by Doctor John Proofreading

You can contact John at 0800 852 7258 or email him at info@doctor-john.net

PhD Help: Advice for Doctoral Students

PhD help can come in a variety of

forms. Following the completion of my

PhD, I focused on helping other

doctoral candidates survive the ordeal.

A PhD thesis takes years of study,

determination, guts and heartache,

which can take its toll on your health,

relationships, bank balance and mental

state. The following comes from my

own personal experience and from

helping others survive the long process.

PhD Survival

PhD Pressures, Depression and Anxiety

I hear, time and time again, of enthusiastic students bursting with energy and dynamism, dropping

out or turning to anti-depressants to help with the pressure of struggling to achieve the seemingly

impossible. When I started out on my own PhD journey, I threw myself into it wholeheartedly. I

worked in the research room, helped build a vibrant research community, set up a reading group,

became student rep, attended conferences, etc. I thought I had plenty of time. The excitement of

working on something I loved was exhilarating. It was great opportunity to develop different skills

and to put all of these extra-curricular activities on my CV, but, in retrospect, I should have been

strategic in how much time I was dedicating to my research and prioritised my time more

effectively. When I reached my third year, I realised how much work I had to do. I received some

negative feedback that floored me. I hit a wall and struggled to get past this seemingly

insurmountable obstacle. I couldn't face reading about my subject, picking up the threads of

arguments or anything to do with it. I was stuck, depressed and debilitated, with the mounting

pressure to succeed.

The dreaded question: 'How's the PhD?'

Second Year Dip

This happens in most courses. You start off with enthusiasm and excitement at starting something

new and fascinating, then, as the novelty wears off the drive gradually peters out and you end up

forcing yourself to even look at a book associated with your topic. Then the final push where you

realise you haven't done enough and you just have to get something in.

Everybody that I met asked me one question. The question that I dreaded and deflected. The

question that defined who I was. 'How's the PhD?' I was no longer a multi-faceted human being

capable of a myriad of thoughts and emotions. I was the PhD. If I failed to write the PhD, I would fail

as a human being. I deflected the question with sarcasm, monosyllables and various diversionary

tactics to steer the conversation on to something else.

It was only when my Director of Studies told me that I had to finish by the following Christmas that

I started to knuckle down. That realisation that I had to produce something and the fear of failure

was the driving force that got me sat down and studying again. I worked solidly through Christmas

and new year and finally submitted it. There were no trumpets, no fanfares, no ticker tape parade,

just exhaustion and the need for sleep. From this ordeal I have gone on to offer PhD help,

supporting countless doctoral students struggling with their PhD theses.

Start Writing as Soon as Possible

I spent a great amount of time reading as

much as possible on my subject. There

seemed to be no end to the amount or

books, articles and sites dedicated to what

I was researching. I thought that I hadn't

read enough to start writing. Looking back,

I wish I'd have started writing earlier. Only

when I started to write did I understand the

gaps in my knowledge and where to place

what I was reading into the framework of

my research. 

When you come to the end of your thesis,

the last thing you want to do is to try to

remember the reference you found two,

three or four years ago. Using Endnote can

help with this. It might seem a lot to learn

and get used to, but it will help

tremendously in the long term.

Make Notes of References

Have I Read Enough?

Free Advice 0800 852 7258 info@doctor-john.net

Mock vivas helped me to Articulate ideas coherently

Vivas can be daunting. Having to sit in a

room and defend your thesis, something

that's so close to your heart and personal

can be a terrifying experience. The one

thing that helped me was having mock

vivas. Two of my supervisors separately

conducted practice vivas the week before

the real thing. It helped in a number of

ways. First, it helped me familiarise myself

with being in the physical space of the viva

situation. Second, it allowed me to

articulate my ideas coherently. It is one

thing to read and reread your PhD thesis,

it's another thing to express the intricate

points verbally. Third, it highlighted

questions that I hadn't thought about and

where the potential sticking points were.

Mock Vivas

Manage Your Time Effectively

Set yourself targets and get into a good routine. It took me a while to realise that, without these

two key factors, the day and my working time shrunk to nothing. Whether this means working in the

research room with other doctoral students or just making sure you're at your desk at a certain

time, as long as you get into a productive working pattern, that's all that matters.

Working with Others

PhD help also takes other people into account. Working on a PhD can be a very lonely and isolating

experience with periods of inactivity and self doubt. It can feel that you're on your own and that

nobody understands what you're going through. This is why working with others can help provide

the support you need and the motivation to engage with your work. This doesn't mean having to

hire an office or work in a stuffy research room; working in a cafe is just as effective, as long as they

have the three essentials: plug sockets, wifi and good coffee. It doesn't mean that you have to be

working on similar things either, the fact that you're alongside someone who is engaging with work

is a powerful motivator.

by Doctor John Proofreading

You can contact John at 0800 852 7258 or email info@doctor-john.net

For PhD help, proofreading, transcribing and copywriting visit http://doctor-john.net