Hello everyone, I did my viva just before Christmas and got major corrections. I've been working full time plus training since then and really haven't had time to even think about it since. I now have some holidays from work (I'm a teacher) but a week of holiday was already eaten up with training and I have visitors for two further weeks. So I have about 15 days to get my corrections done...my deadline is mid October but I'm hoping I'll have all or almost all the work done by the time I go back to work as it's stressful enough without this hanging over me. My correction list is quite hefty, a lot of little rewrites throughout and then completely changing the majority of my stats (my internal is a keen statistician and was picky about stats whereas my supervisors had not been and never even mentioned that my stats could be done differently). I'm trying to get the corrections on my intro done and sent to my supervisor by tomorrow so that I can begin to get my head around the statistical changes, it's all fairly complicated statistical testing they want and it's really not my field.

I just wondered if anyone else is in the midst of corrections so we could encourage each other!

I've managed to waste most of today faffing so I thought it would be useful to have a way to keep myself accountable!

In the few hours left today I want to get onto at least halfway through my intro sorting the corrections.

Hi Caro
Good luck on your corrections !
I got an R n R and was given 1 1/2 year to do my corrections (maximum period). I was ill most of the time during that period and just managed to re-submit last April.
I am still waiting for the examiners' comments on my re-submitted thesis.

Hi Charliebrown, well done on submitting, when you say last April do you mean 4 months ago or a year and 4 months ago? I hadn't thought about corrections taking so long for examiners to look at! I am a bit confused and worried about what happens if your examiners aren't happy. My corrections are quite substantial and vague, all the time I'm worrying whether what I'm doing is what they actually wanted.

Hi Caro, does your uni have a stats department you can lean on? I know at my uni you did a sort of freshers course but then had the option of using them for experimental design and analysis? You could ask.

I'd definitely ask for help with the stats, since you and your supervisors thought they were ok but the internal was picky. Maybe your supervisors can recommend someone in the dept who can help?

I'm not doing corrections but have to submit by end of Sept so a similar deadline. What software are you using to do the stats? If it's SPSS I'd HIGHLY reccomend Discovering Statistics using IBM SPSS Statistics. It's a big fat book, but Andy Field really covers the basics in the most accessible way I've come across before. I've heard the R version is pretty good too, but I'm an SPSS user myself so can't really speak to that.

My PhD is very stats heavy so if you have some specific questions feel free to message me too :-)

Hi kikothedog and chickpea, I was never actually based at my university as I was in a research institute so I'm not familiar with my uni's policy or stats department, but that is a good idea. I will ask the uni supervisor (although he is a but clueless and not great at replying to emails) but I might try to get stats-savy friends to have a look at the corrections instructions although everyone is so busy nowadays.

Hi Into The Spiral, thanks for the recommendations, I use minitab, I've tried to use R many times but just could never get into the coding thing! I've never used SPSS, although I've heard good things about it, it's probably too late for me to get into it now! A lot of my corrections are to add data exploration elements and to change some stats from parametric to non-parametric as my replicates are 'pseudoreplicates', I think I am ok with that side of things. But they also asked me to add time series analysis and account for nesting which is where I'm a bit confused as that's all the details they have given and then pointed me towards a book, the book is ordered so I'm just hoping it is nice and clear when it gets here!

Hi Caro!

I am also in the midst of corrections after a viva three weeks ago. They've given me six months to make all the changes, but I'm currently unemployed after relocating back to the UK from another country so plan to use this time wisely.

I am definitely up for being a form of encouragement for one another :)

Hey,
Just the final push now! My thesis was quite stats heavy too - but I haven't used minitab. Let me know if I can help. If you are using educational data, accounting for nesting seems to me to suggest using multilevel models - is that what your internal suggests? If so, it is quite hard-core at first, but is easy enough to get your head around the basics. I can recommend you some resources. If they haven't mentioned multilevel modeling then I don't want to scare you - I am sure they would have said if that was what they intended. Message if I can be of any use.

Hi RLD! Have you got your corrections list yet? I hope they are all nice and clear and easy to address :)
I did nothing today at all! I went to the gym and then had such a headache the rest of the day, feeling better now it's evening but I have to go out tonight so I will start afresh in the morning! At least my new book came so I have that to look through before starting my stats stuff :)

Hi Allyballybee (I love that song!). It's not educational data, it was a science PhD it's field data but in sites which I counted as replicates but my examiners said they were not as they are part of similar systems. I need to get my head around what they are asking, but thank you for the offer, I might take you up on that next week!

I remember getting the song sung to me as a kid! What tests are you using? It sounds to me like your examiners think you might have violated assumptions of independence. In this case the multilevel models could still work - it is quite an emerging technique outwith education - but I do know it can be applied in the sciences. Have a good weekend and try not to stress too much - you really are so close!

Hi Caro,

I was lucky in that my report was fairly detailed. I even had an opportunity to go back to the examiners and ask them to clarify two points that I was unsure of, which they did and provided equally as detailed and helpful responses. How detailed was your report? Did you have to seek clarification?

Today was my first day back working on the corrections after having to work on and submit a job application on Friday, and not wanting to work on Saturday or Sunday ;) all seemed to be going quite well until I received the clarifications from one of my examiners on the weekend. It looks like one of the corrections is going to take me longer than expected...(AARRGGHH).

After being VERY stressed all morning trying to get my head around it, I've decided to spend the rest of the day preparing for a job interview I've got later this week (and looking on here of course ;)

Did you manage to look at that book? How you feeling about what needs to do?

Hello! My visitor last week took all of my time so I'm just getting back into working again now, for my next visitor to arrive tomorrow for a week...I could do without these interruptions but it's my niece this week so I have to take her around and do touristy and fun things with her so won't get much done. I think you are right ally - A lot of my data wasn't perfect for the stats tests, but my supervisors told me to go ahead because in my field it's common to use ANOVA techniques with imperfect data. My examiners did not like this, I think I'm going to go back and change most of it to non-parametric testing for the simple things. I haven't come to the adding temporal analysis part yet - I still have no idea how to do so!
RLD - My corrections state on them that I can't contact my examiners and all questions must go through my supervisors. My supervisors are just giving me general advice and not answering my specific questions. I don't think either of them understand the stats either and my main supervisor is a bit bemused by some of the corrections and suggesting I ignore bits..but I'm worried about doing that.


The book helped a little, but I really don't have a statistical mind so I still don't know how it links to my data..I'll try to keep chipping away at things but I feel out of my depth with it all. I only have about 7 days left to work on it until my holidays are gone and I'm only on point 3 of 9 in my corrections and finding it very difficult to focus.