Advice for those working on their PhD and how to survive writing a doctorate at university.

1. by Doctor John Proofreading
You can contact John at 0800 852 7258 or email him at info@doctor-john.net
PhDHelp:Advicefor
DoctoralStudents

2. 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

3. 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.

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

5. 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.

6. 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?

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

8. 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

9. 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.

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