PhD FAQs

I forgot to say, if you do a PhD with the Department of Agriculture Food and Development (i.e. funded either directly by the department or through Teagasc as a Walsh Fellow) there's really good workshops on which are worth credits. They look at career development, writing for journals etc etc.

Thank you all! Didn't expect so many helpful information:-)

Normally references in any situation are private so I would expect they just want your referees' details. However, the wording would infer that they do want you to collect the references yourself and attach them to your application. There should be a name to contact and I think you should ask them. Who is the scholarship with? It might help others answer your question better...for example, I know the Walsh Fellowship is a private correspondence between referee and recruiter as that is the scholarship I'm on.

ciaradx wrote: »

Its with [MOD]name removed[/MOD] in RCSI Dublin, the scholarship is funded by SFI. I was considering emailing him directly to ask how he wants the references submitted but wasn't sure if this would be okay. His email is the only contact details listed in the scholarship description.

[MOD] In future, please don't name individuals - there's no need. Ta. [/MOD]

I agree DJPbarry.

So you're funded by SFI....I'll see if I can find anyone who has their scholarship through them and ask but really your supervisor should know.

Manuel Slimy Stockade wrote: »

Has anyone any experience with the 'three paper thesis' i.e. PhD by publication rather than a monograph?

I am a first year PhD student, and it's something that myself and my supervisor are discussing. Some of the benefits appear intuitive, but I'd be grateful for any additional feedback or thoughts

The approach suggested by prettygurrly is a good one. It’s a good idea to have papers in the bag before your viva – takes an awful lot of pressure off if some/most of your work has already been subject to peer review. Not only that, but individual papers translate quite nicely to individual chapters in your thesis.

The problem with a thesis consisting solely of papers is, in my opinion, that there’s nothing to tie them together – the “big picture” is missing. It may also be the case that you end up with papers that, on the surface at least, are relatively unrelated – two parallel tracks of the same research project, perhaps. Without a proper introduction and discussion, there are going to be loose ends and it may well be that examiners struggle to piece things together.

Then there’s the fact that you will undoubtedly have unpublished work that you don’t want to just bin. Not only that, but it may well be of value to others in the future. If you’ve done something that hasn’t worked, it may save others time and effort if you’ve properly documented it – your thesis will almost certainly be made available in an online repository after submission.

You also have to bear in mind that a good introduction can represent a publication in itself – I modified mine and submitted it as a review paper.

SmallTeapot wrote: »

Surely a PhD by publication would require more than 3 papers....no? How would that equate to a PhD thesis comprising of 100,00 words. Granted your papers will be peer-reviewed, but still.

Well, it's all about quality, not quantity. There really is no need for a thesis to be a certain length just for the sake of it and your examiners will certainly appreciate brevity!

Just wondering has anyone converted a research masters to Phd?

Did you change to a Phd before completion of the masters? or officially graduate from a masters and then go on to do a Phd? Did you still have to do the 3 years or could you continue from where the masters finished?

miss-p wrote: »

I know when I started my PhD I was registered on 'PhD-track' which meant that I had to do a transfer report to move onto the actual PhD programme or I could opt to do a research masters instead.

This is very common. In a lot of institutes, all PhD students effectively begin life as MPhil students (or something similar) and they undergo a transfer of some sort, typically after 18 – 24 months. At that point the decision is made as to whether the student officially becomes a PhD candidate or remains on the MPhil track.

Most Irish research institutions don't have a minimum requirement for the quantity of publications required before you progress to a viva, unlike most other education systems. All laboratories will receive some funding to provide for a PhD student, and will gladly accept it, regardless if they have ambitions to publish or not. What generally happens then is that students get to the end of the 4 years without any publications, yet the laboratory has been kept up and running from whatever funding the student brought with them.
I would strongly suggest that any student when choosing a supervisor checks the track record of PhDs leaving the laboratory. If they're not graduating with 2+ papers, then you're better off bringing that funding elsewhere. You will ultimately be competing with other PhDs for post-docs or industry positions from people who have obtained this.
The IRCSET policy of awarding money to students, who then bring it to a laboratory is based on the premise that the student is educated enough to make an informed decision as to where to go....which unfortunately often they are not. Too often it happen they are sold a pup from seasoned supervisors who are well able to promise the sun moon and starts.

JK2015 wrote: »

Hi all,
Right now Im looking to apply for a couple of PhD projects I've seen advertised on college notice boards. Im not sure what to include in the first email to a prospective supervisor - what questions are appropriate for an initial email, that will also show interest? Im aware this is a silly question and I should be well able to write decent emails at this stage, but I think Im after over-thinking this one and need some advice any other advice about obtaining a phd position is very welcome also
Thanks

Just outline your motivation for researching the topic in question, and very briefly sum up the gap in the literature to demonstrate there is something worth pursuing. Outline your credentials to date as well. Once you've found a prospective supervisor who is interested in talking to you, arrange an informal meeting where you can discuss your motivation and what you are trying to accomplish in greater detail. There is also an element of it being a dating process - you need to try and establish if could see a good working relationship between the two of you.

Hi guys.

I'm interviewing shortly for a specific PhD project. I've worked with my supervisor at undergrad level for my dissertation and did well. The topic of which is similar to the upcoming project.

However I'm pretty unsure what to expect in the interview in terms of questioning. Could any one help with their own experiences? There is the possibility of a presentation also, could anyone advise how to structure it. I don't how much to lean on literature or potential research areas or impacts...

Thanks so much.

exaisle wrote: »

I think Carr Communications does this kind of thing...mock interviews etc...

Great... I'll look into them. Cheers.