Advice for surviving your PhD dissertation

From initial research and writing to revision, defence and award, the journey to completing a PhD is often described as a marathon. Here, academics offer their insight on each step towards producing an original work of scholarship. Starting with choosing a PhD supervisor and establishing healthy work habits, the advice goes on to cover how to structure a PhD dissertation, establish a writing routine, write an abstract, prepare for a viva and beat procrastination when motivation flags.

One of the hardest parts of writing a PhD dissertation is simply getting started. Most with experience of completing a doctoral thesis will agree, you will never quite feel ready. So, with your structure planned, start getting the words down – remember, this is a draft that you can keep revising. You may find it easiest to write alone, or as part of a group, you may be most productive in the morning, or in the evening. The key is to recognise your specific needs and set up a writing routine that plays to your strengths, as these resources explain. 

While fascinating and exciting, doing a PhD can also be a long, lonely, at times stressful, process. Doctoral students should take care to protect their well-being throughout their studies, accepting this is not a straightforward linear process and finding ways to accept uncertainty and combat isolation. These resources offer some useful insight into how to do this.

The abstract is your sales pitch, the chance to pique readers’ interest in your PhD research, so it’s essential to get it right. Given its concise nature, it is worth keeping a sharp focus on what you need to include to make it informative and engaging. These resources offer tips on how to do justice to your PhD dissertation.

The transition from student to PhD researcher involves a shift of mindset from working within set parameters to an entirely self-directed journey into the unknown. Here, academics share advice on how to keep motivation high, manage procrastination and synthesise existing scholarship before adding your own original findings in the form of your PhD dissertation.