Part 2: MANAGING IN THE MID-TERM

Managing Your PhD

Mid Term (12-24 Months)

Congratulations !

You have survived the first year and hopefully you will have developed your literature review and refined your research

Welcome to Year 2: Normally dedicated to conducting field or

laboratory research, including data collection and analysis. Writing of research papers

Now is the time to face the most testing period of your PhD

What are you aiming for …

PhD students ... are required to show ability to conduct original investigations, to test ideas, whether their own or others', and to understand the relationship of their work and its themes to a wider field of knowledge.

... thesis …. should exhibit substantial evidence of original scholarship and contain material worthy of publication.

Reflective Insights Activity

In Groups of 4: Share your PhD experience

What have you learnt about yourself during your PhD journey so far?

How do you feel about your PhD at this moment in time?

What do you wish you had know in the early stages? What are the main challenges of postgraduate

study? What issues are you uncertain about /need to

discuss?

Look at the listings from the other groups

The Mid Term Blues

Dr C Wilson (2009)

Moments of Self doubt - Why am I doing this ?, What’s the point?, Am I wasting three years of my life?

Mid term because it typically strikes in the middle of your second year when you can no longer see the beginning and the end is no where in sight (often coinciding with the brick wall syndrome)

Knowing in advance that this is going to happen helps you get over it.

Not the PhD, Not Just Now!

You want to work, but not on the PhD, just now!

Cannot face looking at the same problem for the n-th problem from the m-th angle

Beware – this is the time when you are tempted by trivial distractions!

Stay focused – Go back to the plans you created in the first year

Set mini milestones and work towards themPart time students avoid the ‘I’ll soon have

time for my thesis syndrome’

Time Eater -Activity

Spend a couple of minutes identifying your personal time eaters

Share you time eaters with a partner and identify ways to counter act them.

Common Time Eaters

Lack of ObjectivesLack of ConsistencyNever Ending TasksProcrastinationLack of Self DisciplineInability to say NOUnforeseen CrisisDisplacement Activities

Anxiety and Isolation

Dr C Wilson 2009

What am I going to do when (if) I do finish this?, Why did I ever start it?

Am I up to where I should be by now?If its new to me is it original?I’ve just discovered someone has written this beforeIts all a load of rubbishConflicting adviceCollecting data – too much too little – the right sort?Writing – too much, too little too disparate – how do I

pull it all together, writers blockTime – three years is not as long as it seemed when I

started

Feeling fed up !

Dr C Wilson 2009

Research is a messy process. When you read papers in the journal literature everything looks clear and straightforward. You never see the pain and the mistakes behind it. The messiness is hidden. Don’t get discouraged – it is there

Often the initial excitement has worn off. You may feel isolated, homesick fed up.

Easier said than done but take the opportunity to counteract intellectual loneliness by attending seminars, social events. Arrange your own. Ask your department…

Brick Walls!

In (nearly) every PhD a point is arrived at where the student discovers that he/she cannot progress the research any further because it appears (for example) that:

It simply cannot be done (this is why nobody else has done it)

You are clearly not intelligent enough and should gone into another line of work

You have ‘lost the plot’ and no longer know what you are doing

You have hit a “brick wall”!!

Brick Walls – Getting Round Them!

When hitting what seems like an insurmountable problem – the first thing to do is step back and take a break for a few days.

A fresh look after a few days is always beneficialTry and get round the problem somehow Do not be afraid of backtracking even if you have

spent several months pursuing a particular route of enquiry

You can include negative results in your thesis (but if it is all negative, i.e. the answer to your research question is no then think about changing your research question)

Avoiding the Research Blues

When you meet your goals – reward yourselfDon’t compare yourself with experienced

researchers who may have more years or work and publication experience

Don’t be afraid to leave part of your research problem for future work

ExerciseUse the services offered by the UniversityOccasionally do something fun without

feeling guilty.

Mid Term Health Check

Are you getting the most out of your relationship with your supervisor?

Are you meeting regularly –if not why not Is there a break down in relationship Communicate clearly

Prepare for your meetingsTake the initiative

Mid Term Health Check

Are you getting the most out of what you read?

Be organised and efficientTake notes of every paper you find worth

readingSummarise what you have read on each topicRead PhD theses

Mid Term Health Check

Are you making continual progress on your research?

Keep a journal of your ideas –record everythingSet some reasonable goals with deadlinesKeep a to do listDiscuss your research with anyone who will listenContinually update your:

Problem statement Goals Approach

Write about your workAvoid distractions & confront your fears

Activity

In pairs present to you partner.

The one minute version of your research

The five minute version of your research

Provide constructive feedback to your partner

Signposts of Risk

The frequency of supervision meetings drop off

Completing the thesis slips down the priority list (this can be a subtle form of task avoidance)

No writing is being accumulated at all –Remember supervisors can assist if they can read work in progress

Getting Started!

You need thinking about and undertaking data collection, also checking your data

You need to practice writingYou need to practice reading PhD thesesYou need to practice reviewing and re-

shaping the essential logical skeleton or argument for your own thesis

Data Collection

Data collection in all disciplines is unpredictable…and can be protracted…it is often labour intensive

Problems of time and resources, access.

Collecting your data: Take your first research design and first estimate of how long you think data collection will take.

Revisit. Halve the volume of data you envisage collecting, then double your estimate of time

Dr C Wilson 2009

.(Delamont et al 1997)

Quantitative

Dr C Wilson 2009

Check your data as you go along to avoid finding data entry errors a long way down the line

Meticulous recording of what you are doing as you go along. If you are editing files or spreadsheets keep tabs on this

Collecting survey data beware of asking too many questions – only collect the data you think you will need because you have got to analyse it all at the end

Qualitative

Dr C Wilson 2009

Transcribe your data as you go along, or you will be faced with an overwhelming build up.

Check your data. Are you beginning to see some emerging themes/shapes/contrasts or is everything an amorphous mess. (if so, take action. How does what you are finding relate to the work of others?

Do you have concerns about the ethics of what you are doing, about your own safety of that of others?

General Hints – On Data Collection

Dr C Wilson 2009

Keep doing mini-analyses of your data and check against your research question.

Are you getting the data you need to answer it?

Has the research question changed as a result of what you have discovered?

Do you need to adjust your approach? Take some time to check the literature in

case a ‘killer paper’ has just appeared that affects what you are doing

Start Writing and Keep Writing from the Work ‘go’

Don’t delay the inevitableEstablish a routine of little and often (Murray,

2o02)Set Clear Goals for each week/dayUse your outline and measure progressShort and simple phrases that are unambiguousDon’t stall on detail, walk away – take a short

break!Get formatting correct from the start & be

consistent with referencesBack up daily!Seek help from experts

Dr C Wilson 2009

Don’t Get it right, Get it Written!

Dr C Wilson 2009

Until it is on paper, no-one can help you get it right. You can show your draft [to your tutor or supervisor] who can advise you

Drafting is a vital stage in clarifying thought

Drafting reveals the places where you need to do further work – which you cannot identify until your ideas are written down

(Adapted from Delamont et al 1997:121)

Writing Mindsets

Dr C Wilson 2009

Focus on what you like and the rewards: If I do this I will get my degree

Replace negative discourses with positive ones: so exchange ‘I will never finish my assignment/thesis’ with ‘I haven’t finished my thesis yet, but I will do so’

Think of yourself as a creative and able person

Regard writing as a means to the end- not the end itself and enjoy the journey (Murray and Moore)

Activity – Making Lists and Clustering

Think of an area of your research you would like to write about and try each of the techniques.

Move into groups and discuss how the technique worked for you.

What other tips and ideas have you that you can share on effective writing.

Tips for Success

Always keep the readers background in mindDon’t make the reader work to hardIts impossible to be too clearA thesis is not a story!Avoid phrases like ‘clearly this is the case..’

or Obviously, it followsAvoid red flag claims

References

Dr C Wilson 2009

How to Get a PhD: A Handbook for Students and Their Supervisors Estelle Phillips, Derek S. Pugh (2005) Open University Press

How to Write a ThesisRowena Murray(2002) Open University Press