Hi there:

I started my PhD 4 years ago under a project designed by my advisor. Problems started when results came out negative and instead of accepting them he would manipulate the data to make it look like it was working. At that time I listened to him and that caused me a huge amount of trouble.
To summarize: I had to change the whole technique in order to obtain results and he even thought I was going nowhere with it. Instead of being supportive, he came to me with new ideas which have not been working but he told everyone they did. Now that Im writing he wants to be last and corresponding author but I want to be the corresponding, just because I contributed mostly to it and because of all the things that happened during this PhD. He has called me horrible things and is now trying to know who is with me and who is not. He erased me from common folders and menaced one of my friends to withdraw support if she contacted me. I think this has gone too far. He is behaving strangely and Im staying at home at the time.
The situation is very bad and it looks like there is no way out but if I quit I feel this will be a burden and no one will take me.

Did anyone here have to change from one PhD to another with good results ? The worst for me is that I liked the subject and I think that with support I would have been able to finish.

If you've already been working on a PhD for four years and you're writing papers, I think it would be pointless to try and get on to another PhD program. It's a bad situation you're in regarding your supervisor, but regarding results, it doesn't matter really if there are no/not many significant findings. Although it may be better to run another study to try and get something significant if you can. Regarding your thesis, examiners are interested in seeing that you can work independently as a researcher, acknowledge where things went wrong, what you would do differently next time. Get a different supervisor for the remainder of your PhD and run another study, write it up, and put all the bad stuff behind you.

I quit a PhD and started another, but I was no where near as far through the process as you. I'd suggest just getting it finished, letting go on the 'corresponding author' issue (it's REALLY not worth making a big issue out if it - there will be other papers), getting it finished as soon as possible, and moving on to somewhere better. As long as you are the first author on your papers, having him as last author need not detract.

The bit that does raise some concerns is that your supervisor was trying to manipulate the data to imply that the experiments were working. This sounds like potential research fraud, which is a very serious issue. Don't get sucked into it. Make sure that any results in your papers and thesis reflect true results of experiments, or else it could have negative consequences for your career.

Hi Peep,

I quit my phd after 2 years (supervisor issues) and am just about to start at a different university in September. So quitting doesn't need to be a bad thing - but you need to tell another senior member of staff who can help you out with a reference and support you on why you quit (ie that it was the fault of the supervisor and not with you).
Having said that, you have done 4 years and so I think the best thing you can do is change supervisors. The university should help you out with this (it doesn't look good for them if you leave and so they'll do what you can to help you).
Good luck :-)