Category Archives: starting the PhD

the dictionary is (sometimes) your friend – starting the PhD

Posted on September 5, 2022 by pat thomson

If you are doing a PhD it’s a good idea to buy, or find online, a good reliable dictionary. Not only doctoral researchers a good dictionary. Most of us use a dictionary rather more than we let on. Just yesterday … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing voice, dictionary, Howard Becker, starting the PhD | Tagged academic writing, classy academic writing, dictionary, Howard Becker, Pat Thomson | 1 Comment

unlearning who you are and what you know? starting the doctorate

Posted on August 1, 2022 by pat thomson

No-one arrives at a doctorate as a blank slate. Everyone brings with them particular histories – we have life experiences and personal pathways which are classed, raced, gendered; work experiences and sometimes long professional careers; as well as educational histories. … Continue reading →

Posted in 'mature' doctoral researcher, academic writing, identity, mature age PhD, outsider, professional doctorate, scholarly identity, starting the PhD | Tagged identity, outsider, starting the PhD | 3 Comments

starting the doctorate – finding good advice

Posted on July 25, 2022 by pat thomson

It’s that time of year. Across the world potential new Doctors have rejoiced. They’ve been accepted by the university of their choice. They are now getting their heads and lives geared up for a new intellectual adventure. I usually write … Continue reading →

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what’s all this reading about then – starting the PhD

Posted on October 25, 2021 by pat thomson

When you begin the PhD you will be told to read, and read a lot. But you’ll find not any old approach to reading will do. It’s a particular kind of reading that’s expected. So it’s important to get a … Continue reading →

Posted in literature mapping, literature review, PhD, reading, Reading, starting the PhD | Tagged literature review, literature work, mapping, Pat Thomson, reading, starting the PhD | 1 Comment

understanding academic writing – starting the PhD

Posted on October 18, 2021 by pat thomson

Writing is a crucial aspect of doctoral work – indeed all the scholarly work you will undertake from now on. Writing is integral to scholarship. Whether you are in or out of higher education, if you are researching, you are … Continue reading →

Posted in argument, essay, starting the PhD, writing regularly | Tagged academic writing, argument, discipline, essay, Pat Thomson, writing regularly, writing repertoire | 2 Comments

starting the PhD? 25 things to consider

Posted on October 11, 2021 by pat thomson

Are you just starting a PhD? Worried? Excited? Nervous? Fear not.:There’s lots of support and help available to you. Your institution is likely to provide an induction programme where you’ll find out about all the internal procedures and timelines you … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, reading, reading routine, routine, starting the PhD, writing regularly, writing routine, writing to learn | Tagged academic writing, Pat Thomson, reading, routine, starting the PhD | 3 Comments

seven prompts for writing with literatures – #startingthePhD

Posted on November 16, 2020 by pat thomson

if you have just started your doctorate, then your supervisor has no doubt asked you to read, and read a lot. By now, you probably have quite a few texts entered in your bibliographic software. You can start to write … Continue reading →

Posted in acwrimo, grey literatures, literature a resource, literature review, starting the PhD, writing prompts | Tagged academic writing, Academic writing Pat Thomson, acwrimo, starting the PhD, writing prompts, writing with literature | 4 Comments

beginning the #phd – start writing at the start

Posted on October 19, 2020 by pat thomson

Writing, and its alter ego, reading, are the backbone of academic work. The practices that make scholarship what it is. In the PhD there are multiple places and purposes for writing. We often focus on the final text, the thesis, … Continue reading →

Posted in Foucault, starting the PhD, writing routine, writing to learn | 1 Comment

#startingthePhD? managing expectations

Posted on October 5, 2020 by pat thomson

If you are starting out on a PhD you are probably expecting it to be hard work. That’s not wrong. A doctorate isn’t easy – it’s an extended piece of work over a long period of time. It takes energy … Continue reading →

Posted in expectations, starting the PhD | Tagged expectations, Pat Thomson, starting the PhD | 2 Comments

PhD – plan B

Posted on November 4, 2019 by pat thomson

Before I came into higher education I had a brief stint as a civil service strategic planner. I got pretty interested in the process of scenario planning – that’s where you develop a narrative about something that could happen in … Continue reading →