My supervisor is very nurturing and not at all like how you describe. However, she does tend to not listen to my arguments for doing things, tells me to "ignore that - go and do xyz" and then 6 months later says " oh that would have been a good idea! - but we haven't got time to do that now" This has happened several times, so now I just go and do what I want, as my instincts so far have been right and she doesn't listen long enough to hear my logic.

If I were you I would just go and do my own thing, organise conferences, submit to conferences (you don't need her permission!) and get on with any experiments you want to.

Shotgun! Head of Psych department please for me :-)

just copy and paste the writing from chapter two (not the reference section) and tag it on the end, then click 'update bibliography' and the references for chapter two will magically appear!

sometimes I think its going really well, but then I am woken up to the fact that I have not even written my lit review in full, have not written any of my studies up, have a lack of participants for my 2nd study, and my 3rd study is being impeded by a load of bureaucracy at my industrial partner AND I am in my third year like you walminskipeas! Urgh, after seeing it on the screen I now want to die - or more precisly put off doing any more work today and go an watch a chick flick before my other half returns home and wants to play his ps3.

Hmm, my sleep seems to be all up in the air too, i often don't get to sleep for hours, but husband has to be up at 6.30, so I never lie in which means I gues I 'day sleep' at my desk, hence the staring.

I have also had lots of trouble today with comfort. My back is killing me and I am really cold, but can't turn the heating up cos its not my house! - its ok if you are running abour, but sitting at a desk is a different matter.

I didn't mean I will go out of the window - I meant the work :p

urgh, had an awful day so far - just staring at the computer clicking 'refresh' on my email for hours! Had a shower to wake myself up, cup of tea and now finally (at 4pm) started doing some analysis. Altho hubby home in the next hour so will probably go out the window - at least it is something!

to be fair, I have never seen a job in academia go to someone who wasn't already known by everyone in the department, someone they have worked with before and meet up for drinks etc. that's just the way it is!

I think it is just experience. The more you read, the more you are able identify rubbish papers, and what is rubbish about them. There will be some common criticisms for all the papers you read e.g. was conducted in a different sample e.g. America, is a cross sectional design, didn't control for variable X.

However, these are surface criticisms - only reading and getting to know your field will get you experienced enough for you to be able to critique it. I would start off with a metaanalysis or two and see how they have reviewed the field.

Some organisations sift CVs using word checks - i.e. they run it through a computer programme that sifts them for the correct words e.g. 'leader' - I am not joking, it, unfortunately is used a lot.

Maybe you are missing out on the sift!

hmm didn't seem so awful when I didn't meet the deadline - it just gave me a little fanfare!

Thanks guys - Im gonna go Italic!

ok I will rephrase,

"it became evidet that it not only related to heeled shoes but the **height** of heeled shoes particularly"

Hows that, I mean, I know dont have to emphasise the word, but I want to!