Writing Your Confirmation Report

Whilst every PhD looks different, the experience of completing a confirmation review is fairly universal. This milestone (typically at 12 months in) is to check the work you have done and your plans for the remainder of your PhD. As I approach the end of my first year, and as this month has unsurprisingly focused on writing the 40-page report, I want to share my main learning points from the process.

#1 Start early

A shared dream among PhD students is the mirage of “writing as you go along”. Whilst it is difficult to balance writing alongside lab work, meetings and other commitments, it’s never too early to start putting pen to paper. Writing can be a good way to test your understanding as it will often highlight areas where you need to do more reading. These are usually sections where I’m struggling for things to say or am clinging more closely to the literature.

It’s always good to start writing as this can improve your understanding of a topic, increase your confidence and give you something to develop and improve. The first draft will never be the last draft but you can’t edit a blank word document!

#2 Have your own mini-deadlines

A year seems like a long time when you start but it rushes by. For this report I looked at my deadline and worked backwards. I want two weeks to edit the report with my supervisors comments and they need two weeks to read it. So, I need to send a final draft to my supervisors a month before. If I want to write a draft a month before the deadline, I needed to collect all my data 6 weeks before to give me time to analyse it.

These milestones will be different for everyone but working back from your final deadline to give yourself checkpoints will help keep you on track for your submission. But, don’t let these become points of stress if you miss a deadline. Checkpoints are there to help quiet your inner critic when you take a break and reassure yourself you’re making good progress. They’re not the be-all and end-all and can be moved if some things take longer than expected.

#3 Think about your story

When sorting your research plans for the remainder of your project it can help to go back to your original research proposal. What did you want to achieve with your PhD? What questions did you want to answer? Sometimes we get so involved in our research that we lose sight of the original aim. Reminding yourself of these questions can help make sure that your research plans are relevant and realistic.

#4 Everything takes longer thank you think!

Part of the confirmation report is to share your plans for the remainder of your PhD. In science this includes creating a GANTT chart showing what tasks you will be working on each month of the next 3 years. This can be an intimidating process but making your own mini-deadlines (see section 2!) will help you breakdown your work into manageable chunks.

After one year in research I would suggest to build in extra time into your GANTT chart as everything takes longer than you think. One student I know was told by her supervisor to “take however long you think it will take and double it”.

#5 Believe in your research

Reaching the end of your first year is a huge achievement! The thought of writing a report can be intimidating but it’s better to think of it as a chance to get feedback on the work you have completed and your plans for the coming years. You know your research better than anyone else at this point and these discussions are only to benefit you, not to catch you out. Believe in the decisions you have made and your plans for the future - you are the researcher now!