Planning

Research Timeline

The three-year programme map, read as a sequence of dependencies rather than a static chart. The arc alternates theoretical and empirical work, each step refining the next, with the dissertation integrating all of it.

Year 1: 2025–26 Year 2: 2026–27 Year 3: 2027–28

Year 1 · 2025–26

Lit synthesis and framework run throughout the year, the ongoing spine of the theoretical work.
FY PhD Conference in the Lent/Easter window.
Paper 1, theoretical framework ETA Jun 2026 the framework paper that specifies the mechanism and names the three research directions.
FY Report ETA Aug 2026 the formal first-year assessment deliverable.
Fieldwork Phase 1 begins (formally August–September 2026).

Year 2 · 2026–27

Data analysis of Phase 1 transcripts.
Framework refinement where Study 1 findings revise the account.
Paper 2, refined PSF ETA Mar 2027 the empirical paper grounded in Study 1.
Fieldwork Phase 2 followed by analysis and synthesis.

Year 3 · 2027–28

Paper 3, multi-domain fieldwork ETA Dec 2027 PSF grounded across domains.
Dissertation writing through the year, integrating the three papers.
Polish and submission Dissertation ETA Jul 2028

The dependency the chart cannot show

Each key deliverable depends on the prior step landing, so the milestones are tightly sequenced and carry cascade risk. The framework paper has to specify the directions before Study 1 can test them, Study 1 has to produce findings before the framework can be refined, and the refinement has to land before Study 2 can carry it into new domains. The Future Work Plan section of the FY Report walks these dependencies in full.

Derived from the research Gantt (Exhibit 8). See the FY Report outline for the Future Work Plan that narrates these dependencies.