worried about slow pace

B

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!

K

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

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

B

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.

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