I agree with Dunni here. Also, is this the same supervisor who didn't believe you could pass the viva at all?! If so, you have proved him wrong already, and you can do it again.

My suggestion is not to lose sight of the "bigger picture". When you work on a lengthy document like a PhD thesis it is very easy to get lost by looking at little details.

I remember one of your past threads, and I think that there are too many reasons why your thesis deserves to pass. So do not forget those reasons - write them on a post-it and stick it in front of you!

Beth, I am really sorry to hear this.

It's very difficult to suggest something from the outside. There may be dynamics in your department or in the relationship between your supervisor and the examiners that we ignore. How did they choose the examiners? Did you have any voice in this?

As far as I know, when you submit a PhD thesis you have to sign a declaration that this has not previously been submitted for any other degree - at least in the UK. I think that this is why your supervisor want you to appeal.

I know nothing about the technicalities of an academic appeal, but if you have a strong support from your supervisor and your department, it might be the right thing to do.

As it has been previously suggested, I would ask for the examiners' reports and see the reasons for this outcome. Also, did they award you a lower degree - MPhil, MLitt? If this is the case, I would personally accept it and I would start afresh with a new PhD project. But, as I said, in the end this is your decision.

Best of luck whatever you choose, and remember that the forum is here for support...

No Problem Eimeo. Glad that my suggestions were of assistance.
How is your publication project going?

C.

Excellent news Dr Dalmation!

You must be very proud of yourself, well done! (gift)

Hello Dr_Wannabe. I think that yours is a crisis of self-confidence. Also, people around you think that you are very strong and rely on you for support, and forget that you as anyone you may need support in return.

As far as the self-confidence aspect is concerned you can start to build it up now. Try to read your post as if it was by someone else. Surely you can see how far this Dr_Wannabe has come in spite of the odds. We acquire confidence also through the appreciation that people have for what we do, so mix with other people, take part in seminars and conferences, present your work, exchange ideas. You will see that your self-confidence will increase very quickly. It is very easy to lose perspective of your situation when you are by yourself all the time.

Second point. This PhD is for you, and you only. While I understand that you don't want to disappoint your family, this is your life, and if you feel that the PhD is not what you want to do, well...the world will continue to spin also without it, and surely people who genuinely love you won't mind if you are Dr or not.

Also, when you feel low go outside for a walk. It sounds silly, but believe me, it's not. You will feel much better afterwards.

If the PhD is what you really want for yourself, then you will manage to do it - everyone have crisis of some kind in the course of their PhDs. It is a long project, and only in an ideal world things go smoothly from start to finish.

But as I said, you don't need of a PhD to be considered worthy or "clever". There are so many things that you can do, and where you can make the difference, without putting yourself under extra pressure.

I am not sure that I was helpful, but you have al my sympathy.

======= Date Modified 17 Apr 2012 09:53:18 =======
It is a very difficult situation to be in, but I think that if you are very focused you can make it. You must also accept that as you have all these other commitments running at the same time, some things have to go by the board! Bur remember, it's only for a short period of time.

I would recommend you to look at other successful theses that were recently awarded a PhD in your department and look very carefully at how they are structured etc. It was certainly more useful to me than my sup's comments.

I wouldn't think about re-submissions/ major corrections now. I was convinced I would get major corrections, and I passed with minors, so think positive until reality proves you otherwise. Good luck!

Hi Dave,

Couldn't you ask for a suspension of study? Perhaps your GP could help you with this (I reckon you must feel burn out and stressed). That's not an extension, and you could work in that time.

I know something about luck of supervision, so I can sympathize with you. As it has been already said, if you have published it means that you have done some valuable work. It is now time to motivate yourself to pull it together and submit it.

Complaining about your sup now would only jeopardize your submission. I am sure that he will be very friendly once you have passed your viva (I have been there too, Grrrrr!!!).

Well done Dr Naturalme! Massive congratulations!
You can definitely call yourself Dr now.

Hearing positive stories is always inspiring, even after my own completion, and reading your successful story today has injected me - and I think many other participants to the forum - with lots of energy and positive thinking!

Best of luck with all your future projects! (gift)(gift)(gift)

Drowningfast, I very seldom visit the forum now, as I have to care for my elderly parents, but I am happy to be of some support if I can.

I understand how you feel - my supervisor was not much different from yours - and I cannot really tell what I had to go through with that person. It was tough indeed. It was a different challenge every time, and the whole situation had a huge impact on my self-confidence of course.

However, I never lost sight of my values and what I wanted to achieve. In the end a PhD does not spin exclusively around supervisors. They are important, very important, but the completion of your research depend on you and a lot of other people around you (e.g. colleagues, external and internal examiners, etc)

I agree with what has been said earlier. Step back and rest - then reassess the situation and what YOU can do about it.

1) Is there anyone in your field you can talk to?
2) Have you tried counselling?
3) If you didn't worth anything she wouldn't have let you start
4) Did you try to find the root of what doesn't work and why?
5) What kind of feedback did you have when you presented your papers?
6) Do you have an annual research interview, and how did it go? Anyone in the panel you can refer to?

Remember that people like your supervisor thrive when they see someone in a weak position, if you show that you have support elsewhere or that you succeed by yourself she will step back.

In order to succeed you must take care of yourself first. If you see that nothing of the above is good enough for you, you might consider quitting, but under no circumstances ever think about hurting yourself.

A big hug.

Hello there, and congratulations on securing a contract! Publishing a thesis as a whole is not easy, so well done.

About the copyright for your images - it sounds like a bit deal, but it is much easier than it looks. However, you need to apply for permission to reproduce as early as you can, as some institutions take a long time to reply.

If you reproduce something that has already been published elsewhere, you should be able to find who is the copyright holder quite easily.

In the case of images from films, I suppose that you can enquire the producer. I don't know in which country you live, but there will be archives/ institutions and museums you can enquire about/ purchase images from (e.g. the cinema museum in London).

The cost greatly depends on the  nature of the publication, if they are b/w or colour, and how many copies they are going to print. But prices may vary hugely, especially in different countries. Some institutions will have very strict rules about how they want a photo to be printed (e.g. no larger than A5, what to write in the credit line, etc). Some will waive fees off if you purchase b/w images for an academic publications of no more than 1000 copies.

There are also associations and institutions you can apply to, to cover the cost of your images.

Some publishers have sample forms that you can use to approach your copyright holder(s). I would ask your contact at the publishing house and see if they have a specific form for this.

I hope it helps.

Hello SadPhDStudent,

I am really sorry to hear your story- and I understand your state of mind. If it can be of any relief, your story is much more common than you think. All sorts of games take place in small academic environments, and as you had the chance to experience yourself, staff close ranks if they think that you don't comply to their plans.

I don't know what area you are in and how much work you have done already. If you are working by yourself or as part of a team. All these variables might make a huge difference on how you can deal with this problem and the possible consequences of your actions. I am afraid that I don't have any problem-solving technique, but I agree with you that going down the route of an academic appeal could be potentially more damaging for you than for them.

If you are in the humanities and working on your own project alone, I would suggest talking clearly to your new supervisor and explain why and how much is important for you to complete the current project within a certain time frame, and why a change at this stage is not feasible. Do not criticise or mention anyone involved in the background. It would be pointless. Your objective is completing quickly and move on. Be professional at meetings keep them short and to the point. Believe me, whatever they can throw to you good work is good work - no examiner can fail to see that.

If you have completed significant research and you can prove it, they cannot force you to change topic. Have you presented papers? published something? is there any track that shows your progress so far?

In the worst case-scenario  - is there anyone in the student union that might be able to advise you on how to move out of the place without losing your previous work?

Finally, losing a student would be a problem for them too, so they surely have a high interest in retaining you and make sure that you complete. So, tread very carefully, and focus on your work, not on the people.

Good luck!

Congratulations Dr Ady!!!

I can now happily retire from the forum - I was just waiting to hear your good news!

I agree with Rick - your contribution here has been a huge help for me too - Thank you!!!


(gift)(gift)(gift)

First of all, congratulations for getting such a good mark on your dissertation.

I have recently graduated with my PhD in art history, and although having publications in your CV is desirable, is not compulsory at your stage. I published a paper in the course of my 2nd year, and I have two papers in press now.

I have a friend who published her MA thesis in history (as a book) though, and she is probably much less pressed for publishing in the course of her PhD now.

I think that trying to publish is certainly worthwhile, although especially in our subject, being accepted for a high profile journal can be very difficult. I would try to do it bearing in mind that it may take a while (a year or two) to go through the peer-review process etc.

Have you considered trying to publish it as a book? There are publishers in our subject area that could be interested, although you would probably be required to extend the length of your book.

I think that the problem here it that in the Italian system, as far as I know, there isn't all the kind of written/marked work that there normally is in a UK undergraduate course, except for the thesis. Exams tend to be mainly oral, and you might sustain exams without having had the chance to interact with the course leader at all during the year.

The previous suggestions on how to deal with this are excellent. Drafting something and stressing what kind of research experience you have is a very good idea. I don't know in which field you are in, but any lab work or archival training/ experience should be noted, knowledge of languages, etc. Did you do an Erasmus exchange? Do write anything that can be potentially attractive for your perspective supervisor.

If you have any work experience that can feed into your future studies, do highlight that too. You might be able to apply for funding in Italy for your studies in the UK - the Italian embassy in the UK might be able to help you here. So any potential source of funding that you might be able to apply for should be highlighted as well.

Good Luck!

Yes, I recognise myself in what you say, Iseult.

I would also like to add that,  the case of Natassia has highlighted a slightly different aspect as well. Having being in a similar situation to her' s, my feeling was more about the fact that my supervisor felt the it was fine to criticize my work with people other than myself. I thought that it wasn't very correct, especially as it was related to a first draft of half of the chapters of my thesis.

I have always being fine with taking constructive criticism and comments on board, but any the above should be discussed with the students in the first place and not behind their shoulders. This is not correct. No matter how right these comments are.