Finishing up a phd- what loose ends will I have forgotten about?

[fishcakefoxtrot]

I have to write a fairly detailed timetable for the last few months of my PhD and I need to plan in the various fiddly bits that I will have to sort out at the end. Thing is, I am not sure what they are!

So far, I have thought of contents page, bibliography, appendices, abstract, acknowledgements. And a final proof read. I think these should take a few days. Am I deluded?

Does anyone else have any others to suggest, or any recommendations as to how much time I should allow for these tasks? I fear my supervisors already think I am underestimating the enormity of the task ahead and I would really like to show them otherwise!

Copyright and/or declaration pages (university specific)
symbols/abbreviations list (if necessary)

Contents pages take a while as they often include lists of figure, tables and appendices aswell. Bibliography needs to be checked for make sure all cited refs are included, easy to forget some. If you use a ref software it is easier if you can select the appropriate ones and produce a file in correct format of these for inclusion. Abstract is your selling page so make sure you spend a little while going over this.

The final proof-read is easier to do with a printed version as it enables you to highlight the errors and formatting issues easily. I took a couple of weeks of evenings to proof-read so don't under-estimate this task.

I would also factor in a few days for printing/binding services so that it is not a huge rush at the end.

Not sure what stage you are at, but if you are relying on supervisors to read and comment on the thesis then their timing needs to be factored in aswell as your corrections.

Have you got the examniers appointed? Some unis need the paperwork for them prior to submission.

Some unis need 3 months notice of submission and this will be another form (although mine didn't!).

Hope this helps

When proofreading, do a 'find all' search for rude words that might not come up on the spell check, that are misspellings of words you would have used (e.g. arse instead of arose, er, misspellings of 'count' etc).

Save a significant chunk of time for sorting out your references. I've used endnote and zotero in the past, and both have crashed because of the size of the thesis and needed at least 1 day to sort out.

Also the page numbering can take a while to get right, depending on your university's requirements. Some ask for the first few pages to be labelled i, ii etc, and then at the start of the intro, page 1, 2 etc. Make sure you check the thesis guidelines for your department/university. Some are very specific re font sizes, requirements for figure lists, tables of abbreviations.

Don't forget to check your margins are wide enough to accommodate binding. If you are allowed to print on both sides, the margins should alternate between left and right side of the page, apart from the first few pages (all on the left as one-sided). Ring up the printery and bindery (if separate) and ask if you need to make an appointment in advance (mine took a whole morning for the staff there to complete, so I needed a booking). This is important if you'll be handing in around the same time as undergrad courses starting (lots of lecture book printing). Ask them how they want you to bring your thesis. Usually it is in the form of a pdf, so make the pdf early and spend some time checking that it has converted properly. In particular, make sure that each page has the complete number of words (i.e. there's not a line missing off the end of each page) and that any greek/latin/mathematical symbols have converted properly (especially on figures), and that figures have come out looking right and not all squashed.

Make sure you've taken care of the admin side of things - when you hand it in, do you have to take a hand-in form signed by (for eg) your supervisor(s), you department head? If left, this can be a pain if people are away at conferences. Do you need to take ID, proof of fee payment, other things when you hand in? Do you (or your supervisor) need to have nominated examiners in advance?

1. The obvious, but make sure that your title matches your content.

1. Save yourself hours and possible days of soul-destroying faff time by using the style function on Word to define your heading and subheadings. Also define your figures. This way, your table of contents and your table of figures are compiled automatically.

1. Make sure your formatting is in line with University style (mine defined font and spacing).

1. All of the above.