In the Netherlands, but I am pretty sure that requirements are dependent of the university and the profession (I'm not too familiar with other specialties, so I am not 100% sure)

Also, not all papers have to be accepted for publication, but they should be at least submitted at the time of defending your thesis. Most people I know have 50% or 75% of their papers published and the remainder submitted or in press at the time they defend their thesis.

I don't know why requirements are like this, but possibly it's due to the fact that acquiring a PhD in this country is considered a full job. You are considered an employee, not a student and you are getting paid to conduct the research. So, obviously the institution needs rewards for that, i.e. international publications. As a result, I am not studying at all during my PhD (except studying my own research field and taking a few courses now and then). .

Some information:
https://www.studyinholland.nl/education-system/degrees/phd

and an interesting discussion about a North-American perspective on doing a phd in Europe:
http://irblog.eu/a-north-american-perspective-on-doing-a-phd-in-europe/

That said, the US system also appeals to me. The broad education during a PhD in the US is really interesting. My teaching activities are sometimes limited due to research duties (which is my job)

Both have pros and cons

Sarah, very interesting!

Does anyone else dread submitting work to their supervisor? I usually spend about 20-30 minutes hesitating whether to click the send button :-( (and I've checked the work 4 times prior to this)

I check things over and over, Hugh. More ridiculously than that, I give them another check after I've sent them! Good luck with whatever you are sending.

Thanks, I feel a bit better now ;)
I don't have the courage to check it after I've sent it, I bet there are some typos.

To mention an embarrassing incident that once occurred to me regarding this, I thought I have finished re-reading and editing a chapter before sending it to the supervisor. It was to my surprise to find out that I sent the drafted one not the complete one. lol

Thank you Zutterfly. We can encourage each other then. It's also interesting to find people sharing the idea that phd seems like a barrier that holds us back from "living life", lol. Nevertheless, I have recently been trying to change my attitudes.

I feel you, I got the same issue. I submitted a revised manuscript to a journal (i.e. revised, so if you did not address the issues raised by the reviewers well enough, you might be in trouble)

After rebuttal, I worked through the article once more and found something in my revised text that could POSSIBLY be a bit inaccurately written.
Got hysterical. Had to go outside to settle down. My mood dropped below zero for hours, I was so angry with myself, dreaded with the thought that the paper might be rejected because of it.

Eventually, it was all unnecessary pain, because the paper got accepted. Since then, I have never checked any text again after submission to a journal, my supervisor or anyone else. I'll check again when it has been returned to me

but yeah, I also dread submission, you are definitely not alone on that, Hugh

I think for me is because with the funding I receive, should I secure permanent employment before the funding period ends, my funding gets stopped. Hence, I feel like I need to submit and 'get on with my life' so I can progress to something else without this threat! What have you been working on this week skyhoo?

I give it a couple of reads! I actually have felt quite excited to submit my findings chapters to see what my sup thinks. She has overall been very positive, but this lured me into a false sense of security when I scanned over the feedback of the most recent one where there were a number of questions noted in track changes. However, i'd prefer to hear this from them than an examiner! My sup is particularly picky but this reassures me as she is very experienced in examining PhDs.

This must be so reassuring!

Good idea :-) I think the worst for me will be when I submit thesis, but will have to look over it for the viva. That's when the real cringing will start.

Same here. My funding ends next month.
Well, this week I have been working over many things at the same time cos I want to accelerate the process. I have started writing the introduction, checking the references and making modifications in the last chapter.
How about you?