How to Get Your PhD: A Handbook for the Journey

Description

A unique take on how to survive and thrive in the process your PhD, this is a book that stands out from the crowd of traditional PhD guides. Compiled by a leading UK researcher, and written in a highly personal one-to-one manner, How to Get Your PhD showcases the thoughts of diverse and distinguished minds hailing from the UK, EU, and beyond, spanning both academia and industry. With over 150 bitesize nuggets of actionable advice, it offers more detailed contributions covering topics such as career planning, professional development, diversity and inclusion in science, and the nature of risk in research. How to Get Your PhD: A Handbook for the Journey is as readable for people considering a PhD as it is for those in the middle of one: aiming to clarify the highs and lows that come when training in the profession of research, while providing tips & tricks for the journey. This concise yet complete guide allows students to “dip in” and read just what they need, rather than adding to the mountain of reading material they already have. Cover How to get Your PHD: A Handbook for the Journey Copyright Dedication Preface Acknowledgements Contents About the Editor Part 1: How To Get Your Phd Chapter 1: What is a PhD? But what is it, really? The whole truth: good and bad Chapter 2: Things you need to know Success in a PhD is not just about being smart Doing a PhD is nothing like doing an undergraduate or an MSc Doing a PhD in three to four years is a full-time job There are many different types of PhD training There are people who are much smarter than you You have to abandon the idea of instant gratification Luck plays a significant role in research success Your supervisor is not your teacher Your supervisor doesn’t know everything—and that’s ok Uncertainty stress vs. deadline stress Most of the visible achievement comes in the final twelve months Chapter 3: Things that will happen You will feel complete joy You will feel immensely inadequate and stupid You will ride the rollercoaster You will compare yourself to others You won’t know what to do with your day You will procrastinate You will feel like you’ve wasted time You will feel guilty You will want more meetings with your supervisor You will want fewer meetings with your supervisor You will feel overwhelmed by the literature You will think it’s trivial—it’s not You will have your work rejected You will think about quitting You will succeed Chapter 4: How to find your new idea Leave the Nobel Prize till after your PhD Realise there are different types of research Understand the necessity of scholarship Take a bite from the read–think–write sandwich Look for patterns, and form your own opinions Talk to people, talk to people, talk to people Practice explaining yourself Know your community Don’t evaluate your work in one dimension Investigate the weird things Take some risks, and grab some rewards Be careful and rigourous Accept that it takes time Be brave Be kind Chapter 5: How to work with a supervisor Congratulations on your marriage Understand that there are different‘ breeds’ of supervisor Expect the relationship to change with time Take extra care with multi-supervisor arrangements Remember, they can teach you more than just technical stuff Don’t be late Be prepared to remind them of what you are doing Take photos Expect more questions than answers If you don’t understand what I’m asking, please say so What if your supervisor is too busy? Things that will annoy your supervisor What if they’re absent for long periods? What if you fall out with your supervisor? Remember, they will make mistakes Remember, they are just human Chapter 6: Work on yourself Take some downtime; chill; go on holiday Watch your body clock, and recognise its rhythms Coping with the bad times Imposter syndrome Take that first small step: go grab a coffee Get out and get some exercise: move; don’t slouch Sleep and eat Maintain your identity; keep up some hobbies Keep a reflective diary Chapter 7: How to read Read it out of order, and read it many times Don’t just read Consider how you could do better Be sceptical How many papers? How do you know when you truly understand something? Read ferociously, but selectively How do you know when you’ve found all the relevant papers? You will learn more from reading than you realise Chapter 8: How to write Why bother? Good writing requires empathy; write with someone in mind Understand how peer review works Understand modern publication routes Write early, and write often Tell a story To find the right words, try going for a walk Write a good-lookingpaper Don’t pack too much into one paper Don’t use big words just for the sake of doing so Avoid the amazing, outstanding hyperbole Avoid long sentences by remembering to breathe Look at your writing—really look ‘Signposting’ and linking text Pick a good title Write your abstract Write your introduction Be conscious of the ‘cognitive load’ Literature review . . . or literature survey? Write the novel bit Write your conclusions Get feedback, and use your reviewers wisely And when you receive feedback . . . appreciate it Aim for progress, not perfection Chapter 9: How to give presentations Always remember: your talk is advertising Tell them a story! Decide on your ‘take-home’message Make a time budget Don’t think too much about the software Be consistent with whatever style you choose Don’t have overly wordy slides A picture is worth a thousand words Try to read the audience’s emotional state Show your enthusiasm Don’t be the annoying one Responding to questions Develop your elevator pitch You’ll be nervous the first few times—Just accept it Chapter 10: What happens in a viva? What’s the purpose of a viva? So, what happens? How should you prepare? What are they really looking for??? Typical questions How tough should you be? What happens afterwards? Finally, remember: the examiners are on your side Chapter 11: Your post-PhD life So, what happens next?! You’ll probably get the post-PhD blues You’ll feel part of the ‘PhD Club’ You’ll need to make a cultural transition And, finally, what actually does come next? The academic research path The industrial research path The ‘something completely different’ path Chapter 12: Skills you will have gained You will know how to learn from unstructured information You will know how to tackle a really hard problem You will be a better communicator You will be able to write clearly You will have strong presentation and teaching skills You will know how to analyse complex data You will know how to think critically, and give feedback You will know how to take critical feedback You will know what thinking/working styles are best for you You will have better time management and self-discipline You will know how to work well with others You will have skills that you’re not even aware of You will know what makes you happy (and what doesn’t) Part 2: Top Tips from Leading Minds Foreword to Part 2 i: Choosing a career in science Establish the ground rules Plan and prioritise Expect failure Manage your supervisor Learn to communicate well Know your audience Enjoy it ii: Becoming a reflective professional Becoming a reflective professional Sharpen the saw What do I mean by reflection? How should I reflect on my practice? Conclusion iii: Doing your PhD aspart of a team I see both pros and cons Lowering the barrier Teamwork involves compromise Role play Winning teams Forming connections Life after PhD iv: Saying yes to opportunity—and no Opportunities, opportunities . . . But why take on more things to do? But how do I know which opportunities to seize? But won’t all this extra work just stress me out? But how do I know what will interest me? v: The rewards of risk in research Looking beyond the lamppost Cultivate good taste in research projects Learn to balance risk and reward Challenge your own thinking Stretch beyond your comfort zone Permit your mind to be bored Failure is your teacher Avoid epicyclic projects Devise your own paths’ vi: Top writing tips My top tip is this: Start writing early, and often When and how to publish? Online tools to support your writing To write a traditional thesis, or a ‘thesis by papers’? Writing for social media vii: Mistakes your supervisor will make Supervision mistakes I have made and seen Addressing your supervisor’s behaviour viii: A PhD in statistics and data science Different types of PhDs: Applied and theoretical The challenges and merits of a part-time PhD Picking your problem Building your skills The ‘outputs’ of your PhD The importance of literacy ix: Building a strong support network You are not alone Build your own community Reach out x: Inventing ourselves: Responsibility and diversity in research A letter to the new research student Core to the scientific method But what can I do? A final thought Exercises for the reader xi: Public engagement in research There are many things to think about while you’re doing a PhD What is public engagement? Why should you do it? The public wants to be engaged How do I get started? Online methods: videos or articles Pros Cons Podcasts Pros Cons Public-speaking events Pros Cons Competitions Pros Cons Live Events and experiments Pros Cons Be sure to talk about all this with your supervisor Summary xii: Your career is up to you Your career is up to you You’re in charge of your career—even if you’re still in ‘school’ How to work on your career while you work on your degree Be curious—be open-minded A final thought Further reading Surviving and thriving Reading and communicating well Inspiring leaders Mental health Careers Index