Ask our Library Team: Approaching a Publisher

Every month, a member of our library team replies to a question from an ECR around research dissemination, publishing, and other issues relating to the library's support for researchers.

This month: Have you got any advice for approaching publishers with my work?

In the last two posts of this series, Jenny Delasalle gave advice on choosing a journal to publish in; this month, Academic Support Officer Karina Hilder reports back on a "Guide to Getting Published" workshop for authors run by publishers Emerald in March.

Advice on getting published in journals:

1) Pick the right journal: This might seem obvious, but it was interesting to hear that the majority of rejections made by journal publishers were still due to the article being submitted to an inappropriate journal. You will need to:

• Consider who you research audience is, what they want to know, and what they are reading.

• Read at least one issue of a journal before you choose to submit work for it.

• Make sure you consider usage rates as well as journal rankings (which you are more interested in will depend on your motivations for publishing and what you hope to achieve with your work). Emerald suggested most editors would be happy to provide you with usage/download rates for a journal.

2) Send the editor an abstract: This is a great way to avoid problem 1. If you have done your research, but are still unsure if your paper is right for the journal, send an abstract to the editor asking for their opinion on its suitability. Check the author’s guidelines for the publisher you’re contacting to make sure your abstract fits their specifications. (Emerald’s can be found here: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/authors/guides/write/abstracts.htm)

3) Treat it like a job application: I’m not a fan of analogies, but this one seemed too apt to ignore. Much like you would tailor your CV to each position, Emerald emphasised the importance of tailoring your submission carefully to suit the journal/publisher you are approaching. You can also include a cover letter which, like a job application, should focus very clearly on what your paper has to offer to the journal and its readership, rather than on the benefits for yourself.

4) Get your own peer review: Don’t underestimate the value of getting an objective view; someone who isn’t close to your work will find it much easier to critically appraise it. From a personal perspective, I’ve always thought it useful to have someone outside of your field read your work; they tend to be able to spot jumps in your logic very easily.

5) Don’t give up: Getting a paper rejected is very common and shouldn’t deter you. Get feedback from the editor, work on their points and resubmit elsewhere. Also, requests for revisions can be seen as a very positive step – if a publisher has taken the time to do this, then they have obviously seen potential in your work, so don’t give up at this stage.

Advice on getting books published:

1) Make it travel: Obviously the key difference from publishing in journals is that a book must have considerable commercial appeal. Therefore, it needs to be of interest to and accessible by a wide audience: know your market and make sure your work has reach.

2) Attend a publishers’ conference: Emerald were clear that if you want your book commissioned, conferences are the place to be. You can contact a publisher in advance to book an appointment with a commissioning editor at the conference. Arrive prepared – you should complete a detailed proposal form and be ready to answer the publisher’s queries.

3) Keep track of time: You need to be aware of the time constraints that apply to book publishing. Since the publishers will need to promote the book and publicise its release date, you can’t afford to fall behind. Make sure you discuss targets and timescales carefully with the editor and any other involved authors at an early stage.

Thanks Karina! Our regular librarian Jenny Delasalle will be back next month. If you have a question, email researchexchange@warwick.ac.uk

Charlotte Mathieson : 18 May 2012 09:00 |  Tags: Ask A Librarian Jenny Delasalle Publishing |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

The REF – by Charlotte

I don't normally blog about what I'm up to in my job at the Research Exchange but my recent project has been an interesting one for me as it's really straddled the personal/professional borders. This is something that can often happen when you're an ECR working on services for ECRs, and I feel very lucky that my "other" job draws upon (and enhances) my own experience of this "funny in-between phase". My recent line of work has been especially pertinent as it's been all about Impact and the REF 2014. I've been looking into how the REF impacts upon ECRs (in the broadest sense, as well as soon-to-be-finishing PhDs), how much ECRs understand about the REF, and particularly looking at this in terms of "impact" which is a new area of assessment. The wider remit is then to feed this back into our Research Exchange work with early career researchers.

One thing I have learned so far is that ECRs and PhDs are really quite unsure about exactly what the REF is and how it relates to them; Impact is also one of those concepts that is now becoming more widely understood, but generally in a more vague sense rather than as something practiceable. One thing that's become certain from my research, though, is that early career researchers need to understand the requirements and what's going to be expected of them; whilst 2014 might sound like a long time away, the implications have for some time been impacting upon the academic job market.

So the first stage of my work has resulted in 3 articles which condense the key information from the REF guidelines into concise, readable guides (something that I can't say about the guidelines!), complete with links onto further information and directions of where to find the key info in the REF guidelines. My initial tweet-out about the new guides proved my suspicion that this information is much-needed among the wider research community, so I'm posting the links again here. The guides are:

• REF 2014 and publication measures: an introduction to the REF, with focus on how "research outputs" will be assessed
• REF 2014 and Impact: looking at the REF-specific guidelines on "impact"
• ECRs and the REF: what does the REF mean for you as an ECR, and some key tips and advice.

In terms of me as a researcher, this has obviously been very useful - I not only know the REF guidelines inside out, but have done a lot of wider reading gathering perspectives and ideas about how to interpret and understand the implications of the exercise. As I've been applying for jobs, with limited success, for a little while now this is valuable reading and has helped me to work out how to improve my applications (although the flipside is I'm feeling rather jaded about the current state of HE). I've also been learning much more about the meanings and ways in which impact can be achieved, and following my own first forays into wider engagement I'm developing new ideas about the possibilities for future projects (something which feels much more positive and motivating).

This has been valuable experience especially when realising how most ECRs aren't so clued-up, so the next step is working out how to continue disseminating this info to our ECR community.

Are you feeling REF ready? What kind of support are other unis providing in advance of the REF, or what would you like to see available?

Charlotte Mathieson : 25 Apr 2012 07:39 |  Tags: Careers Charlotte Mathieson Impact Ref 2014 |  Comments (5) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

It's oh so quiet…. by Hannah

Travelling in the Quiet coach of a train can be a frustrasting experience. No matter how many signs or warnings by increasingly disgruntled train managers over the tannoy, people seem simply not to be able to get the hang of shutting up. I always sit in the quiet section in the forlorn hope that it may actually be hushed enough for me to get some reading done, though I invariably wind up next to someone's tinny iPod streaming out drum and bass and slowly giving him/her tinnitus.

On my journey this time, however, the failure of others in the quiet coach to keep noise to a minimum led me to thinking about the virtues of quiet for academic working environments. I think it's fair to say that the reputation of academics in the outside world is that we're a quiet bunch. The stereotype of the academic is a person cloistered away at a reading table in the British library for years on end, working assiduously away at their desk until they are ready to unleash their precious gem into the world. My friend Anna had a lot of fun with this stereotype when she made this advert for the Wolfson Research Exchange.

Quiet study definitely has its upsides. Most people I know who have completed their thesis worked in this way for the writing up period, because quiet space helps with the total focus and intensity of study needed. I find it really difficult to work on anything that requires real headspace unless it's quiet. Not silent, quiet; like many people I often work while listening to music (though I struggle with songs with lyrics, so I tend to stick to classical and jazz).

However, this period, for me, was also quite sad and solitary. Quiet, it seems, means not being around other people. As with the quiet carriage on the train, the library seems to be fighting a losing battle with noise pollution. The areas designated quiet are anything but, and periodic attempts by library stewards to hush people up are only temporary solutions to what I see as a huge problem. What can we do if we want to work around others, but in a quiet space? The Wolfson's Shut up and Studysessions might help here - since they provide a space to be together, but to be quiet.

Since finishing my PhD, my working life has become a lot more bitty. I've acclimatised to a variety of working environments, of varying degrees of quiet. I still value a quiet space from time to time, but to get the benefit of working around others, you have to put up with a little background noise. What sort of working environment does everyone prefer? And do you have any advice for people trying to research in situations that aren't ideal for them?

Hannah Andrews : 17 Apr 2012 10:00 |  Tags: Academic Life Hannah Andrews Working Environment |  Comments (6) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

On being positive – by Charlotte

It's been noted of late that it's a little hard to stay positive sometimes, particularly for those who are between the PhD and a full-time/permanent position. In addition to the daily stresses and strains of working multiple part-time, temporary contracts, there's the over-bearing fear that this might all be for nothing: as we all know, the job situation is pretty dire right now, and only seems to be getting worse. Just last week there was the news that 2 Junior Research Fellow openings at Cambridge had attracted over 600 applicants, and that's not the first time I've heard such figures. With even postdoctoral positions- once the stepping stone from the PhD- attracting applicants who have already done one postdoc and have one or two monographs to their name, the bar just seems to be getting ever higher.

With all of this it's hard to stay chipper and believe that all this hard work is going to pay off; I'm sure I wasn't the only one who struggled to get down to work after reading the Cambridge story last week. Perhaps it might be seen by some as a good motivation to work harder, but after a year of being in this position it increasingly feels as though however hard you work and however much you do, it's not going to be enough.

BUT ultimately we're all sticking it out for a reason, and negative thinking doesn't get us anywhere: it doesn't change anything, it wastes precious time and energy, and it just makes a hard job even harder.

So I want to start this week on a good note and gather thoughts on how you stay positive. What keeps you going? What is it that keeps you inspired when times are tough? What makes the 24/7 workload seem worthwhile, and gets you through those moments when jumping on the next plane to the other side of the world and never going near a book again seems like the most sensible option?

I will start with: my research. I really love what I'm doing, not just my research topic but the subject in general; I've known for a long time that this is what I want to do with my life, and although it's easy to forget that when I have so little time to squeeze in my own research, I've realised that even just 10 minutes a day writing a few notes refreshes my perspective on everything and gets me back in touch with my favourite part of this job.

A second one, which I can never quite plan for but is often all the better for being unexpected, is a brilliant teaching moment. Although there is a lot of prep, marking and admin around teaching which can cause the odd (!) moan here or there, sometimes my hours in the classroom are the most enjoyable of my week, and a one-to-one with a student who is really interested in and engaged with the subject is incredibly motivating.

So those are my happy moments, what about you? What keeps you going?

Charlotte Mathieson : 16 Apr 2012 08:26 |  Tags: Careers Charlotte Mathieson Positive Thinking |  Comments (6) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Twitter all the way – by Deborah

Went to the twitter workshop last week which was extremely helpful.  Run by CM, we went through signing in, who follows who, who in fact is a follower and all the other jolly little terms that are bandied about which, for a fairly new tweeter such as myself, used to mean very little.  Shame on all those people who registered but did not turn up...there is another session at IAS on the 26th April, 2pm - 4pm if anyone wants another go.

I put my twittering skills into good use whilst watching the racing of all things, tweeting to the BBC regarding the pieces they included during their last coverage of the Grand National.  My hardest thing is remembering passwords and what is a handle, in tweet world.  Im American racing it is the amount that has been gambled on one day's racing so when asked for my handle I thought I was being asked something to do with my financial state initially - interesting how words can mean so many different things in different context. And how tweet can be mispelled as twit which is what I used to feel when trying to tweet.  Thanks to the helpful run through however I am now more confident and like a lot of these things, it's a case of just going for it.

Happy tweeting

Deborah Butler : 15 Apr 2012 07:16 |  Tags: Deborah Butler Ias Tweet Twitter Web Presence |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

My viva–vesary; one year of ECR life – by Charlotte

March 31st marked my "viva-versary", which felt like the kind of event that should inspire some reflective thoughts on what I had achieved and learnt in my first year of Dr-hood, and possibly also cake. But it was also an occassion that part of me wanted to avoid because one year on, I'm still not in a full-time research position, and I'm not sure how much reflection-inspiring wisdom I've really gained from the last year. Year 2 is already shaping up to follow much the same pattern as year 1 (with the added pressure that I was really hoping there wasn't going to be a year 2...).

The one thing that characterises the last year is being busier than I knew possible. My approach has been very much say yes to everything, and one thing I have realised from this is that you just never know what something will lead to: in everything that I've done, one opportunity has lead to new contacts, more work, and other opportunities arising. As a result, this year has been far more exciting, varied and interesting than I imagined.

But the one thing that has suffered as a result of endless extra jobs, teaching, and public engagement activities is dedicated time for research and publishing. I've managed to squeeze in two conference papers, three articles and start on a co-edited collection, but my plans to make substantial progress on The Book are only now getting off the ground (more of that in another post). While I've been assured that this isn't too terrible, I had really hoped to have a proposal by now. With the academic employment situation being the way it is right now, publishing is by far the most important thing I need to focus on.

So in the next year, it's clear that I need to redress the balance and put publications first, whilst still keeping engaged with the academic community and, quite importantly, earning enough money to live. But how do you do that? I don't want to give up any one area - I think the combination of teaching, research and admin is good experience if you can do it, and valuable preparation for an academic job. Also, as much as I enjoy the research above everything else, I really value teaching and other work, and go back to the research feeling refreshed and motivated.

The one thing I've realised that I can do is PLAN. The last year hasn't just been busy, it's been haphazardly so: a process of saying yes now, and worrying about when and how later. Whilst this has been great and exciting, it's also been stressful because the bigger projects keep getting pushed back and back. I've had long-term goals, but I haven't had a long-term plan that's realistically accommodated those goals and consequently have found them constantly overtaken by short-term projects.

So for next year, my plan is to plan more carefully: make the big deadline the priority, and work around that - not vice versa. I'm already considering very carefully what I'll take on, and realistically working out how it'll all fit together. In doing this, I immediately feel more in control of what I'm doing and that I have a choice as to what I do. And I think that's maybe the most important thing: feeling like I have the choice and the control over what I'm doing. Immediately I feel just a bit calmer about it all, and even a bit more positive about the prospect of a year 2.

Charlotte Mathieson : 13 Apr 2012 09:00 |  Tags: Charlotte Mathieson Research Teaching Work-Life Balance |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

The Trauma of That Funny In–Between Phase – by Kate

Welcome to new blogger Kate! Kate recently submitted her PhD in the Department of Classics, and is also our Research Exchange Assistant.

Trauma is an extreme word, a term not to be used lightly. I think my application of the word in this case is justified. I’m sure you’ll have your own view at the end of this blog entry.

So I handed in my thesis a month ago I think – time goes at a weird rate these days. Since then I’ve been reading fiction, knitting, working for £££, vaguely thinking about my viva and getting to grips with a new routine. In other words, actively not thinking about my PhD.

I’ve found myself blocking my thesis out of my mind. Instead of thinking positively about it as an achievement, or even negatively as though it was a piece of crap, I’ve not been thinking about it at all. Thinking about the viva is different – that’s a tangible thing, something in the future, something that will happen. The thesis has happened, and yet I’d rather pretend it never had. Instead of wanting the gratification of passing the viva and getting (hopefully) positive feedback, I’d just as sooner never speak about it again. Hmmm… something you never want to speak about again, pretend never happened, whilst it continues to do you internal damage… a trauma.

So I’ve decided to address this issue directly from now on. Instead of experiencing my anxiety in the unconscious world of my dreams – through biting spiders and mice trapped in lunch boxes (really) – I’m going to think and then talk about my thesis. Instead of almost intentionally forgetting everything I’ve learnt and written, I’m going to slowly reengage with my thesis and my ideas. Otherwise, the viva might be nothing more than tumble weed blowing across the room…

Is there anyone else out there who feels the same?

Kate Beats : 11 Apr 2012 12:00 |  Tags: Kate Post-Phd |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Ask a Librarian: How do I assess a journal's suitability for my work?

Every month, Jenny Delasalle (Academic Support Manager) replies to a question from an ECR around research dissemination, publishing, and other issues relating to the library's support for researchers. If you have a question, email researchexchange@warwick.ac.uk

This month: How do I decide on the most suitable journal for publishing my work?

Last month I discussed how you assess the quality of the journal for your research but there are also a number of factors relating to the suitability of the journal. As I said before, there are a lot of factors to consider when choosing a journal and how you weight each factor will depend on your discipline and your particular career or communication needs at the time.

These are the main issues to consider the suitability of a journal:

• Is your article relevant to the journal’s scope & subject? This will impact on the likelihood of your article being accepted. Look for any calls for papers on journal websites and consider any forthcoming special issues or collections.
• Do you already know an author who has published there, or one of the peer reviewers or even the editor? Could you network and get to know them? They might be able to give you some valuable tips to increase your acceptance chances, and/or to supply you with information about the journal that would be useful to you.
• Will the journal reach your intended audience? Consider who you are trying to reach: if you are co-authoring then this may need some negotiation!
• Is your article of a suitable length, style and format (or can you make it so!)? Journal editors have been known to reject articles without reading them, if they are simply not correctly formatted, so do make sure that you won’t be one of those!
• Is there clear information about the journal and how to submit? This could be more valuable for inexperienced authors, or also a sign of the quality of the journal.

You might also need to factor in:

Timeliness of their publication procedures:

• How long does it take for them to accept/reject an article? Is this before or after peer review?
• How long after acceptance before publication itself?
• Is that online as a preview or in the journal issue?

Some journals advertise these times on their home pages; otherwise (or perhaps as well), you could find someone who has published in that journal and ask them how long it took.

Also, see the MLA Directory of Periodicals (within the MLA International Bibliography) as this gives lots of journal title level information, though its coverage is largely languages and literature based: http://webcat.warwick.ac.uk/record=e1000257~S1

Rejection or acceptance “rates”, i.e. what is the (numerical) chance of your article being accepted?

• Is this rate only for after the peer review stage (even though some articles are rejected before that!)
• Does the “accepted” proportion include those sent back for re-submission and/or for review? (Watch out for that: you might not feel very much accepted if your article is sent back with revision suggestions, but that won’t necessarily count as a rejection!)

Sometimes it could be worth your while approaching the highest quality journal even with a high rejection rate, especially if you are not in a rush to publish. If they peer review you first then this could be a chance to really polish your article.

Note that the highest quality journals may reject 90% of articles submitted: you will need to remain persistent!

Authors’ contracts and open access policies: Consider whether you will be signing a licence to publish or giving away your copyright, and whether you can also deposit a copy of your article into an open access repository: these things might or might not be important to you.

Read about open access: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/research/instrep/oaw/

Find a journal’s open access policy on Sherpa Romeo: http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/

Also, watch out for indemnity clauses about libel and agreements over “third party” copyright material that you might wish to include. Third party copyright content may mean stuff you have created yourself, if you have already published it somewhere else and signed away the copyright. Read all about third party copyright on the WRAP pages which explain it for the purposes of thesis deposit:

http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/research/instrep/erepositories/thesis/

Fees for colour pictures, open access fees, etc. Can you afford to publish in that journal: have you got a budget to cover the cost?!

Features of the journal: if you want to include your dataset for publication along with your article, or to link up a multi-media file, does the journal support this kind of publication?

Thanks Jen! Next month: Advice on creating a research project blog

Charlotte Mathieson : 02 Apr 2012 12:12 |  Tags: Ask A Librarian Jenny Delasalle Publishing |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

From Twater to Twaddict: using Twitter as an ECR – by Charlotte

There's been a lot of discussion about Twitter recently, especially amongst ECRs at Warwick - Fran recently blogged about trying to get into Twitter, and last week we held a discussion amongst ECRs about the pros and cons of using Twitter as a researcher. I found this really useful encouragement to think about why and how I've found Twitter useful as a researcher, and how I go about presenting my "Twidentity".

When I first joined Twitter back in October I was initially quite sceptical about the value or how I would use it. I tentatively sent out a few tweets, followed a few people I knew, and linked up my blog. It all felt a little unknown, but what I realised quite quickly was that the only way to really give it a go was to fully take the plunge and get stuck right in. I branched out to following people I didn't know (using lists of people I followed for suggestions), retweeting and replying to others' tweets, and getting into discussions on the semi-mysterious # threads. Immediately there seemed to be more "point" to what I was tweeting, and before I knew it I was building up a decent following/follower list, getting lots of responses to my tweets, and becoming part of what I realised was a growing and lively academic community.

6 months later, at over 1000 tweets and 300 followers, it's safe to say I'm hooked.

Twitter has a useful place for all academics, but from my experience I think it can be especially useful for ECRs. Many of us initially feel disconnected from the academic community or in limbo as a researcher, but I've found that through Twitter I feel connected and engaged to other researchers. Not only is my own work getting picked up by others, but I'm constantly finding out so much about what's going on with academics in my field and in the research world more widely. My Twitter feed is a constant source of events, news, blog posts, ideas, thoughts, and queries on subjects that I'm interested in. What's not to like?

I can see the downsides, the main one being the time factor involved. Depending on the type of work you do (e.g. lab work) it might be near-impossible to tweet in your working day, and for others it feels like a distraction from work. I think if you can justify checking emails/ facebook/ texts in the day, you can probably justify 5 minutes here and there on Twitter (and I tend to find those 5 minutes infinitely more productive or interesting!). A lot of my tweeting time is the "dead time" in between doing other things, when I'm on the bus, or at the start/end of the day when I'm doing other pc-based tasks.

The issue of your "twidentity" is also an important one. Twitter is a public forum, and anyone can see what you tweet so it's important to stay professional and not say anything that might be misconstrued by an employer or colleague; whilst I have the odd tweet about the size of my marking pile (usually met by sympathy from others!), I would never tweet anything that I wouldn't be happy with a student or potential employer reading. It's also a good idea to think about how you might want to "streamline" your identity, e.g. by only sticking to certain subjects; I tweet about all the different aspects of my professional identity and a few other related interests, but with the exception of the occasional tweet about Masterchef I mostly maintain a work persona.

But the benefits in terms of networking and opportunities that have come about via twitter far, far outweigh the time investment. I'd especially recommend it if you have a research blog: not only has my readership has vastly expanded since being on Twitter, I've also been featured as a case study in a journal article on ECR Victorianists and social media, been invited to speak about my blog at a conference, and it's played a crucial role in my wider engagement activities this year. If you're ambivalent but tempted then give it a go! If you're already a "twaddict", what do you find useful about Twitter?

Charlotte Mathieson : 26 Mar 2012 09:00 |  Tags: Charlotte Mathieson Twitter Web Presence |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Veni Vidi Vici Viva– by Fran

Over a month has now passed since my viva and I have ranted and railed at everyone from my mum to the ladybirds (who keep mysteriously appearing in our front room), and now feel sufficiently able to discuss the experience in a calm, moderately collected manner. As such, this post is not going to offer any tips or advice; no, gentle reader, I have no tips or advice—because I do not believe that anything can prepare you for a viva. Unless you count DO NOT TYPE “VIVA: WORST CASE SCENARIO” INTO GOOGLE THE MORNING OF YOUR VIVA, as advice? Yes, an amateur mistake; but in my defence, I was suffering from an abnormality of mind in the shape of ACUTE VIVA STRESS. So, instead, this post is simply going to talk you through the horror that was my viva—rather as a way of self-help than anything else.

It began the day before, as I realised that my cold was turning into a chest infection. As I poured over my battered thesis and stuck post-it notes to random pages (mainly because I thought it might give the impression that I was “engaged” with my work, even though I felt I was not), with a large cup of Lemsip, I thought— this is surely an omen. But first, a little background: this year has been very disappointing for me. I have been overwhelmed with teaching responsibilities and by the time my viva arrived (five months after I submitted) I was totally out of touch with my field of research. There followed a period of frantic research as I tried to catch up. I think it is safe to say, therefore, that I was not in the “zone” the week of my viva. The day of my viva, however, I actually felt too exhausted to worry. It was with great relief that I saw my supervisor, who soon snapped me out of my daze by making me talk. I think, perhaps, I must have gone into some sort of protective trance—my brain simply couldn’t process the worry—and seeing my supervisor, the person who has seen me through from start to finish and really believed in my work, was what I needed. The next hour and twenty minutes was extraordinarily hard. It quickly became apparent that both examiners did not “like” my theoretical framework, mainly because I'd devised my own, instead of incorporating one already in existence. I kept thinking—what do they mean by “like”? Do you have to like something to pass it? Was I going to fail because they didn’t like it? I thought— I just have to keep going, keep talking, keep defending (just keep swimming, just keep swimming). It was automatic pilot. By the time I was sent out, I was convinced that I was going to fail.

The verdict itself was delivered with comic timing. My external examiner 'ummed' and 'ahhed' for a long period of time, while I sat there wanting to laugh, feeling like a contestant in Britain’s Got (no) Talent— until she finally said I’d passed. I didn’t smile. I didn’t say anything. I just sat there and started to feel strangely (and unreasonably) angry and tired. When I finally saw my supervisor again I simply cried. Thankfully, she was ready with the bubbly and many comforting words, and sat with me until I’d downed most of a bottle of Prosecco and felt nicely dazed again. I can honestly say that if I learnt anything from that day, it is how important your supervisor is and how lucky I was to have a good one.

I have since been told by my internal examiner that they were always going to pass me, and that their challenge was a mark of respect. With a little perspective, I can now see that this was probably true, and I am grateful that they really took the time to engage with and fully consider my humble thesis. Good research should be controversial, it should not be “easy” and straightforward— as the saying goes, ‘those who risk win’—and although I may not feel as though I have “won” anything (I would at least have liked one of those giant cuddly toys you get at a fair), I have “conquered” my fear of the viva because I know that I will never have to go through anything like that ever again.

Francesca Scott : 14 Mar 2012 16:36 |  Tags: Fran Scott Video Viva |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem