The #1 Reason Papers Get Rejected (and How to Avoid It)
Rejection stings. You put months into a paper, edit it until you can’t stand to look at it anymore, hit submit, and then a few weeks later you get a blunt email saying it is not going forward. And here is the thing: it is often not because your research is bad. The most common […]
Why Publishing a Paper Feels So Hard (and How to Make It Easier)
Publishing feels impossible sometimes. You’ve already got research, teaching, maybe conferences, and then you’re told you need to publish too. The problem is that nobody shows you how. No roadmap. No checklist. Just pressure to get something out. That’s why publishing feels so hard. The first hurdle: finding a topic You sit down to write […]
Asking Your University to Pay for Online Training
Learn how to get university funding for online courses. Real examples + a letter template to request support for your training.
PhD in Later Life: It’s Never Too Late To Be a Student
This article explores the experience of doing a part-time distance PhD in later life. The author’s age was an advantage, allowing them to focus on their thesis without distractions or major hiccups. The article reflects on how to make for a smooth doctorate – emphasising the importance of strong interest in your topic, supervisors who are easy to work with, and a bit of luck!
Mixed Methods PhDs: An Applied Guide
Are you thinking about using mixed methods (both quantitative and qualitative data) in your PhD? This article guides you through different ways of doing mixed methods PhD research, from proposal writing to collecting and analysing data. It emphasises the importance of rigor in mixed methods research and how to achieve this.
PhD Abroad: How to Navigate Intercultural Interactions
Are you studying for a PhD abroad? Are you worried about integrating meaningfully into your PhD life in a different country? In this article, Dai Wenqi explores how to socialise and adapt to a new culture during your PhD abroad, providing advice from her lived experiences to help you enjoy your doctoral life to the fullest. This includes respecting and engaging with the culture of your host country, learning the language (but forgo the pressure of perfect fluency), and leaning into your unique personal charm.
Finding the Right Supervisors: An Underrated Springboard to Enjoying the PhD Journey
Mentors and supervisors are invaluable helpers on our PhD journey, yet this aspect of a PhD is often not considered enough to ensure they are the right fit for us. This article, from a Ghanian perspective, provides advice on finding and maintaining the right supervisors, who have the potential to completely transform one’s PhD journey into an enjoyable one. It reminds us that supervisors should be seen not as someone to try to replicate, but to springboard us into attaining our own personal goals.
Navigating Reflexivity: A Guided Example to Move Beyond Reflection
Need guidance writing the reflexivity section of your thesis (or indeed writing reflexively throughout the thesis)? This article defines reflexivity as going beyond reflection to consider the influence of our positionality on our work. It covers three main types of reflexivity – personal reflexivity, methodological reflexivity and philosophical reflexivity – and includes some working examples to illustrate the thought processes and questions that facilitate transparency and rigor in research.
How I Developed My Dissertation Proposal in Two Years
How do you get from the first day of your PhD program to a functional dissertation proposal in two years? In this article, a now-Associate Professor discusses how they used every class to funnel down their PhD proposal while reading widely. *Results may vary.
It’s Your PhD: How to Deal With Unhelpful Advice
This article explores how advice, whether solicited or unsolicited, can damage the morale and hope of those doing a PhD. The purpose of this article is to comment on the boundaries that researchers must put in place to avoid being negatively affected: we must be discerning as to whether advice is useful and pertinent, or whether it is not applicable to us. The main message is: don’t listen to everyone, and trust your own judgement!