Hi all,
I'm 8 months into my phd now and I haven't collected any data yet, still designing my first experiment (in psychology)! Is this normal? I've written quite a bit, but writing alone won't get me far. It's partly due to my supervisor, as he's quite busy, so every time I come up with something I have to wait for weeks for him to get back to me with feedback. Has anyone else gone into their second year with no data? Thanks!

Hi Boatgirl, its normal in the first year. Data collection usually occurs in 2nd year and writing up in 3rd year. But by now you should know your:
Rational and done some literature review
Philosophical stance (Epistemology/theoretical perspective)
Methodology (Broad and sub)
What methods you intend to use (survey, interview, observation, FGDs etc)
Your sample size
Your study site
A budget of how much it will cost
Started filling your ethical approval form.

Keep working at it and e-mailing your supervisor with your progress.Hope this helps.

K

Hey Boatgirl! I'm halfway through my PhD in Psychology (clinical) and I didn't start my testing until 10 months in- this is completely normal in some areas of psychology, especially if it's clinically oriented (my pals in cognitive psych seemed to be a bit quicker off the mark!). By 8 months in I had written my literature review, written a detailed proposal, got School ethical approval and had applied for NHS ethical approval. So I wouldn't get panicky just yet! One thing I would say is if you need NHS ethical approval then best to get on with filling out the forms as soon as you can- it can be a very time-consuming process! Best, KB

Thanks both of you, it calmed me down a bit. I'm just working on the NHS ethics form, so hopefully I won't be that delayed.