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Dr Sarah M. Dillon

Business researcher with academic training and real-world experience

Home » Blog » PhD Milestone: Confirmation
PhD Milestone: Confirmation

19/07/2019

PhD Milestone: Confirmation

Doctoral study at my university requires candidates to successfully pass through three main milestones: a ‘Stage 2 Proposal‘ around three months after admission, when the research proposal is bedded down; a ‘Confirmation Seminar and Report‘ around 12 months in, when the bulk of the literature review is presented to a panel of examiners, to justify the proposed research design and potential contribution in your work; and lastly, a Final Seminar, which takes place just before the thesis is submitted for examination.

I’ve just passed Confirmation, which tells me I’m more or less on track with my research. The feedback from my committee was incredibly helpful, and I can see my research project will be stronger for having passed through this useful process.

My next steps are to submit an ethics application to the University Human Research Ethics Committee. Once the committee are satisfied that my project meets a series of rigorous requirements in line with the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research, I’ll be able to move on to the next stage: data collection.

Filed Under: Sample Project

About Sarah Dillon

I’m Dr Sarah M. Dillon, a research-active lecturer in international marketing, management and entrepreneurship. In a previous life, I trained as a professional technical translator, ran an online training company, and lived in Germany, France, Spain, Australia, and the UK. I now live in the west of Ireland. She/her.

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… a translator, interpreter or language professional? I used to be one too. You can read what I wrote about that here.

… interested in pursuing a research degree, e.g. MRes, MPhil, PhD? I’ve done a couple of those. I share resources here.

… a former student or colleague? I would love to reconnect.

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