The Thinking Tools is a self-help book for preparing doctoral students towards navigating a 3-year PhD journey. It will help new doctoral candidates who just realized how overwhelming things are once the journey started. It also enlightens those doctoral students who are thinking about quitting the journey because the end never seems to be in sight. Based on the author’s ethnography study, the book points out key misconceptions at different research design phases, which are detrimental to postgraduates from developing countries due to differences in their learning cultures. The book includes several unconventional tips such as for fast critical writing and avoidance of research methodology thinking until after completion of rigorous literature review. The Thinking Tools book is a systematic compilation of selected simple tools for helping graduate students develop their understanding about the complex doctoral study. Kicking off with an emotional problem identification, the author introduces the innovative RQ Constructs formulae for developing novel inquiries. She details how this inquiry concept helps visualise the critical linkages among key research methodology components to ensure a doctoral qualification. The tools have proven to accelerate critical thinking competency if followed well by the doctoral students with some guidance from their supervisors.
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.
This textbook is a guide to success during the PhD trajectory. The first part of this book takes the reader through all steps of the PhD trajectory, and the second part contains a unique glossary of terms and explanation relevant for PhD candidates. Written in the accessible language of the PhD Talk blogs, the book contains a great deal of practical advice for carrying out research, and presenting one’s work. It includes tips and advice from current and former PhD candidates, thus representing a broad range of opinions. The book includes exercises that help PhD candidates get their work kick-started. It covers all steps of a doctoral journey in STEM: getting started in a program, planning the work, the literature review, the research question, experimental work, writing, presenting, online tools, presenting at one’s first conference, writing the first journal paper, writing and defending the thesis, and the career after the PhD. Since a PhD trajectory is a deeply personal journey, this book suggests methods PhD candidates can try out, and teaches them how to figure out for themselves which proposed methods work for them, and how to find their own way of doing things.
This co-edited book provides doctoral candidates with a practical, cross-discipline handbook for successfully navigating the doctoral process – from initial program selection to the final dissertation defense and preparing for the faculty interview. Invited chapters from established higher education experts cover topics ranging from university and program selection, preparing for comprehensive exams and dissertation research, self-care and self-management strategies, and recommendations for maintaining personal and professional support systems. Each chapter includes strategies for success and practical tips, including how to create a study guide for the comprehensive examination, how to create a professional support group, how to talk to your family about the doctoral process, how to select and work with a chair and committee, how to identify an appropriate research design, how to navigate the IRB process, and how to master the research and writing process.
Focused on understanding the journey of international doctoral and early career scholars, this key book provides insight and guidance for those whose country of origin differs from where they have chosen to pursue a doctorate. Drawing on the experiences of PhD students, it harnesses invaluable insights to support a deepening appreciation of a chosen subject of study, manage research and make the most of what intercultural interactions can offer within a doctoral experience. Each carefully considered part uses research-informed evidence drawn from a wide range of experiences and observations, providing various, and at times contrasting, perspectives. This book has been written to: Offer new insights into the PhD abroad experience Equip international scholars for their doctoral journey Help the reader optimise institutional support with help from supervisors and other staff members Filled with evidence-informed suggestions and advice, this book offers support to doctoral scholars and early career researchers as they navigate their international doctoral journey. The ‘Insider Guides to Success in Academia’ offers support and practical advice to doctoral students and early-career researchers. Covering the topics that really matter, but which often get overlooked, this indispensable series provides practical and realistic guidance to address many of the needs and challenges of trying to operate, and remain, in academia. These neat pocket guides fill specific and significant gaps in current literature. Each book offers insider perspectives on the often implicit rules of the game – the things you need to know but usually aren’t told by institutional postgraduate support, researcher development units, or supervisors – and will address a practical topic that is key to career progression. They are essential reading for doctoral students, early-career researchers, supervisors, mentors, or anyone looking to launch or maintain their career in academia.
This collection of reflections is the first time that a group of Australian music educators has reflected on their doctoral journey describing and commenting on relevant academic, personal and other aspects relating to this intellectual rite of passage.
This book is written by a successful survivor! This clear and supportive text provides a detailed synthesis of, and rationale for, the key issues involved in a PhD and is highly recommended for anyone contemplating embarking on a PhD programme - it should be read from start to finish before starting the journey and consulted at regular intervals throughout the journey using the lists of dos and don’ts as checklists at strategic milestones along the way. Professor Eleri Jones, Professor Emerita, Cardiff Metropolitan University Dr Iornem presents the topic of a PhD journey in the same way as he undertook the journey itself: with enthusiasm and joy. Any student wanting to tackle this daunting task should use this book as a guide and as a motivator. Dr Iornem recognizes the hurdles and the fears which face a research student and addresses them with realism, pragmatism and humour, based on his own personal experiences. Dr John Koenigsberger, PhD supervisor: Cardiff Metropolitan University; University of Wales, Trinity St. Davids From development of the research proposal to preparing for the viva voce and post-doctoral career options, this handy survival guide provides an invaluable source of advice and inside knowledge on the entire PhD process. All stages are explained in simple terms, and potential pitfalls are clearly highlighted, along with how to avoid them. This accessible, informative and engaging book is highly recommended as essential reading to anyone considering undertaking a PhD. Dr Hillary J. Shaw, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Urban Research on Austerity, De Montfort University The doctorate is an emotional and academic journey, filled with dilemmas and obstacles that are normal for every student. Offering a new perspective to help navigate and adjust to a new environment and culture of learning, this book seeks to answer questions like: •What if my research is not up to a PhD standard? •What makes a thesis original? •What if I cannot finish the course before the stipulated 3-year period? •What kind of training do I need before commencing a PhD? Drawn from the author’s own experience, alongside the stories of other students and graduates, the book illustrates possible solutions to the academic and emotional challenges faced by today’s PhD student. Key features: 1.Reflections from contemporary PhD students and graduates. 2.Comprehensive table of contents including research, proposal writing, avoiding plagiarism, publishing, and preparing for the viva voce. 3.Accessible and practical approach to the common problems faced by today’s doctoral students. 4.Conversational style for an easy-to-read experience, particularly useful for international students whose first language is not English. 5.Simplified coverage of the research journey in a logical step-by-step format from pre-application to the final Thesis Defence. Essential reading for students and supervisors, A Social Science Student’s Guide to Surviving Your PhD will also be of use to international students seeking to gain further insight into the application process and the demands of research degrees in the UK. Dr Kohol Shadrach Iornem is a senior lecturer at the International Foundation Group, London, UK, where he teaches Business Management, Organisational Behaviour and Study Skills. He is also the Director of Programmes at London Graduate School.
The Doctoral Journey as an Emotional, Embodied, Political Experience is the first text of its kind to capture stories of involvement in doctoral journeys from students, supervisors, and examiners. Drawing from experiences across a variety of disciplines in the social sciences, medical sciences, education and the humanities, these stories share a keenness to demonstrate the ways in which this journey is emotional (rather than detached), embodied (rather than separated), and political (rather than having no relationship to politics). The journey metaphor is often adopted to describe and explore the PhD process. However, this journey is usually only seen from the perspective of the doctoral candidate. This implies that it is only the student that learns, develops, and reflects. This is clearly not always (maybe never) the case. The suggestion that the candidate ‘learns’ whilst the supervisors ‘teach’ harks back to traditional masculinist educational approaches and neglects the reciprocal knowledge-sharing process between student and supervisor. Similarly, the prescription that relationships between all concerned remain ‘professional’ and removed, rather than in any way intimate, suggest an unrealistic acceptance of an scientific, detached objective agenda rather than an emotional, embodied, political, and holistic approach to research. The contributions to this book extend the journey metaphor to additionally consider the experiences of supervisors and examiners, including the joint, collaborative journey of the ‘team’ (the candidate, their supervisors, and their examiners). This provides a challenge to traditional understandings of the doctoral process and offers implications for future reflection and practice. This book is therefore an invaluable resource for doctoral students, supervisors, examiners, and readers interested in pedagogy and educational practice.
This book offers important insights into the challenging yet rewarding journey of undertaking a PhD. Written by students, for students, the book explores a range of case studies from creative arts and humanities doctoral students, embracing a cognitive, emotional and transformational metaphor of the journey. The volume is organised around themes and concerns identified as important by PhD students, such as building resilience and working with supervisors, and includes personal stories, case studies, scholarly signposts and key take-away points relevant to all doctoral settings. With perspectives from all stages of the doctoral journey, this book is sure to become a valuable support to students and supervisors alike, as well as those working in research education and training.
