Purpose of Graduate School

2. Purpose of Graduate School • Transformation from a consumer to a consumer/producer • Consumer – reads other people’s research • Producer – makes an original scholarly contribution • Learning the ropes of the academic game

3. The Key To Success • Work ethic • For most graduate students, raw intelligence is not the binding constraint • The binding constraint is often work ethic (persistence, determination, decision making) • Some sound advice from James Buchanan: • “Keep your ass in the chair. If you work from 6:00am to 6:00pm, you will outwork all the other academics around you.”

4. Writing papers… • …is a learning process • Start early and write often (i.e., every day!) • Keep a small “idea” notebook with you at all times • Some more advice from James Buchanan: • “All work is work in progress. “ • “Don’t get it perfect, get it written.” • “All writing is research.”

5. Remember Your Roots • Pursue what interests you • Why did you get into your field in the first place? • Pursue your passion, do not pursue what you think is fashionable in the literature • Dare to be different, but be competent

6. Finding a Topic • Use your discipline (and classical liberalism) as a set of glasses to view the world • Look out the window rather than on the black board for your questions • Strive to find puzzles where it appears that events defy what logic dictates • Work to solve the puzzle using your discipline to illustrate it is just an illusion, that the defiance is only an illusion

7. Finding a Topic, cont’d • You write what you read so read widely • Be familiar with the main journals in your field • But also read beyond your narrow area of specialization • And don’t minimize the importance of keeping up on current events, news, etc.

8. Embrace Your Inner Classical Liberal • Stealth strategy doesn’t work • You are what you write • Suppression of your true views are costly • Personal • Professionally: Academics is a very competitive business with seriously skilled people, you cannot “fake out” the competition • Classical liberalism – we need you! • You won’t be happy!

9. Embrace Your Inner Classical Liberal, cont’d • Writing on classical liberal ideas does not equal dogma or shoddiness • Pursuing these ideas won’t be low quality unless you are low quality • People care what you can show, not what you can think • High quality work is rewarded • Use your unique perspective (and passion!) to find interesting topics and questions

10. Strategies for Narrowing Topic • Keep it doable • Low probability that your dissertation will be a ground breaking treatise • One part of your research portfolio which represents your larger research program • Contrary to popular belief, everything has not been written

11. Strategies for Narrowing Topic, cont’d • Build off others (two approaches): • The small twist – one change to variables, different data sets, etc. • Can get published but often boring for you and others • The big twist – applying ideas in a new or novel ways • Keep in mind that you need to keep it doable • No one paper can address all aspects of a topic • That is ok, it means multiple papers

12. Some other Suggestions • Co-author with faculty and students • Do not fear criticism from others (faculty, students, referees, etc.) • Bob Tollison - “Never consider a criticism as lethal, but instead as another line on your CV.” • Develop a thick skin

13. Understand How Journals (or Books) Operate • Learn how the journal process works from faculty and senior graduate students • Understand the randomness of the journal process • Always be professional to journal editors

14. Summing Up • Work hard and appreciate the opportunity you have • Don’t get discouraged (even though you will) • Start writing now! • Never view your classical liberalism as a hindrance, but instead as a plus