I would've cleared up that faithfully/sincerely had I read it sooner. Oh well, I'm sure it's fine (up)

I simply attach my work to an email and send it to my other email account (in case I am incredibly unlucky and both my laptop breaks and something happens to one of my email accounts).

Ive never applied for a research job, but generally speaking I've emailed many forms with my name simply typed in the signed section, and it's never caused me any problems. I would say it is okay to have a "please find attached" covering letter so long as you make clear in your email what you're applying for (info you'll repeat in the covering letter) and what's attached, and I would say you need a covering letter of some sort. If the covering letter includes some of the same info as the application form so be it, but not word-for-word.

Just what I think, not an expert or anything.

Best of luck with your application! (up)

This is a question that bothers me too!

How about an 'expoly' (oh how I've grown to hate the term!), average to good department in a particular subject, but very good in a specific topic within that subject? This (honestly) won't be sneered at in academia? Also, what if I did my degree, MA and PhD in this same expoly? I don't really, and never did, have much of a choice; I'm a mature student with a mortgage etc so I went local (and I love my uni anyway) but I wouldn't want to be unpleasantly surprised if this caused me difficulties later.

I'm not sure about your difficulties in getting onto a PhD in general, but getting funding for a PhD in Social Sciences is excruciatingly difficult even with a first class degree and a distinction at MA. That's not to say it's impossible with your grades - I really wouldn't know - but funding is so tight as it is... and getting tighter unfortunately.

Good luck.

Now I'm intrigued as to what kind of work you do...

My thoughts: Politely thank him/her for taking an interest, and ask about the nature of his/her inquiry (i.e. something along the lines of "Are you from an organisation/company relevant to [whatever it is your work is about], and for what purposes are you seeking this particular information?"). No need to be too apologetic for requesting this information first; it's only normal to want to know who you are speaking to and what their intentions are before entering into a conversation entirely about your work. If you thank them for showing an interest, they're unlikely to find you rude.

Oh dear. I was about to suggest that perhaps (surely you MUST have!) misunderstood her, and that maybe she meant to light-heartedly poke fun at you for writing such emails at that time of night (y'know, the kind of thing that would usually having a ;-) at the end). But I see from your follow-up conversation that she was actually serious... and actually deranged.

I love this thread... and I am in desperate need of it too (and I'm not even a PhD student...yet). It's also really interesting to see all of the various methods each person uses to produce their work.

Ok, so it's quite late so just a small goal to begin with: read and make notes on two articles- that's all :-)