Thanks Skyisnotthelimit. Basically, I was like "wow, so you think it has potential to go in there? I was thinking X journal". She was like, "no I think in here. X journal isn't that great at the moment". She has loads of publications so I should have thought she would know. But maybe she has risen so high in the field that she does less of the hands on stuff now. We'll see. I may see if I can make an objective case just by pointing out what the submission guidance says that particular journal wants, which my study doesn't have. She is quite dogmatic though so I want to tread carefully. She isn't my main supervisor - I see her less often - and she is "higher up" than the main one. I guess I could mention it to the main one first and see what she says, although I am pretty sure she will just go with what the higher up one says.

Hi folks

I'm hoping to get some advice on what to do in this situation. One of my supervisors wants me to submit my paper to a journal that very likely will reject it. I have looked at articles in this journal published within the past couple of years, and they all meet certain requirements which my study does not. Basically, I had another journal in mind, which I think the paper would be accepted in at a stretch (albeit a slightly smaller stretch).

Can I somehow... coughs... get my own way here? I respect my supervisor a lot. But I am also not so blind as to see that this is a pointless waste of time (apart from the fact that it will be a useful experience of getting rejected and some potential feedback - feedback which I could get actually from reading the blurb about what this journal expects anyway).

On one hand I could just go with the flow. But that means loss of time (and the motivation that goes with that), and then having to rewrite it later in more of the style of the journal that I have in mind. If this seriously is the best option then I will just grin and bear it. I don't want to appear like I think I know better than my supervisor, as clearly I generally I don't! I'm just the student. But I have a strong gut feeling about this being a waste of time.

Could anyone offer any wisdom?

Do what pleases YOU. In your situation I think I'd say dad it is at X time on X date. Come if you can make it! If he wants to then he'll make the sacrifice.

I disagree with you for once pm33! If the students provided the ratings for the best tutorial, then they obviously really did consider Iwan's to be the best - which is great! (Especially if they are the same group of students - but regardless actually).

I'd be very proud to have that on my CV.

As for the sup. I think academia makes people a bit insecure and so things like jealously, pettiness and power tripping are rife. I'd say just take pride in your amazing achievement and (mentally) stuff your supervisor!

It is unfair treatment. But do anything you can not to leave your programme. They shouldn't force you out for such a thing, and as someone else has said, it isn't really in their interest for you to leave either.

Good for you! It will boost your confidence for the next one as well.

You may have already done it, but if not, it may be helpful to make a written reflection on what went well at this interview (so you can prime yourself to do it again before the next one), and any areas for improvement. It always helps me whether it is an interview or a talk or what.

Keep us posted :-)

I don't think you did come across that you were trying to blame them. I think they are to blame for getting you in that position (but then you have to take responsibility for not submitting). Good luck with it all.

If it goes to appeal then I think it is really important to have evidence of your work and ability/capability. If it seems like you fell behind and you had adequate (or even slightly inadequate) support and yet were not able to finish, it is unlikely they'll give you another chance. If you have evidence that suggests you are able to complete it but things beyond your control went a bit pear shaped (try to avoid words like fault or blame), then I think it will be viewed more favourably. Whatever you do, try not to get (openly) emotional or attack your supervisor in any way.

This advice is based on a recent appeals panel I sat on. Maybe yours won't even get to that stage, but if it does, this is my advice for a favourable outcome.

Thank you all. Such a variety of strategies - I am going to try a bit of everything (minus the steroids).

I am actually feeling much better today so going to do some small tasks that should be rewarding.

I agree with ToL.

If you're based in the UK or another country where it isn't government funded then you will have to think about how you will pay the fees and support yourself during the course of the PhD. The potential supervisor will probably know of some funding opportunities that you might be able to apply for. But it would be good to show that you had taken the initiative and looked into what is available as well. Find a PhD is a good website for this kind of information:

I guess you mean you've finished writing your proposal?

I think you should email the supervisor telling a bit about yourself, sharing your proposal, and also say that you are very open to their ideas and feedback about the proposal. Also, if you have ideas about funding (e.g., paying for it yourself, applying for x, y, z scheme) then I think it would be important to mention this in the email too.

Even better - if you know someone else who knows the potential supervisor, then you could ask them to introduce you (assuming you are on the same side of the world).

Final tip - if you could have someone in academia read your proposal before sending it to the supervisor, their comments could be helpful.

I've no money so I can't go on a holiday... but can anyone suggest any ways to kick start my motivation? I recently posted about a paper draft that was due. That was submitted to the sups. Some of the sections need a bit more work, as I only got myself motivated on the last day or two before it was due, which meant there wasn't time to really do those remaining sections as I would have liked (and my sup's comments concur with that!). I'm happy with it though - it is something I can come back to later (soon) and improve. But now it just feels like the hamster wheel or treadmill goes on turning... I handed that in, got some speedy feedback, and now what... continue? I feel like I need something to kick start my motivation again. Not just short term fixes to get me going for a day, but something longer term. I might be having what they call the 2nd year blues. Unsure. Any suggestions are welcomed!

Beware - there is lots of dodgy stuff out there. Are you based at a university in Manchester? I'd suggest wondering around a few buildings (especially the humanities, social sciences and education ones) and taking details from those posters people put up in corridors offering proofreading and editing help. That way you are likely to find someone who is based in Manchester, and though it isn't what they'd normally do, one of them may be willing to offer some actual help and advice about writing (rather than just returning a proofread and edited document to you) for an extra cost. I think they're less likely to be dodgy than a lot of online stuff. The one above seems like it could be legit (it is hard to tell), but the other day on the radio there was a whole program about these sites that actually do the work for you (the substantive part of your work - i.e., cheating), which clearly isn't what you want.

This one is definitely legit, as I used to work for them (so I know it was purely editing not questionable services): https://www.bioedit.com/ But I don't think they offer actual teaching sessions - they will just edit the manuscript and give extensive and helpful comments to do with clarity, grammar, structure, and style.

Other than that, have you tried academic writing classes? Could be helpful if you are at a uni that offers them.

Mann-Whitney will be fine for comparing ordinal/ranked data (survey responses) between groups (male and female). For details on justification and how to do it in SPSS, visit: https://statistics.laerd.com/spss-tutorials/mann-whitney-u-test-using-spss-statistics.php