i would try to get the original article too, if I tohught it was important. you might get away with putting x quotes y at a lower level, but not PhD. If you qoute it they will expect you to have read it, or at least maybe the bit containing the passage that x quotes, because you never know, you might think they mean something totally different...and so might the examiners.

I'm doing my first 'grown up' presentation on Thurday (that is one not just to people who will be nice about what I say) I have a plan, but nothing put down yet - will do that this weekend. They want something inspiring - so I'm going to set up a couple of experiments to run and finish at various times during the presentation - acting like a sort of clock, and some other bits and pieces. I'm second on after lunch so want something to wake people up! I was going to do something more flamey like the screaming jelly baby- but our dept at school set off the fire alarm doing just such an experimet at school- and unfortunately there was an exam going on at the same time :$ head was not amused to say the least :-(

Go for a deferment. This is possible. I know this because the person who came to our meeting last Sat told us that when she arrived to take up her post she was 7 months pregnant and asked for leave at the beginning of her PhD, they weren't over the moon, but she got what she wanted. another chap has had a year out because of pressure of work at work, so there should be no problem with you getting a break. What they are asking you to do is unreasonable, and they probably know it. You could mention discrimination, gently not forcefully, and go and see someone higher up than they are. You will be able to do bits and bobs, but it has to be on your terms, not theirs. tell them how it is, map out how you will get back on track in your own good time, and don't take no for an answer. 

I live quite close to the uni, but my problem is that I work full time and have a very unsupportive headteacher, who won't let me attend anything during school time without filling in forms and 'proving' that I make the time up - as if I don't do enough overtime to cover it several times over as it is. Consequently I might just as well be miles away as I can rarely get in for anytihng that runs during the day. I do go in for Saturday and evening events which I suggested might be good especially for us part-timers, but most of the other stuff is done via e-mails and an occasional meeting with supervisors. Its OK, the only advice I would add to that already given is that it might be a good idea to get to know the library staff and the system they use to get stuff to far flung students, and the IT and admin staff to make sure that everything in those depts. is sorted, like your student card, your access to the right bits of the website etc. so you will be able to work away from the campus.

yesterday I was at one of our regular Saturday meetings that have been arranged for us - I requested these especially for us part-timers, as we miss out on lots of things which run in the day - all PhDers are welcome too of course and we regard it as a time to meet up - anyway one of the people who came along to give one of the sessions has just finished her PhD, and she said that her house had been spotless whilst she had been doing it, and at first she thought of this urge to clean as procrastination, but now realised it was thinking time and therefore very valuable. So my advice to you is to treat whatever you do as this 'thinking time' and go and enjoy a break, don't think 'I should be doing so-and-so', you shouldn't, your brain will be humming away in the background - not too loud I hope - it may scare others    :-) and it will be ready to reveal all when you decide to get back to work!

doubt if my uni would have it, they never seem to have any of the articles I want! but surely they can get it as an inter-library loan? If you have to pay for it - would it count as an expense item? (That's the way I'm getting my new printer) Failing that, e-mail the author(s), they might send you a copy if they are feeling generous.

I find it quite difficult to sort things out if I've written them quite recently, especially if I thought they we OK at the time. My supervisor is very good in that he makes notes throughout the document as he goes along (sometimes its ' what does this mean ... Oh I see you;ve explained this later' kind of thing- its all done via e-mail with different colours for comments) and so it is easier to seek out info for the gaps. However I would - and do- leave it aside for a while and get on with something else, then you can come back to it with more of an open mind and see that the whole thing needs rearranging :$ otherwise I think you are just too close to it to do anything radical and just tinker at the edges.

well, number one priority for me would be which one grabs you by the throat and says 'choose me'! This, I think is the most important thing as you will be eating sleeping and probably dreaming it for at least three years. How much face to face contact might be important. Me, I'm quite happy with e-mails for most of the time as it fits in with the rest of my llife. If you think that you need to see someone often then this might be an issue. Not getting e-mail replies would cause me concern, although at this time of year some people are very busy, e-mails are quick to send - even if they only say I'm a bit busy at the moment, here is a quick off the top of my head reply and will get back to you in more detal later. Try sending another e-mail (you could intimate that you may have got the address wrong and just want to check) if you don't get a reply again I wouldn't take it any further, you need to be able to contact people if you need to do so.

Teaching is probably a good thing if you want to get into academia, and doesn't go amiss in lots of jobs, it teaches you how to present if nothing else! The scholarships vary, but then so does the cost of living in various places, so check this out too if there is a tie between them. Check what other support is available in terms of library facilities etc. phone up the library etc. and ask about something and see how they respond - a bit sneaky but may prove useful. Well done for getting all the offers though :-)

first of all, how much of this kind of thing have you done before? not necessarily at conferences obviously, but in giving presentations? If you have done this loads of times, then you are quids in, but if you haven't think about what you have to present and how you are going to do it. If you are going to have powerpoint, decide what to put on there, prompts are probably best, as they give you the clues aobut what to say next, but don't give the audience masses of stuff that they read instead of listening to you. Make yourself some cards with the main points on, but don't read a script, as you will probably lose your place. Have a good beginning to get them interested, have an obvious ending. The one thing about these things is people are generally interested in what you have to say and will be attentive and supportive, they have all been there - there may be someone who tries to gain points over you, but the answer is ' that's a really interesting point and I will look into that in the future, thank you for that comment', or 'I've not come across that reference/person/etc. but I can see their work might be relevant to my research, thank you for bringing it to my attention'. Keep to the time allowed, aim to finish a few minutes early, people won't mind that, but if lunch awaits they might not be pleased if they know the queue will be long. Oh and make sure you look around the whole hall, and at the people, then everyone will think you are speaking especially to them, they like that. (p.s. I have been told that power points are a good way of stopping heckling, people tend not to interrupt them, which is why they are used such a lot )- if all this is stuff you already know, then you are well on your way to getting through this anyway, so feel free to ignore it completely

Don't give up, everybody has nerves when they do these things, they just manage to cover it up well most of the time. Same with going to a different country, remember 99.99% of people are lovely, friendly and will give you all the support you need. the others - well you just shrug your shoulders and remind yourself its their loss, not yours. Best of luck.

I also think that job security is not so sound now - even teachers are finding it hard, unless it is in a subject where there is a shortage. On the other hand, have you checked to see nobody is researching in the same area as yourself? Have you thought about approaching your employer to see if they will allow you to do your PhD part time - although this may be spread over 6 years, it doesn't have to take that long, and it doesn't actually have to be done in work time - I have a full time job, and work some evenings and weekends, although working in a school means I get chunks of time off, although not the same breaks as teachers, so you could do it in your own time and keep your present job, at least for a few years with maybe a more concentrated effort when you get nearer to the end if you though it was necessary.

It might depend a bit on the area. The passive form was always considered the one to use, and may stem from the leaning towards scientific type research, although I have been told that nowadays things are changing here too. I tend to use things like 'it may be possible to suggest that... or the results suggest... which is supported by so-and-sos work, and don't use 'I' at all. Before I made a change to a different style - if I wanted to do this, I would look at some of the recent passes in your area and check the syle there, for although the convention may have changed for general use, your examiners (dare I say because they may have a less up to date take on this :$) may expect a certain way of expressing things, and in this case, they should probably be given what they want!

That sounds a bit like I want, I'm trying to keep to the formula of 8/9 chapters all roughly the same length as suggested, but each of the first - probably- 4-5 chapters are all 'essential reading' before the plot is revealed, they are all a bit stand alone like pieces of a jigsaw, one of those that comes without a picture. I hope the pic will be revealed in the chapters that follow this, but to reveal the whole thing at the beginning might spoil it a bit, plus it would make the lit review too big to fit the pattern. I'm hoping my supervisor will see it like this!

glad it isn't just me then! I will try the other program, thanks for that.

I'm trying to create a diagram in word, I've grouped some things together - circles with text box inside, and I can't get it to ungroup so I can alter one of the bits, when I select the grouped sections the 'ungroup' option doesn't appear. I've tried every combination I can think of and nothing works I've never had this problem with word before. Its not much of a problem at the moment, but I need to incorporate this bit within a larger diagram and I'm wondering how I can get the components back as single items if I want to rearrange them later, as I expect this is only the first attempt of many - should I do it in publisher instead?

Glad to see someone else hasn't got a lit review as such. I want to do the same, having the lit review that fits into each chapter as its beginning. I think it will improve the way it reads, plus I can't actually see how I can do it any other way. I've started my introduction several times, but keep on scrapping it or at least keeping it 'on file', I'm hoping inspiration will strike sometime - sigh- :-(