I'm still confused about the purpose of this info (call me a pedant!). You say that your uni wants to know why your thesis is delayed - but then also say this info will be helpful for first years. So do you want the info so you can come up with other reasons for your work being delayed, or is it for some survey? Or both?....

Yeh, supervisor's names don't normally go on our conference papers. And I've also never seen them acknowledged there either. I also think it's part of their job...

I think this request is somewhat disingenuous. While this is a general discussion forum for PhD related matters, if our answers are going to be used by a uni, we should be fully informed of this. It's not enough to say that it will be used by an international office - how? What will this study be used for? How will the results be disseminated? If we can all manage to get ethics clearance for our research, you should too!

I was having a look at the famous Bolker book (well, one online chapter), and she's recommended that PhDers set themselves a goal of writing a certain no. of pages a day, rather than going by hours, as that can lead to clock watching, daydreaming etc. All of which I can relate to at the moment!

So, I need to write the first draft of my thesis in 3 months - I've done bits of it already - and have worked out that as long as I write a minimum of 3 new pages a day, about 1500 words, I'll get the draft done in 3 months. I can do that!! And that also allows for some redrafting along the way.

That's my new strategy - 3 piffling pages a day!! Right, that mantra is going up on my wall, next to the list of chapter no.s I can cross off as I do them...

I was having a look at the famous Bolker book (well, one online chapter), and she's recommended that PhDers set themselves a goal of writing a certain no. of pages a day, rather than going by hours, as that can lead to clock watching, daydreaming etc. All of which I can relate to at the moment!

So, I need to write the first draft of my thesis in 3 months - I've done bits of it already - and have worked out that as long as I write a minimum of 3 new pages a day, about 1500 words, I'll get the draft done in 3 months. I can do that!! And that also allows for some redrafting along the way.

That's my new strategy - 3 piffling pages a day!! Right, that mantra is going up on my wall, next to the list of chapter no.s I can cross off as I do them...

I'm not sure how helpful I can be, since I'm in a different country with different systems...but recently I had to find some historical material, which involved a very arduous search - I ended up contacting about 15 different people/organisations before I found what I needed. However, it was a national archive instituion which eventually helped me - is there a British archive service? There must be - and they should have an online database which you can search. Find a helpful archivist and you'll be set! I also searched a whole lot of online database searches of other archival institutions specialising in my area of history.

Good luck!

Hi Louisa

I can relate to what you're saying - I'm also not very outgoing, which is why doing a PhD suits me - am relatively happy most of the time to sit here, with books and articles, reading and writing by myself!

I'm also in the social sciences, and am not sure if the need for networking is more endemic in this area. I find it odd that networking results in getting published - if articles are submitted, then go out for anonymous peer review, how does networking come into this? Or am I being naive?

But I agree that networking is important, to collaborate on articles, to find work etc etc. I live in a different city to my university, so am not on campus much, and I also notice that those who take part in faculty activities etc do get ahead more. But I think this is just life in general, and haven't noticed it being any worse in academia. If you were fine at networking in your last job, use those skills in academia too - force yourself.

I find academia to probably be more cliquey than other professions, as academics in my field have known each other for a very long time - there's not much churn as in my previous profession, where new people were entering all the time, and so you'd meet newbies quite regularly. Here, they all know each other, and I think it can be hard for students to break into these circles.

No solutions really - I force myself to go to things, give conference papers, network etc. You sound as if you can do this too - good luck!

Hi EE

Yes, you CAN do this!!! You haven't wasted the last three years!! Rationally, if your thesis wasn't good enough, your supervisor would've told you by now. They wouldn't let you get to this stage if you weren't good enough.

Think about how good it'll feel to finally have this finished! I think you should have either have a bit of a break, or go and expel some energy - you sound very worked up, go and do something else with that energy for a bit.

I'm editing a chapter that I hope to have finished by today - and that will be my second one done! Well, the first draft of it...

...anyhoo, back into it. Hope you feel better soon.

Hi Nichola!

Welcome to the self-esteem club! In answer to your question 'who am I?', well, we're postgrads who are still studying, thinking and have something to say. And the cv grows - the more we do, the more qualified we become. But we all need to start somewhere and then take it from there. And yeh, a huge amount of it is confidence and sheer bluff. It's amazing what we can pull off really.

Yes indeedy Cakegirl, am in a different time zone - I think I'm about 9hrs ahead. So my pub time is your brekky. And you're right about getting older too - just don't have the energy I had when I started this PhD, and that was only 3 1/2 years ago.

Went to the pub, complained about the thesis, that's my fun for the evening!

Ahh well, my system failed miserably today. I wrote about 1000 words - mostly copying and pasting, and spent a lot of time day dreaming, feeling guilty, and just sitting here. I'm so tired I wonder if I'm ill. Just can't seem to muster up the energy. Doesn't help that I'm not actually doing my thesis, but doing my paid RA job instead. When I started this PhD, I'd spring out of bed at 5.30am, do a couple of hours work, then head off to my paid job, then come home and work a bit more. Am trying to summon up that energy, but failing!

Am off for a beer and giving up for the evening. Tomorrow I might go to library, change of scenery and some student atmosphere might be what I need...

...have a more productive day than I've had!

Sorry Myostatin, couldn't disagree more. While the employer will of course be looking for research abilities, skills, knowledge etc etc, they WILL notice how you look. This all goes to professionalism. Do you want to come across as a student or come across as a professional? This is serious - you're not just bumming around campus, you want to be taken as a serious academic, and the way you look will of course count. If you show up casually, it indicates you couldn't be bothered with your appearance - and if you can't be bothered making an effort for an interview, why should an employer offer you the job?

Dress the part - jacket, good pants etc. This will also make you feel more confident and like a professional.

Good luck!

Eska, I can sooo relate to the 28/40 comment!!!;-)

And see, you do know more than the young men around you, and have a right to be more confident than they are. Or at least pretend to be confident! The world loves confident young men, we need to shake up the stereotypes about what (slightly older (!)) women can do.

And so, I should go and do it. Am off to edit a chapter.

Hi Cakegirl,

You sound like you're in the same boat as me - March will be too soon but not soon enough!!

It really is The Fear which keeps me going at the moment. And reminders all around the place. I'm counting down the months on my screensaver, I have a detailed monthly plan on my wall, and am just about to put up no.s 1-12 (as I have to do 12 chapters - lucky me) and then take great delight in crossing each of them off as I do the first draft, then revisions etc.

And rewards. Coffee and chocolate when I finish this section, wine with dinner on a Friday after a long week. Week-end away once the first draft's done. Walks in the sunshine with the dog.

Well, study hard everyone!

Can I throw something else into the mix here? I don't know what gender people are, but I suspect that it's women who feel the imposter syndrome/feelings of inadequacy more than do men - especially young men. My supervisor has told me that young male students tend to go straight through uni, do a PhD, then continue their academic careers. They're confident and bluff their way through, building on the same amount of talent as anyone else.

Women get to a PhD by a much more circuitous route, often not starting a PhD until their 30s or 40s, once they've got their kids on the way or had an established career doing something else. Women may not ooze self-confidence the same as young men, and have more self doubts. And possibly be more self aware! It can be harder for women to push themselves forward.

When I feel inadequate, I think 'what would a man do'? And then make that decision, give that presentation, or force myself to do whatever it is I think I can't do. Have a look at some of the young male PhD students around you - do they seem inadequate? I doubt it!

And apologies for mass generalisations, and I know there's lots of sensitive men who are also filled with self doubts.