======= Date Modified 08 Jul 2011 19:46:41 =======
Since there are few of us with a deadline due this summer, it seems like a good idea to start a thread to encourage each other.

My deadline is 31st July this year, and this is the absolute deadline. I've been ill on and off, but I've really got to get is sorted this year.

I have three chapters done, two sort of written and about four or five that I haven't even started on.

I thought it would be great to share how far we are, and also, all those tricks of the trade we use to write more, or write better.

Please do let us know also if you think of an important task that other people may have over looked, so that we can keep each other on track :)

C8-)8-)L

My funding runs out by the end of September 2011 so that is my absolute deadline. My personal deadline is July. Mine is a social science PhD so my word count obligation is 80,000-100,000. I am aiming for somewhere in the region of 78,000-85,000; I don't want it anymore. I know that the head of my institute (not my supv) frowns on over-long theses and I agree with him!!

At the moment I have about 38,000 words written which equates to full first drafts of three chapters. I anticipate having six chapters in total, seven at a stretch. I format as I go and 'think' all my references are up-to-date and done correctly. I have however a lot of data yet to analyse which is giving me sleepless nights. I did approx 60 interviews, not all of which I have transcribed. I think I am going to have to 'wing' it bit in that department.

Keep the faith summer 2011 submitters(up)

I just had an "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH I'm never going to get this finished" moment! My absolute deadline is Sept 30th as that is the end of my continuation year. I have finding until March 2011 and after that will be living on savings etc.

I don't have anywhere near enough words written and still have some analysis/interpretation of analysis left to do. Think I will need this thread to keep me on track! :-)

Hello girls, thank you so much for joining in!

I absolutely know the feeling "am I ever going to get this done", I go through it every day. My dear husband keeps reminding me to just take small chunks at a time and forget about the rest.

I'm glad I'm not the only one with loads of analysis still to do. I've done about 400 participants, but I need more, about a 100 more. Then I need to do analysis on all 500 too. It would also be easier if I didn't struggle so much with the statistics of it all :(

Good idea for this thread Pink Numbers!

My 6 years (PT) runs out May 2011 although technically with an intermission and extension I could prolonge the agony until feb 2012! My aim (with supervisory backing) is to submit for April 2011.

I have all 7 chapters written, commented on and amended. I am finishing off the thesis by editing out words to reach my 40000 max limit for a sciences PhD thesis. I had 7000-8000 over and have reduced this to just 500 now. I have all tables and appendices added with about half of the figures left to annotate and add in (About 80 in total :$).

My main concerns are 'word count' and whether I have enough refs (105) as it is an under-researched area. I also worry about knowing my refs and the broader area well enough for the viva, eek!

Great Idea! I'm in.

I really wanted to submit before Christmas, but it didn't happen, so I hoping to submit before May (fingers crossed), but after the disappointment of not submitting before Christmas I'm reluctant to put a time on it. I'm in Australia, my finding has already run out, so from Monday I will be working fulltime, and at the moment I don't really have a final deadline due to a combination of part time, full time enrolment, so I don't have deadline pressures as such.

I am doing my thesis by publication, so I have 2 papers accepted, 1 under review and 1 that need to be send back to a journal after coming back with revisions and one that needs to be finished.

I also have chapters that go in-between my papers. Sups have looked at these and want me to put more theory in the introduction chapters and flesh out the linking chapters a little more. The discussion is still a nightmare.

I've moved on from my 'oh my god, this will never be finished' moment that I had over the new year break and have moved back into the I'm sure it can be done zone.

2011 is the year!

wow Dunni, you are light years ahead of me! You sound absolutely ready for an April finish :)

I would personally think that 105 refs is enough for an under-researched area. besides, we all know it's "quality not quantity" ;)

Hey, I'm up for this! My deadline isn't until September but I've got quite a bit to do and could use a bit of motivation. I've almost finished testing my participants, just got one more left to do. My data is all entered but not analysed. I have written 4 papers which will be chapters, but have another 4 results chapters to write that I haven't started, and the introduction and discussion which I haven't started either. I'm clinical psychology, so looking at around 80-100k word limit! I think I can finish on time but it's so hard to tell until I sit down and start writing. I also will be going abroad for conferences and a holiday at least 3 times this year so I have a few distractions as well! Good luck everyone :) KB

Hey, this is a good idea!
I've got to be done by October, but am aiming for August. "Me too" on the still got data analysis to do front. I've written two chapters, got 3 more results chapters to write (which the data has to be analysed for), plus the general intro and discussion to write. I've lost count of the number of my "AAAAAARGH I'm never going to finish" moments, and I'm sure there's many more to go.
Good luck everyone.

Great to know that so many people are aiming to submit at similar times - all female though??

I have just received feedback on chapter I submitted well before Christmas. Supv knows my summer submission goal and has really picked up the pace of late with the result that I have corrections, revisions and changes to make to close to 28,000 words!! To keep moving in a forward direction, I think I will devote half my time to re-editing these 28,000 words and the other half to data analysis and further 'new' writing. Does this seem a plan??

Hi Ady

I did a preliminary data analysis as I collected data to give me a sense of the findings. When I wrote up I addressed supervisors corrections to written chapters as they arrived and in the meantime I wrote a chapter at a time while doing the final data analysis (and figures) for that chapter. This way I lived and breathed the chapter that I wrote until it was sent to my supervisor! Once it was all written each chapter was added into the big thesis doc and the contents, appendices, refs etc added in. I sent the draft thesis to supervisors to read through as a whole doc to check for consistencies and flow.

Not sure if this is the best way but thats how mine came along. If you are really good at Word the contents page can be generated from your headings etc but I found that too late!

Thanks for that Dunni, not completely different from my approach but more efficient and scientific, and no doubt probably better. I'm behind, way behind in the analysis stakes and so feel I need to keep pressing on.

However, have to put all that aside for the moment as one of my twins has been busy dismantling an old armchair with a screwdriver since he got home from school. He is looking for a homework table to put in the armchair's place. Apparently I promised him if he took the chair apart and got it ready for recycling, we would go to Argos and buy a table. I have absolutely no recollection of saying this at all :-(

I could do with some encouragement too. I really want to submit by my birthday in September, but because my funding has now finished and I'm having to work and travel a lot, I've hardly done any PhD for ages. I need to buckle down and get on with it. It's all there in some form but I just need to get a complete draft so my supervisor can see what areas need what work. This thread will be good.

Hi PamW, I am a PT student and have had to fit the PhD around work or childcare. I found in the write-up phase it was crucial to highlight time that I could commit to it each week, so for me it is evenings and one afternoon a week. This gave me a timeframe to work within and based on this I set myself a projected timeline for completing the draft write-up of each chapter, stats analysis etc. This reaaly helped me to keep on track and ahead of schedule. It is a hard commitment when you have limited hours but acheivable if you organise your time effectively (lots of lists for me!).

Well my thesis is just 300 words over the limit with a little more editing to do, woohoo! Just figures to footnote and add in now then. Major worry is that I have not lit searched for a little while and am having panics over knowing the broader field well enough. May need to do an additional lit search for any extra references to add in and re-read the ones I have for any extra relevance.

Hi, this is my first post here. I too am hoping to finish this summer (wishful thinking!)
I have some chapters written - literature review, methodology etc. but still have some data analysis to do. I get hardly any supervision but just plough on regardless. Someone told me perseverance was the main thing needed for a phd and they were right. Just reading about someone who has been given an Mphil instead at their viva gives me the shivers because I think it is how we write up that will make the difference.