When I started my PhD with my supervisor, he just came here from industry without PhD degree. According to the regulations of department, I have been assigned a second supervisor.

Now I am approaching the deadline of PhD extension and finished my thesis. But the thing is my supervisor still suggests me to do more engineering work and have a journal publication before I appear in front of external examiner.

I am working in the microelectronic design field (quite practical). It's not unusual for PhD submission with very few even no publications. I have four conference papers. (not first author ). Also there are results for another quality conference paper presented in my thesis but nobody can grantee a journal.

During my study, we tried very hard to get one journal but all failed. This is largely due to the research topic (which is not chosen by me) is not very well realized by the community.


My first supervisor is strong in term of technique expertise but lack experiences in the academy (from industry, PhD by publications). Now, I have strong feeling that he is not care about my circumstance and only care about his own publication record.


My second supervisor is not working in the same field as me and has a very bad relationship with my first supervisor. For this reason, it’s difficult for me to get advice form him before.


Right now, I am in the situation where I have to submit ASAP. What action should I take? To beg my first supervisor on the sympathy basis or to ask help form second supervisor? How many publications are normally expected from a PhD? How much does publication record influence the outcome of VIVA.


Any tips will be much appreciated.


Andy

Although one or two publication might may facilitate the Viva examination, they are not related to the examination. The thesis is subject to examination, not your publication record. You got some conference papers, so just mention them if the examiners ask you and say that these were "peer-reviewed" conference acceptances.

It is your decision to submit the PhD, if you feel it's ready just submit. If BOTH your supervisors disagree, ask them how to improve the thesis, not your publication record. Try to get a second opinion from a professor who is perhaps not directly related to your research but knows the process very well.

Bottom line: the answer to your original question is definitely "ZERO", no matter what anybody wants to tell you. It doesn't harm to have publications prior to submission, though. But it's not required. I know at least 8 successful PhD students ("minor corrections"), who did not have any publications.

Thank you jouri. Your post does help me a lot. I feel better now.

Each time I send my thesis draft, it take very long time to get an useful feedback from my first supervisor. I already tired of sending e-mail to urge him. He never have any timetable for that. There is one time he just scan through my 150 pages thesis very fast in front of me and said "it need more engineering work". In fact he exactly know what's engineering work I have done before he let me write my thesis. Gradually, I realized the reality that he doesn't care about me. More enginerring work mean more publications, and there is no end for that.

I will try to approach my second supervisor to get some support on the submission issue next week. Hope this works.

======= Date Modified 13 Sep 2008 11:38:38 =======
I'd also say the official answer is 'zero', and if it boils down to deciding where you need to spend your time best...use it on your thesis, not publications (I made the mistake of concerning myself with publications...that where not even related to my thesis!).

However, that said, I was told in a viva course that having publications does help to show you are of a 'publishable standard' and this helps to convey the standard of your PhD, and one should even slot the publications into the back of the thesis to take into the viva (I never heard of this practice before and won't be doing it myself).

Some reference to your conference papers should be more than sufficient...as you say, it sounds like supervisor is more interested in his publication record.

There are loads of threads on this - examiners mark your thesis, not your long string of publications! Also, the journal process can take a few years in some cases, but a minimum of 12 months maybe? So thats a long wait before submission.

Dont publish. It doesnt matter if you have publications or not.

Hiya Andy, please try not to worry your publications as the other very on the ball folk before me mentioned wont determine the marking for your PhD. My supervisor mentioned to me that publications are nice to have but not essential. Her reasoning for doing them was be

======= Date Modified 17 Sep 2008 20:52:54 =======
Hiya Andy, please try not to worry your publications as the other very on the ball folk before me mentioned wont determine the marking for your PhD. My supervisor mentioned to me that publications are nice to have but not essential. Her reasoning for doing them during PhD was she said we would be more focused on the work because we would be writing up anyway. But I don't think you should worry honestly just be so thrilled with yourself for being ready to submit.
Well done(up)

no need to beg your supervisor, tell them to *beep* off (i'm so getting into trouble with the admin on this one)
:-)

seriously, no need for publications, examiners are going to assess your thesis, as everyone has already said, trust the posters below, they know what they are talking about!

focus on your thesis, make it as good as you can. dont worry about papers at all!! they took way too much time, much more time then you think. and where does it say in the phd guidelines from uni's that you need to be published. its just an explotive tactic by evil supervisors using phd students as slave labour!! lol okay i might be on the verge of paranoa, but i am allowed cause i am in the loony period at the moment, with 2 weeks left for submission.

as you can see my spelling has gone to pot!