Aw, Satch:

I don't have any constructive advice but I do think you are very sweet. That might make you smile :-)

I'd like one too if they're going spare.

Hi Shoulder, I'm in. I have a mock viva for my mid-point viva (is this making any sense?) tomorrow morning. Have suddenly realised I don't understand what anything I've written means and can't answer any questions. Hope your night is going better!

Yeah that's how I feel Eska. I feel like I've not got to the point where I can just edit for style/consitency because I keep thinking of more things I haven't covered and how I might shoehorn them in. It certainly hasn't been a linear process from writing to editing. Getting v. frustrated!

Might try the change of environment thing Algae, ta :-)

How do you eat yours?

Do you read the whole document through and edit whatever needs doing? Or do you look for different things- e.g., first look at footnotes, second look at grammar, etc.? Do you break it up into sections or do it in one fell swoop?

I haven't got a consistent approach and am thinking I should maybe adopt one.

No KB, don't let a troll put you off! Hope you're feeling better. I've got man troubles at the moment, I might post about it so we can revel in the Dispatcher-free zone.

This? I can't understand anything you say either Dispatcher, as I said earlier.

KB, you always come across as perfectly lovely, kind and helpful. Don't sweat it 8-)

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I know, I know; 'don't feed the troll', but 'Born n Bread in UK' made me actually laugh out loud. Most people, whether 'born and bred in the UK' or not would have trouble understanding your terrible spelling and poor phrasing. Now do go away.

Thanks Monkey but as I've already explained in my discipline (literature) co-authorship isn't done in journal articles. I don't know why, but that's the way it is.

Thank you for your advice guys.

I'm not sure how co-authorship works in my subject; it's very unusal anyway, in journal articles. The only thing I've seen that's similiar is giving people a nod at the beginning/end of the paper, i.e: thanks to persons X,Y and Z for reading drafts of this paper.

I will be wary though and do the CCing somebody else in to the e-mail.

Thanks again.

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Thanks Chrisrol, I never know what the correct methods of doing these things are!

Missed your reply there 4matt; she did say at the conference that 'it does the ego good' to hear people using your work so I'm hoping she'll be flattered too but I suppose it depends how good (bad) she thinks the article is!

Hi all,

What is the procedure for asking academics from outside of your university to comment on your work? I met a woman at a conference a few months ago whose work I have used extensively and who teaches on the subject I'm writing a journal article about (a particular character in medieval literature). She heard my paper (which the article is an extension of) and said she liked it, we had lunch together and exchanged a few e-mails afterwards.
Would it be very cheeky of me to send her my article before publication and say that I'd welcome her comments? There would be nothing of immediate benefit for her in it but as I say I do cite her work throughout so if I get published I am indirectly increasing her 'impact' ,-)

What do you reckon?

Hi,

Thanks so much for the advice. I think what I will do is send him the document tomorrow asking for an extension and outlining- as you suggest Natassia- the changes I will make if I'm given time. That'll hopefully show him that it is close to completion. And that's a very good point about the peer review Sue. I hate handing things in late and I'm so tired of looking at the damn thing but I know how picky journals can be so it needs to be polished if it's to have any chance.

Thanks again.

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Sorry for the dramatic nature of the title but hoped it would get people's attention quickly ,-)

My sup is editing a special edition of a very good journal and I am submitting a paper to it. It's in no means guaranteed that I'll get in but he's been clear that it would look good for him also if I can. I've already been given a month's extension as I had to had to hand in my mid point report on the same day the article was due and there was just no way I could get them both done. However, I'm supposed to be submitting tomorrow and the thing is still a mess. It needs some serious editing, references added, footnotes sorted out etc. Is it best to break my back and submit a lower-quality article tomorrow, on time, or ask for another week to give time for editing? I still wouldn't have masses of time to work on it as I have my mid point viva this week which I need to prepare for and various other things, but it might stop me making silly mistakes. I'm completely torn. Help!

Seems like this is a common one, I thought it was just me. I can't stand being in the kind of cheap and cheerful nightclubs and bars I used to frequent when I was younger because I just don't fit in anymore. I don't know how to have a 'normal' conversation. In some ways though, I think this has been a really positive thing. I never entirely enjoyed that sort of thing and used to think I was a freak and some friends told me I took things 'far too seriously' just because I wanted to talk about other things than shoes and celebrities. Since starting the PhD I've realised there's nothing wrong with that and in fact there are people who are far more esoteric and anti-social than even me!