Thanks to Anuja Cabraal who asked this question! It’s about 2,500 words of answer, so this is absolutely a Definitive … More
Tag: doctoral writing
You don’t have to feel ready to take action
All of this works because we start doing the work. By not delaying the real work through endless reading and procrastination, we start working towards our end goal, in ways that actually contribute to our goals. That is, we start making words on the page that can be added to and refined until you have enough good enough words to submit a passable PhD thesis.
Who am I writing this article for?
You know how it is. You’ve been working on an article forever, but it just isn’t working. You need to … More
Research story ‘arcs’: the ‘Heroes Journey’ and other stories
I’ve been doing a bit of a deep dive into stuff I know about writing because of my English Literature … More
‘Your thesis is the map, not the journey’, on the Thesis Whisperer Blog.
A post drawn from our new book was published on the Thesis Whisperer blog a fortnight ago. If you want … More
How to work with a first-time supervisor
In my last post on this stuff, I talked about how it feels to be a first time supervisor. I … More
Being a first-time supervisor
For nearly everyone doing a PhD–this is your first time. You’ve never done this before, and you’re learning the ropes … More
This is not a test: discipline, the shitty first draft, and the real world.
A doctorate propels you towards the real world of scholarship. You will be a teacher, a researcher, an author. This is not a test. No-one else knows the answer to this stuff, that’s why you are making ‘an original contribution to knowledge’.
Choosing your research question
How do you chose a research question? How do you decide what it is that you are going to spend … More
Reviewing little bits of literature
A student contacted me by email today with this question: I was looking for some guidance or templates on writing … More
