Good luck with your viva! I know lots of people who have really enjoyed theirs as it was an opportunity to discuss their work with people who were genuinely interested and informed and who had read their thesis! So I hope it goes like that for you. Remember you are the world's expert on your thesis and the examiner's will respect that.

I've posted this link before, but it really think it'll be of help:
http://www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers/1241/Your%20viva.html

best of luck,
Tennie

Twitter was central to a course called 'the digital researcher' held by Vitae and the British Library earlier this month. The idea was to explore how to use twitter and other web 2.0 in your research. I've written some of it up as this month's PGR Tips: http://www.vitae.ac.uk/CMS/files/upload/PGR%20Tips%20issue%2040%20digital%20researcher.pdf. Happy reading.
Tennie

Thought you might all be interested to hear that Vitae are running a free one day event about careers in academia for postgraduate researchers on the 30th of March in Manchester.

Are you considering your career options? Are you thinking about where you'd like to be... next year... in five years time? Do you want to continue working in an academic environment?

Around half all postgraduate researchers take up jobs within the education sector immediately on graduation but not all of those are in research positions.
Following the success of our previous Careers in academia events, Vitae is another one-day Careers in academia event on the 30th March, to explore what a career in the academic environment is really like.

Like most careers, there are many elements that make up a career in academia, and you need specific skills to succeed in what can be a very competitive environment. Here's your chance to find out what really is involved, what skills and strengths it will take to succeed, and to decide if this is the career for you.
http://www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers/188181-188921/Careers-in-focus-Careers-in-academia-.html

Tennie

Thought you might be interested to hear that Vitae are running a free one day event for research staff in Manchester on the 29 March to explore careers in academia: http://www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers/188181-188931/Advancing-in-academia-.html. It is specifically for members of research staff who want to have an academic career or are exploring academia as one of their career options. This event addresses how to succeed in a competitive and complex research environment and will allow you to think about the pros and cons of different career options available. Review where you are in your career, where you want to be and how to get there and develop an action plan to strategically manage your career. You'll be able to meet with successful academics from a range of disciplines to hear how they advanced their academic career as well as with researchers in a similar position and with similar ambitions to you.




thanks,
Tennie

Hi, PGR Tips this month is on 'where to publish journal articles'. Basically I had started to write a general Tips on how to write a publication but there were so many different aspects to that (of course) so I ended up narrowing it down to how to choose the journal... Other aspects will follow!

http://www.vitae.ac.uk/CMS/files/upload/PGR%20Tips%20issue%2039%20feb%20where%20to%20publish.pdf

enjoy,
Tennie
PS still open to suggestions for future PGR Tips!

Hi- sounds like you're right to grab this opportunity with both hands! My advice would be to treat the paper the same as you would if one of your peers had asked you to proofread and forget this person's 'higher status'. If it really is as good as it looks say how much you admire it and why- that will make as good a scholarly impression as tearing it to bits, I would have thought.

if it helps, there is a PGR Tips on peer review although it sounds as if this won't tell you anything new:
http://www.vitae.ac.uk/CMS/files/PGR_Tips_Issue_19_May08.pdf

good luck,
Tennie

Good luck guys, with your vivas.... some people really enjoy theirs, remember that- it's a unique chance to discuss your research in depth with a captive and informed audience.
Vitae has got a list of tips on preparing for the viva:
http://www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers/1241/Your-viva.html
and a 'check list'
http://www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers/1258/viva%20checklist.html

sincerely hope these are useful to you!
Tennie

Hi Keep Calm,

as the author of PGR Tips this last year or so I have been reallyy trying to make it something that is useful!! Any feedback on what would make it more so is really appreciated.... or any topics you'd like to see covered, anything.

Really glad you found the stories of interest!
all the best,
Tennie

consider going on Vitae's Advancing in Academia on the 29th of March in Manchester- it's free and should give you lots of tips for an academic career.
http://www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers/188181-188931/Advancing-in-academia-.html

good luck!

Hi,
Vitae run a (free) course on careers in Academia in Manchester on the 30th of March, which gives great insight into what is actually involved and what gives you the best chance. http://www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers/188181-188921/Careers-in-focus-Careers-in-academia-.html.
For inspiration of other options, have a look at the Vitae careers website: http://www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers/1245/Developing-your-career.html or search the database of careers:
http://www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers/1341/Career-stories.html

good luck!
Tennie

Hi,
Vitae have put together a database of careers stories of people who have a doctorate.
www.vitae.ac.uk/docs
In the latest PGRTips I mused how you can use these:
http://www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers/4069/PGR-tips-email-bulletin.html
for inspiration, motivation, information...
you can search by subject, employment sector and funding source.

hope you find it useful!
Tennie

Hi all,
happy new year!
there was another PGR Tips in December which I hadn't got round to telling you about: this time on creativity in research. Check it out on: http://www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers/61811/Current-issue-of-PGR-Tips.html.
this time it ties in with the launch of the second booklet in the researcher series, the creative researcher:
http://www.vitae.ac.uk/CMS/files/upload/The_creative_researcher_Dec09.pdf

all the best,
Tennie

Hi Peckster,

mm, database as such I don't know. Agree with Sneaks you'll need to narrow what you want to do down a bit first. The graduate prospects website is really good for exploring different options.

Some research on destinations is being done by the research councils which is due out next year, which i believe will include info on salaries- I'll post when it's out.

Vitae recently published 'What do Researchers Do?, on employment destinations straight after a doctorate, split into subjects- check out http//www.vitae.ac.uk/wdrd
just had a look at business- surprisingly 66% of doc grads are employed in education (over all doc grads the figure is about 50%), next biggest sector is finance, business and IT with 18%.

hope this helps,
Tennie

Hi,

the latest PGR Tips from Vitae is on auditing your skills: http://www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers/61811/Current-issue-of-PGR-Tips.html. Hope this proves useful to you!
It ties in with the current consultation on the Researcher Development Framework, which you are encouraged to take part in!
http://www.vitae.ac.uk/rdfconsultation.

any requests for future PGR Tips topics? let me know on here, by direct message or email on [email protected],
happy December,
Tennie

======= Date Modified 12 54 2009 13:54:27 =======
As a researcher in higher education, you are invited to comment on the new ‘Researcher development framework’ (RDF) for the UK. Your insight would be really useful!

The RDF has been developed from first principles through interviews with researchers in higher education and underpins the importance of recognising research as a profession. Focusing on your professional development can increase your status and recognition as a researcher and improve your career potential whatever you do in the future. We hope the RDF will support you to identify your experiences, skills, behaviours and personal qualities as a researcher and encourage you to aspire to excellence through achieving higher levels of development.

The team developing the RDF believe that it is essential that researchers' views continue to shape any further development of the RDF. They would like your feedback on how well the framework achieves its purpose, suggestions for how it can be improved, and comments on how you see the framework supporting your own professional development. The survey is based on the ‘Researcher development framework consultation briefing paper’ and both can be found at www.vitae.ac.uk/rdfconsultation

Please submit your response by Friday 11 December 2009.