I agree with Reenie - the email wouldn't make much difference.

Thanks for a very interesting post. You should definitely think about taking this up with your government's Minister for Women and Equality. In the UK this person is Maria Miller https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/minister-for-women-and-equalities--2
Governments in other countries have their own version of this role. Or you could contact UN Women, the women's rights branch of the United Nations http://www.unwomen.org/

Please post again and tell us how things went.

If you make all of the changes exactly as the reviewers ask the paper has a good chance of being accepted.

Hi Satchi. If they don't make this issue clear in the author guidelines then they probably aren't worried about the word count of the acknowledgments section, unless you are thanking an epic number of people.

Hi Laura. There are many different types of research method, and teaching materials to suit each, and you need to know which type is most suited to your research aims. Given that your interest is poetry and literature, you are probably looking at using - broadly speaking - qualitiative methodology (content analysis etc). You can brush up on these or other skills by reading books or online material. Depending on your research aims you might also want to use some quantitative methods (Chi Square etc), so the first thing is to know which research skills you need to meet your research aims.

Hi Waggy. Welcome to the forum. The highs, the lows, the very lows, and the rock bottom, they are all to be found here!

First make sure first that the material being presented wasn't the product of some kind of collaboration that the presenter was legitimately involved in, or that he had permission from the researchers to present the material. You could probably only find out this from the researchers whose work you say the presenter plagiarised. If it's a provable case of the researchers' material being plagiarised then the researchers will probably want to be the people to make the decision on what action to take.

Your experience sounds perfect, presuming you have been doning these things for at least a few months.

It's perfectly ok to ask for these things. Note that the author might expect something in return e.g. a mention in the acknowlegments section in the published version of your paper.

Sorry to hear you are having a tough time. Best to follow whatever the health professionals advice. Note that taking a couple of weeks out might actually keep to your PhD deadline, because a rest might help recharge the batteries and help you work more effectively.

Get well soon :)

References can be very important. They should be from academics senior to you who have worked closely with you e.g. MSc supervisor, or at least those whom have graded your work e.g. a lecturer.

Doesn't seem to be a problem because lots of respected academics are on the editorial board of several journals.

Its difficult to suggest where to attend without knowing what location you want to study in. However good general advice is to find out how well recognised a course is e.g. find out if a course is accredited by a recognised body, and is recognised by employers of Montessori teachers.

Montessori is a good system, so best wishes with your studies.

The other posters are right - the key issue is to know why you didn't pass. Maybe now is a really good time to (a) get as much feedback as possible from your tutors on your work, and (b) ask their honest advice on career directions or educational choices you might take.

You are in the same position as countless other PhD students, past present and future. You are very close to getting your PhD. Just put the bad feelings to one side and make the corrections requested.