Don't be too disheartened. I got the same and am due to resubmit end of Nov. I looked on it as a chance to get it right. You're probably a bit emotionally/physically exhausted after the viva, so give yourself time to recover, and then with your supervisor get on with the corrections. It sounds as if your supervisor is willing to be quite involved which is good. One tip from me, don't leave it too long before you start doing the corrections, time passes amazingly quickly (especially for me as I took on a new job too) and before you know it, the time limit for resubmitting will be coming up. That's where I am now, frantically working away in the evenings, to get things done on time (fingers crossed I get it all done!). So well done on getting through your viva, and with just a bit more work, you will succeed :)

Thanks Incognito and drkl, I think the reason for the revise and resubmit drkl is that mine unfortunately probably needs more substantial work than yours did, but am hopeful I can get it done to a good standard. I was beginning to get a bit lost within the thesis so am glad of the direction of the examiners. I wonder how many others on the forum are doing this or similar. Unfortunately I'm the only one on my team to have got this result, which is disappointing but am trying to remain optimistic.

Had my viva, and got revise and resubmit within 6 months. I know most people would hate this verdict, but I am actually happy with it. I knew my PhD needed more work, but had to submit when I did. This gives me time to finish it to a standard I will be happy with. Examiners were very complimentary about certain parts of the thesis which was good, and so long as I make the requested changes I will be OK. Would be interested in how others who got this verdict got on.....

I am entering my 5th year of what was a funded PhD (social science) but am now having to fund myself as have gone over time. I am really struggling, and now panicking that I will never finish this. I have done the lit review, the methodology and the findings but my supervisor says the findings still need a lot of work to get them right. Problem is every day I wake up determined to get on and get it finished, but then I sort of "freeze" and end up by the end of the day, not much actual PhD work has been done. I just feel overwhelmed by the amount of work I think I now have to do, and yes I'm aware I am making this worse for myself. Any words of wisdom from anyone? I know I need a massive kick but I'm just so frightened by it all, and can't admit this to either friends, family or supervisor. Perhaps I am not cut out for PhD material.

thanks for all your interesting and helpful replies....I like the idea of coming up with a more "interesting" reason for why I haven't finished :) I also like Florence's idea of actually telling them about it, they certainly wouldn't ask again would they! I can cope with those who are only asking to be polite, I guess it's the few who unfortunately might be trying to put me on the spot I worry about. I guess that is related to the fact that I myself am wondering why it's taking me so long. I started out full of enthusiasm for this and now, well, let's just say I will be so pleased to finish. Anyway, once again thank you, today I will force myself to forget all that, and get on with the actual PhD. Hope everyone's work goes well today!

Bit off topic this, but am feeling awful today, and thought I would raise this question as perhaps others have dealt with it. I am a (very) mature student, with a big family celebration coming up (a month away), which I will be quite prominent in. I just feel such a mess at the moment, I am in my 4th and hopefully last year, I should have completed last year. The going is tough at the moment. On top of that, I have really piled on the weight - have been reading JoJo's post which prompted me to post this. I have found a lot of the PhD experience quite lonely and a bit dispiriting, and I guess that hasn't helped with me looking after myself. So, when the big family celebration comes I have a feeling people are going to look at me and think, gosh she's let herself go and also.....shouldn't she have finished her PhD. What do I say? They probably won't say anything about my looks to my face, but I'm sure they will comment on why haven't I finished. I know some may think I'm judging myself too harshly, but I know a lot of these people will think this way. Worrying about this, is getting me down and affecting my work, as I can't concentrate fully. Has anyone had to deal with anything similar? What should I say when they ask why I haven't finished?

Hi everyone, I am working away on my Findings chapters (still!) and I want to put a little bit at the beginning
about what I am calling the people in my study and why. For example I don't want to talk about "there were 10 patients in the room" but instead will use another term. I am sure I have seen this referred to before in studies, but can't find any examples at the moment. I was going to head it something like "a note on terminology", or " a note on language used", can anyone think of a good way of putting it. Many thanks

thanks Caterpillar, I think ethically I'm OK as before each group I established oral consent with everyone there, explained what I was doing and why etc. I've spoken again to supervisor and I think the reason she was wary was that it was unclear who I was including in my data. So she is happy for me to use the whole group so long as I explain what I am doing and why. Thanks for your reply:-)

I wonder if anyone can help. I'm getting so confused on this. I am doing a series of case studies, looking at a therapeutic activity being carried out in different settings. In each setting I have observed an activity group, and then interviewed a set number of people from that group to get their opinion of the activity. However, in the data I have included observation notes that include the whole group. Is that allowed? My supervisor thinks not. In practice what has happened is that, say the group has 10 members, well I have observed the whole group and then interviewed 4 (because of communication problems/time issues that is all I felt I could manage). Then in writing up my data I have included observations of the whole group and the interviews from the 4. So I may have interviewed Mr W, Mr X, Mrs Y and Mrs Z, and will discuss what they did in the group and said in the interviews but will mention that during the group activity Miss A or Mr B did something quite interesting. Can I mention that? Is it OK if I make it clear that they were in the group but not interviewed? In this case, I would say the setting is the case study. Can anyone help me clarify this, and perhaps be able to recommend any literature that could back this approach up, or am I going really wrong here.I am becoming more and more confused. Many thanks in advance.

Hi Clovercloud, just a quick reply to say that I understand how you feel and hope you will soon feel better. Doing a PhD can be quite demoralising and make you feel fairly isolated - I'm not sure why, but as a mature student I honestly think it's one of the hardest environments I've worked in. So you're certainly not alone in feeling this way. And also I think what you feel doing a PhD will be like and the reality is very different. Try to get some help, maybe from the university counselors and also keep in with this forum, which is very good. Don't judge yourself on your PhD, you are more than that....all the best x

Oh Pineapple, I really understand how you feel. I'm in a similar sort of situation, end of 3rd year, having to go into a 4th - sup says PhD not reaching standard yet, needs more work. And like you, I am looking around dept at other colleagues who are being asked to help on projects, give extra presentations etc and thinking that I am in this situation because of my own shortcomings. I should have worked harder etc. But unfortunately life got in the way, and I allowed some personal things to distract me. So, like you Pineapple, I just have to get on with it now, and just work hard to get it finished. But I do wish I had done things differently. But you have passed Pineapple which is something to be proud of - you will get those corrections done. Be positive. Wishing you all the best :-)

thanks for your helpful replies - I will go to the library tomorrow and try and get the recommended books. Sneaks I have pm'd you my email address. My research is qualitative, and I am working with people with dementia and their carers and getting their opinions on a certain area. The only course I have done is an IPA one, but I have only really done a general thematic analysis on my findings so far.

Hi, have returned from my holiday, determined to salvage my PhD. Have thought of a way of rewriting my findings which will hopefully improve things. At the same time, I need to get on with my methodology. I'm always a bit unsure of this, not coming from an academic background, I am very uncertain and easily tripped up by talk of paradigms, theories etc etc. Could anyone recommend a really clear guide (social sciences), that would finally sort it out for me. Many thanks.

thanks Bewildered and Methodical
I'm off on hols for a couple of weeks this weekend. Supervisor has said not to think about any of it on holiday, but of course I will! I intend to take one of the key texts and reread it, in case I'm just missing something. It's a good idea to look at the thesis in the area, and I will on return - I did at the beginning but that was a while ago. One of the problems I think is that I think I don't sound right - academically - sometimes, if that makes sense. So rereading the theses would help. I come from a practice background so am not a born and bred academic as such, and I think I struggle at times because of that. Thanks for your help. If anyone else has anything to add I would be grateful - but probably won't be able to respond until I return, hopefully refreshed, from holidays. Bye for now :-)

Oh dear, had a session with my supervisor who has said she thinks my work is still at masters level - not reaching PhD standard yet. She was very nice about it - and tried to be helpful. I've been asked to rewrite the chapter I had handed in (findings) and try again. Problem is, apart from reorganising it, and seeing if I've left anything out, I'm not sure what else I can do. Feel quite mentally tired now. There's nothing controversial or unusual about my findings unfortunately. They just confirm much of what has already been said. So I'm not making an original contribution, am I? Anyone else had this problem?