I have been plodding on with my discussion and so far I have
The first paragraph sets out the aims and main findings.
The first area of research (ch2)
The next area of research (combining ch 3,4 and 5)
The incidental finding from ch 3,4 and 5 work.

In each area I have discussed what I found in this work and related it to other published work.  I have then highlighted the implication of this research within the wider clinical application.

I am in a quandry as to whether I include the limitations under each area or have that separately near the end?
Where do I include the originality part and contribution to knowledge?

Any ideas please

Hi Grit84, I am a part-time student so the write-up for me extends over 18 months-ish. In the last year I have completed chapters 1-7 with just the final discussion to finish. I actually lost 5 months of the last year due to having twins lol, but I have kept going despite my changed circumctances and limitaion on study time. I am finding that some chapters flowed really well and this followed on into the next, brilliant! This last chapter is slower as I also lost my motivation but kept myself busy with other editing issues. It feels good to be this far through but also daunting that there is lots more to do with the editing and final layouts etc. Once the discussion is done the bulk is written! Looking back I am amazed that I have got this far as the thesis then seemed out of my reach.

Have a go at it tomorrow, it may be slow to get started but once you do you will get through it in no time. With good data it is much easier to write your thesis. Don't set yourself big goals as you will feel demoralised if they are not reached, instead give yourself a small task such as write a paragraph, or define the data to be presented etc. Perhaps start, not at the beginning, but at a part that interests you the most. Let us know how you get on.

Hi Grit84, you are not alone with this crisis! I went through this last year when it was time to sit down and write up. Wow what an enormous task it seemed and how wonderfully urgent all of the other daily chores such as ironing seemed to become. I was pretty good at avoiding the long slog! In order to get through it I set up a chapter plan with further breakdowns within each chapter. From here the structure was formed. Next was to take a chapter section and draw a spider diagram linking all of the parts to be included in that section. Once my brain started to work on this very basic scribbling the text began to flow. Once you start to write keep it going daily if possible so that your writing is not interrupted by breaks. You will then find that you will be thinking about your next chapter or section while doing other menial tasks ie travelling and so the thesis will take shape. Don't worry about the number of words as editing is much easier once it is all down on paper! Once you have started the writing style will change as you progress through the chapters so when you go back to the first chapter you will edit it yourself! Remember, you have good data and you have got through these rough times before. There is every chance that you will succeed in your PhD, just go and write it!!

HI Sasa

I am almost at the end of my PhD (part-time) and I can now reflect on those early years.  I found that my subject area was very broad at the beginning (mine and my supervisors ideas) so I didn't really see the direction until the study began. The results have defined the path that it has ultimately took.  I found myself writing bits and pieces with no bearing on the final thesis but this is a learning pastime in itself. You need to write in order to establish an effective communication style.  I also felt out of my depth and questioned my ability to complete this, but I am not going to quit easily as I am fully self-funded! The university really didn't have any guidelines for what needs to be done and when, I had to find out myself what paperwork had to be in when and how.  But a PhD course is not a taught course with laid out timetables of lectures such as a masters, it is down to you to orchestrate the whole project. I guess looking back this is a reflection of the organisational skills that you need to acquire. 

So I guess what I am saying is that a PhD journey is a lonely and isolating one. It is about learning to manage yourself and, to a degree, manage your supervisors too!  It is frustrating and directionless at the beginning but once the project starts to flow a direction will find itself. You need to decide whether this is for you.  I had to turn down a funded PhD that was offered to me in my 20s due to a health issue and I have always thought 'what if?'. I was gutted to turn it down but I was fortunate to work with a couple of consultants on some research for them and so my PhD dream was started in my 30s.  I hope very soon to realise my dream! I also need to point out that passion and drive is required and yes I have lost those every now and then but something exciting happens and it is refreshed.  I am not doing this to advance my career (it has no bearing on my clinical career) but to open new doors to me in the future and for self satisfaction. What are your doing your PhD for?  Maybe you need to revisit this question in order to make your decision.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

Hi Jojo, you are almost their, well done!  I am still finishing the discussion then the long haul of editing, arghhh! But I shall watch this with interest as I hope to be treading a similar path very soon.  In order to gain experience in talking about your thesis why don't you set up a tape recorder when you practice on the teddy bears (lol) so that you can play it back for evaluation. I am sure you will be critical of your own recording a couple of days later so can hopefully improve that way.  Alternatively can you 'Skype' your supervisor or a PhD colleague for a mock viva/chat about your thesis? I am distant from my uni so Skype is a free way of face-to-face communication with my supervisory team.

Good luck with the prep!

Lgw - have your shared your PhD file with your supervisor? I have with one of my supervisors so he can see an up-to-date version when he reviews it. We will be editing soon so if you make a change does it show up when you go back into it? Bit concerned changes could be made without me knowing it lol.

My supervisor has suggested I use dropbox for my thesis as this is getting very large to send and this way he can access the current version for reading/editing purposes. I am just writing the last discussion chapter so I am getting close to the editing/tweaking phase, woohoo! When you share a file can they edit it without me seeing what has changed? Or do changes made by a shared access resemble something like 'track changes'? I am saving a back-up to an external drive to make sure he doesn't accidently delete it all, arghh! It seems a good idea but wanted to check for any possible pitfalls. Any one else shared their thesis with supervisors via dropbox?

I took my three bambinos to a friends house who also have multiples. It is fab to see five children under two years old playing so well with lots of 'whizzpopping' (innocent farting!) going on, a rather hilariously musical day!

Thank you for this post, it takes the edge of the mountain of thesis work coming my way this evening :-)

This sounds like quite a bit of extra work needed for point 9, have you spoken to supervisors about how best this can be acheived given the possible time restrictions? Re-running stats is a pain and I have had to do this to repsresent further significances ie p=0.000 explained as p<0.001 or p<0.0001, so this is annoying but not major. Point 9 seems to be running extra work over and above your original protocol which they must have approved. I would suggest having a discussion with them asap to agree the best way forward. Otherwise do take the well deserved praise that it is good research with a contribution, as that is half the battle won.

To be honest stats is not my strong point even though I managed a 1st in that module for my BSc! I am always unsure of what test is best particularly for more indepth analysis. However, in my PhD I have also excelled in the stats specific for my experimental work so I think that this is what you need to focus on. You have managed your stats for your masters so this is important to highlight in your application. There is no harm in consulting a statistician for advice and then develope the tests for your work. At the end of the day we are not all statisticians (what a fun place that would be lol) and they are there to help us all. The PhD journey is all about learning the research techniques and implementing them in a research project, you would be expected to learn these qualities along the way.

Well done Monte! Once the reality of the viva has settled you will be very proud at your acheivement. I guess until the final bound thesis is sent off it still feels like it is not yet complete. I take note of your comments re the internal examiner as I have one that is not in my field but could trip me up lol. Thank you for sharing this.

Big congratulations Dr Monte!

Wow Sheena, I am impressed that you have done this with small bambinos and a busy household. I am in the same situation now although never dreamt of bambinos when I started lol. I am glad to see that it can be done with dedication as this is what I have to keep reminding myself. I can imagine it to be hard to get motivated for the viva once you have submitted but this is the final prep. Just polishing off the knowledge and tweaking the errors in the thesis, yes there is likely to be some!

Just a small question, how long did you have to wait between submission and viva?

Well I wish I was at that stage! I am writing my last discussion chapter, then the polishing of the lit review before inserting graphs etc and editing it all, long way to go!

I wish you all well with your viva prep and hope you pass your vivas.

I shall be reading this topic with interest to guage what I should be doing next!

Hi I found that for the prep you need to keep the slides simple. Do not add to many lists of texts and add some illustrations or graphs/charts etc to remove the monotomy of the presentation. Keep the flow of the slides by adding a title/name slide, an intro/aims slide, body of work followed by a conclusion, it is like telling a story from start to finish. I aim for about one slide a minute, excluding the title, intro and conclusion. Have some notes cards to prompt you if needed but try to remember your presentation without the need to just read word for word. By knowing your subject it enables you to look up at the audience and tell them the story rather than looking down at your notes. Making eye contact with the audience is good, I often talk to a face at the back and in the middle of the audience to help with this! Another annoying feature is to turn around to talk to the screen behind you or talking to your monitor. This makes it difficult to project your voice to the audience. Think of yourself as a weather presenter! If you need to point to things remeber that a light pen will bob about on the screen as you will be shaking, nothing you can do about this unless avoid the use of such things. If you do use it just point and not 'circle' the item them like a mad person!

I would try to rehearse in front of your friends/family or in front of a mirror to get used to presenting and check the timing. Above all remember that most of the students on the course will also be feeling nervous about this too. It is a very useful day, enjoy!

I am a part-time PhD student starting back in May 2005. I was working then full-time with a heavy clinical on-call commitment. I basically worked in the lab at weekends (not all w/e!) and did lots of experimental work to get the data. In the evenings i would input all of the data into spreadsheets and do some stats on this. I took annual leave to cover the three phase training days that were compulsory and if there were others that were useful I would try to attend. I found some courses could be done through work too, such as research training days, stats training and had involvement with the R&D dept for ethics applications etc. The library at work was great for search engines and paper access so I didn't use the uni library for much. Tutorials with my supervisor were in the evening at a local pub as we both lived very close by! Since the data collection phase I have been on maternity leave (twice) and relocated. I am currently looking after three babies at home in the day and working my thesis at night when they are in bed. I put in about 15 hours a week. My library access is limited to remote access to the uni or a reciprocal arrangement with my local uni. My supervisory sessions are conducted using skype so we video conference monthly-ish. I have to say it has been hard and there have been unforeseen changes in circumstances along the way (marriage, babies, three moves, career break etc!) That said I am still here hopefully with submission in the new year. I think for part-time study it is isolating unless you can stay in contact with other likeminded souls. People outside of the PhD world will not understand the magnitude and may think you are bonkers. As long as you are aware of these things and are prepared for the long haul then go for it. See this as a personnal goal with enthusiasm rather than a means to get higher up the ladder. If you get promotion or other career opportunities post PhD that is the icing on the cake :-)