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Category: Your Academic Journey

Explore the world of doctoral research and academia with insights, tips, and guidance for prospective and current PhD students. Navigate the challenges and rewards of the doctoral journey.
Experiences
Mojalefa Daniel Maluka

The H in PhD Stands for Hope: Remaining Hopeful in a PhD Journey

The PhD journey can make us lose hope, feeling trapped in the melancholy that often befriends the doctoral journey. But this empowering and uplifting article, written from a South African perspective, explores the idea of hope being an important friend to PhD candidates, helping us reach the finish line to graduation. Alongside the author’s personal journey with mental health, the article emphasises the importance of prioritising wellbeing, changing strategy when things aren’t working, and always remaining hopeful for the future.

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Featured Academic

Picture of Nathan H. Clarke

Nathan H. Clarke

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First-Gen Student
Jodie Boisvert

Imposter Syndrome: The Importance Of Developing A Support System

In this article, Jodie Boisvert discusses her experience with imposter syndrome during her journey to earning a PhD. She shares tips she learned from her professors and peers, including skimming reading materials to highlight key points and writing notes in the margins to enhance critical thinking skills.

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ADHD
Kristy Smith

How to do a PhD when you have ADHD Part 1: Academics

Guidance for doing a PhD with ADHD and make the most of your abilities with these helpful strategies. From capitalizing on hyperfocus and taking productive breaks, to creating multiple points of contact for deadlines and commitments, this guide is packed with tips to help you work with your ADHD rather than against it.

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COVID-19
Jim Hulbert

Travelling, Working, And Returning To Academia

A former history MA graduate, Jim Hulbert, recounts how he went from traveling to working, and returning to academia. After some years of working, he decided to pursue a PhD, a journey that was jumpstarted during the COVID-19 pandemic when he was furloughed from work.

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Academic Careers
Suzanne O'Regan

15 Years in Academia: 10 Things I’d Do Differently If Starting My PhD Again

This article reflects on the author’s 15-year academic journey, detailing the lessons learned from disorganised PhD student to effective work habits as a postdoc and assistant professor, and applying these lessons to their current role at Paperpile. Suzanne offers practical advice on academic writing, productivity, and professional development, emphasizing the importance of daily writing practice, systematic note-taking, reflection, goal setting, and the use of digital tools like reference managers. She shares these insights to help current PhD students avoid similar pitfalls and develop productive habits early in their academic careers.

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Experiences
Jake Dunlop

Anxiety in Academia: Using Anxiety as My Superpower  

Anxiety is a debilitating condition that can make the simplest of tasks difficult, let alone a PhD. This empowering article follows Jake’s experience with anxiety during sixth form and university, and how once he discovered research he began to view anxiety as a superpower to keep his PhD pushing forwards. He shares anxiety-reducing techniques for when it gets too much, including affirmations and breath control, and emphasises the value of accepting anxiety in your life.

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