Faculty of Humanities

Researcher Development

How to
get your PhD
a guide for students
contents

1Approaching your PhD 2 4 Career and life 11

What is a PhD? 2 Conferences 11
Why get a PhD? 2 Publications 12
Topic 2 Teaching 12
University 3 Jobs 12
Supervisor 3 Life 13
Funding 3 Reflection 13
Reflection 4
5 Final steps 13
2 First steps in research 5 Submission 13
Standards 5 Viva 14
Time Management 5 Viva preparation 14
Skills audit 6
Research Ethics & Health and Safety 6 6 Case Studies 16
Peers 6
Reflection 7 7 Resources 18
PhD community & writing tips 18
3 The core of your thesis work 8 Career planning 18
Outline 8 Book 18
Timeline 8 Reflections 19
More on supervision 9 Your Notes 19
Writing 10 Basic Checklist 20
Motivation 10
Action Points 11
 www.manchester.ac.uk/humanities

1
Approaching
your PhD
1
 This booklet is about What is a PhD?
A PhD (doctor of philosophy) thesis makes a
successfully navigating contribution to knowledge and demonstrates your
ability to conduct scholarly research in a specific area
the PhD process, from of interest. Gaining a PhD consists of 99 per cent
hard work and perseverance and 1 per cent genius.
approaching and structuring You can pass without being a genius but not without
working consistently on your thesis for the equivalent
your work to the thesis of three year’s full-time work.
submission and the viva.
Why get a PhD?
Tips are also included It will help you to stay focused, positive and confident
on planning life outside about your PhD to consider why you want to get
one. There are many reasons for embarking on PhDs.
and after your PhD. Some people aspire to an academic career, others
seek the intellectual challenge or want to satisfy their
curiosity about a particular topic. Yet some students
fall into it as a natural progression from their previous
work or simply want to delay entry into the labour
market. Knowing your motivations will help you
when you face challenges on your journey to
completion, but it may also influence which format
you choose for your thesis and your involvement in
activities outside your research.

Topic
Enthusiasm and passion for your field of study are
crucial ingredients for PhD success. If you are not
excited about your topic, it will be difficult to enthuse
others and to convince them of its fascination and
importance. At the same time, the choice of your
PhD topic might be linked to the availability of
funding or the projects available when working at a
particular university or with a particular supervisor.
Whatever your motivations for choosing your topic,
you will need to remind yourself of your intrinsic
fascination with your research topic or the useful
skills you are gaining in moments of doubt or lack of
motivation faced by all PhD students at some point
during the PhD process.

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 www.manchester.ac.uk/humanities

University Funding
If you are geographically mobile, it is worth thinking Doing a PhD is an expensive activity, and funding
carefully about the institution where you wish to gain considerations are often seminal in deciding not only
your doctorate. Considerations include the where to study but whether you will undertake a PhD
availability of prospective supervisors and funding, at all. Funding is usually fiercely competitive. British
the size of the department as well as the prestige of and European students can apply through their
the institution. Russell Group Universities generally university for funding awarded based on attainment
tend to have the strongest focus on research and and potential by the British Research Councils
award about half of all doctorates in the UK. The http://www.rcuk.ac.uk. Your university or a third
best place to gain a doctorate in your field might be party (such as industry or a charity) may also have
overseas with leading US institutions proving funds available – prospective universities should have
particularly popular. a funding section for postgraduates on their
websites.

Supervisor
At least as important as the choice of topic is the Reflection
choice of supervisor(s). Ideally, your supervisor will be
close to your research topic, interested in your work
• Why do I want to do a PhD? What motivates
and have time and energy to support, stretch and
me to work on the topic for three or four years?
motivate you while allowing you to develop as an
independent researcher in your own right. In reality, • Am I committed to undertaking research for
your supervisor may not gain top scores on all these the next few years? Which aspects will I
criteria but you should not compromise on enjoy most?
knowledge of the field and supervision availability. It • What excites me about my prospective
is also a good idea to ask a potential supervisor thesis topic?
whether they intend to stay at their current university
– it is not ideal to have to change institutions or your • What are the pros and cons of different
main supervisor half-way through your thesis. universities and departments for enrolling
as a PhD student?
Unless you have worked with your prospective
supervisor before, it is often not possible to establish • Who could be my potential supervisor?
what kind of person he/she is. Try and get a sense of How can I find out more about her/him?
possible supervisors from their academic or personal
websites. You could also try to obtain some informal
insights into the supervision style of a particular
person from their current students or try and meet
the person before making a final decision on where
to undertake your doctorate. It is already common
practice at US universities for students to meet
prospective supervisors before making such decisions.

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 2
First steps
in research
4
 www.manchester.ac.uk/humanities

At this point you know routine can help – arrive in your study space or lab at
the same time every day. Get stuck into your
your motivation for reading, experiments, analysis or writing. Allow time
to read new literature in your field such as new
undertaking a PhD, you journal issues. Limit time on procrastination activities
such as e-mail and the internet. At the same time,
have found a university no thesis is completed without breaks. Holidays and
weekends are important. Take time off regularly.
and a supervisor, and Your final thesis product will be the accumulation of
hopefully some funding. the equivalent of about three years’ full-time
undertaking of your small daily thesis tasks. The
Now it is time to start secret of the most efficient PhD students is to do
every small task just once – let it be filing journal
the work. papers or research material, running a model or
looking up a particular reference. You will be familiar
with most of these small tasks but it is a good idea to
Standards audit your skills at the beginning of your PhD.
Familiarise yourself in your first weeks with the
procedures and standards of gaining a PhD at your
university and ensure you are aware of the main Skills audit
monitoring hurdles that you need to jump on the A person with a PhD should demonstrate an ability to
road to completion – for example, many universities competently write and complete a thesis, to
now have some forms of annual review processes in communicate in written and oral forms, to be a
place. Look at previously completed theses to see competent user of research techniques, relevant
what standard of work you should aspire to. Your equipment and software. Interpersonal, team-
supervisor or your peers will be able to recommend a working, teaching and mentoring skills are also
particularly strong thesis in your discipline and rewarded in academic, government and industry
perhaps one that is particularly close to your own employment. It is thus worthwhile to develop your
research interests. Searching an international thesis portfolio of transferable skills, especially if your dream
data base such as www.proquest.co.uk illustrates the job is outside academia. Find out about the
standard for PhDs at other institutions and allows you specialised – and frequently free or subsidised! –
to find theses related to your field of interest. development courses for PhD students at your
university. Such courses usually include IT training,
In terms of format, the majority of British PhD theses teaching training, presentation skills workshops,
continue to be a single long piece of scholarly work. language training, and advice on establishing an
But some students or fields of study prefer writing a academic career. Skills portfolios can also be
series of journal articles or offer taught PhDs – there developed by attending a UK Grad School (see
might be some flexibility in which format you choose. www.vitae.ac.uk).
Discuss possible deviations from the standard format
in your discipline with your supervisor early on in the Be prepared to find half-way through your PhD that
process. you need to learn new skills which you did not
anticipate at the beginning. Discuss your existing
skills and training needs with your supervisor.
Time Management
Many PhD students find it helpful to treat their
research like a full-time job involving five to eight Research Ethics & Health and Safety
hours of concentrated work five days a week. A If you do research, you will need to be aware of
ethical and health and safety implications. In some

5
 cases, such considerations will be obvious - science Another under-used source of help is non-academic
laboratories should not let you near any equipment staff members such as administrators, librarians, IT
before you have had your health and safety support and laboratory assistants. These people can
induction. But perhaps the greatest health and safety ensure that you obtain special books, access to
hazard is your daily writing and / or computer printing, and information on conference support for
routine: Are you sitting comfortably? Are your PhD students. Building up supportive relationships
computer screen and chair adjusted to minimise with these people early on in your PhD will yield
strain? rewards over the years.
If your doctoral work involves human subjects, you
will need to complete an ethics review process to Reflection
prevent harm to participants and to ensure their
confidentiality – it is important to start this as early as
possible as you may have to change your ideal • What does a good PhD thesis in my field at my
research plans according to the recommendations of institution look like?
the ethics board. Your supervisor will be able to • Do I have a long-term career plan? If so, what
assist you in this matter. skills will I need to succeed? How can I acquire
these skills during my PhD?
Peers • Have I discussed ethical implications of my work
Your fellow PhD students are a priceless but often with my supervisor?
underused resource for a successful and enjoyable • Where is the careers service at my university?
doctorate. Take a more advanced PhD student out Can I take IT and other training courses in my
for a cup of coffee at the beginning of your PhD – department or at the university?
you may just learn the real rules of how your
department works and how previous students have • Do I know at least one more advanced PhD
worked with your supervisor. When you find yourself student in my field? Have I taken them out for
struggling with particular aspects of your doctoral a tea/coffee/drink?
work, more often than not other students will have • Are there formal or social activities for PhD
struggled with similar issues – whether it be the students? What could I organise with my
technicalities of your doctoral work, the management peers to contribute to the social life?
of supervisors and other professional relationships,
funding, or the challenges of maintaining mutually
supportive relationships with your nearest and
dearest when the thesis is developing a life of its
own.

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 www.manchester.ac.uk/humanities

3
The core of your
thesis work

7
 Outline to work from and to keep you on track. Especially at the
Approaches to writing differ somewhat across beginning of your research, you may underestimate how
disciplines. In the natural sciences it is still common to long certain tasks take and it is important to learn early
‘write up’ your thesis at the end of three years once on to set realistic timeframes for small tasks so that you
you know all the outcomes of your experiments. You will ultimately complete your thesis on time. Also, you
will usually be advised to keep a log-book throughout will almost certainly experience a scenario where an
your doctorate. In arts and social sciences subjects, experiment does not work as planned; where your ethics
however, an outline is the key to breaking your thesis review, access to your data, an archive or a library book
down into manageable chunks and a rough idea of is delayed; or where new considerations or
where your journey to completion is heading is still developments lead to changes in your research design.
useful in laboratory based subjects. Ideally, you Allow some time for ‘unexpected events’ in your
should start an outline document in the first months timetable and plan to finish at least three months before
of your PhD and update it regularly as you progress in your funding runs out – so even if you do over-run, you
your work. Your first outline, for example, might just have some buffer time for completion.
have a rough structure of the type and number of Some students find it helpful to have several
chapters you think will form your thesis (example: headings in their timeline – for example, research
introduction, literature review, methodology, analysis targets, research dissemination (conferences and
chapters, conclusion). As you flesh out the contents publications), training and development and
of your thesis, this outline will become more detailed: teaching. Don’t forget to factor in holiday time.
you will have chapter headings and, where applicable,
sub-headings and some titles for figures and tables. Review and update your timeline regularly and
evaluate how you are doing against your expected
You may have to refocus your research question completion time - it is a good idea to have your
during your PhD as the knowledge in your field timeline in a dominant place such as next to your
advances. Chapter outlines and the order in which computer screen. Ensure your supervisor has a
you tackle your research questions can change. Stay revised copy of your timeline so you have help
focused by remembering that the ultimate goal is to monitoring your progress.
complete coherent and interesting work worthy of
being awarded a PhD.
Individual chapters also need an outline and often More on supervision
thesis chapters have their own chapter introduction, The relationship with your supervisor is key to PhD
middle section and conclusion or learning point from success. The supervision scenario you encounter is
the chapter. If you are writing empirically based likely to vary depending on your university’s policies
work, you may find it useful to assemble the figures for supervision, your departmental set up and the
you wish to use in the chapter and put them in the style of your particular supervisor. Some supervisors
order that you would use them in an academic talk. conscientiously read and plan your work with you
Note down the key findings from each figure and use perhaps to the point that you are feeling constrained
those as skeletons for the chapter outline. Your in your creative thinking, while others may disappear
supervisor will be a useful resource for feedback on from sight and e-mail contact and skim read any
your proposed thesis and chapter structures. You work in progress until they see completed chapters.
may also wish to workshop your thesis structure with Your university will have guidelines about what you
other PhD students. Your department may already can expect from the supervision process, but you may
have a PhD workshop in place but if not, why not still need to ensure actively that your supervisor is
organise your own? This will also look good on your giving you the attention and support you need.
CV in terms of organisation and leadership skills. As in any relationship, communication is the key to
success. It is useful to have regular meetings with
your supervisor, to raise challenges faced in your
Timeline research early on and to ask for help when you get
As you are writing your first outline, you should also stuck. Supervisors can also be a useful source of
assemble your first timeline. Both will change as your advice on career planning and tips on conferences,
research advances, but it doesn’t hurt to have something publications and funding.

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 www.manchester.ac.uk/humanities

Some universities formally allow or require you to bibliography while you write. It might be worth
have two supervisors. This can frequently be helpful spending time to familiarise yourself with a
and fruitful as long as communication is maintained referencing software such as Endnote early on in your
between the three of you. You may also find it useful PhD. Finally, back-up your work regularly and in
to investigate the opportunities for asking members different locations. You could also keep the latest
of staff who are not your supervisor about advice on version of your thesis on your e-mail server to
specific aspects of your work. minimise the risk of losing your work in progress.

Writing Motivation
‘Writing is thinking’ is the motto followed in many Motivation to stay focused and continue the work is a
humanities and social science subjects. Writing is a challenge many PhD students face during their theses.
crucial aspect of the conceptual development of your It helps to stay focused to have at least fortnightly
work in these fields and your thesis will go through targets of what you want to achieve. A work log of
many drafts of writing and rewriting. This process your progress allows you to see how you are doing and
should start in the first few months of your doctorate may help you when asking peers or your supervisor
and you will keep writing throughout your doctoral when you get stuck. Unfortunately, some students
work. In natural sciences, you will frequently be have been known to disappear off the planet when
asked to keep a log-book throughout your doctorate problems occur – do not do it, it will only magnify
to help you write up at the end. problems. Reward yourself for staying on track.
Many writers find it helpful to write, leave and rewrite Study groups, your peers and your supervisor can also
work. If you are stuck or simply bored with editing a help you to stay motivated, but it is also worth
particular paragraph or section of your thesis chapter, reminding yourself of your initial fascination with
you may find that a few days or weeks later, you your topic and to realise that a PhD is a time-bound
suddenly know how to do it. Some supervisors are activity. If you are in a serious motivation crisis, do
happy to read drafts of your work while others want something completely different for a few days - for
to see polished versions. Whichever approach your example, take yourself on a weekend break – and
supervisor takes, try to get feedback to improve your you may just find that you have recharged your
writing and the focus of your work. Friends and peers motivational batteries. Stay confident – you have got
can also be useful for reading work in progress and this far and you can complete this thesis. Just
assessing the flow of your argument – and you can remember that you really want to.
learn from reading their work too.
Follow general advice on good writing and your Action Points
disciplinary etiquette of writing. If you explain
something, be twice as explicit as you think you
should be. Write clearly and coherently. Most • Look at a successful PhD thesis in your
subjects favour simple sentences using simple words. department – how is it structured?
Ensure that you are familiar with the way of writing • Write a first draft outline and timeline of your
expected in your subject at your university. proposed thesis.
When you edit your work, make sure that individual • Learn to use a referencing tool for your
sections and paragraphs are easy to read and that bibliography
there is a good flow between sections. Proof-read
your work meticulously and pay attention to • Put a back-up system for all your files in place
stipulated minimum and maximum word or page • Limit e-mail time to three times a day
limits. Learn how to use Word or some other
software for structuring your thesis chapters into • Designate a folder to keep agendas for
sections with different sub-headings and master how supervisions and notes after your supervision
to insert and refer to graphics or tables in your text – meeting
hopefully your university IT support offers a training … and just remind yourself how exciting and
course on the topic for PhD students. Manage your fascinating your PhD topic is!

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 4
Career and life

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 www.manchester.ac.uk/humanities

If you undertake your PhD Conferences

To obtain an academic job, it is worthwhile to
with the aim of staying in become acquainted with the great and the good in
your field, the latest research developments, and to
academia, you also need to raise awareness of your work. The way to do this is
by attending conferences and giving talks in your
think from the beginning of department / university. In your first PhD year, you
might only attend major conferences without
the requirements for job presenting your work or you might present at a
postgraduate conference. Aim to present at least
entry in your discipline in one paper at a good conference during your PhD.
addition to completing a Find out whether your university, the conference
organisers or your scholarship provide you with extra
thesis – typically universities funds for conference travel. Have a business card
ready and participate in and enjoy the social activities
like to appoint new staff at the conference – new research collaborations and
even friendships can be forged over casual food and
who have published in peer- drink as well as formal talks. Besides, what other
occasions are there to meet so many brilliant people
reviewed journals and who interested in similar issues and ideas?
have some teaching
Publications
experience. It is still possible Your academic career will also depend on your
to obtain a first academic publication record. Your supervisor will be able to
advise you on how much is required for getting a
post without either position as a post-doctoral researcher or junior
university lecturer. Generally, you should aim for
experience but why not put publications in well known international journals.
Review processes frequently take many months to
yourself in the strongest complete, so try sending a paper for considerations
by the middle of your second year. In some
employment position humanities subjects, the gold standard is still a single
authored book. Your academic employment chances
possible? are enhanced if you are one of the few outstanding
students who secure a book contract with a good
publisher before completing your thesis.

Teaching
Undertaking limited teaching will not only enhance
your employability after your doctorate but it can also
be fun, provide some variety to your working week
and increase your income. But remember that your
top priority is your thesis – spend at most one day a
week on all your teaching activities, including
preparation, leading seminars, lectures or lab
experiments and marking. You are a step ahead of

11
 the academic careers game if you undertake a nightline. Your supervisor might be able to provide
PGCHE or apply for membership of the Higher some pastoral support but not all supervisors are
Education Academy www.heacademy.ac.uk while equally happy to be involved in issues around your
still doing your PhD – this signals your commitment personal life and you yourself might prefer keeping
to teaching. your personal life separate from your thesis. In any
case, use the available support services early on
rather than allowing potentially manageable
Jobs problems to spiral out of control.
Be aware that deadlines for some post-doctoral
research positions and lectureships as well as other
employment such as consultancy can frequently have Reflection
nine months’ lead time – start the academic job
search in August / September before completing your
• Have I visited my careers’ service? Am I on the
PhD. Sign up to automatic alerts should the job
mailing list for jobs – academic or otherwise?
section page from your favourite employers change
(for example • Is my updated CV just one mouse click away?
www.changedetection.com/monitor.html). Subscribe • Am I staying in touch with my nearest and
to www.jobs.ac.uk to receive the latest job alerts in dearest?
your academic field and get on your careers service’s
distribution list for new vacancies in industry. Your • Have I got a holiday or weekend break plan?
career service will be able to help you in preparing • Do I have a current GP and dentist registration
your CV. Keep your CV only one mouse-click away – where I live?
you never know when you will spot jobs you wish to
apply for. Practice interviews and job talks, your
careers service may also have some mock interviews
in their DVD collection that are worth watching.

Life
Life continues while you are busy writing your PhD.
The support from family and friends will be as
important as the academic support in helping you
succeed in your doctorate. Stay connected and
involved with your nearest and dearest, especially if
your thesis seems to take over every aspect of your
life. Visits and joint time off may help you stay
connected.
Many PhD students find that involvement in some
extra-curricular activities keeps their energy levels
high. Your enthusiasm for other things will give you
more energy for your thesis and you may pick up
further transferable skills on the way as well.
Follow general common sense in managing your
physical and mental health. Make sure you are
registered with a GP and dentist. Universities
generally have a counselling service that you should
be entitled to use free of charge as well as a student

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 www.manchester.ac.uk/humanities

5
Final steps

13
 Submission • Summarise your thesis in one sentence / 3 minutes
Ultimately, a good PhD is a finished PhD. A potentially / 10 minutes. What is the take-home message?
outstandingly original piece of work that is never • What have you done that merits a PhD?
submitted will neither earn you a PhD nor gain you
the recognition you deserve. Your final thesis product • What are your main contributions to knowledge?
will never be perfect but will mirror an appropriate • How applicable is what you have done to other
academic accomplishment for three years of research. contexts?
As a general rule, the final writing and proofreading
process will take at least twice as long as you expect, • What are the recent developments in your field?
so allow plenty of time for the final polishing stages. How does your work link to those developments?
Ensure that your thesis complies with institutional • What would you do differently if you were to start
submission guidelines (spacing, spelling, word limit, the project again?
structure, binding, submission forms) and is neatly
presented. Consult with your supervisor about • Where do you see this kind of research moving in
possible examiners for your thesis. You will want to the future?
appoint someone who is sympathetic to your line of • What is the strongest criticism of your work?
enquiry and who is realistic about the requirements What would your worst critic say about your
for conferring a doctorate. For an academic career it thesis?
can also be helpful to appoint a distinguished
Depending on your subject areas, questions may also
professor as their networks and references could help
include implications for policy audience, end-users or
you get jobs. If possible, avoid appointing someone
industry; ethical considerations in research involving
who holds a personal grudge against your
human subjects; and technical, methodological and
supervisor(s) or your institution.
mathematical questions.
Some questions are asked because the examiners are
Viva genuinely interested and want to know the answer,
A few weeks or months after your thesis submission so set a friendly rather than adversarial tone.
you will be called to your viva, the final oral PhD Remember – you are now the world’s expert on your
examination. The purpose of this examination is to topic! You know more about it than your examiners.
confirm that it was you who actually wrote the thesis Use general answering techniques to shine in your
and that you fully understand the work you have viva. Phrases such as ‘Thank you for that helpful
done and the significance of your work within your comment…’; ‘That is a good question’; ‘Now, the
research field. A viva is an open book exam. Not answer is not straightforward…’ go a long way.
only do you have an opportunity to prepare but you Acknowledge when you are faced with a challenging
can even take a list of anticipated questions and but justified question - ‘You have identified a serious
answers into your viva. Take this list into your viva as limitation of this approach/method/technique and the
well as chapter summaries, a list of errors you found results/findings have to be interpreted in the light of
when re-reading your thesis and, if applicable, work this observation’. Score points by mentioning specific
you have undertaken since submission. details of names, titles, journals, date of publication –
If you want to continue with your academic work, the but the greatest way of winning over your examiners
viva is a good opportunity to improve your work for remains your continued enthusiasm and excitement
further publications and to get advice on the suitable for your research.
journals and publishers for research dissemination. The most usual outcome of a viva examination is a
requirement to make some changes to your thesis. If
you make these changes to the satisfaction of the
Viva preparation examiners within a specified period, then you will be
Your viva will contain some predictable questions. awarded a doctorate. A great reason to celebrate.
Ideally, you will have thought about these questions
while you were writing your PhD. Practice your answers
with fellow students and friends or write down some Enjoy your PhD!
bullet points to remind you of your response.

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 www.manchester.ac.uk/humanities

6 Case studies
Sarah Rosalind
Sarah embarked on a PhD in particle physics knowing Rosalind enjoyed her laboratory based work in
that her interests were equally divided between physics Biology as it gave her a supportive peer-group during
and languages and politics. During her PhD she kept her her PhD. Furthermore, she had always wanted to
interests alive by learning a new language and being travel and had missed out on this experience due to
involved in a political society at her student union while her family’s financial situation when she was growing
giving 100 per cent to her research from 9 to 5. Sarah up. ‘The best thing about my PhD is the funds to go
started employment with the foreign office after to international conferences. And a professor I
completing her PhD – she has found that her physics recently met at a conference has invited me to join
background has given her very precise thinking and his research team for a year – so I am looking forward
analytical skills that help her succeed in her new career. to moving to the US after my PhD. Without the PhD I
‘I am glad I did the PhD. It taught me so many things I would not be able to catch up on all these
wouldn’t know otherwise – and you can just tell who experiences I have previously missed out on. I also
among my new colleagues has got one and who hasn’t.’ enjoy being outstanding at what I do.’

Bhavna George
Bhavna’s decision to undertake a PhD in the social George had always known he wanted to be an
sciences was inspired by her friend’s decision: ‘We academic historian. But after submitting an
decided to do a PhD together because we couldn’t unsuccessful application for PhD funding to his
think of anything else to do and I had a topic in mind research council, he decided that it was too risky to
that fascinated me.’ Funding was not forthcoming embark on a self-funded PhD followed by uncertain
and Bhavna held down part-time jobs and a job prospects. Fortunately, George’s revised and
wardenship in a hall of residence throughout her PhD. improved PhD proposal secured funding a year later
Nonetheless, not only did Bhavna succeed in her PhD, while he was working as an accountant in the City. ‘I
she also gained a prestigious post-doctoral fellowship am now half-way through my PhD and I am enjoying
and soon afterwards a permanent academic job at a it. I do a lot of teaching and marking, and I still know
top university. ‘I could not possibly advise my students that there might not be an academic job at the end
to start a PhD with such little idea of where they are of it. Still, I feel privileged to have a chance to pursue
going and no funding. But, yes, it worked for me and my academic interests for three years.’
it is the second best thing I have done in my life (after
meeting my husband). The tough road to completion
also made me appreciate my current job and the Janina
security that comes with it more.’ Janina had put her career ambitions aside to follow
her husband’s job and to care for their newborn
baby. But four years later, she found herself divorced
Don with poor job prospects and a community that felt
Don undertook a PhD in Mathematics. He enjoyed uneasy with a single mum in their midst. She
the academic side of his PhD but also the freedom to plunged her savings into a down payment on the
pursue his interests in cycling. At the end of his PhD, tuition fees for a PhD in politics in a different town
he was offered a post-doctoral position in Canada. and her life changed from there. ‘I could finally do
But two weeks before taking up his new job he something I felt passionate about and was defined by
decided not to go. ‘The prospect of going overseas my own ability rather than my ex-husband’s
was exciting but I decided that my roots in the town accomplishments. The PhD gave me my confidence
where I undertook my PhD were more important to back, I have just accepted a job in local government
me.’ Having discovered that his priority was to stay and I am getting married again in autumn. Life with
local, he secured lucrative employment at a private the PhD is good.’
financial consultancy firm. ‘The PhD allowed me to
have maximum choice in my life – and I am happy it
has given me an opportunity to stay in a place I like
with the people I care about.’
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7 Resources
www.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/humnet/acase
rv/pgresearch/skillstraining/ - for more information
The author
Anna Zimdars completed her
about training and development for researchers in the doctorate in Sociology at the
Humanities Faculty at The University of Manchester University of Oxford in 2007.
She is now working as a post-
doctoral researcher at the
PhD community & writing tips University of Manchester.
www.proquest.co.uk - search completed doctoral Reflecting on her own PhD
theses experience, Anna felt that there
port.igrs.sas.ac.uk/supervision.htm - advice on PhD were things she wished
planning, supervision and writing. someone had told her when she embarked on the
PhD journey and the idea to write a short booklet for
www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~jw/thesis.html - advice future PhD students was born.
on the writing part of your PhD
We hope you have found the booklet useful – your
www.vitae.ac.uk – UK national organisation with feedback, comments and suggestions are welcome
information and resources to support the here: [email protected].
development of researchers
The University of Manchester June 2010
www.purelyPhD.com – information about PhD
study, progression, networking and getting a job
afterwards

Career planning Reflections

www.jobs.ac.uk - for academic job search after the
PhD, sign up for weekly job alerts, mainly UK but
some international postings What do I hope to get out of the PhD experience?

chronicle.com/jobs/100 and
www.higheredjobs.com - for job offers in the US
academic market, sign up for weekly alerts
www.prospects.ac.uk - resource for graduate
careers
www.heacademy.ac.uk - membership of the higher
education academy may enhance your chances of
securing an academic job after completing your PhD.
www.rcuk.ac.uk - find the UK research council
responsible for your area of research and find funding What excites me most about my PhD topic?
and post-doctoral opportunities
www.changedetection.com/monitor.html - allows
you to monitor websites and be notified when they
change. Very useful for monitoring job websites at
particular institutions.

Book
Estelle M. Phillips and Derek S. Pugh ‘How to get a
PhD: a handbook for students and their supervisors’,
4th edition, 2005, Open University Press.

16
 www.manchester.ac.uk/humanities

Your Notes Basic Checklist

(please tick 3when you accomplish a task)
when you start….
folder designated to keep log of supervision
meetings
back-up system for all files in place
comfortable workspace
registration with GP and dentist (optional: gym)

after the first three months…

looked at a good PhD thesis related to my research
interest at my university
talked to at least one more advanced PhD student
in my discipline
know at least one key administrative staff in my
discipline by name
reviewed training needs and ethics implication
with supervisor
attended at least one research seminar in my
discipline

by the end of Year 1…

visited careers service
draft outline and draft timetable to completion

by the end of Year 2…

attended at least one conference / workshop /
internal seminar
presented or plans to present at a conference /
workshop / internal seminar
updated CV is one mouse-click away
on mailing lists with relevant future employment
mastered required research skills and how to
manage large documents, references
had a holiday / break

by the end of Year 3…

draft of thesis at least three months before
you want to submit

17
Researcher Development Team
Faculty of Humanities
Devonshire House
The University of Manchester
Oxford Road
Manchester
M13 9PL

tel +44(0)161 306 1113

email [email protected]

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