fail your phd

7/25/2019 Fail Your PhD

1/23

Dept of Mathematical Sciences,Brunel University

Fail your PhD with confidence!

Martin Greenhowhttp://www.brunel.ac.uk/~mastmm/ssuide/sshome.htm

http://mcrawhill.co.uk/openup/studyskills/post.htm

"ealth #arnin: $our super%isor will not write"ealth #arnin: $our super%isor will not write

your PhD for you! $&' ( )*.your PhD for you! $&' ( )*.
http://www.brunel.ac.uk/~mastmmg/ssguide/sshome.htmhttp://www.brunel.ac.uk/~mastmmg/ssguide/sshome.htm


2/23


+ ways of failin

(ot wantin a PhD

&%erestimatin what,s needed - ne%er ettin started

froen0'nderestimatin what,s needed - ne%er ettin

started

"a%in a crap super%isor not really an e1cuse!0

"a%in a ood super%isor2 but thinkin he/she is crap(ot ha%in a testable0 3thesis,

*akin a 4ob before completion not always fatal0


3/23


+ more ways of failin

Gettin disheartened

Gettin sidetracked teachin/other interests0

5hanin topic/super%isor(ot lookin after yourself friends2 sport2 interests0

'nder%aluin your worth

'nder%aluin the worth of your research

Guilt no it,s an in%estment in yourself0

&thers 6 7


4/23


$ou should by end year 8: ha%e a ood idea about what your pro4ect will in%ol%e. 9ounds ob%ious2

doesn,t it7! ha%e read the backound2 some re%iew/oriinalpapers in the same area and

related te1tbooks not 4ust Goole!0.

ha%e attended courses

ha%e started to make notes from these sources keep this focussed and don,t

copy out sections from books2 download chunks from the #eb or 5Ds this isplaiarism! $ou will synthesise these notes into a narrati%e later.

ha%e written down e1act references as you find them.

ha%e started a weekbyweek lo book.

ha%e completed a model problem and written it up. ha%e been appraised!

i%en a presentation to other PhD students/staff.


5/23


$ou should by start year ;: ha%e a ood understandin of the theory and methods to be used.

ha%e read most of the backround material and made notes/references.

*ackled $&'

to specify how the proram will work before ettin boed down in lanuaesynta1. ?ackup all prorams and check them usin *@9* 5A9@9.

ha%e considered writin drafts as you o alon to aid your thinkin in mathematicsthis techniBue is perhaps less useful2 but you must keep %ery detailed notes and

back them up with photocopies or notes on your P5 A(D ?runel network0.

ha%e seen your super%isor at least 7 times.


6/23


Co book and PlansCo ?ook

Make sure your lo book is up to date and include failures as well as successes include how lon it took you to do each item write down ACC ideas you ha%e as you work they will be

useful for your


7/23


$ear ; Gi%in a talk/conference

paper*hink about interim0 conclusions and how

you will communicate your results in

raphs2 charts2 flow charts2 spray diarams2trees etc.

Prepare and practice your presentation2

askin friends to time each &"P slide.


8/23


$ou should by middle of year E:

ha%e finished all the actual pro4ect content.

ha%e structuredthe main sections and typed them

up. *his will take loner than you think!ha%e acted on your super%isor,s comments on

your draft chapters.

ha%e produced all the raphs and diarams.

"a%e career plans 6 destresses you/one less

thin to think about


9/23


$ou should near the end:swap drafts with friends for comment. )f your friends can,t

understand what you ha%e done in broad terms2 it,s $&'


10/23

*he thesis itself

$our thesis should be a =narrati%e te1t> with a

coherent story line which flows loically from

one section to the ne1t in a coherent manner.9ee the


11/23


*he thesis itself eneral points.

*he ob4ect of your thesis is to communicate2 not

impress or blind with science!

"elp your reader as much as possible.

'se ordinary plain @nlish2 free of 4aron and slan.

'se diarams2 charts etc as much as possible.

9tick to con%entional and consistent nomenclature.


12/23


*he thesis itself the start.

*itle pae see the


13/23


*he thesis itself the )ntroduction.

#hat the pro4ect is about.A =map> of the work undertaken.

#hy your work is interestin/important.

Possible applications.A re%iew of pre%ious work.

A clear statement of how you ha%e e1tended the

pre%ious work. The introduction is usually written at the end of the project.


14/23


*he thesis itself the Method. *his can be %ery technical2 so help your reader =na%iate> throuh the work

by:

clearly statin your assumptions.

stressin what is most important. Mo%e some material to appendices.

usin loical pararaph2 section chapter breaks.

usin diarams2 charts2 flow charts.

usin eBuations with all terms defined consider remindin the reader of

earlier definitions.

*hinkstrategy2 not detail.

The method section is often written early and goes through a few drafts as thework progresses and the supervisor comments on it.


15/23


*he thesis itself the


16/23


*he thesis itself the 5onclusion.*his must not contain new ideas -(&*

AF*@


17/23


*he thesis itself the


18/23


*he thesis itself the Appendices.

Proram listins on a disc to help future students.

Data printouts aain on disc.

Cist of software used.

Cobook7

)nstructions for readin data and/or runnin any proramson the disc.


19/23


*he thesis itself the &1ford 'ni%. Press thed.

Journals. Greenhow M. 8HE+0 =*he mathematics of uinea pi se1in> J.

Math. ?iol.2 82 part 2 pp 8KH.

@lectronic sources: ### state e1act '


20/23


&hy talk a'out all this(

Note that students often get referred 'ecause of

poor presentation and)or inade*uate a'stracts+

introductions+ conclusions and+ especially+recommendations.

"tudents generally do not fail 'ecause of crap

content ,assuming they have actually listened to

their supervisors!-


21/23


#hen you et stuck.

5an you define all your terms7

#hat are the dimensions of terms in your eBuations7

5an you nondimensionalise your eBuations7

#hat are the important parameters7

5an you draw a flow chart for your proram and check each partseparately7

5an you run simple test cases to compare your proram results aainst

analytical results7

#rite all %ariables to a file if your proram i%es une1pected results2and check them carefully.


22/23


#hen you et stuck aain!

5an you simplify your problem75an you e1ploit any symmetry in your problem7

5an you do sample calculations at e.. 1 N2 8 etc7

5an you do any sort of asymptotic analysis as 1

becomes small or bi7

5an you plot your results in a different way7

5an you e1plain your problem to your super%isor or

another student7 )f you can2 you are half way tosol%in it!


23/23


*he Oi%a.njoya'le or not( /ll depends on you)your work+ 'ut

e%aminers are not 0out to get you!1

#ood luck!

fail your phd

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