A friend of mine submitted at 50,000 words, and her thesis won an award!

Hope you feel better chickpea. I was also down with a cold last week.

I've done two studies and I'm wondering whether I need to do a third rather large study? I've posted it about ti here: http://www.postgraduateforum.com/thread-40175/ Would appreciate your advice, thanks!

Hi,

I know this is a difficult question to answer without knowing the content and results of both studies, but I'm just wondering whether two qualitative studies would be sufficient for a thesis?

The first study chapter is around 16,000 words and the second study chapter is around 20,000 words. My overall word count limit is strictly 70,000.

The initial plan was to do another study, but I'm just wondering whether two studies would be sufficient for a thesis?

First of all, very well done! If you can submit early, you are certainly doing exceptionally well!

Your university should have a policy about submitting early. My university allows us to submit three months early (but I don't know anyone who has)

This is what I would do if you can't submit early:

Finish your thesis. Complete it. Print it out. Finished.

The wait your few months out or if you can go away, go for a holiday. Or go and do some casual work abroad.

Come back and submit it on the earliest day you can.

Zutterfly, wow you seem to be on target with 5 chapters drafted already! Best of luck :-)

Thanks chickpea! :) I feel like my inner-confidence has been bruised (and I was and still am outside of academia highly confident). I wonder if that's normal for most PhD students or is it just me? I feel like we should receive a praise for every critical comment. I try to think of all the sentences they haven't commented on - those are the hidden positives!

Also, how often do you have supervisions now that you are in your 3rd year? More or less?

well done wowzer! I have a supervision coming up soon and I'm dreading the feedback on one of my chapters. Every time I hand in work, all I seem to get is a list of critical comments :( They are mainly constructive but it is so hard to take; I know we are in training, but I can't wait do a 'normal' job where I can shine and excel very easily ;)

Hi Chickpea, I'm in my third year too :) Shall we make this a support thread?

I am doing nothing extra - no conferences, no teaching, nothing! Just focus, focus on finishing! However, I did submit a journal paper based on one chapter (not doing that again!), so I'm currently working on major and minor corrections for that.

I still have one study left to do, thankfully I already have ethics for the study and its pretty much designed, so its a matter of getting on with it (once the journal paper is out of the way!)

I have been writing as I have been going along, but I still have to write my literature review. So after my final study is finished and written up, I have 5 more chapters to write (intro, lit review, methodology, overall discussion and conclusion)!

Gosh I better get back to work! How much have you written so far? And where abouts are you with your studies/data collection?

Thanks Eds!

Is it fair to say a thesis isn't expected to be of as high standard as a journal paper?

Also query whether you would be able to take a longer leave than 6 months if you need to.

Babies are unpredictable, and its always best to plan you'll be away for longer, in case you need to.

Hi,

Last week I received feedback from reviewers on a journal paper that I submitted, and the decision was 'revise and re-review' (with major and minor suggestions).

The paper was based on a chapter from my thesis.

What does this mean for my thesis? Does this mean that had my chapter remained as it is in the thesis, and was then examined in my viva, it would have got a revise and resubmit decision?

(I think I am panicking a little!)

Thanks

Could you email ESRC anonymously perhaps with your query?

LOL. I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels like 'my PhD topic is a bit rubbish'

^^ :-D

robots can't do research, or can they ;)