I am just coming into my third year (of three) at the end of this month, and while I feel like I am quite organised, I also feel like I am massively behind. My PhD is science based, and has involved a combination of experiments, field surveys, and archive data collection. I work in a department that is mostly social scientists so I have no way to gauge my progress because the methods and structure are really hard to compare, and I am really worried that I am quite behind.

At the moment I have my introduction and literature review written, one small chapter written, all of the data processing and analysis complete (apart from statistics) for two large chapters, and some of the writing done (intro and methods), then I have two more short chapters that I have hardly started on. I have basically established my data sources, and collected some of the archive data I will need, but not all of it. I don't think it will take me too long to do the rest of the data collection and analysis for these chapters, maybe 3 months for each, but maybe that is being very optimistic.

I was just wondering if any science-based PhD students could share where they were at the end of their 2nd year. I would like to be able to work out whether I will finish on time or not, as my husband needs to start making some career choices that may involve us moving abroad, and I want to be finished first.

I'm a year ahead of you, facing the prospect of 4th year and from your description it sounds like you're on target if you only have approx 6 months of actual research left to do before you start writing the rest of it up.

You are way ahead of me in my second year, and in fact now and I'm 5 weeks away from the end of my third year. I'm only funded for 3 years so need to have my lab work done soon (still not finished) and don't have any of my results chapters written yet. I'm writing my intro/lit review at the moment- almost finished-then can send the draft off to my sup and have a fair amount of materials and methods done but that is it.

You seem like your very well on track to complete when you want to. I know I'm going to be writing this up after I've finished but still need to find a job.

Best of Luck
x

I would second pixie and BlackTrinity. It sounds like you are on target. the fact that you are asking and that you have a detailed list of what you ahve done and what you still need to do shows that you are very organised indeed! Well done you!