Good luck for the interview Sneaks, have faith!! Just be calm and confident and make them think wonder how they ever survived without you on the staff!

Today, my one main goal is to finish this chapter...I have to finished the discussion and write the intro but I *really really* want to get it done today as that's the main thesis totally written, only general discussion chapter to go...whoo!

oh my word. I have just finished my last results section for my last experimental chapter. Well, the first draft anyway, but I always find that the hardest. I can almost sense the light....

I'm here , as per usual these days...

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well, that's an extremely good point Bilbo and you are right there, but you can still submit to a normal print journal in that case no? I think the journals having an open access option along with normal submission is the best way forward...

http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/news/100906.htm

There is light at the end of the tunnel apparently...thought not necessarily in academia...

I'm with Wally here, the whole point of research and publishing is to bring new findings to light and inform people, and I don't see why this should be restricted to universities paying subscription fees or the individual willing to fork out a fortune to have access to new journals. Not everyone has access to uni subscriptions and having to pay for journal access is a major barrier to many independent researchers or people who like to read up the research about something they may have heard about. I'm all for open access journals myself.

And while the cost does seem very high, considering they still have to have editors etc and people to format papers for the website and run the whole thing, it's to be expected. Perhaps the cost will come down in the future when open access becomes more widely used, at the moment I'd say they aren't getting the same amount of revenue as print journals. Plus, print journals often have a page limit and extra charges for going over this or providing Appendices or colour images, which isn't an issue for open access journals, well, the ones in my field at least. Which is very handy for someone with heaps of background data and images and graphs that are much easier to interpret in colour... :)

Good luck Moonblue :) stay calm and think about the questions, and you'll be fine!

I'd agree with Jepsonclough here, don't ask him about being your examiner, but definitely take the opportunity to meet him, introduce yourself and make a great first impression. Find out his ideas about your field and where he thinks weaknesses are in the research if possible, and see if it fits with what you are doing, then you'll have him on your side come viva time if he accepts to be your external :)

ok sorted, so it's 1.20am here and I'm done!

goodluck everyone

why oh why did excel change graphs?! I've spent ages trying to do a normal cluster histogram on excel, and I can't get it to come to right! All the columns are on top of each other, they won't separate! I've tried everything! Arrrgh!!

Yea it's amazing Teek, and I have you to thanks for it after you suggested it when it was super hot here and I couldn't drink normal coffee! It's so handy, I make a nice big batch of hot coffee in the morning and have a cup, stick some sugar into what's remaining and whack that in the fridge for iced coffee later! Plus I'm convinced the caffeine hit is stronger from iced coffee, the smell of my coffee breath definitely is! :$

Big up the midnight train!! ( I may have had too much coffee... :-) )

Hello there Walminski! I'm here, got my iced coffee, music and ready to go! I've spent all day doing stats and graphs for this chapter, going to start trying to write it up now, I hate these bits...

Hope you had a nice break from work!

ok done! Good night folks!!

I tend to think it's a bit of both...one of my sups does have a certain style and it's a bit difficult to get sometimes. I def have a style, sometimes it's great for writing things like lit reviews and wordy stuff where I get to go off exploring ideas and things, although I do always need a break too Eska before I can edit. Also helps to edit somewhere neutral, like not anywhere near my desk for some reason.
However, I'm pretty bad at technical writing, I hate having to get bogged down by every little detail and it comes across. Although I have been working on it, but unless I;m interested in what I'm writing it's bad!