Yes, good luck Arnoldtan!

I didn't take it as critical Pjlu - no worries : ) I have a bit of a thing going on at the moment where I'm realising how out of touch academia can be. This thread just brought it all to mind again so I wanted to make a point about it! Hope all is going well.

Tudor

Oh yes, it can occur in "real life" too. I just mean in academia (at least in my experience of it so far) such things are just commonplace and standard procedures don't tend to be in place for dealing with them. Things seem far less regulated.

Mine was ESRC funded and it didn't matter. In a way it probably makes it stronger (you have the strong support of the person you want to work with - hardly a bad thing). In real life (outside of academia) this kind of thing would likely go against protocol and be clearly stated somewhere. But this is academia, and academia (at present and for the foreseeable future) is a different world altogether. As long as you declare possible conflicts of interests (but not ones like this!) on papers and talks, you're sorted.

If he has agreed to be your referee then he obviously doesn't think it is a problem so you don't need to worry about it either.

Good luck with it all!!!

And as he has agreed he obviously thinks it's fine / the norm too.

My PhD supervisor was a reference for my PhD application. It didn't seem to matter. It was appropriate as she was my most recent supervisor and could comment on my most recent performance.

Obviously she would write good stuff as she was supporting my application for funding to do the PhD with her as supervisor. No one batted an eyelid. Think it's the norm?

Yes I second that - congrats! It is exciting! Have a google as there is some good guidance available online. It is good to find a game plan before starting so that you have that sense of assurance that you've reviewed it adequately. You may also be able to find some actual example of reviewers comments (probably not from your specific field though unless you're lucky).

I've only done one and it was a very rewarding experience!

Good luck!

You need to check with Harvard BS what their requirements are. Good luck!

Congratulations Bignige!!!

I just returned to this thread to provide an update and saw your post chantedsnicker. Thanks so much! And congrats on your PhD acceptance! Maybe if it had all been going peachy at work, promotions etc, you wouldn't have applied and might have missed the opportunity even!

I understand about the confidence thing. Such experiences can take a toll. I can really recommend a book by John Caunt called "Stay confident". It isn't PhD specific - just a general self development book. Might be a bit 90s (I picked it up from a secondhand shop) but it offers great practical advice for recovering from setbacks and improving your confidence in the workplace.

NOW FOR MY UPDATE: My only regret is not changing supervisors sooner (but even so I have learnt things from the experience). I feel intellectually free... I feel how I felt before I began the PhD (my initial motivations for doing a PhD!)... I am doing things I would have done anyway but with a real sense of confidence and happiness. It is definitely the best decision I have made during my PhD. I am quite quickly rebounding and beginning to love research again.

So bottom line: switch if you need to! Be as diplomatic as possible about it (and even so - be prepared for some repercussions/awkwardness). Don't be held back by fear of the unknown : )

By the way, I don't think poor spelling discredits someone as an academic. Maybe they have dyslexia. Whatever the case - spelling isn't necessarily linked to intelligence or ability to be an academic.

Also, I think these negative experiences might be in the minority rather than the rule. I've yet to meet an academic who didn't have a clue about their own area of expertise.

I don't want to disagree with everything the last poster said but seriously - "Unfortunately, the correlation between having genuine original ideas and sound research methodology on the one hand and succeeding professionally in academia on the other hand is close to zero, and at many universities seemingly negative."

That's a bit extreme!

I have put some comments on it. I hope they're useful. All the best : )

Cool idea by the way - I didn't know one could share on google docs and have people comment in this way.

Ps. I am "annonymous" at around 8:00pm.

Tudor

I haven't had that experience but just some words of advice/encouragement which you can take or leave. I don't think you should let the fear of a reference keep you from leaving.Do you have an advisor or another supervisor or mentor who could provide your reference? Are you based in the UK? I am not sure of the facts, but I've heard it is against the law (don't quote me) to dish the dirt on someone when providing a reference. Don't sweat it - just leave if that is what you want to do. You'll find a job in time. Even if he does write you a bad reference, I don't think it could do that much harm in the long run - it will probably just look like someone who is disgruntled that their student left and wants to stab them in the back. Your CV and interview presentation will speak for themselves.

By the way - I think you're definitely doing the right thing by choosing to no longer work with this person. It will only get deeper and deeper... like when you come to write your thesis and it has to include papers where your supervisor has falsified parts of the procedure (lied). A few people have posted about that on here - and by the sounds of it, it is a real possibility in your situation.

On the other hand - if it is only this supervisor who is making you want to leave - maybe consider switching supervisors before leaving. It might be a much more enjoyable experience for you.

Good luck.

I would be careful with this supervisor. He doesn't sound very professional. Best to keep your head down and do what Tree of Life suggests. Hopefully he will start acting nice again once it has blown over (and you'll be prepared for him the possibility of him behaving like this again in the future).

Ps. That is if you are looking for increased quality of paper and better chances of publication as opposed to someone collaborating because of a specific contribution they will make to the research process. (I had interpreted it as the former given the title of the thread).