Overview of Hugh on PostgraduateForum.com

H

Signup date: 12 Mar 2010 at 9:38am

Last login: 24 May 2017 at 8:31pm

Post count: 1264

Hugh 1264 posts
8 years ago

It has gone fast, though I still am not entirely convinced I'll make it to the end line. I know it sounds ridiculous considering how far I've got, but I still think anything could become a hurdle.
I've also reached the frustrating stage of 'I can't wait to finish, really just can't wait!!'

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Hugh 1264 posts
8 years ago

Quote From chickpea:
I'd heard that the key findings/contribution to knowledge should be up front and central at the start of the thesis - has anyone else been told that? I'm wondering about putting it in the introduction, as cringeworthy as it seems to do that! I guess it will be in the abstract in summary form too!

It might be worth checking with your supervisor re. bullet pointed lists - I'd been told to avoid them and forgot that and included some in a chapter, so have predictably been told to take them out!

I think I have seen some thesis that do that - I need to ask my supervisor, that's a good point. Have any of you used a thesis writing guide book? I've heard people recommend Patrick Dunleavy, ‘Authoring a PhD’, but I'm not convinced yet I should buy it.

Re bullet points, my supervisor loves them, he's always encouraging me to use them. I don't like them too much, but I think it makes it easier for the examiner to read.

In other news, I've just sat and worked out what percentage of my final thesis I have written. I'm feeling a bit inspired because I am 73% there, but I know there is quite a bit of editing the 73% requires, but still, its nice to put a number to the progress I am making .... although no idea if its an accurate reflection ;-D

How far are you all?

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Hugh 1264 posts
8 years ago

Quote From Zutterfly:
Could you put it in the conclusion? I think this would be the best place to include a summary, even if just a bullet pointed list, of your key findings, otherwise you may find the conclusion chapter repeats this additional 'key findings' chapter? The key findings will be in your discussion, but it sounds as though you want to summarise them after discussing to make it clearer (have I interpreted this correctly?) If so, I think the best place would be your conclusion.

Thanks, that's a good point! I am so glad we have this thread :)

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Hugh 1264 posts
8 years ago

Zutterfly, thanks, that's a good idea! I will do that.

I also have the problem of staying up till late, its iPlayer that distracts me.

I'm thinking of including a key findings section in my chapter, with a bullet pointed list (just because my results and discussion is so long - its a heavy study). Has anyone done that before? I'm not sure where to place it, I was thinking maybe between discussion and conclusion? Or should it go after conclusion?

So I've got:

Introduction
Aim
Methods
Results
Discussion
Key Findings
Conclusion
Recommendations

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Hugh 1264 posts
8 years ago

Thanks Zutterfly, that's a good way to do it, I think you might have convinced me :)

I'm still not sure actually what I'm going to include in my overall discussion as I've got detailed discussions and recommendations in each chapter for each study. I need to read into that a bit more. Maybe that's another reason I'm putting it off,because I'm not exactly sure what I'll be doing/including. Humm... Maybe I'll move all the recommendations to the end of the thesis instead of having them under each study, and integrate them a bit more together.

Btw if it's any consolation I also had an unplanned afternoon nap. Tomorrow morning will be a fresh start hopefully for all of us! :)

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Hugh 1264 posts
8 years ago

Thank you zutterfly, that's good advice! :)

I just feel that because I haven't formally written up my literature review, I might find some new findings when writing that up, which wont then be incorporated into the overall discussion and conclusion. I suppose I am worried that I have missed some findings, and don't want to re-write my overall discussion and conclusion.

My supervisor is of the opinion that the conclusion is much more difficult to write, and its best to write it whilst the findings of the stud/ies are fresh in one's head.

Maybe i am delaying it subconsciously because I know the overall discussion and conclusion is much more difficult than the literature review chapter ...

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Hugh 1264 posts
8 years ago

Quote From chickpea:
Hope you had a good birthday, Zutterfly!

I'm working on a findings chapter and doing analysis/writing for it in tandem - it is my 'big brute' of a chapter and is definitely going to take me longer than planned! However, I have been telling myself that once this one is out of the way, everything else will seem slightly more manageable in comparison, so I'm trying to hold on to that.

That's a good way to think of it! :) I think the meat of the thesis is completed once the study chapters are written up. However, I think personally I'm going to find the introduction and overall discussion and conclusion most difficult to write,because my three studies are linked together but not in a linear way. My overall research aim and objectives also needs re-writing, but I'm taking consolation in the fact that I don't have to do anymore data collection!

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Hugh 1264 posts
8 years ago

Quote From Zutterfly:
Yes- my findings chapters are quite long and they are taking forever :( I have had a few days of not working as it has been my birthday so today I am back on with this final findings chapter, and my deadline for it is the end of April. What are you guys working on at the moment?

I'm also working on my final study chapter, currently writing up the discussion. This whole chapter is also due at the end of the month! I've then got to either do the literature review chapter, or the final overall discussion and conclusion of the thesis. My supervisor is of the opinion that I should the latter first, but I feel like writing up the literature review first. Which one would you do first?

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Hugh 1264 posts
8 years ago

Quote From Zutterfly:

That's so fast. My supervisor has had one of my chapters for a month and they have not even acknowledged they have received it...I've actually accepted that I will be working and finishing up the thesis as I know for sure that they will have not read the draft before my funding ends. I guarantee it will take them months, so I will just have to get on with my life while I wait :(

This sounds like my experience too. If I draft chapters into journal papers, then they get looked at much quicker, otherwise its a struggle tbh, especially longer chapters *sigh*

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Hugh 1264 posts
8 years ago

Thanks for sharing, very useful. I hope others will share too.

Just out of interest, was your research post full time? I am looking for a part-time post-PhD, and wondering how difficult/easy it is to get one?

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Hugh 1264 posts
8 years ago

Quote From TreeofLife:
Hi Hugh,

I think it's personal choice. I just cited my chapters and didn't mention my paper in the text. I just included the paper in an appendix at the end.

Thanks, I think I will do that too, I suppose that way there'll be consistency across the thesis, in case one of my later studies are published after I submit and before the viva.

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Hugh 1264 posts
8 years ago

Quote From chickpea:

Yes, that's how I'm seeing it. I realised that all along I've been focused on this 'three years and not a day longer' thing, and actually so much of the process has been unpredictable and uncontrollable (recruitment/data collection in my case) that I either internalise loads of stress at this stage or I just focus on getting it finished, even if it does have an untidy end that overlaps with starting a job!

I found the most frustrating parts to be also be when I didn't have control over recruitment, and recruitment for one of my studies took six times longer than I had anticipated or planned for. It is utterly frustrating, and that is why some people finish on time, because they spend less time on collecting data.

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Hugh 1264 posts
8 years ago

Hi,

I am wondering whether I should cite my published paper or the chapter in the thesis where the findings are?

So for example:

Study 1 results are in Chapter 4 and they are published in a journal paper too.

I am writing the discussion of Study 6, where I want to make reference to one of Study 1's results. Should I cite Study 1-Chapter 4 or the journal paper?

Thanks :)

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Hugh 1264 posts
8 years ago

Quote From chickpea:
The closer I get to the end of my funded period, the more I think I am going to be combining working and doing the final tweaks to my thesis anyway! I know everyone's different, but I've discovered it actually makes me feel better about it to think that I don't have this huge set-in-stone date ahead of me, so I think I'm going to concentrate on getting all the chapters written and then see what happens with the timing for doing final edits etc.

That is a good way to look at it. Plus it takes the immediate pressure off a little bit, which I think is useful. I'd rather take an extra 4 months than risk affecting my mental health.

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Hugh 1264 posts
8 years ago

Quote From chickpea:
I was thinking maybe a month, Hugh. It seems to me like it would be an awful lot of work to read and comment on an entire thesis, but my supervisors have moved at the speed of light with my chapters so far.

That's good! Mine takes ages. Maybe I need to allocate 2 months to it tbh. One chapter takes about 2-3 weeks at the very least.

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