Category Archives: doctoral research

why do doctoral researchers blog?

Posted on December 10, 2015 by

Today Inger Mewburn, Thesis Whisperer, and I presented the first cut from the survey we did – with your help – on PhD blogging. As yet, we don’t know whether we are going end up with a book chapter, or one or … Continue reading →

Posted in academic blogging, doctoral experience, doctoral research | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

starting the PhD – don’t panic

Posted on October 19, 2015 by

I was sitting in my office the other day talking with a beginning PhDer. A nearly-finished doctor popped her head around the door. I asked her what advice she would give someone just starting out on their doctorate, and her … Continue reading →

Posted in data, doctoral research, literature review, panic, questions, research question, thesis | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

reflecting on PhD learning

Posted on December 11, 2014 by

Some supervisors ask the doctoral researchers they work with to formally reflect on their learning. A what-am-I-learning conversation might be a regular part of supervision. Reflection is also often self initiated – ongoing thoughts are recorded in a doctoral researcher journal … Continue reading →

Posted in doctoral research, text work/identity work, thesis, viva | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

should doctoral researchers blog?

Posted on September 15, 2014 by

I often get asked about the pros and cons of doctoral researchers blogging, and I know other colleagues do too. There isn’t a right or wrong answer to the question of course, it’s always an “It depends”. But here’s a … Continue reading →

Posted in academic blogging, doctoral research, networking, plagiarism, publications | Tagged , , , , , | 26 Comments

handing in the PhD – yes, it’s a checklist!!

Posted on August 28, 2014 by

There’s nothing quite like the countdown to handing in the PhD. Puff pant, puff pant. I think I can, I think I can. But…. On the one hand, you may be absolutely sick of the sight of the text and … Continue reading →

Posted in doctoral research, drafting, examiner, revision | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

what’s with the name doctoral ‘student’?

Posted on February 3, 2014 by

One of the things I’ve been trying really hard to get over is the notion of the doctoral ‘student’. This is by far the most common way to refer to people doing a PhD, and it’s pretty hard not to … Continue reading →

Posted in authority in writing, doctoral research, identity, student or researcher | Tagged , , , | 63 Comments

working with literatures – love the uncertainty

Posted on July 1, 2013 by

I am frequently asked by doctoral researchers about reviewing literatures. As they talk, I often get a strong sense that their questions are accompanied by feelings of inadequacy.My guess is that they feel they ought to have more of a … Continue reading →

Posted in doctoral research, literature mapping, literature review, literature themes, metaphor, uncertainty, wonder | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments