Hello! So I've got my PhD and have got an interview for my first postdoc job. One of the criteria asks me to have knowledge of conducting narrative literature reviews. What is a narrative review?

I've tried researching it in the short space of time that I have. Are there 3 types of literature reviewing? Narrative, qualitative systematic and quantitative/meta analysis? Is a narrative review systematic?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

I'm a bit worried that you think your 'life will be over' if you don't get into Oxbridge. Even if you have a great Masters they still might not take you. If they don't take you, isn't there anywhere else where you could do that particular Masters?

I have just passed my PhD with 3 month corrections. I have the opportunity to graduate this year if I complete them within 6 weeks. I do not have so many corrections so could realistically complete them within this time. However, I want to publish from my PhD and I am worried that if I submit my thesis then I will be considered no longer a student, in which case I'm not sure if I will be able to affiliate myself to the university. Does anyone have experience of this? Do universities allow you to have an affiliation once the thesis is submitted? I am also concerned that if I graduate at a later date it will look bad on my cv. (PhD has already taken me 4.8 years!)

Passed PhD with 3 months to make some corrections!

Thank you so so much for your comments! They are all very helpful. I feel at least marginally better to see how you have managed to get through these experiences. In response to your question Smoobles my supervisor has told me that I have excellent data, this is thing I think that has kept me going so far. I just seem to have enormous problems with presenting it in a meaningful way. I like the idea about making a strict timescale for each chapter. I think I will try to discuss this with my supervisor next time I see her. My supervisor has been very supportive, and we've been looking at ways to improve my writing but it's just like the penny hasn't dropped.The reason why it was such a shock at my meeting was because I've been working on this next chapter since November and I thought it was at least ok, but it was not. I think I will try and have more contact with my supervisor from now on. Thanks very much again

I'm now in the forth year of my phd and am wondering whether I should quit. Everything was going well up until my third year when I started writing and from then on things just seem to have gone nowhere. I have written a considerable amount, many thousands of words but I have only produced one credible thesis chapter. My supervisor told me today that I should think about applying for an extension as I only have until September to submt. I felt like she had just shot me. I don't know if I am just prolonging the frustration and that I will never actually get there. After so many attempts I just seem incapable of getting there. I'm worried about money as well. (I had a scholarship that ended after three years). What makes it worse is that I don't seem to hear about any other PHD students in my situation. Other students who started their PHDs at the same time as me in my department have either submitted or are much closer to submitting.