(up) i appreciate all the replies..thanks! well yes..I'm at the stage where the initial structure is set, as is the word count and the question answer session in each...the problem really begins when everyday i feel the need to rearrange my structure because the discussion will seem better this way or that...do you understand? plus i have gaping holes in the structure and i fall into them every time i sit down to work. and if only i could once get it all down i would take care of the holes and the rearrangement! so...ok i will take some tips from this discussion already and see how i can get it more structured...maybe keep a basic set of what, why, how question for each heading.

another quick question though...is it a mammoth task to learn R on your own or has some of you out there managed it?

oh and hellos to everyone visiting this thread!

======= Date Modified 08 27 2009 07:27:50 =======

I'm not a PhD student..yet. but i write in this forum since i figured here is where i could get the most help when it comes to writing up research. so here goes...

Hello.
I should have written to you earlier i just realized. It's regarding work on a research paper...based on the study i did for my masters dissertation. I've been working on the paper for 2 months now. I stay at home (but I have the pasrt about 'workign at hoem' figured out, so that's not the problem).
I find myself suddenly so muddled with my paper..with parts written, parts where i need to do more stats, parts i need more referencing, parts where i find arguments against my own work. and i just wish i had a more systematic way of working with it. i just get lost in the stats i have to learn, the parts i have to write, the different colored fonts and comments in the paper, all my notebooks and i just keep making lists of what all i have to do, all that i have to read. I am also trying to learn R on my own on the side. and whenever i have to send an update of the paper to my guide i realize i haven't written much, maybe because i was reading and not writing. and in the end i feel that all the reading didn't help me do any more work actually...although i know it was useful. But the point is..after all the reading, making lists, thinking, learning R, rearranging the plan of my paper, the flow of my text..i haven't added much to the body of my paper!
And it's like everything comes with a rush to my head..all these things i have to do or new ideas i could put down in the discussion and I feel all muddled up because of too many things to do. and then everything goes all out together! I hope I make sense..i do to myself :/
You who've worked on a paper(s) or even thesis..do you have anything to say to me?

Like me for example. that helps..thanks mr coastman! reminds me of a song eh.
hmm..no one's voted on my poll i see...c'mon! it's not too much..get them clicks in people..git! come oooooon..haha.

hmm..thanks. my offer says Silwood Park. i didn't know there was more than one campus. long way off..well it's a long way off home anyway coz i'm from India..so I don't really know if that would matter make much of a difference.

======= Date Modified 31 22 2009 13:22:30 =======
Hello all. I have been reading the forum for a while now..throughout my application process actually. I was wondering if you would leave some answers if i left a question.. I am a masters ecology student and have made it through St Andrews and Imperial College London for a second masters(by research this time) in Ecology, Evolution & Conservation research and MRes Environmental Biology, respectively. My aim was to get into a course where I would learn ecological modeling and one that will create a strong base to then continue on with a PhD. Although I am much too excited about Imperial..I am not confident as to which of the two courses would be a better choice. Does anyone know anything about the two universities/courses/whatever else matters since all my information is internet based. if anyone has any comments i'd be so happy to hear them. Any help..will be much appreciated. I know at the end of the day I will make the decision..but talking about it to people out here who might have a better idea than I would help immensely!
Regards,
Payal

anyone?....

Hello. I just finished my masters and am working on a paper based on my project work. I want to further my studies in the UK. Ideally, I would like to apply for a PhD but choosing a guide over the internet is not one of the best ideas. So I was thinking if I could apply for a lesser-than-PhD degree and during that time while I will already be in the UK, I could look for a guide in the field of my choice. So my question now is this..should I apply for a second MSc or MRes or MPhil? Or a PhD anyway? I don’t feel equipped enough yet to take on a PhD. I realise I know so little about working and writing in research. What should I do? My subject is ecology and there are some courses like in behaviour or modelling or landscape that I haven’t done at all and would like to learn, besides also improving on my scientific writing skills. I wait for your replies...