managing your research project. objectives opportunity to think about what it means to do a phd...
TRANSCRIPT
Managing your research project
Objectives
• Opportunity to think about what it means to do a PhD project
• Provide space to recognise factors affecting your research project
• Help identify key project milestones and strategies of reaching those milestones
• Opportunity to discuss these issues with other Postgraduates
• Provide list of helpful resources
What is a PhD?
Why are you doing it?
Factors involved?
3 key questions
What is a PhD?
Official definition
• The degree shall be awarded on the examination of a thesis embodying the results of a candidate’s research, and an oral examination.
• A successful candidate for the degree of Ph.D. must show convincing evidence of the capacity to pursue scholarly research or scholarship in his or her field of study on a scale which can be completed during three years of full-time research.
• The results of this research must then be embodied in a thesis which makes an original contribution to knowledge and the completed thesis must contain material of a standard appropriate for scholarly publication. The thesis must comply with the requirements for the form, submission and deposit of theses.
What is a PhD?
PhD = product + process
• Period of training – apprenticeship
• Research project
• 3 years full time
Why are you doing a PhD?
Constraints & Determinants
• Factors affecting your PhD
You
PhDLife
Work Life balance
Milestones (what are the hoops I need to jump through!)
Send whole thesis to Supervisors for final
Meet Supervisor Organise email, office/lab space.
Consult Supervisor - set up plan of work and meeting schedule. Carry out DNA and book relevant training. Set up database for referencing.
Reading, developing ideas, formulating hypotheses, designing pilot studies/experiments. Writing up notes, methods, ideas and results
Attend departmental seminars, perhaps present progress to other students at pg seminar/workshop.
Review progress, develop ideas further, continue reading, writing and experimental work. Prepare for annual appraisal.
Annual appraisal process Review panel Procedure department specific May have to submit a proposal/ literature review/ draft paper/poster/ give presentation. Check with your Department
Review progress. Prepare for annual
Attend a conference – give an oral presentation or a poster. Network with others in the field. Attend a UKGradschool
Continue reading, writing and evidencing. Think about thesis structure and chapter headings if not done already.
Review appraisal, set up plan of work for year. Timetable for completion Carry out DNA and book relevant training.
Continue reading, networking, analysing data, writing up results and writing chapters Finish off any labwork/fieldwork and write up. Keep sending draft chapters to Supervisor and seeking feedback.
Refining and editing of chapters.
Graduation
Amendments Binding and final submission
Viva
Submission of soft bound copies and electronic copy
Annual appraisal process Review panel Procedure department specific May have to submit a thesis chapter outline/ literature review/ draft paper/poster/ give presentation. Check with your Department
Review appraisal, set up plan of work for year. Carry out DNA and book relevant training.
Registration & Induction
Annual appraisal process Review panel Procedure department specific Move onto ‘extension’ status This means writing up and almost ready to submit. Check with your Department
Start a research journal
Read thesis, think about research Read recent literature Mock viva
Proof reading Minor changes
Attend a conference or workshop and network. Send papers to journal.
appraisal.
comments.
PhD Transfer
• Hypothesis formulation + proposal DNA
• Planning, data collection and analysis
• Writing up ideas• Annual appraisal +
DNA• Producing chapters
• Conferences and presentations
• Completed thesis• Submission• viva• Amendments• Final submission• Graduation
• How do you organise yourself?
• How do you like to work?
• Plan to ensure you work that way
• Responsibility – your project
• You need to be aware
Identify
Review
Plan
Implement
Project Management
How do you identify?
• Mind mapping
• Create task list– Break down into smaller lists
• Tables
• Dictation– Transcribe into list format
How do you identify?
Mind MapTony Buzandiagram representing ideas and tasks linked around a central theme
• No censoring
• All issues/facts/ thoughts and feelings
• Join up with lines
Literature review on method
Metalib search Print
out
access
Available computer
Reading time
Quiet placenotes
Summary form
Endnote library
Access to up to date version
Previous papers
Supervisors
Other students
PhD theses password
format
How do you plan?
Task list
Gantt charts / Calendaring / Tables
• Projected timescales
• Deadlines
• Big tasks broken down into smaller tasks
• What are you trying to achieve?
Gantt Chart
Things you need to bear in mind
• Clear idea of the milestones/goals/objectives
• REALISTIC• + 50% extra time (slippage)• Flexibility• Avoid overloading• Overlapping and
multitasking• Time for problem solving• Scoring tasks off!
– Sense of achievement
• Family and life commitments
• Hobbies, recreation and relaxation
• Downtime• Holidays!
PhD
You
Life
How do you implement?
• Action– Carry out specific tasks– Sticking to deadlines and reaching milestones
• Make notes (Important!)– What you successfully achieved– What you did not achieve– Why did you not achieve – time/money/resources
– Problems arose, strategies and solutions found– Unexpected or other points
– Avoidance mechanisms• Put time into plan for downtime!
How do you review?
• Read notes from implementation stage– Positives and negatives
• Check milestones/goals/objectives– were they realistic?
• Rewrite task lists, – alter calendar/Gantt charts/tables/mind maps
• Begin cycle again – – Identify/re-plan/implement/review
• Identify more/new tasks• Plan using recent knowledge
• What milestones do you have to meet each year?• Looking at it as a 3 year project – what should you
be doing in your final year? Fieldwork/fieldseason• Thesis write up – traditional or alternative format.
Discrete packages of work publication times. Affect project plan
• Resources• Sharing of resources e.g. research group• Planning ahead – fieldwork abroad/collecting data
in other countries • Requesting books/papers from other libraries, even
other countries• Access to resources – legal requirements,
inoculations
Implications for your research project
Project Planning strategies
• Research friendly• One methods/series of methods• What works for you?
– Know yourself• When do you work best?• When are you efficient and effective?• What other activities do you enjoy – plan these in!
• Are you willing to try an new method?
Key Points
• PhD is a project that needs planning
• Find a strategy that works for you
• Use some planning ideas– Mind map / Gantt chart / task list / calendaring
• Set yourself deadlines– Be realistic– Meet them
• Set your Supervisor deadlines