Hey Lara!
Soo sorry for my unexplained absence, but my internet access has been really restricted this week as I've been away from home. I've been in uni but I don't really fell that I can spend time on this forum as there is always someone else around! I'm glad to hear you are doing well though, 6000 words is ace .

I've also ordered the Joan Bolker book, I'm going to read it in short bursts in my breaks as I don't tend to do very useful things (i.e. I tend to just surf the net and get distracted). I'm still don't feel that I'm being very productive, but hopefully the book will help!

Sorry, shocking spelling! I'm typing on the train and I can't see my screen very clearly.!

I wouldn't use Master documents in Word, and there are ways of setting up your chapters so you don't have to. According to my word manual it is very difficult to use, often cocks up, and should only be attempted my IT types. Certainly not something to attempt for the first time when trying to compile a thesis! I would recommend setting up one word document, with all your formatting set up (e.g. styles), and then saving it as a template. Then use the template to write all the chapters. Also write as much as poss in "outline view", so you can actually see the formatting.

When bringing the chapters together, and if you want one endnote bibliography at the end, unformat at citations, copy and paste, and the re-format the citations and a bibliography will be created. This only works if all the citations have the same identifier, so itd best to have one endnote library, in the same folder as all your chpaters.

Well done . Thats quite a lot of words in a short time.
I've had a reasonably good day. I sorted out the figures that messed up yesterday, I did some analysis on data chapter 3, and I handed in my examination entry form to my supervisor. I'm a bit worried about the exam form, as my uni have changed the regulations on internal examiners without telling anyone! My supervisor needs to sort this out. Basically, the guy who I had assumed all along would be my internal now cannot be as he assessed my transfer report! It used to be the case that whoever assesses your transfer report was ALWAYS your internal examiner. I was just checking whether I should take the form for him to sign or whether the graduate school would sort it, and only then did they tell me! Everyone else is in the same boat, so what are they going to do about all the others who have already sorted out viva dates etc? Typical!

Ooh, and to all those relying quite a bit on external hard-drives - They break! A lot! Same goes for pen drives. DVD's are the only safe option.

Nightmare! Its good that it seems sorted though.
I back up on memory stick daily, and to DVD just about weekly. I would recommend keeping all your dvd backups rather than re-writing to the same disk, even if it means you have 15 dvd's when you have finished! I also take the DVD backups to my bf's house. While I'm writing, if making major changes, I also save the documents as new versions. E.g. I'll have introV1, introV2 etc. I put all the versions I'm not working on in a "versions folder" which goes onto the DVD every week, and then deleted from my computer.

I do hope you sort everything out Lara, but it does sound like you uni are less than helpful. When did you start emailing them about the examination form? A lot of people at uni seem to have taken all this week off because of the bank holiday. An official letter maybe the way to go though.

Hi Lara,
Today was ok, I THOUGHT I have done a fair few hours of productive work. I did some figures for my introduction and data chapters 1 & 2 while I was at uni. However, when I got back home and opened them on my own computer, they were all messed up! I'll have to try again tomorrow. I had saved some pictures is EMF format, and the inserted them into powerpoint. I think the problem may be the EMF format, so I'll try them tomorrow using jpeg. Which format does everyone else use? Is there one that is less likely to **** up?

I meant, I don't have to do it, but I'm doing because I want to.
Why can't you edit posts on this forum?

Wow, 3000 words is brilliant, well done!
BTW, over how many hours did you write all that?

I've done a thesis plan, which I did a while ago, but I updated it this morning, and it did make me feel better. I'm going to did a stopwatch out and try timing my "productive" work as you suggested.

I think I had a bad day yesterday, but I also think it forced me to turn a corner, psycologically speaking. I was getting too stressed, as I feel that I've invested at lot in this PhD, but it hasn't been going very well, and I felt like it was some sort of personal reflection. But I had a talk with my friend, and she helped me realise it is only work. Yes I have to work hard for the next few months, but I also need to switch off and try to find ways to stop thinking about it when I'm not working. I don't HAVE to but I'm doing it because I want to.

Hi Lara,

Wow, thanks for all the help, you are a star. I had a better day today. What I have done:
Data chapter 2 analysis
Data chapter 2 figure.
It wasn't much but its a lot better than yesterday.
How did you get on?

I haven't got a clue what the aticle was I'm afraid. I think I was just vaguely googleing for thesis writing advice.

How was your day?

Oh thanks you lot, you are soo kind. I wish I'd come back to this forum earlier today. Today has been a bad day, the panicking has come back and I have not done anything. I've completely wasted a day but I've spent all day in front of the computer . I can spend forever on the internet doing nothing when I feel like this. The irony is, if I'd only come back to this website I would have felt much better, as your messages have really cheered me up!

I didn't get much sleep last night and I haven't eaten since breakfast. I'm off to make dinner now. I will not try to do anymore work tonight, as it just makes me feel guilty. I will try again tomorrow, but I'm going to leave the chapter that I have been trying to do, and focus on the chapter I enjoy writing. I will come back to this horrible chapter when I am in a better frame of mind.

I had a slow day to begin with, I spent more time sorting house stuff out which I hadn't intended.
Anyway, work done:
Made new notes on an interesting paper - approx 500 words
Made changes to data chapter 1 and added to introduction from an old report - 400 new words.

I'm going to spend tomorrow doing data analysis for data chapter 3, and some more work on correcting data chapter 1.
I'm off to sleep now, its far too late.