Hi everyone,

Have just been accepted to do a PhD (clinical psychology area) and used this forum as info. when I was preparing and thinking about my interview- just wanted to say thanks and hi to everyone.

Also- feeling a bit scared before starting (in under a month)- any advice for the beginning of the process?

Thanks!

THere is a sticky 'tips' thread somewhere. My no.1 tip would be write as you go, even if you don't think it will be useful later, it will be!

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Welcome Sebean,

As someone who has been very lax about this and is now paying for it - keep track of all your references from the start! Don't faff around with your own systems, use some decent bibliographic software and keep on top of it.

Also get yourself a copy of the PGF forum bible 'How to write your dissertation in 15 minutes a day'.

Good luck and enjoy!

Welcome! Yeh, check out the tips thread - I think it was started by PhDBug. It has all sorts of useful info. Tip from me - be carefeul with additional activities you take on eg writing articles, giving conference papers, tutoring. I lost 4 months writing time due to teaching commitments, and I don't want to be a lecturer and knew this. So, prioritise.

Most of my tips have been mentioned by others e.g. the importance of managing reading/references properly (I used EndNote from early on, even though I don't use it to generate my in-thesis references automatically - I used it instead to remember what I'd read), the need to prioritise and the need to learn to say "No!" firmly if you start to get overwhelmed.

My other tip is to keep a record of what you're doing, whether it be in a diary/journal (paper or electronic), or a simple month-by-month spreadsheet summarising what you're up to. I found this invaluable for keeping track of what I'd done, especially because I was studying over a very long period as a part-timer.

Good luck!

Yup, keep a record of everything! Being a scientist I have lab books, but I am horrified when I look back at what details are missing. Write down all your calculations, all your thought processes, the lot. Because what seems obvious now will be completely lost to the swamps of memory when you're writing up in 2-3 years time!

Also, don't bother feeling guilty. Ok, so that's nearly impossible, but keep a lid on the guilt anyway. You'll probably never feel like you're doing enough, but remember it's a marathon not a sprint and allow yourself a life outside of work.

Come here or read phdcomics.com when you need a boost (the longer you've been a phd student, the funnier it gets :-) ).

Write as you read. There's no point plowing through 100 papers if you don't have a central text summarising how they fit together and what they mean. Mindmapping software is great for this too.

Don't be afraid to talk to academics, yes you're a lowly student but so were they a while back. I've often been amazed by how genuinely interested and helpful senior researchers are when you're working in their field.

Oh - and get yourself a copy of Joan Bolker's 'How to Write Your Dissertation in 15 Minutes a Day' - has been invaluable to lots of people here, me included.

Can I ask a question to Teek, I am also studying in a scientific area (electronic engineering) and use a standard log book. I recently went on a introduction training day and was advised against using a log book as by the time you get more than a few months in you will end up with several log books where the information is in date order rather than being in subject order (as would be possible if using aring binder with loose leaves). Do you find you have any difficulty finding info that you may have written several months or maybe a few years earlier, do you use some sort of index system? I have spoken to someone who uses One Note (this then has the ability to search electronically within entries) but am slightly cautious about using a totally electronic note taking format in case of lost data ( i know backups will help but there is always a chance of forgetting to back up just before a crash happens). I would be interested on your thoughts

Ps Sorry for slightly highjacking this thread
Thanks
Max
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Hi Maxipat. I must admit, I'm not familiar with electronic formats, as all our books have to be hardcopy, signed and dated on every page in case of future patent claims. I try to keep a separate book for every rough topic area, then just rely on the index at the front to tell me what experiments are where. I guess it depends on the work you're doing but for me this seems to be ok. A loose leaf folder of electronic format may be better for you, but check your department don't need hard copies for IP purposes.