Hi everyone,

I realise this question could have a million answers as every topic is different but I am just after some idea of what people actually achieved in their fist year of their PhD. I am in the humanities and started October last year. Currently working on literature review and what I am actually going to do! Just wondering what everyone else had written in their first year, often feel like i spend most of my time thinking rather than doing!

Anyone willing to share what they actually had completed before the first year end? Lit review complete? introduction or methodology?

Thanks! :)

Phoebe

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I thought I had completed a big chunk of my literature review on my first year, but I recently had to re-write it all. In fact I am re-writing everything even so close to my submission deadline (not just amending). My first two year's of research is useless to my thesis (well, it is very useful because it made me move on to today, but not using any material from those days whatsoever).

I guess the way you use your time depends on type and topic of a project. Mine has changed great deal, it is no longer what I started it to be. But it was always my own project, and the funding I received wasn't conditional to be part of a research team etc.

Good luck with your work.

I seem to have been a bit fast ... I wrote my literature review in 3 months, and I was part-time/half-time, so that was equivalent to a much shorter time full-time. I'm humanities too.

By the end of my first year (equivalent to 6 months full-time) I'd completed much of the first phase of my research. By the end of my second year (equivalent to 12 months full-time) I'd started on the next phase, had written a draft for my chapter 3, and had written and submitted a journal paper based on my research.

I really needed to get going on things though. I have a progressive neurological disease, and was deteriorating more as time went on, with increasing brain damage and worsening disability. So I really had to get cracking in the early stages of my PhD. I couldn't assume I could do stuff later.

Hey Phoebe! As you say, every project is different and there seems to be quite a variation in priorities for the first year of the PhD in different fields as well. I'm in Clinical Psychology, so different to you, but by the end of first year I had completed my lit review and submitted it for publication, finalised my proposal and obtained School and NHS ethical approval, started recruitment and testing (but only right at the end of first year), and had a very rough draft of my second paper. It certainly took most of the first year just to get up and running, so I don't think you should be too worried at this stage. Most people I know took their first year to finalise what they were planning to do, apart from the folk who had started an advertised PhD where the protocol was already very specific and already had ethics approval etc- they were quicker to get going than the rest of us! As long as you have something to show for your year's work then you shouldn't have anything to worry about, just keep going! Best, KB

Hi Phoebe!
As you have said every project is different and every person is different with a different pace and working habbits.
I am also doing a PhD in humanities (PT) and I am in my second year now.
During my first year, I prepared an official proposal (that took about 6 months), I defined my methodology, read around my subject (as there are so many things that I had never thought of and didn't know about), applied for an official research permission in my country (I obtained it after 7 months!!!!!!), I wrote my literature review, I did my pilot research (without the official permission....) and I presented my findings at an international conference....
It was a lot, as I am also working full time and I live at another country.... But, this year I have slowed down, because I realised that I couldn't work 17 or 18 hours a day. So, I'd rather take one more year to complete my PhD that have problems with my health...
Don't worry. As I said before everyone is different and works in a different way. As long as you have something to present at the end of your first year and as long as you feel OK with your progress (I know this is difficult!!!!) then you will be OK!

GOOD LUCK!!!

Hi Phoebe,

I started October last year too and am still working on my literature review although I have spent some time in the labs since January so I've got a few lab protocols written up too. I'm an engineer so I suppose it's different, but like you I feel like I spend most of my time thinking rather than doing which is frustrating for me.

Cheekybint

I'm in my 4th month of my PhD and have done a short literature review that had to be submitted.. it was only 14 pages so perhaps I should do a larger one of my own accord.
My study is longitudinal so I have done the experiments for first of 4 time-points and learned a bunch of techniques already.
It has been so hectic, mainly because people are leaving and if they didn't teach me before they left I would be stuck, and I did have a massive panic about quitting last month but I feel a little better now. It feels like I have packed about 9 months work into 3 months. I really hope this means I can finish more quickly, rather than do more work!

I am in the beginning of the second year now. I prepared the preliminary paper, and defenced it before a jury after 8 months. In fact it is the theird chapter of the thesis. It took long time, because this is the first time I read and writ in English. And I put the plan of thesis. I think I am very slow. However my PhD is in law, so I have a lot of articles, books, cases and reports to read and organise.