This thread is for those who are writing through their teeth.

Everyone who totally gets me say Aye!

i think if you have a paper on your theoretical framework /normative framework/ literature review (whichever method you are using) and another on your findings (as in how you have applied your theory) you should be fine. alternatively one that covers both. my publications so far do not cover either. they are on the middle chapters. but the middle chapters do not quite form the basis of the argument. they just advance it. so i'd like to have 2 more, if i can and if time allows. at the moment am focusing on completing a decent thesis. as my supervisor is a bit distant at the moment i intend to use publishing and conference presentations as a means of getting feedback on my work before final submission in the next 3 months. fingers crossed!

lilbobeep - congratulations on submitting! i think what you should focus on is knowing and defending the limitations of your thesis and try not to be too anxious - though that is almost unavoidable. according to one examiner, some students let on less than they know in the actual thesis. you could act like you are one of these and still get your PhD. best of luck!

i don't see why anyone should be scared - it is not a competition. :-) i am in the humanities. i agree with lilbobeep. having papers published and possibly attached to the appendix of the thesis does help things - esp the odd question of having to convince a passionate examiner on the validity of an argument or in my case, that the facts are true as stated in the thesis especially if one is writing on an area where there are little or no publications.

i've been thinking of this as well. i think my thesis idea is convincing, but the argument could be stronger. am almost afraid of being told i haven't gone deep enough into literature.

my plan is to publish a few more papers in journals that will publish in three months time. max. i start sending papers out next week. a problem for me remains perfectionism. i find myself wondering whether i should read more and make sure am up to date when in most cases i would have been more than up do date had i sent in the first draft.

am happy to see that am not the only one relying on this strategy. so far i have one publication directly related to my thesis. the other is more general. if i can get two more particularly on the theoretical framework and discussion chapter i would be well happy.

fingers crossed.

Chris - i feel the same about my last chapter which is the discussion chapter. hang in there.

I think these guys are crazy trying to put up more hurdles to achieving a PhD!

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/geraldine-van-beuren-we-need-to-celebrate-the-award-of-a-phd-452971.html

thanks for your view Algaequeen.

i thought it best to see what this ones say before i waste some precious time doing corrections that may not be appreciated.

fingers crossed. am hoping for a positive outcome this time. corrections or not. at least then the corrections will be targetted towards the reviewers of this last submission.

back to thesis now. trying to avoid getting distracted with -on-the-side- achievements.

hope your thesis is going well.

thanks guys for your silence.

i decided to send as is. :-)

Hi guys,

I have been trying to increase my publications list. Last summer I wrote an article on a certain doctrine and the need to review it in a certain developing country. The first journal (Oxbridge journal) I sent it to said the paper was great but long (but they would like to carry a short version of the same) and even send it to a reviewer in one of the developing countries who they said would be very interested in the full version: the reviewer never bothered to get back to me. After a few months I wrote to the reviewer cancelling my submission and sent it to a second journal.
The second journal I sent the paper to which was developing country based said it was not well researched. Usually, in this country it is common to get a response from such a professor as a peer reviewer who will belittle your work either because they want to retain it as they own or they don't want any other experts coming up in the area.
My next move was to send the full version the same paper to an English journal. The reviewers comments were too many that I would need a complete rewrite and at the time I felt that I did not have the time to address them all so I decided to reduce the length of the article and resend as short version to the first journal.
The first journal then get back to me saying that the article is great but as most developed countries have dealt with this issue they don't see why they should carry the paper in their journal. Unless I show recent invalidities of this doctrine in the country in question, which I can't because there are none dealing the particular aspect. Only surrounding areas.
Anyway, at this point I decided to forget about the article because the problem seemed to be the area and not the quality. A week ago I hear from the third journal asking me if I have done the corrections yet. I tell them that I have shortened the paper and I will send it in a week's time.

My question: Should I just send as it. Frankly speaking am bored of reviewing this paper a hundred times. Nothing ever changes in that country am writing about. A friend did send me some material but it was on surrounding instances and not specific to what am dealing with. I see some papers in this journal from practictioners that are a page long. Mine is now 1500 words which is the length journal 1 wanted. Should I bother reading this other material or send as is and see if I can get away with it. Remember am a perfectionist - which is why I may be struggling with this. Not that the paper is bad. I even just read it. I reads ok. And am writing up, I do not want to be distracted by sideshows!

Advice anyone?

i feel the same. i have this mind block about finishing my draft. because then its all out there! am worried what my supervisor will think of my HARD work.. but i've decided to be sensible. i just hope i wil have no more than two months to correct before submission. am just tooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo tired. so once am told it has a chance am submitting.

back to work now. just keep at it. about moving things around..... been doing that the whole month and its set me two chapters back! i guess we have to aim for acceptable and not at perfect!

so lets get on with it.

So i've been going round my discussion chapter for the last three weeks. i now know what i need to do. but i fill so tired and discouraged by my slow progress.

i know i can get it written in a week including a redraft of the case studies, but i feel so demotivated and tired after all the reading. any inspiration tips for me to give this thesis that final push and it'll all be on paper?

discouraged - not by the complexity of the work - but by my energy levels.

J.

thanks guys. yesterday went well though i ended up working on my conclusion chapter - a form of procrastination - instead of concentrating on my discussion chapter. hopefully i'll do better today.

maybe three days off will have done the trick.

now looking through it again with a fresh mind. if only i can just get one section to make sense today..8-)

i've given up on finding any flow today. i'll come back to it tomorrow. perhaps reading more papers will give me an idea on how to structure this chapter.

how did i think i was going to sort out all this summarised points into a coherent essay?!