Free guidelines, checklists, worksheets and a lot of hands-on advice for PhD students, Postdocs, Researchers and everybody interested in boosting their performance in academia.
All related to publishing, getting a PhD and a job, presenting and becoming an efficient researcher.
Many PhD candidates are suffering from isolation due to COVID-19 related restrictions. Whether this means you can’t travel, can’t meet other PhDs, friends or family, or you can’t even access your institute or lab – most PhD...
(How-we-write series no. 1) In this post, Zoe, a researcher, reports a fascinating story about her stance on academic writing. Starting from a position of dissatisfaction with her writing method, she discovered a regular writing...
Are you like Hanna, one of our course participants, who asked herself how she could structure her PhD work days? Are you looking for any proven strategies how and when to plan your days? In this blogpost, we show you 6 steps for...
Is your PhD work not running quite as smoothly as you wish? It may be down to one or more unproductive habits or attitudes you have unknowingly adopted. Here, we’ll describe how a lack of focus, lack of initiative, loss of control, or...
Are you in the process of switching jobs? Is your PhD coming to an end and you’re eyeing that first postdoc position? Or preparing yourself for an advanced research position, or becoming an assistant professor? Due to ongoing...
Do you feel that some of your time is wasted with pointless activities? Wishing you could make better use of your working hours to move your research and your career forward? Here, we discuss the most common time-wasters for...
Are you missing out on encounters with your PhD supervisors while working off-campus? Feeling more lonely, and low in motivation to progress with your work? Why not arrange more encounters in an online-space? We suggest two great...
The co-authorship of supervisors on papers of their PhD students is a hot topic in academia. Should they be included or not? All sorts of rules, conventions, and rumours seem to exist. Let’s clarify a few of them here! 1. Why...
2 February 2021, by TRESS ACADEMIC Many authors struggle with paper-writing because there are a few crucial decisions they haven’t made before they begin.Then, everything seems difficult and complicated, and it feels like you...
When working with co-authors on a joint paper, the order of authors as listed on the paper needs to be set. Naturally, several authors might want to claim the prestigious first position as theirs. If you feel that it should be you who...
Do you need a new academic position any time soon? Here, we help you by breaking down this major task into three phases, and give you a time-line according to which you can organise your own job search. From preparing a cover letter to...
This year was different, and the festive season will be quite different as well! In earlier years, the free days during the holiday season gave loads of possibilities to meet friends, visit concerts, cinemas, and museums, to pop into...
2020 has shown us all how important it is to have good friends that help and motivate us when needed. With the festive season just around the corner, you may wonder “What can I give to my best academic friend?” Should it be something...
Is dissertation writing high on your list of things to do, but you just have no time to write? Do you think it might be too early in your PhD to get started on writing the dissertation? Here, we present five common excuses for why...
Are you uncertain if you are ready to submit your PhD dissertation? Or hesitant to wrap up your work and move your project to the finish line? You might be stuck in the wrong mind-set, or not sure if you’ve enough material, or simply...
Do you feel overwhelmed by the amount of tasks waiting for you? No idea what to turn to first? We’ll help you gain clarity over your endless list of PhD tasks, and decide what is most important to focus on. Let us help you regain...
Do you struggle to maintain a private life while studying for a PhD degree? Is your PhD expanding indefinitely at the expense of everything else? We know how it feels to be overworked and out of balance. In this post we show you 6 ways...
If you’re not a regular participant in video conferences or live video-based online courses, you might wonder what are the dos and don’ts of these classes? We’ve taught hundreds of participants in our live-online courses held on Zoom,...
Do you look for excellence in every piece of work you do? Do you want to write the perfect email, the perfect paper, the perfect job application? In this blog post, we tell you why it is sometimes better to go with a less perfect...
Are you aware of how much a good co-supervisor can influence your PhD process? Did you know that many PhD students can add co-supervisors throughout their PhD? Not sure who you should pick? Here, we outline the process for finding the...
13 October 2020, by TRESS ACADEMIC Writing productivity is at the heart of your academic performance. If you want to be a good academic scholar, recognised by peers, and have an impact on your research field and society, being a...
Are you sitting in front of your laptop with the best intentions to write your paper, but it just isn’t happening? You just don’t get anything written? You’re getting frustrated and angry about your lack of productivity, and this...
What is the worst thing that can happen to your paper? Getting rejected? Oh yes, this is a scary thought and you don’t want it to happen to you. But being frightened of the process and scared of the outcome of peer-review doesn’t bring...
If you struggle with writing a paper, we’ve got some help for you. Here, we show you how to optimise your writing environment, writing process, and the paper itself so that it will be far easier to produce your paper. You will see that...
Musicians do it, athletes do it, actors do it: They exercise the skills they need to perform well in their jobs. Writing is a skill as well. If you want to become a prolific scientific writer, you need to train your writing muscle....
As a newbie in the journal publishing world, you might have many questions on writing a paper and getting it published. Here, we list short answers to 20 common questions that PhDs and Early-Career Researchers often have before they...
OK, it’s dissertation writing time. But how do you get started? Which sections are best to begin with? Are there any steps that should be completed beforehand? Is there any technique that helps speed up the process? The answer is yes,...
Are you having anxieties about handing in your dissertation later than you’re expected to? We encourage you to do something about your delay and never giving yourself and your project up to fate! Instead, elaborate on the reasons that...
Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by all the tasks you’ve got to tackle for your PhD? Do you feel like there’s simply too much you should be doing right now? No idea where to start? And when you start somewhere you’re unsure if what...
Is dissertation or thesis writing a bit of a pain for you? Whether it’s writing a bunch of journal papers or crafting a monograph thesis, it is work that often gets postponed until the end of the project. We propose 5 reasons why it is...
Having trouble making yourself heard in conversations with your supervisor? Irritated that you’re not better at getting your message across during meetings? Disappointed afterwards with the advice you got? It doesn’t have to be this...
Does writing your thesis feel like a never-ending story? Are you afraid of making too little progress? Is the thought of writing the dissertation sending shivers down your spine? When you have thesis writing on your agenda but haven’t...
Are you behind schedule or stuck with your PhD? Do you feel overwhelmed and mentally drained? Do you feel unsupported by your supervisors or are you experiencing trouble with dissertation writing? All of these are clear signs that you...
Are you satisfied with how you approach writing journal papers? Great, keep going as you are. If you are not happy, why is that? Or, do you think this is inevitable, that everybody has difficulties with writing journal papers? Well,...
Having difficulties working from home? Finding it easier to vacuum your apartment than work on your paper? Spending more time watching the news than focussing on your research? No idea how to get yourself organized amid a pandemic?...
You probably think that if your paper gets rejected, it’s simply not good enough. But do you know why papers get rejected? In fact, there are a lot of reasons why journal editors may decline your paper. ‘Not good enough’ is a very...
During the corona pandemic, many of you may suddenly have ample time to get important work done, but not feel motivated to do so. Perhaps your original plans for your PhD project have been turned upside-down. You already know that...
Drafting a literature review doesn’t require a lab or experiments and you also don’t need to run an interview survey, collect field samples or analyse complex data. A literature review is basically desk work. It is a perfectly targeted...
The restrictions brought on by the Corona virus means hardship, isolation, and anxiety for many of us. But it can also be a time to establish new habits and focus on what counts. Why not use this special situation to get your first, or...
Every PhD study offers fertile ground for once in a lifetime stories. If you want to hear some of ours, like how a PhD defence ended with a thunderstorm, why two PhD students and three professors drove through a rapidly flooding...
Are you uncertain how your project will unfold? Do you have constant worries about the progress of your PhD project? Are you anxious that you won’t be able to finish on time? You’re not alone! We know these problems all too well. But,...
Have you ever thought about what causes a PhD candidate to succeed in the end? What do those who complete successfully on time do differently from those who take way longer than initially planned or never make it in the end? – I...
The recent Corona virus outbreak is changing the way many PhD students, Postdocs and Researchers can conduct their work. Universities and research institutes around the world have or are about to shut down their business and send staff...
Were you asked by your supervisor to present your PhD work at a research seminar? Perhaps there’s an annual PhD-day in your graduate school where all new PhDs have to present their work. Or your funding body requires you to give a...
Have you forgotten that there will be an end to the PhD? Have you ever thought about how you will feel after your graduation? Awesome! Your life will be all the better, so why not trying to end the hardship and complete your PhD? Let...
Receiving a rejection letter from a journal editor is no fun. You submitted a paper in the hopes of getting it published, but after a few weeks the journal declines your paper. What are your options now? Will you ever get it published?...
Want a look behind the scenes of Bärbel’s PhD experience? She shares with you her funniest, the proudest and the most dreadful moments. You’ll get to know why her PhD often was a sweet experience, but a hard one none the...
What is it like to write and publish a paper? Is it a difficult process? Is it rewarding? What are the challenges? What should I do differently next time? We asked students from our paper-writing courses, most of them first-time...
Have you been around PhD students who have worked on their PhDs for many many years? Came across a few who never finished? Well, so did I! Let me tell you my story of how a personal experience with PhD failure led me to teach PhD...
When it comes to publishing papers, many academics lack a strategy to draw on when they consider important questions like: how many papers do I want to publish from my project? Is that plan realistic? Do I know which journals...
