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How to overcome writer’s block in your PhD?

Leave a Comment / Productivity / By David

Writer’s block can significantly delay, or even derail, your research project. Find out about the tools that can help you overcome writer’s block!

“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”
Stephen King

Do you enjoy writing?

I noted that many researchers usually consider writing as the least exciting part of doing research, usually dedicating too little time to this important activity in their research project.

After all, you’ve done your experiments or derived a new mathematical model that helps to solve a specific challenge.

This is truly the most electrifying part of your work as you’ve pushed the boundary of knowledge. Well done!

But what’s the actual value of your discovery if you don’t share it with others?

Although there are many ways to share your research (remember to check out our free ebook!), writing down your research is still the main way to do so.

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What are SMART goals and how to use them in your research?

Leave a Comment / Productivity / By Magda

Success is a journey, not a destination. How to set SMART goals for your research project to successfully deliver your PhD and enjoy the process.

Have you ever missed a deadline or struggled to hand in your work on time?

Did you promise yourself that you were going to make it this time, yet it happened again? After all, you planned to complete the chapter of your thesis or send the paper for review to the journal.

Yet, regardless of your willingness to do so, you didn’t do it. Another week has passed, and you feel like you’re in the exact same place as a week ago? Uncertainty of research doesn’t make it easier, does it?

I feel for you! It happened to me, too – it was so frustrating when I had to pull an all-nighter to submit my work on time!

That’s why in this article, I’m going to teach you how to use SMART goals in your research project and adjust them to your needs.

I’m confident that this will help you manage your work better and meet your deadlines, especially those you set yourself!

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How to come up with new research ideas in 5 easy steps?

Leave a Comment / Productivity / By David

Creativity is a key skill to become a successful academic. Therefore, developing an efficient process to come up with new research ideas is fundamental to your academic career success!

As academics and researchers, we’re at the forefront of the current body of knowledge. We constantly push these boundaries forward, finding innovative and out-of-the-box solutions to the challenges that our generation is currently facing.

But do you know what does make or break the academic careers?

In my view, it’s your ability to come up with new research ideas!

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Quality over quantity: the golden balance between quality and quantity in academic publishing

Leave a Comment / Productivity / By David

You should always prioritise quality over quantity in your track record, although publishing more can give you more visibility.

From the early stage of your research career, you are told that you need to publish your work in peer-reviewed journals.

You may even feel the pressure to publish, especially towards the end of your PhD degree, because of the “publish or perish” culture that may influence your productivity. As a result, you may be tempted to publish your work in any journal that will publish your work, regardless of its international standing and recognition.

If you’re fairly fresh to the entire publishing process, you may be wondering how many publications you should publish during PhD? Or even what journals you should consider publishing your work in?

I’ve been there and asked these questions myself! I never could get a definitive answer from my peers and supervisors – most of the answers I got emphasised the need to publish high-quality work in prestigious journals.

And I fully agree with this. You should always place the quality over quantity in your research project.

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101 alternative research tools to support your research project

Leave a Comment / Research toolkit / By David

We do not always fully appreciate how powerful the alternative research tools can be.

Do you get annoyed when you have an important task to complete within a tight deadline, but the license of the research tool you need has just expired?

I know that feeling – I have been there myself as student and academic.

I remember like it was yesterday when I received comments on one of the research manuscripts that I produced at the early stage of my PhD. One of the reviewers has asked me to provide an additional set of results.

It seemed straightforward – I thought. After all, I had the process model ready; I just need to run another case study and make sure the results are valid.

But my eagerness was quickly put down when I realised the license to the software I was using had not been extended yet.

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5 tested ideas to disseminate your research and increase research impact

Leave a Comment / Productivity / By David

You have just got a paper published in a prestigious journal. That is fantastic news for your academic career!

But what do you do after your paper got published to further disseminate your research?

Relying on the publishers to promote your research can be a risky approach, simply because of the volume of articles they publish every day. If you do not disseminate your research further, the impact of your research may be hindered, and less potential users of your research will be reached.

In my previous article on “publish or perish” culture, I mentioned that some academic papers do not get cited at all. The quality of research plays a crucial role in such an outcome.

However, I do believe that you can ensure your research gets noticed and read by a broader audience if you embed research outreach, dissemination and engagement activities in your day-to-day work.

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