PhD thesis writing motivation/support thread!

[JumpingJellyfish]

I know there's a few of you lurking out there and thought we could have a new sparkly thread to coerce encourage us with thesis writing....

I'm in my 6th (or is it 7th) year of a part-time PhD in marine biology- and writing up (though still occassionally dabbling in data analysis which I shouldn't be!! but it's always more interesting than writing...). Hoping to submit 1st May 2009. have to really for my sanity and that of my long-suffering DH & DCs. Need to finish my first draft by end of January I reckon to give me time to make corrections etc.

But I am having long periods of self doubt and general procrastination so could do with some motivational support from anyone going through similar (Acinonyx for example?! ps. I've name-changed from madmarriedNika )

well done jumpingjellyfish!!!!

yes even on the journey to my viva I reread the thesis and could quite happily have rewritten large chunks of it, so for me this was normal.

Your viva timescale seems rather challenging!!! I used a book called surviving your viva by rowena murray for motivation/inspiration. i'm sure they will tell you when it is going to be pretty soon, then the panic sets in. Meanwhile enjoy the rest from mad panic for a while

Yay, congratulations JumpingJellyfish you must be elated

In awe that you anticipate graduation in December with DC3 appearing in November, hope all goes well, and you'll be Dr Jelly before the new year

Hello Women Writers,

I am posting this in a state of trepidation and fear I have just received funding from my university for a full time fees only Phd and am not really sure how it all came about. I am in a state of total panic, scanning your posts for an insight into what I am letting myself in for. I LOVE my subject but I also work part time have two DDs (five and two) and can't imagine having to wait at least three years (optimistic I know) for another baby. Any retrospective insight, hindsight, whatever kind of advice gratefully received.

p.s. Having had a babycentre addiction through two pregnancies I am wondering if discovering mumsnet at this time of my life is a good idea?

Congratulations JumpingJellyfish!!

I am finishing up my corrections but really having to force myself to look at this blasted thesis again and not doing them as quickly as I should. So tedious it's unbearable and yes majjy - beware internet forums when doing tedious work on the pc. I can't see to keep off mn just now - it's my reward whenever I cross off a correction (however small - bit naughty - no wonder it's taking me so long....).

Thank you all Still can't quite believe it's in... My external examined emailed my supervisor saying he received his copy last week so will be attending to it asap...so looks like they will try to pull out the stops to get my viva in before

Acinonyx- I'm on MN a lot more than I was a while ago, helped by the fact that I'm doing some v dull data processing and have lots of time to kill while it whirrs away on the other computer at work ...but of course I could be doing something a lot more constructive, like working on my papers- just after so long of trying being so disciplined I just have to let myself indulge a bit...could become an obsession too easily though!!

majjy- congrats on getting funding! I'm not sure I have much constructive advice, except that this thread certainly will give you a good idea of what has been involved... I have had to do most of my PhD study over the past 2 years in the evenings at home, as my part-time job didn't really allow any spare hours for studying, and I couldn't afford more childcare for my 2 DCs, so I would often work 4 or 5 evenings a week and one day at the weekend. It sucked to be honest, but somehow we managed it and I am very glad we got there in the end (I say "we", as I couldn't have done this without a very tolerant, patient and encouraging DH who understood how important the PhD was to me- sometimes better than I did!). I will have had all 3 of my DCs (touch wood- no.3 due end of Nov) during the PhD, and have found it good in some ways as it is more flexible than a full-time job would be, but at times I have felt incredibly torn between the studies and juggling the DCs, and just hope I won't regret it in the future. My poor DCs have had to live off so many soup, fish finger etc. dinners and the house (& DH!) fairly neglected each eve to keep at it... Anyhow, I'm at risk of making this all sound negative, which it isn't! If you really love your subject, which is sounds like you do, a PhD is incredibly rewarding- I honestly have very much enjoyed a lot of my studying (the writing up bit just got fairly tedious....!!) and feel like I have acquired a depth of knowledge it would be impossible to gain through any other means.

How is everyone else?

hmmm good job I edit my thesis slightly better than my posts! Examiner, and I obviously meant looks like they'll try to get my viva done before DC3 appears...

P.S. Majjy- I know quite a few women who were doing full-time PhDs and have had a baby during those years- most universities will allow studies to be suspended for a period of maternity leave, and then recommenced. Funding in such situations is also suspended during maternity leave, and this is where some have come unstuck as many are not eligible for any maternity allowance/benefits, so can be hard financially. My only opinion could be to make a good start on the PhD and preferably be at least into the second year before getting pregnant!!

Me again... Had viva date through- 9th Nov... But had to say sadly that it won't suit and defer viva until the New Yr Baby is very likely to make an appearance that week so just too uncertain that I'll make it! A bit sad to have the whole thing prolongued again, but hey what's another year after so many?!

whiteflame any news on Viva dates for you?

Hope everyone is doing well- Acinonyx & sunnylabsmum did you finish your corrections? Have you got graduation dates? How is the post-PhD vibe now?

Wise decision but a bit frustrating, I'm sure. Good luck with the new baby

Had corrections approved, just waiting for whatever official letter is supposed to finish it all off. I won't be actually going to my graduation though. I confess, I did order something be delivered to Dr Acinonyx, just for the fun of it

Totally bogged down in the papers - no end in sight yet.

Hi Majjy, I started my PhD and had my son after around 15 months. I took a year's maternity leave which everyone was very supportive about (although I'm self-funded so can't advise on that side). Its perfectly possible to have a child mid-study, just be absolutely sure you have set up all you will need to get back into it before you go on maternity (files reminding you what you'd done, what you were going to do next, what you were thinking etc). Also, I found it helpful to start spending one or two afternoons a week at the office when my son was around 3 months old so that I kept it ticking over at the back of my mind.

Congrats on handing in JumpingJellyfish!! (sorry, I've been away and only just catching up) Must be frustrating to put off the viva, but it sounds like the best thing to do! No news on my viva yet - apparently I won't be hearing anything until early November at the earliest. I am just hoping it is before Christmas, would like to have it rounded off before the new year!

I'm getting stuck into the papers next week too, Acinonyx... feels like a hard slog already. Are you writing all of yours at once, or concentrating on one at a time?

I'm concentrating on the main paper, espeically as there are issues that need resolving that will affect some of the other papers. As soon as I have a reasonable aggreed draft for submission I will start on the others. I have heard the general advice is to always have a paper at first draft, one under review, and one in press.

This is a very difficult situation to expalain to normal people who enquire innocently wrt what I'm doing these days. I'm actualy pretty busy with the papers as I can't write a postdoc grant without the first 2 and I am having to chill and accept that this whole process up to grant acceptance/refusal will take about a year But it's hard to explain what I'm doing as even 'writing papers' is meaningless to most people. Worse still, I'm not really earning money, although I will do some supervisions.

It's hard for people to accept that I am not in fact fannying about eating bon bons and throwing in the occaisional load of laundry (although between you and me there has in fact been quite a bit of fannying about this month....).

Great to see this thread - I am in my 7th year of PhD in primary care mental health and feeling pretty exhausted with work, toddler, husband and household. Good to hear that there is light at the end of the tunnel!

welcome cappy1! Do you have an approximate deadline, or are you still in the thick of research?

i too have the 'what are you up to these days' crowd acinonyx - in spite of several explanations of papers and grants, they seem convinced that i'm sitting around watching daytime soap operas. depressingly, some of them even work in the same field... i've grown more or less immune to it, but it was harder to handle when asked within hours of submitting my thesis . several people also told me on submission day that i looked tired, and that they used to be tired when they handed in big assignments at school .

Hi all Can I join in? I have finished all mmy lab work and have two months to write it up after analysing. I am working shifts and full time with two children with the youngest 16months old.DH works away a lot. Am a bit apprehensive. Not a scientist so absolutely no background in writing up. I need all the support and adv needed. Nice to find a thread like this one.

Wow, notanidea - that sounds like a really packed timetable you have there. How much time have you got left altogether (including the analysis) and how crucial is it that you finish in that time? I would make a timetable with really short deadlines (not more than a week) from here to then.

How is everyone else doing with papers and grant applications? I am a bit stuck with my main paper and really need it (and another easier, supporting paper) for 2 looming grant deadlines.

I feel the PhD process has seriously damaged my enthusiasm though and I hope it's not permanent. I was so fantastically eager to get my PhD grant - but for postdoc grants - it feels as though i'm going through the motions because I need a job. But then I think about it basically being the same process all over again - and I practically dread it! Sometimes I think that if I can just do ONE postdoc it will justify the whole saga.......

Glad to see you posted notanidea! That does sound like a very full schedule. Have you written any parts of your thesis, or are you starting from scratch? You said it was a master's thesis on the other thread, didn't you (sorry, terrible memory!).

Acinonyx, I hear your pain! I'm also (for the first time I can remember) feeling unenthusiastic about the next stage. At the moment I'm still waiting to hear about my viva, and it is unlikely to be before the Christmas holidays now. And so the viva, post doc grants, moving to post doc etc will all happen in the same couple of months, after several blank months of me trying to get things rolling but making very little progress. Everyone keeps asking me detailed and frankly patronizing questions about what comes next, and I just want to scream at them to leave me alone. (Stressed? Moi?? )

On the plus side, the first of the papers containing some of my PhD work was published a few weeks ago, so that's keeping me going!! What aspect of your main paper is holding things up?

yes.it is a MD.not written anything before but I have another 18months to complete it but I would like to complete it as soon as possible.

notanidea - what is an MD?? 18 months sounds doable if you have completed all your empirical work. Still pretty challenging if you are working full time though.

Whiteflame - congratulations on the paper. Certainly bodes very well for your viva. It's always best to get your first papers out BEFORE the viva!

I have been trying some alternative anaytical methodology on my final analyses which involve using software and syntax very unfamiliar to me. I'm not at all sure it will really pay off - but if it did - it would (might?) be very beneficial. But it has slowed the whole process down considerably.

I feel rather bad about working and yet not earning. I'm doing a little teaching and just got an OU teaching contract which is something new and exciting to do - but it is very little - not a real salary (even a small one...).

Good luck with the viva - I feel sure you will do great!

It is a masters degree in molecular biology. My supervisor wants it done by june/august.I think 18 months is the deadline .I want this finished and submitted by then as without a job from august.I want atleat the results and Mand M to be done by feb.

Just curious - why is it called an MD rather than an MSc? Also, why are you doing this masters - you say you are not a scientist but you must have had some relevant background surely?

I am a doctor by profession but wanted to do research involving the condition I deal with every day.I t was a lab based basic science research.Have really enjoyed it and have lot of respect fpor the scientists for the job they do.

I have analysed the data last week.Bit of a nightmare with childcare last week so not really been on mumsnet.

can I ask one more question- how do you get the authors name but not numbers when you are writing the reference.

I see - I thought MD might be connected with medicine.

Are you trying to change the referencing system in your reference manager? I am very old fashioned I'm afraid and although I use Endnote, I type all the references alphabetically (yes, hundreds of them....). I've never used the numbering system for references - only names.

Is this Cite as you Write - perhaps someone else can help or else start a new thread to ask with more specific information supplied.

hi notanidea, congrats on getting the data analysing done, that's a pretty big chunk of work for most people!!

what referencing system are you using? if it is endnote, you can change the referencing style within endnote itself (not from word). if you open your endnote library, there is a drop-down box in the top left corner that should display the style you're currently using (it's probably on something like 'numbered.ens' at the moment). You can change this style to any style you like, using the 'select another style' button within the drop-down menu (molecular microbiology is an author-date style that suited my needs). once you've changed the style, it should update your references in word when you next insert a reference, or format your bibliography.

if it's not endnote, i don't think i can help

i have downloaded zoreto .Thanks for your help.