======= Date Modified 13 Jan 2011 11:10:16 =======
Referencing packages

Thought this was a really useful discussion thread that we may all want to keep looking up - thanks to Chococake for posting it in the first place

Mendeley Vs Endnote Vs Zotero

Mendeley and Zotero are free. Endnote is available as part of lots of uni software subscriptions.
More on Mendeley here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2010/jul/05/mendeley-activate

Look up Chococake's full original posting for more discussion on this subject

Thanks Clarabelle - great links on Blogs to follow

I use endnote because its on the Uni system so everyone I know uses it but I gather its really difficult to get the data off for future use? So wish I had gone with something different at the start. Its quite limited for notes too. Can you put more detail in the other systems?

PhD Blog roll

1. This forum's very own Indoctorate http://www.indoctorate.co.uk/
2. http://malenel.wordpress.com/ - wow she filmed her PhD defence!
3. http://phdblogit.blogspot.com/

I am relieved that at leasy Ady thinks this has some value - so will keep posting

Just found out that there is a hashtag buzz going down in Twitter at #PhD

I changed my name when I get married - good job I had published so little! It's a good idea to think about your name early on in your career if you might want to change your name. I got lots of stick about changing my name - all from women. I don't mind if people keep their birth name but I just wanted to change it.

Cate

Congratulations Keenbean! Don't let anyone spoil your happiness. When I told people at work I was engaged I was told not to bring my personal life to work - but that was life BP (before PhD) Personally I think that doing a PhD is the best time to get married have kids etc. I worked and found people still say things about having children, bring your personal life to work etc - there are bitter people everywhere and I have had some bad experiences and some great experiences. I am lucky now that I have a great supervisor who is flexible and understanding as I have kids. Doing a PhD can work in a non 9-5 way (but then I am doing social sciences). Don't put life on hold get on with. You can do it all - but it is harder and may take longer. As I have got older I have got much more choosy about who I would work with.

Cate

The value of an MSc is often more readily understood by employers unless your PGDip is being used directly in a field where it is well understood. Often as a professional qualification you can just have a PGDip and it is certainly not a failed MSc but it is only a small step on to get the MSc so try and see if you can do it - the dissertation is the chance to look at what interests you - sometimes it can offer a chance to make new and useful contacts that can take you in a new direction. It is a more highly rated qualification. Maybe you can be given longer to do your MSc - but you would really strong reasons to be given an extension. Have you talked to a tutor about this - try and find someone sympathetic to voice your problems to face-to-face?

Great set of slides by Matt Might on how to visualise a PhD

http://matt.might.net/articles/phd-school-in-pictures/

Hi Nthabi Don't dispair - you can do it. I agree with the concept that breaking it into small parts helps. Is there a support group of other PhD students around you who can discuss your proposal with you? I looked at the abstracts of lots of other PhDs which helped me with thinking through my own proposal. Not sure what area you are working in but for me starting on the literature review really helped me to get my head around things in the early stages. A PhD is a big step up and throughout the whole process their continue to be challenges but the journey is a worthwhile experience. Hang on in there and keep emailing this forum.

Cate

======= Date Modified 07 Jan 2011 23:21:24 =======
RANKED JOURNAL LIST

Australian ARA listing of 2010 Journal Rankings - ranking journals from around the world free to download at
http://www.arc.gov.au/era/era_journal_list.htm

UK THESES FREE TO DOWNLOAD

Just register and download theses examples for free at http://ethos.bl.uk/Home.do;jsessionid=EF08627811FEC625825FAE29AB7FE66D

[Any other similar resources from around the world?]

VIVA REFERENCE TEXT

P Tinkler and C Jackson. The Doctoral Examination Process. Especially chapter 10.

======= Date Modified 15 Jan 2011 19:18:30 =======
Hi all

I only found this forum back in November and so wish I had found it earlier when I started - it is such a reassuring forum. I love the one goal thread and also other postings. I sometimes struggle though to find again useful information when it does later become important to where I am at. I think it would be great to have a separate thread with sub posts with the useful resources so many of you list. Like the BL ethos set of theses that can be download for free or the Tinkler and Jackson book so many people quote as useful for the viva. I find it hard to quickly look for things in all the text (which is valid in the context of individual postings). It does mean people when posting an answer would also need to go to this to post their links. Not sure if others agree with or can improve on this suggestion?

I have attempted to post the two short links I mentioned for future reference.

Cate

======= Date Modified 07 Jan 2011 23:07:30 =======
Hi

I found looking at other theses invaluable - particularly at the moment as I am struggling with writing style for an ethnographic approach - which is all really about presenting observations. Like others I downloaded theses from the free British Library service (ethos/bl/uk). I wasn't necessarily looking for people with the same subject area but more looking for people who might have used a similar underpinning dataset/method.

Not sure if this helps.

Cate