Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #phdtips

@ThePhDPlace

All the horrible things I have thought and done during my #PhD that I was absolutely sure nobody else was thinking or doing

(but which, actually, they all absolutely were)

#phdlife #phdchat #phdtips #academicchatter #academictwitter @ThePhDPlace @PhD_Genie

🗯️ They're going to figure out that I'm not actually capable of doing this work

🗯️ I have no idea what I'm doing

🗯️ I don't think I'm ever going to figure out how to plan and structure this thesis

🗯️ I don't even get the most basic theories in my field that everyone else seems to be quoting off the top of their heads

🗯️ I've honestly never heard of Foucault / Bourdieu / Irigaray / Donna Haraway until right now (theories we 'should' all know in feminist/gender studies)

Read 26 tweets

PhD and #planning are inseparable. But more often than not, it NEVER works!
Either we procrastinate till we fall into anxiety or overwork to the point of burnout.

Here's a little🧵for procrastination-proof planning!

#PhDlife #PhDchat #phdtips #AcademicTwitter

Why planning has always been a tricky thing for me:

❌My plans are either too big & I get overwhelmed or too short & I lose the big picture.

❌they have no space for changes. One interruption can cause a domino effect & I'd feel like the whole plan is sabotaged.

In my journey to build a routine, I realised these mistakes in my planning and found little ways to improve them.

📝Here's what I've learnt:

(more detailed explanations below⬇️)

Read 15 tweets

Do you feel confused over how to write a #LiteratureReview, clueless about why we write this or where to start? A lot of us started there!

Here's my idea to
Write a #LitRev in 5 definitive steps🧵

#LiteratureReview #AcWri #PhDtips #AcademicTwitter #ScienceTwitter #PhDlife

1️⃣ Start by identifying the 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹. These questions will guide your literature collection and writing of the review:
— Why this problem?
— What has been done before and where's the research gap?
— What other methods exist, and why could the chosen method fill the gap?

@rsrchrabbit

2️⃣𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 relevant literature to answer the above questions by starting from a root paper, branch out and then narrowing down to your theme.
I'd suggest @rsrchrabbit for this step. (I've already made a reel about this and you can find it in my recent story/highlights.)

Read 9 tweets

Writing apps for PhD! - a 🧵

Looking for the perfect #notetaking system? Or writing #workflow?

After trying to integrate all my writing into one app, I couldn't choose one.
As researchers our writing needs are diverse & so here's my #writing system for anyone who needs!

#academicchatter #writingtools #researchtools #phdlife #AcademicTwitter #PhDtips

Our systems can be as simple or as complex as our needs are. So the best system is the one that works for you!

Here are all the apps I use for my writing & why I chose them:

@overleaf

𝗠𝗮𝗻𝘂𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝘀
People in my field and lab mostly use LaTeX for most documents. Especially ones that need impeccable formatting/ with lots of in-text citations. Online app for
🔹𝘖𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘧
🔹𝘛𝘦𝘟𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘰

@overleaf @TeXstudio #LaTeX #acwri

Read 9 tweets

@OpenAcademics

Some useful things to try to beat #writersblock in the #PhD and get back in flow. A 🧵
👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

#phdchat #phdlife #phdtips #AcademicTwitter @OpenAcademics @PhDVoice @PhD_Genie #thesiswriting #academicwriting #researchwriting #phdthesis #postgrad #Dissertation

1/ first: don't sit there forcing yourself to get the motivation back. Nobody in the history of ever got motivated by telling themselves to feel motivated.

Instead, acknowledge you're not feeling it & shift focus instead. Read on... 👇🏼

2/ Try reading something that usually gives you the academic equivalent of fanny flutters (!). Your favourite journo article, your fave writer, a section of your research journal, an interesting joy-giving bit of data.

That might spark some ideas to bring back into your writing

Read 16 tweets

@PhDgenie

Dear #PhD #perfectionist, some thoughts on facing, ddressing + working past #perfectionism/fear of failure in #research.

A messy imperfect 🧵

#phdlife #phdtips #phdchat @PhDgenie @PhDVoice @OpenAcademics @PhDspeaks @AcademicChatter #AcademicTwitter #researchlife #phdwriting

@PhDgenie

@PhDgenie @PhDVoice @OpenAcademics @PhDspeaks @AcademicChatter 1/ Research is MEANT to be imperfect+messy. Things going wrong in research are more likely than things going ‘perfectly’.

If everything went EXACTLY as we planned/controlled +was already known, there’d be no need to do the research in the first place, right?!

2/ Instead of fearing imperfection, maybe take a beat to reflect/journal:

* What would perfection be or look like in your research?
* What does 'perfect' work + research mean?

Read 13 tweets

@PhDVoice

EVERYONE I knew who completed their #PhD before me had a miserable time in the last stages of writing up. I dreaded having to struggle too but those last 6 months ended up being the most fulfilling, happy time of my PhD
1/

#phdlife #phdtips #phdchat @PhDVoice #academictwitter

I voiced my dread/fears to my supervisor. She shared that she loved writing up; that it was a wonderful time of seeing her research come together + gain confidence in her own voice/findings. She was the first person to suggest there was another way to write/wrap up the PhD...
2/

... that wasn't characterised by only misery, struggle, overwork, pain.

I took that vision/possibility into my writing up year and I too loved it.

I loved seeing disparate threads come together, new ideas emerge, my own voice+perspectives get stronger

3/

Read 7 tweets

@OpenAcademics

How I planned for + wrote 6 #thesis chapters in my last year while keeping all my mornings, evenings + weekends free.

A 🧵

@OpenAcademics @PhDspeaks @PhDSurvival @PhDVoice @PhD_Genie #AcademicTwitter #AcademicChatter #phdlife #phdtips #phdchat #phdwriting #postgradresearch

First, a note: I fucked about a LOT the first 2-3 yrs of the PhD. Then, had 2 bereavements + 6 straight months of health issues which put me out of action. So I ended up writing most of the thesis only in my last writing up year.

I cut it close but I got it done.

2/

1. I looked at everything I had to do + planned backwards: How many chapters over how many months. I broke the writing plan down into months, and then into weeks.

I had an idea of how I work and how much I'm able to do within a week, so I kept it realistic.

3/

Read 15 tweets

Rasha Shanaz

Ok #AcademicTwitter. This month, I'm entering my 3rd year of PhD! yayy🎉

I was looking through my 1st research journal and found these "tips" I had written for myself. I thought I'll share them here.

So, here's a 🧵of #PhDtips for those starting their PhD!

#PhDlife #PhDchat

1. Maintain a #PhDjournal📒
Experiments, results, failures, meetings w/ guide, seminars, weekly plans, proposal brainstorming, talk prep - everything related to your PhD in one notebook.

(coursework & journal notes can be separate, but I used the same note. 1 note/year for me)

2. Read a lot of journal articles. A lot.
It is the best way to take your research forward!

(I wanted to try the #365papersChallenge, but couldn't keep up. I read way fewer papers than I want myself to. This could be my sign from the universe to step up!)
#journalclub

Read 9 tweets