This bestselling book guides PhD students through their graduate years and beyond. Filled with practical advice on getting started, communicating with your supervisor, staying the course, and planning for the future, this book is an indispensable guide for graduate students who need that extra bit of help getting started and making it through. Who should read this book? Any student currently in, or curious about, a PhD programme, be it in the physical and life sciences, engineering, computer science, math, medicine, or the humanities — this book tackles the obstacles and hurdles that almost all PhD students face during their doctoral training. Whether you’re at the very beginning of your research, close to the end, or just feeling frustrated and stuck at any point in between…it’s never too early — or too late — to focus on your success! This third edition contains a variety of new material, including additional chapters and advice on how to make the most of remote learning, collaboration, and communication tools, as well as updated material on your next career step once you have your coveted doctoral degree in hand. Some of the material in the third edition appeared as part of a monthly column on the ScienceCareers website.
Author(s): Patricia Gosling, Bart Noordam
Edition: 3
Publisher: Springer
Year: 2022
Language: English
Commentary: TruePDF
Pages: 197
Tags: Physical Sciences; Technology And Engineering; Life Sciences; Humanities And Social Sciences; Mathematics And Computing; Astronomy; Cosmology And Space Sciences
Preface
Why Read a Book About Getting a PhD?
Sink or Swim
The Problem: Saving an Old Master Painting from the Ravages of Time
Authors’ Note
Contents
1 Choosing a Research Group: Pluses and Pitfalls
The Start-Up Group
The ‘Up-and-Running’ Group
The ‘Small-but-Established’ Group
The Empire
The Gardener
Surviving in a Non-supportive Group
2 Getting Started
Become Familiar with Your Research Department
Formulate a Working Plan and Set up a Schedule
Maintain a Proper Lab Notebook
Establish Good Reference Keeping Practices
Dealing with Initial Ups and Downs
Connect with Others in Your Group or Department
3 Setting Goals and Objectives
Effective Time Management
Record Your Daily Activities
Learn from the Record
Prepare a To-Do List
Multi-tasking: Is It for You?
The 80/20 Rule
Are You Focusing on the 80% or the 20%?
Implementing the 80/20 Rule
4 How to Think Like a Scientist
Common Errors in Using the Scientific Method
Not Proving the Hypothesis by Experiment
Discounting Data that Don’t Support the Hypothesis
Over- or Underestimating Systematic Errors
Fact, Theory, Hypothesis—What’s the Difference Anyway?
Is There Ever a Situation Where the Scientific Method Is Not Applicable?
A Final Comment
5 Designing Good Experiments
Good Science and Good Experimental Design Go Hand in Hand
Design Experiments to Test Your Hypothesis
Finally: Can You Trust Your Results?
Spotting Random Errors
Identifying Systematic Errors
Recognising Linked Variables
What if Your Experiment Hasn’t Worked Out as Planned?
6 Charting Your Progress Month by Month
Monthly Progress Monitor: Four Questions to Keep Yourself Goal-Orientated
What You Can Learn from Completing the Monthly Progress Monitor
7 Dealing with Setbacks
The Cold Reality of Trial and Error
Identifying the Setback(s)
Take Action
Tips for Recovering from a Setback
A Final Thought: Should You Stop Altogether?
8 Mentors, Leadership, and Community
Mining for Gold: Defining Mentorship
Choosing a Mentor
Working with What You’ve Got
Develop a Community of Peers—Or Become a Mentor Yourself
9 How to Get Along with Your Labmates, et al.
How to Get the Help You Need from Others on Your Team
You, Me, Everybody
How You Get Energised: Extrovert Versus Introvert
How You Think: Intuition Versus Sensation
Are Your Decisions Driven by Objective Arguments or Feelings?
Chaotic Team Members Versus Planners
Which Type Are You?
How to Collaborate with Your Personality-Type Counterpart
Extroverts Versus Introverts
Intuition and Sensation Are Both Necessary for Success
Feeling is More Important in Science than Thinkers Want to Believe
Judgers and Perceivers Play Crucial Roles at Different Stages of the Project
A Varied Mix Makes a Good Team
10 Group Dynamics: Dealing with Difficult Colleagues
Strategies for Coping
Monitor Your Response
11 The Art of Good Communication
Understanding Different Styles of Communication
Structured Communication is Key
Effective Communication in the Lab: A Practical Approach
Ground Rules for Optimising Effective Communication
12 Mastering Presentations and Group Meetings
Get Prepared
Identify Your Audience
Rehearse Your Presentation Aloud
Deliver the Presentation
Visual Aids
Common Mistakes
Group Meetings
How to Handle Your Group Meetings with Style
Chairing a Session
A Final Observation
13 Searching the Scientific Literature
Getting Started in the Library—Both the Physical Space and with Online Search Tools
Making the Most of Your Online Literature Search
Making Good Use of the Science Citation Index
How Do You Know When Your Literature Search is Successful and Complete?
14 Your First International Conference
Making the Most of Your First Conference
First Things First
Making Your Presence Count
Post-conference Reality Check
15 Remote Collaboration
Meeting of One
Remote Work Sessions
Team Meetings
Department Meetings
Virtual Conferences
Hybrid Meetings
16 From Data to Manuscript: Writing Scientific Papers That Shine
Title
Abstract
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results
A Note on Tables and Figures
Tables
Figures
Graphs and Histograms
Drawings and Photographs
Discussion
Literature Citations
Revising the First Draft
Submitting Your Paper for Publication
Closing Ceremony
17 Celebrate Your Success
The Art of Celebrating Success
Why Celebrate Your Success?
What Defines Success?
How Can You Celebrate Your Success?
18 How to Make the Most of Your Annual Evaluation
The Surprise Attack: How to Act When You’re Caught Off Guard
Evaluating Your First Year
19 The Final Year: Countdown to Your Thesis Defence
Make a List of Your Achievements
Verify Your Achievements with Your Supervisor
What Else Should Be Included in Your Thesis?
Describe Your Final Project
The Countdown List
Typical Things You Might Learn from Making the Countdown List
Handling Uncertainties
Discuss Your Planning with Your Supervisor(s)
Your Countdown Planning is not Carved in Stone
20 Writing Your Doctoral Thesis with Style
First Things First: Decide on the Table of Contents
Cut the Problem Down to Size: Write an Outline
Getting Down to Fundamentals: What’s a PhD Thesis Anyway?
A PhD Thesis is
A PhD Thesis is not
Choose a Straightforward Format and Layout
Transform (Published) Articles into Thesis Chapters
Chapter Two: The First Piece of New Text
The Last Set of Data: Chapter or Article First?
The Introduction: The Final Hurdle
The Summary
Going for Gold: Aiming for an Error-Free Thesis
Be Generous with Acknowledgements
21 The Final Act: Defending Your Thesis with Panache
Familiarise Yourself with the Formalities
Prepare Yourself Scientifically
Prepare Your Act
Your Physical Condition at the Actual Defence
22 Putting It All Together: A PhD...What’s Next?
Opportunities for a Newly Minted PhD
The Next Logical Step: A Post-Doctoral Fellowship
For-Profit Organisations: Where Business and Science Meet
Not-for-Profit Organisations—The Best of Both Worlds?
Is Your Final Decision Carved in Stone?
From Searching for Opportunities to Getting the Job
When to Start Your Job Search
How to Leverage Your Network
What Type of Skills Do You Possess?
How to Prepare for an Interview
Last, But Not Least: Do You Want the Job?
23 Is Industry Right for You? Opportunities to Explore
Research in a Business-Driven Environment
The Difference Between Academic and Corporate Problem Solving
Ways to Explore Whether Corporate Research is Right for You
Not Your Final Destination
A Career as a Management Consultant
Consultancy Firms Hiring PhDs
The Steep and Uncertain Career Path as a Management Consultant
Companies Care
24 Exploring Not-for-Profit Organisations
Where to Start
Advantages
Disadvantages
Is the Nonprofit Sector Right for You?
Swinging from Branch to Branch on the Career Tree
25 Lessons Learned
Planning is Essential
Communication Creates Harmony
Some Final Thoughts
Acknowledgements
About the Authors
