Practical guidance for researchers who feel stuck, overloaded, uncertain, or delayed with writing, publishing, PhD work, supervision, or academic career decisions.
The articles below help you move from confusion to clarity — with structured, experience-based support rather than productivity pressure.
Explore practical tools, frameworks, diagnostics, and real academic writing guidance used by researchers across disciplines.
Choose the situation that best matches where you are right now. Each short tool helps you clarify the problem, reduce uncertainty, and identify a practical next step.
Define your paper focus, create a working structure, and identify your next writing step.
Decide whether your manuscript is ready to submit — or what still needs work.
Identify whether your current support system is helping your PhD progress or holding it back.
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...
Do you want to be confident, upbeat, and ready to tackle any upcoming challenge at work? But are you suffering from a work routine that constantly drains your energy and leaves you feeling exhausted? We’ll tell you how to turn it...
“This year I want to publish a journal paper! More than that – I need to! I have to! This is it!” Is publishing a paper one of your new year’s resolutions? If you want to get a paper written, submitted and accepted over the next...
Is it getting harder to be excited about your PhD? Perhaps you struggle to find the enthusiasm to start another work day – especially when nothing seems to be going your way. You might be suffering from one of the most common...
Are you at a loss for words when it comes to responding to reviewers? Do you wonder how you can respond in a way that increases the chances of passing peer-review? Do you have doubts about what would be the correct tone for your...
Do you keep a record of all your experiences and achievements as a researcher? Are you documenting what you’ve learned as you progress with your career? No? Well, then you better keep reading, because this blog-post is made for...
It is often a special moment when you receive the review reports of your paper from a journal. It feels a bit like getting your mark after a challenging exam. But once you open the message and read the comments from the reviewers, they...
Are you sending one application in after the other, but never land a spot for an interview? Are you applying for funding or a scholarship, but you’re not quite as successful as you’d like to be? Are your scientific achievements piling...
You can never know the exact questions that the audience will ask after you have finished a conference presentation. This uncertainty can cause additional stress for you, and put you on edge during your presentation. There are,...
Are you puzzled as to how you’re supposed to find a topic for your PhD project? Feeling buried under a ton of scientific articles or books that you’ve read which only added to your confusion? If it’s been weeks since you started, and...
So you want to publish a paper in a journal? Sure, sounds like a great idea, but do you know what type of paper it should be? There is not only ONE TYPE of paper you could write. Journals these days are highly specialised and offer a...
Are you applying for an academic position? A successful interview is always a major step on the way to becoming a top-candidate. But, you’ve got to be careful with how you answer interview questions and what effect your answers will...
Is it the first time you are presenting at a scientific conference? First time you’re traveling to an academic meeting, probably abroad, and talking about your research in front of a crowd of people you don’t know? Feeling a bit...
More and more journals give authors the possibility to suggest potential reviewers for their paper. Should you use this opportunity and come up with reviewers? We suggest: ABSOLUTELY! But, be careful to follow the rules we outline here...
New to the PhD? Looking forward to an exciting time in your life? Bet you are! But maybe you’re also feeling a bit anxious for how to get this major undertaking started off right? Do you wonder what things you should be aware of? We’ve...
“Alright, let’s write a paper together! What a great idea!” The enthusiasm can be great at the beginning of writing a journal article, but when it comes to the task of actually putting words on paper, you can quickly discover you’re...
Have you been asked to join an activity outside the PhD? Not sure if you should say YES or NO? Agonising over it for a while already? Let us help you with the decision: We’ll give you a list of points to consider so you’ll know clearly...
Understanding licensing rights on the Internet, for publications and presentation purposes has not become easier. Sure, you can download a photo from a database for free, but how can you use it and how do you go about crediting the...
Do you need a high–quality image of the human lung system or cell signalling pathways or a colony of Australian termites? Does you next paper or presentation showcase the distribution pattern of a specific wildflower in...
As everybody says, you should be using images and photographs when giving a talk to present your research. Images are very powerful and they can say more than a thousand words. That’s all very well and good, but where are you supposed...
Are you sure the visual appearance of your CV is helping you to stand out in the crowd? Will it help you outshine the competition? It’s used in the most crucial moments of your academic career – but does yours stand the test? Get...
Have you ever wondered how to spot a so-called predatory journal? These type of journals are not really interested in your paper, – your research, or of high quality. They seem to be mostly keen on collecting fees from authors in...
Some people call it the most important talk in your career! – The talk that you give when you’re applying for an academic position. If you deliver a brilliant job talk, you might get the tenure-track-professorship that you...
Have you ever tried to create a conference poster that was well received and worth the time you invested? Not so easy! Many academic conferences treat poster as second class presentations, while oral presenters seem to get first class...
There is no single factor as detrimental to concentration as glancing at your social media, e-mail or newsfeed. If you need help to break the addiction – and you’re not alone – we have the cure you’re looking for! Turn your...
In the age of information technology, should you still be writing papers with the aim of publishing them in journals? Isn’t it a long, complicated and daunting process to write a paper and get it accepted in a journal? Wouldn’t it be...
Are you among those who are a bit reluctant to attend PhD graduate school events? Yes, their requirements can seem like just another hurdle on your way to the PhD. But graduate schools can help you, your PhD, and your career in so many...
Do you have to give a scientific presentation at a conference or at your institute, and wonder when you need to start preparing it? How early should you begin to work on your talk to be able to deliver it well? Will one or two...
Are you wondering what one might typically be able to expect from a good PhD supervisor? Are you uncertain if your own supervision ticks all the boxes? Are you having one issue or another with supervision and you’re not sure if this is...
