Thats what I was wondering 4matt. It's just as valid a result, and can be just as important if not more.

I'm not sure why your supervisor would say that it wouldn't be accepted. There is something of a positive bias in publications but that shouldn't be an issue for the phd (It can be overcome anyway at publication).

I'm big fan of parsnip and ginger soup but I don't think thats going to be a huge success with noodles.

Doesn't MSG occur naturally in broccoli?

What do you mean by negative results? Accepting the null? Finding things contrary to your original predictions? Finding nothing? Finding you've done things wrong?

I have a few results that are dead ends in my thesis because of a few flaws and just general bad luck but I wouldn't call them negative. They still demonstrate my ability to conduct, analyse and evaluate research. And although on one hand I hate that they're dead ends result wise I'm glad they're there because they give me lots to talk about.

No worries Doodles :D Glad to hear you've managed to get things out the way so you'll be able to enjoy the holidays. Any luck hunting down your supervisor?

Since the last post I've gotten some feedback on a chapter. But I think my supervisor is working fairly hard at checking things over because I'm on an even tighter deadline than before. I've got a lecturing post to go to in the new year so I can't be messing about with making huge changes or rewrites now!

:O I'm getting lighter! I had to weigh myself for a health form thingy dodah and I found out that I'm the lightest I've been in a long long while. I did it again a week later (now my fear of scales has been softened somewhat) and I've lost a bit more too! I'm heading in the right direction.

I kinda want to open excel and start making charts.

Thanks Blue. :)

I hadn't really thought about an advance. I might talk about that to HR once everything else is ironed out. If that's not doable then I might go for a small personal loan. I've found one with my current bank that I can pay off ahead of time without too much in the way of a huge penalty. So in theory I could get it and a little extra to make moving easy. Claim back my expenses, pay off the majority of the loan and then just be left with a couple of small managable payments to make.

I'm leaning more towards content over spelling.

That said if I was an examiner and saw some typo's I would expect them to be corrected. I think it's par for the course really for some creep through even after several checks, a thesis is potentially a huge document that the writer is so familiar with that they may no longer pick up on some of the typo's. As an examiner I'd probably ask about the typo's, hopefully they'd have a list of them to show that they had indeed picked up on them.

As for whether I'd expect that to count as minor corrections or a pass it would depend on the typo's. Any that could potentially change the meaning of what is stated would have to be minor corrections, a misplaced letter in the middle of antidisestabislhmentarianism I could let slide if the rest of the thesis is of a high standard.

I've read a couple of theses. One in my area from the same Uni and one is a drastically different area in a totally different Uni. I was looking at style and formatting more than anything. Both were fantastic. I couldn't say one was better than the other, or that they were both the exact same quality. But there was no doubt to my mind that they were examples of real achievement. They read well, they explained the content with clarity without skimping on depth, they were anaylitical and they seemed, as far as I could tell, to really add something to the area they were investigating. There are too many different yardsticks and expectations I think to make direct comparisons between one thesis and another unless they're on the exact same topic.

I don't think PhD by publication would be a better way to do it though. Publication comes with it's own set of politics and criteria where the evidence of the skills you're meant to acquire during a PhD aren't always the ones that are being looked at. And then there are always pitfalls with differences between journals. It'd invite questions about standards of journals slipping instead of examiners.

Thanks Slizor :) Yeah it's for a uni, a lecturing post.

I've gotten in touch with the accommodation people but there's not much in the way of dedicated housing available due to the current size and development. They've given me some good contacts in terms of estate agents and companies that have been helpful in the past. Gathering the deposit and funds to move upfront is just going to be difficult though. A month or so earlier and it would have be totally fine. Or if I could find somewhere that'd hold off on taking the deposit for a month.

I was thinking more maybe a short term B&B or something along those lines if I don't manage to scrape together the funds to move in permanently straight away. I'm worried about how effectively I'm going to be able to work, and settle in, if that's the case though.

I'm off to the bank tomorrow to see if they'll give me a little bit of wiggle room. I don't mind living off noodles for a bit if I have to!

Awesome news! :D Congrats!

I've finally a managed to get a job. It looks great, never thought I'd get it and should be a fantastic start to my career. I start in the new year, and soon after starting should be sitting my Viva as well.

I can't wait to start but I feel like I'm in a bit of an odd position. The gap between the end of my PhD funding and the job means what little savings I've had have dried up and disappeared into the ether. I can claim relocation expenses back (which is great) but obviously only after I've paid for them myself. Which makes sorting out a deposit, the first months rent, sundries etc a little tricky.

I'm looking at various solutions (extending the over extending overdraft, small personal loan, family taking even more pity on me than usual) but I was wondering if anyone had any advice? Rather than finding somewhere to rent permanently straight away and getting settled in before my official start date should I move into temporary accommodation. And how temporary is temporary? Has anyone gone down that route and found it to be a good/bad/ugly solution?

It just feels bizarre. I know that soon I should be recently financially secure (much more than I ever was as a student) but there's this final hurdle.

I think it should be fine so long as you use them consistently.

My studentship had some money left over after fee's and stipend that was meant to be for consumable's (no where near as much as yours though!) and I never saw a penny directly. It might depend on the scholarship/studentship in question but I think it's as Jepsonclough says. It covers the departments costs of housing you really, the stationary, room, equipment supplied to you. I don't think it really counts as a fund you can dip into to buy specific pieces of equipment unless they've already been earmarked before starting.

If I'm wrong though, and it is one you can use then yes it should be enough. I think regardless of area 5k is a lot to have to spend on equipment at PhD level as most of what you need should already be in place.

When I was looking I struggled to find any sort of comprehensive list of US post docs. I found a couple of psychology linked sites that I could post here or PM you if they're relevant (and don't raise the ire of any mods).

I found one list through a journal and the other is linked to a network. The network one can be quite specialised. I've no idea where you'd get them from otherwise.

Kellykel, sorry to hear you're having some job troubles at the moment. Just keep applying though. I've recently been offered a position but it took me around 50 applications and 4 interviews! I was disheartened with all the rejections and difficulties to begin with but (based on the advice of my supervisor and the helpful people here :) ) I just kept sending applications in. I went for volume rather than being too selective.

The lack of papers can be a barrier, and it's all catch 22. I came up against it in one interview. I was rejected because I didn't have as long a publication record as another applicant (as well as a few other reasons). But then how was I ever meant to get a longer record without research jobs like the one I was applying for?  :S It was a bit maddening at first. All it takes is one chance though, one job.

On the hiding qualifications front my partner came up against that. She went for an interview at the place she already works for a higher position. But because she's working there along side a studying for a post grad qualification they didn't give her the job. They felt she was going to be moving on to other things because of it!