Epiphany
The draft is almost finishedMy last editing effort will take place just after Easter, then off to a professional editor and then I'll submit for exam.... yaaaay!
Also my some of my findings will be published in an open source journal soon and a third manuscript, which contains the core of my thesis, is presently under consideration by an international journal. Over the next few months I'll draft another 4-5 manuscripts based on the thesis. Its an exciting time :)
A new thesis :)I realised that I haven't posted anything here for ages. To cut a long story short, I have new supervisors, a new Faculty and a new lease on life. The thesis is 10 chapters and almost drafted. Plus, I wrote some findings into a journal article, which will be published later this year. I really like the new dissertation- woohoo I say!
Meeting next MondayI meet with my supervisors on Monday. I hope they like my new direction. I do.
Reading a great book right now called How to Write a Better Thesis (Evans and Gruba, 2nd Ed). Some fellow students put me onto it. I find it such interesting reading and hope it will make my work much tighter than it would have been.
I like the work I am doing on Chapter 2Chapter 2 looks fairly good to me now its half way restructured. I find the process of restructuring less frightening now than I did. Thus draft is truly my work. I hope the supervisors like it.
Speaking of supervisors, I will get limited feedback on draft Chapter 3 this week. Its been compared to draft Chapter 1 and so I will need to sort them both out. My hunch is that it will be Chapter 1 that changes and not Chapter 3, but we'll see I guess.
I joined a new research group this week and I've accepted some part-time work- 2 days per week for 2 months during December and January. My scholarships wind up on 25 November. The part-time job is fairly dull and a bit pedestrian, but it's in my field, it's some cash and it leaves room in my brain for my research while I work. I will have a meeting with prospective employers next week. Guess I'll know more then.
As for the research group, all of my input so far is written and I'll be having surgery the next time they meet. Scheduling problems meant I couldn't attend the first two meetings and I won't be able to make the third meeting either. All I can do is keep the group informed and take things from there I guess.
Supervisory comment
Well, as I was instructed, I held onto draft Chapter 3 for a week and sent it to my supervisors for comment at a meeting in two weeks, two days before I go on leave for 3 months. It doesn't seem very sensible to me, but there you go.
I really like revised Chapter 2 so far. I hope to finish the restructuring by the close of this week and then I suppose I'll edit it. Afterwards, I'll attack Chapter 4.
I don't want to touch Chapter 1 because my supervisor's like it. Personally, I think it is soul-less for a person as passionate as I. Anyway, I have to draft Chapter 5 and 6/7 yet.
Chapter 3 revisedWell its done and I am fairly happy with the content. I will meet with my supervisors on 13 November to discuss it for editing. I spoke to one supervisor yesterday and went over the structure with her. She was relatively happy with it, but asked for some changes to the introduction and conclusion, which I drafted yesterday afternoon. I thought the changes were a little mechanical, but I will review and edit the draft a couple of times before sending it off next Friday for the meeting with my supervisors.
While I wait to proceed with Chapter 3, I'll work on reviewing and editing Chapter 2 I guess. Then its back to Chapter 4... And on and on we go...
Chapter two?I've been revising and editing draft Chapter two this week since the supervisor reviewing my work on Chapter three has the flu quite badly. She wrote to me yesterday because she was surprised I sent a revised structure of draft Chapter three for her comments, she thought I was sending a draft of the whole chapter.
I like Chapter two way better where I've worked on it. Fingers crossed, I will like Chapter three way better after editing too.
I have realised a couple of things. I have been slowly going over draft Chapter 2 for a week or so now. Reflecting on the previous 12 months, I realised I have been focused on pushing through and achieving the PhD award rather than looking at the process. When I look at the process, I think, firstly, that heaps of work I've done is relevant and so I shouldn't forget it. Also, I have to make everything tell a LOGICAL and coherent story to the reader. Scads of information just doesn't cut it for a PhD. Finally, I have to make decisions. It isn't my supervisors' research, neither is it a former supervisor's study- it's mine. I have to control and defend what is and isn't relevant to the research aim (and communicate this effectively to others). Hopefully, by reading and reflecting on what I have drafted on Ch 1 and 2 so far, plus the research findings and conceptual framework, I can finally deliver a contribution to knowledge.
