Hi, LS932,

You made an awful decision to plagiarise and have been penalised for it. It is good that you repent and decide not to do it again.

Since they have awarded you 0, is it possible for you to retake that course instead of appealing? I doubt they would listen to your appeal since plagiarism is very frowned upon and they are doing this to set as example to deter others. Even if you can only get a max of pass the second time you take the course, it would still be better than the 0 you have now.

Hi, monkiaa,

My comments below:

"I am so tired and afraid at the same, however, I am trying to do my best, this junior PI asked for another meeting, I should ask him all these questions, but I agree I dont have good feelings towards him, I dont know what could lies behind."
--> Ask all the appropriate questions before deciding. Does he have an idea of a project? Funds? Established methods and established lab, ie. with equipment? Frequency of meeting? Supervisory style, etc... If you still have doubts or don't have good feeling, don't do a PhD under him.



"I am really confused the lab I am going for two months in another far country in Europe the students didnot recommend it and they dont like their PI, I just accept because of the financial situation and I am foreigner and I cannot go to home country for some reasons, it is very complex situation to explain."
--> If the current students are unhappy, best don't do a Phd in that lab. You will be unhappy there too. ust complete your 2 months and if it is real bad, don't stay


"as you can see the good lab refused my application immediately in the same day. "
--> Can you do an internship of 3-6 months in the lab you like to build relationship before applying for a PhD there?

Hi, monkiaa,

My comments below:

Hi, monkiaa,

Having the right supervisor is the single most important factor to achieve a successful PhD.

Read and talk to the potential supervisor. Talk to the potential supervisor's current students. Find out:

1) Supervisor's research area and interest- Does it match yours? Is it a hot area (maybe important for future grant applications)? Does he know a lot of lab techniques and a lot of people?

2) Supervisor's style - hands-on or hands-off? how frequent are the meetings? How much help will he/she give? Is he/she kind, pushy, easy or hard to get along? Does he/she return emails/ read thesis?

3) Supervisor's experience - Does he/she have any experience supervising? Did anyone quit their PhD under him/ her and why? Did the students finish in a timely manner and published papers?
Note: Due to personal and observations of my friends' experiences, I would suggest against being the first PhD student of any supervisor. Still, it is your choice of course.

4) Finance - Does the supervisor have any fund for the project? DO you have access to the equipment needed?

5) Research team - Are they kind and willing to help nurture you? Can you collaborate with them?

6) Lab stability - Has the lab been set up? Is the supervisor going to move to a new location?

7) Supervisor's reputation - Is the supervisor highly reputable? This may help in future collaborations and grant applications. But superstars may not have much time.

Hope this helps. Ultimately your decision should be a good balance between all the points listed here. Do have a break before finding a new position. Good luck.

Not being allowed doesn't mean it isn't done. For example, if the reference check is done by phone between two profs, can anyone be 100% sure that a bad reference is not given or strongly hinted? What evidence is there to show that a bad ref was given since it is not written? Best to avoid the problem all together and just not use the supervisor as ref.

You could finish your studies with a master instead of a PhD and use that to apply for jobs. Or you can apply for jobs now and leave once you get one. There is no right or wrong answer. You can say you are a graduate scientist but do not use your supervisor as reference. Anyone else in the lab or nearby group who is trustworthy and could give you good ref?

You are still early in your candidature, so there really isn't much of a gap in your CV that needs too much explanation. Could you say that you are a graduate scientist, but not use your supervisor as a reference? Or if you want to mention your PhD, be prepared for tough questions on why you want to quit your PhD and start another one. Some people prefer to leave it blank and only answer questions if anyone asks about the last 8 months...

Since you have had so much experience, that should work in your favour as well. I would suggest that you clean up your online presence including whatever you wrote on researchgate so that it is consistent with what you put on your applications.

Good luck.

Hi, ShirakawaKaede

While there isn't anything that you can do to force your supervisors to include you in future funding, there is something you can do about the patents, and that may be more valuable in the long term than you think.

The future patents are based on your intellectual property (IP) from your PhD. In other words, you are likely an inventor because you have contributed to original idea development (it mght even be your own hypothesis, not your supervisor's) and have created/developed the methods in validating that idea. In certain universities, depending on your country, the IP is owned by the PhD student... unless they make you sign this form that reassigns the IP from you (in other words, you have given up your IP to the university). And don't be bullied into giving your IP away.

My advice to you is to 1) read the terms and conditions of your funding and check on anything on IP and 2) talk to your tech transfer office. If the IP is owned/even partly contributed by you, you must be included in the patent application and if any revenue comes back because of the patent in future, you will have a share of the profit.

This may be all news to you, but patents and IP are legal stuff unlike research and academia. You can't exclude someone who has contributed and you can't include someone who hasn't contributed because he/she is a friend. This will cause the patent to be void/invalid. You may hold more advantage on IP than you actually know.

Hi, monkiaa,

Unfortunately sh!t heads like your ex supervisor exists and there is nothing you can do about them. I pity his new PhD student. History may repeat itself on this poor soul.

What you can do though is do something about yourself. Doing the best you can at a conference/workshop + networking as hard you can for your future role are priorities to you. I won't worry about his bad mouth and I certainly will not use him as a reference. Surely there must be another person - a postdoc or even a senior researcher from your group or adjacent group who is familiar with your work and able to give good words for you? I never used my ex supervisors in anything I applied for and was still successful in some of my job applications. While a supervisor's reference letter is of advantage, I think that it is completely overrated and is not the absolute determinant on whether you land a role.

Let go and look into the future. Stop feeling sorry or looking back because you have already decided to go. Lead a better life and excel in your future. That is the best revenge you can serve to your ex supervisor.

Hi, postgradpolscience2018,

Sorry to hear that you are unwell.

Regarding your post, in my opinion, you do have a lot on your plate and maybe, you do not have the right supervisors nor the right state of mind to continue this PhD.

Regarding your supervisor, you said that she is not helpful, does not make any suggestions about materials, or to give an opinion as to how you should structure your thesis, or any constructive feedback at all. She sounds like a very hands-off supervisor. Some students thrive in this environment. You on the other hand, it seems, would prefer a more hands on supervisor. There is a clear mismatch of expectations. You may wish to change to another supervisor who more closely match your needs.

On your health and state of mind, I think that this should come first. You can always undertake your PhD later and concentrate on healing for now. There is nothing wrong with taking a gap year. You are not letting anyone down. We are not robots after all. Having seen first hand the side effects of C treatments, I think it is understandable that you feel lethargic and unable to focus. Please share with you family and friends as you need all the support you can get.

Would you consider taking some time off to think about what you would like to do with this PhD? Perhaps you may wish to take a gap year or perhaps terminate it for now/change supervisor since you have problems with your current supervisor?

Hi, samcassel

1. Do you officially ask for the university and supervisor' permission every time you leave the UK? (Even in Christmas)
Yes. You need to ask your supervisor's permission to take leave. Whether or not you log it formally with the university is between you and your supervisor. If you are so worried, then do things the formal way and log every single leave you take.

2. Have you ever been asked to provide any proof that you got such permission at the border control when you go back to the UK from your holidays?
No. At the borders, they probably will ask you what you are doing in the UK. You may wish to print out your PhD offer letter and show them at the borders when you come back to UK if they ask you many questions

3. Do you have any suggestion to me on my situation? Such as whether I should abide by the univeristy rules and control my time away to be within the 8 weeks, and whether I should ask permission for leave officially every time.
More important than your university rules, as an international student, I would suggest that you read your visa requirements carefully. Does it include anything about your max time away from your studies? You definitely do not want to breach your PhD student visa.

4.When I go back to the UK, does the immigration officer actually know when I left? It seems there is no immigration record upon exit.
The immigration officer at the borders DEFINITELY knows when ANYONE enter or exit the country.

Another important thing to consider - since you are planning on taking so much leave, would you be able finish your PhD on time? Most students I know take less leave to finish the mountain of work within their 3-4 years PhD. If you take more than 8 weeks off, you are having less than 10 months left to do your PhD a year.I hope that you are exceptionally productive and do not run into any problems during your PhD