Admission to Submission-

My Ph.D. Journey
By Sharafat Hussain | Batch 2014 | Department of Management Studies | MANUU
Aims and objectives
 Share my personal experiences of undertaking a Ph.D. research
 Discuss some of the issues that arose throughout my own studies which you might
be able to relate to
 Explore some of the highs and lows of the journey
 To explore some of the challenges, misconceptions /pre-conceptions, barriers,
blockages and moments of procrastination
Little bit About Myself
 Schooling and Matriculation from Ranchi, Jharkhand
 Intermediate from Narayana College, Dilsukhnagar, Hyderabad
 BA from Samatha College, Dilsukhnagar, Hyderabad
 MBA- Major Marketing from MANUU, Hyderabad
 PhD- Sensory Marketing from MANUU, Hyderabad
 Areas of Interest- Research, Entrepreneurship and Cooking
Rejection and Acceptance
 Qualified UGC NET in Dec 2012
 Applied for Ph.D. in the year 2013 in MANUU- Rejected in the interview
 Disappointment, Counselling and Preparation for 2014
 Published a paper on Sensory Marketing – Case study on KFC.
 Qualified for PhD in- Central University of Karnataka, Pondicherry University, HCU and MANUU.
 Took admission in MANUU
 Qualified for MANF
 Guide assigned- Prof. M.A. Azeem (I was scared RM and Stats !)
 Having survived my PhD I am here to share my experiences
 And a Ready-to-give-a-viva researcher.
Doing Your Ph.D.
 It is frustrating, exhilarating, ground breaking and new.
 It is an emotional rollercoaster, with many highs and lows.
 It can be an isolating experience.
 If you are full-time you are expected to work for around 20 hour week. Towards the end, it
may feel like you are working a 90 hour week, . Other times you might work less. Best year
is the first year.
 At times you may feel like you are in the middle of a living nightmare, but the good news
is....
 It is a time of deep growth and intellectual development.
 IT CAN BE FUN!!!!!
The Typical Timeline….

• Mastering the art

Year 2 • Sudden Realization that 2
years are over.
of looking like you • PANIC ATTACK!!!
are doing the • Realization that •Colloquium
Ph.D. you are ACTUALLY •Conferences
•Seminar
doing Ph.D. •Paper presentations
•UGC Approved Journals blah blah
blah...

Year 1
Year 3
Here is a better plan..
Year 1- Get organized
 Have a good idea about what your research will involve. Sounds obvious, doesn’t
it?!
 Have read the backgound, some review/original papers in the same area and
related textbooks (not just Google!).
 Have given course work exam.
 Have attended at least one week research methodology workshop, One SPSS
workshop and one R workshop (YouTube Videos will only help).
 Have started to make notes from these sources; keep this focussed and don’t copy
out sections from books, download chunks from the Web or CDs - this is
plagiarism! You will synthesize these notes into a narrative later.
 Have written down exact references as you find them.
 Have started a week-by-week log book.
 Have given shared with other PhD students/seniors.
 First Colloquim
Year 2- Review of Literature, First
Publication and Research Instrument
 Have a good understanding of the theory and methods to be used.
 Medley/Zotero
 Have read most of the background material and made notes/references.
 Complete research design and methodology
 Questionnaire
 Sample size and determination

 Have seen your supervisor and have it approved.

 Published one conceptual paper in UGC listed journal.
 Second Colloquium
 Paper presentation
 Go for Data Collection
Mid Year 3
 Have collected all the actual research Data.
 Have structured the main sections and typed them up. This will take longer
than you think! Present to supervisor while you jump on data analysis.
 Have acted on your supervisor’s comments on your draft chapters.
 Have tested the hypotheses, produced all the graphs and diagrams.
 Swap chapter drafts with friends for comment. If your friends can’t
understand what you have done in broad terms, it’s YOUR fault.
 Write the conclusions and recommendations sections. Give these to your
supervisor for comment in good time.
 Finalise any appendices and export references from the software.
 Act on your supervisor’s comments. This might change your complete thesis!
 put all sections together, check spelling and grammar, include headers,
footers and page numbers.
The Thesis DRAFT COPY
 Your thesis should be a “narrative text” with a coherent story line which flows
logically from one section to the next in a coherent manner.
 See the REQUIREMENTS GUIDE; maximum length? Etc.
 Use ordinary plain English, free of jargon and slang.
 Use diagrams, charts etc as much as possible.
 Give sources to figures and table, name and put numbers to them according to
chapter.
 Stick to conventional and consistent nomenclature.
 Title page - see the Requirements Guide.
 Acknowledgements - keep it formal!
 Table of contents (STRUCTURE).
 List of figures.
 List of abbreviations.
 GO FOR TRANSLATION AFTER GETTING APPROVAL BY SUPERVISOR.
Tools That I Used
 Dropbox/Google Drive- For Storage and Cloud Back Up
 Zotero/Mendley- For Reference Management
 Speech.io – for dictation
 http://www.write-urdu.com- Urdu Typing Help (Not for thesis)
 SoGoSurvey/Google Form/- Data collection
 Thermal (pre submission) and Hard (Submission) Binding- Narayana, Mehdipatnam
 Excel and SPSS 24- For Analysis
 Plagiarism X- For plagiarism check (never use online tools)
 Urdu Translation- Use your own contact but do a 100% proofreading. No one knows
your subject better than you !
 Thesis format latest- Use mine (will share, end of this session)
Seriously...
 My journey to PhD completion included a fair amount of blood, sweat and
tears.
 Frustration, consternation, lack of determination, procrastination,
distractions and exhaustion.
 There were times when I had nightmares of running tests in SPSS for wrong
results, higher plagiarism rate and failing to qualify for the next colloquium.
 I considered giving up, more than once, but I got through it and so can you.
Don’t Worry You are in Making…
 Rome was not built in a day – a thesis cannot be constructed overnight!!
 It really is a process that demands more time than I had actually anticipated.
 Moving through the process took some negotiation.
 It was not a linear process, required movement backwards and forwards until
the sum of parts became a whole. It took me 4 months only to discuss and
decide Sampling Method.
 Some tasks were much harder, time-consuming and tedious than others like
writing, DTP and translation of course!!!
Mind You
 Set yourself SMART goals:
 Specific
 Measurable
 Achievable
 Realistic/relevant
 Time-bound
 If it is not working – don’t remain silent, speak up.
 A problem shared is a problem halved and challenges can be overcome.
Strategize
 Make an action plan – aim to stick to it!!
 Prioritize
 Remember that it is okay to say NO!!
 Don’t leave tasks that are time-consuming until the end. Keep up with
referencing, proofreading, cross-referencing, organising appendices etc...
These tasks can take longer than you might expect!!
 Be kind to yourself! Take a break from your work, spend time with family and
friends.
 Coming back to your research with fresh eyes helps you to see things more
clearly, and helps to overcome issues that may have been problematic.
Supervisor
 Touching base in a regular basis- Show up face to face!
 Mutual respect- They have been there and done it-You are not the smartest!
 Clarification- Always take approvals, to be on the same page!
 Expectations- Least...you are a researcher, go well prepared!
 Responsibilities- Meet deadlines, Attendance and Paper work!
 Mixed approaches- Listen, impart and incorporate!
 Feedback and Criticism- Always acknowledge and take positively.
 Managing/negotiating boundaries- Know your limits and know your supervisor
as a Big-B figure.
 Relationship- Keep it above all. This matters a lot!!!
Preparing For Pre Submission
 Pre-Submission pending
 Tears, tantrums and stress
 The light is visible at the end of the tunnel
 Almost there, almost there, almost............ aargh..................
 Poorraeding
 Proofreadnig
 Proorfeading
 Proofreading

 Translation and beyond.

Pre Submission Seminar
 The pre submission may not signify the end point just yet.
 If it does and you happen to be one of the few that get few without having to
undertake any revisions – congratulations in advance!!
 Revisions are not the end of the world – see it is an opportunity to ‘perfect
the text’.
 Don’t lose heart, get on and complete them as quickly as you can.
 Seek advise, clarification about any recommendations that you are unsure of.
 Work with your supervision team – they will continue to support you to the
end point!!
Life After Submission…I am living now!
 As if you lost 10 KGs in a day!
 Is like a breath of fresh air!!
 Somewhat surreal.
 Has not been as straightforward as I had envisaged.
 Worth every single second, minute, hour, day, week, month and year that it
took to achieve my goal!
 I actually miss my doctoral studies 
Opportunities So Far…
 Teaching, advances in my marketing and research knowledge base
 Visiting, Speaking and Presenting Opportunities-
 BHU- Banaras
 IIM-Ahmedabad
 MENA EdEx- UAE
 Wall Street NYSE- USA
 Several Research Related Workshops
 Networking
 Local Colleges/Universities etc.
 Research and Publication
 SPSS- I was scared to death earlier!
 Publication- 6 Publications
 Consulting opportunities
How Ph.D. will Support My Career Aspirations
 Academia is not the only option
 I will probably go into the industry where my Ph.D. will stand out as an applicant.
 Looking forward to Swedish Institute Management Program (SIMP) Asia 2019
 Post Doctoral Research like Full Bright
 Research has taught me to be patient and has developed many skills-
 Presentation
 Analytics
 Problem Solving
 Time management and
 Networking
 I am open to other opportunities related to my field and expertise..
Viva..Hmmm…Enjoyable or not?
All depends on my/your work, but
examiners are ‘out to get you!’

Wish me Good luck!

Thanks!