I am now 3 days into my science PhD degree. So far my supervisors have told me a little about what the project will involve. They said that I will spend this week shadowing a 2nd year student but other than that I havn't been told much. I have spent the last few days just reading articles. Is this normal? Should my supervisors inform me of the plans?

Hi. This is very normal for a PhD. I would expect to spend the first few weeks reading. However, you could try speaking to other members of the lab and ask them what they are doing and if you could 'shadow' them for a while.

Yes, thats very normal. The first two weeks of my PhD I did no work at all but got myself sorted. It takes time to open a comuter account with the uni, go to safety talks (that are required before lab work), find a house to stay in, open a bank account .... your supervisor doesn't want to shock you too much and you have still got 3 more years to finish.

If you are getting bored then go to your supervisor and ask her/him for something to get started on. And read as much as you can- you will soon find it hard to find time for reading.