So sorry to hear of your situation.

I too feel like I have less control in my PhD than I did in my Masters. It isn't the same for everyone, but I think that because many PhDs these days are funded, there is lots at stake (for funders etc) and so they can be quite constrained - almost as though you are doing the work for someone else instead of yourself. Since I am extremely independent and intrinsically motivated, I find that incredibly DEmotivating. And it sounds like you may be similar? Some people like it when their supervisors tell them what to do, believe it or not!

Do you think you would regret it if you quit now, even given the circumstances? I think I would regret it and so I would continue just for that reason if I were in your situation (I think). I really would advise that you stick at it - especially since you are in the fourth (final?) year. After all - when you have your PhD under your belt you will be free to do research under different PIs (hopefully ones who aren't so domineering as this supervisor) and even apply for fellowships to do your own research. The present situation will soon be behind you.

I really do hear where you're coming from though - especially if you (like me) chose to do a PhD BECAUSE you thought you'd be independent and you thrive on that. It sort of feels like, "hey, this completely sucks... I've been short changed". At one stage I actually thought I might finish this PhD and then do another PhD elsewhere! But I've got that out of my head now and have set my sights on doing a postdoc (with DIFFERENT people!) and enjoying that. Maybe you could do something similar - that is, look ahead and just get through this.

All the best
Tudor

She sounds like a narcissist (best strategy = avoid). Sorry to hear you're going through that. So are you now still in the middle of your PhD? And are your supervisors normal people (as far as can be)? Just continue. There was no guarantee you would have been employed there anyway. No one (generally) does a PhD at a Uni with a guarantee of a job at the end. Much could happen between now and when you graduate. And even if the situation is the same with the socio/psychopath being in charge - you'll now have a PhD under your belt.

Good luck!

That's a relief - haha! A bit odd though isn't it?

I use google scholar for my refs as I find it to be quicker than any software manager (since they often require you to enter the details of the ref yourself which is painfully slow). If you type the author names and a few keywords into google scholar it should bring up the paper. Then click on "cite" and copy and paste in the required format from there. Then you can organise your refs "A to Z" in word and then just go through and check that they're in the right order (especially double check where you have multiple works by the same author with different authors/on different years).

Hope this helps.

Is this to submit your draft thesis to supervisors? If so then why not request an extension? What's the point in submitting something in such as rush if it CAN be helped? Details are important... they really affect the overall picture and quality of a piece of work.

I'd say leave punctuation, terminology, and the bibliography for now and get the conclusion written (yes I think you can write it in a day - I haven't yet written my thesis but I have achieved miracles in writing sections of papers in a day). Then take a break and come back to the punctuation and terminology. Take another break and then return to the references.

But seriously - request an extension to the end of the week at least if you can. If not and you are submitting now then I think it is important to let them know that certain parts are not complete (e.g., you haven't checked the bibliography).

Good luck.

OK, thanks ToL, I can see that there isn't going to be an easy one fits all for this!

Congrats and all the best Daminu!

Oh this is pretty helpful...

Would like something a bit more detailed though!

Also do these titles vary across countries?

Hello all

I'm looking for some definitions on what different job titles in academia actually entail. I'm less interested in hierarchy (I've more or less sussed that out) and more interested in what a given title entails in terms of role. So for example - research assistant (I know what one of those is - I've been one)... vs. research associate vs. postdoc vs. lecturer vs. teaching fellow. I've got a rough idea (obviously you teach if you're a teaching fellow or lecturer), but want something more concrete. For example - in some of those roles you'd be acquiring funding from grants yourself for your own ideas, whereas in others you'd be working on someone else's project, presumably with varying degrees of input/control.

I've had a google but nothing good comes up. Anyone know a useful link?

Haha blocksof! What are you saying about our educational system here in the UK? ; )

Yes, and the more well known you/your become (if you are staying in academia) then the more likely it will be that someone somewhere recognizes it and can guess it is you.

Good advice. I am dealing with something similar at the mo - and probably just going to do it for all the extra work even though I think it is pointless.