#Perfectionism: Strive for progress - not perfection.
Stop trying to make that paragraph perfect. Make it better and get it in.
Stop waiting for the perfect idea - work with what you've got and get on with it.
Stop waiting for the perfect time - make a start now.

A good thesis is a finished thesis.
A great thesis is a published thesis.
A perfect thesis is neither.
Stop going round in perfectionistic circles and get it done.
#PhDchat #ECRchat #postdoc #PhDforum

If you ever have a moment of clarity about your research question then get out a big sheet of paper and write it down and stick it on the wall behind your computer. That moment of clarity will not last long. Capture it. #PhDchat #ECRchat #postdoc

Displacement activities. The things we do to avoid doing the thing we should be doing.
Tutoring
Other projects
Formatting
Organising references
Housework
Helping others
Planning
and so much more.

We often ignore our own deadlines. We know they're not real.

So make them more real.
Tell people about them.
Organise a meeting where you have to deliver.
Commit to a seminar where you have to present.

When looking for feedback, ask specific questions.
If you just say "Give me feedback" you're leaving it up to chance.

What most advisers want is a student who comes to them with suggestions and solutions as well as problems, gets things done and makes the job of advising easier. We call it the 'care and maintenance' of your adviser.
Full article: buff.ly/2PKIX7V

To be fair, e-mailing a chapter to an adviser and saying “Give me feedback” is like walking into a restaurant and saying “Give me food.” You need to be a bit more specific.
Full article: buff.ly/2PKIX7V

One student described her feedback experience as similar to being a victim in a drive-by shooting — she handed over her work, it was riddled with bullets and she was left with a bloodied mess as the shooter drove off.
Full article: buff.ly/2PKIX7V

You can't assume that your adviser hosts productive meetings or can intuit what you need to know. You need a specific, uncomplicated agenda that could include such action items as what you've done in the past two weeks; feedback on written work; what you'll do next
Read article here. buff.ly/2PKIX7V

Students often assume that once they call someone an adviser, they automatically acquire all the skills of advising. After all, if your adviser is the world leader in stem-cell technology, they must excel at the seemingly simple task of advising.
Full article: buff.ly/2PKIX7V

Ever since the advent of graduate school, students have complained about their advisers. It is almost an article of faith. The adviser is never available or is too available; gives too much feedback or not enough; is too critical or isn't providing enough direction;
Article here. buff.ly/2PKIX7V

When you're doing a #PhD you are learning how to do research.
You're learning how to:
- read the research literature
- design a project
- analyse data
- write research
It's OK not to know these and to ask lots of questions.

In your research plan it is all smooth and straight.

In reality, your research will littered with potholes and setbacks.

That's research.

#Supervisors/#Advisors: A few kind words can make a big difference to your research student or post-doc. And it doesn't cost anything. #ECRchat #EMCRForum #PhDchat #PhDforum #postdoc

Writing Genres:
First draft: Horror
Abstract: Action thriller
Hypothesis section: Fantasy
Results section: Tragedy
Limitations section: True crime
Implications section: Satire
Grant application: Science fiction

I'm a fiction writer in the grant proposal genre.
#ECRchat #postdoc #PhDforum #PhDchat #acwri

Expectations v reality. |Leunig

Dictionary!

The writer's delusion: I don't want to practice. I want to skip ahead to the part where I'm awesome. #phdchat #phdforum #acwri #ECRchat #postdoc #academicchatter | Doug Savage

Cards for researchers.
#PhDchat #ECRchat #postdoc @tomgauld

Hell for people who need to have all their books in alphabetical order.
#PhDchat #ECRchat #postdoc #PhDforum |savagechicken

Hoping Santa brings you a thesis for Christmas?
#PhDchat #PhDforum From @PhDcomics

For when you're writing your letter to Santa this year.
#upturnedmicroscope

What you asked for in the grant proposal.
What you actually received.

Creative uses for old theses? A Christmas thesis-tree. What's happened to yours?
#PhDlife #ECRchat #postdoc

For Christmas I want a dragon.
Be realistic.
OK. I want my paper to be accepted without revisions.
What colour do you want your dragon.

This might sound familiar to many grad students. Learning how to avoid bumping into your supervisor.

You've heard of FOMO: the Fear of Missing Out. But have you heard about FOMAR? The Fear of Missing a Reference? Just one more search. One more scan of the literature. What if I miss something? #PhDchat #PhDforum #ECRchat #AcWri

“Books aren’t written – they’re rewritten. Including your own. It is one of the hardest things to accept, especially after the seventh rewrite hasn’t quite done it.” Michael Crichton. Same goes for theses and papers. #PhDforum #EMCRforum #PhDchat #acwri