Yep - it's gone. Not in recycle bin. I do that with phone messages/emails and work. If it's done with it gets deleted completely. Always have...

Search has been done - not there. Just been through and checked every single file. I intentionally deleted copies so I only had the most up to date one - or so I thought.

Glum... :-(

Hi all:

Hoping that everyone's keeping well. I've just had a bit of a nightmare 48 hours and well and truly screwed.

I found out on Friday evening that I'd a funeral to go to up in Scotland today (I live in the Midlands region). Undettered I booked return flights to sunny Scotland. I'd been working flat out on my literature review all week and (though editing - a lot of it) was required I'd managed to get up to 12,500 words.

Internet crashed on Sunday so couldn't send file to supervisor as arranged late on Sunday night. Decided to call into uni via way to airport to send file to supervisor and found it to be the wrong file (the file I started with last Sunday?!?). Not to worry I thought and sent it to the supervisor with the promise upon returning from Glasgow that the updated file will be sent.

Called into work after being dropped off to pick something up and headed home to get file off computer and send it onto supervisor so find the old file there?! In my infinite wisdom, I've somehow managed to delete the 'new' file I've spent the past week working on...

Came into uni and still here now, somehow trying in vain to do the work I've done over the past week. It's not happening. Drained after a long day up in Glasgow - had expected evening off and it's now 3:40 am. Tried to tidy up the old file and forwarded that onto supervisor but FFS - how's it going to seem to them?

Things are going really bad in my research in terms of progress. Last week's been a complete and utter waste of time and it's killing me. Spent the last hour in floods of tears trying to work out what's happened. Even then I was sure I deleted the correct file on Saturday.

I've got a meeting with supervisor on Thursday and dreading it... School boy/girl error but shouldn't happen, and now I don't have a completed literature review to show supervisor.

Deadline for literature review isn't until mid-June (so three months) but due to nature of my research I need it done like now as need to start collecting research by start of May realistically.

Can someone tell me it's not as bad as it seems - spent the past 15 minutes having crazy thoughts of having to go back to South Korea to teach English when I get booted out of my scholarship in 2 days time... Btw this is an MRes I'm doing this year (as a 1 + 3) hence the tight timescales...

Thanks...

S x

Evening all:

Hope that everyone's keeping well. Just as wee thread prior to logging off for the evening. Still struggling to build up any momentum (I've posted similar threads along this line in the past). I'm in the first year of my PhD programme (doing an MRes this year followed by a three year PhD next year). The downside to this year is that thus far I've had 5 modules in my uni - all fairly tough as new concepts. This has meant that I've not been able to focus as much on my research as I'd have wanted to have done...

I've done a fair bit of reading and my supervisor wants to see a literature review, almost done by the weekend's out. I've got 5,500 words done thus far and another 4,500 at least to do - maybe padding it out at a later date... Is it possible to write 4,500 words in a few days if I've got an idea of my direction??? Procastination takes place a lot, and I also suffer from depression which has hampered my progress over the past few months.

The final total from the MRes is 25,000 words... Doable in 5 and a half months? I'd hope so but advice appreciated - please remember it's an MRes as oppose to a PhD at this stage (though I need to demonstrate I can carry out research well).

The good thing to an MRes (as part of the structured four year programme) is that firstly I do most of my modules this year - I've only got two more PhD modules to do next year... Both prior to Christmas. So in effect I have a 'clear road' (if there ever is one with research!) at the start of 2011 to focus on ploughing efforts into research. Furthermore, any research done for the MRes will naturally 'feed into' my PhD - thus cutting down literarture review time and providing first stage of the analysis/results... Oh and (without wanting to give myself away if my supervisors read this board - if I haven't already) access to my sample is not a problem at all. I have heard horror stories about it taking between 6 months to a year to even be granted access - that'll be no problem at all.

So I guess my question is... Should I start worrying, considering my progress thus far? I feel at times I should look at myself as a Masters student (as opposed to a PhD student)... Any advice appreciated as feeling desperate!

Cheers to all!

S x

Hi all:

Hope that everyone's well. I was wondering whether anyone could recommend a particular text book that looks at Quantitative Research... I need to do surveys for my empirical MRes dissertation and doing quants module this week.... It doesn't seem to be going in so going to take the plunge on a text book - any recommendations?

I'm doing a PhD in a Business School.

Cheers,

S x

Morning all. Hope that everyone's well and has had a good week.

I've had a request off an academic within my department at university to review a paper for them prior to submission for publication. Being in the first year of my PhD I'm treating it very much as an honour to be asked. This academic, albeit at the early stage of his career, has published countless papers in high profile journals so I want to make a good impression. I did speak to another one of his PhD students (sorry this person isn't my own supervisor) who said that the person is '...testing me, to see if I can handle it'.

I hope I can and want to give constructive feedback (am in the Social Sciences department - sorry not trying to give too much away in case he reads this forum) as conscious of job opportunities once the studying's complete. Maybe it would help to have experience of reviewing articles for people who could be interviewing me...

Anyway, the question I'm asking on here is what's expected of me in this review process? On first reading through the paper (it's a long 45 page one!) it seems perfect in terms of the style, structure and logical flow.... Any tips would be appreciated.

S x

Hi Biggles (and others):

Thanks very much for your responses. So realistically, I should be looking more towards 2,000 words per week, as oppose to 1,000 + a day?

Regards,

S

Hi all,

Have posted on here previously (usually a similar theme) but am panicking an awful lot... Am I going to fail and get kicked off the course? It feels as if I'm in a bit of a rut and struggling to get out of it.

I was extremely lucky last year to be awarded a 1 + 3 ESRC award from my institution (London based). Extremely lucky as I know how competitive these are. I was teaching part time in another uni (in the city - 8 hours a week which was way too much - but that's been cut down to 2). I'm obviously doing the MRes stage of my award at present and have to get a 25,000 dissertation in by mid-September. This is in tandem with having to get two more MRes modules (focusing on Quals and Quants) done by the end of April and assessed (i.e. % graded) coursework.

So as I sit here now I've got about 7 months to do 31,000 words. The MRes is going to hopefully lead into the PhD. However, @ the mo I've not done much. It feels as if I've stood still. My supervisors feel happy enough with my progress (I've asked them directly) but it feels as if my legs are stuck in mud... Thus far I've got 3,000 bad literature review words done thus far and struggled to build up any momentum.

The research stage of the lit review has to be completed in April/May and worried I'm not going to get the Lit Review done in time, along with the methodology/questionnaire design done... All in all a big :-(.

Just wondered if anyone's got any advice as to whether I'm too far behind, and what to do to get out of the rut. It seems to be most people I speak to about this have gone through this at least twice in any research degree but...

Thanks in advance... Be gentle...

S x

Hey KB... I do already have a distinction from a previous masters... It's just the 'extra things' - slotted in to form the MRes (not the PhD modules though...) that I've struggled with. I only completed my other masters this year, so would they count that instead of the MRes (if the MRes only had an average of around 60%?).

Just spoken to my funding body... It would come down to the institutions decision whether or not I could continue, based upon their own regulations that are in place...

Hi... Yes I'm on the 1 + 3 scholarship. My previous MSc didn't have 'research council accreditation' (bit daft as there was plenty of research methods training). So in effect I have funding for four years (MRes year followed by three PhD years).

It seems as if the only time I post on here is with bad news/worries to apologies in advance. I guess by the same account it's what the virtual networks are for so here goes....

I'm worried that, a mere six months into a 'dream scholarship' (funded by one of the funding councils) my dreams of completing this year (whereby I'm doing an MRes) let alone my PhD are crumbling before my very eyes.

Some of you may remember I posted about suffering from depression at the back end of last week. Unfortunately it's infringed a lot on assignment submissions for my modules. These modules should be relatively straight forward and just form part of my MRes. Unfortunately they've caused me to end of headaches. Due to being ill over Xmas, coupled with struggling with depression, the assignment I've submitted today was sub-standard. No question. I've also got an exam next week that I've yet to prepare for, although I do have a week now to get my head down and see what comes of that.

I'm not sure what to do. I've got an appointment with the uni counsellor tomorrow, and I hope to see the School's support officer tomorrow also. I'm just worried that if I come out with below 60% on my modules I'm going to have my scholarship taken off me (something I don't want from a professional nor a financial perspective). I've no idea what to do or which way to turn - maybe I should just be honest.

Doing a PhD with depression is doable. My MRes research is coming along okay as I can work at own pace and get it done on 'good days'.

If I've got a distinction in a previous masters, albeit from another institution, will that count for something (i.e. can I count that towards my Masters for getting onto the PhD programme as oppose to the MRes if I perform badly in that)? When I was given the funding I was advised/pushed (delete as apporpiate!) by an academic to do the MRes as it'll put me in a better position. Thus far it feels like a taught masters (and having to do a 25,000 word dissertation at the same time) and is almost not what I signed up for.

I'd taken out a big loan to get my masters last year, so I could go on to do a PhD. The gamble seemed to work.

Any advice appreciated.

Hi JoJo....

Interested post. I'm at the early stages of my PhD and I do part time work (and other qualifications as well) to supplement my income. I'll let people know if I'm doing a PhD if it's directly related to a position - for example a research position. If it's not related I don't go into it. Part of me doesn't want to seem over qualified. Having said that, if someone asked me directly I wouldn't look for 'loop holes'. Still, each to their own.

Good luck.

Just wondered if anyone else is in a similar position. I've suffered with depression for most of my adolescent/adult life. It comes and goes over time, normally highlighted around winter with the dark days and night. It's something I'm aware of and something that I manage within myself - recognising as and when I'm depressed and trying to do activities e.g. exercise to alleviate the depression.

Since I've started my PhD (in October 2009) it's obviously infringed on other aspects of my life - it's not been helped with other commitments (I teach part time as well) but such is life. Unfortunately, I've gotten myself into a bit of a negative cycle - feeling down and depressed infringes on my productivity, which ultimately results in increased levels of depression - doh! I wouldn't for one minute say I'm a 'manic depressive' person...

Basically I'm wondering how other people manage depression whilst undertaking studies. I have signed up to the counselling service at my uni to 'manage it' but I haven't said anything to my supervisors. If anything I'm worried about the stigma attached and, at such an early stage where little tangible work has been produced, that there'll feel I'm unable to complete my studies. It is effected me but losing my place (not least because I'm funded) would highten anxiety and depression further,

Any similar experience/advice appreciated.

Cheers.