Hello all and happy new year, hope you all had a good Christmas! I decided to take some time off over Christmas after all as this year is going to be stressful enough so I thought I should have a break whilst I have the chance!

Today I have already sent all my documents to the registry for my PRP at the end of the month, now I am going to crack on with writing up my analysis. I have changed my plan after having a long think about it over the break, I was planning to write my theoretical framework first but I now think it will help me to get my work in order if I write the analysis first! So I would like to get at least 500 words done today, if possible.

Good luck today peeps! (up)

Noooooo Delta don't leave, as Skig says it's so helpful to have people at all stages on board! I'm only at the start of my third year so long way off Viva at the moment but I just wanted to say good luck to all who have imminent vivas (is that the plural?!) and you will all be absolutely great! (up) Looking forward to hearing your experiences!

And a happy new year to you all as well!

Hi, I'm afraid I have no first hand knowledge of the situation as I haven't yet submitted but there must be someone you can talk to at your university about it? Do you have a Research Registry Unit or a support unit you can talk to? Is there no way you can ask your supervisors what they think?

I wouldn't jump to any conclusions as far as the outcome goes, they can't have made their minds up without even having viewed your revisions, surely? I do feel for you though, I'm really not looking forward to the whole submission thing and I have a horrible feeling next year is going to slide by before I know it...!

Goal 1, done (hence why I am back online...!)

Now for some breakfast (is that the time?!) and goals 2 and 3, which shouldn't take too long. Then I am going to stop for today as I had a 12 hour session yesterday and I've been working since 8.30 this morning. Amazing what you can achieve when you get stuck in!

Yes, Lughna is right. To be honest, in the day and age we live in it's getting increasingly more difficult to produce something completely original, it's more a case of building on exisiting knowledge and looking at what can be done differently, are there any variables that you can introduce to change the angle, what is different about you as a researcher etc etc etc! It may seem scary now but I promise you it won't be once you get stuck in!

I'm going to start this one off again as today is my last working day before I pack up my things and leave the office tonight! I've had a curve ball thrown at me and I have a load of prep to do before my review panel in January as well as finish amending my chapter! So today I have the following goals:

1. Finish amending methodology
2. Update progress plan
3. Review aims and objectives (AGAIN!)

and finally, on a more Christmassy note:

4. Ice the Christmas cake my fiance and I made in November and have been feeding weekly with cherry brandy ever since.. yum!

If there's anyone out there, hope your work is progressing well and you're having a lovely festive season so far! (snowman)

Hi Geekgirl,
Don't be scared! I am a Psychology graduate and I entered into a PhD within health and life sciences, with much more of a sociological feel to it so I've been learning as I go. I am now 2 years in and although it's been a bumpy ride I don't think it matters too much where you've come from, as long as you have the skills required, which you must have or they wouldn't have offered you the job!

As far as dropping out without it showing on your record, I don't think such a thing exists does it? You need to decide now, before you begin, whether this is for you really. As for finding an original topic, I'm afraid the only remedy for that is reading, reading and more reading to try and find any gaps, or new methods, or an area that hasn't been explored much. I'm still not really sure how original my piece of work will be, because it's in a widely researched area, but the originality can come from anywhere. If you're worried, talk to your potential sup about it. I don't know much about how funding works to be honest, but I have colleagues studying for PhDs who have started and quit PhDs, then started and carried on with another.

Hope that helps a bit! (tree)

Thanks guys, appreciate your advice. Back to the books for me then! Have a good Christmas everyone (tree)

Thanks Lughna, I think I just need to have more confidence and convince them that I know what I'm talking about - I'll have to convince myself first though :)

Hello all,

To start with, ARGH! I'm a bit stressed and I was wondering if you guys could help, I know we're close to Christmas and shutting down our brains for the festive season but I would be really grateful for your advice.
I'm struggling with my methodology still and I'm a bit confused about what to do. When I started my research study I was approaching it pragmatically, from a Teddlie & Tashakkori point of view, pulling on Dewey etc. My supervisors hated this because my methodology is predominately ethnography but I do have a quantitative element, as this study is primarily a case study of team working and I wanted a holistic view that would also allow for triangulation (which my sup also hates but that's another story!).
I then tried to fall in line with my supervisors and their preferred approach which is constructionism but on submitting a draft methodology chapter I have been told that my language is too realist and I obviously don't have a grip on my methodology!!! No **** Sherlock! But they don't seem to want to help me, they want me to figure it out on my own which is just making me more confused!

So, I will outline where I stand epistemologically/ontologically (I don't think they are words but you get what I mean!) by using the tree analogy and I would like you lovely peeps to suggest where you think my research belongs:

If a tree falls in the forest and there is no-one there to hear it, does it make a sound? I would answer YES, it does make a sound, whether there are humans there to hear it or not, but what the noise means will be different depending on your culture and social upbringing. I think Fischer covers it with the sound of thunder, which to my culture is a sign that there is a storm and possible lightning, but to some tribes is a sign of aggression and anger. I believe that the objective world and subjective world can co-exist peacefully as can social and natural science! (What I also believe, and got into LOTS of trouble for saying was, in a pragmatic way is this really important and why can't I just go and do the research?!)

Now forgive me if I'm wrong as I've just about had enough of all this, but I have been reading Crotty and he states that the existence of an objective and subjective world is compatible with constructionism. Should I be trying to pander to what my supervisors want or should I stick to my guns and head down my pragmatic/postpositivist route? (see, the more I read it confuses me!) To be honest, I'm really angry that they know I've been struggling with this from day 1 and they've still not helped me, even though I've asked for help repeatedly. So, :-s to them!

Any advice? I'm so confused and my brain is all over the place, I'm panicking massively about this now as I know for a PhD I need to know and be able to defend my position :-( help!

Thank you!

'fraid not from me, sorry :-(

Thank you, and yes the new year's baby thing is a double edged sword, there are always parties but they're never for me, *sob* No only joking, to be honest as I've gotten older I don't really like going out on my birthday as it's so expensive to go anywhere, get in, have a drink/food, then get a taxi home! So a nice quiet one this year as I'm unfortunately one year closer to the big 3-0...! Anyway good luck today everyone, I really must do some work! :-)

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If you're not planning to go ahead and do it then yes, I think they can. Once you submit your proposal to them then I have a feeling the research becomes theirs... check your contract if you still have it and see what it says about intellectual property... mine has a clause about sections 11 and 15 of the copyright, designs and patents act 1988... I will have to look them up now!

Section 11 states that the work is yours (the authors) EXCEPT "Where a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work, or a film10, is made by an employee in the course of his employment, his employer is the first owner of any copyright in the work subject to any agreement to the contrary" so I think they may have the right according to law to continue to use your work. Not morally right, of course, but legal I'm afraid if your contract says the same.

Edited to include info on the Coyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

Sorry, we were posting at the same time! Is there no way you can skew a new angle on what you were originally looking at? I know it's frustrating (to say the least) but I think it is getting harder and harder to have a completely original piece of work these days, you have to try and make it original through your methods or your approach or something else like that. Don't give up, it sounds like your sup is really supportive, go back and tell them you're struggling and see what they say. I've ranted and raved at mine and she always comes back with something helpful!

Agree with both the previous posters. I frequently feel like this and I wonder if I'm good enough to do it, but a couple of things have helped. For one, as both the previous posters have stated, you need to talk to someone, ideally your supervisor. It may well also help if you have a break now for a couple of weeks then come back to it in the new year and see how you feel then. Do you have aims and objectives for your research? What was it that you initially wanted to study? What kind of research have you been doing?

Don't worry if the picture looks different from the idea that you initially started out with - it is very common to start a PhD with the intention to study x, then end with a study on y instead. My research has changed numerous times, even since carrying out my fieldwork, but this is normal! As you become more experienced, your focus will change.

At the end of my first year (feel free to look up my old posts!) I seriously wanted to quit. I was stressed, fed up, and looking for jobs. I took a break from my studies then came back to it with a fresh pair of eyes and now I am determined to finish this thing, if only for the participants who have taken part in my study! But you can do it, they wouldn't have accepted you if you weren't capable! Talk to someone at uni, have a break over Christmas and see how you feel in the new year. And keep coming back here! I can't say enough for the lovely folk on this forum, it always helps to know there are people in the same boat as you, as a PhD can be incredibly isolating.