Survivng the 2nd year of PhD

Found in draft from 17 Oct 2013

In less than 2 weeks time, the door to the 3rd phase of PhD will be open. It has been 24 months Alhamdulillah; which means another 12 months before the scholarship ends! The journey has been amazing. It has been filled with many challenges, many new friends, a few achievments, loads of personal experience and self satisfaction. I am looking forward for many more to come but the ones I worry most  are the future challenges.

Back to the topic of discussion, how to survive 2nd year? Honestly, I have no smart answer because to me year 2 runs out so fast! I felt like it just started and now it is approaching the end. My 2nd year has been a full year of data collection, data collection and data collection. In between data collection, there were many times I felt confused with my research and wished to start all over again with something totally new. Towards the end of year 2 when I have some data to play with, the fear of interpretation just gets worst and...when I think of deadlines, I wish to shout STOPPPPP and pause the present! At times like this, I think of what my brother, Tarmizi used to say to me during college days 'Expect the worst but hope for the best' - because I used to be obsessed with perfection in my work and got easily agitated when things did not work out as how I planned. Tarmizi calmed me down by saying those words; he is three years younger than I but matured enough to handle his eldest sister. As I entered working life, I learned that being a perfectionist can lead to self destruction - two men taught me this, my dad and Mr Wong Kok Thong, my first boss. So I guess, what helped me survived year 2 was (1) expect the worst while hoping for the best, (2) less of perfection but more of precision and (3) calm down overcome the fear.

Expect the worst but hope for the best

Tool: PhD gantt chart - adjust from monthly to weekly interval

Scenario: More work, More frustrations, Less time (for both, students and supervisors)

If you happen to read the entries on 1st year PhD survival, there was a point I eloborated about expecting the unexpected. I must say this is one of the best advice for PhD students. In one of those series, I also explained about the importance of the PhD gantt chart, and that is too a very important tool in year 2. In year 1, the mile stones were in a monthly interval. That was mainly because longer time was required to accomplish the tasks in year 1 for example - writing a research proposal, doing literature reviews and preparing PhD upgrade report. However, as I approached the 2nd half of year 2, my academic supervisor's advice was to adjust the gantt chart from monthly to weekly interval and this is also related to the urgency of the tasks in year 2 (everything must be done correctly fast, fast, fast in order to follow the timeline!!!) At this point, it is no surprise that the matters we least worry about can the be a major hindrance to our progress.  For example, in my case, the ethical approval for the second project expected in August was dragged all the way to November and therefore, the study will only be initiated in January 2013 instead of September 2012! The effect of a weekly target gantt chart is amazing! It helped me to handle the worst case scenario better, and what was more important, it helped me to give descent time for my supervisors to look into the matter for an exit :)

Less of perfection but more of precision

Tool: PhD journal

Scenario: Same mistakes can not be repeated more than once!

Have a journal and use it to the fullest. In year 2, we go through a high speed of thinking process. Our idea evolved so rapid that there will be many times we doubt our understanding of our very own research. Perfection comes with practice but in PhD we do not have the luxury of time, therefore recording the mistakes that we encounter will be very helpful especially when it comes to writing the final thesis. I learned this from my supervisor Dr YJ - there was once in a supervision meeting that took place 4 months after my first year viva, I asked YJ a question about the research method. She took out her journal and turned to a page full of notes on what my viva examiner commented on that matter! She also kept track on the changes I made to the method - how I wish to photocopythat particular page of her journal! Another example, my data collection form was reformatted 8 times (without changing the original content as approved by the ethics committee). Along with the reformatting, the operational definition for the terminologies used in the form were also changed and improved - all these changes will give a major impact on data interpretation. However, if these changes were not consistently recorded, it would be near impossible for me to explain the development of idea in the thesis (after many-many months!)

And another important thing to share, Do Not keep DATA ENTRY to the end. Do it as you collect them, because we will encounter several trials and error along the way. It is best to learn the mistakes at an early phase rather than later.  

Calm down overcome the fear

Tool: Special skill courses; Present your work

Scenario: Is my work worth doing? Who will be interetsed in my work? OMG!!! How do I do this?

No, it is never too late, please find time to attend the special skill courses and make a point to share your work. No matter how busy we may be in year 2, do not neglect to reflect what courses should we attend to equip ourselves - for me the biostatistics courses and workshops related to my research area. We tend to be in isolation in year 2, and sometimes we are too busy to update ourselves on recent publications. Attebnding courses and seminars (conferences and etc)  is a fun way of being abreast of the knowledge developement and make connection with other researchers. I would also recommend (if possible) to share your preliminary results - this will keep our confidence up and expose ourself to the many kinds of critical questions about our research.

New Page

When the lunar calender opens a set of new pages, I wish and hope something extraordinary has been written down for me and my loved ones. I am still experiencing the euphoric effect from the last 30 days of 2012 break with family and friends in Malaysia. The feel of being around our loved ones is a mixture of many happy emotions. To myself and I am sure to many others, it is therapeutic for healing worriness and sense of insecurity. We should be grateful for having who we have in our life (no matter how much we hated someone) because every single person who crosses our path brings blessings. Loosing a person whom we love so dearly can be a devastating experience which may potentially leads to an unexplainable loneliness understood only by those who have gone through the ordeal. Lets us broaden the definition of lost - we can loose someone because they passed away or we lost the affection of a living person who used to be very close to us. The first deals with grief...the latter is tricky as it needs clamness and a purified heart to push away hatred.

February will counts the second year of my late father-in-law in memory. I have known him for only 7 years (the age of my marriage when he passed away) but yet, the bond to him is strong that till this day, it feels like he is still around running arrands back home. Mother-in-law (MIL) shared 40 years of her life with him, obviously there is no way he will be forgotten. Deep inside, I want my MIL to be happy, to be able to move forward with the good memories of them together and leave behind the sorrows. Living in the present with sadness of the past brings us no where - in fact it instills negativity that affects our health, the people around us (especially those dear to us) and our surroundings. My husband and I have not given the happiness she longed for...not untill she has her own grandchild. Well, if concieving can be so easily done, then perhaps it would solve one hurdle (there is always a 50% chance that it would not). These are among the cycle of external pressures and expectation that subconciously increase the stress level of mankind. The singles are pressed to be get maried, the married are pressed to have a kid (and then more kids) and those with kids are pressed with other sorts of God-knows-what througout the pain of growing them. Each time a new year changes the calender, the stress gets more intensed because the cycle will restart at a highr level. In all branches of our life, the external pressure is harsh - but only if we allow them to run over.  Even if we achieve all the expectations - we will never, never ever satisfy everyone and at the final end there will always, always be someone or some people not happy with what we have achieved.

Therefore, for this year I choose to satisfy Allah swt, make myself happy and spread it around so that everyone can have a bit of it and I'll recieve some in return from them. Those who want more of me will have to wait till I am able to provide more than the usual without putting myself in misery. I choose to see the big picture, to think rational and not to over worry for things beyond my control. I choose to define my very own 'happiness', to treasure yesterday, to live in today and to dream of tomorrow.

Happy New Year everyone! Thank you for spending time to read this entry.

Gloomy

Why...why...why am I having this down moment?  Could this be the Monday Blues Syndrome? If that is so...oh my, I have not experienced this for a long time. Today is one of those days of tiresome and exhaustion even before the day starts. The drizzle rain made the gloomy day dark and it is not helping at all. It was 0900hr and am still at the studio in pyjamas. How I wish for a full body massage with lavender scented essential oil to get those stiff muscle straightened and relaxed especially around the scapula. O' Allah please don't misunderstood me...Alhamdulillah it rains and thank you Allah for giving me another day to live and worship you. But, I am feeling so down and sleepy, my eyes are sore and my shoulder aches.  Like it or not, I dragged myself off the warm comfy bed and by 12 noon I forced myself to school.  

I took a glance look at the 'to-do list'. The three things listed for today were - continue writing the Introduction chapter of the thesis (supposed to be done this morning when I was busy in bed); meeting on funding for the second study with the supervisors, and finalise the SSI form for hospital R&D application. Frankly speaking, there was no sense of excitement at all...my brain just froze. Dong...Dong...The bell from the red church on Tavistock Street strikes two. O' dear Allah, it is already 1400hr - half of my day has gone unproductive. 

While I am typing this entry, there was 6 people in the research centre including me. Everyone (except me) seems busy - the only music is the sound produced from pressing the computer keyboards, papers being flipped and clipped, and water boiling from the coffee corner. It is so quite, so bored and very depressing. I wanted to shout and scream to force the air molecules to vibrate and produce some real noise! So I stood up, open my mouth wide and sang my heart out "I believe I can FLY... I believe I can TOUCH the SKY...Flip my wings and FLY AWAY...to where my heart wants to STAY". Oh yeah that was a relief!

"O dear! Kc...you can sing?"

"I can do many awkward things when I'm stressed"

 I am missing home...I am missing him

Couples

My oyster card remained empty for almost a week. Within this period I travel to and back from school on foot - 20 to 30 minutes walk each route depending on my speed of the day. Why am I doing this? Perhaps for three main reasons. First - the 1hour 'walking time'  gives the mind some space to think in a relaxing environment.  Second, it contributes to an extra 1 hour to the existing I2 hours 'off the bed and work station' and third...saves £52 of this month's pocket from public transport. I would say a reasonably good healthy deal ;)

It took me 2 days to push away the regrets of not topping up the Oyster and to put away the thoughts of 'this is taking me forever'! However from day 3 onwards, I become addicted - I look forward every morning and late evening for a brisk walk. I truely enjoy the walk in the breezy wind (and sometimes friendly English rain), no sweat (yes! the perfume and deodorant sweet scent stay the whole day) and the one  thing I enjoy most is watching people on the streets. I came across a few funny scenes like what we usually see in movies - a young lady lifting her mini skirt to pull up the thermal stokings at the bus stop infront of Maddan Tussaud; a man with an umbrella that just simply flips sides one windy rainy morning - just like Mathew Popins (instead of Marry popins)!

There is one particular behaviour I have been observing - how couples at different age walk and talk on the streets. Couples who giggles alot and 'hug-walking' as if the whole world has paused for them are generally the very young.  I prefer not to walk behind them when approaching narrow pavement  for the sake of reserving precious time. They look cute but far from romantic. The second type of couple holds take away coffee, the male usually tucks a newspaper under the armpit, and the female - ooo love that heels! I have to jog to catch up withnthem because they dont walk... they march side by side, stop at a point, then turn, exchange hugs and kisses and in a split second turn away in seperate directions and dissapear. One goes down the underground station, the other elswhere. Well, perhaps this is the couple of a long term relationship with career commitments. They look smart and dress decently...but hey, seriously take a break.

The couples in the third category is the elderly. They walk arm in arm peacefully and wait patiently for each other to take one step at a time. "Are you cold honey, take my jacket" ... "Thank you dear,  but I'm fine"... "Tell me if you need it"... "Sure, don't worry about me". They must have shared their whole life together. They look so sweet, so calm and so romantic. No kisses no huggies but their touch around each other's arm is so forever loving.

Email templates

It is now 5 minutes past midnight, I am supposed to be asleep but I just could not put my mind to rest. There have been many things happening simultaneously in the last few weeks; after a long thought I decided to share the one that begins with an FB message from XX. XX and I didn't know each other; XX happened to come across my FB status on the Malaysian London Postgraduate Support FB group wall  about how Dr OT ebook helped me drafted my thesis. XX  has approximately 3 weeks to work on the 1st year report and research proposal before the PhD upgrade viva which is now 8 months delayed. In normal circumstances students are advised to upgrade (i.e pass the 1st year viva/ research defence) by month 12. This is to ensure the course completes by month 36 or atleast within the grey period (grey period runs from month 37 to 42, it is like 'injury time' to finalise and submit our thesis without additional college fee). Quoting my supervisor's words, the two most common reasons for this unfortunate circumstance originate from either (1) clash of personality between the student and/or the supervisor or (2) poor supervision. The problem XX  faces is a challenging 'student-supervisor relationship'  that leads to poor supervision.. Well it sounds like double trouble, true enough because the solution is a little bit complicated.

So, my friends (ZH and NH) and I teamed up to help XX refine the 1st year report and hopefully, pass the viva due in two weeks time from the date of this entry. NH povided the Eagle research framework booklet and ZH  bought the  booklet for XX. I helped by sharing tips on conducting literature review (from Dr OT ebook and what I learned from my SVs) and  drafted corresponding emails. XX is a very determined person and we believe she will succeed, insyaAllah. We wish XX nothing less but the very best!!

You can download the Eagle research framework free of charge from www.brjm.com V(9) Issue(2) (2011) page:  130-140. The book entitled 'Siap tesis cepat' by Dr OT can be purchased online from http://siap-tesis-cepat.com/.

In this entry, I compiled a few email templates that I have shared with XX. You probably have experienced hard time finding suitable words to complete a few sentences to email to your supervisors or research collaborators. We usually hit google bar for free samples and end up not finding what we expected. There are times where writing a short email can take longer than required (especially towards the end of the day). So, here are a few examples. They are not the very best, but I hope it would come in handy at some point:

1) Updating on the progress of a task that was given for quite some time ago

2) Asking SV who just came back from a long tiring conference to sign your document

3) Asking comments/input from co-authors of your article

4) Asking for mutual agreement from co-authors on conflicting ideas for your article

5) Gentle reminder to someone because you have not recieved the requested document

6) Building professional relationship post conference

7) Request for appointment - refer to previous entry (1st year PhD survival last part)

1) Updating on the progress of a task that was given for quite some time ago

Dear Dr ASD, 

Hope this email reaches you in good time.  

You may recall our last correspondence  in regards to  ...what was the task... about 4 months ago. I would like to update on the progress of the ...task... - it is now in the ...what's the progress so far...and we hope to have it ready for ...?.... in early November. 

Thank you/Best wishes/Cheers/Regards

2) Asking your supervisor who just came back from a long tiring conference to sign some urgent document/paperwork

Dear SOY,

Hope you are now recharged after the exciting conference in Beijing (where ever the conference is)

The ...what ever your document is... will be submitted early next week. Could you please pen down your name, initial and date on the authorship consent form by ...due date for SOY to have it done... Please find the form enclosed.

Thank you.

3) Asking comments/input from co-authors of your article

Dear All,

Please find enclosed the review article on '...title of your article...' The aim of this article is to ......

Your input as the co-author is very much appreciated. Kindly give your comments/ammendments by ...due date have this repy back to you.... (any earlier is most welcome)

Thank you

4) Asking for mutual agreement from co-authors on conflicting ideas for your article

   

Dear all co-authors

Thank you for the comments, it is very much appreciated.

There is an interesting comment by ...who the name is .... in regards to ...what ever the issue is...which I find important not only to place this topic in a receptive position but also to have an agreement from all co-authors on how this suggestion to be phrased in the final article.

I find it challenging to ...the problem with the conflicting ideas among co-authors...  because  ...state your reason(s)...

   

To start the ball rolling, I have incorporated the suggestion in the section ..abc... of the article. Please find a copy of that particluar section in pdf document enclosed. 

Would appreciate if we can come to an agreement by this Friday the 11th.

Thank you

5) Gentle reminder that you have not recieved the requested document

Dear WLM,

Sorry to interupt your busy day.

Just a gentle reminder about the ...name of the info/document... Would appreciate if the ..document/info.. can be emailed as soon as you possibly can.

Thank you

6) Building professional relationship post conference

Dear AAA,

It was a pleasure meeting you during the ...name of the conference... last weekend. 

I am very delighted to know you in person and hope that we can keep in touch for collaborative work in the near future.

Best wishes,

xvvx

Okay..now is 220am, one hour to fajr. I can't trust myself wake up before sunrise (5am) to perform the fajr prayer if I fall asleep...continue with some assignments? .. yeah I know, it is quite a boring plan :(

Anyways, I wish you all the best in what ever you are up to. Remember that everything happens for a reason..not a coincidence..not magic..not luck..it is actually pre-planned by Allah.

PhD Survival:1st Year (Last Part)

(3) Take control

'..this is your game..your way..but not entirely your rules..'

The best part ever...take control control control of our personal life! You are given the opportunity to play your game...work in your private sweet time, your schedule your way, your style, your mysteries. One thing to consider is how to play our game within the rules that are not ours. We are bounded to follow certain rules. The written rules are easily understood and followed; the challenge is to understand the unwritten. Here are some rules that you do not find in books:

Rule 1: Supervisory meeting (SVM) - How frequent?

Generally, students assume SVM will take place as and when the supervisor calls for one; and in the meantime they will do whatever that they 'think' is right to do unguided and end up wasting precious time. First, we must understand why SVM should take place. Among the many reasons, I personally see these 3 as the most important:

a. To update the progress on a given task
b. To monitor student's progress based on their timeline (the gantt chart)
c. To discuss arising matters and develop the thinking process into research.

There is no standard guideline on how frequent the SVM should be taken place. In general, first-year students benefit from monthly meeting, perhaps every fortnight in the first 3 months. We need this supervision and guidance because this is the phase to determine (a) research question and the (b) research framework. Once we are clear with (a) and (b)....we can speed up to the next level.  In order for us to feel comfortable (or confident) in discussing with SV about ideas for (a) and (b), we must have good general knowledge of the research area. This is obtained from extensive literature review (those who have had working/practicing experience in the research field have the advantage in understanding the background knowledge). You should take the initiative to arrange a regular meeting with your SV during the period of literature reading - this is very important to develop your thinking process towards the gap of knowledge in the research area. For example, if your target is to read and analyse 5 papers in 2 weeks, then request for a discussion session in the following week. Make a summary of what you understood and discuss the ideas surrounding the articles that you have read; take note of the points mentioned by your SV. You will find a flow of fresh ideas/new questions to answer, and this will make your next reading session more focused than the previous.

What about after the literature reading period, how frequent should we meet our SV? Now, every meeting has a purpose. The best way that worked for me was based on the gantt chart. For example, if you have 8 weeks to come out with the final research proposal, you should be thinking the time frame to hand in the draft proposal - correction - handing in once again - correction once more and all over again until the best version (or the most acceptable version) is produced. Throughout this process, if you are stuck or need expert guidance, be pro-active and do not hesitate to call (request) for a supervisory meeting. Work closely with your SV and make yourself in their radar detection. Follow your gantt chart, it keeps us moving against the odd. In summary, have a regular schedule for supervisory meeting based on your task in the gantt chart (request for it if it is not planned for you).

It is normal not being confident in emailing supervisor to call for a supervisory meeting...I too had experienced the same. This is an email template on what to write  to SV requesting for a SVM:  

Dear XYZ,

Hope you are fine/ Hope this email reaches you in good time (courtesy greeting, choose one or create your own)

May I please book an appointment for a supervisory meeting on the ...date..., ....time...at ...venue....you can have several dates ncase they are not available on any particular day. Kindly suggest alternative time and date if the one proposed above is not convinient for you.

The main topic of discussion are:

1. ....what task and what your problem is about

2. ...ex: Research method - to finalise the flow for data collection in the pre and post intervention study design

3. ....

Would appreciate to hear from you by ...date to reply.. (give atleast 1 week time frame for them to reply. SV are busy people, no due date means no urgency)

Best wishes,

Your name

Rule 2: Your bench fee

Bench fee (paid annualy)  is to support our professional development and the conduct of research. Take the initiative to know about how your bench fee is spent and know your grant code. Grant code is the code for your bench fee in the college log book; you will need this code to claim relevant expenses. The rule is, it is your Professor (or your supervisor-SV) that has control of the bench fee. Most college finance department will not disclose how the bench fee is being spent. What can you claim from bench fee includes - conference expenses, books, laptop, table computer...anything to aid in your learning and research BUT WITH THE APPROVAL of your supervisor. So, please ask your SV about how it can be utilised.

Rule 3: 2 weeks time frame & date to reply

If you need a report or document work to be checked/revised (by supervisor, collaborator, or other relevant party) allow 2 weeks time frame before sending out reminders. So, plan your work well and again..follow the gantt chart.

Rule 4: Data collection

If your work involves other people - for example relying on other individuals to collect samples, if possible avoid doing data collection in December (Xmas holidays), August (Summer break) and Ramadhan because most likely your schedule will be disrupted by the long holidays. This should also be taken into consideration for research ethics applications.

Rule 5: Keep track records of your progress

I have a story to tell in explaining this scenario:

a. Student A who by the end of year one decided to terminate PhD course because she felt the guidance she recieved was poor and it contributed to her poor performance in the 1st year viva. The student lodged a complaint about the poor supervision.

b. Student B was working on a novel discovery; there were many trials and errors involved. Throughput the process, many formula and theories evolved.

c. Student C completed task 2; but according to her SV, she was supposed to complete task 1 prior to task 2. She was so sure that the order she followed was recommended by her SV in the previous meeting.

Now, tell me if you are Student A, B or C...what proof do you have to certify your claims? It is very, very important to have meeting summary after every SVM. If anything goes wrong, you have a record to show.

This is an example of SVM summary that should be circulated to the your SV after every meetings or discussion that involves decision being made. Remember to set a date for the next meeting and send a reminder to your SV one week prior to the meeting date.

Rule 6:  PhD ends at month 36 or thesis submission at month 36?

Be comprehensible about the due date for thesis submission. There may be some logistic issues that you must keep in mind. You not need to worry about this in the first year, but its good to have this in mind as you go along.

There are many other unwritten rules which I could not possibly mention in here due to time constraint. I hope the information in these entries would be of help, especially for those who are about to start their PhD.

Last but not least, good luck and all the best in your studies!

PhD Survival 1st Year (Part 4)

Dear readers, as promised in the last entry, please find the sample of the 3-year course gantt chart enclosed for your reference. This is the biggest shot that I can squeeze in.

The header row are numbered by month from 1st to 3rd year, total of 36 months (only half is shown in this chart).

 

The first column contains a list of activities: the rows in the first section (i.e General Activities) list down the activities or school requirement in the PhD course. As you can see, student annual leave is also incorporated because our leave coincides with the progress of our research rather than the school holidays. The rows in the second section (i.e Research: Phase 1) are tasks in the research. The rows in the third section (i.e Thesis write-up) are the planned chapters for the final thesis.

The yellow boxes are the estimated month for us to accomplish the listed tasks. There are no yellow boxes for the third section because they are to be accomplished in the 3rd year which is not shown on this chart.

Now...moving on to the next point:

2.2 You must be in love with what you are going to embark into.

'You must love what you are about to do, you must feel comfortable doing it...otherwise PhD is going to be an awful period of your life' (Dr MM).

I have been working in the area of kidney disease, and that is the area I am most comfortable. It excites me and being able to a research in this area is just marvelous. So, I brought this idea to my supervisors. Before the working title was finalised, I was asked to consider another two different research - pharmacokinetics properties of a renal drug in children on dialysis or a  database epidemiological research  (erk! Don't think I can survive in these areas, so many mathematical theories and formulae. I am naturally allergic to numbers and my undergraduate lecturers can certify this). Both research already had frame work in place and had good prospect for publication. Should I chose either one of them, it would have saved me some time in preparing for the research proposal (what I wanted to do have to start from scratch). However, I opted to stick to the topic I am most comfortable with.As much as we should be flexible in deciding on the research area (being too rigid selecting your area of research may make you lose valuable opportunities) it is good to have an idea of your own. You must know what you want; this is when working experience comes in handy.

One of my colleagues could not decide what his/her area of interest was. Within the initial 12 months, he/she tried out two different research and end up terminating the course because it was not what he/she liked doing. 

2.3 How many supervisors (SV)?

Next is dealing with the supervisors (SV) - the person who will be supervising and guiding us throughout the course. They are knowledgeable in identifying research questions and the appropriate method in obtaining the answers, BUT this does not mean that they know more than you do in the research of your PhD. PhD is about adding fresh knowledge...it is something new and unknown. So please do not expect to be spoon fed or wait to be told what to do next or blame entirely on the SV when we feel lost. Almost all postgraduate handbooks explains about how to work or deal with SV, so we shall not discuss them in here. Should you need to know more, do not hesitate to leave your comment.

What is about to be discussed here is to whom should we report to if we have more than one SV? For example, in my case, I have 2 academic SVs, 2 clinical SVs and 3 clinical collaboraters. To be frank, it took me a while to justify who should be tagged in email of certain matters. They are equally important.

So, let us first understand their roles.  In general, academic supervisors (aSV) are responsible for all our academic activities; they should be our principal reference. Positive comments from aSVs can make wonders in passing the final viva (I've heard). The 1st aSV is usually a senior academician (in terms of expertise and reputation) than the 2nd aSV. The 1st aSV plays an important role in the first year especially the initial 6 months. They are influential and often the referral person in their area of research. Due respect to their expertise and reputation, they are the one who would finalise your research questions and method. This also means that they are extremely busy, this is when the 2nd aSV plays a role. The 2nd aSV could be an assistant professor, senior honorary lecturer or research fellow.  They are probably the person you will interact with most of the time for advice and technical matters.  

There is no hard and fuss rule about who should we report to - the only way to know is to ask. Haha..this is important when the 1st and 2nd aSv are having different views..if we do not stand for ourselves; we'll be in dilemma and stuck in the middle.  For example, in my case the arranegement was such:

• Weekly progress should be emailed to the 1st aSV
• All correspondant emails (for ex: with collaborators/correpondant author of articles) must be cc'd to both aSV.
• problems not possible to be settled by the 2nd aSV should be attention to the 1st aSV.

And I also added two more:

• Whenever you email your 2nd aSV to clarify on any issues or to remind them matters that require their attention/follow-ups, have it cc'd to your 1st aSV (2nd aSV could be busy as well, having the same email cc'd to the boss would help them to remember).
• If the 1st and 2nd aSV have different views, do not hesitate to ask (either in supervisory meetings or via email) as to which view is final. Most of the time, if they could not decide and this is made known, we have the liberty to decide!...and that is far easier than waiting in confusion.

2.4 What if I could not get along with aSV?

This is very subjective, and I am in no position to advise on how to handle problematic situation between student and aSV. It is something none of us want to fall into. I have no experience in this (and let it be that way); from my observation..most of the tim, the affected student will feel helpless, dissapointed and angry - if you fall in this pithole please do not jump into conclusion, make no decision and keep silent until you have calmed down. Other than praying hard for the situations to turn okay, here are a few tips on what you can do (these suggestions are from my peer discussion):

a. Understand your aSV

An important task from day 1. This does not mean we have to spy and sneak around to understand them. Observe their work ethics and personality. Every time after supervisory meeting, ask your supervisor at which part should you improve. If you do not ask, your aSV would assume you know your weakness and expect you to polish up. Be humble and ready to be taught.  If there is a chance, talk to your aSVs' previous students.

b. Seek help from peer group/some one more seniour in the team

Usually PhD students are part of a research team  in a  research centre/department. The team may consist of other PhD students, research assistant, research fellow and etc. If our colleagues can get along very well with the aSV, reflect what is wrong with ourselves. Talk to other students (but please do not gossip; talk to a colleague who is trustworthy to give advice).

c. Seek help from PhD coordinator

A PhD coordinator (or councellor, advisor or etc) is the officer who looks over the PhD course. Book an appointment to seek advice from the coordinator; discussions are confidential.

PhD Survival: 1st Year (Part 3)

Please note that different universities may have different policies for PhD programme. Our research genre may be different. This is just a guide which may or may not be applicable to you. 

When I first registered, I was overwhelmed. On day one itself, I was looking forward to the last day. What I had in mind was to jump into doing a research as soon as possible and wanted to know everything to make it happen (warning - this is dangerous because you will severely exhaust yourself). How could I not be, my other 4 colleagues registered one month earlier and the orientation week was over. 

On the third day, I was introduced to my second supervisor Dr MM. As I registered one month later than the rest, I was given four sessions of personal orientation on overview of the research centre, the education programme and the unwritten rules in making life less complicated. What I learned from Dr MM have helped me a lot and I must not keep this to myself. The first thing I learned from Dr MM was expecting and dealing with the 'unexpected' which was discussed in length in the previous two entries. From this point onwards, I will summerise what I learned from the orientation week and the mistakes that should be avoided throughout year one.

(2) Eagle eye view

'..use the spot light..not the torch light..'

The journey of PhD course is unique depending on the nature of  our research. Nevertheless, the pathway is similar. Even though we start at different starting point, we should end up at the same end point. This is the generic flow/eagle eye view of year one:

1. First conduct literature review to work out a research proposal (generally 6 months; the faster the better)

2. Secondly, have the proposal ready (be ready to retype and do corrections, to be frank.. mine was approved after 8 drafts)

3. Thirdly, submit application for ethics approval (in the UK, the approval should be obtained within 8 weeks from the day of submission - this includes research committee interview and final result).

3. Then, start pilot/observation/trial data collection (this is optional, having this gives us great advantage during research defend/viva; might not be applicable to lab-based research) 

4. Prepare first year report and have it submitted on time (allocate 3 weeks for the examiner to review)

5. Sit for first year viva (research defend) to upgrade from MPhil to PhD. This means your proposed research has strong justification for  research to fill in the gap of current knowledge. Aim to sit for the viva no later than month 18, ideally by month 12 of the PhD course. The earlier the better.

6. Finally, submit at least one article for publication (do not put your work wasted, a good literature review is a potential article for publication!)

The order is flexible; each points will have many branches of to-do-list; we should be able to work on more than one task simultaneously. This is recommended whenever possible. It does not matter where your starting point is, just be aware of the big picture. For instance, 3 of my colleagues started with six months of data collection because the proposed research had obtained  ethical approval and funding prior to their registration. One of my colleagues had to work on submission for an amendment to a research proposal that was approved by the research ethics earlier on. I had to start with literature review to justify the importance of my proposed research area before coming up with a proposal.

We have the tendency to be immersed and absorbed into one particular task (or simply lazy) that we forgot (or delay) to look into (or plan for) other tasks -  individuals in this group are the ones using the torch light; they are very focused to only one or certain particular things and missed out the whole picture. A friend of mine got so tight with data collection and had only one month prior to his first year report submission to do literature review. Do not underestimate the amount of time you have to spare in conducting a literature review. He/she managed to get the report done on time but had a difficult viva because he/she  could not grasp the background knowledge of the research area and hence could not justify the importance of the research - the result was to redo literature review and retake the viva (minor cases - retake in 3 weeks time, major cases in 3 months).  

Literature review and research method are two important chapters of our first year report. If you do it well, the literature review is already a big chunk of Chapter 1 in the final thesis. In fact, our literature review is a potential publication. Work on it and try to submit for publication within year one. I managed to submit mine in month 10 and have it published 6 months later. It is hard work, but its worth doing :) Just imagine yourself (or other researchers) citing your own article in your next report, isn't it exciting and motivating.

The question is  - how to capture the eagle view? The answer is  - tabulate your 3-year gantt chart. In most cases, international students will take 1 or 2 weeks off after registration to settle down i.e accommodation, opening a bank account (very important to do this as soon as possible to ensure smooth scholarship transfer) and children's school. Day 1 in our gantt chart is the day we register, and not the day we have settle down/ ready to embark in academic/research work. As previously mentioned, PhD timeline starts ticking as the assimilation process takes place. 

3-year Gantt Chart

Before and after tabulating gantt chart...

Before: '3 years is like taking like forever..'

After: 'OMG, 3 years is too short' You'll then start worrying of not having sufficient time...then the game of chasing and being chased by dateline begins. This is normal, just don't freak out. So, start to plan your work for the 3-year programme and work your plan. 

The easiest way to tabulate a gantt chart is of course in Microsoft Excel (I will upload a snap shot as an example in the next entry).

First, begin with creating columns from Month 1 (in year 1) to Month 36 (in year 3). 

Secondly, divide multiple rows into 3 sections. 

List down the 3 years academic requirement in the first section, for example:

- Compulsory training courses to attend in the whole 3 years

- First year report submission

- Research day presentation

- In house proposal presentation

- First year viva 

- Publication 1

- Publication 2

As the exact date is yet to be confirmed, at this stage simply tick in the box for the estimated month within your PhD course. 

The second section contains tasks for your study/ies (PhD research may have more than 1 study), for example:

- Literature search

- Lit. review final report submission

- Proposal submission

- Research ethical application

- Data collection

- Ethics amendment (if required)

- Interim data analysis

- Data analysis

If there is a second or third study, do the same in different sections. 

The third section contains your thesis write up schedule; thesis submission and thesis viva due dates. 

Now, once you have all tabulated...36 months; make sure your supervisor(s) is happy with it. The gantt chart should be reviewed   in a scheduled manner, more frequent in the beginning of the programme. Make it an agenda in your meeting with the supervisors to review the gantt chart; this does not only keeps you on track but also as a gentle reminder for your supervisor to follow up on tasks that needed their feedback. 

Whenever you get drifted away or demotivated, look at your gantt chart and see where or at what stage should you be at that  moment. Even when you are hit by the unexpected, try your best  to stay on track. If there is a need to drag the timeline, do it cautiously. It is advised to talk about it with your supervisor. In major circumstances  that significantly affect your timeline (i.e poor health condition or having to be away for quite some time due to valid reasons), you may be ask to apply for an extension to the thesis submission date (this means your programme will take more than 36 months).