the print preview option should show you how it will print out, what does it look like?

Found you other posts Tiggs, so obviously much of what I put down is not of much use. However if you get someone to read it through if there is time, and they find lots of errors, it might be worth just mentioning it if they comment'.

You should declare your dyslexia to the university, who should make provision for you to have help from their appropriate department. You should also make sure your supervisors know, so they can help you too, and they should be making sure it is acceptable as you go along. I'm not sure how much notice the examining board should, or can, take, simply because it will be going into the public domain when you pass and needs to be of a suitable standard. With the right kind of help you should be able to surmount this problem as long as you tell the right people.

I am still looking for a good system too. I've got the notes all over the place, and files of stuff that I think I need to read, and also loads of articles that I thought would be useful but now I can't for the life of me think what I wanted them for! I have promised myself that I will sort it all out in the next few weeks, but that is no guarantee that I will actually do it

teaching can be rewarding, but there is a world of difference between teaching those who want to learn and those who don't. Teaching looks easy when you see a good teacher doing it, a bit like juggling I suppose -but merely having a doctorate won't necessarily be awe inspiring, and sometimes being really good at something is not a good starting point,unless you can understand why pupils can't understand what you are trying to tell them - as some of my friends have found out. Some people can walk into the classroom and just get respect, others have to work on it. the secret I think is to get the right kind of basic training, you wouldn't get sent into a lab to make up a solution with no basic training and the same applies to teaching, you need the groundwork. Walking cold into a classroom means you sink or swim, and so do your pupils, which isn't good for anybody.

I really hate the use of unnecessary jargon. OK some may be needed to save loads of words, so if you can call a double handled sproket adjuster a DHSA and everyone can understand what is meant, thats fine, but it does limit the audience somewhat. sometimes I do wonder for whom these people are writing. Being acclaimed by peers is not always - if ever - going to get work into the public domain, which is probably where a lot of it needs to be if the work is going to produce results. I also hate the words because for some of them I have a kind of goldfish mentalty and have to keep on looking the things up, also sometimes by the time I get to the end of the paragra[h I have forgotten what was said at the beginning

Don't have a desk or anything myself because I'm only part time,not lab based so can't compalin about that, but if I had I would certainly make a fuss. Get her stuff off the bookcase and into boxes, put your stuff back where it was if you want to make things really difficult just ask her if she remembers what she did with a small notebook of yours as it had some very important, and possibly irreplaceable data in it (number of the local pizzahouse may be )and get her to look for it, a couple of days with you asking her several times if she had found it should do it. Then, as the coup de grace, just tell her you found it in one of your pockets !!!! that will show her who is boss

Something similar happened to me recently. I was busy typing away and saving as I went along, when suddenly afet I pressed 'save'an error type message appeared saying that an unknown encryption had been encountered and word couldn't save the document. The whole thing disappeared and when I tried to load the file again it had all gone, all that was left was a few of those little squares you get it wasn't just the bit I had added, it was the whole lot! It was really lucky that I had the thing saved in serveral different places as I had been working on it for nearly a week, I only lost about a page or so, but you know how it is, that page had all the great thoughts on it, and written so succinctly too, such things can never be recaptured can they?

I have the same problem, not sure where to start with this. I've got a card index file, and a load of articles file, and have tried some sort of system on the computer, but have yet to find one that fits the bill. In fact, I think I am using this as a bit of an excuse to go slowly on the reading. I would love to know if anyone has a really good method.

I am just about to start on the ethics bit, my supervisor says if I can get it past them, then it is certain to get through the other stages. The thing is, I can't see what I need to include. Most of the material I will be using is already in the public domain, and the data collection will not be personalised in any way. As for my masters I will explain how anyone can set up an anonymous e-mail for this purpose, and most of those I have forewarned about needing assistance are ready and eager to go. So, what are the main problems?

I don't think age is a barrier, if you want it, go for it. Treat it like a job. Do you think your future career will spring from the work you are doing, that is, is it something that will shape your future work, or is the qualification necessary for the job you want to do - i.e. you will never get very far in your chosen area without it? Both are a bit of a gamble, the former maybe a bit more than the latter as then you are pinning your hopes on someone with the money also being enthused by the research. The only thing I would say though is that you need to have 100% informed backing from your family, they must see beyond the rosy glow pic of postgrad student life and realise that you will have loads of work to do, it might not be at convenient times, and you are bound to be crabby and depressed, and wholly wrapped up in your work to the exclusion of everything else - hopefully not all at the same time if not than some of the messages on this site show what can happen.

I'm doing it because I'm passionate about the future of education and think it is worth doing. My supervisor is passionate too which helps and he encouraged me to do it. However I'm still a baby at this kind of research - that for the med lab stuff was different,- but it is sooo interesting (so far anyway!)I wish I'd done it earlier, but then again I felt the same about all the stuff I've done, I've never had a boring job - some just haven't been that well paid. I don't want to become a lecturer, but would love to get something in print in my area, so I suppose age is immaterial.

Well...I think you are all much younger than I am. . This is probably my third career, first was in med labs, where I got my fellowship and was involved in some ground breaking research, second was in non-academic craft work, although I did a lot of learning none was tested by exams etc. and now I'm working in education (not teaching in schools though) and it was because of that that I embarked on adult teaching qualifications followed by MA and now PhD, both part-time.

chris, make sure you do the right things in the right place, academic books are not waterproof you know . I think my resolution is just to get on with things instead of procrastinating all the time.

I had the same kind of thing from my supervisor for my MA, so bad that he was only avalable twice during the whole of the time he was supposed to be supervising, and only read the whole thing once - he had to have his arm twisted to take it on and really I don't think he could have cared less. When I asked him what the deadline was for the submission he just said he didn't know! (mine was out if sync because I was submitting earlier than others in the group)Anyway, my diss supervisor had actually retired when I applied so I gave two other refs. There wasn't any problem with that, and I don't think it would have been a problem if he had still been there.