My stuff was ready to go to the next committee in May, due to many things, including unavailablility fo someone who had to sign one of the forms, (and the fact that they then signed an older version of the form, which simply would not be accepted now there was a new one) it is still waiting to go in - I took everything to the secretary at the end of August, seemingly complete at last, only for some changes to be made because of yet another change in the supervisory team and other minor things which means they need new forms . As I am part time I can't just drop in and get these things sorted and it seems there are so many hurdles that have very llittle to do with anything except ticking boxes. I feel I can't get on in case they need some adjustments, but I don't want to just hang about waiting as I know as soon as I get the green light my super will expect loads of work to have been done. Sometimes you just can't win can you.

Hi Joyce

I know exactly what you mean

A lot of the time i just find myself doing fiddly little organisational things just to tick the right boxes, as opposed to getting on with meaningful research. What gets on my nerves the most at the moment is my second year report. It's a progress report, nothing more than that and is assessed internally by my supervisory team. Having not told me what to do regarding what was expected, i put together a briefish report............ a week later supervisor throws it back at me and gets angry.

She never told me it had to be thesis standard. As things are i'm behind with research due to a bad first year, and now i am still correcting my pointless little report to the thesis standard she expects. As well as this she gives me really fiddly stuff to do for corrections, and censors aspects of the truth in my report which might make the project look bad when it's the truth. I can never win, and now my boss thinks i'm thick as well.

Either way, whether you wanted to hear that or not is up to you, but i know how you feel

All the best