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ACADEMIC AND EDUCATION

PhD

Are you a PhD student? Or have you just completed your PhD? Then you know what Permanent Head Damage means. Pursuing for your doctorate is the most demanding work you have ever done in your career. I start with this site to share information with other PhD students on some news and tips for successful completion of PhD work. Let's study, work and pray that we all get there...

"Candidates for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy are required to show ability to conduct original investigations, to test ideas, whether their own or others', and to understand the relationship of their work and its themes to a wider field of knowledge. A doctoral thesis should be a piece of work which a capable, well-qualified and diligent student, who is properly supported and supervised, can produce in three years of full-time study. It should exhibit substantial evidence of original scholarship and contain material worthy of publication."

(www.grad.ac.uk)

Some general tips

Plan and re-plan

Break work down into manageable chunks, with firm deadlines; reward yourself when you reach these goals.

Keep up regular supervisor meetings

Even if there is little to report - the discussions will keep you focused, and increase your sense of progress

Keep in touch with support networks

Keep in touch with colleagues, friends and other researchers - these give you the opportunities to share 'war stories', off-load anxieties and frustrations, and get tips on what works for other people.

Tips on writing up

Make a rough writing-up plan early on

You don't have to stick to it, but it will focus your thoughts.

Start to write early

Take every opportunity to write reports or draft papers throughout your research.

If your are struggling to get started

Consider sections at a time, and then:

Generate the main points, in any order, or sequentially, putting down everything that comes to mind.
Organise them into a structure, and only then do you...
Construct the points into coherent, written language.

Revise and redraft at least twice

Some people have to do more than others. Follow your own pace.

Get friends and colleagues to help

As friends and colleagues to read and comment on early drafts. Other people can see mistakes that we do not see when we write.

(Source: UK GRAD Programme, www.grad.ac.uk)

Some Links You Might Want To Consider...

Theses Canada Portal

http://www.collectionscanada.ca/thesescanada/index-e.html

OhioLINK ETD Search

http://search.ohiolink.edu/etd/

Virginia Tech Electronic Theses and Dissertations

http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/