If you are thinking or starting a PhD, you probably have the intellectual acumen and academic skills needed for advanced study – but intelligence isn’t everything. In this article, we’ll discuss the additional soft skills and qualities needed for PhD success.

This article is for anyone who is thinking about pursuing a PhD but is still feeling unsure why they’re choosing this path or what will be expected of them. We discuss five key aspects of doctoral research that all applicants should consider carefully before embarking on a PhD.

If you are thinking of doing a PhD or just about to start one, you may be wondering how different doctoral study will be from your previous degrees and how to prepare for it. To help you get a step ahead, in this article, we’ll outline some of the key differences between a PhD and postgraduate taught programmes.

There are many popular but untrue myths floating around the academic community about what the PhD experience actually entails. In this article, we’ll visit and redress four common misconceptions about doing a PhD.

A supervisor can make or break someone’s PhD experience. Therefore, finding the right supervisor is perhaps one of the most important factors for ensuring that you have a good, healthy, enjoyable and successful PhD experience.

When you apply for a PhD, it is likely that you will need to include a research proposal with your application. This article highlights our top tips for putting together a research proposal and offers you some key points to consider as you prepare your plan. 

Starting a PhD is a very big deal. Having to also travel and settle into another country can make the process that much more daunting for new researchers. But doing a PhD as an international student does not just have to be a stressful experience – it can also be a very fulfilling and enjoyable one. We share here some of the key factors to bear in mind as you embark on your international PhD.

As a PhD student, you are under a lot of pressure. You’ve got a lot to do, but you don’t always have the support you need. It’s no surprise that anxiety and depression are common among PhD students. While there’s no magic bullet, there are things you can do to help look after your mental health.

The image of a PhD student can be someone working in a narrow field, gaining knowledge and learning techniques with limited application. But this isn’t true. As specific as your research questions may be, you are inevitably developing skills which are valued in the workplace, in or out of academia. And your time at university offers opportunities to gain additional experience and skills.

Career opportunities in academia are highly sought after, positions are limited and competition is tough. Unless you are very determined to remain within academia, it is worth considering other career options in non-academic sectors and industries. This article suggests key points to bear in mind as you think about pursuing alternative career paths.

This webinar shows you how to plan and write your PhD thesis.

It is important, at all stages of the PhD, to ensure that you have done the necessary preparatory work before you even sit down to write. This article shares the three most important things you need to do in preparation for writing your thesis. 

Writing a thesis is a substantial undertaking. You may worry about many aspects of it, like whether you have done enough reading or gathered enough data. However, the final worry is how to actually write it. This article discusses three of the best writing practices to help you prepare for writing your thesis.

The introduction chapter of a PhD thesis is one of the most important sections as it lays the groundwork for the following chapters and offers a first impression of the rest of the research that you are about to share. This article discusses some of the key things to consider as you write your introduction.

Writing the conclusion to your PhD thesis can be daunting. How are you meant to draw together more than three years’ worth of work into one concise chapter, and make those wider conclusive points that have been on the periphery of your research throughout your PhD? Here are some useful tips for writing a PhD thesis conclusion, whether your field of research is in Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine (STEM) or Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities (SSAH). 

Chances are that you and other early career researchers (ECRs) have been using ‘dissertation’ and ‘thesis’ interchangeably. This article looks at the difference between the two terms, if indeed there is a difference.

An annotated bibliography is an expanded bibliography, offering additional brief annotations – or notes – on each source. This article explains the purpose of maintaining an annotated bibliography and illustrates with examples for both STEM and SSAH.

A PhD by publication is a mode of submission that allows the candidate to submit their body of published work created during their PhD as a thesis. This article discusses various considerations and challenges for preparing and submitting your PhD this way.

When applying for a PhD, you may be requested to submit either a personal statement or a statement of purpose (SoP), or possibly both. This article explains the similarities and differences between them and some pointers for how to write each.

A personal statement is an important part of a PhD application package, which, also typically includes a research proposal, CV, transcripts and references. This article discusses several aspects of writing your personal statement for a PhD application, including the groundwork you need to do for writing the statement.