Officially Completed - At last!!

So this is the end of the journey. Why I thought it would be finished within 12 months defies belief but, hey, who cares now that it is all over after three long years.

I had the email confirming that my corrections had been accepted by the examiners a couple of weeks ago followed by one from the Institute offering congratulations. Actually the examiners requested two further small changes which I was happy to make.

It was a strange moment. Once I had typed the last full stop I sat back and thought 'That's it - finished - no more worries, no more writing, no more isolation at a PC!! Now what?'

Needless to say the answer to the last question is lots of decorating, gardening and maintenance to catch up with jobs that have had to take second place. Of course the immediate answer was to print off copies of the thesis and to pass them to the binders. That was expensive as I chose to send a copy to my supervisor and both examiners, however, it was fantastic to see the finished article beautifully presented.

A useful tip I can pass on is regarding the corrections. Initially I was inclined to make the corrections with track changes and to pass the revised documents to the examiners. I don't know how you feel about track changes but I think they look unsightly especially in long documents. So instead I created a separate document with a table of corrections. In one column I extracted each of the examiners requested changes and alongside noted in the next column the page number from the viva draft. In the next column I noted the initials of the person requesting the change (including myself if I initiated any changes). In the final column I noted the page number of the correction in the final draft so that these could easily be found.

Under each correction requested I put an 'Action' heading and detailed the wording that was added, removed or amended to satisfy the request. Any changed figures or tables were included in an appendix at the end. I sent this document off with a full copy of the final text for the examiners to review. This worked well as the examiners commented on how this provided a clear and easily accessible way of checking the amendments.

Now I wait until April for the official graduation ceremony. I will be very proud to put the robes on and to go up to receive the certificate, but just at the moment it all feels a bit of an anticlimax. Still, like any bereavement, time will be the best cure and probably by the New Year I will feel like writing again!! In the meantime I can start to develop my new role as Reader in Distance Education.

If you have been following this blog, or if you are only now reading it, I hope that it has been helpful and given an insight into the trials and tribulations that doctoral research entails. If you have any comments or observations please do email them to me at w.n.mcneill@cem.ac.uk . For those of you working toward your thesis I say 'Good Luck - Never Give Up'.

I wish you all well for your futures.

Bill