Hi everyone, just found you all!
I am the last lap of y PhD (or so I'd like to think). When I started my suprvisor left for another uni right after my upgrading. Then I got a 2 new supervisors soon after. One of them is great - teh other - never heard from or see! I basically started over. I've now written about 50,000 words. I have 2 chapters left. Getting good comments so far but teh latent supervisor at this stage just decided he was going to shar emy work with a visting professor who is now telling me to scrap half of what I have done. In the meantime she has referred me to all of her work, even though I have a few in there already. Now she is rubbishin one author I have used and said, "why are you quoting her. Her work is very poor in my opinion, she has experiences not findings!" This is a VERY published author and respected she is talking about! Now nearly 3 moths to submitting she comes in the picture and wants me to change!! I AM DEFLATED!!

Sorry for long post....

I can see where you're coing from here, but at some point you will have to defend your thesis anyway, so you need to argue now why your research is good as it stands. Likewise, I would say that the onus is on your supervisor to argue how her research would improve your thesis. The point is, fight your own corner!

Thanks Sylvester, I am trying to do just that. Though when I heard yesterday I cried all day!

I have received comments from my supervisor who I regularly consult with, and his comments were practical and REALLY helpful so far. He did not say my first two chapters were rubbish. The other supervisor "said he read it" and he too said it was okay and agreed with the changes my regular supervisor suggested. Now that he has gone and shared my work with this Visiting Prof. she is now saying I should change all of what I have been doing?! The thing is the latent supervisor has now forwarded the comments of the Visiting Professor to me - which means he agrees with it???!!! At this stage?? I don't think so.

Cont'd...

She made some good points - which i will take on board - but when she is now telling me to scrap half of my work at this stage - I don't think so. I will defend this till I die!!! I am prepared to change a few things to support my approach even more now - but change at this stage - That is EVIL!!! I would NEVER be able to submit in October and that is my LAST date!!!

Not only is she rubbishing her own colleagues work in poor taste by saying "it is very poor work, why rely on it", as if it is the only work I have refernced in my extensive thesis so far - BUT ...wait for it.....she has also sent comments on how I should structure the new chapters she wants me to write over with - headings subheadings and alllll!!! Of course she also gives refernces I should use under each headings - and almost all of them are - HERS!!!

Sorry for the rant. I am just in a funk!

"Her work is very poor in my opinion, she has experiences not findings!"

Obviously, i don't know who you're refering to, but i have come across this attitude before - basically from science purists who can't/don't buy into qualitative research. is this author's work qualitative? The further i go, the more i have come around to qualitative research and now always try to use mixed methods - the professor's remarks, on the other hand, may have been rude, but making you think (and justify) has probably been useful.

Sorry if i have got it all wrong, btw!

Yes! Insomniac the academic's work she was rubishing is qualitative. But I find that in Social Sciences when not a lot is known about an area it has to start with the detailed qualitative enquiry - which is what I think the author did. My PhD is an ethnographic study, for those very same reasons. She has not knocked my methods (yet!) but I am VERY glad she has been at least shown my work so that she CANNOT be my examiner. She is very known in the general field but in the specificity of my topic - all academics have ignore it! It is a minority issue and looking at her comments more, I feel if I take her suggestions to rewrite on board - I will effectively lose what I am trying to achieve! Which is to look at an area that SHE herself has largely ignored.

In any case, I was shocked that she could belittle her colleague to a student like that.

all good points lonelyroad - i began to get brave recently and got loads more positive feedback for sticking my neck on the line. trust yourself

Bear in mind that there may be things that you are not aware of such as political infighting or long standing grudges. In my experience its not uncommon to see PhD students being fought over like a bone between two angry dogs. Especially when it comes to the petty "are you in my camp or theirs" style issues.

Hi there -

Sorry you're having to go through this now when you've obviously got a good body of work behind you. You sound very grounded and able to defend your methods. By contrast She sounds like an arrogant, egotistical 'mare. The important thing to remember here is that she is only a visiting academic. She is not a permanent member of your department, has no bearing on the execution of your research, the writing of your thesis or ultimately its examination. Had your supervisor not shown her your work she would be none the wiser. She may be prominent in her field, but in terms of relating to your experiences and influencing your PhD outcomes she is...NOTHING!

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View this as a positive experience - it's made you think about what you have done and realise the strengths on your work, which is great!
Rather than being excited about new work and other approaches, some academics feel threatened. Rather than encouraging a student they would instead denigrate others' work and stay stuck in their own, self-glorifying rut. Don't rise to it - it's your work, your supervisor is happy, she's just a pontificating ego

@ Kronkodile, true, I have to see the good in this.

@ Badhaircut, there is so much backbiting and bitchiness amomng the women academics in my area. IT IS MINDBOGGLING!!
I discussed the implications of the research findings on policy in 1 section & she TOTALLY slams it saying I should have nothing to do with policy. I cannot see the value of my research if it does not inform the policy debate, especially when the govt is in deep shit with the issue. I just could not understand her point. I have been approached by a publisher who wants to publish my thesis when I am finished because they know the value of it - NOW. A charity is supporting it. I was lucky to choose a topic that is now popping. If I use any more of her work, I would be doing so in a critical context because I would have to show that SHE herself have neglected to look at the issue and totally subsuming it in her own wide area. My research is specific. I just have to keep hammering that! Thanks all!