======= Date Modified 11 Mar 2012 21:13:43 =======
Hi Misspaws, depending on your research, you might also be preparing an ethics submission which needs to be submitted and approved by a committee prior to collecting any human (or animal) data. This can take quite a while and when it is  finally approved may be subject to  'amendments' which would have to be fixed before the permission to collect any of this data would take place.

You would be reading and refining the lit review material ('the lit review is never over' to quote my Master's supervisor) but also really improving on and finetuning your research proposal which eventually becomes part of Chapter 1 (also subject to amendment, once you have collected data and written discussion). You do a lot of writing that is used in the final thesis but which tends to be (no matter how polished it seems to you) pulled apart and rewritten to eventually form a cohesive thesis.

I think that you are aiming for professional (academic professional) standards in your writing even for these things that you KNOW ( with a mind-sickening certainty) will be pulled apart and will have to be re-written. Meaning the writing should be clear and logical, analytical and critical, with all key statements or assertions verified and justified within the research, noted in your writing, and your citations should be accurate. It's a bit tricky isn't it because to some extent supervisors give a few hints and suggestions but you really have to write up your own plan and then (the hardest bit) try to stick to it with mainly only yourself as taskmaster (plus the threat of a supervisor meeting in a few weeks) to spur you on.

I need to spend time on improving my use of endnote programs and bibliographic/reference material because sometimes I vary in my meticulousness when collecting material and I want to save myself the hours of rewriting this at the end. Personally, I also need to be more meticulous in my note taking as well so that is something I plan to improve on in the next few months.

My personal goals for this year are to: (I am part-time by the way so this year is more like around 7-8 months)
1    have really nailed my research proposal (introductory chapter). This was completed in my application and finetuned in first couple of months but the thing is I seem to be changing my research question, so need to do some more research and writing for the latest proposal.
2  Have completed and submitted ethics application to ethics committee
3  Made a substantial inroad into my lit review-covered several if not most of its major subheadings in different chunks-and I want these to be with really organised and planned notes both hardcopy and virtual.
4  Have worked out methods (related to ethics application-and methods statement there)
5 Supervisor wants me to be ready to collect data
6 University require all PhD students to present a 'paper' at their postgraduate colloquium thingy in November-based on what you have done in first year.

I have to do all this to complete the Grad Research Certificate (concurrent award) course work so these goals have been helped along by the university process-I think left to myself I would have been a little more openended and vague.

Good luck and thanks for a great post-after having read the other poster's replies and then written this, I have now spooked myself into getting back to work!
:-):-( (Sad face was supposed to go after 'spooked' btw-not sure what's happening there!)

======= Date Modified 09 Mar 2012 21:58:08 =======
Hi Marasp, as well as all the other really good replies (renaming your new document-which does work) and all of the great strategies given by other posters, I would also slightly stress the following, which helped me in the final rewrite of my Masters and recent journal articles and (hopefully) will help me when I am where you are now with the PhD.

I really compartmentalised corrections. So rather than looking or reading everything in one big chunk, I would just focus on the tiny chunk earmarked for that correction or that lot of corrections. And depending on my mood and state of tiredness, I would select the type of correction or rewriting to suit my physical and emotional state. So if I was really over something, then I would work on something that was more straightforward (like making sure I had referenced all my internal references with APA 6, instead of Harvard (because I got confused iin the end write up and tended to alternate at times). Or days when I could face methodology but not rewriting the bit in discussion.

The other thing I have noticed is that the lists of corrections and rewrites often seems HUGE, but when you get down to it and do them methodically bit by bit, they are not quite as bad and you sort of realise that the examiner, supervisors, or reviewers (whoever it is) are often not criticising your actual whole work, but just bits and pieces (as in they want to know 'how you made this connection' because you haven't outlined that in your writing clearly). It seems like they are criticising your thesis-and often they are really criticising your communication of the thesis which just needs to be presented in a more logical or methodical manner. Good luck, I can imagine how tough it is and am not looking forward to this in a few years-I found it tough enough with the Masters and article submission-BUT you can do it you know-you are strong enough and persistent enough-and those qualities are what will get you through at this stage.(gift)

======= Date Modified 09 Mar 2012 21:35:27 =======
A year isn't a long time and you can work on things like the lit review in the meantime as well. If you do defer though, and apply for funding for next year, do you have a strong chance of getting it-meaning does the university give you priority? (I'm not sure how they work not being in UK). If this is the case, then personally I would definitely wait out the year rather than do the part-time bit at first.

I waited a year between final completion of my Masters and commencing my PhD (which I am now about 5 months into). I really didn't want to at first but it was (in hindsight) the best thing I could have done, even though it was hard for me to do this. I managed to complete a journal article and book chapter (on the Masters) in between (both which are now about to be published) and have also realised that the time gap has really helped by providing new perspectives on my original research proposal and direction of the lit review, which have both changed somewhat since my initial applications.

But at the time, the year's gap was very frustrating-I agonised over it quite a bit in reality. Good luck with your studies and congrats on getting the acceptance as well.:-)

Fantastic news! Congratulations. So glad you posted as well-this sort of thing helps everyone in the doldrums!(up)

No worries and good luck. I'm doing something similar (in term's of educational research) using empirical data, case study, surveys and triangulation with the existing research and models in the field. I sort of like theory but have discovered that I am really an empiricist at heart-a bit disappointing but there you go...

======= Date Modified 12 Feb 2012 10:37:27 =======
I'm going to add a bit of a different spin on this. I do understand the feelings, gave up some really big aspects of myself for a relationship that lasted years but ultimately ended with me walking away with nothing but the memories.

So yeah, I did make a choice that saw me making sacrifices for my relationship (and sacrifices for my children from a early ill-fated marriage) and while I never begrudged the things I postponed or adapted for my children, I certainly got a bit frustrated and fought hard against being bitter about what I perceived I had given up for my second partner and that particular relationship. However, viewing it all from a distance, I don't regret it. Study, career, all of these are important but nothing to compare against people and real, living, supportive relationships. Even if they don't last forever.

The other thing I would say is that all through a marriage, partnership or real relationship there will be times when one partner makes an adjustment for a time, so that the other can achieve a dream. Not forever, it needs to be clearly delineated and timebound, and it needs to be reciprocated. In other words, this time it might be one partner's turn, in a couple of years, it might be the other partner's turn to support their loved one in a different dream or undertaking. Phd's are not the only reason to make an adjustment like this- people get dream jobs and the other partner moves and has to wait for a while before their dream job comes along...you get my drift. It never really works out perfectly for both at the same time but in the long run
you have to weigh up whether your relationship is more important than your present circumstances ( not forever-you do need careers, identities, self-fulfilment as well) but just for a short time. And as Sneaks pointed out, you can (and people do) manage distance relationships, so long as they are not too long and too distant.

======= Date Modified 12 Feb 2012 10:15:49 =======
It's really great to read that you have turned a corner-even if you still have some challenges and processes to work through, you seem to be much more optimistic and able to focus on what you need to do. I'm with Lughna, you will get there...you will(gift)

I would think whether you choose two methods of raw data collection (questionnaire and interview) or one (questionnaire with open ended responses) you would still want to triangulate your data-by comparing data back to either the existing theory in the field or previous existing empirical research done in the field. Unless of course you were collecting masses and masses of data-such as conducting many many interviews and surveys, so much so that your data is readily quantifiable and replicable- meaning that it stands alone. Hope this makes sense. If my words seem a bit wrong, it has just been a very long week!!!

Well done Sneaks! A wonderful achievement and no corrections-that's just brilliant!

======= Date Modified 06 Feb 2012 10:04:06 =======
I think I'm going to have to work in blocks and tiny increments for the duration. My work is fairly intense once it cranks up but being a teacher/coordinator, I do get better holidays than most industries and I have fewer classes than most full time teachers due to the admin part of my job (which reduces some of the marking and planning but not all of it-there is a huge load of boring admin though that I have to wade through).

So I just do huge blitzes in the holidays and on some weekends when I am really enthused and the rest of the time, I do tiny incremental bits, such as reading articles or reworking something. So sometimes I am just on overload and other times, things are manageable. When a major work task comes up, I put off the PhD stuff for a few days but not for too long. This is pretty much how I completed my Master's thesis as well.

I have had to say no to other things though this year which is pretty hard. One thing I won't say no to however, is exercise (running and a couple of enjoyable gym classes) and just doing a few nice things to save my sanity-and I am not going to let my household run downhill completely, so have periodic help with cleaning and garden tidy ups, but nothing too ritzy-still do a lot of this sort of thing myself. I think though, at some point once I have a mass of data collected, I will take a sabbatical for about 3-4 months to really help with the write-up. I'm hoping to finish in around 5 years as a part-timer but will take a bit longer if I really have to. And I've extended or branched my Phd from my original Masters so have done a bit of leg work already on topic.

On your last sentence (on your original post from last year) you asked about whether how people tackled their research might impact on the quality of their research. I don't think there would be much correlation between whether you do the well-managed compartmentalised bit or whether you go in all intense and then take a break and the actual quality of what you do- I really just think it depends on your own personality and life circumstances. People work in different ways and that's fine. Steering clear of depression though is pretty important; it seems to loom like the pit of doom rather too close to the Phd pathway at times for many of us-hence why I will not allow too much to get between me and exercise and some rest.

Good luck with it all Sneaks(up). It should be over soon and I am sure you will do well.

Just wondering whether your 'contribution' (mentioned in your most recent comment below) part is not only your research (which, as you say, is original) but also a suggstion as to specific or practical outcomes or products that might result from your new research angle? As in- say your research is on 'depressed wood elves who have migrated to suburbia'. Not only is research on depressed wood elves in suburbia unique (an unmined research gold field) but it also may have the following benefits-provide more information on how suburban councils can support wood elves in a sustainable manner, or help improve migration packages for wood elves so that the depression is mitigated, etc, etc. Anyway, all the best:-)

Hi Appleleaf, I have four people on my 'team' and two supervisors but there is only one who I really interact with at present. She is the actual supervisor in term's of practicalities. The others are there if there are issues or during review periods, etc. As I am only three months in, I have yet to meet them. You mentioned three supervisors and two who are not communicating. They might be like my other supervisor and people on my team. Essentially silent witnesses who only step in if there is an issue. Just a thought...

Congratulations Ady, that is awesome news-you must be soooo happy! Well done and hope you are able to mark the occasion in a really special and fun way.(up)

======= Date Modified 11 Jan 2012 05:09:09 =======
Hi Trebref, I'm inclined to agree with Lughna. Given the length of time (four years working-+ two years of respite) and the fact that you are three chapters down-it seems a shame to have to walk away completely from it at this point in time. That being said, on the other hand, what are you hoping to do if you do quit? What if you gave yourself a time limit of 4-6 months say and then plan to hand the thing in after this point. If you are awarded a doctorate (great!!), if it was given a MPhil or MResearch-that still might be a better starting point for later on, when you come back to research (as you have indicated).

I don't think a doctorate is ever what we think it will be from our naive perspective prior to beginning. Second time round you might be far more prepared and have a different topic, but chances are you will still have aspects of the doctorate that are not so great to deal with, such as a tricky supervisor, data that goes to pot, or financial, health or life issues.

Not trying to be discouraging at all-just thinking it through a bit...ultimately it is your decision but possibly setting a time limit on your final two chapters might be a good idea to help you through this and also not too worry too much about your supervisor's style of help just at the moment. Has he read your chapters btw? It is surprising how the mildest, most supportive academic supervisor can be really really critical once they read your more complete version of things.

Buzzy, I can't really speak for UK universities but think they are a bit like the Australian ones (I'm in Oz-and its cold and windy here btw-where the hell has summer gone to!!!). With the universities here, they tend to have only a few options for Masters conversion from a PhD. One would be where you haven't written enough for a PhD but certainly have enough for a smaller thesis which can be awarded a Masters.

If you have done some coursework units with your PhD, such as research units, etc...these also could be used for a Masters like the one I completed. My Masters was 50 percent course work and 50 percent thesis. Two units were on discrete topics or courses related to my general theme, two were research methods units that basically helped me outline the theme and methodology, the rest was thesis.

The current PhD Im enrolled in makes all candidates complete a Grad Cert of Research-concurrently-which allows postgrads to exit with the Grad Cert, even if they don't complete the thesis. Would your publications fit into these sorts of categories, where they could be rewritten a bit and submitted as a form of course work, even if they don't form a thesis on their own?

I hope you have managed to find someone helpful at your institution who can provide some good information or direct you to someone in the university who is helpful. It seems a harsh and tough thing to have to do- just to walk away. However, people here have done it before and sometimes they say later that it was all for the best. Not to say that it is easy to do- but some people have done it and then gone on to bigger and better things later on down the track.