First of all congrats on submitting - that is a massive accomplishment in itself and should be celebrated.

I think you should take a month long break from anything PhD related. I did this and found it really beneficial. Not only do you mentally and physically recuperate from the submission process, but it also allows you to see your thesis with fresh eyes (like the examiners will).

As soon as the month break is up, I personally started re-reading my thesis. I listed all the typographical errors I had made and constructed a table of corrections. I then began reading a viva preparation book, in my case Rowena Murray's book. I then prepared a PowerPoint summarising the following areas (1) motivation for research, (2) gaps in the literature, (3) methodology and justification of approach, (4) key findings, (5) weaknesses and further research. This helped me focus and meant that I was prepared for the incredibly general question that I faced at the beginning of my viva "can you tell us what you have been doing for the past three years?"

I then started working through all the common viva questions listed in Rowena Murray's book and preparing detailed answers. I re-read some key articles also, including my externals work. Two weeks before the viva I printed out the questions (45 in total) and asked anyone I knew who had spare time to ask them to me for an hour straight. Without a doubt this last bit of prep was absolutely invaluable when the viva came around as I had mastered being concise and confident.

Honestly just take a break now, relax and gather your strength - BUT get back to it after a month and prepare for the viva. That way you can walk in confident and enjoy the process! Good luck :D

Okay first and foremost you need to try and calm down. Then you must contact your doctoral office and/or student services department because you need university specific advice about what options you have. They will be able to guide you through the process, give you advice on next steps and if needed organise some welfare support for you. You are not alone, there is support for you, you just need to access it.

Next you need to be really kind to yourself for the next few days. You need to eat, sleep and if you possibly can socialise. Surround yourself with positive friends. This is what gets you through difficult spots during the PhD process.

I just want to tell you that plenty of PhD candidates who ultimately are successful have encountered instances like this. You may be forced to withdraw but that does not mean you cannot submit eventually!

Good luck, you'll be okay no matter what, you just need some guidance from outside your department and that is where the graduate office, student's union and welfare services come into play :)

Hi lemonjuice,

I recently passed my viva, and submitted within four years and was in the same (if not worse) position as you. You can do it, your mantra just needs to be finished is better than perfect. I analysed my last study and wrote my thesis (approx 85000 words) in around six months. I'm not one of those gifted writers, nor do I have exceptional intellectual ability. The two things that got me through it were routine and positive thinking.

I worked part time as my funding finished at the end of my third year, so had to be organised and set myself a routine. I made myself a thesis writing station. I know it sounds ridiculous but it helped me. It was a clean study desk, with a scented candle, an egg timer, a framed positive mantra, my laptop and the resources I needed for that day only. Nothing else. I didn't sit down at this station until I had a bullet point list of what I needed to write. This helped me avoid those horrible sitting in front of a blank screen moments. Once I hit 1000 words, no matter what the quality, I'd proof read it, write the bullet point list for the next day, tidy everything away, clean my desk and go for a walk. That was my routine and it worked for me. Writing became a task that needed to be done everyday, no pressure on quality, as that will come with editing, just ideas on a page. Getting into this frame of mind meant I freed myself from trying to achieve perfection and just getting the damn thing done.

If you find your own routine and get yourself into a highly pragmatic frame of mind, you'll finish much quicker.

I would recommend getting hold of the paperwork for ethical approval from your doctoral office. Then go onto the ESRC website and have a look at their ethical framework. This will give you a good idea of the particular issues that your study will involve. I would then go through the paperwork yourself, and bullet point all the answers yourself. Reschedule the meeting with you supervisory team, telling them you've made a start at the ethics paperwork but need their feedback. Also find out from your department, preferably doctoral office, how long ethical approval usually takes and when does the committee meet next.

If you do this you will show your supervisors that you are taking ownership of the project and more importantly you'll feel a little bit more in control of the process. I've been there, honestly and if you take control you'll get there. The sad reality of PhD work is the sooner you stop waiting for supervisory guidance in order to progress the sooner you really start to progress!

I hope this helps.

Field's books (2009 and 2011) on statistics are very good, especially if you intend to use SPSS and want a broad introduction of the more advanced techniques. It also provides good references for further reading throughout the text so that you can delve in greater depth once you feel comfortable with basics. I'd also recommend sourcing a statistician from your department who is independent to your PhD, who would be willing to have a look at your plan for analysis, as supervisors sometimes will have preferences for certain techniques. It is always helpful to get an external perspective on potential weaknesses of employing them.

Hope this helps.

Congrats! Amazing how much progress can be made in a year! Thanks for sharing!

I'd recommend asking the following:

1. How often should you expect to meet with your primary supervisor? Find out both frequency and duration. Will you have a second supervisor and how often should you expect to meet with them?

2. What is the review timetable in that department, meaning when is your PhD upgrade and what needs to be submitted for it? What other forms of assessment take place, for example 21 month review?

3. What does your supervisor expect in terms of progress by the end of the first year?

4. What particular preparation do they recommend before starting the PhD programme in terms of reading?

Hi LostOne,

if you have to hand in the chapter at the beginning of the month you still have lots of time to turn this around. I'd say firstly contact your supervisor and say that as discussed you intend to hand in a chapter draft by the end of the first half of May. This will buy you two weeks, as well as keeping your supervisor in the loop.

I and many of my PhD colleagues have written a chapter from scratch in two weeks. The mind frame you need to get into is finished is better than perfect. Get up early, set up your writing space, disconnect internet connection and set a word target for the day. Do not leave your seat apart from toilet breaks, until you have met that target. To start with 500 words per day is a really achievable target to set, even if you have other commitments.

Personally when I was writing a chapter of my thesis I firstly wrote all the subtitled sub sections of that chapter, for example introduction, background to x, overview of approach etc. Then under each one of these sections I would bullet point what needed to be covered in that section, with 4 or 5 key references. This gave me the skeleton of the chapter and meant that all I needed was those few journal articles printed out to be able to crack on with my 500 words. This type of planning saves your hours and hours in the long run and keeps you focused on the small task at hand, the subsection you are currently working on. At the end of the day retread what you have written, correct typos and make a plan for the next day. Again this means you wake up the next day knowing exactly what you need to do.

I am no great writer or academic, but this approach to writing meant I produced a full draft of my 86,000 word thesis in 5 months. You just need to get focused. Your supervisor is not expecting perfect.

Good luck

I think you've already been given some good advice, but here is my opinion.

Ask yourself whether you would want to continue if there was no one else in the equation (meaning no expectations of friends and family). If the answer is a firm and absolute no, I'd say go to your supervisor or graduate studies officer and discuss possible exiting strategies. You have worked for too long (and presumably too hard) to walk away with nothing for your efforts. You should explore possibilities of writing up what you do have presently and making it an Mphil. I would also ask your supervisor realistically how much more needs to be done to get it to PhD level. If it is a matter of just one academic year I personally think you should push forward and get the damn thing in. If it is longer than 12 months I can understand not wanting to commit yourself to something you do not want in the long term. In the end all that matters is you are doing this for you, no one else.

I think you need some real thinking time, write down what your long term career plans and goals are. You need to focus on what YOU want, not what others expect out of this process. Whatever decision you come to will be the best for you, and sometimes it takes a braver person to walk away from something that just isn't right.

Good luck, let us know how it goes :)

Hi all,

I intend this to be my last post, although I shall still lurk around from time to time I am sure.

I really felt like I should give one last bit of encouragement and advice to those of you who are really struggling with your PhD. Maybe you feel like you haven't got enough data, or you've got very limited sub-standard supervision. Maybe you are on the brink of quitting but an inkling feeling that quitting would be wrong keeps you plodding on.

To all of you who are encountering these types of worries and problems I just want to say that was me throughout my whole 4 year journey. I never, and I genuinely mean never, thought I was going to finish. I struggled with crippling doubt, very little supervision, inadequate sample sizes and financial issues. There were tears, months of little progress and hold ups all along the way. I nearly quit not once, not twice but three times. The only thing that kept me going was not wanting to be a failure to myself, my family and friends. Not the best of reasons but it was mine. I now know that you should only continue because YOU want to. If I had asked myself that question the answer would have been yes.

Last week I passed my viva, something that always seemed impossible. If I can complete this journey, an individual with mediocre intellectual ability, anyone can with the right amount of support. If you encounter problems, please, please seek help, do not try and battle it alone. Anything is possible with a tiny bit of support and encouragement. If your supervisors are useless, seek advice elsewhere. Most importantly be kind to yourself. Sleep, eat, exercise. Too many PhD students fall into the cycle of loneliness, depression and despair. If you are encountering issues there is always a resolution, most of the time it requires taking a break, stepping back from your work & looking to the bigger picture

Good luck to you all, you'll get there :)

Thank you for all the congrats!!

I feel so light, like a massive weight has been lifted. So excited to be starting a new chapter of my life :)

Good luck to anyone facing their viva soon and keep pushing on to all those struggling with their PhDs at the moment, you'll get there!!!

My viva was 2 hours 15 minutes and I can honestly say it was enjoyable. I was so nervous prior but there really wasn't any need. The examiners were fair, helpful and challenging. They did spot the error but said it was minor and just meant reinterpreting the figure for one page. Luckily that error didn't feed into any of the key findings. I have minor corrections to do in the next 3 months, including re-structuring my intro. I still have some way to go, but when they said congrats Dr I was thrilled.

For those of you who are approaching the big day I would give you this advice. Be passionate, be confident and highlight all the things you think are positive about your work. Don't wait for them to ask. Every thesis has weaknesses, they genuinely don't expect perfection. Most importantly enjoy the experience and if you can have fun with it.

I passed with minor corrections :) Thrilled!

Thank you so much to all your suggestions - it really helped me today. Feel like I could sleep for a week now! :)

Let's just put it this way, I wouldn't wish my supervisors on my worst enemy. I've always questioned how ethical it is to have a married couple supervising a doctoral student, as they inevitably back each other to the end. I am the only individual I know of with this particular problem.

My supervisors have had problems with getting their students over the finish line in the past, so I doubt I will be the last to suffer from their lack of interest and attention. I have already received an email informing me that neither will be in attendance at my viva on Friday.

Ah well, worse things have happened at sea - must push on and just hope for the best.

Thank you so much Ian. At least I have a plan of action now. It really only makes a difference to a couple of pages but I just think it undermines my ability to interpret statistical outputs correctly. I feel utterly terrible and hope it doesn't make them question the rest of the thesis.

I shall do what you advise. I have already got a list of typos and I have added these two corrections to the list also. I think I have a major corrections verdict at the best on my hands. I will have to wait and see.

I just want to thank you all for responding, it shows real kindness and I am so appreciative (my family do not understand at all and as I have already alluded my supervisory team, who are a husband and wife, are neglectful by nature).