Page 1 ... Tip: Understanding priorities. Student's priorities. ⢠Check e- ..... Emails, Facebook, Solitaire .... You
Emotional journey of a PhD
Secret 1: The care and maintenance of your supervisor
More success here =⇒ • more likely to complete of thesis in a reasonable time and • to have a happier working environment.
Research Styles
People have preferences
Thinkers
Doers
Research styles
STUDENT Thinker
• Lots of ideas • Maybe less action
Doer
• Lots of action • Maybe less thought
Thinker SUPERVISOR
Doer
Tailor you question and queries to supervisor accordingly • If have a Thinker and want a specific answer, don’t ask what
you think. Ask comparative questions like “Should I do A or B?” Keep them focused on helping you to decide on what to do next. • If supervisor is a doer then he/she may keep changing his
mind. Think critically about what they say. Remember supervisor may not have thought deeply or very much about your research.
Do you and your supervisor have the same expectations? • Your supervisor: “You need to complete this task ASAP.”
You: “Yes, I’ll do that.” Interpretation of the time frame for - You? - Your supervisor? • You: “Can you fill in this form for me ASAP? ”
Your supervisor: “Yes, I’ll do that.” Interpretation of the time frame for - You? - Your supervisor?
Do you and your supervisor have the same expectations? • Your supervisor: “You need to complete this task ASAP.”
You: “Yes, I’ll do that.” Interpretation of the time frame for - You? - Your supervisor? • You: “Can you fill in this form for me ASAP? ”
Your supervisor: “Yes, I’ll do that.” Interpretation of the time frame for - You? - Your supervisor?
Tip: Understanding priorities
Student’s priorities A List
• Check e-mails • My research • ...
A List
B List
C List
• Check e-mails • Teaching
• Research • Papers
• ... • ...
• Admin • Reports
• Reviews • ...
• Your thesis • ...
• ...
• ...
Supervisor’s priorities
Tip: Understanding priorities
Student’s priorities A List
• Check e-mails • My research • ...
A List
B List
C List
• Check e-mails • Teaching
• Research • Papers
• ... • ...
• Admin • Reports
• Reviews • ...
• Your thesis • ...
• ...
• ...
Supervisor’s priorities
Supervisor’s priorities Vs your priorities
What you think about
What your supervisor thinks about Your thesis
Other stuff
5% 10%
90%
My thesis
95%
Other stuff
Care and Maintenance Tips • Important point: It’s your thesis. • You need to become the driver - very different to your undergraduate studies.
• You need to be assertive. • How assertive ?
- Gently stalk your supervisor. - Don’t wait indefinitely to be remembered.. - ... but make it easy for them to help you.
You should be part of your supervisor’s regular schedule • But my supervisor is so busy. • Your supervisor will always be busy. • Remember it’s a supervisor’s job to
- meet with you regularly, - give timely feedback, - help sort out academic problems.
Meetings •
• the open door policy • regularity Vs frequency
regular meetings will force you to do work in preparation for the meeting different frequency at different stages Meet even if you have done nothing
Keep meetings focused: Have an agenda • Example agenda:
- What I did since last time - Questions/issues - Feedback - What I will do in next week(s) - The very Next Thing - The next meeting • Pre- and Post-meeting
- E-mail supervisor the agenda a day or two before the meeting. - Send summary e-mail after the meeting + Key decisions and actions points + What you have decided to do + What your supervisor has promised to do
Keep meetings focused: Have an agenda • Example agenda:
- What I did since last time - Questions/issues - Feedback - What I will do in next week(s) - The very Next Thing - The next meeting • Pre- and Post-meeting
- E-mail supervisor the agenda a day or two before the meeting. - Send summary e-mail after the meeting + Key decisions and actions points + What you have decided to do + What your supervisor has promised to do
Rate your effectiveness on Secret #1 Your effectiveness highly effective
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Secret 2: Write and show as you go
This is show and tell, not hide and seek.
Write and show tips MYTH 1 I’ll write when I feel ready. I’m not ready yet. • Reasonable idea: How can I write when I’m not ready? • Unfortunately there is no readiness fairy! • You may never feel ready to write. • Successful writers force themselves to write. • Means you should probably start writing NOW. • You may be not ready to write your article or your thesis, but
you are ready to write something.
Write and show tips MYTH 1 I’ll write when I feel ready. I’m not ready yet. • Reasonable idea: How can I write when I’m not ready? • Unfortunately there is no readiness fairy! • You may never feel ready to write. • Successful writers force themselves to write. • Means you should probably start writing NOW. • You may be not ready to write your article or your thesis, but
you are ready to write something.
What’s stopping you? Readitis Definition: The belief that reading one more article will solve all your research problems. And then you will be ready to write. Symptoms and resulting problems: • One more article begets another article because of reference lists and the internet.
• Instead of writing, spend your time searching and cataloging references. • Fear I’m going to miss something. - You will miss something. - But it doesn’t take an exhaustive search to get the crucial papers.
• Fallacy: If I read enough everything will become clear and then I can write about it.
What’s stopping you? Readitis Definition: The belief that reading one more article will solve all your research problems. And then you will be ready to write. Symptoms and resulting problems: • One more article begets another article because of reference lists and the internet.
• Instead of writing, spend your time searching and cataloging references. • Fear I’m going to miss something. - You will miss something. - But it doesn’t take an exhaustive search to get the crucial papers.
• Fallacy: If I read enough everything will become clear and then I can write about it.
Yes, you need to read . . . • But you also need to write. • You can’t read all the literature and then recall it. • After you have read a body of literature then you should - Write up some relatively eloquent summary. - It should make sense and - be useful to you later. • Writing doesn’t have to be not great or the final words that
appear in your thesis or articles but it should be sufficient to rejig your memory.
What’s stopping you? Experimentitis/Developmentitis Definition: The belief that doing one more experiment (or one more piece of data) or one more tweak to your algorithm will solve all your research problems. And then you will be ready to write. Symptoms: • You have lots of data and results or an algorithm that doesn’t work as well as expected.
• Things are confusing and contradictory. • I know if I had a bigger sample size or a more sophisticated model then I would get more unambiguous results.
• For many coding and running experiments are fun parts of research. • Unfortunately, new data and results are quite likely to raise new questions. • Solve this by gathering more data, more tweaks and so on. • And you still haven’t written anything.
Do you suffer from either experimentitis or developmentitis?
What’s stopping you? Experimentitis/Developmentitis Definition: The belief that doing one more experiment (or one more piece of data) or one more tweak to your algorithm will solve all your research problems. And then you will be ready to write. Symptoms: • You have lots of data and results or an algorithm that doesn’t work as well as expected.
• Things are confusing and contradictory. • I know if I had a bigger sample size or a more sophisticated model then I would get more unambiguous results.
• For many coding and running experiments are fun parts of research. • Unfortunately, new data and results are quite likely to raise new questions. • Solve this by gathering more data, more tweaks and so on. • And you still haven’t written anything.
Do you suffer from either experimentitis or developmentitis?
What’s stopping you? Experimentitis/Developmentitis Definition: The belief that doing one more experiment (or one more piece of data) or one more tweak to your algorithm will solve all your research problems. And then you will be ready to write. Symptoms: • You have lots of data and results or an algorithm that doesn’t work as well as expected.
• Things are confusing and contradictory. • I know if I had a bigger sample size or a more sophisticated model then I would get more unambiguous results.
• For many coding and running experiments are fun parts of research. • Unfortunately, new data and results are quite likely to raise new questions. • Solve this by gathering more data, more tweaks and so on. • And you still haven’t written anything.
Do you suffer from either experimentitis or developmentitis?
Potential Cure • Good news there is a cure for these diseases.
A short dose of writing. • You don’t have to be ready. Just jump in wherever you are. • You are allowed read and code!
But first write for 30 minutes, then go and read or code. • Make sense of what you have already done by writing. • Don’t create more confusion by continuing to read or do
experiments indefinitely.
Potential Cure • Good news there is a cure for these diseases.
A short dose of writing. • You don’t have to be ready. Just jump in wherever you are. • You are allowed read and code!
But first write for 30 minutes, then go and read or code. • Make sense of what you have already done by writing. • Don’t create more confusion by continuing to read or do
experiments indefinitely.
Write and Show Tips MYTH 2 I’ll get it all clear in my head first and then write it down. • Sounds sensible, but not how it works. • Writing is not recording. • Writing is a creative process. - Creativity happens as you write things on the page. - Before writing you have notions. - Writing helps crystalize and sharpen these notions. • As you write the story emerges on the page. • As you write - You see what you don’t understand. - You begin to see new ideas.
Write and Show Tips MYTH 2 I’ll get it all clear in my head first and then write it down. • Sounds sensible, but not how it works. • Writing is not recording. • Writing is a creative process. - Creativity happens as you write things on the page. - Before writing you have notions. - Writing helps crystalize and sharpen these notions. • As you write the story emerges on the page. • As you write - You see what you don’t understand. - You begin to see new ideas.
Another bad reason to stall writing • Waiting for the big picture? • How do you get the big picture? • Your first draft will probably be bad . . . • . . . but it will highlight where the gaps are.
Write and Show Tips: Snack Writing Binge writing Vs Snack writing • Binge writing: Write when you have big blocks of time. • Problem with binge model; you rarely get these big blocks of
time. • Snack writing: Habit of writing in short blocks of time. • Advantage: This is how your time is organized, an hour here
an hour there. • Binge writing Vs Snack writing - Snack writers are usually more productive. - At deadlines you will need to binge write. - But if you want to write a lot, practice snack writing.
Write and Show Tips: Snack Writing Binge writing Vs Snack writing • Binge writing: Write when you have big blocks of time. • Problem with binge model; you rarely get these big blocks of
time. • Snack writing: Habit of writing in short blocks of time. • Advantage: This is how your time is organized, an hour here
an hour there. • Binge writing Vs Snack writing - Snack writers are usually more productive. - At deadlines you will need to binge write. - But if you want to write a lot, practice snack writing.
Write and Show Tips: Snack Writing Binge writing Vs Snack writing • Binge writing: Write when you have big blocks of time. • Problem with binge model; you rarely get these big blocks of
time. • Snack writing: Habit of writing in short blocks of time. • Advantage: This is how your time is organized, an hour here
an hour there. • Binge writing Vs Snack writing - Snack writers are usually more productive. - At deadlines you will need to binge write. - But if you want to write a lot, practice snack writing.
Try out snack writing • Timetable 1 or 2 hours each day/week to write (preferably in the morning). - No reading. - No e-mailing. - No surfing. - No downloading of pdfs. - No coffee or toilet breaks. - Just writing. • At the scheduled time: - Nail you feet to the floor. - Sit and stay at the keyboard. - Don’t do anything else but write. - Don’t stray from your text editor!
It’s draughty in here • It’s very hard to write final copy from scratch • Drafts: - zero draft, - first draft, - second draft, - etc. • Zero draft - before you begin writing sentences - organize thoughts with mindmaps and lists, - order the presentation of your ideas, - figure out sequence of arguments and reasoning, - etc. • Remember as you write you develop your ideas.
The Show Part • Unlike wine, writing doesn’t mature by just sitting around • You -
have to get feedback Your supervisor Colleagues Posters, workshops, conferences Seminars Papers
• Only ask for feedback when your draft is of sufficient quality. • Can ask for different specific feedback from different people.
Rate your effectiveness on Secret #2 Your effectiveness highly effective
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Secret 3: Be realistic
Your thesis does not have to win a Nobel prize.
Have realistic expectations about your thesis • Don’t get overwhelmed by the stipulation Your PhD has to contain new and original work/research • At the beginning of your PhD, your ambition levels will
probably be way too high. • Your adviser should help you narrow down these ambitions. • Rememeber you don’t have to find a cure for cancer! • You need to add to the body of knowledge in your field. There is the beach of knowledge and it is probably enough to add one grain of sand to this beach. • Only relatively small contributions are required for your PhD.
Have realistic expectations about your thesis • Don’t get overwhelmed by the stipulation Your PhD has to contain new and original work/research • At the beginning of your PhD, your ambition levels will
probably be way too high. • Your adviser should help you narrow down these ambitions. • Rememeber you don’t have to find a cure for cancer! • You need to add to the body of knowledge in your field. There is the beach of knowledge and it is probably enough to add one grain of sand to this beach. • Only relatively small contributions are required for your PhD.
Have realistic expectations about your thesis • Reality is: - You are learning how to do research. - Your thesis should show that you can · · · ·
think like a researcher, think critically, carry out research, go through the research process.
- If you find something fantastic that’s great but a bit of a bonus.
Remember your thesis will not be a best seller • Hardly anyone will read your thesis. - Yourself, - your supervisor(s), - thesis examiners (hopefully) and - maybe someone from CSC prior to submission. • Friend & family will probably only read the acknowledgments. • Articles written during your thesis have a much higher
likelihood of being read by the community. • Thus you should not agonize over the writing and wording in
your thesis.
The Impostor Syndrome • The feeling that you’re just one step away from being found
out as a complete fraud.
The Impostor Syndrome • It’s a secret society. • Impervious to evidence. Even as you go up the academic ladder and you complete each stage, the feeling remains with you. - You think: Once I get my PhD =⇒ feeling will go away and I’ll fit in.
- But not true - PostDocs think: The PhD was easy. Now I have to prove my worth to get an academic position.
- And it continues on and on . . . • The higher you climb often the more common the feeling.
The Impostor Syndrome • It’s a secret society. • Impervious to evidence. Even as you go up the academic ladder and you complete each stage, the feeling remains with you. - You think: Once I get my PhD =⇒ feeling will go away and I’ll fit in.
- But not true - PostDocs think: The PhD was easy. Now I have to prove my worth to get an academic position.
- And it continues on and on . . . • The higher you climb often the more common the feeling.
The Impostor Syndrome • It’s a secret society. • Impervious to evidence. Even as you go up the academic ladder and you complete each stage, the feeling remains with you. - You think: Once I get my PhD =⇒ feeling will go away and I’ll fit in.
- But not true - PostDocs think: The PhD was easy. Now I have to prove my worth to get an academic position.
- And it continues on and on . . . • The higher you climb often the more common the feeling.
What do you do about it? • Continue being a good impostor; maybe no-one will work it
out! You are good at fooling people so you can continue to do so. • More functional approach.
Accept everyone feels like an impostor at some stage.
Be realistic • Realism helps overcome impostor syndrome - Remember: “Just because you feel like fraud does not mean you are not a fraud.” - Get evidence · Did you get your degrees by cheating? · How did you pass your interview for the PhD position? - When you get evidence listen to it. Not everybody is just being nice and being charmed by you.
• Realism will help you complete your PhD:
“The Best is the enemy of the Good” - Striving for the Nobel Prize almost ensures you will fail. - Setting the bar too high can stop you from finishing or even starting.
Be realistic • Realism helps overcome impostor syndrome - Remember: “Just because you feel like fraud does not mean you are not a fraud.” - Get evidence · Did you get your degrees by cheating? · How did you pass your interview for the PhD position? - When you get evidence listen to it. Not everybody is just being nice and being charmed by you.
• Realism will help you complete your PhD:
“The Best is the enemy of the Good” - Striving for the Nobel Prize almost ensures you will fail. - Setting the bar too high can stop you from finishing or even starting.
Rate your effectiveness on Secret #3 Your effectiveness highly effective
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Secret 4: Say no to distractions
Even the fun ones and the ones you think you must do.
Newton’s 1st Law of Graduation
Newton’s 3rd Law of Graduation
The Secret Life of the PhD student • Do you spend a lot of time thinking about your research as
opposed to doing research? • What activities fill your day? - Check e-mail - Read news website - Mid-morning coffee - Help colleague - Download some references - Lunch and then you digest - Read some of the downloaded articles - Do some google research - Attend workshop/talk/seminar • Where does your time go?
Distractions when you are supposed to be working • Displacement activities (displace the guilt you feel): - Tutoring, marking, - Grants, helping with other projects - Organizing you papers or formatting what you have written - Cleaning up software, - Emails, Facebook, Solitaire • Thesis/research first and then do the other activities. • Do you have place to go where you will not be
disturbed/distracted during your golden work hours.
Distractions when you are supposed to be working • Displacement activities (displace the guilt you feel): - Tutoring, marking, - Grants, helping with other projects - Organizing you papers or formatting what you have written - Cleaning up software, - Emails, Facebook, Solitaire • Thesis/research first and then do the other activities. • Do you have place to go where you will not be
disturbed/distracted during your golden work hours.
E-mails • Number one excuse for not doing work • Have you got a good system for dealing with your e-mail • Me in an ideal world - set aside 1 hour to deal with e-mail.
Rate your effectiveness on Secret #4 Your effectiveness highly effective
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Secret 5: It’s a job
That means working regular hours (nine to five), but you get holidays
Guilt There’s the PhD student with his big black dark guilt cloud.
• Feel guilt: When not working on their PhD. • Feel guilt: When working on their PhD. - I’m not doing enough. - I’m not doing the right things. - I’m neglecting my personal life. • You feel guilty all the time, because you never know if you
have done enough.
Guilt There’s the PhD student with his big black dark guilt cloud.
• Feel guilt: When not working on their PhD. • Feel guilt: When working on their PhD. - I’m not doing enough. - I’m not doing the right things. - I’m neglecting my personal life. • You feel guilty all the time, because you never know if you
have done enough.
Yes, You’ll Get Holidays! • If you know when to work =⇒ you know when not to work. • Easy to accumulate enough hours to complete a PhD in ∼ 4
years if you - work regular productive hours each day (4 ≤ hours worked ≤ 8), - for five days a week, - for 40-45 weeks a year. • Problem: Many people put in many more hours at work than
this because of fantasy hours. • Fantasy hour ≡ appearance of work but no real work gets done. • Probably can only schedule two real/(creative) hours a day. • Find out at what time of day you are most likely to complete
high quality hours. Are you a early morning person or a night owl?
Yes, You’ll Get Holidays! • If you know when to work =⇒ you know when not to work. • Easy to accumulate enough hours to complete a PhD in ∼ 4
years if you - work regular productive hours each day (4 ≤ hours worked ≤ 8), - for five days a week, - for 40-45 weeks a year. • Problem: Many people put in many more hours at work than
this because of fantasy hours. • Fantasy hour ≡ appearance of work but no real work gets done. • Probably can only schedule two real/(creative) hours a day. • Find out at what time of day you are most likely to complete
high quality hours. Are you a early morning person or a night owl?
Yes, You’ll Get Holidays! • If you know when to work =⇒ you know when not to work. • Easy to accumulate enough hours to complete a PhD in ∼ 4
years if you - work regular productive hours each day (4 ≤ hours worked ≤ 8), - for five days a week, - for 40-45 weeks a year. • Problem: Many people put in many more hours at work than
this because of fantasy hours. • Fantasy hour ≡ appearance of work but no real work gets done. • Probably can only schedule two real/(creative) hours a day. • Find out at what time of day you are most likely to complete
high quality hours. Are you a early morning person or a night owl?
Set limits • By setting limits you will get more done. • For you what is the better approach? 1. I will get task X done in Y o’clock. 2. I will not leave work until I have completed task X. • Approach 1 will force you to be focused and efficient. • While Approach 2 may let time to complete task X expand
indefinitely. • If you know you have to leave at a certain time, you will stop
messing about and work more efficiently. • Are you at work and not being very productive?
Set limits • By setting limits you will get more done. • For you what is the better approach? 1. I will get task X done in Y o’clock. 2. I will not leave work until I have completed task X. • Approach 1 will force you to be focused and efficient. • While Approach 2 may let time to complete task X expand
indefinitely. • If you know you have to leave at a certain time, you will stop
messing about and work more efficiently. • Are you at work and not being very productive?
Set limits • By setting limits you will get more done. • For you what is the better approach? 1. I will get task X done in Y o’clock. 2. I will not leave work until I have completed task X. • Approach 1 will force you to be focused and efficient. • While Approach 2 may let time to complete task X expand
indefinitely. • If you know you have to leave at a certain time, you will stop
messing about and work more efficiently. • Are you at work and not being very productive?
Set limits • By setting limits you will get more done. • For you what is the better approach? 1. I will get task X done in Y o’clock. 2. I will not leave work until I have completed task X. • Approach 1 will force you to be focused and efficient. • While Approach 2 may let time to complete task X expand
indefinitely. • If you know you have to leave at a certain time, you will stop
messing about and work more efficiently. • Are you at work and not being very productive?
Parts of a job • A plan (have a broad plan) • Timeframes (next week, next month, next three months) • Accountability. • A place to work. • The equipment to do the job. • Always remember to back-up your work.
Rate your effectiveness on Secret #5 Your effectiveness highly effective
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Secret 6: Get help • You are not an owner-operator single person business! • Do you think:
I should do it all myself? • Clever people get help where necessary and/or more efficient.
(Remember though don’t just be a taker.)
Secret 6: Get help • You are not an owner-operator single person business! • Do you think:
I should do it all myself? • Clever people get help where necessary and/or more efficient.
(Remember though don’t just be a taker.)
Secret 6: Get help • You are not an owner-operator single person business! • Do you think:
I should do it all myself? • Clever people get help where necessary and/or more efficient.
(Remember though don’t just be a taker.)
What’s okay? • Editing? - spelling, grammar, . . . • Formatting? - tables, figures, references • Transcribing? • Collecting data? • Labelling data? • Entering data? • Software? • Technology?
What help is reasonable to get and what is available?
Get help • Your supervisor (not a mind reader ask them for help) - advice - where to go (to get resources) - finance • Your graduate centre - courses - advice • Your post-graduate association. • Find out what is available.
Rate your effectiveness on Secret #6 Your effectiveness highly effective
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Secret 7: PhD is 90% persistence and 10% intelligence • You can do it! • Good news:
You have been accepted to programme =⇒ 10% intelligence • Question you should be asking:
Do I have the persistence to get a PhD? - Multiple drafts of various papers, - persist with experiments, - persist with data collection, - stalk supervisor for feedback, - ...
Secret 7: PhD is 90% persistence and 10% intelligence • You can do it! • Good news:
You have been accepted to programme =⇒ 10% intelligence • Question you should be asking:
Do I have the persistence to get a PhD? - Multiple drafts of various papers, - persist with experiments, - persist with data collection, - stalk supervisor for feedback, - ...
Secret 7: PhD is 90% persistence and 10% intelligence • You can do it! • Good news:
You have been accepted to programme =⇒ 10% intelligence • Question you should be asking:
Do I have the persistence to get a PhD? - Multiple drafts of various papers, - persist with experiments, - persist with data collection, - stalk supervisor for feedback, - ...
The Life Cycle of a PhD • If finishing PhDs graph their feelings during their studies:
• Everyone’s curve is different. • But nobody was happy for full duration with no down periods.
The Life Cycle of a PhD • When PhDs do drop out it is usually during the low periods. • Start to think
“Things aren’t going well. This is very hard.” then perhaps they come to the conclusion “This proves I’m not clever enough to complete a PhD.” • Remember it just highlights: Completing a PhD is hard! - Embrace this fact. - Hard means you are working on a worthwhile degree. - You develop your research skills when the going gets tough.
The Life Cycle of a PhD • When in a slump: - Don’t isolate yourself. - Don’t avoid your supervisor. - Don’t fall into thoughts of “I can never write a thesis that will pass.”
Your worst fear - It rarely happens! • Failure rates at each stage of Australian education system: Failure Rate (%) 14 12 10 8 6 4
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• More chance of failing kindergarten then failing your PhD. • Bigger problem for your supervisor than you if you fail.
Secret to getting a PhD • Doctoral completion rates
- Australia ∼ 65% (2001) - UK 57% full-time (19% part-time) within 5 years 71% full-time (34% part-time) within 7 years (2005) - US 56.6% within 10 years (Sowell, Zhang, Redd, & King, 2008) · · · · ·
•
49.3% 54.7% 55.9% 62.9% 63.6%
humanities, mathematics and physical sciences, social sciences, life sciences, and engineering.
Get to the end and submit a thesis.
Rate your effectiveness on Secret #7 Your effectiveness highly effective
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