Mastering Your PhD: Survival and Success in the Doctoral Years and Beyond

by Patricia A. Gosling, Lambertus D. Noordam

Libro usado en buenas condiciones, por su antiguedad podria contener señales normales de uso

Genres: Nonfiction, Research, Education, Academics, Academia, Grad School, Science

252 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Ernestasia Siahaan · Rating 3 out of 5]

My graduate school gives this to every new PhD candidate, in hope to reduce the number of those who don't make it to the end of their PhD program. This book covers a lot of aspects of doing a PhD, from the very beginning (getting to know your lab, making research plans) to the end (that last experiment you need to run before submitting your thesis, what to do after the PhD years). I really enjoyed reading this book, and am sure I will come back to it again at certain points during my PhD, to remind myself of important things specific to that period of PhD.

This book is very practical in nature; it gives tips, how-to's, and through a continuing story of three different PhD students show how the implementation of what had been discussed in each chapter might be.

As a fan of quotes, I love how every chapter of this book starts with a related quote. Favorite quote quoted in this book, taken from the very first chapters of the book : "Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant." - RL Stevenson

[Ruben Atteveld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Het boek geeft een goed beeld van een promotie-traject, met alle knelpunten en successen en hoe hier mee om te gaan. Inzichtgevend voor zij die een PhD-plek overwegen.

[Jordi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. I just started my PhD and I think there are usefull tips in it for PhD students. At the same time, a lot of the advice is rather general and therefore applies to all kind of carreer paths. Examples are good planning or communication skills: the significance of these skills is not limited to a PhD. They might be an important ingredient for a PhD, but it is not what makes a PhD unique.
On the other hand there are also a lot of chapters on what makes research unique, like literature studies, designing experiments, attending conferences, writing etc.

[Alexander Matyasko · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a nice short book with practical tips for not only survival but also for striving during your PhD. Too bad that I didn't read it during my first year of PhD and had to learn a lot of this "common" sense through my own mistakes.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

Getting started:
- Formulate a working plan and set up a schedule
- Maintain a proper lab notebook
- Establish good reference keeping practices
- Learn to deal with initial ups and downs: Inexperienced scientists have a harder time managing their expectations and frustrations. Taking a little time off to relieve stress when the pressure gets too high is always a good idea. Don’t feel guilty about having to take a break from time to time – you’ll come back refreshed and ready to get on with your work

Setting goals and objectives:
- Clarify your goals and objectives using the SMART method (Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic Time-related)
- Write down a list of actions you have to take to achieve your goals
- Prioritise
- Organise your actions into a plan
- Monitor and measure your progress: record your daily activities & learn from the record
- Consider the 80/20 rule: if you feel a sense of accomplishment, you're probably focusing on the 20%

Charting your progress month by month: 4 questions to keep you goal-oriented:
1. Of the results I obtained last month, which are the most important?
2. Did I deviate from last month’s planning? If so, why?
3. What are my most important goals for the upcoming month?
4. What do I need to do to reach these goals? Which potential hurdles might I face, and how do I overcome them?
- What can you learn from filling in the monthly progress monitor?:
- At first, planned work for the month-to-come tends to exceed the progress made in the previous month
- After using the monitor a few times, your planning will become (more) realistic
- Expectations and goals are brought in line, thereby reducing conflicts and frustration
- The general progress of the project is improved as a result of the timely identification of possible hurdles

Dealing with setbacks:
- "Science has promised us truth. It has never promised us either peace or happiness."
- Identify the setback. What is your setback? What (in your own words) have you failed to achieve? Which mistakes have you made? Who, if anyone, has disappointed you? (your colleagues, supervisor?) What do you regret doing or not doing (in relation to the setback)?
- Take action. Take care of yourself. Think outside the box. Involve others. Cultivate the art of patience

Good communication with colleagues:
- Extroverts vs introverts. The extrovert team members have the feeling that the introvert team members are not involved, since they are not yet participating in the discussion. At the same time the I’s may get irritated by the E’s because they start shouting out all kinds of ideas before they have even thought them through. What E’s say in the beginning of the meeting may not reflect their final point of view. Give the E’s a chance to change their minds
- Chairing a session. Chairing a meeting requires preparation. Start on time. Stick to the planned agenda. Make sure every person has a chance to participate. Stick to the time frame. Keep to the rules of conduct during the meeting. Chair the meeting properly

Good communication during presentations:
- Formulate your objectives. What are the objectives of my talk? Which main points do I want to make? Which core message do I want people to remember after my talk is over?
- Identify your audience
- Rehearse your presentation out loud
- Give the presentation. Tell the audience what you are going to tell them. Tell them. At the end of the talk, tell them what you have told them
- Tips for a perfect delivery. Be conscious of how you use your voice. Pause at key points. Look at the audience throughout your talk. Don’t talk to the projection screen behind you

Searching for scientific literature:
- "The history of science knows scores of instances where an investigator was in the possession of all the important facts for a new theory, but simply failed to ask the right questions."
- For each article you’ve selected, write down: author, title, name of journal, and year of publication
- Then jot down a few words about each of the following: (1) Statement of the problem, (2) Hypothesis, (3) Theories and Assumptions, (4) Research methods, (5) Data collection tools/procedures, (6) Research design, (7) Methods, (8) Interpretation of data (did data support or reject the hypothesis?), (9) Conclusions/suggestions for future research
- How do you know when your literature search is successful and complete? (1) You identified the most recent articles (last 10 years, plus seminal articles) on your research topic. (2) You skimmed each article and prepared a brief summary of each one. (3) You assessed each article for the strengths and weaknesses of the experimental setup, methods and procedures used, data collection and analysis
- Citing literature. If you wish to cite more than one study per reference citation, by convention, these citations are listed in chronological order

Celebrate your success:
- Why? (1) To acknowledge co-workers for their contribution to your success. (2) Because reflection is an important part of the learning process. (3) Celebrations create a positive atmosphere
- How? Celebrating success works the same way as giving someone a thank-you present. It is important that you do it immediately and with the best intentions. Just as you would give someone a nicely wrapped present the day after someone passes an exam, you might bring a cake and other celebratory goodies to the lab the day after you obtained the key data for your article

Writing your doctoral thesis with style:
- "If I have seen farther than other men, it is because I stood on the shoulders of giants."
- Be generous with acknowledgments
- Write an outline (and stick to it as you write)
- Create a time frame (and deadline) for yourself and stick to it
- Find a quiet place to write where you will be free from distractions
- Assign yourself a number of pages to write each day and stop when you are done. When you’ve written your assigned 4-5 pages, then you’re finished for the day. Turn off the computer and do something else
- Take plenty of breaks, and be sure to spend time with friends and family
- Get some exercise, eat well, and take care of your health

Defending your thesis:
- "The aim of science is not to open the door to infinite wisdom, but to set a limit to infinite error"
- There is no doubt that you are the expert on the science you’ll be discussing and defending during your thesis defence. Do not, however, underestimate the committee’s knowledge of your subject
- Prepare your act. Listen to the question carefully. Begin your answer by rephrasing the question briefly and politely. Remember to actually answer the question

Bonus quotes:
"If you don’t learn from your mistakes, there’s no sense in making them."
"There is no happiness except in the realization that we have accomplished something."
"The first step in the acquisition of wisdom is silence, the second listening, the third memory, the fourth practice, the fifth teaching others."

[Rachma · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a second-year PhD student and the first in my family to migrate to a foreign country for education, I often find myself without a firsthand figure to guide me through the ups and downs of this journey. Mastering Your PhD has become a source of reassurance during moments of doubt about whether I’m on the right path or whether I deserve this position.

The content of the book is quite general, but that’s exactly why the book is written: to make the academia world more accessible for first-generation students like me. Rather than focusing solely on the academic and research aspects of pursuing a PhD, it provides practical advice on navigating the experience as a whole. It covers everything from building relationships with lab mates to planning your post-PhD career

Reading this book left me feeling empowered. And I can easily see myself revisiting certain chapters as I navigate the rest of my PhD journey!

[Erin Reilly-Sanders · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this contained some useful suggestions and it definitely made things less intimidating by spelling out typical situations and ways of dealing with them. It keeps thing short and to the point and uses lists and sample forms to good effect. This is great for students who are already stressed about the normal PhD stuff. My biggest complaint is that it focused entirely on exact sciences rather than going just one step further and including information about social sciences and qualitative research as well.

[Nithin Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite the read and eye opener into what I am about to expect from the PhD life and academia life.
Not only it gives a broad picture of the PhD life and beyond. It gives real-life case studies and examples where people can relate to. They also give realistic and smart solutions to tackle the various issues that come in the PhD life.

I feel much at easy and more prepared after reading this book which was a suggestion given during a workshop given by the TU Delft career centre under "To PhD or not to PhD"

[Alex Aldo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contains a few interesting chapters with practical tips, especially how to organize your work better by planning ahead. In general good for people who haven't yet started to work on their PhD. For me, half the book was unnecessary (already 1 year into the PhD).

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful. It can help you set the basic lines at the beginning of your PhD

[Omid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good enough to read once. There's nothing special written in the book but reading it will remind you with all the things you already know about doing a phd.

[Eva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and useful book when considering a PhD. The book focuses on the exact sciences.

[Lynn Cansler · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's more of a reference book than a cover to cover read. I admit that I scanned a lot of the pages. If I do decide to pursue a PhD I plan to buy a copy of this book for myself.

[Yuting Pan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practical guide for PhD students. It’s helpful.

[Bernardo Blue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although slightly too general for my taste, many of the tips here will hopefully be quite useful in the next few years :)

[Lina Ayoub · Rating 4 out of 5]

It gives u a general overview on the journey and what to expect, and challenges u might face.
It is just lacking some planning techniques.

[Ankur Srivastava]

A good book for all PhD Scholars. It's 150 pages only.
Please do read, it will solve a good number of your issues.
It might seem general, but the book tells a practical approach.
It also tell an actual scenario of 2 prof and 4 students.
You may take the highlighted version from me,
if you have less time and want to complete in one sitting.

[Ashley Wolpers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book provided a good starting point for someone entering the PhD arena. Granted some parts were common sense but I understand how people can overlook small details. For example, it says that one of the worst things you can do is jump right into your research and I'd have to agree because I've done that countless times in my excitement as an undergrad and been upset when I hit a roadblock. Never underestimate looking at all the research publications to hone your own research objectives.

[Dilek Kısa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doktora yapanlara, yapmışlara, yapmayı aklının ucundan geçirenlere, tez danışmanlarına şiddetle tavsiye ederim. Okuması keyifli, kesinlikle çok yararlı bir rehber kitap.