on what they are researching in the group and be prepared about where to go at Uni (print a map of the Uni if it is your first time there, make sure you know how to get there etc)

I do not see why you cannot re apply.

Agree 100%. Go for it. It is an informal offer, so they can always withdraw. And it never hurts to go for another interview. You can get to know more people and go through the interview experience again, which is stressful but a learning experience. Good luck :)

If it is not you, do not put it on facebook. Just tell the people who matter yourself (they will appreciate it more than hearing on facebook).It depends on the kind of person you are I guess. I just told the people who mattered myself, the others heard when they noticed I moved country and asked. They do not all need to know now. Congratulations on getting the studentship however :)

I had around 5 journals for which I had no abbreviation. I now managed to find them in Web of Science, so that is done :) Thanks

PS: I am using Refworks, which is what my Uni provides