...has just decided I need to do more experiments.

It has been months since I left the lab, and now, a couple of weeks before I submit, he emails me and says "your 2nd supervisor and I had a meeting today and decided you really need to do X".

This will mean going back and doing work on experiments I finished more than 7 months ago...and I am living 800km away. Why now? Has he not read any of the work I have shown him in the past 7 months? Can I just tell him to go jump in the lake?

hug for piglet. x

Thanks, pea. You really are a sweetie.

poor piglet...hug from me to Dx

Cheer up

Thanks, coastman.

push him in the lake...

Definately pushing in the lake

If it was essential work, I wouldn't mind so much. But 7 months ago we drew a line in the sand and decided to stop the project there - and now he is deciding (without my input) to extend the line.

He is so going into the lake...if only we weren't in the middle of a drought here. Not a lake to be seen at the moment. I think it is punch in the nose time instead.

It is really annoying Piglet. But on the other hand it's good that they are taking your work seriously (or finally started to do their job). Doing the experiments will be good for your PhD. Good luck with the work

Hey piglet.

Don't stress. Is this just before you submit a smaller sub-thesis orthe entire thesis?

definitely time for violence.

Do you think you need to do these extra experiments Piglet? Are the sups saying 'you need to do X to get a PhD'. or are they saying 'X needs to be done as the next step/to get a good publication/to get us more funding and we want you to do it (cos we know if we tell you to you will)'.

I know all the stuff about listening to supervisors advice, not submitting if they dont ok it etc, but it seems daft for them to be suggesting you NEED to do more 7 months after agreeing that you dont. and so close to submission.

From the other thread, it sounds as if your PhD has enough for 3 publications. I cant beleive that it REALLY needs these experiments if it is already of that quality. Sounds a bit like they may be trying to get a bit of extra work out of you before you vanish.

Well, either that or it will boost your publications to 4 or mean you get in a higher impact journel with one of the others. Then I suppose if it is an academic career you are after it may be worth finishing this experiment.

Thanks for your support guys. They want me to do work on a set of experiments that had a negative result. It is valid data because it wasn't an inconclusive result. They just want me to do it a bit different to be certain that the 'no' answer we are presenting is correct.

roopa, I am not sure what a subthesis is, but what I am trying to finish is the real deal. The one. The big one. Which is what makes this sudden rush back to the lab so bloody annoying.

Hmm I would stand up to them and say I don't ave the time. Because if he original data is not inconclusive, its not going to make a huge difference to the quality of your thesis which I am sure is really good. Bah social politics. One thing I have learnt from our research workshops at UCL is that you don't have to be heir minion, theres no harm in meeting with them kindly suggesting that this is not such a good idea.