Overview of Thesisfun

Recent Posts

Phd by Prior publication
T

There are many that offer a PhD by publication to all-comers- certainly the one that I work at does.

What I find odd is that someone who presumably has a track record in publishing is unable to use google!

IRAS/NHS ethics
T

What do you need to know?

help about publish a research
T

What is your question?

Passed my PhD with no corrections - Choose your supervisor wisely!
T

Success was down to you.

An excellent supervisory team cannot turn a bad student in to a good student.
A good student can excel irrespective of supervisory team.

If both student and supervisory work well together, that is when great things happen!

publishing papers out of my completed PhD thesis
T

a- Fine- just acknowledge previous papers (also bumps up your H-index :) )

b- Presumably methods are different somewhere or are you just splitting up to get multiple publications (that is bad form).

c- What Rewt suggests is just wrong!!! There are fields where authorship has very specific requirements (including approval of the final paper). Why is supervisor not available?? Depending on what future relationship you want to have, you could send the paper to supervisor with a reasonable deadline saying that you plan to submit by a certain date and would like comments/ approval by then or will be unable to include as author!

Is this a fail?!!
T

What did your protocol/ statistical analysis plan state in terms of analysing data?

What tests did you use and what do you think you should have used?

Email etiquette... how would you reply to this person?
T

Dear Professor/ Dr/ Ms/ Dame/ Lord Bloggs

Over-formality never offends; informality may offend.

Brain Cancer
T

New poster with weird link to cannabis site.

I will try and be nice....
A doctor has told you there may be a genetic link with brain cancer- probably is, but nothing you can do about it.
You have headaches- if concerned, see a health professional.
Your friend is an idiot.
Cannabis does not cure or prevent cancer!

ORCID
T

Quote From rewt:
Is there any point in signing up for ORCID? I see the point of it it being an independent way to document all your publications, jobs and grants etc. But is it worth a PhD student signing up for it or are there any disadvantages to having one?


No disadvantage. No one looks at it, so no real value in keeping it updated.

Value is that some journals/ funders require you to have an ORCID ID.

SPSS data entry help!! Short description below...
T

What is the question??

Supervisor publishing my data?
T

Quote From nanbob:
Quote From Thesisfun:
Quote From nanbob:
[quote]. I think I've got to remember that this information is for my PhD, and not for them to justify a policy position with. If they want to use it in a way that won't compromise my PhD then that's fine for the points you raised, but otherwise they will have a different source to defend their policies :)



Errrr... no!!
Did you say to survey respondents that data is purely for your personal benefit and to earn you a qualification?
The point of research is not to get you "a paper."

It sounds like your supervisor wants to use the data to help answer a question that will inform policy. This is a good use of data.
It sounds like you would prefer policy was based on political beliefs, rather than research.


Yeah you missed the bit where I said I was planning on publishing... my supervisor wants to use it as his personal policy direction has come under scrutiny and wants to defend it using some of my work; when in actuality my position is probably more nuanced than his...


But... you said the survey was done last year.

Just publish now- why the delay?

Supervisor publishing my data?
T

Quote From nanbob:
[quote]. I think I've got to remember that this information is for my PhD, and not for them to justify a policy position with. If they want to use it in a way that won't compromise my PhD then that's fine for the points you raised, but otherwise they will have a different source to defend their policies :)



Errrr... no!!
Did you say to survey respondents that data is purely for your personal benefit and to earn you a qualification?
The point of research is not to get you "a paper."

It sounds like your supervisor wants to use the data to help answer a question that will inform policy. This is a good use of data.
It sounds like you would prefer policy was based on political beliefs, rather than research.

Pregnancy during PhD: dealing with chemicals and advisor
T

Quote From pm133:
There will be risks to your baby if you continue working in a lab-based environment.


There MAY be measurable risks!


Quote From newlease36:
i It is definitely illegal to make someone work in conditions that would adversely affect their health.



It is illegal to make anyone work in any conditions- that is slavery!!



Quote From newlease36:

but in the case you had no rights (which you do) and you could be forced to work in an environment that would adversely affect your child's health... would you still do it????

Like I honestly don't what your asking here? should I continue to work in environment that has the potential to harm my unborn child? not a difficult question to answer.


This hyperbole is unhelpful- everything job has potential risks, and individuals need to weigh up risks (once they have been reduced as far as possible) for themselves based on their individual values and circumstances. The employer/ university has a role in this as well. For example, an individual who had had recurrent miscarriages may view any risk as unacceptable (even if viewed as reasonable by others).


The sensible (and measured advice) advice is:

You need to ask for the Health and safety risk assessment. You need to flag your pregnancy health and safety adviser and seek advice.

No work place is without risk and there will always be unknown risks- key thing is about recognising known risks, and controlling them.

I doubt the supervisor is recklessly endangering the OP!

I doubt the OP is the first person in the lab to get pregnant- a risk assessment may have been done last time which identified that use of chemicals under a hood was acceptable.

ETHICS HELP! Urgent
T

1) Phone committee and ask

2) Sounds long, but might be reasonable if extremely complex/ significant ethical issues.

Presentations - obligations?
T

Quote From nanbob:
Hi,

My PhD involved conducting a piece of research that was part funded by a local council; as part of that I've published my first 'first author' paper in an international peer reviewed journal, presented the work internationally, nationally and locally and done a load of poster presentations and written up a report for local organisations to share.

One of my supervisors who is based at the council organisation sort of signed me up to speak at a conference without asking me about it first/letting me know any details. She's not been very 'present' within the PhD (I basically get the idea that she's there to have her name on something - she doesn't come to any meetings and didn't even proof read my final manuscript). I've been struggling with my mental health recently, having a recent bereavement and coming towards the end of my PhD funding and the stresses that involves. I think it will take a lot of time to prepare for the presentation and most of the audience will be aware of the work already, it's getting published and I just don't feel like I could cope with the anxiety of presenting at the moment so it's not something I want to do right now. I emailed my supervisor to say I wouldn't be able to attend but I'm more than happy if she (who is also presenting) wanted some of my slides and she can include it in her talk. She sent me a pretty arsey email after that and copied in my other two supervisors (one of them agreed I shouldn't present; the other more senior supervisor wasn't aware of it)...

Was I out of line in cancelling? I know they part funded the work but I feel I've done quite a lot of research dissemination already to make it worthwhile!


Hmmmm... you need to take your relationship with your supervisor out of this!

Essentially- you have been asked by a research funder to present your findings to them.
I accept the timing may not be perfect- but, if it were me, I would do it unless I actually couldn't do that date.

From a self-interest angle, they have funded previous research, perhaps they will fund your next project.