Academic Skills
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Academic Skills
Separating your self-worth from your PhD work
Many PhD students have a hard time separating their self-worth from their PhD work. This is especially true when they experience setbacks in their PhD projects. While it is not an easy task, creating that separation can improve a PhD student’s resilience and well-being in the long term. Contents How self-worth gets entangled with PhD workHow to separate your self-worth from your PhD workFocus on your intrinsic self-worth as a PhD studentTreat your PhD as…
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Academic Skills
Co-authorship guidelines to successfully co-author a scientific paper
Collaborating on research and co-authoring a scientific journal paper is a common practice in academia. For early career scholars, co-authorship can be a great stepping stone. Five concrete co-authorship guidelines can prevent conflicts and frustrations while co-authoring academic papers. Contents Why co-authorship can be challenging for early career researchersGuideline 1: Agree on the order of authors in a co-authored publicationGuideline 2: Share expectations and divide tasks during co-authorshipGuideline 3: Set up a realistic timeline for…
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Academic Skills
How to benefit from ChatGPT as an academic
ChatGPT’s presence is becoming increasingly ubiquitous, and academia is no exception. Learn how academics can effectively harness ChatGPT to their advantage, by streamlining email communication, enhancing clarity in academic writing, as well as using it to improve their research papers, to summarize lengthy texts and disseminate their work. Contents Using ChatGPT as an academic1. Streamline email communication as an academic with ChatGPT2. Enhance clarity in academic writing with ChatGPT3. Use ChatGPT to review your own…
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Academic Skills
Creating awesome Gantt charts for your PhD timeline
It’s a common scenario: you have never heard about Gantt charts. Then, when writing a PhD application or planning your PhD timeline for the upcoming years, someone suggests: You should include a Gantt chart! No need to worry. Here is all you need to know about Gantt charts for your PhD timeline. Contents What are Gantt charts?Why are Gantt charts frequently used for PhD timelines?What information is included in Gantt charts for PhD timelines?How do…
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Academic Skills
The different stages in the manuscript publication process
Submitting a manuscript to an academic journal is a big step. It is also the beginning of a complex publication process in which a manuscript goes through different stages. In each stage, the status of a manuscript changes. Understanding this process is pivotal for academic researchers. Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase using the links below at no additional cost to you. I only…
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Academic Skills
The best Coursera courses for PhD researchers in 2023
Online courses can greatly benefit PhD students. However, the vast number of available courses can be overwhelming and makes it hard to choose. Therefore, this list contains the best online courses provided on Coursera that are relevant to PhD researchers in 2023. Furthermore, a justification is provided for each course on why it is relevant for PhD researchers. Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make…
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Academic Skills
Juggling research and teaching obligations
Teaching is a common task for postgraduate students. Due to its interactive nature and more defined tasks, it is easy to prioritise teaching over research. Carving out time for research during busy teaching periods is never easy. However, there are a few things that can help you to juggle better between the two. Contents Teaching as a postgraduate studentBe realistic about time planningFigure out when you work bestKeep track of how you spend your timeTeam…
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Academic Skills
How to write a literature review introduction (+ examples)
The introduction to a literature review serves as your reader’s guide through your academic work and thought process. Explore the significance of literature review introductions in review papers, academic papers, essays, theses, and dissertations. We delve into the purpose and necessity of these introductions, explore the essential components of literature review introductions, and provide step-by-step guidance on how to craft your own, along with examples. Contents Why you need an introduction for a literature reviewWhen…
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Academic Skills
How to disagree with reviewers (with examples!)
It may come as a surprise, but you can disagree with reviewers. Sometimes it is not attainable or sensible to incorporate all reviewer comments in the revisions of your manuscript. In these situations, you have to politely but firmly disagree with reviewers. And there is a proper way to do it. Contents Critical reflection before disagreeing with reviewersDisagreeing when reviewers have conflicting opinionsExample scenarioDisagreeing when reviewers request too many changes simultaneouslyExample scenarioDisagreeing with requested changes…
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Academic Skills
Reviewer comments: examples for common peer review decisions
Peer-reviewing an academic manuscript is not an easy task. Especially if you are unsure about how to formulate your feedback. Examples of reviewer comments can help! Here you can find an overview of sample comments and examples for the most common review decisions: ‘minor revisions’, ‘major revisions’, ‘revise and resubmit’ and ‘reject’ decisions. Contents Examples of ‘minor revisions’ reviewer commentsExamples of ‘major revisions’ reviewer commentsExamples of ‘revise and resubmit’ reviewer commentsExamples of ‘reject’ reviewer comments…
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