I took 4yrs and 3mths...as the 4yr deadline was approaching I wrote to my Uni's research degree committee explaining the reasons why I hadn't manage to complete and requesting an extension. I asked for 6mths and they offered me 3mths so I advise asking for more than you think you need in case a) they offer you less, or b) you do need more time than you think (they don't much like 2nd and 3rd requests for extensions!) If you have your supervisor's support (i.e. they can vouch that you have genuine reasons for needing the extension), I'm sure your request will be considered.

My colleague had to do extra work, re-write and re-submit with a second viva. It does happen She got her PhD though, all went well at the 2nd viva and her thesis was much improved for the extra work. It's very disappointing for you but you will get there, good luck, hope the extra experiments go smoothly.

Gosh Piglet, your boyfriend is very articulate (all be it rude!) in referring to your rear end as "an amorphous mass not dissimilar to a stress ball". My boyfriend puts far less literary effort into his insults!

Mine are mainly biking and baking (one is essential to counteract the effects of the other, lol!). Bought a new mountain bike yesterday, woohooo!!

We've been here before, in case anyone wants to check out previous replies on this topic
http://www.postgraduateforum.com/showmessage.asp?thread=5111&cat=3&keyword=phd%20pgce&newview=1&stype=TM&category=0

How about using another MS Office package (Publisher, PowerPoint) then saving it as an image and importing it into your Word doc (File Insert Object Picture etc)?

Well done Fluffy!!!

How about drafting a letter and then asking your supervisors to comment?

Very general tips
*University headed notepaper is a must
*Clearly state your purpose early on in the letter, people will not continue to read through a lengthy explanation to see if it is something that interests them. Grab their interest and state the relevance to them as soon as possible.
*Be as concise as possible (see above)
*Refer to your supervisors i.e establish some credibility
*State your contact details (or your supervisors) as a source of further information

Good luck

Yes Sue, mine didn't involve a lot of thought either...well, maybe a lot of thought by my parents 30-odd years ago but not by me!

Well done Piglet!!!

I'm with Kronkodile on this one, I work in an academic medical field so my business card says "Ann Surname PhD". That way, I'm not confusing anyone who might think I'm a medical doctor if they saw "Dr Ann Surname" but I am showing that I'm appropriately qualified to do my job.

I use my title but certainly don't insist on it. It's certainly nothing to be ashamed of and it's not like we haven't earned it! It's an academic title and as I work in academia, I think it's appropriate. As for people saying that you're not a 'proper doctor' because you're not a medical doctor, you might want to point out that you are because you have a doctoral degree, whereas a medical doctor is called a doctor as an honorary title (ok, most of them will do a higher doctoral degree later in their medical careers but you don't have to add that bit, hehe).

On the subject of essay mills...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6680457.stm

I had one big M&M chapter, was the most logical way for me. Every thesis is different though so you should go with the way that seems to make the most sense for you (and hopefully, your examiners too!). Good luck.

A thesis needs to go into far more detail than a journal. Some uni's allow students to submit a thesis where the chapters are made up of published papers. Even if where this is allowed (and don't underestimate the time it takes to undertake research and then get it published!), supplementary chapters are required to 1) 'set the scene' i.e. provide a comprehensive backgroud to the research (what's known, what needs to be known) 2) expand on the methodology in more detail than is permited in journal articles 3) summarise the research and 'tie together' the separate journal articles.