دانلود کتاب How to Get Your PhD: A Handbook for the Journey

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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