There are all kinds of ways to write a thesis. And thus, there are all kinds of mistakes you can make in the process. Here are some that I have seen: Starting too early Starting too late Not involving your supervisor Poor backups Delayed referencing Not using a reference manager Not knowing your word processor […]
Twelve Questions to Consider When Changing PhD Topic
There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to changing your PhD topic. But there are some things you can consider. Here I ask 12 questions to help you move through the process. And if you’re into scoring, you could rate each one to help you decide what to do next. Transcript: At […]
Having Tough Conversations with Your Students
Just like talking to your superiors can be tough, so too can talking to your students. Here are five things you can focus on (in addition to the earlier 9 I put together): Know your expectations. Let (some of) your expectations go. Know the power you have over your students. Be open to different solutions. […]
Mistakes People Make Writing Their Thesis
There are all kinds of ways to write a thesis. And thus, there are all kinds of mistakes you can make in the process. Here are some that I have seen: • Starting too early • Starting too late • Not involving your supervisor • Poor backups • Delayed referencing • Not using a reference […]
Setting Boundaries
Setting work boundaries is one of the most important things you’ll need to learn. It’ll be useful as a PhD student, and onto whatever academic or non-academic work you might pursue. But how do you do it? Here, I’ve set out some examples that might help you determine your boundaries, and how you implement them. […]
Dealing with Power Imbalances When Setting Boundaries
Setting boundaries is essential to overall life balance. And, as a PhD student you might know what you want, but struggle to implement it. So, here, I’ve put some advice that might help when trying to set and implement boundaries when there’s a power imbalance. Transcript: Setting boundaries is all well and good when most […]
Making the Most of a Bad Situation
Job losses, redundancies, and restructures are a part of modern business. Sometimes they are driven by internal factors, other times they are driven by external factors. For the most part we are just passengers on a ride managed by others. However, whether you are let go or left behind, these changes can give you opportunities […]
Twelve Questions to Consider When Changing PhD Topic
There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to changing your PhD topic. But there are some things you can consider. Here I ask 12 questions to help you move through the process. And if you’re into scoring, you could rate each one to help you decide what to do next.
Six Tips to Become a Better PhD Supervisor
Six tips to being a better PhD supervisor: 1. Do the training. 2. Know your students. 3. Respect their time. 4. Refer to others. 5. Model good behaviour. 6. Make progress visible. Transcript: There’s been a lot of talk, and a lot of information lately about how to be a better student but I don’t […]
Four PhD Derailers and Their Solutions
There are 4 PhD derailers. Avoid them where you can. But if you cannot avoid them, here are some ways through or around them. Transcript: There are 4 things that slow down a PhD. The first is the demographics, and sometimes we can’t do anything about that. That is perhaps our age, our gender, where […]