PHD Route (According to St Andrews University)



A typical PhD might progress as follows: 

Year One. Time is spent on in depth research into your chosen field of study. By the end of the year you will have completed at least one chapter of your thesis, participated in the annual postgraduate conference and study day, drafted a full plan for your thesis (chapter breakdown) and worked out your timetable for completion. This is a good year in which to hone language skills, and perhaps to take extended research trips overseas (including in the past, trips by former students to Hong Kong, Russia, Turkey, South Korea, etc). 
 
Year Two. Written at least two or three further chapters. Gained experience as a seminar tutor throughout the year. Participated in, and perhaps organised, the annual postgraduate conference and study days. Written book reviews. Delivered conference papers at other institutions, either nationally or internationally.

Year Three. Completed your first full draft of the thesis. Consolidated your teaching experience as a seminar tutor, perhaps also delivering some lectures. Participated in, and perhaps organised, the annual postgraduate conference and study days. Worked up a draft of a journal article for submission to a reputable refereed journal. Delivered conference papers at other institutions.

Year Four (writing up year). Completed and submitted final draft of thesis. Delivered full length, one hour paper on your research as part of the Centre for Film Studies Seminar Series. Continued work on publications, conferences and even applications for funding, as you enter the job market. 

I'm completing a proposal pannel for a conference and I've just found some information about speakers and session organizers that you can find useful. Specially because I have heard many times the question: how many pages do I have to write if I'm going to speak 15 minutes? The answer according with MLA rules is  7 and a half.

FROM: guideline for speakers (MLA)

BASIC:Guidelines for Speakers and Session Organizers

The MLA Program Committee approved the following guidelines for speakers and session organizers at the MLA convention.

1. Assume that a page of double-spaced, typed material, in a standard elite-sized font, takes about two minutes to read, without any extemporaneous comments added during the reading. This means that it takes fifteen minutes to read seven and one-half pages and twenty minutes to read ten pages.
2. A presenter who is likely to add extemporaneous comments during the reading should start with a paper that is shorter than the lengths noted above.
3. A presenter who speaks extemporaneously (with or without notes) should rehearse the presentation to ensure that it will fit in the allotted time.
4. Session organizers should be modest in their plans for including speakers and keep in mind that MLA policy requires fifteen minutes of each session to be reserved for discussion. A seventy-five-minute session therefore allows one hour for presentations and can accommodate three speakers, along with the presider's introductions. A respondent should count as one of the three speakers. More presenters or respondents can participate only if the length of the individual presentations is reduced.

AUTHOR: Amittai F. Aviram