How different is it? I mean, how much is really going to matter? You could contact the admin dept and they may be able to help you.

Sorry, maybe I'm just really tired today but I can't make sense of what you are asking. So your options are to withdraw now, and then you can submit at any time in the future (but presumably there may be extra registration fees etc), or to take another 6 months leave and then...? Are you saying you won't be finished within these extra 6 months, but you're going to pretend you will be? Or do you mean you will be set a deadline of 4 months, but you won't make this, but you will make the 6 month deadline?

As long as you get your university to approve it, it will make no difference whether you took 3 or 4.5 years to complete your thesis. No-one will ever know, or care, to be honest. Look at the length of time that elapses between submission and graduation - for me that will be 7 months, for others it can be 1 to 1.5 years and probably longer.

Most UK universities have a 4 year submission deadline as standard anyway.

Like you said, a PhD is a PhD.

I think most jobs are like this to be honest.

It's probably best to keep your options open (i.e. apply for other jobs) and not get too fixated on one job as you may be very disappointed then if you don't get it.

Interview prep is always good anyway, if not for this job then for the next one.

If the job is advertised without a PhD requirement, they don't actually want someone with a PhD. Also, they may not necessarily give it someone with a PhD because they may anticipate that person will get bored easily ie generally people don't do a PhD because they want to do a RA job. Of course someone with a PhD can get the position in some cases, a job is a job at the end of the day, and it may not be something the person wants, but something they apply for through lack of other opportunities.

I know several people with PhDs in technician roles - some are permanent and happy with this as it suits their lifestyle requirements, and some are temporary whilst they look for postdocs/industry roles.

It varies a lot. Sometimes on the website they specify a date when you hear by or they say you hear xxx weeks after the closing date. I'd say if you haven't heard anything 4 weeks after the closing date/date they gave, you probably haven't got an interview, but you can always email to check. In my experience they stick quite closely to these dates.

However, one of the postdoc jobs I applied for emailed me 4 months after the closing date to say I was unsuccessful - think I'd already worked that out by then!

It's really not a big deal, you can correct it post-viva.

Presumably you only have a year to go then? Do you think you have done sufficient work for a PhD? Can you start writing up now?

Unfortunately the first name gets remembered, even if the other names contributed equally. Helps if your surname begins with an 'A'!

Submit it to the high IF journal anyway? Does it matter if it gets rejected? Seems like win-win to me - it keeps your sup happy and it may be accepted, and if not, well, you tried right? Presumably your sup will read the draft and if you pointers where it can be approved.

Some universities have a set of academics who offer paper writing or guidance services, have you got any of those? Do you have a second supervisor? Could you go to your annual assessors/guidance committee for advice?

Congrats lemonjuice!

I would say don't bother doing a science PhD unless you really want the PhD and are prepared to move across continents multiple times for an academic career or move t certain areas of the country with biotech hubs for industry jobs. If you are, and you can network well and write good publications, you will most likely be ok and will eventually have a job in science. Expect long hours - I work 60 hours a week every week to cover my postdoctoral work and finish the publications from my PhD. Obviously I'm only paid for 35 hours a week. I can do this because I love the work that I do but not everyone does. Postdoctoral pay is 26 to 30 k for the first few years so if you can get this with a graduate job then maybe you should consider that instead.

Editors usually go with majority opinion so you will probably be ok

If you want a career in research, these jobs aren't too difficult to find with a MSc. There's plenty of research jobs around to be honest, the problem is most PhD graduates actually want a job in academia, and it's these that are hard to find.