Hi Meerkat

I think the way you're feeling is very common, I know I really felt I'd achieved very little at the end of my first year. But now, at the end of my second year, I can see I'm a lot further forward than I thought I was, and that year really did help clarify my thoughts.

If you really do want to change your thesis question, it certainly isn't too late - there are a couple of people in my department who have done the same thing at a similar stage to you. They are having to work pretty hard to get on track, but both of them seem confident that they'll finish within the three years (well, that's what they say, but I'm sure they're like everyone else and full of doubt on the inside!) I don;t know what the position is with funding, I imagine that depends on how big a shift in topic it is and what the funding was actually allocated for, but it's certainly not that unusual for people to do this.

Your first year report is the same length that mine was. Mine was an upgrade report to go from MPhil status to PhD status. Mine took less than two months to write, while doing other things alongside, although this was partly because previous writing I'd done (a literature review and a fairly detailed background section) just needed adapting. So again, that is certainly very manageable, and actually I found the process very helpful in defining what my topic was, so that may be a positive thing for you.

I think it is important that you discuss this with your supervisors. Unless yours are real ogres, there's no need to be scared about talking to them about this. But they may have a very different perspective on the work you've done so far - it's so difficult for us to really see where we are with things when we're so close to our own work. So do try to have a discussion with them about this, and have a think about what they say.

Good luck with it!

Hello everyone.

I'm writing my second year report at the moment, and need to include a draft structure plan for my thesis. It's only an early draft so not set in stone, but the way I frame it now could really help me - my study has the potential to become fearsomely complicated and confusing if I don't get this right. So does anyone have any comments on what seems like the most logical way to proceed?

It's difficult to explain without giving away my topic, but here goes. I have 2 organisations that I'm studying. In each organisation, I'm asking about two distinct aspects of what they do. I'm also using both quantitative and qualitative methods in both organisations (and I have a methodological question I want to answer). And at present I also have 3 main research questions I want to answer. (Following that?!) It seems to me that there are 3 ways I can structure the thesis:

1.) Study of organisation 1, discussing both qualitative and quantitative methods
Study of organisation 2, discussing both methods and drawing comparisons with org 1
Discussion chapter(s) looking at 2 aspects of what they do and also answering research and methodological questions

2.) Quantitative study, discussing org 1 then org 2 and comparing, including answering methodological question
Qualitative study, discussing org 1 then org 2 and comparing
Discussion chapter(s) drawing together qual and quant, looking at 2 aspects and answering research questions

3.) Discussion of research questions, methodological question and 2 aspects over several chapters, bringing in quant and qual for both organisations as required

I think option 3 could be a bit of a nightmare to get my head around, but each chapter would probably work well as a journal article/conference paper. Options 1 and 2 might be more logical, or might end up feeling really repetitive. Or maybe there's another way combining some of these approaches. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks!

That sounds like a nice reward, Sneaks.

Today, I'm going to get seriously stuck into the work, after a couple of weeks of pootling around rather than working. I'm coming up to a couple of deadlines and am getting nervous about how little I've done to meet them so far!

Goals for today:
1.) This morning, work on my second year report
2.) This afternoon, work on a journal article
3.) In between and throughout the day, do some cleaning

Ooh, good stuff, Pink_numbers!

I slept really badly too, for about the fourth night in a row. I took yesterday off work to try to recover a bit but I feel just as drained and sickly today as I did yesterday. But I can't just take time off for no reason so I'll have to ease myself into some work today.

Goals:
1.) Check on latest developments on data collection
2.) Write up meeting notes and send to supervisor
3.) Start planning second year report

Hah, oh I love those Korean pop songs! Not seen any of them before.

For some reason, they (or the first one, anyway) reminded me of this song from my youth... Shampoo singing 'Trouble'. Always makes me smile.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL15Ya5fsgo

Good luck Sneaks, sounds like you've got your head in the right place to sort this all out.

And good luck star-shaped too, hope the interview goes well.

Today, I'm waiting to hear that the second organisation I'm studying has launched my survey, and also whether the first organisation has approved the last minute changes they insisted I made and are ready to launch next week. I'm also really tired after sleeping badly for the last few nights (nightmares!), so not sure how much other work I'll achieve today. Maybe I'll concentrate on cleaning my flat and checking emails and leave brainwork til tomorrow!

Oh dear. I had a nightmare last night that seemed to go on for hours and then didn't wake up til 10.30! Should have set my alarm. Never mind! I'm giving myself a fairly easy day today, just three tasks:
1.) Make changes to questionnaire and send to organisation
2.) Write up notes from yesterday's supervision meeting
3.) Clean the flat - it's filthy!

Oh dear. My supervisor was held up in a meeting with another PhD student just before my supervision session, so I sat outside and waited, and he and another academic were absolutely mauling the other student. The poor boy, he was in pieces. But so defensive that he was just winding the academics up. I hate overhearing things like that happen.

Thankfully my own supervision session was lovely and my supervisor gave me good advice on reworking my questionnaire to suit the sudden change in direction that one of the organisations I'm studying sprang on me on Monday. Looks like we've found a way to reduce the length of the questionnaire by almost a third. Phew.

Goals for the rest of the day:
1.) Type up changes to questionnaire and send to organisation for response
2.) Write up notes from supervision meeting and send to supervisors

I would suggest that you're overthinking this, and should allow yourself to relax a little. I'm at a very similar stage to you timewise, but at my university we transfer from MPhil to PhD at the end of our first year (out of three), so I've already been through a similar process (clearly not exactly the same though). I know it's different in different universities, but objectively speaking, the transfer is not that huge a leap. You're not expected to have anything close to finished PhD standard work at this point. It's more about exploring the approach being taken, and whether various aspects have been thought through properly, and suggesting where future areas of focus might be, rather than looking for reasons to trip someone up.

Think about how much you've learnt and how much your ideas have evolved since you started - if you factor in the 'exit velocity' we're likely to get which means that as we focus and pull things together to finish it will all tighten and improve even further, there is still huge opportunity for work to improve in the time left. Being aware of how much there is to do is daunting, but I think it's just a sign that we're developing an understanding of the task we have ahead of us - and it's daunting only because we haven't done it yet and seen how our ideas can stretch to meet the challenge.

It sounds like you have the confidence of your supervisors. Trust that for now - it's not easy to do that when we're so used to trying to think critically, but at this particular stage, they probably have a clearer idea of where we're at than we do ourselves.

Good luck with it!

Hmm, did I kill the thread yesterday? Oh well!

Goals for today:
1.) Finish reworking my questionnaire for organisation 1
2.) Confirm distribution of questionnaire for organisation 2
3.) Go to supervision meeting and write up notes afterwards

Heh, I do a version of mytomatoes myself at home with an egg timer, it really does force me to concentrate. Only works for me when I have a really specific job to do though, like writing a paper or something - otherwise stopping and starting just irritates me.

Anyway - hello everyone! I'm back, after a week away at summer school (a complete blast, and also very thought-provoking), two weeks on holiday in France (so nice!) and two days of lazy procrastination when I really should have been working. Hope everyone's work is going well - just read back on a few recent posts and it seems like people are making huge strides towards submissions - great stuff!

Feel super refreshed and relaxed but it may take me a while to get motivated, so I've decided to use the mytomatoes method today. I came back to an email from one of the organisations I'm studying, asking for major changes to my questionnaire, which is a bit of a nightmare as it's supposed to already be launched. But the relaxed post-holiday me is going to take this in my stride and not stress!

Goals for today:
1.) Look at the organisation's concerns and decide which can be addressed
2.) Look at making changes to questionnaire
3.) Do laundry and other housework!

Oh Moonblue, that's so sad. I agree, it sounds like it was for the best, but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with.

Today is my last chance to get things done before I go to summer school for a week, and then off on holiday for two weeks straight after that. And my data collection isn't happening. It's so frustrating! The organisations I'm studying had agreed it would all go ahead but now it's just delay after delay with getting the actual emails inviting people to take part sent out. It looks like one lot will have to wait until after my holiday now. Hopefully the other lot will get sorted, waiting to hear back. Grrrr.

Otherwise, it's laundry, last minute shopping and packing for summer school. If I don't come back here again today, see you all in about three weeks!

Afternoon everyone!

I really can't be arsed today, but know I need to get some stuff done. Already been swimming and to a supervision meeting. Need to build myself up to have the strength of will required to speak to the two organisations hosting my study without falling on my knees and begging them through tears of frustration to please just get on with the stuff they promised to do for me.... Oh well, it'll all work out.

Goals for today:
1.) Go swimming - DONE
2.) Go to supervision meeting and write up notes afterwards - DONE
3.) Contact first organisation to see whether I can put their survey 'live' yet
4.) Try to contact second organisation to see what they're playing at....
5.) Print out lots of documents I need to take with me to Summer School next week

Ooh, computer glitches like that drive me crazy, even when they're only little things in themselves!

Today, I've already contacted my two organisations to find out where they're at with launching the data collection. Otherwise, I'm going to do some reading, but mainly get stuff sorted for going to summer school this weekend and then on holiday as soon as I get back. Feeling very relaxed about the work at the moment, which is no bad thing really!

Actually, I find my supervision notes really useful. Just the act of writing up notes after each meeting helps me to process whatever we've talked about and fit it into my bigger picture of what I'm doing and where I'm going with my research. But beyond that, yes, it's just proof that my supervisors have actually given me guidance, and something both sides can point to if we disagree about what we've said in the past. Really not expecting it to be at all relevant to the viva or anything else!