Well done AQ, good to hear of your success!!

I would ask first, just to make sure they don't mind, some may feel uncomfortable with it - or might even think you might use it against them at a later date, if, for example you want to question the amount of support you are getting compared with others, and it would be polite to do so.

Hope you feel a little more encouraged! :-) Take on board what Ady has said about originality, it can be in many different forms, and doesn't have to be a 'grand theory' - that one comes later when you have got the PhD done and dusted, and what has been said by chuff and kb about looking after yourself. We are all in the same boat, and can be relied upon to bail it out when necessary, or throw someone a lifebelt and are always here.
with best wishes

J

You need to get more help. Go to your student welfare centre at the uni and see what help you can get. The feeling of dissatisfaction with the progress from time to time, it is part of the process I think, if you were completely content with every aspect of the thesis, then you would have something to worry about. I don't know enough about your area to be able to suggest what to do about the paper, but do you submit it for review or are you using it at a conference. If it is the former, knock it into what you whink is a reasonable state and submit it, then you will get feedback and know what you need to do to it to get it right, for a conference, try it out on your spervisors or fellow PhDers. Don't think it is hopeless, many people on here have been through the same thing and will, no doubt be sending advice, and will support you from a distance, cos that's what people here do, lean on them for support. I would say that we all think we have not learned as much as we expected to, but what you do find out is where the gaps are, and they can provide further research if you want to do it. It is also useful to write down what you have achieved, and I expect there is plenty to put down there. Take care. J

As my thesis has changed a bit now I'm finding that I have to read much more widely than I thought I would need to do in order to find suitable references , and as a result have quotes from all sorts of sources, from 14th century historians to - and I really hate to say this- Jilly Cooper' s book on class (:$ ) I too have loads of articles that I think would be really useful, but have yet to delve into their contents, although I have put them in the appropriate chapter pile. My supervisor  keeps telling me to read this book or that book, or add something by x, y, or z, but if I put in all they want, in the detail they want there won't be room for the rest of it. What I would say though is for many of these books/articles its more of an overview than a detailed read...there are only so many hours available, and I was given several books at Christmas, which I want to read, but have no bearing on my thesis whatsoever... so I'm sneaking in a bit of time for those too...now I wonder if i could use any of those.......:-)

i think maybe you need to cut yourself a bit of slack, you are pushing yourself too hard. I have never smoked, but I know it can be hard to give up, so perhaps you should approach it in a different way... instead of limiting yourself, which immediately has the effect of making it a BIG THING, just say to yourself I will try not to smoke too much, but if I want one, I will have one with no guilt trip. This should make it a bit easier, and if you want one, have one, but make it a positive thing, think I'm having a cigarette now, but I've gone x amount of time without one, which is really good.

people can be scared of the whole thing, its unknown territory, so it is bound to give rise to some anxiety, its all new and different, it doesn't mean you can't get through it, read a couple of the books about the process, it may help you see your way forward, depending upon your discipline, it may be that there is no well trodden path for you to latch on to when it comes to design etc, or even if there is a path, it may not exactly fit your needs. Once you have sorted out at least a tentative way forward you may feel better. At the moment you are probably in a bit of a limbo situation, its early days.

follow the advice already given and see what help is available at your university, even if you don't want to take up any opportunities available in this area straight away, the fact that you know how you can get to them if you need them may really help.

Finally, don't think you are alone, there is a lot of help and support available, both at your uni, and here on this forum, you can do it!  :-)

your supervisor will have someone who oversees his/her work, so find out who this is and tell them what is going on. The administrator to your postgrad faculty is the one to go to, they will have all the info you need. They are the ones who can get the necessary action in place. I would either phone or go and see them. I would avoid sending e-mails, just in case someone inadvertently forwards what you have written to someone who you would rather did not see it. Don't give up, these things happen, I'm in contact with our admin person about my supervisors at the moment and I know they will be on the case. You can get through this. supervisors can be relieved of their duties if they are not doing their job, remember they are being paid to do the supervision and have a duty to do it to the best of their ability, not just regard it as something they can do or not do as it suits.  Go for it!

It is also important to have your reference list in more than one place! When my last computer died I thought I had managed to keep my endnote ref list intact, but it won't open now even though I had the content in several places it won't recognise it. Luckily I had also saved it as a word doc, because I'm not a fan of endnote, so all were intact. What I have done though is when I start reading a new journal, book etc. which I think may be useful, I add it to my ref list, but I put it in red rather than black. This means I have the ref if I eventually use it, in which case I change it to black in the list, but if it turns out to be something I don't use, I can just remove it at the end.

Hi Satchi, and everyone else  :-). Happy New Year everyone! I'm starting this year on a positive note - although I've not touched work today other than rearranging a few books on the pile. I'm ready to tackle the next bit, hopefully my supervisors will get back on track and all will be well. Onward and upward folks!!!!

Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas, and have recharged the batteries ready for whatever comes your way. I have regained the big dining table, but have not done a lot of work - too many books received as pressies that are calling me, none of which are really related to the thesis, although I have seen something that might make a good quote....:-). only two mince pies left of the batch I baked,  but sending everyone a virtual one just to keep things going for a few more days! (mince)

Christmas was good, thanks :-), and yours? I expect it will turn out alright in the end, it is just that others do not seem to have this trouble, and it is really annoying when you can't actually get to these people to make them get on with things. They are a bit like kids who haven't done their homework I think!

The department is good, other people with other supervisors get lots of feedback, and if I take anything to the monthly meetings (neither of MY supervisors turn up of course) then feedback is given and everyone is very helpful. One of supervisors has now left to work elsewhere - and is therefore busy at their new place, the other has, shall we say,  a bit of a reputation for being more focused on other writing, However I feel this should not affect their responsibility to me, after all they took on the job. I don't really need them most of the time, as the area is very specialised, but I need to fit it into the wider context to show why it is so important but the main problem is there are a few things they need to do that I can't do on my own relating to reports etc.. My worry is that this should have been done by November, and I have prepared most of the material, done all the bits I can do, and it should have been on time for then, instead of which it will be March before it can go in because of board meetings and April at least before I can cross that stage off the list, and it is pushing everything else back. I have decided to phone the post grad secretary after the new year, to see what they can do.

Holidays are the time I do most of my work on this, so this one is no different really. I've had a couple of days off, but now the main dining table has got books on it again... and I will be doing some work. In this house it has never been unusual to find people curled up with a book on Christmas day, it doesn't mean you are not enjoying yourself, or the company, people have fun in different ways. We did the meal at lunchtime on the big dining table, and we got out the board games, and the puzzles - this year one of us received a puzzle ball, they are very good if you know someone who likes puzzles - and we have a more mundane puzzle on the go now, so Christmas is still going on. Oh, and we didn't go to the sales at 5am yesterday, did we miss out? :$

Dare I say anything Christmassy sung by a Welsh male voice choir! :$. In fact ANYTHING sung by them does it for me - must be my welsh ancestry I guess, that and watching the rugby.

thanks for all the sympathy folks, one of the many things that is so good about this forum. The head of school is very supportive, but can only do so much without ruffling their feathers, for example he got round the first prod he gave them by suggesting that it was the review board that wanted an update, he was all for changing the supervising team, but they are leading experts in the field and I don't want any ripples to permeate anyone who might be examining the final thing in three years time. It is just hard when you go to meetings run by the dept and find that all the others are getting loads of feedback etc., you feel kind of left out. :-(