Viva was yesterday, a gruelling three and a half hours but managed to get through it with minor corrections. Now got three months to do them.

I would also agree with what the Smooblemeister said about summarising chapters and learning key papers related to your study. I am awaiting viva myself, which is due to take place next month after submitting my thesis last August (long time ago now). I will have had nine months to prepare for viva, and am currently in the process of submitting a paper regarding the final experiments that we undertook. I have already authored a review article in a good journal and have a hatful of conference presentations under my belt, so a research paper is quite urgent now. I have also deactivated my Facebook account to limit my distractions!

They will never forget me, of that I am more than sure. I'll just fire a quick email to them to say thanks and leave it at that. Let sleeping dogs lie, etc.

Hi Bewildered. I think you have missed my point here. I was referring to my old supervisors from a previous PhD that I started but discontinued after one year in 2006. My current supervisors are excellent, and I will of course be eternally grateful to them. We are all going out for lunch after the viva with the external - my treat!

Thanks for the input guys. I'll wait and see how I feel once the viva is over and make a decision then. I know what you mean about the publication Beefy, but being so naive, I was led to believe by an academic at the current uni that I should be the one to do the inviting since it was I who aqcuired the data. I would've approached it differently if I had the time again. Nevertheless, their response was still uncalled for. Thanks again. G

I have my PhD viva at the end of next month. This signifies the end of a six year journey that has entailed studying both full time and part time in order to scrape together a measly amount of data that I may just get by on. Prior to this, I was involved in a separate PhD at a different university but had to leave after a year with a masters degree due to family reasons. My former supervisors were very controlling, but very adept and revered within their scientific discipline, which is fair enough. However, at the very end, they 'royally' fell out with me after I asked them if they wanted to be joint authors in a paper I was thinking of submitting using the data I had acquired with them. This was a very regretful and naive move I know, which generated a wrath of ill sentiment from the lead supervisor in a 'never darken this laboratory every again' type of way. They had been very supportive up until then, so it was a real shame the way things came out. I of course offered an apology, but it was never acknowledged.

Anyway, my question is, do I go and see them in person if I actually pass my viva next month? If I do 'do it', I have to turn up out of the blue, unannounced and into the jaws of the lion. I don't want to give them the opportunity to tell me where to get off if I start emailing them or writing letters for their forgiveness. Or, should I just forget the whole sorry business? I just want to thank them for their support in the early days, and hope there is no ill feeling any more, don't want to gloat or fling mud etc. Cheers, G x

That's great advice from Matt, I can draw many similarities, as I am sure all PhD-ers can. I don't believe there is such a thing as a trouble-free PhD; mine has certainly had its share of ups and downs. I remember someone asking on here a few years ago how one would feel if they were suddenly relieved of their studies, so maybe you need to ask yourself that question before making a decision.

Rab285, I completely agree with the Smooblemeister on this one. It sounds like you are suffering from a classic case of 'impostor syndrome', which is known to be a very common beast in our PhD world. I have experienced this syndrome personally, and even had a session of hypnotherapy to address it, which seemed to help with my lack of confidence.

Anyway, you are still very new to your study, and I would think very hard about throwing in the towel just yet. I am on my second PhD and have my viva in about a month. My first go at the PhD was curtailed due to family problems but I still managed to obtain an MRes from it, so it wasn't completely wasted. Just hang in there and give it a chance, perhaps you can organise some pastoral support with another academic in your department. You can speak to the Head/Dean for guidance this. I once approached our university chaplain who was extremely helpful. There's loads of support out there, you just need to find it.

Best wishes, G.

Thanks for your post Pjlu. As I said previously, I really need to wait for the outcome of my viva before going forward with any decisions regarding a career in research. I have actually trained and qualified as a Therapy Radiographer whilst waiting for hospital samples during my PhD studies, and have been practicing full time for 2 years (even promoted to an NHS band 6 post!). I used to go into the lab in the evening and at weekends to process the donated tissue when samples became available, which were very intermittent as I said already. My current PhD has been a chopped together as a full time (first 2 years) and part time (4 years including write-up year) affair since early 2007. Fact is, I love the research so much and would love to carry it on post PhD. Like I say, I don't think I can do anything until the external examiner has her say.

The reason I could be awarded a lesser degree than the PhD is because I did not receive sufficient tissue samples from the hospital that were promised; something that was obviously out of my control. This means the data is less than convincing in areas, but the examiner will have the final say on this. Everything that I was in control of (experimental design, assay execution, data collection and processing, etc) I am more than happy with, and am certain of its PhD-ness.

The new project is not dependent on sample frequency and could give me a fresh start in a familiar discipline with a more robust research design and revered supervisors. Just saying.

PIKDUCK, you are brilliant. I will write to the research team for the new project explaining my circumstances and see what they say. Thanks!

Thanks for the input guys. The studentship is actually in the same department that I studied for my original PhD, but with different supervisors. I have now submitted my thesis and have my viva in April. The deadline for the new PhD application is in March.

The thing is that my data for the first study is lacking in areas, so it could be the case that I am offered an MPhil instead, which would then make me eligible as an applicant. Apologies for not making this clear before. I like Pixie's suggestion of enquiring for a postdoc though if I am successful at viva. Maybe I should wait and see what the outcome is before making a decision.

If I already hold a PhD, can I apply to embark on another? I've just seen an amazing studentship for a project that is right up my street. It's giving me goosebumps!!

Bee-JAY-sus Clogmeister, I think my PhD so far consists of a 5-figure alcohol expenditure as well as a 5-figure education cost, resulting in a 2-figure IQ and a single figure amount of friends.

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[quote]



Personally I don't drink, that way my ability to reason stays intact and everybody can see my 5-figure education. [quote]



What on Earth is a '5-figure education'?