Hi Eska, at my institution we have no option but to publish it online BUT we are able to put a restriction on access until a specific time period. For instance, some who have recently passed in my department have put a 2 or 3 year restriction on it to allow them to publish from it. However, there is an option for people accessing it to 'request' a copy and the hosting site emails the author to approve it. This prevents it being completely inaccessible but gives people the peace of mind when publishing. Is there a similar option available for you?

I hope you hear back soon tuutikki, that must be frustrating.

I am applying for jobs and I kind of feel similarly- that I just want the PhD done and to focus completely on a job. Your comment to Chickpea is also very encouraging! I hope I get a second wind :)

Hugh- this is exactly what I am doing :) currently on chapter 2 of 10. I dreaded this part BUT I am actually finding it quicker than I anticipated. I set myself 2 weeks per chapter, and the current chapter I am working on is looking as though it will be completed by the end of this week. Also, I am surprisingly finding it quite straight forward to cut down my word count focusing on one chapter at a time. I didn't plan on chopping any from the chapter I am currently working on but just by making my wording more concise and eliminating paragraphs that do not seem as relevant, I have got rid of 2000 words!

Chickpea- Oh yes definitely. I had a rubbish day yesterday... I had a coffee with someone to discuss PhD related stuff, then mustered a tiny paragraph of work in 6 hours. I think learning when to put the work down for a few hours is important. When I have a dip in productivity now I go and do something else, even if its some laundry or washing the dishes :)

How is everyone this week? What are your plans?

Wow well done Hugh!

You are nearly there Chickpea :)

I have the whole thesis but I am editing each chapter in order. Some need a lot more work, others need some tweaking. I have just made myself a timetable to stick on my wall to stay on track to have the full draft sent in October, but looks like I will be working a lot of weekends to accomplish it I think :/

Good ol' times new roman.

Yes, I know I am boring!

But I have about 10k to cut too so we are in the same boat! Maybe if we can cut 2k from 5 chapters? That may be more manageable :)

Hi Hugh,

In all honesty, I would just apply and make sure you tailor your experience and skills to the post as much as you can! I applied for one and I was in the same boat and this is what I did. I wasn't shortlisted but I felt it was worth applying as after that initial application, I got faster at the others. I have noticed the quality of my supporting statements improve the more I have applied for :) It is a slog but one that we have to go through!