OK so I have 2 out of 3 studies complete and the final one is collaborative and the time it will take will depend on lots of factors outside of my control. I may be finished for Christmas or it may be March 2015. At that point I'll have 50% of the thesis left to write (findings, discussion, re-working of introductory chapters).

My funding lasts only until 30th September 2015 so whatever happens I'll need to take on a job then. If I do have problems and am still writing then I can look at getting a part-time teaching assistant type position. The good pay even at part time will cover my living costs.

How long does the final stretch of writing and revision generally take? Am I being over ambitious expecting to complete and submit the thesis in September 2015?

What are others experiences of the final write up period?

Thanks for reading.

GM x

I hope you are not being overly ambitious because my deadline is September 2015 and I only have about 25% of the thesis written so far and still a lot of lab work to do!

I think you'll be fine though and I do think it's realistic. I'm aiming to submit by March 2015, with 3 months extra time to definitely submit by June 2015.

Thanks for the reply!

I should definitely clarify that I only have around 20% of the thesis written up at the moment! I'm feel that I'm definitely on track to get another 30% written while my final study is on going.

I'm aiming for a full draft by 1st July 2015 and then revise and submit before 30th September.

Thanks for the comparison info, it's really helpful. I was asking because my supervisor says I'm on track but I've spoke to a few others who are leaving 12-24 months aside solely for writing the thesis. Your situation sounds similar to mine. Best of luck with the rest of your lab work and writing :)

It took me 24 months to write up my thesis, but that was part time, and with a family and demanding full time job.

If you are are full time, I don't see why it should take more than 12 months, provided you have focus and discipline, and listen to your supervisor.

Thanks a lot. I've wrote out a writing schedule that should work around my remaining fieldwork (no matter what happens with collaborators). I'm only teaching 1 hour a fortnight during term time and I don't have any children so in a fortunate position PhD wise.

24 months for me too. I ended up doing it alongside my first post-doc.

You say 12 months, however, that can also depend on the supervisor and his attention to detail. Mine would not let work pass unless he was 99% sure it would pass with minor corrections. Long write-ups were normal in our department as a result, but of those that made it to submission I never heard of a single person being awarded major corrections or revise and resubmit. It was always minor corrections at worst with the candidate having put in some seriously psychotic hours during the write-up phase.

We did have two drop outs, but one just didn't care about his PhD (he slipped to MPhil and finally just walked away empty handed into a very well paid graduate job) and the other was more interested in working on his motorbike in one of the Uni. workshops!!! They were the only two fails (unrecorded as they never submitted) I was aware of in the entire history of the research group (1979 to it's final disbandment in 2009), showing my supervisor's perfectionist approach had some serious merit.

Ian