When I passed my PhD viva I just wanted a break and then I started a job soon after and every day I have felt too shattered to get real progress done. I feel so embarrassed and wonder if I should be upfront about this to my examiner (my corrections are due back by the end of Aug - 6 months deadline) or just send the corrections without an explanation...?

Unless you are sending them in past the deadline don't make any explanation. Just send in the corrections, before the deadline, along with a covering letter listing all the changes you've made.

And get on with them! You won't have your PhD until your corrections are approved. Find time somehow. Even at weekends. And use your allotted time off wisely. And you don't need a complete week free to do them in. Draw up a list of what needs changing, and start working through it, an item at a time. This can be done in odd moments here and there.

Good luck!

hi Thesis_issues, great advice from bilbo. Doing amendments, corrections isn't exactly something nice to look forward to, I can agree with that, especially when all we want to do after passing our viva -- is relax and get on with our lives!

nevertheless, it is necessary to finish up on corrections, so I would suggest that you do something really nice for yourself first, then sit and buckle down to doing the corrections -- OR -- you could sit and buckle down first, AND do the corrections, AND THEN reward yourself after you have made the corrections :-)

either way works for me :-)
love satchi

Hi - I was actually told straight up "This is for you to do in a week" - but was sent the corrections 3 weeks later and the deadline on it said I had 6 months in total... I am 75% done, but you know - feel very embarrassed as my examiner is a big name in the field. Is it worth an explanation in this case?

No. Again don't explain unless you overrun. Just send them in, professionally.

Just to clarify: if you include an explanation at this stage, (1) it's unlikely your examiner will think it's that adequate anyway given how long you've had; and (2) it will just draw further attention to how long you've taken, which the examiner may not be fussed about anyway.

Best thing is to say nothing, be polite and professional, and send in the corrections before the deadline, in a calm, professional manner.

It's similar to why people are advised not to draw attention to their own errors in a viva. Don't make things look worse for you than you have to.

Good luck!

>>Thank you. One thing - I have noticed many typos that went unnoticed and I have created a list of them. Is it a good idea to include them, seeing as they weren't picked up earlier?>>

No, just correct them.

I think it is not uncommon that people wait with the submission until the deadline, even though they sometimes probably finished a bit earlier. Maybe you fear that you forgot something, while doing the corrections, maybe you want to proofread it multiple times with some time in between and so on.

I wouldn't worry so much. If you have 6 months, you have 6 months, no need for explanations or excuses. Good luck !

Send corrections without an explanation, as other posters have said.

Don't highlight other errors, just correct them and don't mention it to them.

I'm pretty much ready to send my corrections to my examiner tomorrow... and I have one more question: If my examiner doesn't mark my corrections by the due date then will this be a problem for me? I'm worried they might claim that they need just as long (perhaps to have a jab at me). The deadline states I need to hand them in by the end of August... Would I need to inform my university if this happens? Is it likely I would be given an extension in terms of waiting for my examiner to mark and get my thesis bound?

Once you hand in your corrections, the matter is out of your control. It will be up to your supervisor/thesis committee to chase it up.

I had minor corrections and as much as it was tempting to take a breather before I did them, I opted to push through get them done. As you've discovered, once you stop then it's difficult to start again.

You're within the six months so there's no need to contact the examiners. Just get the corrections done and over with, submitted and finally have your life back. Then you will properly have your PhD.

Ian

Hello all, I have submitted by corrections - I am wondering how long is a decent amount of time to wait for a reply? I don't mean to be pushy (especially as I waited nearly for the full 6 months), but I would like to walk away from this chapter of my life very soon... Is the deadline mentioned a deadline for me only? Or me and my examiner who is checking my corrections? I was given until the end of Aug.

It should be a deadline for you. The examiner may take some time to check them. Be patient. Don't hassle them - it only risks annoying them, which wouldn't be good.

Good luck!