Thanks. That is helpful advice.
I will try those sites.

Hi All,

I am looking for advice on how to draw diagrams for a manuscript that I want to submit to a jorunal. I have recently finished writing a review article and my supervisor thinks including a diagram would strenthen our chances of publication. However I have never prepared a scientific illustration. Can anyone suggest anything better than MS Powerpoint?
Thanks.

Hi All,
I have recently found that I have been making a few errors in my PhD work. For example I did not read the instructions for submission of abstracts to a scientific meeting, which I had to resubmit.
This is just one of a few incidents that is starting to worry me.
I have never been a perfectionist, but I feel I am less diligent than I used to be. A possible excuse is that I am now having to manage more task than I used to prior to commencing my PhD.
Is that just a lazy person's excuse or has anyone else had similar problems?
Either way I would appreciate any suggestions people may have on how I can improve my performance? Thanks.

Thanks. It is very reassuring to know that I am not experiencing anything dramatically differently from what would be considered normal.

Hi All,

I am in my first year of my PhD. My PhD is lab based with one project involving collection of samples.

When I started I had it all planned-when I would complete my literature review, experiments write-up etc. But I have found that things did not quite work out as planned - my projects got bigger and more complicated than initially planned.

I would appreciate any advice from the forum about how to organise the remaining two years to maximise my chances of finishing on time.

Thanks.

Congrats Dr Lara!

I am 6 months into my PhD. While it is getting easier, I am still far from confident about the direction and eventual success of my PhD.
It is great to read your story of success. Gives me inspiration to keep pushing on.

Thanks.

Thanks guys for the helpful advice.

I am 6 months into a lab based PhD. My fellow students seem to have similar experiences with him.
I am quite concerned about this because the track record is not great-with 1 quitting early, 2 not submitting after her three years and 1 successfully submitting after 3 years. As you point out, I simply have to focus on my own work first and then consider other projects.

I am looking for advice on how to manage my supervisor. I feel that he keeps making me to things that are not related to my project. The reasons for the diversions seem genuine enough (career development). But I cannot help wondering - whose career?
If anyone else has had similar experiences then I would love to hear from them.
Thanks.