PhD Progress

Proofreading is perhaps the one activity I dislike even more than housework. This stage is unbelievably tedious, but absolutely crucial. Typos creep in all the time, especially when you’re stressed and frantically editing the text. The only way to approach proofreading is calmly and systematically. And you need to do this right at the end, once you’ve finished writing and tinkering. Otherwise, you’ll have to go back and recheck all those additions and deletions. It’s tempting to outsource the pain by hiring a professional proofreader. ...

Does this sound familiar? The long-awaited email lands in your inbox — it’s the feedback on that piece of writing. Your stomach ends up in your slippers and you feel slightly clammy. You open the document and start reading. Disaster! Your supervisor clearly hates this piece of work. It’s a sea of red comments and they’re all negative. There’s no choice but to start all over again. This is complete rubbish. You spend the next couple of hours fuming and wondering why on earth you ever started a PhD. You complain to anyone who has the misfortune to ask you how it’s going today. ...

If you’ve been rummaging in the archives, you probably have a lot of digital images. They can be quite tricky to manage, especially when you’ve got more than a few dozen. Although tools like Zotero are great for bibliographic data, they’re not really suited to archival material. Fortunately, the Zotero developers have also created Tropy. Launched in 2017, Tropy is a free tool to help you organise and annotate your research photos. It’s rather like a database with a friendly interface. You can import most image formats, including PDFs, simply by dragging them into the application. ...

One of the biggest challenges with academic writing isn’t necessarily the writing itself, it’s actually keeping ourselves in the chair. As soon as we hit a tricky part, there’s an overwhelming urge to wander off and tackle an easier task. We tell ourselves, “This is far too difficult today. I’ll come back tomorrow and it’ll definitely be easier.” Unless we push through those tricky parts, though, it’s impossible to make significant progress. The solution is to either get some velcro pants or to use Focusmate. ...

We often tell ourselves that it’s impossible to write unless we have a completely clear day. But that’s nothing more than self-sabotage. An uninterrupted day is a rare occurrence, so we ensure that those conditions are never met. And no writing happens. Introducing constraints can be the answer. In Zen in the Art of Writing, American author Ray Bradbury explains how he produced the first draft of Fahrenheit 451 in just nine days. Finding himself unable to concentrate at home with small children, Bradbury was driven to the library at the University of California. There in the basement sat neat rows of typewriters that could be rented for a dime per half hour. You inserted your dime, the clock started ticking, then you had 30 minutes to hammer away at the keys. As an aspiring author, Bradbury had limited funds: “Time was indeed money.” ...

If you’ve recently submitted your thesis, there’s a good chance your viva will happen online. Vivas can be stressful anyway, but technology adds an extra layer of excitement. Although it might feel daunting, the solution is to spend time preparing. Computers can sense when something’s important and conspire to thwart us. In this post, I’ll give you step-by-step guidance on making sure your online viva goes smoothly. Preparation Check whether your institution has provided any guidance for online vivas. ...

Just when you thought you’d almost finished your thesis, there’s yet another hurdle: the abstract. Although it’s only around 300 words, this chunk of text can be surprisingly challenging. And you don’t want any more challenges at this stage. In this post, I’ll explain the purpose of the thesis abstract and also provide a step-by-step guide on how to distil that monster thesis into a perfect summary. What’s the purpose of the thesis abstract? Other than giving you an unwelcome task on your todo list, the thesis abstract serves two main purposes: ...

Once you’ve dealt with the small matter of finishing your thesis, there are a few other tasks to complete, too. Although the Acknowledgements page isn’t assessed during the examination process, it still performs a vital role. This is where you get to thank all the people who’ve helped you along the way. The research itself is, of course, a solo effort, but it would be impossible to reach the finish line without a few cheerleaders. ...

Most of us start out with good intentions to get some writing done. Then we hear the unwelcome voice of our Inner Critic: “You’re not really a writer” … “Who on earth are you, anyway?” … “Have you seen the state of the kitchen floor?” Sometimes this adversary can be silenced with a chocolate biscuit, but sometimes we need to push back with evidence. Here’s one technique that can help. ...

It’s all very well having a plan for your writing, but how do you actually get going? “I’ll just quickly check Twitter, then I’ll make a start on this chapter.” 5 hours later, it’s time for dinner. In this post, I’ll share three strategies for dealing with an unwelcome visit from the Procrastination Fairy. 1. Think about why you’re procrastinating Are you bored? Find a part that stimulates you and start there. Is it hard? Why is it hard? Do you fully understand your research material. Perhaps there’s a gap in your knowledge? (NB: this is not an excuse to read another 500 journal articles). Does nothing make sense? Go back to the planning stage. This saves you time, as you’ll write much faster with a clearer sense of where you’re going. Would you rather be doing something else? Remind yourself why you’re doing this and how pleased you’ll be when it’s done. Distracted by other ideas? Write them down, then get back to the task. 2. Try some warm-up exercises Most of us can’t suddenly switch into writer mode and expect words to tumble from our fingertips. Easing yourself in gradually gives your brain a chance to adapt and focus. Five minutes’ freewriting is the perfect warm-up exercise. The point of freewriting is that you just keep going: type whatever’s in your head, and don’t stop to reflect or edit. If you’re terrified of what’s in your head, you could try some prompts: ...