The high degree of autonomy one gets as an academic is both a blessing and a curse. Making your way up what counts for a career ladder these days is tricky. It's hardly surprising that the academic career guide is an emerging book genre with strong sales. I've benefitted from the academic guide to life genre … Continue reading Book review: two new guides to academic life
Starting a PhD… at 58 years old?
Did you know that the average age on entry to a PhD in Australia is 34 years old? Over the time I have been whispering this average age gets older and older. There are a few PhD students at ANU who enrolled in their PhD in their late sixties and early seventies. It's never too … Continue reading Starting a PhD… at 58 years old?
How to approach an inter-disciplinary thesis
Are you doing interdisciplinary research? I did. It was hard. Universities are often very well set up for individual disciplines, but if you don't fit firmly into one of these, you can easily find yourself marginalised. How should you go about doing interdisciplinary research so that you don't 'go down over interdisciplinary waters' so to … Continue reading How to approach an inter-disciplinary thesis
Book review: The Scopus Diaries
This post is by Dr Abel Polese, a researcher, trainer, writer, manager and fundraiser dealing with development and capacity building in Europe and Asia. He is also interested in Science Excellence, Open Science and alternatives indicators to measure science performance. In this post, Abel shares the story behind his book “The SCOPUS Diaries and the (il)logics of … Continue reading Book review: The Scopus Diaries
On finishing ‘early’
Recently I published a post from Carmen Blythe on finishing the PhD in 2 years, which provoked a storm of comments. Some people pointed out the many advantages that Carmen had, which helped her finish in such a short time. You might have been left wondering: what about 'normal people' - can they finish early to? … Continue reading On finishing ‘early’
How your writing centre can help you finish your PhD
Being a research developer is a bit like being a GP: problems looked at early can be treated easily, but the longer the patient waits, the less we can help. This post is on the value of getting problems in writing treated early and is by Dr. G. David "Dave" Beasley. Dave completed his PhD in … Continue reading How your writing centre can help you finish your PhD
Keep the quirky bits! Turing your PhD into a best selling book
Dr Lynne Kelly has authored and sold more books than anyone else I know - and I live a life surrounded by people who write and publish for a living. I've known Lynne for many years, both personally and professionally. She wrote non-fiction books before she started her PhD so perhaps it is no surprise that … Continue reading Keep the quirky bits! Turing your PhD into a best selling book
What’s therapy got to do with it?
It can be hard to reach out for help when you are feeling down. I avoided therapy until I was 47, even though I knew I could probably benefit. Looking back, I wonder why I waited so long. The chance to talk about your self for an hour in a situation where someone has to … Continue reading What’s therapy got to do with it?
A PhD … with teenagers
This post is by Fran Hyde, who has always embraced the idea of lifelong learning. Acquiring several professional qualifications as well as an MA in Marketing alongside working full time, Fran also remained actively involved with the marketing teams in several not-for-profit organisations. Fran's decision to change careers and start a PhD 'midlife' was driven by her wish to study … Continue reading A PhD … with teenagers
A 5 step program for finishing your PhD (finally!)
Part of the fun of being Thesis Whisperer is the emails I get from all around the world. Many of them outline classic PhD student dilemmas, which are excellent blog fodder, such as this one, from Laura S: Have you, or have you considered anything along the lines of *actually finishing* writing? I can produce … Continue reading A 5 step program for finishing your PhD (finally!)
