Hi everyone,

I'm hoping someone can offer some advice or guidance. I've recently started the Mphil to transfer onto the PhD. Anyhow I have one assignment which I did. I worked really hard (or at least I thought I did!) and reflected and discussed all issues related to my research. I felt really pleased I had got it done and out of the way. However, I just got some feedback saying it didn't read like an essay and had no structure whatsoever. Infact I was advised to submit draft after I'd done alot more work on it.

I'm really worried and confused... the essay structure is how I have structured essays in the past and I have experience of research so it's not that it's new to me. I don't know what I've done wrong or how to rectify it...

I've NEVER been told my works been bad/poor on the contrary it's always of a high standard...

what shall i do?? any advice? The PhD is my ambition and i KNOW I can do it. but right now feel so down. is there a particular 'way' of structuring essays at Masters/Phd level? the topic was ethics.

Any advice/feedback/support appreciated

many thanks

How did you structure it, I'm guessing introduction, argument, conclusion? I've just started my MSc and although I haven't had to write anything for submission yet but we've been told that Masters level work requires the same general structure (unless we're writing a report or something different like that), but with more synthesis between arguments, basically showing a higher level of analysis and research around the subject, away from the set reading.
If structuring is the main issue, rather than content, I would say that it is more straightforward to rectify than something with the wrong content/limited understanding. I'm guessing your knowledge was accurate and relevant, just not presented in the most effective way. I don't really want to suggest anything but you should go and speak to whoever marked your essay, without being defensive about it, and find out exactly what he/she meant. As you are near the beginning of the course, and you need to resubmit, they should be willing to help - it is in their best interests as well as yours for you to improve. It may not be a case of necessarily improving, more changing the way you write. I hope that has helped in some way, good luck, Natassia

Hi
thank you so much for your response.

>>If structuring is the main issue, rather than content, I would say that it is more straightforward to rectify than something with the wrong content/limited understanding. I'm guessing your knowledge was accurate and relevant, just not presented in the most effective way.<<

I never thought of it like that...the feedback basically said it had no structure whatsoever and did not read like an essay and the fact that I said it was a almost completed draft was suprising.

As I said in was an incomplete draft...yes I had the main body and intro...however I found the essay outline a bit vague... it was on the ethical issues of my research. which I thought I covered well (!!!) and justified/argued. I'm not sure if my essay was read as I was told I can only send one draft and perhaps I wanted after doing a lot more work on it.
What is suprising for me is that I've always got very high grades usually a first in my assignments so this has come as a horrible shock... I feel a bit stuck and not sure what to do now... as I've been told I need to do a lot of work on it...

Might speak to my supervisor... and see if they can offer any help.

feeling alone and miserable :(

Hi Social Research

I sympathise with you feeling miserable! It's really hard getting a piece of work back that you thought you did well, but others have criticised. As Natassia has said, it's great you have the content though!

Academia is hard, and we all get negative criticism - it's part of the learning process I'm afraid. I've received some really awful, soul-destroying feedback on my work, but when I've calmed down, let the piece of work sit for a bit and gone back to it, I can see the points the reviewers/supervisors are making. As I'm writing, I'm now constantly asking myself whether that phrase made sense/had meaning/was precise enough; whether I really can make that conclusion based on the evidence; whether that that paragraph really linked to the previous one etc etc. I think a lot of structure is about how you build up the evidence and also about precision, making sure that the argument does flow and there's no gaps in logic/evidence. Sit down with the person who reviewed your work and go through it, you might be surprised at how things can fit together.

As everyone's always saying here, a PhD trains you to be a researcher, and you're not going to do this correctly straight off. Also, I think you need to let go of comparing yourself to your previous grades ie have always done well and so should be doing well now. Your good grades are what got you in to the program, but now you need to start again as a novice, in training, and build up to being a really good researcher.

Take heart, you'll have victories along the way! And just keep going!!

Thank you so much for your replies!! I think I've calmed down a BIT now. Infact I'm working on restructuring it as I type. It's reassuring to know I have covered all if not most of the issues I need to. To be honest I think I've become a bit rusty... the last of proper academic writing I did was over a year ago! This past year I've simply been writing reflections during my teacher training so I suspect it's leaked into my essay - i.e a bit of informality perhaps??

Again THANK YOU so much for your response... I will keep you posted on my progress! I'm hoping to have it polished by tomorrow evening