Overview of Mackem_Beefy

Recent Posts

PHD / DBA / PHD by Paper Works in Europe?
Avatar for Mackem_Beefy

I'll add you'd normally either have to be a graduate of the University (meaning you should approach Cambridge) or currently a member of staff there.

Hope I've been of help to you.

Ian

PHD / DBA / PHD by Paper Works in Europe?
Avatar for Mackem_Beefy

Why doesn't he contact the University concerned or at the very least download his intended University's regulations?

The terminology he's looking for is "Ph.D. by published works".

This article may help the OP.

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/416988.article

Note the cookies may steer the reader away from the page, so once that happens I suggest re-clicking the above link or pasting the link back into the browser address bar.

Another article.

http://www.independent.co.uk/student/postgraduate/postgraduate-study/the-alternative-way-to-get-a-phd-1942607.html

Ian

Looking for a topic and similar PhD dissertations.
Avatar for Mackem_Beefy

Quote From TreeofLife:
I think it can be a dissertation. You need to look at other countries that may have done this and the social, economic, ethical impacts etc and compare this to research in similar areas in Thailand.

Also try searching for UK theses on your topic: http://ethos.bl.uk/

And look at theses in your university library.


Also, most Universities have their own electronic repositories these days. Searching journals and papers online and via Google Scholar should also help.

Ian

How to find a supervisor?
Avatar for Mackem_Beefy

Quote From acronia:
hello people,
Recently, I have come up with a new method in a field related to timekeeping and navigation and blah ... I am sure my method works because I have corresponded to the top scientist of the field and he has approved the method.
I intend to write down on a abstract and submit it to a conference but I guess the referees at the meeting could not be sure of the accuracy of the paper unless it has a supervisor. The problem is that there is not even a single human-being in my own country ever heard of timekeeping and stuff, let alone the faculty of my university! . However, I know great scientists whom I could ask to supervise my paper. Don't you think that kind of request is a little bit disrespectful? and if the answer is yes, would you please tell me how I can find one? sorry it got too long.


What exactly are you asking?

Are you looking to do a PhD and looking for a supervisor?

Or are you looking for someone to proofread your abstract / paper for conference?

I've not done anything in your area, but if you are already at a Uni. studying for a qualification then you should be talking to your own supervisor or tutor as a first point of contact.

Ian

Failed my Master's thesis thrice!
Avatar for Mackem_Beefy

Quote From dancingstar:
I have failed my Masters thesis thrice and I feel like a complete failure. I have one more attempt to clear it but I just don't feel like doing it anymore. I carried forward my credits from my first university which allowed me only 2 attempts at my thesis. And I failed again in the new university too... Could life get worse? And I was expecting a very good grade this time... :-(


Have you a trusted friend who could proof read it for you and see where you're missing the point? It may be just that - you're missing the point of what you're trying to say.

Whilst I was doing my PhD write-up, my supervisor commented that I was too verbose and not succinct enough. He showed me the writing style I should be using and once I realised what I was supposed to be doing, whilst still hard work I was able to progress towards the end.

Ian

Post-Submission Limbo
Avatar for Mackem_Beefy

Shutting down is a hard thing to do in the gap between submission and viva, but if you can take some sort of break then do so. You'll face two such downers, the first at submission the second once you finish the PhD completely.

The nature of what you can do may vary depending upon discipline. I was science and engineering, so in my case I was expected to display a knowledge of what I was expected to know for a science and engineering doctoral candidate. I thus had to revise related areas surrounding my thesis but not necessarily part of it (science, characterisation methods, knowledge of other author's work) that might be discussed during viva. I thus had a short break over Christmas, during which I was twiddling my thumbs thinking I should work as you are now, before I got going again a few days later - this knowing I had significant territory yet to cover was a big motivator to make me start working again. I thus do wonder even with humanities if there's not some background reading you could do that might support you at viva?

My viva was two and a half months after submission and I found my downer happened after viva. I passed at the time with minor corrections and I dealt with these straight away. My paperwork shows the minor corrections were accepted and the final hardbound version of my thesis was submitted exactly a week later.

I was on post-doc at my PhD Uni. and had gone for a lunchtime walk some ten days after and suddenly realised "What do I do now?". The going from frenzied working all hours to normal is quite a drop to take.

I had all this free time on my hands and wasn't sure what to do with it. Only once I got away on holiday a few months later did I truly start to take stock and mentally begin to move on.

Ian

Bizarre PhD experience
Avatar for Mackem_Beefy

Your experience sounds more like typical academic disorganisation rather than the university evolving into a corporate entity, though it is true to say universities are far more commercially minded these days. Professor loses interest in pet project and moves onto something else, shock, horror etc. I think a lot of senior academics are guilty of this, though the more professional academics will try to see through the project if there's a student involved.

Take a good look at you PhD and see what you have gained from it in terms of project and time management (a PhD is a sizeable project), research and writing skills, etc. Other elements such as statistical analysis and (possibly) modelling based on the data collected are skills that can be used in other projects too.

HazyJane makes a few good points in that you should look to publishing some papers based on your PhD work, thus improving your profile and the impact of your CV. Published papers may help in persuading employers (academic or otherwise) that you've got something out of your PhD and are therefore of value to them if they employ you. A PhD is very much a reflection of the candidate's abilities and post-PhD, you should still be looking at how you can take the initiative to improve your position and employability. You've passed, the academics have their successful student to add to their own CVs, now I'm afraid it's up to you no matter what the rights and wrongs are.

Ian

PhD and avoiding social life
Avatar for Mackem_Beefy

You sound as though you're out socialising virtually all the time. :-)

Seriously, for the sake of your own sanity, you need to set aside one or two nights a week where the PhD takes a back seat and you see your friends. Otherwise you go stir crazy, especially during write-up.

Ian

Why has my thread complaining about spam been deleted?
Avatar for Mackem_Beefy

Quote From Ellie:
Dear Tester,

We are currently working on the spam problem so trying to keep threads about it to a minimum while we work on the problem. Your thread has been hidden, not deleted, and we will unhide all threads soon after we have sorted out our system.

Sorry about the inconvenience guys and we hope to have solved this problem VERY soon. It's just as annoying for us as it is for you, promise!


Fair enough and shortly, hopefully, no more
:-)

Ian

Oh look, SPAM!!!
Avatar for Mackem_Beefy

=
Point made moderators?

Ian

YET MORE SPAM!!!
Avatar for Mackem_Beefy

+
Ian

More Spam
Avatar for Mackem_Beefy

@
Ian

Spam
Avatar for Mackem_Beefy

#
Ian

Sick of Spam on this forum!!!
Avatar for Mackem_Beefy

'
Ian

Dear Moderators
Avatar for Mackem_Beefy

.
Ian