When I started my PhD, I worked in the research office and there wasn't much of a research community, so I set up a reading group called 'Hardcore Texts', where we all read up to 20 pages of challenging material that someone was reading and discussed it on a Friday afternoon. This did a number of things. It brought people together and provided a support network for those who were struggling with difficult material. It also developed into a group fro supporting those who were presenting at conferences. The group gave them a chance to present their paper to a friendly audience and get feedback. This was really helpful in getting used to presenting to a group of people.

Following my PhD, I work for myself as a proofreader and spend a lot of time with just my laptop, so other academics and students get together for silent coexistence. This means we all congregate at a cafe and work on our own stuff, but with other people. This is also a great support network, but allows you to get work done and encourages you to work.

I hope this helps

If it's fundamentally flawed you should highlight this in your thesis and what could be done in further studies to rectify this. This will show that you are aware of the theoretical issues and limitations of the study.

Excellent. Well done Doctor.

Presenting a paper at a conference is not the same as having chapters published in a peer reviewed journal. A PhD should be original work, but feedback from conferences is very helpful and encouraged.

Congratulations Scientistish. I'm really pleased for you.

When I submitted I had to wait over ten months for my viva due to a clerical error. This left me in a state of limbo. I wanted to put it away and move on. Moreover, when I finally got the date for my viva, it was in seven day's time. I went into panic mode and feverishly read and reread my thesis, but the thing that helped me most, and the reason I'm writing this, is a series of mock vivas. Two of my supervisors did two separate mock vivas a couple of days before, which really helped me articulate my argument. It's very different reading your thesis to actually having to verbally define your argument. When I finally went in for the viva, it was an enjoyable experience, and that wasn't just because of the pastries on the table. The viva itself was much easier than the mock vivas, but they helped tremendously.

I have started a hashtag on twitter #myphdinatweet with the challenge of condensing your entire thesis in less than 140 characters, which does not mean the title of the thesis. As well as being fun and challenging, it can make you think about the essence of your PhD to tease out the important elements. My contribution was:

'The possibility of responsible decision making related to Derrida and Nagarjuna or Why doesn't Batman just kill that Joker?'

My twitter is @drjohnsupport and I look forward to seeing your tweets.

John

I'm sorry to hear about your loss. One of the best pieces of advice I was given when I started my PhD was that it is never going to be perfect. It will never be the work that defines you. See it as a larger essay rather than your magnum opus. A lot of PhD students that I see get caught up in striving for perfection, which can cause a lot of heartache.

I hope this helps in some way.

John