Hello all,

I am a PhD student in my 3rd year, and still not settling down on a topic and no major contribution has been made. I have a conference paper, but no extensions can be made in my opinion. All I am doing so far is just to extent works in the literature, and try different combinations, but again without a major contribution in the sense that something new and that fits a PhD dissertation.

My supervisor is a very nice person, and is supportive all the way, but he isn't helpful technically speaking. He hasn't guided me not once where and what to read in the literature, and he has no technical knowledge on the topic I am researching in. So, basically all what he is doing is providing me the fund, and to read what I write and to comment on it (not in content, but in terms of organization and rephrasing). If I have a technical problem, he won't help me out.

Whatever I do he asked the question: "what is your contribution, compared to what have been done in the literature?". This is a fair question. I am not saying that this is only his fault, but I think a PhD supervisor should do more than reading and making your writing looks better, especially in the first and second years.

I am so concerted now since this is my 3rd year in my PhD, and I am so frustrated, and I am not seeing any conclusion to this problem in the near future. What should I do?

Thanks

Hi S_David, just making a clarification with regard to your concern. PhD topics don't tend to make any major contribution to anything by way of research. And, I've found, that many supervisors only help with a bit of reading, some minor advice or guidance and editing-certainly mine were/are like that (both for masters and phd).

With regard to a phd it is usually a very minor contribution that you end up making A different angle or slant on a topic or a different perspective -well it often is in social or applied sciences anyway. You haven't mentioned experiments (as in hard science) but you have said that you are reading quite a bit of literature and that you have presented a seminar.

(So I'm guessing you might be in humanities, professional studies or applied science, or social science disciplines???But I could be wrong...)

(When he says "what is your contribution, compared to what has been done in the literature")It seems as if your supervisor is trying to help you work out the little slant or gap that has not really been explored in all of the literature that you have read.

Do you have a research question/s or statement or hypothesis to begin with? When you read your literature, what does it all say compared to your original proposal, questions or hypotheses? Or if you are working on a technical problem or question-what has the literature said about that-what sort of data have you collected and what is the 'story of that data'?

Can you compare your questions to all of the data/information gathered from your reading and when you do-are there any aspects of your question or topic that have not really been addressed in the literature you are reading? These unanswered or unexplored little areas may then become your topic.

If I were you though, I would see whether there was anyone else in the department I could talk to-not to complain about my supervisor-but to see whether they could help me clarify what my key purpose was, and create a plan to move forward with my dissertation. Many universities appoint two supervisors or a committee-and it is perfectly okay to approach the second supervisor or committee member for advice and support if you need to.

Thanks for your reply.

Actually, I am a PhD student in Electrical Engineering with specialization in wireless communications.

I don't have a clear cut hypothesis. As I said all I do some extensions to what has been done in the literature. I read a lot of papers and I can understand them very well, but it seems that I am unable to find gaps and unsolved problems. I have problems drawing the big picture. I believe I am competent in doing the math and analysis, and my supervisor actually praised me in this regard, but my problem is that I can't settle down on a topic, because I always think these topics will not lead anywhere as a PhD dissertation.

I know I need to figure it out myself, but I have being trying so hard without use. I guess it is the ADHD that I suspect I have. But no one cares about this, I guess.

Regards

HI S_David, I still believe that finding an alternative 'brainstormer' or person to help you decide on which 'extension' you will follow might be really helpful. Is there no one in your department or area who you can 'tease' things out with (apart from your supervisor) or who will listen to you as you explore these ideas. You do have to finally decide for yourself what it is you will do-but that doesn't mean people can't assist you to work this out by actually exploring all of the avenues with you. It would be great if that person was your supervisor-but obviously your supervisor is not much help to you in this way, so maybe there is someone else out there who can be? If not in the university where you work perhaps in a more specific forum-or something similar? (Or you could try placing a new thread on this forum that highlights your query with your field outlined, so that you get more specific responses from people in similar fields in this one)

If, (and this might be a big if) you are not a 'big picture thinker' naturally, that doesn't mean you can or never do think this way-it only means it is a bit harder to do so-not impossible at all. And you may tend to be a 'detailed', meticulous thinker who puts things together 'step by step', but very quickly in an 'adhd' sort of way, so you get lots of little ideas but nothing connected. Having that sort of thinking does not mean that you should not believe in the worth of your own ideas or that they would lead to nothing, if you explored them further.

Is there a possibility that you could offer a comparitive review of some of the processes and extensions you mention-where your PhD is an informative sort of overview of a number of similar processes or issues occurring in your field-or is that sort of thing not appropriate in your area?

I hope I am not demotivating you or adding to your woes with this reply. Good luck and don't give up.

These days I am trying to contact with a postdoc with the same group in another country, and he is helping me technically when I have problems. However, the problem is not here. The problem is that I don't have a definitive plan, and always change directions. Even the postdoc doesn't help me in crystallizing my ideas and to make a problem statement that is significant. In my master thesis, my supervisor gave me a problem and I put all my effort in it. Of course with some troubles, but I always knew where I should focus. The situation now is different, I don't have a clear-cut problem, and this triggered a great hesitation for further investigations.

Yes I agree getting the big picture is not impossible but harder. And I agree that I should work it out by myself, but it is extremely hard. My little ideas are not worthy because all are extensions, and my supervisor made it clear once "we don't want extensions, we need something smart". Deep inside me I feel my extensions that I am doing is just to fill some work.

I don't know, may be I am complaining a lot, but my experience in PhD is terrible. I am so exhausted emotionally, physically, and psychologically. My life is simply miserable now. Honestly, I don't see myself finishing my PhD degree, and this is the worst part in the problem, because I really want it but I can't achieve it. My supervisor wants me to graduate next summer and I still don't have any journal paper.

Anyway, thanks Pjlu for your interactions, I really appreciate it, and thanks for the wishes.