Sep 14, 2009 View Comments
Managing your supervisor – how both of you can survive the dissertation experience
As a new year is about to start, I thought I would get this little rant off my chest in the interest of generating peaceful and harmonious cooperation with my PhD and dissertation students …
Apologies if these points seem obvious, but they are based on recent supervision experience…and no names will be mentioned in order to protect the guilty J
If you have chosen your supervisor because your project matches their research interests, then it does make sense to actually read and comment on their blogs, follow them on twitter, attend their classes etc. They may well do the same for you in return, and you both end up learning something.
Do not expect to discuss a blank sheet of paper with your supervisor – be proactive and give him/her something in writing that they can feedback on. We do not expect perfection but we do expect initiative.
Please don’t refer to yourself in the 3rd person throughout your work – in the 21st century this is a privilege reserved only for royalty…
Please don’t use American English – unless you are based in North America, in which case you are reluctantly excused..
Please remember that apostrophes are possessive not plural.
If you are submitting drafts for feedback that your supervisor has already seen, please make sure you have used “track changes” so that exactly what you have changed since the last version can be established.
Plain English is fine – please note that strangulated sentences and outdated language do not add any value to your work.
Please do not annoy your supervisor by asking impossible questions such as “tell me what I’ve left out?” or “how many references do I need?”
Feedback on these points or additional comments from colleagues and current students would be most welcome!
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