Ok I could do that, but I'd rather just be independent! Seeems a bit wrong to hang on to the old uni like something that won't go away :p

I've considered it, but because I'm a non-affiliated post-doc (apart from a temporary honorary research fellowship) I'm not sure I'd fit into it. It seems to be based all around institutions, and missing out people who are independent researchers. Or maybe I've got that wrong? Would be delighted to be wrong :p I am on LinkedIn though.

Oh and funding would be a big concern. If you have received funding from a research council before you are very unlikely to receive it a second time. And I'd be very sceptical about your chances of getting any sort of funding, up against people going for a PhD the first time.

If you're considering self-funding it's a different scenario, and an expensive investment for you.

I've advised against doing this before, because I'd be concerned that doing a second PhD would be viewed extremely negatively by future employers. Very very negatively, and they'd grill you quite extensively about why you'd done it.

I have heard of people doing this, but it is usually because they now work in a completely different field. For example I know someone with a PhD in Russian History who is considering doing a PhD in computer science, which is what they work in now research-wise.

But if your field is close to your last one, and overlapping in anyway, definite no-no IMHO.

Get a post-doc instead. Or think outside the box.

I don't think rereading it in just a week between submission and viva would help Keenbean. There's a need for a bit of distance (in terms of time) when rereading the thesis, otherwise you are just going through the motions. That's why I'm recommending other approaches.

I wouldn't bother reading your thesis, since you'll just have finished writing it!

Instead I would recommend focusing on answering my 5 core questions, which between them cover far more on longer lists of potential viva questions. This takes very little time.

The questions are: originality of my thesis, contribution to knowledge, methodology, weaknesses/gaps/mistakes, and what would I do differently if starting again.

I used quite a lot of pie charts in my history PhD thesis.

Is this for your thesis post-corrections? You shouldn't normally need a hard-bound copy until then. Normally submitted copies are soft bound.

I'll PM you details of the binders I used.

In the UK the system doesn't involve course work, and PhDs are completed much quicker than in the US where that system applies.

We don't have written exams, but there are often oral exams to get past, so upgrade vivas etc.

I've been a PhD student twice (and completed successfully the second time), full-time science the first time, and part-time humanities the second.

It's very rare in my experience for UK PhD-ers, unless self-funding, and possibly part-time, to start at anything other than September/October. Universities are all geared up around this timetable.

I'm afraid students aren't treated that well in my experience. Better than undergraduates, but not vieweed as employees. They tend to get a certain amount of time off, especially if there is a funding agreement, but this usually has to be fought for. It is normal for full-timers in particular to do teaching, but this is not always a requirement, more usually an advisable thing, for financial reasons, and to get valuable experience which could help you get a job post-PHD.

If you're less than a year through (full-time, let alone part-time) you are still in the early stages, and it's perfectly natural to be unsure, and have difficulty defending your work. To be honest this sort of feeling can last right up until the last few months of the PhD. So I wouldn't be unduly concerned. Also you need to view it as a long apprenticeship. It's more of a marathon than a sprint. And you are still in the very early stages, and still very much in the process of learning.

So, basically, I wouldn't be concerned if I was you. Just take things a step at a time and see where you end up. It is very likely you will hit even worse mid-PhD blues in the second year or thereabouts. But, again, just work slowly through them.

I thought about quitting my second go at a PhD almost every day! The key is to keep going. And have modest ambitions, and remember you are still learning.

Good luck!

Chapter lengths vary a lot by discipline. What is your discipline? Also what are the expected total word counts in your department? From the total word count you should be able to work back to estimates for individual chapters.

I had 7 chapters and they were about 10,000 words on average each, though some were longer, and some shorter. I was a humanities student. I had a combined intro / lit review / methodology chapter, then chapters 2-6 were core theme/topic/discussion ones containing my new findings, and 7 my wrap-up-everything conclusions chapter.

Dunleavy in his book on PhD theses recommends 10,000 words as a good length for chapters. Much longer and it can become unwieldy for examiners to read. Much shorter also not so good.

Not having a second viva is brilliant. It's still not a pass, because they haven't guaranteed to give you a PhD if you do the changes, so it's very different from either a pass with minor corrections, or a pass with major revisions. The changes required in your case are too substantial for them to do that. Nor is it a fail, which is brilliant. But if you do the changes you should be ok.

Pay very careful attention to the list of changes/issues you will be sent. Follow them to the letter. Did you take notes about their suggestions re changes in the viva? If not write down as much as you can remember ASAP. I had my notepad out in my viva, and was scribbling, though I just had typo corrections to fix.

Three students in my department got resubmissions around the same time as each other. Two have since successfully resubmitted and passed. And they're now post-docs. I'm not sure what the third is doing - seems to have been getting extension after extension.

You should have been told if you need to go through another viva. Commonly this would be the case with a resubmission. And you should be given (sometimes several weeks after the viva) a list of the issues you need to correct.

It's not guaranteed that you will pass if you do these. But do them to the best of your ability, defend yourself well in the second viva if you have one, and you will have a very good chance.

But it's the result you hoped for, so be very very happy!